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Nellie McKay – indie film & WBGO interview
Update: You can now order Home Sweet Mobile Home on Amazon
To piggy back off of this recent post about Nellie McKay‘s upcoming album, Home Sweet Mobile Home (out Sept 28), online music source 24bit added…
Before the album drops this fall, however, McKay will record music for and star as struggling New York City singer-songwriter Ramona in Downtown Express, an independent feature film in which her character falls in love with a Russian musician visiting town for a month on a Juilliard scholarship, played by real-life virtuoso violinist Philippe Quint.
She also did an in-studio appearance at WBGO (streaming audio link). She does some tunes and is interviewed by WBGO’s Michael Bourne. It was posted over at nelliemckay.com only yesterday (7/18/2010); so I assume it’s recent – even though it seems very Normal As Blueberry Pie-centric.
~Dan – np: Jon Madof’s Rashanim – Masada Rock 
Nellie McKay Announces New Album ‘Home Sweet Mobile Home’ (Sept 28 / Verve)
Update: You can now order Home Sweet Mobile Home on Amazon
This just in about Nellie McKay‘s forthcoming album…
NELLIE MCKAY TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM ‘HOME SWEET MOBILE HOME’ ON SEPTEMBER 28th (VERVE)
Singer-songwriter Nellie McKay’s fifth album, ‘Home Sweet Mobile Home,’ will be released on Verve Records this September. Her second album for the label follows her 2009 release ‘Normal As Blueberry Pie – A Tribute to Doris Day,’ which was selected by The New York Times, Huffington Post and The Village Voice as one of the best of the year.
‘Home Sweet Mobile Home’ is McKay’s first album of all-original material since 2007’s ‘Obligatory Villagers,’ and has the musical wanderlust, lyrical playfulness and sharp point of view that has characterized her music since her breakthrough debut ‘Get Away From Me.’ Songs from the new project were recently debuted during her NYC engagement at Feinstein’s, and the New York Post noted that “songs like “Bodega” and “Caribbean Time” feature whimsical humor and social commentary that blended in beautifully alongside the standards from the Blueberry Pie album.”
The new album, produced by McKay and Robin Pappas, was recorded in Los Angeles, New York, Jamaica and the Pocono Mountains and, even more than her previous albums, combines diverse musical moods and cultures.
“I have no idea how this album happened,” says Nellie. “I guess I was looking for a sound to reflect our shrinking world and the bleed of culture crossing all kinds of borders.” Reviewing a recent McKay show, Stephen Holden from The New York Times described her as a “vocal chameleon,” and that varied musical palette is used to great effect on the 13 songs on ‘Home Sweet Mobile Home.’
McKay has released four critically acclaimed records and appeared on Broadway (winning a Theatre World Award for her role in the revival of ‘The Threepenny Opera’) and on film (acting and singing in ‘P.S. I Love You’). She also wrote and performed the song score for the Rob Reiner film ‘Rumor Has It.’
The Chase Brock Experience recently produced a ballet of her third album, ‘Obligatory Villagers,’ while Nellie is currently playing opposite violin prodigy Philippe Quint in the independent film ‘Downtown Express’ and contributing to the soundtrack for the upcoming Martin Scorsese HBO series ‘Boardwalk Empire.’
Susan Enan house concert review (from last night) to be posted later today…
~Dan – np: Antibalas – Security
more Nellie McKay details
More details coming in on Nellie McKay‘s forthcoming follow-up to Normal As Blueberry Pie from Lehigh Valley Music…
Some of the key points… It is expected to be all original songs due out in September 2010. It’s being “overseen” by Talking Heads founder and world-beat practitioner David Byrne, and per Nellie it is a made up of a bunch of “wide-ranging” songs.
Read the full interview HERE.
Nellie McKay in the studio
Jazz-pop songstress Nellie McKay is in the studio working on her follow-up to Normal As Blueberry Pie (the wonderful Doris Day tribute from 2009). This news comes in via a twitter update on May 2nd from studio musician – David Raven (pictured at right).
“recorded today with nellie mckay for her new record… brilliant songwriter.”
As more concrete info about the forthcoming about comes out, I’ll be sure to post it…
~Dan – np: Minamo – Kuroi Kawa ~ Black River
REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ Berbati’s Pan (Portland, OR – 3/31/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Nellie McKay‘s most recent album, As Normal As Blueberry Pie, came out last year, and while different from her prior records, it definitely fit in her catalog nicely. It featured her at her campiest but also her jazziest, versus her edgier side. For evidence of the campiness, check out the lovely publicity shots over on nelliemckay.com. The serious and silliness perfectly fit her personality. I wouldn’t want Nellie any other way.
On to the show…
The venue, Berbati’s Pan, was known to me more for its rock acts. The “jazzy, bluesy, singer-songwriter evening” in store for us was bound to be a big question mark regarding how it would come across… well, it was delightful. The lighting and small couches on the outskirts of the club made for a nice atmosphere. We got to the show just before Howard went on. Most of the people were hanging out on the chairs & couches; so we got some spots right up front.
Howard Fishman opened up the show and hit the stage around 8:45pm. He played guitar in Nellie’s backing band, the Aristocrats, last fall. He played a good set of bluesy standards and originals. He had a lap steel guitarist, Henry Bogdan, playing with him. He played about 25-30 minutes, primarily “upbeat blues” tunes… with a few darker tunes thrown in near the end. Some of my favorites were “The One Rose (That’s Left in My Heart),” a silly song about the Red Sox, and the capper called “Best Days.”
After a short break, Nellie hit the stage alongside both Howard and Henry around 9:20pm. Her set was a more stripped down version of what she brought to Seattle last fall. A great selection of Doris Day and other older standards, with a few of her own songs thrown in for good measure. Her originals were some of my favorites for the night – specifically “Toto Dies” and “The Dog Song.” The newer cover tunes added to her setlist – “Small Day Tomorrow” and “Two Sleepy People” – were really great as well.
She was a giddy and lovable as usual… very jokey and generally in a delightful mood.
Setlist: about 75 minutes
- Do Do Do (Doris Day cover)
- Sentimental Journey (Doris Day Cover)
- A Wonderful Guy (Doris Day cover)
- Georgie Girl (The Seekers cover)
- Mean to Me (Doris Day cover)
- Prisoner of Love (Kitty Wells cover)
- Close Your Eyes (Doris Day cover)
- “Happy Birthday” (to Becky)
- If I Ever Had a Dream
- Toto Dies
- P.S. I Love You
- Mother of Pearl
- Alone When It Rains (duet with Howard Fishman)
- The Dog Song
- A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Ella Fitzgerald cover)
- Small Day Tomorrow (Bob Dorough / Fran Landesman cover)
- Crazy Rhythm (Doris Day cover)
- Encore: “Old-fashioned Bodega” (title unknown)
- Two Sleepy People (Hoagy Carmichael cover, duet with Howard Fishman)
many more photos below
Howard joined her on vocals on two songs. “Alone When It Rains” is actually a song of his, which was sung last night as a tribute to her former dog, Charro. The Hoagy Carmichael duet (“Two Sleepy People”) had a giggle-fit lyrical screw up, but they kept rolling with it. Henry’s lap steel changed the Doris Day sound to a more bluesy feel from the jazz sound of the Aristocrats backing band. The more stripped down Nellie backing band was a treat. I hope she keeps on swinging through the Pacific Northwest.
They’re off to Seattle next (check out more tour dates below). Catch them if you can!
