Archive
You down with OTC?
Jason Schimmel, from Estradasphere (and the recent Secret Chiefs 3 live incarnation), has a lovely new album out now… Orange Tulip Conspiracy. It’s available directly from Web of Mimicry (SC3’s label), but oddly not yet from Lobefood (Estradasphere’s distro) or Amazon (a large women & rainforest wholesaler). I picked it up at the Portland SC3 gig, and I absolutely LOVE IT. Behind SC3’s Xaphan, it’s probably my #2 album of 2008 so far.
Well, apparently the OTC is going to tour. YAY! The tour is going to feature Jason Schimmel (guitar/ keys), John Whooley (sax, an original Estradasphere member), Dan Robbins (bass), Zach Cline (guitar/ keys) and Lee Smith (drums).
Here are the dates and cities (subject to change):
Saturday Nov 15- Seattle, WA @ Rendezvous
Sunday Nov 16- Portland, OR @ Dante’s
Monday Nov 17- Eugene, OR @ Samurai Duck :)
Tuesday Nov 18- Sacramento, CA @ On the Y
Wednesday Nov 19- Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
Friday Nov 21- Los Angeles, CA @ The Knitting Factory
http://www.myspace.com/orangetulipconspiracy
http://www.myspace.com/estradasphere
Jason needs help with opening band slots and additional venues in or around the cities above. If you are in a band or know of any good venues, contact him through either the OTC or Estradasphere MySpace pages (above).
Even More Brightest Diamond
UPDATE (9/1/08): She’s playing 11/21 @ WOW Hall in Eugene. Yay!
Though not listed on her tourdates page (yet), yesterday’s email from the Doug Fir Lounge (in Portland, OR) mentioned… Thursday 11/20, My Brightest Diamond (Shara Worden). Yay! \ 0 / I’m still holding out hope that she’ll play The Shedd (in Eugene), as it’d be a great venue for her. But a PDX gig ain’t a bad option.
Oh, and Portland, Maine… you know what you can do? You can go to… see her on October 30th.
This will be the first time seeing her out on her own. My last few times seeing her were as an opener for Sufjan Stevens, with Sufjan’s band, or as part of a music fest with Sufjan. I guess I’ll miss Sufjan, but Shara’s got her own good thing going on. String quartet OSSO will be My Brightest Diamond’s backing band on this tour. I saw them play chamber arrangements for Sufjan’s Enjoy Your Rabbit electronic album (as mentioned in the music fest review link above). Clare & The Reasons are the openers.
Also, here’s the new, minty fresh video from “From the Top of the World” from her latest album, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth:
She performs “Padam Padam” and “The Gentlest Gentleman” here:
More of her tour dates (from Pollstar, as her tour dates page is not in an easily copy-n-paste format – all dates subject to change)
Mon 09/15/08 London, UK Soho Arts Theatre
Fri 09/19/08 Isla Cristina, ESP Auditorio del Parque
Sun 09/21/08 Amsterdam, NET Melkweg
Mon 09/22/08 Hamburg, GER Molotow
Tue 09/23/08 Berlin, GER Lido
Wed 09/24/08 Schorndorf, GER Manufaktur
Fri 09/26/08 Vienna, AUT B72
Sat 10/04/08 Groningen, NET De Oosterpoort
Mon 10/27/08 Hamden, CT The Space
Tue 10/28/08 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
Thu 10/30/08 Portland, ME SPACE
Fri 10/31/08 Fall River, MA Narrows Center For The Arts
Sun 11/02/08 Buffalo, NY Big Orbit Soundlab Space
Mon 11/03/08 Oberlin, OH Oberlin College
Wed 11/05/08 Grand Rapids, MI Calvin College
Thu 11/06/08 Danville, IN Royal Theatre
Fri 11/07/08 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
Sat 11/15/08 Salt Lake City, UT The Paladium
Wed 11/19/08 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
Thu 11/20/08 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Fri 11/21/08 Eugene, OR W.O.W. Hall update
.
http://www.mybrightestdiamond.com/
http://www.mybrightestdiamond.com/tourdates/
http://www.myspace.com/mybrightestdiamond
http://www.myspace.com/ossonyc
http://www.myspace.com/claremuldaur
.
In rumor mill squashing, Shara didn’t help Barack Obama choose Joe Biden as his VP running mate.
.
~Dan – np: Medeski Martin & Wood play John Zorn’s Masada Book Two – Zaebos

REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – – 8/15/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Early shows are problematic, especially if you have to drive 2 hours to get to them. Oh, and also if the artist thought they started later. Blame for this goes squarely to the Doug Fir Lounge, in my opinion. Double-booking a night is horrible. Horrible. Nellie McKay* would have likely played much longer, had she been allowed to… argh.
*– for the newbies, her last name rhymes with “McPie”
Anyway, the opener Amorèe Lovell started right at 7pm, and played a stellar 40 minutes. She is from Portland, and plays a mean piano with quirky lyrics and fun banter. I’d say she fits in with the likes of Regina Spektor & Nellie McKay with a touch of Tori Amos. She also brings her own charm & style. She was very entertaining. She played mainly originals, but also threw in some Tom Waits, Johnny Cash & David Bowie. On to Nellie…
Nellie‘s start time was supposed to be 8pm. She didn’t hit the stage until nearly 8:30, due to a mix-up with her start time. Most of the crowd was getting antsy (myself included), as the late show had a “doors open” time of 9:30. Yikes. With that being said, Nellie came on and put on a great just shy of an hour show. She seemed more comfortable and confident, and she was as funny / spunky as usual.
Nellie’s Setlist:
- Toto Dies
- Old Enough
- Mother of Pearl [on uke]
- story about prince chunky, the 44 pound cat
- The Dog Song (a fav of the set)
- Real Life
- Tipperary
- Don’t Fence Me In [on uke]
- Vote for Mr. Rhythm [with Obama tag at the end]
- Sari (a fav of the set… with Dylan impression at the end)
- Feed the Birds
- Politan
- Don’t Fence Me In [false start… she remembered she already did it] :)
- Me Gusta Mañana [on uke.. a silly spanish song]
- explanation about her NPR song “Cavendish”… she didn’t have time to brush up on it, but sometime soon
- Zombie (a fav of the set)
- Encore 1: Really
- Encore 2: Ding Dong
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/prettylittlehead
- http://www.nelliemckay.com/ (official)
- http://www.nelliemckay.org/ (fan site)
- http://www.myspace.com/amoreelovell
- http://www.amoreelovell.com/
- http://www.dougfirlounge.com/
- My blog reviewing Nellie in Eugene, OR 10/5/07
- My blog about Nellie @ TEDtalks
- My blog about Nellie’s Project Song on NPR (where she wrote “Cavendish” in 48 hours)
Next show for me? Radiohead next Wednesday at White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, WA (up near Seattle). Woot!!
I was a pageant gone bad…
~Dan – np: Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins – Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins

NELLIE MCKAY CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
local pizza
Eugene has some great local pizza places… Mezza Luna, Cozmic, Pegasus, La Perla (presumably, I haven’t had it yet*), etc. One of our favorites is the Pizza Research Institute (aka PRI). It’s wild and crazy, they put crazy toppings on it (potatoes, corn, pears, cinnamon, eggplant, and much more (they have a periodic table of toppings on their menu). They don’t use meat in anything… not that you’d miss it. They always have several chef’s specials every day (one veg, one vegan)…
*– see comment #8

this picture from their webpage doesn’t do it justice
Well, PETA recent ranked their Top 10 Vegan-friendly Pizzerias in the US, and PRI is #5… woot.
5.The Pizza Research Institute: Eugene, Oregon
Don’t be fooled by the name! This restaurant is much hipper than the words “research institute” imply. However, with all the one-of-a-kind pizzas on the menu, you would think that there really was a staff of food scientists in the kitchen. One standout is the 3P—pears, potato, and pineapple.
Oddly enough a Cincinnati place got on the list, too… however, I’ve never heard of it – – Mac’s Pizza Pub (we spent too much time at Dewey’s).
My review of last night’s Nellie McKay at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge show to be posted later today or maybe tomorrow…
~Dan – np: Steuart Liebig & Tee-Tot Quartet – Always Outnumbered

Glen Phillips & Jonatha Brooke
Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) and Jonatha Brooke (of The Story) are going out on the road together this fall.
I’ve seen Glen a multitudinous amount of times, and it’s ALWAYS a treat. My latest outing of his was reviewed here (2/21/08 WOW Hall, Eugene-OR). I saw Jonatha Brooke back in April 2001 (I love Plumb and 10 Cent Wings). It was with a girl who I eventually married, and while Jonatha didn’t start anything with our relationship – – her show was a good excuse for a date with this cute girl I had recently met.


