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Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 in Eugene [photos soon]

19th Mar 12 (Mon) Leave a comment

Youngest son of afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, Seun Anikulapo Kuti & the Egypt 80 hit Eugene’s WOW Hall on Sunday night… it was an amazing show!

More photos, setlist and review of the show to be posted by Wednesday morning are posted here.

~Dan

Categories: Concert Photos, World Music Tags: , , , , , , , ,

PHOTOS: Drive-By Truckers @ Skip’s CD World (Eugene, OR – 3/18/12)

18th Mar 12 (Sun) Leave a comment

“One third” of the alt-country indie rock group Drive-By Truckers (Patterson Hood & Jay Gonzalez) stopped Skip’s CD World in Eugene, Oregon, for a 30 minute in-store session ahead of their show tonight at McDonald Theatre…

all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)



Of the songs I could identify… “Betty Ford,” “Polly Anna,” “Old Timer’s Disease,” “Margo and Harold,” and “Mercy Buckets.”

Drive By Truckers: SITE / Facebook / Twitter

Skip’s CD World: SITE / Facebook / Twitter

~Dan – np: The Blood Brothers – Crimes

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Puscifer @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 3/14/12)

15th Mar 12 (Thu) 16 comments

Fourth time seeing Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer.  Always a treat!  I opted out of the hassle of doing the photo pass on this 2nd leg, as I wanted to catch Carina Round’s set and not miss the intro video or any of the Puscifer set like I had to back at the 1st leg kick-off in Seattle in Nov 2011.  Thus… ALL PHOTOS posted on this review are from the official Puscifer photographer and/or Meats Meier (see FB photo album).

I did the VIP soundcheck & wine tasting again (I’m a sucker for that)… Soundcheck performance was again stripped down acoustic on both songs – “The Chain” [Fleetwood Mac] and the personal favorite “The Humbling River” (with Carina Round on banjo).

For the wine, this time we tried the Arizona Stronghold’s Mandala (2010) & Mangus (2010) and the Caduceus Cellars’ Nagual de la Naga (2010).  The Mandala was nice, had a very sweet and somewhat tart nose, but definitely a dry/balanced finish.  It’s still young, but was an interesting viognier white wine blend.  The next two were reds, and I liked them more.  The Mangus was very drinkable.  It was a “super Tuscan” primarily sangiovese blend – sweet, fruity, a little buttery in the mouth-feel.  My favorite of the night was the Nagual de la Naga.  It would have been perfect with a rich meal… this cabernet savignon, merlot, and sangiovese blend was only bottled a week before the tour started; so it was definitely a young wine.  Despite its age, it was full bodied and beautiful to drink now.

Carina Round opened the show.  She’s a great rocker singer-songwriter who also backs Maynard on vocals during the Puscifer set… she seemed more comfortable than the last tour go around.  Her band was made up of a majority of the Puscifer live band.  She had a lot of energy, and a high kick near the end of the set gave those of us in the front rows a special treat.  She left the stage, and shortly thereafter the video intro started with Billy D (played by Maynard), Hildy, Cherry Piles, Peter Merkin, and other odd characters.

The show started out the same as Seattle… with Maynard wheeling out a small airstream camper.  He set up some tables and chairs and talked about sustainability and what they’re trying to do with Puscifer (listen to the Fall 2011 monologue from NC).

The show overall was very similar to last year’s leg, which is fine with me… it’s a great set of songs, a fantastic light show, and a paradox of high technology with a stripped down feel.  The song selection was also quite similar, except for the middle of the set we got “Potions” and “Mama Sed” instead of “Polar Bear” and “Indigo Children”…

Setlist: about 90 minutes

  • Maynard Monologue while setting up camper/stage
  • The Green Valley
  • Tiny Monsters
  • Vagina Mine
  • Dozo
  • Toma
  • The Rapture (Fear is a Mind Killa Mix)
  • The Weaver
  • Rev 22:20 [Carina Round on lead vocals]
  • Potions
  • Momma Sed
  • Oceans
  • Monsoons
  • Horizons
  • Conditions of My Parole
  • Man Overboard
  • Telling Ghosts
  • The Undertaker
  • Tumbleweed
    No Encore

This is a brilliant tour for a brilliant album.  The western feel also fits extremely well with the newer mellower songs… tumbleweeds blowing by, fake campfire, and a dazzling electrical storm…

Don’t have Conditions of My Parole yet?  I think you should go buy it if you haven’t yet.  It’s at the top of my pile for 2011 releases (by far).