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Nellie McKay’s Site
- Nellie on MySpace
- A good Nellie fansite at .NET
- Howard Fishman’s Site
- Howard Fishman on MySpace
- Berbati’s Pan (venue)
- My Prior Nellie McKay Reviews~
~Dan – np: Coheed & Cambria – Year of the Black Rainbow
no free download or torrent here
2010 Tour Dates (so far)
- 3/28/2010 Los Angeles, CA Alex Theatre
- 3/29/2010 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
- 3/31/2010 Portland, OR Berbati’s Pan
- 4/3/2010 Seattle, WA Paramount Theater A Prairie Home Companion
- 4/10/2010 Delaware Water Gap, PA Deerhead Inn
- 5/15/2010 Sellersville, Pennsylvania Sellersville Theater 1894
- 6/1/2010 through 6/12/2010 New York, NY Feinstein’s at The Regency
- 9/17/2010 Monterey, California, United States Monterey Jazz Festival
NELLIE McKAY with HOWARD FISHMAN PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (8 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (32 pics)
PDX Jazz Fest // Nellie McKay
Two unrelated news items…
PDX Jazz Fest is just over 6 weeks away… if you like live music and live anywhere near Portland, Oregon, you need to check this out. It’s a great festival. This year’s line-up is pretty darn excellent, if you ask me. I’m hitting three of them (Holland, Sanders & Douglas)…
Headliners
Thursday, February 25 – Luciana Souza
Friday, February 26 – Mingus Big Band
Saturday, February 27 (3pm) – Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli
Saturday, February 27 (7:30) – Dave Holland Quintet *
Sunday, February 28 (3pm) – Pharoah Sanders *
Sunday, February 28 (7:30) – Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy *
The whole week of Feb 21-28 (2010) is full of other great local and national jazz artists as well… all over town. For tickets and more information: http://www.pdxjazz.com/
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nellie McKay has released a few 2010 tour dates on her webpage (very scattered so far). The Seattle date is with Garrison Keillor‘s A Prairie Home Companion… fuuuun. I’m planning to make the trek up to that show.
- 1/7/2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
- 2/18/2010 New York, NY The Allen Room at Lincoln Center
- 4/3/2010 Seattle, WA Paramount Theater – A Prairie Home Companion
- 4/10/2010 Delaware Water Gap, PA Deerhead Inn
- 6/1/2010 New York, NY Feinstein’s at The Regency
- 9/17/2010 Monterey, California, United States Monterey Jazz Festival
I’m sure more dates will trickle in throughout the year. Go to her tour page for more info.
~Dan – np: Miles Davis – Porgy & Bess
Artists of the Decade – 2000s (#11 to 20)
Artists of the Decade – Honorable Mentions (1/1/2010 blog link)
- Dweezil Zappa
- Tori Amos
- Celldweller
- Iron & Wine
- King’s X
- Derek Webb
Artists of the Decade (#21 to 25) (1/1/2010 blog link)
25 ~ Ben Folds (solo)
24 ~ Peter Mulvey
23 ~ Opeth
22 ~ dredg
21 ~ Holy Fuck
And now round 2…
~*~*~
20 ~ Pedro the Lion (and David Bazan solo)
Pedro the Lion released their two most powerful and poignant albums in the early 2000s (Control and Achilles Heel), then frontman David Bazan decided to disband PTL and go solo (though by the 2000s, the writing was primarily Bazan anyway with hired guns for studios and tours). Prior to his first full length solo album, he did a side project called Headphones, put out annual Christmas 7″ vinyls, and released a split electric/acoustic EP. At the end of the decade, he hit the ground running with his fantastic “breaking up with God” record, Curse Your Branches. He’s been touring in a solo fashion fairly regularly since 2007 or so and is going to hit the road again this coming spring…
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19 ~ Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 combined four well-versed, naturally flowing MCs (Chali 2Na, Soup, Marc7 & Akil) and two melodic, creative, musicianship-driven DJs (Cut Chemist and NuMark) to create some excellently catchy hip-hop and rap. What I loved about them is that they weren’t all about the “drugs and bitches” that the gangsta rap had just previously been all about (don’t get me wrong, I love Dr. Dre’s The Chronic from the 90s, but J5 tended to keep it positive and definitely more musically-inclined). All six members have gone on to do solo albums and/or side projects after the band’s official breakup in the late 2000s… my faves have been Cut Chemist’s The Audience’s Listening and Chali 2Na’s Fish Outta Water. I still long for a reunion record, and I bet it’ll happen… maybe in the 2010s?
~*~*~
18 ~ My Brightest Diamond
Shara Worden’s utterly gorgeous, operatic voice is almost too much for the indie rock scene. Almost. It seems to fit in perfectly with Sufjan Stevens’ quirky folk and her own lush My Brightest Diamond string-infused indie pop (and the subsequent remix LPs/EPs centered around her studio albums). In a live setting, her voice is powerful and sublime, and her stage presense is charming. If you can get ahold of her pre-MBD band CDs, do so (AwRy was the name of the band).
~*~*~
17 ~ Nellie McKay
Her debut, Get Away From Me, is a 2-disc / 18-song satirical, poignant, humorous & angsty romp. The tag-line of “Eminem meets Doris Day” rang true. She followed it up with a couple of more subdued albums with the occasional harder edge tune, and then by decade’s end, she released a Doris Day only album. It seems somewhere along the line, she lost the Eminem edge, but she ended up still topping my list with the more gentle album. Her live performance for the Doris Day material was fantastic – which definitely helped its appeal with me. She’s a vegetarian and animal rights activist, too… so, definitely on my friendly artists list.
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16 ~ Secret Chiefs 3
Book M and Book of Horizons (both in the early 2000s) were SC3’s last officially “SC3 studio albums,” but since 2007, they have been busy with a handful of impressive 7″ vinyl singles, a “greatest hits” compilation, an amazing John Zorn Masada Book Two release in 2008 (Xaphan), a great concert DVD, a soundtrack to a made-up movie, and the ever-lasting promises of the Book of Souls (an album in the making… since… 2005?).
~*~*~
15 ~ Over the Rhine
In 2001, I think Over the Rhine made one of the best albums of their career… Films for Radio. They followed with a stunning double-album (Ohio), several solo albums by pianist Linford Detweiler, four live compilations, a few more pretty darn decent albums (including a new holiday album), and continual touring every spring & fall/winter. All in all, it was a pretty solid decade of a healthy work ethic. I’m curious what the 2010s will bring in the land of Over the Rhine. One can hope that they keep evolving.
~*~*~
14 ~ Mike Patton
Mr. Bungle broke up at the front end of the decade… but Mike continued on from Fantômas to Tomahawk to Lovage (with Dan the Automator & Elysian Fields’ Jennifer Charles) to Peeping Tom to multiple movie scores to many projects with John Zorn and back to Faith No More in 2009. As we lead into 2010, there are more Faith No More touring plans, more Fantômas plans, new bands Mondo Cane (50s Italian pop) and Crudo (DJ/rock-oriented), another Peeping Tom in 2011, and plenty else up his sleeve. Patton’s vocal versatility and hard work ethic make him one of my faves this past decade.
~*~*~
13 ~ Ani DiFranco
Similar to Tori Amos, the 1990s found a more consistently on her game Ani. While those days are gone, in the 2000s Ani kept delivering album after album after album and has way too many wins than loses, in my book. Revelling / Reckoning is quite possibly the most important release of her career (though not necessarily my favorite in this long oevre). She’s continually active and important in my musical world.
~*~*~
12 ~ Johnny Cash
This decade brought us American III, IV & V, and the Unearthed box set… all true genius from Johnny and Rick Rubin. The video for “Hurt” (a cover of the Nine Inch Nails song) is one of the most powerfully emotional videos I’ve ever seen (he really brought something new to that original NIИ song). If Rick Rubin never does anything important in the world of music ever again, he’ll still be the one who made Johnny Cash a legend (again).
~*~*~
11 ~ Dave Douglas
Founder of Greenleaf Music (a jazz label), and member of John Zorn’s Masada quartet… Dave Douglas is my #1 living trumpet player. My foray into a mega jazz love throughout the decade led me to be a fond admirer of Dave and his varied work. His various incarnations – the Quintet, Keystone, Brass Ecstasy, the Big Band, and more – show that he’s a hard worker. I can safely say, he’ll be back on this list in late 2019. :)
~*~*~
Tune in tomorrow for the final round…
My Other Favorites of 2009 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/more of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Instrumental Albums ’09 are *HERE*
- Old Years: 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Charlie Hunter – Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid
Oh, and for those who say that the decade ends at the end of 2010… meh. I’m starting with 0 and ending with 9 (like a LOT of people). Rationale: the 80s, the 90s… you don’t say the 80s went from 1/1/1981 to 12/31/1990 or the 90s from 1/1/1991 to 12/31/2000.
* Favorite Vocal Albums of 2009 *
Disclaimer (with a nod to Andy Whitman of Paste): No, I haven’t heard all 8,000+albums released this year. I’ve heard about 200 of them, which makes me at least 97.5% likely to be wrong. I make no claims to objectivity. These albums are my favorites from 2009. You might think that the one you’ve heard that I haven’t heard is the best album of 2009. And you might be right. So go ahead and vent. Enjoy!