Anyway, as luck would have it, they’re playing the fabulous Aladdin Theater in SE Portland on Thursday, November 6th. I saw Jude there last month. I’m up in PDX for work that week (tentatively); so it’s shaping up to be a good concert week (Ozomatli & Chali 2Na are at Crystal Ballroom the next day, Friday the 7th).
Glen Phillips & Jonatha Brooke Tour Dates (so far per Pollstar)
10/16/08 Boston, MA – Wilbur Theatre
10/17/08 Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
10/18/08 NYC – The Concert Hall
10/19/08 Fairfield, CT – FTC Stage One
11/02/08 Alexandria, VA – Birchmere
11/06/08 Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
11/09/08 San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
11/12/08 Los Angeles, CA – Largo
11/13/08 Agoura Hills, CA – Canyon Club
11/14/08 San Diego, CA – Anthology
12/02/08 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
12/03/08 Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
REVIEW: Bill Mallonee of the Vigilantes of Love @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – – 7/14/08)
I showed up just as the opener, The Old Believers, was going on. Their first few songs were just a girl-n-guy folk thing. Later they added two friends (one on keys, one on bass). They branched out into a very fun, very catchy quirky folk ensemble. Great for fans of Sufjan Stevens or Daniel Smith (ie- Danielson Familie). They played right around 30-40 minutes. I gave all of my remaining cash to Bill Mallonee/Muriah Rose; otherwise I’d have picked up one of their CDs. Anyway, The Old Believers… GREAT STUFF. Formerly from Alaska, currently from Portland, OR. Check ’em out on MySpace… The Old Believers (not just Old Believers).
Bill Mallonee and his wife Muriah Rose came on around 10pm… and they played for about an hour (which was a good amount for a Monday night). This was my 9th time seeing Bill (sometimes with a band, Vigilantes of Love, sometimes solo, and sometimes as a solo artist with a band – not VOL). I’d primarily seen him in the Midwest (OH, KY, IL, IN). Probably my favorite time seeing him was on the 1999 Audible Sigh tour with Kenny Hutson on slide guitar and Jake Bradley on bass (and some fuzzy dude on drums, I’m forgetting his name). Anyway, last night’s show, while way stripped down, had a really good intimate feel. This is probably due to it being my first time seeing him with his wife play with him (she sang backing vocals and played keyboard). They had good chemistry, and they played a great mix of songs.

Oh, for any VOL-heads, there’s now a 4th version of Audible Sigh :) I didn’t pick it up, as I think I had everything from it (Room Despair -EP- plus demos from the AS sessions & maybe some live from the era). He sure knows how to milk that record, but at least it’s one of my fav Bill/VOL albums (along with Blister Soul, Welcome to Struggleville & Slow Dark Train). Heck, I have three different versions of the Audible Sigh album on my CD rack. :).
The setlist: (about an hour of tunes)
- Solar System (*great tune*)
- Goes Without Saying
- High and Lonesome
- Nothing Like a Train
- Bottoming Out
- Skin (**my fav of the night**)
- Bank (“unintentionally acoustic” after amp blew out unexpectedly… Bill came down into the crowd to finish the song off)
- Resplendent (*great tune*)
- Flowers
My only disappointment for the night? They didn’t play “Bearin’ the Load.” ;).
Well, great show. I hope he can make it back to Oregon again (from his home of Georgia). I won’t hold it against him if he doesn’t. That’s a lot of gas money. I’ll be grateful if he does make it back, though.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/billmallonee
- http://www.billmallonee.net/
- http://www.myspace.com/oldbelievers
- http://www.oldbelieversmusic.com/
- http://www.cozmicpizza.com/
Taking dead aim at preachers…
REVIEW: Indigo Belly Dance @ Oregon Country Fair (Veneta, OR – – 7/13/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Rachel Brice, Mardi Love & Zoe Jakes are three tribal fusion belly dancers from San Francisco who go by the name The Indigo Belly Dance Company. I’d heard of them before, and my wife has gone to performances & workshops of theirs in the past when we lived in Cincinnati (at least Rachel & Zoe). Anyway, they were here in Eugene for the Oregon Country Fair (actually closer to Veneta than Eugene). Rachel Brice is pictured here (photo credit: Kristine Adams from the Indigo BDC’s MySpace page):

Here are Zoe Jakes and Mardi Love (photo credit unknown):


Well, on to the Oregon Country Fair ~ We braved the heat, the stinky bus passengers, and the heat (yet again) for the Country Fair this year. All around, the Fair was hot but shady (which was a pleasant surprise). It was also expensive, dusty, greasy and stinky. Alas, it’s a country fair in Oregon in July; so that was all expected. :) We came away with a nice table purchase, but that’ll be for a separate blog later.
We had a good time at the Country Fair… we started out with a fun show with the Stage Left Vaudeville Show. It started strong and, well, we left during the “free-style rap” section. Needless to say, it drifted from its big band flair entrance into something that wasn’t our thing. We went on from that to snag some yummy popsicles (Baja Coffee popsicle for me, i.e.- coffee with cinnamon, and Lemon Ginger popsicle for my wife and our friends Chris & Melissa).
We got to the Gypsy Caravan stage around 2pm for the 3pm show of The Indigo. We got there at just the right time… we scored some nice bench seats in the center of the audience. The Gypsy Caravan band was playing… and we saw some good shimmying from Aziza, Colleena (sp?), Claudia, and some other that I couldn’t remember how to spell or pronounce.
Up next was The Indigo… Their backing band was dubbed something along the lines of the Balkan Brass Band / Brass Menagerie (they were made up of several bands). It was interesting to see bellydance to something different than middle eastern music, and I dig Balkan music…
Rachel, Zoe & Mardi did a trio number to start things off. Then Zoe did a solo song, Rachel did a solo (complete with her quite phenomenal “drop move” – see around 1:17 in that video link), then there was a duet of some sort (Rachel & Mardi then Rachel & Zoe, if I remember correctly… likely I’m not remembering correctly). A special guest, Elizabeth Strong, came out and did a fantastic number with a sword. Then the group came out and did a few more numbers, along with Mardi doing a slow moves solo. They danced for about an hour, or slightly under an hour.
Photos of the performance that my wife took are BELOW…
~Dan – np: Charlie Hunter & Bobby Previte – Come in Red Dog, This is Tango Leader 