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below… the dates are winding down; so if you missed it, you’ll have to try next time!

Next shows for me… Seun Kuti @ WOW Hall (3/18) and Skerik’s Bandalabra @ Cozmic (3/20).

~Dan – np: John Zorn – IAO: Music in Sacred Light

Puscifer Winter Tour 2012

February
23  Austin, TX – Long Center for the Performing Arts
25 Baton Rouge, LA – River Center Theatre
26 Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre
28 Nashville, TN – Andrew Jackson Hall
29 Louisville, KY – Brown Theatre

March
1 Pittsburgh, PA – Byham Theatre
3 Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
4 Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
6 Kansas City, KS – Kansas City Music Hall
7 Omaha, NE – Omaha Civic Auditorium
10 Edmonton, AB – North Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
11 Calgary, AB – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
13 Vancouver, BC – The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
14 Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
16 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts
17 Riverside, CA Fox Performing Arts Center
18 Escondido, CA – California Center for the Arts

Categories: Concert Photos, Metal, Rock & Pop Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Adam Carolla @ Newmark Theatre (Portland, OR – 3/11/12)

12th Mar 12 (Mon) Leave a comment

Adam Carolla had a busy weekend.  The most recently fired celebrity on Donald Trump’s NBC Celebrity Apprentice, the former co-host of Loveline with Dr. Drew, the former co-host of The Man Show with Jimmy Kimmel, and the #1 podcaster in the world (with the Guinness World Record to show for it) played Seattle on Friday night, Spokane on Saturday night, and Portland’s Newmark Theatre last night.

I don’t always agree with what he says.  He’s middle-of-the-road politically – not claiming alignment with any party.  He’s quite in favor of many good social issues (gay rights, sex education, women’s reproductive issues, etc), but he’s staunchly conservative on fiscal and immigration concerns.  But in all honesty, how many times do you agree with everything even your loved ones say?  While some people may have “something for everyone to like,” Adam may very well fit into having “something for everyone to hate” or at least “have issue with.”  Eh, I still fall into the “love camp”…

His sharp wit, funny stories and quirky-yet-still-grounded sense of humor make coming back to listen daily a treat.  His Monday to Friday daily podcast is one of my favorites and it quickly goes to the top of my queue (subscribe iTunes).  His ACE podcasting network is also growing and excellent things abound: Penn Jillette’s PennSundaySchool, Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend (the funny & charming news gal), Ace on the House (home improvement), CarCast (I’m not even a gear junkie, but this is a fascinating show), et cetera… all great!

I thought comedian/songwriter Josh Gardner was to open the show.  However, they played the title track to Mr. Stinkfinger via laptop and then Adam came out.  Josh’s comedy albums are available now… Mr Stinkfinger EP and Winter Bush:

Adam’s stand-up shows are basically 90-minutes.  They are sometimes free form, but this one seemed a little more planned, with a little thrown in as far as what happened to him this past weekend.

He walked out with an oatmeal cookie… with dried cranberries in it.  This opened up into a rant about the adding shit to shit and why we keep fucking good things up.  Next on his complain list was “Spring Forward,” and he went through a funny USA Today bit about what people would do with their extra hour (back in the fall).

He got off complaining for a bit to talk about a Leno show appearance with Queen Latifah.  She had been going on about “limin’,” which apparently is what they call “chillin'” in the Caribbean.  Adam’s bit after her was about children’s toys at Christmas, and how you need lineman dykes to cut the toys out of their boxes.  Apparently people got in a huff because they thought he was calling “Queen” a “limin’ dyke.”  Ah, good times.

Up next, a little bit about his NBC Celebrity Apprentice experience with a few clips from last night’s show (where he got fired).  Apparently Buick didn’t like his jokes.  Oh well… now once Penn Jillette gets fired, I can quit watching that rubbish.