As I start this post, I will say that this is the second 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. For that reason, the favorite vocal albums list goes first this go ’round. 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, SpaceBook pages, yadda yadda yadda. OK, now on to the best of what’s hit my ears this year…
Honorable Mentions: Jars of Clay‘s The Long Fall Back to Earth, U2‘s No Line on the Horizon, Madeleine Peyroux‘s Bare Bones, Piano Magic‘s Ovations, and Ember Swift‘s Lentic :: 子玉.
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 Chevelle – Sci-Fi Crimes (Epic) :: I don’t find Chevelle to be all that original. I mean, I found them early on (the Squint days) and I liked them due to their sound similar to Tool. I don’t know… I continue to like what Chevelle puts out, regardless of its similarities to other bands. They have good hooks, vocals, and melodies. I’ve yet to see them live… they tend to always show up where I’m not. Maybe I’ll get lucky on their next batch of tour dates.    |
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 Kim Taylor – Little Miracle (indie) :: Kim is a Cincinnati favorite of mine. She tours a lot with another Cincinnati band, Over the Rhine – which is how I first heard of her (so many years ago). Anyway, if you’re in Cincinnati, swing by her coffee shop – Pleasant Perk (and buy a CD along with the Mocha you’re craving). This record came out only about a week ago. It still needs to sink in, but it’s got that Kim Taylor vibe – sultry/smoky vocals with heartfelt lyrics. This album is more stripped down than her prior releases, full of warmth. |
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 Tori Amos – Abnormally Attracted to Sin (Universal) :: Tori’s heyday for me was the 1990s. Sin hearkens back to those days, but still remains in this weird phase of “I don’t know if I like, but I do kinda like it” for me. It’s not classic Tori, but it is a good record. Her live show this year in Portland helped me get into this album a bit more. After 20 or so years of touring, she still delivers the goods consistently.  |
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 Chali 2Na – Fish Outta Water (Decon) :: Chali 2Na was always my favorite rapper in Jurassic 5. I dig all of those gents, but Chali has that powerful booming baritone with quick delivery. His first official solo album [he had a mixtape type thing a few years back], this one doesn’t disappoint the J5 fan in me. |
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 Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue (EMI Virgin) :: New singer, same great grunge sound. Jerry Cantrell and Company are back with a great new hard rocking record. While Layne can’t be replaced, the band goes on and it doesn’t disappoint. Their live show this year was excellent as well. |
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 Isis – Wavering Radiant (Ipecac) :: Post-rock, post-metal, ambient metal… I don’t know what you want to call it. I first saw these guys open up for Tool a few years back, and I subsequently quit putting off getting their music. They’re on Mike Patton’s Ipecac label (so I had heard of them prior to the Tool gig), and they are both meandering and powerful. This is not a metal band full of riffs… they would fit more in the camp with post-rockers Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed! You Black Emperor than with Metallica and Megadeth. |
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 Talking Snakes (Gary Lenaire) – Nonogram Zen (indie) :: Former guitarist/vocalist for metal band Tourniquet, Gary Lenaire, released his book An Infidel Manifesto a few years back. This album is his first solo album as being an out atheist. I love the music and lyrics in Nonogram Zen. I think this album stacks up to anything he did in Tourniquet (OK, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance still “owns” Gary’s catalogue, in my opinion). Musically, Nonogram Zen ranges from really heavy, to electronic-tinged, to more melodic pop songs (with auto-tune… *shudder*) – but all in all, I’d consider it to be a metal/hard rock album. It’s only currently available as a digital release, but perhaps it will see a physical form in the near future. |
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 Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings (Roadrunner) :: I bought the special edition of this record, mainly for the CD of completely instrumental versions of Black Clouds songs. While I love the instrumental versions better, the entire album is really well crafted. As much as I think James LaBrie’s vocals and Mike Portnoy’s oft-clunky rhyme-writing get in the way, I think this album holds up in their ever-expanding catalogue. |
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 Bad Veins – Bad Veins (Dangerbird) :: Three years in existence and the band finally gets their debut album out the door. While I think it’s a solid album, and I think the song-writing is superb, I think my fondness of their early live shows and acoustic / in-studio sets have more musical magic to me. I did get a chance to see Bad Veins twice this year, which was quite the coup – as they live 2,300+ miles from me. I’m glad that this album finally made its way out and I hope there’s another one to follow in less than three years time. |
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 Regina Spektor – Far (Sire Warner) :: Regina’s latest album grew on me slowly. By the time I saw her in Portland (in early November), I was digging this latest album the best out of her material thus far. It is quirky, poppy, and makes you think (especially on “Laughing With”). Her live show is energetic and quite a full night of music. |
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 Extra Golden – Thank You Very Quickly Vol. 3 (Thrill Jockey) :: I didn’t know about Extra Golden until about 3 or 4 months ago, when my friend Aaron told me about their set at Eugene Celebration. I went to that show and was a fan. They are a half American, half Kenyan group… and they play sort of jammy, sort of African songs. It’s a great melting pot of sound. Their record and live show are highly recommended! |
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 Various Artists (produced by Ric Hordinski) – Notes From the Monastery (indie) :: Rarely do I buy a “various artists” album… in the age of iTunes, it’s easier (and usually beneficial) to just buy the few tracks from artists that I know. Well, this compilation is all music produced by a person who I enjoy and respect… Mr. Ric Hordinski. He was a founding member of Cincinnati band Over the Rhine, the creative force behind the more meandering band MONK, and the knob-noodler for his Monastery Studios. This album features all new, previously unreleased songs by Ellery, Over the Rhine, Sarah Masen, Ric Hordinski, Phil Keaggy, David Wilcox, and more. There is not a bad song on the whole disc. Kudos, Ric! |
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 Works Progress Administration (featuring Glen Phillips) – WPA (Elite Artist Services) :: While I often lump this in the “Glen Phillips side project” category, it that doesn’t really do it justice. My favorite songs are the Glen ones, but Luke Bulla and Sean & Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek) round this album out into an important Americana album in 2009. Let’s just say, I came to find WPA due to Glen, but I stuck around due to it being a great band with a great new record. |
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 Fanfarlo – Reservoir (indie) :: The best way to build a fanbase overnight… have a moderately successful internationally touring artist pimp your music directly via their website and offer your album for a $1 download months before it’s available in shops. Sigur Rós’s web viewers and mailing list got a first taste and nudge to check out Fanfarlo, and that’s all it took – a gentle nudge. While Fanfarlo isn’t really all too much like Sigur Rós, I can see why their fans intersect… gentle songs with complex and often unusual instrumentation. I missed Fanfarlo as they swung through the Pacific Northwest, as I was on vacation, but I hope they come through again soon. |
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 Tegan and Sara – Sainthood (Sire Vapor) :: This T&S album is rockier than their last few albums, but after the second listen, I think I like it more than both The Con and So Jealous (and, yeah, their pre-Jealous ones, too). I think with The Con, they had started to really figure out to write really hooky yet still mature songs. While Sainthood heats it up on the rockier edge, I think the songs are better overall. This was their first album where they wrote a large chunk of the songs together in the same room – maybe that was their secret formula. I’m looking forward to their upcoming tour… April 2010 in Portland! |
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 The Swell Season – Strict Joy (Anti-) :: The ONCE soundtrack sunk in immediately after I heard it. While Strict Joy took a while to sink in, I think it’s a more solid record than Once. While this album represents their personal “break up,” I hope they keep working together as a band. I’ve heard some of Glen’s work with The Frames, and it’s good – but Marketa and Glen together really seems magical. |
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David Bazan – Curse Your Branches (Barsuk) :: The oft-used tagline for this record is “David’s break-up album with God.” Sure, OK. I never really thought his prior albums were all that ostentatiously “God-y” anyway. I admired David’s doubting and questioning in his prior Pedro the Lion music. His move to a more agnostic / atheistic-leaning artistic expression is a-OK with me. I realize that it’s a personal journey, and as long as he keeps putting out challenging and witty lyrical numbers, and he keeps touring & bringing some fun Q&A time to stages near me – I’m fine with whatever his philosophy moves towards. |