Gypsy Caravan & The Indigo @ Country Fair PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 emobie,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
From the Gypsy Caravan Stage (Aziza, Colleena) & Misc Other Fair Pics



Mogwai & Music Fest NW

The only band I really care to see at Music Fest NW 2008 (in Portland) is Scottish post-rock band MOGWAI. Hence, I had written it off as, “nah, ain’t gonna bother.” I mean, Mogwai is great – – I’ve seen them before (at my 1,000th live music performance seen), but driving up to Portland on a Wednesday (Sept 3rd) isn’t high on my list. I had written it off…
…until now.
Plans changed at work, and some interim fieldwork for a client of mine that was going to happen in mid-July is now happening in early September… right during Music Fest NW. Alas, I’ll get to see Mogwai, and will likely only have to drive across a river to the Roseland Theater. Yay!

~Dan – np: Miles Davis – The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions

Nellie McKay in PDX
Friday, August 15th… Nellie McKay at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge. Tickets procured… woot!

We saw her last fall at The Shedd in Eugene… fantastic show (here’s the review). We’re totally looking forward to this show… she’s a veritable fireball of energy and wit – – equal parts virtuoso and silly.
http://nelliemckay.com/
http://www.myspace.com/prettylittlehead (official)
http://www.myspace.com/nelliemckay (fan)
((O)) planets have aligned ((O))
I’ll be in Portland* on Monday, October 6th for work.
*-Portland, Oregon. Maine, quit asking!! It’s not gonna happen.
Icelandic ambient/post-rock/rock band (pick one) Sigur Rós will also be in Portland on Monday, October 6th… for work at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (downtown).

I just got a ticket to their workplace to see what their daily grind is like. This’ll be my 5th time seeing them… and I’m stoked. Each time is surreal / magnanimous / phosphorescent / pah-nah-men-ah.
Sigur Rós can come see me at my work for free that day, because that’s how *I* roll. Jonsi, call me. ::gestures::
REVIEW: Bill Frisell, Eyvind Kang & Rudy Royston @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – – 6/7/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Last night was my first time seeing all three gentlemen: Bill Frisell, Eyvind Kang, and Rudy Royston. I hope it is not my last.

I’m a big fan of Eyvind from his work with Secret Chiefs 3, Mr. Bungle, solo works on Tzadik & Ipecac (and other indie avant labels). On the upper right of every page on this blog, I have a quote attributed to Eyvind Kang: “I believe that music should be grown on trees, to be plucked like a fruit without the extravagance of harvest.” There’s just something about jazz (and the show last night) where this is most appropriate. Sure, much of Bill Frisell’s music is structured, melodic, and hinting at a modicum of “harvest,” as it were. However, it definitely lives and breathes and is open for exploration within the structure.
Probably the best proof of this with regards to last night’s show was that Eyvind (viola) and Rudy (drums) had only met 4 or 5 hours prior to the show. This was the world premiere of the Frisell/Kang/Royston trio. Judging by how they played so well together, I would have thought they met at least 7 hours prior. ;) No, seriously, they seemed like long-time jam partners. It was great to see the immediacy of the musical “fruit plucking.”
The trio played just over 90 minutes straight-through (with one short break prior to an encore piece), probably anywhere between 6 or 8 pieces. They started with 5 minutes or so of experimental flexing, bordering on avant-garde. By the next piece, Bill Frisell began laying down the melodies that worked well with this trio setting. Many times Eyvind and Bill mirrored each other’s melodies, but Eyvind still was able to cut loose on his own. Rudy knew how to play subtly, but he did let loose a few times as well, especially near the end of their set.
I just got Bill’s new one (History, Mystery); so I don’t know if the songs were from that or not, or just base melodies with improvisation. The set as a whole was very melodic, yet explorative. At several times, Bill pulled out what I thought was an e-bow, but it ended up being a music box that he was playing near his guitar pickup then through an echoplex-type looping device. Very harmonic tones… which would have been intriguing to have gotten from using guitar harmonic picking and an e-bow… alas, I was wrong.
Odd note: again, this was my first time seeing Bill Frisell. Does he always avoid facing the audience? He seemed to be facing towards Eyvind the whole night (so slightly away from the crowd). I never saw his hands or the front of the guitar all night. Odd, but at least the sound was sublime.
This was Bill’s fourth show at The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts over the years. That’s a good indication that he’ll be back. To that I say, “yay!” I hope he brings Eyvind and Rudy with him.
The appropriate links:
- http://www.myspace.com/billfrisellofficial
- http://www.myspace.com/floratone (recent collab with Bill, Eyvind, Matt Chamberlain, Tucker Martine, et cetera)
- http://www.billfrisell.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/eyvindkangeyvind
- http://www.myspace.com/rudyroyston
- http://theshedd.org/
In completely unreleated to Frisell/Kang/Royston news, but posted here since I didn’t want to add another post to “the pile”… you can listen to Sigur Rós‘ upcoming album (Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust) streaming here before it comes out in a couple of weeks: medsud-dot
Enjoy!
~Dan – np: Ken Laster – Jazz & Beyond podcast (link)
FRISELL / KANG / ROYSTON PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: JUDE Christodal @ Aladdin Theater (Portland, OR – – 6/6/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Before I begin… any tapers at the PDX show? If so, email me.
OK, well, I try to see Jude Christodal every time he comes by. Trouble is… the last time I saw him was at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN, around Memorial Day in 1999. That was, in fact, the first time I saw him, too. He was opening up for Ben Folds Five… and he blew me away (just as BFF did), and I went to Best Buy and bought his Maverick debut, No One Is Really Beautiful, the very next day.