Next he played a cartoon rendition of “Gay Eyes,” a made up movie that Adam worked up during a 2009 podcast with Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston.  I can’t find the cartoon-version on line anywhere, but I remember hearing it when it went down.  Here is the audio.

The next 45 minutes… what Adam is known for… more complaining.  No “what can’t Adam complain about” requests from the audience, but some pre-loaded hyper vigilance rants that hit on many topics: tagging the landscape in Los Angeles, buttons on car keys, shower handles in hotels, key cards in hotels, toys under sofas, custom shoes, WC Field’s smoking & drinking poster in the doctor’s office, L.A. ice cream truck, recumbent cyclists, Click-It or Ticket, auto flush toilets, the L.A. “river,” rescue dogs, and how Mexicans grieve.

He ended the show with a stroll through memory lane via his Social Security Statement.  From an astonishing $1k to $9k/year of earnings for most of the 80s to stardom in the mid 90s.  His “money can’t buy you happiness” was a nice, uplifting non-rant about applying yourself to work towards doing what you want to do.

Some of his stories were ones we’d heard before via the podcast or radio show… he was playing to his audience; so it was all good.  Adam is a busy guy… ever turning logs in the fire.  Keep up to date with him via the links below… and by all means, if you like to listen to podcasts, make room in your queue for what I consider to be one of the best / funniest ones out there.

The Appropriate Linkage:

Next show for me… Maynard James Keenan’s PUSCIFER on 3/14 in Portland.

~Dan – np: John Zorn – IAO: Music in Sacred Light

Categories: Concert Reviews, Humor Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Nellie McKay’s ‘I Want To Live!’ in Oregon @ the Shedd & Alberta Rose Theatre (Eugene 3/2/12 & Portland 3/4/12)

6th Mar 12 (Tue) 2 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOWs at the BOTTOM

I’ve seen Nellie McKay quite a bit since moving to Oregon.  She plays two-week residencies in New York on occasion (lucky!!), but she rarely hit the Midwest when I lived there.  Now that I’m here in the Northwest, I’m glad that she tried to swing by at least annually.  This time was for her new project, yet to be released officially in any form… I Want To Live! – a story of Barbara Graham, the third woman to be executed in the State of California (via the gas chamber at San Quentin).  It’s loosely based on the 1958 film of the same name.

This death row theme shouldn’t be a shock for fans of McKay.  She’s never been afraid to push boundaries – hitting political hot-button issues right out of the gate with her debut album, Get Away From Me (“Sari,” “It’s a Pose,” “Won’t U Please B Nice,” et cetera), and some of her non-jazz-standard followups Pretty Little Head (“Cupcake” and “The Big One”) and Obligatory Villagers (“Mother of Pearl”).

In person, though, she’s as lovable and jovial as some of her adorable, campy press photos suggest.  She’s also a great thinker, great interpreter of classics & standards, and a great artist in her own right.  She may have been “born in the wrong era” (her words), but she’s doing the best with her love of the classics by making a great mark and not giving in to the current trends in what a jazz/pop “woman and a piano” should sound or act.

The first hour of the I Want To Live! tour makes up the story of a woman who falls in with the wrong people, gets caught up in a crime, and – whether innocent or not – is found guilty of murder.  Nellie plays all of the emotions perfectly.  Love, mystery, joy, pain, frustration – all while weaving in standards and her own tunes to tell Barbara Graham’s story.  While she hints at Graham’s fervor for being innocent, Nellie leaves her opinion about guilt or innocence out of the musical.  She also leaves her opinion of the death penalty out of it, which – quite honestly – was shocking that she didn’t add some of her thoughts on it, specifically due to her past as being very politically opinionated.  Perhaps that will show up in the liner notes if this gets released as an CD or DVD some day…

 

I Want To Live! setlist: about an hour (both nights)