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 O.S.I. – Blood (Inside Out) :: What, a Kevin Moore album at #7 in its release year? I know, I know… Chroma Key and the first two O.S.I. albums were at least Top 3 spots in their respective years. While I have been moving towards a lot more instrumental music, this year’s vocal albums that I did get had some great music… the Top 10 vocal albums for me this year are especially strong albums, regardless of my bent towards the sans vocal route. Anyway, I really dig this new O.S.I. record. I wish more news and touring from Kevin Moore would leak out… I mean, news bites are few and far between. It gets a bit frustrating in this era of readily available information. Chroma Key or O.S.I. album #4… I hope not too far out there. |
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Nellie McKay – Normal As Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day (Verve) :: While I dig Nellie’s own music better than this batch of mostly Doris Day cover songs (there is one Nellie original), this may be the most perfect tribute album. From the cover art, to the campy photos inside, to the delivery that truly honors Doris Day, to Nellie’s excellent jaunt with The Aristocrats – this album I think is more than the sum of its parts. Back on a major label (this time Verve instead of Sony), I hope they give Nellie some creative control to go back in the studio to make her next originals album. |
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 Porcupine Tree – The Incident (Roadrunner) :: I think I like the non-concept songs on disc 2 more than the individual parts in The Incident concept disc. Regardless, I think Steven Wilson has turned the corner away from Fear of a Blank Planet, and maybe he’s heading back into a more interesting progressive arena. The tour was also great this year, but maybe they play their instruments too perfectly. I almost felt as if I could have gotten as much out of the DVD of the show as the actual show (hey, my only negative about this latest effort is that they play “too perfectly”). Go figure! |
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 Peter Mulvey – Letters From a Flying Machine (Signature Sounds) :: Half spoken word, half poppy singer-songwriter tunes… that doesn’t scream “Top 5” album release. But it is. I think this is Peter’s most solid piece of work in a while, and it ranks amongst The Trouble with Poets and Kitchen Radio for me. Peter is still fairly unknown… but he is quite prolific (12+ full lengths in 17+ years), hard-working (constantly touring all places from Alaska to Ireland), quite witty (he could be a comedian if the whole music thing doesn’t work out), and energetic (he did a 1,100 bicycle tour this year – playing gigs from Michigan to Massachusetts). He plans to do a bicycle tour from Wisconsin to the West Coast in 2010… yay! |
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 Derek Webb – Stockholm Syndrome (INO) :: I grew up with Derek Webb as he made his musical start in the contemporary christian music scene – with Caedmon’s Call. I always loved his songs and vocals the best; so when he left the band, I followed. His latest album gets it right in both music and lyrics… calling out those who hate others due to their sexuality (the “controversial” What Matters More) and calling out hate in the name of God (“Freddie, Please” dedicated to Westboro Baptist’s jackass preacher). I feel that even though I have differing (non-)religious beliefs, I still can call Derek Webb a compatriot. The more electronic-tinged music is also welcome from his more “guy & a guitar” days (though, he carried that sound well, too). I look forward to his upcoming subscriber series in 2010 – Democracy, Volume 1. |
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 Wussy – Wussy (Shake It) :: Wussy just keeps getting better. Lisa and Chuck & Company have really stepped it up on their third full-length. I wish I still lived in Cincinnati sometimes after seeing their “hey, we’re playing at Northside Tavern” posts on SpaceBook and MyFace. Anyway, I’m utterly delighted with this record, and they’ve unofficially promised to hit the West Coast in Spring 2010. Fingers crossed… |
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 dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion (Ohlone) :: dredg has evolved from “good opener” the first time I saw them to “really good rock band” after I delved into Catch Without Arms (specifically “Ode to the Sun” and the b-side “Stone By Stone”) to one of my favorite bands with this new release. Quite honestly, from the first full listen back in June, I knew this would be my #1 album for 2009. It’s a concept album based loosely on Salmon Rushdie’s “Letter to the Six Billionth Citizen,” and, well, it shows off dredg’s great vocals, subtle progressive guitars, and unique and inspiring drumming. I hope album #5 is not another 4 years away… or, if it is, I hope they keep touring. I got to see them twice this year – both fantastic shows. |
Top 25 instrumental albums coming up later this week… still making my way through them at this point… oy…
My Other Favorites of 2009 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/more of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Instrumental Albums ‘09 are coming soon
- Fave Artists of the Decade are coming soon
- Old Years: 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Roberto Rodriguez – The First Basket
Favorite Concerts of 2009
Well, this year’s concert seasons were especially good to me… 365 days, 70 shows, 119 artists, 1 wine-tasting rock show, many long nights driving home, and a lot of photos…
My favorite concerts of 2009:
- Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer (2 nights) :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {14&16 Nov} [reviews with pictures – night #1 & night #2]
- Nellie McKay & the Aristocrats :: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley :: Seattle, WA {20 Oct} [review with pictures]
- dredg :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {3 Apr} [review]
- Holy Fuck :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {4 Jun} [review with pictures & video]
- The Swell Season :: McDonald Theatre :: Eugene, OR {23 Nov} [review with pictures]
- Zappa Plays Zappa :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {2 Jan} [review]
- Flight of the Conchords & Arj Barker :: Arlene Schnitzer Hall :: Portland, OR {14 May} [review]
- SFJazz Collective 2009 with Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon, and more focusing on the music of McCoy Tyner :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {19 Mar} [review with pictures]
- Opeth & Enslaved :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {12 May} [review]
- The Melvins (2 sets) :: John Henry’s :: Eugene, OR {9 Aug} [review with pictures]
- My Weekend with Peter Mulvey & Krista Detor :: Alberta Street Pub/Sam Bond’s Garage :: Portland/Eugene, OR {7&8 Nov} [review with pictures]
- Hiromi’s Sonicbloom :: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley :: Seattle, WA {16 Jun} [review with pictures]
- David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion) :: House Show :: Eugene, OR {25 Jul} [review with pictures]
- Madeleine Peyroux :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {25 Mar} [review]
- Patton Oswalt :: Newmark Theatre :: Portland, OR {13 Sep} [review]
Runners-Up: Emily Wells & PCP at Cozmic, UofO’s Percussion Ensemble Tribute to Frank Zappa, David Cross at Newmark, Porcupine Tree & That1Guy at Roseland (Portland), Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at Hult Center, and Spinal Tap at Paramount (Seattle).
Biggest Disappointments: missing Zappa Plays Zappa in Eugene in late November due to them getting stuck in California due to snow, missing Tristeza in Portland in early December due to a bad sinus infection, missing Melt Banana in Portland due to freezing rain & fog, seeing Yann Tiersen play an utterly dreadful show in Portland, and not seeing Over the Rhine for the 2nd year in a row (we’ll have to make up for it in 2010).
And to end on a positive note…
My favorite concert photos of 2009: (in no particular order)
- The Swell Season in Eugene
- Sweethead, opener for Puscifer in Portland
- Carina Round and Maynard James Keenan behind their boxes for Puscifer in Portland
- Sin Fang Bous, opener for Múm in Portland
- Hildur Guðnadóttir of Múm screaming her heart out in Portland
- Nellie McKay in Seattle
- Aimee Mann smiles in Portland
- Sara Watkins of Works Progress Administration in Eugene
- Alice in Chains iPhone shot in Portland
- Gavin from dredg moves too fast for me in Portland
- King Buzzo of The Melvins in Eugene
- Zoë Jakes dancing with Beats Antique in Eugene
- Jerry Gaskill’s stick action with King’s X in Portland
- Brian Borcherdt of Holy Fuck in Portland
(all images are free to use under a creative commons designation, simply identify Daniel Temmesfeld with a photo credit and link to jazzsick.wordpress.com)
Past Favorite Concerts Lists:
Favorite music of 2009 will be coming the week of Dec 28th… EPs/DVDs/etc, vocal albums, instrumental albums, artists of the decade…
~Dan – np: Anthony Coleman – Freakish: A Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton
David Byrne’s Here Lies Love
What do Tori Amos, Nellie McKay, Sia, St Vincent, Steve Earle, Natalie Merchant, Cyndi Lauper and more all have in common?
They are all featured vocalists on the upcoming 2CD/1DVD concept album by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim… Here Lies Love (due out 23 Feb 2010). They had me at Tori Amos and Nellie McKay… then the list kept going. My dad claims that “crap isn’t holy,” but quite frankly, I beg to differ. “Holy crap” is a primo utterance afforded upon this new album.