Anyway, he’s now pretty much 100% independent in the U.S. (and on Naïve Records in France). Being from L.A. and on a French record label, he seems to either only tour the West Coast or France. He also writes for TV shows and whatnot… you, all, and everybody may have heard his song on LOST (the… um… pretty bad “poppy rock song” by the hobbit’s band) and his song on the City of Angels soundtrack (“I Do”)…
“You All Everybody” ain’t his normal fare, mind you. His normal fare is oft-dramatic, oft-comedic, oft-falsetto, oft-witty, oft-poetic singer-songwriter extraordinaire. He’s on the short list* of acoustic singer-songwriters who’ve broken through this metal heart… in short, Jude rocks. If you haven’t heard him, you’re doing yourself an injustice, IMO.
*-others on the singer-songwriter shortlist: Elliott Smith, Peter Mulvey, Glen Phillips, Sufjan Stevens,… and some Cincinnati locals like Ash, Ryan, Jason, Kim, Kelly…
Living in the Midwest up until last fall, I didn’t get a chance to see him again… until last night. I made the ~2 hour drive up to Portland from Eugene last night to the lovely Aladdin Theater (SE side of PDX). It’s a quaint old movie or play house… old, but still cute… not in total disrepair like many of these types of venues I’ve witnessed. Great concessions, too… goat cheese, mushroom & sundried tomato pizza and Fat Tire Amber, Deschutes Mirror Pond & Pyramid heff on tap (score!).
The opener, Ryan Andrew (from Castella), was good. He didn’t get warmed up himself until about the third song. Good voice and interesting songs. He played about 30 minutes, which consisted of:
- I Ain’t Comin’ Home Tonight
- It Hurts Like Hell
- The Only One (fav of set)
- When She’s Gone (guessing on name)
- Wonderwall (great version of Oasis tune… another fav of the set)
- The First Time
JUDE came on just after 9pm, and played with basically no break until about 11:15 and then came back out for a 4 song encore, wrapping up around 11:30… two and a half hours of quality Jude…
One of the funniest things (and there were many) was a girl named Molly brought up a sequined duck to the stage as a gift for Jude. “The prettiest thing a stripper ever owned,” gasped Jude. Then he quickly back-peddled, as to not seem unappreciative. “I mean at some point the dresses don’t fit anymore… I’m gonna sequin ducks.” He even serenaded it with a song later in the night (see pics below).
The crowd was very lively / rowdy / talkative / chatty / request-y. Jude fulfilled most of the requests. Some, though, he just couldn’t remember (his own “Charlie” and the chords to Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy“). He played over 30 songs, 2.5 hours, great concert all around. He also had many crowd interactive sing-a-longs. The best was the “drunk singing choir” for “Everything’s Alright.” It was hilarious… because it was true.
“The Minnesota people” were a bit too loud, but eh… it was all fun.
Oh, and Jude mentioned that the long-promised Cuba CD is on its way. Finally!! Apparently, it’s already done, in the can, what have you…
Here’s what he played:
- Out of L.A.
- I’m Sorry Now
- Mayfair Market
- Indian Lover (here’s where the duck was gifted)
- Break Up Song
- Run to My Room
- Rick James
- I Know (one of the best songs of the long night)
- In Between
- I Do
- Distance contest: Eastern Washington was the winner after a few disqualifications… namely Detroit (Oregon) and Minnesota (moved here from, not travel for show)
- Gay Cowboy (he wrote this before Brokeback Mountain… but check out this unofficial video)
- Prophet
- toying with “Crazy“
- Brad and Suzy
- Everything’s Alright (I Think It’s Time)
- Black Superman
- The Asshole Song
- Baby Ruth in Atlanta
- You Mama You
- Madonna (another one of the best songs of the long night)
- Love Letters / Ain’t No Sunshine (or maybe Love, Love, Love / Ain’t No Sunshine… or maybe all 3 songs…)
- Calling All Friends
- End of My Rainbow
- Cuba
- Fallen Angel (aka Fly Again)
- Money
- Your Eyes
- Encore: On the Dance Floor
- I Want a Duck (improv)
- Paper Towel
- Taking More and Giving Less
Note: I’ve got some pics from the show at the bottom of this blog post. Some of them are “artistic” (meaning: fuzzy).
Go check out his music on iTunes, Amazon… or CDBaby (you can sample songs there, too). My fav albums of his (though all are good) are Sarah (4th album, blue cover) and No One Is Really Beautiful (2nd album, greenish cover).
The appropriate linkage:
- http://www.judemusic.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/judechristodal
- http://cdbaby.com/cd/jude2
- http://www.naive.fr/
- http://www.myspace.com/ryanandrewsmusic
- http://www.officialcastellaband.com/
- http://www.aladdin-theater.com/
I’m going to the Bill Frisell & Eyvind Kang show tonight in Eugene (I’m stoked)… that’s all for now…
professional teller machine user,
~Dan
np: Various Artists – You Gan’t Boar Like an Eabla When You Work With Turkrys
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JUDE CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution



(click for larger on photos below)
OK, judefuzz04 isn’t my photo… ::blush::
REVIEW: Stebmo & Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – – 5/31/08)
Well, last night started out with a stuffed helping of veg food from our mostly monthly Veggie Supper Club here in Eugene. No FBI agents were in attendance… or were they… hmmm… we made biscotti, sweet potato gnocchi with mondo bizarro sauce. They was also fine wine, eggplant tapenade, flatbread pizzas, a nice chard dish, polenta lasagna, and a freakin’ amazing chocolate dessert. Oh no, my stomach a’splode!
Anyway, I hobbled/waddled over to Sam Bond’s Garage for a night of jazz afterwards. Good thing I was full, too… Sam Bond’s got some killer veggie grub (surprisingly killer for bar food). Before the show I picked up Stebmo’s self-titled CD (with Eyvind Kang, Matt Chamberlain, Tucker Martine, Todd Sickafoose, etc) and one of Skerik’s CDs (with Eyvind Kang, Tim Young, etc). Skerik, running the merch at that time, noticed my Secret Chiefs 3 shirt. \m/
Stebmo (aka Steve Moore) started the night around 10pm. I had heard some of his samples from CDBaby; so I knew a little about his sound. Apparently he’s also played in recent live versions of Sunn O))) & worked with Sufjan Stevens & Bill Frisell… or so says his bio. Though he also plays trombone, his set was comprised of keyboards and electronics/loops. He played 40 minutes and had a good mix of experimental and groove-oriented pieces. Perhaps a bit like the organic/melodic elements of the Album Leaf mixed with the building nature of an Explosions in the Sky set mixed with a heaping handful of electronic jots & tittles like those that may have hit the Kid A cutting room floor. I found his set thoroughly enjoyable, as did most of the packed house (80-100 people is my guess).

Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio is Skerik on tenor sax (from Seattle), Brian Coogan on Hammond B-3 Organ & Simon Lott on drums/trumpet (both from Baton Rouge). I’ve heard of Skerik many times via various NYC downtown scene musicians. The Trio went on around 11pm… I stayed for over an hour of their set (12:15am or so). I wish I could have stayed, but I was BEAT.
Anyway, they started out in the experimental / free jazz realm, but didn’t stay there the whole night. Their set was a plethora of sounds… much of it very groove oriented (probably due to the Hammond B-3 throughout). They seemed to be having fun playing together, too – – which ain’t bad to see. :)
Simon (on drums) was fun to watch… he worked well in both the groove and grooveless/experimental compositions. He also pulled out a tiny trumpet for one of the songs which mixed well with Skerik’s sax. Skerik’s sax sound was nice a full (I guess I’m more familiar with alto sax), and he (again) played a good mix of groove and free jazz. On one of the songs he played what I think was a talk box through his sax which was unique to my concert going experiences thus far. Many a guitar talk box, but nary a sax talk box. Fun stuff…
(not from last night’s show)

Great show! I’m glad they stopped by, and I hope they stop by again in some form or another.
Where they’re heading next?
Jun 3 2008 Lion’s Lair [Stebmo opens] Denver, Colorado
Jun 4 2008 Trilogy Wine Bar [Stebmo opens] Boulder, Colorado
Jun 5 2008 Aggie Theatre [Stebmo opens] Fort Collins, Colorado
Jun 6 2008 Telluride Jazz Festival (Fly Me to the Moon Saloon) Telluride, Colorado
Jun 7 2008 Telluride Jazz Festival (McCoy Tyner Stage) Telluride, Colorado
Jun 7 2008 Telluride Jazz Festival (Fly Me to the Moon Saloon) Telluride, Colorado
Jun 10 2008 The Mint [opening for Rebirth Brass Band] Los Angeles, California
Jun 11 2008 The Mint [opening for Rebirth Brass Band] Los Angeles, California
Jun 12 2008 Kuumbwa Jazz Center [Stebmo/Trey Spruance (Secret Chiefs 3) also on bill] Santa Cruz, California
Jun 13 2008 Boom Boom Room [Stebmo opens] San Francisco, California
Jun 14 2008 Hopmonk Brewery [Stebmo opens] Sebastopol, California
Jun 15 2008 Red Fox Tavern [Stebmo opens] Eureka, California
The appropriate linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/43304272 (Skerik)
- http://www.myspace.com/maelstromtrio
- http://www.myspace.com/syncopatedtaint
- http://crittersbuggin.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/stebmo
- http://www.stebmo.com/
- http://sambonds.com/
Upcoming shows: Or Not to Be (Hamlet Zombies), Jude Christodal in PDX, Bill Frisell/Eyvind Kang/Royston in Eugene… and maybe a JoFederigo jazz show (I’ve got a free dessert coupon; so why not?)…
~Dan – pp: The Book Show – Episode 14 with Richard Dawkins
np: Bar Kokhba Sextet – Masada Book Two: Lucifer

PS- this was posted to Skerik’s MySpace:
“Kickin it with Origami Barack Mandela!! from Tomo in Eugene!!“

mini-REVIEW: Michael Franti & Spearhead @ the Cuthbert Amphitheater (Eugene, OR – – 5/24/08)
WOW! Fantastic show at the Cuthbert Amphitheater in Eugene, OR, last night… it was beautiful day, then it rained for the show… but it was a BLAST!
Openers: Lilla D’Mone Trio with My G – great musicianship in a hip-hop, funk soul rock realm. The lyrics were a little lacking in my opinion… they seemed to mean well but fall short. Alas, it’s probably why I gravitate to more instrumental bands anyway. Good pop lyricists are too few and far between. If I had to grade ’em… a B. Blue Scholars – a DJ & MC duo from Seattle. They were good, but I spent most of their set in the long and slow coffee line. Hmph. What I heard, I enjoyed (B+). The Coup – they were a very good act. Sort of a rap funk rock thing going on. Played for an hour, very enjoyable (solid A). Too many openers for my taste, but they were pretty good (all things considered).
Michael Franti and Spearhead put on a GREAT show. I had never heard them outside of their samples on MySpace, but my wife (and her boss) wanted to go… and the vibe I heard was good; so what the heck. Anyway, amazing show… good mix of rock, reggae, and hip-hop. I didn’t know the names of the songs, but I liked ’em… and even in the rain, it didn’t stop people from dancing in the aisles (and on the chairs). Oh, he did play a song I knew… Nirvana‘s “Come As You Are.”

I’m a fan of his music now… great stuff.
The Appropriate Linkage:
mini-REVIEW: Midnight Serenaders @ Cuthbert Amphitheater (Eugene, OR – – 5/18/08)
It was a little bit cooler today than yesterday… so I decided to head out for some FREE music at the Willamette Valley Music Festival at Cuthbert Amphitheater (near Autzen Stadium & Alton Baker Park in Eugene, OR).
I was really going to see one band… I had heard them previously on their MySpace page, and they struck my fancy… they were Midnight Serenaders from Portland. They’re a hoppin’ sextet made up of ukulele/vocals, guitar/vocals, hawaiian steel slide guitar, upright bass, trumpet, and clarinet/saxophone.