The concept… “Here Lies Love presents Imelda Marcos meditating on events in her life, from her childhood spent in poverty and her rise to power to her ultimate departure from the palace. In particular, the production looks at the relationship between Imelda and a servant from her childhood, Estrella Cumpas, who appeared at key moments in Imelda’s life.”
Read more over at David Byrne’s site.
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – The Incident
2009 mix
Well, thanks to a certain bigwig, I got off of my duff to make a mix CD for his round robin dealio. No major theme this time like prior mixes… the only rule I placed before myself was that everything is current (i.e.- released in 2009).
{If you aren’t part of the round robin and want a CD, contact me. If you’re local, even better. I’ll get ’em out around Thanksgiving.}
The following songs were put on the mix CD from lossless sources 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, MyFace & Spacebook (whether official or not), and Amazon links are available for each song below. I’ve also included concert review links if I’ve seen the artist recently.
PDF front liner is available HERE (designed to print double-sided).
UPDATE (12/18): free download / bonus track #18 below
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01 Nellie McKay “Do Do Do” from Normal As Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day
Well, the person who got this round robin going (Brad) was a direct influence in me getting into Nellie McKay back when Get Away From Me came out. I’ve been a fan ever since. I think GAFM is my favorite of hers, but she’s still quite consistently entertaining to me. Her latest album is a tribute to the late great Doris Day. It’s missing some of Nellie’s sly wit, but is definitely fitting in her “I wish I was born in another era” wishes. The album art is 135% fitting for Nellie, too. Perfect choice!
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02 John Zorn “Miller’s Crake” from O’o
I could have put on some more skwoky Zorn, but I opted for a more accessible number. John Zorn is prolific, but this was actually a slow year – I only count six Zorn-related releases. O’o is twelve lyrical and adventurous instrumentals combining world music, surf, exotica, soundtracks, easy listening, and minimalism dedicated to twelve different birds (Chippy’s artwork is amazing). “Miller’s Crake” is a delightful Guaraldi-esque jaunt from the band that came out of the Electric Masada / The Gift / The Dreamers sessions: Marc Ribot, Jamie Saft, Kenny Wollesen, Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron, and Cyro Baptista.
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03 Extra Golden “Gimakiny Akia” from Thank You Very Quickly Vol 3
I was planning on going to Eugene Celebration anyway, but I got a call from a friend who suggested that we meet and definitely go to see Extra Golden. Um, OK, sure. Then I saw them, and wow… fuuuuun. I love African music, but sometimes it’s gets all too similar unless you do something fun (a la Fela Kuti, Antibalas, etc). Well, Extra Golden are half Kenyan and half American (which I guess is the “something fun” part? I don’t know). They fuse some great jam-rock with Kenyan beats* and singing… great stuff. Fantastic live show, too. *-Though, coincidentally, not so much Kenyan beats on this track. Yeah, sorry.
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04 Ember Swift “Hollowed Bones 空骨” from Lentic :: 子玉
Ember Swift (yes, her real name) is finally starting to head in a new direction. I mean, I dig her a lot, but her past albums have been slightly derivative of Ani DiFranco (with maybe a little more adventurism). She’s from Canada, but has spent time living in China recently. In fact, I think she’s still living there (don’t quote me on that)… that culture has definitely had an impact on her music.
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05 Works Progress Administration / Glen Phillips “Rise Up” from Works Progress Administration
This song first showed up on the Concert to End Slavery compilation as a Glen Phillips solo song. It’s my favorite from WPA, but it’s not very representative of the album. The album is more folky / americana via the heavy influence of Sean & Sara Watkins from Nickelcreek and Luke Bulla (from Lyle Lovett’s band).
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06 Madeleine Peyroux “Damn the Circumstances” from Bare Bones
I am usually not a fan of vocal jazz… it’s usually too full of schlock, if you ask me. Well, Madeleine’s smoky voice overrides that generalism for me. She’s a fantastic vocalist, a throwback to the golden era of jazz vocalists. This album is her first of non-covers. All original, either written solo or co-written, Bare Bones moves her from a “fantastic standards” singer to bringing vocal jazz back into fresh territory.
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07 dredg “Gathering Pebbles” from The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
dredg is one of my favorite bands now. 2005’s Catch Without Arms floored me, and I was eagerly awaiting the follow-up. It took too long (4 years), but it was well worth it. The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion is by far my favorite album this year. It was inspired by Salmon Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There’s No Heaven: A Letter to the Sixth Billionth Citizen.” In fact, this past fall, dredg and Salmon did a joint show that was captured by Spin magazine.
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08 Porcupine Tree “Flicker” from The Incident
The best progressive rock band around, Porcupine Tree’s The Incident is a 55-minute epic concept album/song. “Flicker” is actually a session b-side from the 2nd disc from the collection. I got a chance to see Porcupine Tree this September, and Steven Wilson & Co delivered the impeccable studio sound to the stage. It’s almost magic.
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09 O.S.I. “Terminal” from Blood
I really like this 3rd record by O.S.I. (formerly know as the Office of Strategic Influence). O.S.I. is a joint collaboration of Chroma Key’s Kevin Moore and Fates Warning’s Jim Matheos. Most of Blood is heavier progressive rock, but I tend to like the more Chroma Key-esque tracks like “Terminal.” The album has guests Gavin Harrison (of Porcupine Tree) on drums, Mikael Åkerfeldt (of Opeth) on vocals for one track, and Tim Bowness (or No-Man) on vocals for one track as well. The 2nd disc also features a Kevin Moore-sung, rockin’ tribute to Elliott Smith (“Christian Brothers”).
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10 900X “The Black Beach” from Library Catalog Music Series: Music For Lubbock, 1980
Sufjan Steven’s label Asthmatic Kitty is really becoming a favorite. They host music by Sufjan, My Brightest Diamond, Fol Chen, Osso, and now the excellent experimentation from the various Library Catalog Music Series artists. The 900X release is my favorite of the six releases so far. I received the high quality mp3s from the record label for free, and I loved it so much that I bought it on vinyl.
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11 Chali 2Na featuring Talib Kweli “Lock Sh*t Down” from Fish Outta Water
I’m still sad that Jurassic 5 broke up, but now we get albums from Portable Payback (Marc7 & Soup), Cut Chemist, DJ Nu Mark, Akil the MC, and, of course, Chali 2Na (my favorite from the group). Chali’s got that deep booming voice that makes you pay attention. This song’s lyrics (and video) are kinda cheesy, IMO, but it still features some nice flow from the “lyrical manphibian.”
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12 Peter Mulvey “Vlad the Astrophysicist” from Letters From a Flying Machine
Storytelling has always been a fantastic part of Peter’s live shows. Nine years ago, when his first niece was born, Peter got into the habit of writing physical letters to his nieces and nephews (now 17 kids in total). This album is interspersed with spoken word letters and new music. I think it’s his strongest album since 2000’s The Trouble With Poets. I like a lot of different music, but with that being said, I think Peter is by far my favorite singer-songwriter. Support indie music!
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13 David Bazan “Curse Your Branches” from Curse Your Branches
I wanted to put on “Hard to Be,” but due to space limitations, I went for a shorter song. This is David’s first full-length solo album since disbanding the indie rock band Pedro the Lion. PTL was really David’s thing anyway; so him disbanding the band isn’t that big of a deal, if you ask me. This album also marks his first decided move away from the “religious guy” things into the “heavily agnostic thing” (kudos to him, from me at least). This album is peppered with his thoughts and doubts of his religious upbringing – even moreso than in his prior Pedro days. It very well called a “breakup letter to God” by some.
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14 John Zorn “Novato” from Alhambra Love Songs
Alhambra Love Songs is a set of 11 songs that are an eclectic homage to San Francisco Bay area musicians. This particular song is dedicated to Mike Patton (and, no, that’s not why I picked it). The album is played by pianist Rob Burger, bassist Greg Cohen, and drummer Ben Perowsky – and also falls into the “more accessible” John Zorn camp.
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15 Wussy “Little Paper Birds” from Wussy
This little band that could from Cincinnati is getting some good buzz in major publications (I know Spin has featured them several times). I went to college with their female lead singer, Lisa Walker, and remember when she did a more folky thing. I think Wussy’s sound suits her well (and vice versa). Anyway, this is their third record, and features some great songs from both Lisa and Ass Ponys’ Chuck Cleaver.
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16 The Dead Kenny G’s “Birther Blues” from Bewildered Herd
Prior to moving to the PacNW, I had heard of saxophonist Skerik via John Zorn and other avant-garde connections. I never got to hear him until I moved here and saw him at Sam Bond’s. He seems to be down here in Eugene every other month or so, in different band incarnations. The Dead Kenny G’s features Skerik on tenor sax & pianos, Mike Dillon on drums (who I recently saw drum with Ani DiFranco), and Brad Houser on bass & baritone sax.
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17 Ikue Mori “Redeye Skimmer” from Class Insecta
Ikue Mori is an interesting instrumentalist. She mostly utilizes a laptop, and I saw her play live with Ellery Eskelin & Jim Black in NYC in 2007 and was wowed by the improvisational nature of her craft. Most of her albums are more avant-garde. She has one album that I’d consider to be much more accessible (1995’s Painted Desert on Japan’s DIY/Avant label). Class Insecta is also more accessible than most of her work. I suppose if you like well composed, electronic music dedicated to insect species, it’s for you!
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18 Derek Webb “What Matters More” from Stockholm Syndrome
(bonus mp3) DOWNLOAD it >> http://www.derekwebb.com/387/WMM.zip
Stockholm Syndrome is an album that I’m bummed I didn’t get fit on the CD version of this compilation. It’s going to place fairly well in my year-end “Best of 2009” list. I think it’s the best thing Derek’s ever done, including Caedmon’s Call and prior solo work. It has a great overall vibe, and a message that I can agree with, even though I don’t agree with his religious philosophy. This song, while not the best on the album (IMO), has a great lyric and pro-gay marriage position and was actually banned by his independent Christian label (INO Records). He subsequently released an “uncensored” version of the album, and now has the song available for free on his site.
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Let me know what you think…
unfortunately missing (due to space or flow limitations, or that I simply didn’t get them in the mail yet): pop from Regina Spektor, Zero 7 & the Swell Season; jazz from Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy and A Single Sky, Masada Quintet + Lovano, and The Fantastic Terrific Munkle; comedy from Flight of the Conchords; and some metal Ahleuchatistas, Megadeth, Isis, Dream Theater, Puscifer, Tides From Nebula & Alice in Chains. Oh well, those may make it on my “favorite albums” of 2009 list.
~Dan – np: Puscifer – C is For…
there are no torrents, free mp3 or other downloads available
Nellie McKay (10/20) photos posted
Photos from Tuesday’s show are now posted… go to…
REVIEW: Nellie McKay at
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (Seattle, WA – 10/20/09)
~Dan
REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley (Seattle, WA – 10/20/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
So, I had tickets to see Ben Folds with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra at Benaroya Hall last night. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided to sell my ticket on craigslist to go see Nellie McKay instead. I dig both of them as artists, and the main reason for the hemming and hawing was the whole symphony aspect (I mean, I’ve seen Ben Folds Five or solo a half dozen times already… so the symphony take on it was my main draw). Ah, but… Nellie totally has my heart when in a piano/vocalist celebrity deathmatch with Mr. Folds. She’s quirky, cute, writes and sings both silly and political songs, has a passionate love for animals (she’s a vegetarian with a stance on animal cruelty that makes me proud), and… you rarely know what to expect from her musically on any given night. I’ve seen her twice prior, and both times were fantastical suprises.
Sorry, Ben. Next time?
As a consolation for the Ben Folds fans, there’s a free mp3 stream (or download if you do some research, i.e.- “view source”) from the Huffington Post of the Ben Folds collaboration with author Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, etc). It’s a jab song at the ex-fiance of ex-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin‘s daughter Bristol… from the HuffPo, I present you “Levi Johnston’s Blues.”
Speaking of the HuffPo… here’s a recent article / interview with Nellie McKay by Michael Giltz.
Oh, so Nellie’s latest album, Normal As Blueberry Pie, is all about Doris Day (a total of 14 Doris Day tracks in the recording session, and one Nellie original). Two of the 15 session tracks are more difficult to get ahold of, unless you want to buy both the “exclusive” Barnes & Noble bonus track version and the iTunes bonus track version. Have I mentioned that Universal Music Group’s tactics suck!? Anyway, the album is great (special track tactics notwithstanding). The album lacks some of the bite and wit of Nellie’s prior 3 (and a half) solo albums. But, I love it all the same. It’s got Nellie trademark nostalgia / campiness, as evidenced by the photos surrounding the release (see to the right).
OK… on to the review of the show…
I really dig Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. It’s small and intimate (but large enough for the room to breathe). Also I like the idea of making an experience out of the show – a fantastic meal, great atmosphere, and an attentive audience makes for a wonderful evening. Oh, and free parking in downtown Seattle is like the cherry on top. This was only my second time here (Hiromi in June was my first), but it is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues in the PacNW, if not ever. I just wish it wasn’t so far away from me in Eugene all the time.
Nellie went on around 7:40pm with her backing band, The Aristocrats. This was my first time seeing Nellie with a band. They were excellent. They were all younger than I was expecting. I mean, this wasn’t her studio backing band… but as hired guns solely for touring, they really worked well with Nellie in a fun & playful way. The band was Nellie McKay (piano and ukulele), Howard Fishman (guitar), Charles Schiermeyer (sax), Ben Bynum (drums), Scott Litroff (violin and flute), and Daniel Policar (keys).
Setlist: just shy of 90 minutes
- If I Ever Had a Dream
- Close Your Eyes (Doris Day cover)
- Sentimental Journey (Doris Day cover)
- Send Me No Flowers (Doris Day & Burt Bacharach cover, Nellie on Uke)
- Do Do Do (Doris Day cover) *a fave of the night*
- Mean To Me (Doris Day cover)
- Dig It (Doris Day cover, Nellie dance-off) *a fave of the night*
- The Very Thought of You (Doris Day cover)
- A Wonderful Guy (Doris Day cover)
- I Remember You (Doris Day cover)
- “I Killed Larry David and I Liked It” / Grunge Song *a fave of the night*
- Crazy Rhythm (Doris Day cover) *a fave of the night*
- Black Hills of Dakota (Doris Day cover)
- A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Ella Fitzgerald cover)
- The Dog Song *a fave of the night*
- Encore: Zombie (with Gary Danielson on sax)
- I Wanna Get Married (Doo Wop Version, with Gary Danielson on sax) *a fave of the night*
So, yeah, holy crap… Nellie just keeps on getting better each time I see her. I thought I’d be slightly bummed by a mostly Doris Day set (as I really like Nellie’s original songs a lot), but the Doris Day material was really fantastic in a live band setting. The addition of a jazz combo behind her really made the songs gel, and her interaction with the others was really fun. She’s kinda of a nutty person (or maybe as corny as Kansas in August)… but I wouldn’t want her to be any other way. I didn’t get a chance to meet her after the show, but I had a fun night regardless. Nellie and the Aristocrats are playing a second night (Wednesday, October 21st) at the Jazz Alley. If you go, drop me a line with your thoughts on Night 2.
Some of the best lines of the night by Nellie…
“I still can’t go back to Olympia, because I have overdue library books.”
“There’s hashish in that music… that was a score!” (really funny in context)
The Jazz Alley’s description of Nellie as a “martini cool chanteuse” was kinda of spot on. :) If you don’t have her newest one, get it… it’s fun (and out on vinyl, too):
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Erik Friedlander – Topaz
NELLIE McKAY PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (12 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (49 pics)
Large ZIP file (12.9 Megs)
includes all of the pictures above
CLICK HERE FOR ZIP FILE (right click, save as)
Nellie McKay is adorable
As Family Guy‘s Peter Griffin would say… Nellie McKay‘s latest is frickin’ sweet. It came out on Tuesday (10/13/09), and its 13 tracks are great! You can hear a glimpse streaming over at nelliemckay.com. Here’s a promo “making of” video (click picture):
Normal As Blueberry Pie is Nellie’s Doris Day tribute album with the quite cute album cover. You can also get some cute (and quite campy) wallpapers over on her official page:
Slight gripes… I bought it on CD & vinyl and then found out that Barnes & Noble’s version of the CD has a bonus track (“I Want to Be Happy“) and the album only version on iTunes had a different bonus track (“I’ll Never Smile Again“). Eff me! I hate you, big label Universal Music Group (you suck)!