They played about 45 minutes of ’20s & ’30s speakeasy-type tunes (some covers / some originals). Fun stuff, kinda like the Ditty Bops (to give you a frame of reference). Songs I know they played…
- Dirt Dishin’ Daisy
- Everybody Loves My Baby
- You Gotta Give Me Some
- The World’s Jazz Crazy
Some of the songs were kinda naughty… teehee… the little kids in the audience probably were wondering why the lady kept going to the butcher to get some more of his meat… oh my.
Anyway, they put on an enjoyable set… great fun tunes and great musicianship. I hope they come through here again soon!
Check ’em out…
http://www.midnightserenaders.com/
http://www.myspace.com/midnightserenaders
http://cdbaby.com/cd/mserenaders
~Dan – np: Richard Dawkins – The Lava Lizard’s Tale
Eugene’s Saturday Market Live Stage 2008
I usually head down early to Eugene’s Farmers’ Market / Saturday Market for good local veg… then sometimes, if there’s good music scheduled, I make my way back in the afternoon…
Here are my 2008‘s catches, in descending chronological order (updated as they happen -or- as I remember to write about them)…
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May 17th: Pojama People (http://www.myspace.com/glennleonard) Good thing they had a tagline on the poster at Saturday Market; otherwise, there’s no way I’d head back out in the heat (it was bloody hot today). The tagline was something along the lines of “the music of Frank Zappa.”
I found a spot in the shade (thankfully)… I bought an ice cream sandwich (which ended up being a totally messy pile of yum)… I sat down and took in some Zappa and Zappa-inspired tunes (a not as messy pile of yum). They are made up of Alli Bach on percussion, winds, vocals; Glenn Leonard on drums (and a 13-yo student, Spencer Ewing, very capably sat in a few tunes, too); Brian Casey on bass; Ted Clifford on keys; and B-Bo on guitar. Per some webpages, they also sometimes have Ike Willis sing with them sometimes, too… cool.
They played a lot of instrumental songs, and they also played some Zappa tunes with lyrics with “liberty taken to them” — almost all politically bent (which is fine with me… and likely Zappa). Here’s what they played (thanks to Glenn for the setlist corrections)…
- Zoot Allures
- Arrogant Dubya Son (new lyrics to FZ’s “Idiot Bastard Son“)
- Help, I’m Iraq (new lyrics to FZ’s “Help, I’m a Rock“)
- RDNZL
- Duke of Prunes
- Eat That Tin Kong (a mashup of “Eat That Question” & “King Kong“)
- Sofa
- If I Fell (Beatles)
- You Are What You Is / Dupree’s Paradise / Improv
- Alien Orifice / Tribute to American Idol (new lyrics to FZ’s “Tinsel Town Rebellion“)
- McCain (new lyrics to Clapton’s “Cocaine“)
- Let’s Make Blackwater Turn Back (new lyrics to FZ’s “Let’s Make the Water Turn Black“)
- Village of the Sun / Achidna’s Arf / Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing? (with “13“)
They’re playing at Sam Bonds Garage on June 28th. If I’m free, I hope to see them again. They were good (ie- not your usual cover band).
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May 3rd: Big Roy and the Twigs (http://www.myspace.com/bigroyandthetwigs) I went to see Big Roy because I know him via the head of the accounting department at UofO, Steve Matsunaga (Roy is Steve’s son). I heard some of their tunes on MySpace, and figured, “what the hell.” I showed up, and they had already started their set. It was hot (not bloody hot), but I caught 4 or 5 songs. They had some decent chops, alas, all I really remember is that they seemed to play a lot of alt-rock covers (Red Hot Chili Peppers’ songs appeared at least twice). It would have been nice to hear some of their originals, too. I was melting; so I headed back to the car. Nice set, though. Hopefully I can catch ’em again sometime…
~Dan
REVIEW: Peter Mulvey & Patty Larkin @ W.O.W. Hall (Eugene, OR – – 5/1/08)
This was my fourteenth (14th) time seeing Peter Mulvey play… and I never get tired of his great guitar style, funny story-telling, and strong-yet-unassuming voice. Last night’s show was no exception to the “never get tired” statement. He’s a treat, and I’m glad he makes it to Eugene occasionally…

* If Love Is Not Enough (complete with Hall and Oates & KC and the Sunshine Band snippets)
* Black Rabbit (aka “The Milkmaid’s Buxom Nephew“ ;-) it’s a gorgeous solo guitar piece originally on his 1992 release Brother Rabbit Speaks… see YouTube video below…)
* The Knuckleball Suite (makes my wife & I want to kick back some Sandeman Port… delish…)
* Dynamite Bill *new* (nice guitarwork and classic Mulvey low-end)
* Shirt (a personal fav)
* Mailman *new* (written for Chris Pureka who sent him a book of poems)
* Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (and Faraway from Home) (another personal fav)
The story leading up to “Sad, Sad…” was about his experience of playing inside of a cave in West Virginia for 100 high-school science geniuses (genii?). I’d never heard that story… wild stuff. I wonder how he got that gig?
After a short break, Patty Larkin came on. I hadn’t heard her before this show.. Peter was the main reason to get a ticket. Anyway, Patty didn’t disappoint either. She’s got a great guitar style… not the usual singer-songwriter style. She knows how to play “more than just a few chords.” I don’t know any of her songs, but they were interesting, usually storytelling pieces. She played a little over an hour, and she was thoroughly enjoying. She hails from Boston, MA; but actually went to the University of Oregon (here in Eugene) for her undergrad studies. Go Ducks!
Peter Mulvey came on a played backing guitars for one of her songs, too. Oh, and she “pulled a Jónsi” later in her set… playing her guitar with a bow…

Great stuff all around…
The Appropriate Linkage:
http://www.petermulvey.com/
http://www.myspace.com/pattylarkinofficial
http://www.pattylarkin.com/
http://www.wowhall.org/
The Trouble with Puppies… is they lick too much…
~Dan – np: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey – Lil’ Tae Rides Again

I also found the video for “Shirt”


















































































