~Dan – np: Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue
David Bazan on Daytrotter / Nellie McKay album cover
The few websites that aren’t RSS feed-able that made it to my “must check every day” list… Daytrotter is great, and they hit us on Monday with a live in the studio session with David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion)… it’s his second live session with Daytrotter…
Go here for the free music:
http://tinyurl.com/bazan-daytrotter2
1) Hard to Be 2) Curse Your Branches 3) Bless This Mess
Past Daytrotter Sessions I’ve blogged about and dug (links and free music not guaranteed on these old blogs): Copeland, Bad Veins, Nellie McKay, Clare and the Reasons, My Brightest Diamond #2, Damien Jurado, Talkdemonic, Aimee Mann, Ani DiFranco, Bad Veins #1, Kaki King, Holy Fuck… and David Bazan, My Brightest Diamond, Erin McKeown.
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Nellie McKay‘s upcoming album on Verve, Normal As Blueberry Pie, finally has an album cover…
(out Oct 13th, 2009)
Cute! It’s out on vinyl as well as CD (and digital copies). But with something out on vinyl, why settle for crappy lossy mp3s?
She’s also hitting the road. Dates are trickling in… she’s playing Seattle’s Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley the same night as Ben Folds with the Seattle Symphony (Oct 20). I’m up there for work, too. I’m totally in a quandary.
~Dan – np: Fear Factory – Obsolete
Nellie McKay / Zappa Plays Zappa
More information about Nellie McKay‘s upcoming album… Normal As Blueberry Pie – A Tribute To Doris Day (out October 13th). 13 songs, one new McKay song:
Tracklist:
- “The Very Thought of You” (Ray Noble)
- “Do Do Do” (George & Ira Gershwin)
- “Wonderful Guy” (Richard Rodgers / Oscar Hammerstein II)
- “Meditation” (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Norman Gimbel)
- “Mean to Me” (Fred E. Ahlert / Roy Turk)
- “Crazy Rhythm” (Joseph Meyer & Roger Wolfe Kahn / Irving Cesear)
- “Sentimental Journey” (Les Brown & Ben Homer / Bud Green)
- “If I Ever Had a Dream” (Nellie McKay)
- “Black Hills of Dakota” (Sammy Fain / Paul Francis Webster)
- “Dig It” (Hal Bourne, Johnny Mercer)
- “Send Me No Flowers” (Burt Bacharach / Hal David)
- “Close Your Eyes” (Bernice Petkere)
- “I Remember You” (Victor Schertzinger / Johnny Mercer)
It’ll be out on Verve Music Group. No cover art that I could find, yet…
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Dweezil & Co are hitting the road again. It’ll be my fourth time seeing them, once for each Zappa Plays Zappa tour. This time, yay, a Eugene date!! No official dates released yet on zappa.com (or on Pollstar as of now), but it looks like after the Progressive Nation tour with Dream Theater, they’re at least hitting Eugene (Saturday, November 28 at McDonald Theatre).
~Dan – np: Peter Mulvey – Letters from a Flying Machine
McKay, Porcupine Tree, Mulvey & Bazan news
Music news that I care about seems to be hitting often lately…
Nellie McKay‘s album that was supposed to be out “last fall,” will finally be out “this fall.” No album name, but we at least have a street date – October 13th. There’s not much more content over at the Direct Current Music website; so I hope they are right on this one… .COM, .NET, and .ORG have failed to provide any corroboration. I hope “this fall” doesn’t turn into “next fall“… yet again.
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Porcupine Tree just put their newest one, The Incident (due out 9/15 in the U.S.), up for pre-order. Much like Steven Wilson’s Insurgentes, this one has a deluxe edition that would make the Pope curse. It looks freakin’ gorgeous (and huge)…
On the pre-order page there’s a video of PT frontman Steven Wilson talking about what’s to be included. Oh, it’s a’spensive, but it makes sense if you’ve ever read this “1,000 True Fans” article by Kevin Kelly. Not to say that only the “true fans” will buy it, but, well… anyway, the article is a good read…
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One of my favorite singer-songwriters Peter Mulvey is coming through the PacNW in November. One Portland date that I may try to make, and one Eugene date that I will make. He’s also got a new one coming out (in September on Signature Sounds). It’s called Letters from a Flying Machine…
(click for larger)
Here are his 2009 tourdates (as of now):
- Mon 08/10/09 – Saugatuck, MI – Saugatuck Center For The Arts
- Wed 09/09/09 – Grand Rapids, MI – Wealthy Street Theatre
- Thu 09/10/09 – Kalamazoo, MI – The Strutt
- Fri 09/11/09 – Lansing, MI – Creole Gallery
- Sat 09/12/09 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
- Tue 09/15/09 – Buffalo, NY – 9th Ward
- Sun 09/20/09 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
- Thu 09/24/09 – Cambridge, MA – Lizard Lounge
- Fri 09/25/09 – Cambridge, MA – Passim Folk Music & Cultural Center
- Sat 09/26/09 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
- Sun 09/27/09 – Norfolk, CT – Infinity Hall
- Fri 10/09/09 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
- Sat 10/10/09 – Evanston, IL – SPACE
- Thu 10/22/09 – The Hague, Netherlands – Transvaria
- Fri 10/23/09 – Bakkeveen, Netherlands – De Slotplaats
- Sat 10/24/09 – Bemmel, Netherlands – Top
- Wed 11/04/09 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
- Sat 11/07/09 – Portland, OR – Alberta Street Pub
- Sun 11/08/09 – Eugene, OR – Sam Bond’s Garage
- Thu 11/12/09 – Felton, CA – Don Quixote’s Int’l Music Hall
- Sat 11/14/09 – San Diego, CA – Acoustic Music San Diego
- Fri 11/20/09 – Burlington, VT – UVM Recital Hall
- Sat 11/21/09 – Framingham, MA – Amazing Things Art Center
- Tue 12/01/09 – Fairbanks, AK – College Coffeehouse
- Wed 12/02/09 – Fairbanks, AK – College Coffeehouse
- Thu 12/03/09 – Tok, AK – Fast Eddy’s
- Sat 12/05/09 – Anchorage, AK – Snow Goose Theatre
- Sun 12/06/09 – Palmer, AK – Vagabond Blues
- Tue 12/08/09 – Kodiak, AK – Golden Anchor
- Fri 12/11/09 – Denver, CO – Swallow Hill Music Association
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(photo by Ryan Russell)
no, the Office’s Jon Krasinski is not hitting the road with Mr Bazan
And as reported earlier, indie-rocker David Bazan is hitting the road with a band (but not to be mistaken as a “Pedro the Lion reunion”). Announced yesterday on db.com (but unofficially announced at the Eugene house show the other day), he’ll be in Portland in November (the day before Peter Mulvey, actually). Anyway, here are the Bazan band members and tour dates. Eric Elbogen: guitar (Say Hi), Andy Fitts: keyboards + guitar (Aqueduct), Casey Foubert: drums (Richard Swift, Sufjan Stevens), and Blake Wescott: guitar (long-time Bazan collaborator).
- 10/01 – San Francisco CA – Independent
- 10/02 – Costa Mesa CA – Detroit Bar
- 10/03 – San Diego CA – Casbah
- 10/04 – Los Angeles CA – Troubadour
- 10/05 – Tucson AZ – Solar Culture
- 10/07 – Austin TX – Mohawk
- 10/08 – Denton TX – Dan’s Silverleaf
- 10/09 – Memphis TN – Hi-Tone Café
- 10/10 – Murray KY – Lovett Auditorium / Murray State
- 10/11 – Birmingham AL – Bottletree
- 10/13 – Orlando FL – The Social
- 10/14 – Atlanta GA – Drunken Unicorn
- 10/15 – Chapel Hill NC – Cat’s Cradle
- 10/16 – Washington DC – Black Cat
- 10/17 – Philadelphia PA – Kung Fu Necktie
- 10/18 – New York NY – Bowery Ballroom
- 10/20 – Cambridge MA – TT the Bear’s +
- 10/21 – Montreal QC – Il Motore
- 10/22 – Toronto ON – Lee’s Palace
- 10/23 – Pontiac MI – Pike Room
- 10/24 – Chicago IL – TBA
- 10/25 – Champaign IL – Highdive
- 10/27 – Madison WI High – Noon Saloon
- 10/28 – Minneapolis MN – Turf Club
- 10/29 – Iowa City IA – The Picador
- 10/30 – Lawrence KS – Jackpot Saloon
- 10/31 – Omaha NE – Slowdown
- 11/01 – Denver CO – Hi Dive
- 11/02 – Salt Lake City UT – Kilby Court
- 11/05 – Vancouver BC – Media Club
- 11/06 – Portland OR – Mississippi Studios
- 11/07 – Seattle WA – Neumos
all dates with Say Hi
+ TW Walsh in Boston
Yep… this is gonna be one packed fall of music for me. Yippie!
~Dan – np: Drain STH – Freaks of Nature
tons of news
Nine Stories!
In this episode: The new Masada Quintet with special guest Joe Lovano, the Jenny Owen Youngs‘ video that I somehow missed, Nellie McKay‘s Election musical, Fanfarlo for $1, the deaths of JazzTimes & Jeff Hanson, the resurrection of Futurama, a new Wussy video, and Asthmatic Kitty’s most excellent Library Catalog Music Series…
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The new Masada Quintet with special guest Joe Lovano just came out for June on Tzadik Records. It’s the original Masada Quartet (John Zorn on alto sax, Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on bass & Joey Baron on drums) plus pianist Uri Caine… plus special guest tenor sax Joe Lovano. Holy cow!!! It’s the first official studio release from the Masada Quartet since 1999’s י [Yod] (or 2005 if you count the unreleased/rarities compilation Sanhedrin). This album is bound to be at the top of my “best of” list for 2009.
This video from Jenny Owen Youngs came out in September 2007. How did I miss it? It’s a brilliant singer-songwriter cover of rapper Nelly‘s “Hot in Herre” (so take off all your clothes). I bought the iTunes single… great stuff:
Nellie McKay is writing a musical based on the book/movie Election. Read more about it over on Brooklyn Vegan blog.
Fanfarlo just put on their debut album, Reservoir, for $1. Fanfarlo is a London-based band founded by Swedish musician Simon Balthazar. Nice textured indie pop… think Sigur Rós meets Sufjan Stevens. The album, in full, is available for only $1.00 until July 4th, 2009 at http://www.fanfarlo.com/.
The economy took another print-media victim. This time it’s the death (or “temporary suspension”) of JazzTimes magazine. The 38 year old magazine couldn’t maintain readership in the new era of online content. It’s a sad day, as it was a great magazine. I hope it’s able to come back later in some form or another under new ownership, as mentioned in the Howard Mandel article.
Whispy singer-songwriter Jeff Hanson died last Saturday (6/5) after an accidental fall on his cement-floored apartment in St. Paul, MN. Jeff was known for his feminine vocal style and songwriting/sound similar to late indie rocker Elliott Smith (who also died young). He had three great albums out on Kill Rock Stars. I hate to sound selfish, but I’m bummed I missed him when he recently came through Portland. We lost another one, far too young…
In “Oh Sweet, Futurama’s On” News, the resurrection of Futurama is eminent. Much like Family Guy, the popularity soared even after being originally canceled. Futurama had some straight-to-DVD movies recently, and it will return with new 26 episodes on Comedy Central in the winter 2010.
A favorite band of mine from Cincinnati, Wussy, has a new “acoustic from an RV” video of “Maglite.” They recently put out their 3rd full length album, and it lives up to the quality and momentum in their prior two albums (plus 1 EP). Check out the video and then check out the album at Shake It Records:
Asthmatic Kitty’s most excellent Library Catalog Music Series just came out. The naming of the series sounds… boring. However, it’s really great instrumental music. There are three issues thus far: 900X: Music for Lubbock 1980, Law of the Least Effort: Music for Measurements, and Casey Foubert/James McAlister: Music for Drums. My favorite is the 900X one. Really, really good electronic, post-rockiness. If you liked a more “sane” version of Sufjan Steven’s Enjoy Your Rabbit, I bet you’d like the LCMS. Check it out at Asthmatic Kitty Records.
~Dan – np: Fanfarlo – Reservoir
Nellie McKay – Daytrotter Session
Brooklyn-based piano-pop/jazz singer Nellie McKay came through the Daytrotter studios. Nine songs (much more than the usual 4 songs), in-studio for FREE…
http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/nellie-mckay-concert/20030524-3737802.html
1) Oversure 2) Pink Chandelier 3) Politan 4) Mother of Pearl 5) Tipperary 6) If I Had You 7) Do You Know 8 ) Inner Peace 9) Broadway Melody
If you like what you hear, check more out:
http://www.nelliemckay.org/
http://www.nelliemckay.com/
Past Daytrotter Sessions I’ve blogged about (and dug):
- Clare and the Reasons
- My Brightest Diamond #2
- Damien Jurado
- Talkdemonic
- Aimee Mann
- Ani DiFranco
- The Bad Veins
- Kaki King
- Holy Fuck …and David Bazan, My Brightest Diamond, Erin McKeown
~Dan – – np: Aaron Parks – Invisible Cinema (thanks, Matt!)
Yann Tiersen, SXSW, Nellie McKay
Well… triple threat news again. This time it’s all about a touring Tiersen, a festival in Austin that every-indie-body loves, and my favorite Nellie (rhymes with McPie). In order of recency…
OK… so 3 hours ago I found out that French musician Yann Tiersen was touring. Touring the U.S. Touring through Portland… holy crap. For those who don’t know Yann Tiersen, click his name above or know that he makes great French music that got a lot more prominence with the Jean-Pierre Jeunet movie Amélie. I never thought he’d play any semblance of a decent North American tour… Anyway, here are the tour dates:
Apr 15 – Maison Française WASHINGTON
Apr 16 – Irving Plaza NEW YORK
Apr 17 – Club Soda MONTREAL
Apr 18 – Club Soda MONTREAL
Apr 19 – Mod Club Theatre TORONTO
Apr 21 – Logan Theatre CHICAGO
Apr 22 – Triple Rock Social MINNEAPOLIS
Apr 24 – Blue Bird DENVER
Apr 25 – Urban Lounge SALT LAKE CITY
Apr 27 – Richards VANCOUVER
Apr 28 – Neumo’s SEATTLE
Apr 29 – Wonder Ballroom PORTLAND
May 1 – Great American SAN FRANCISCO
May 2 – El Rey LOS ANGELES
May 8 – Queens Hall EDINBURG
May 9 – ABC 1 GLASGOW
May 10 – Duchess YORK
May 11 – Academy II BIRMINGHAM
May 13 – Junction CAMBRIDGE
May 14 – Electric Ballroom LONDON
May 15 – ATP fest “The Breeders” MINEHEAD
May 17 – Pheonix EXETER
May 18 – Komedia BATH
May 19 – Concorde II BRIGHTON
Jul 4 – Centro de artes e do espectaculos FIGUEIRA DA FOZ
Jul 5 – Casa das artes VILA NOVA DE FAMALICAO
Jul 6 – Centro cultural de Belem LISBOA
I just got my tickets (the Portland show is available from TicketBastard). I’m. so. excited.
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The SXSW music festival is a’going on again. I don’t really have a desire (or time off during busy season) to go to it this year. If I had time off in March, I’d be in San Francisco anyway. This year’s SXSW schedule is out (http://www.sxsw.com/).
If I went, I’d totally check out Peter Mulvey (he’s awesome) on the Signature Sounds stage, and Fol Chen on the Asthmatic Kitty stage… OK, and maybe Tori Amos, but she’s far from indie (she’s got a new one coming out in the spring, titled Abnormally Attracted to Sin).
Oh, and I’d probably also check out Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head on whatever stage they’re playing at SXSW… as you can’t argue with a band name like that (though I will say I’ve never ever heard the band). Hot!
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The live taping of Nellie McKay and Mia Doi Todd on Mountain Stage was recently posted. It was taped March 2008 but recently posted on NPR.org on January 27, 2009. Go here for the streaming link hook-up. Nellie played: Real Life, Long and Lazy River, Mother of Pearl, Testify, Buttons & Bows, and Zombie; and Mia Doi Todd played: River of Life and Esperar Es Caro.
~Dan – np: The Rutles – Archaelogy
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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