  • Billie’s Bounce [Charlie Parker]
  • Purple Haze [Jimi Hendrix]
  • Swingin’ On The Reservation [Ella Fitzgerald]
  • Please
  • Pity The Downtrodden Landlord [Woolf/Clayton]
  • April Showers [DeSylva/Silvers]
  • Isn’t It A Lovely Day [Irving Berlin]
  • They Say It’s Spring [Blossom Dearie]
  • Some Other Spring [Billie Holiday]
  • I Only Have Eyes For You [Warren/Dubin]
  • Don’t Worry Be Happy [Bobby McFerrin]
  • The Down Low
  • Call The Police [Nat King Cole]
  • Twinkle In Your Eye [Burl Ives]
  • Song For Troy Davis
  • I’m So Tired [The Beatles]
  • There You Are In Me
  • Small Day Tomorrow [Landesman/Dorough]
  • Chelsea Bridge [Billy Strayhorn]
  • Genius Of Love [Tom Tom Club]
  • Ah! The Sweet Mystery Of Life [from Naughty Marietta operetta by Young/Herbert] (gorgeous operatic chops on Nellie for this one)
  • Straight To The Top [Tom Waits]
    I think I got all of the cover tunes identified, if not, please comment& I’ll correct.

Eugene setlist, post-IWTL! (3/2): about 30 mins

  • One’s On the Way [Shel Silverstein]
  • Midnight Sun [Ella Fitzgerald]
  • ¡Bodega!
  • Clonie (audience request)
  • Sari (audience request)
  • Encore: A Wonderful Guy [Doris Day]
  • The Dog Song

Portland setlist, post-IWTL! (3/4): about 30 mins

  • The Dog Song
  • In a Sentimental Mood [Duke Ellington] (with false start)
  • Caribbean Time
  • I Will Always Love You [Whitney Houston] (snippet)
  • Encore: One’s On the Way [Shel Silverstein] (dedicated to Rick Santorum)
  • Mother of Pearl (with Michele Bachmann tagline at end)
  • I Wanna Get Married

Two wonderfully entertaining nights in Oregon.  Nellie and her band are excellent performers and entertainers.  Through wardrobe changes, police chases, drug addiction, and working in different musical genres – the band was on point.  At one point, the saxophonist mimics a crying baby simply with his mouth as the instrument, and it drives you mad how amazing he pulls it off without a talkbox or effects.

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… Adam Carolla @ the Newmark (3/11) and Puscifer @ the Schnitzer (3/14).

~Dan – np: Steven Wilson – Catalogue / Preserve / Amass (live in Europe)

NELLIE McKAY PHOTOS
Eugene (53 pics) then Portland (32 pics)
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Nellie’s 2012 Winter/Spring Tour Dates (so far)

  • 1/25 & 1/26 – Minneapolis, MN Dakota
  • 2/9 – Lafayette, IN Duncan Hall
  • 2/10 & 2/11 – Elgin, IL Elgin Community College Arts Center
  • 2/12 – Louisville, KY Bomhard Theater
  • 2/25 – Park City, UT Eccles Center
  • 2/28 & 2/29 – San Francisco, CA Rrazz Room
  • 3/2 – Eugene, OR Shedd Institute
  • 3/3 – Kirkland, WA Kirkland Performing Arts Center
  • 3/4 – Portland, OR Alberta Rose Theatre
  • 3/7 – Chico, CA Laxson Auditorium
  • 3/8 – Santa Cruz, CA Kuumbwa Jazz Center
  • 3/9 – Hollywood, CA Catalina Jazz Club
  • 3/20 to 3/31 – New York, NY Feinstein’s at Loews Regency
    ^^^^ “SILENT SPRING – It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature”
  • 4/26 – Alexandria, VA The Birchmere Music Hall
  • 5/19 – Denver, CO Swallow Hill
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Nellie McKay – Oregon reviews coming by Tuesday

4th Mar 12 (Sun) Leave a comment

Nellie McKay’s I Want To Live! show in Eugene on Friday was brilliant! Portland is tonight.  Here’s a small taste from Eugene…

More photos, reviews and setlists for both Oregon shows will be up by Tuesday early morning.

~Dan

Categories: Concert Photos, Jazz & Avant, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , ,

Nellie McKay in Oregon *this* weekend

29th Feb 12 (Wed) Leave a comment

Nellie McKay plays the Shedd in Eugene on Friday, March 2nd and the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland on Sunday, March 4th.  Tickets are still available for both Oregon shows… so, get on it.  You won’t be disappointed!  I’ll have a review with setlists and photos of both shows posted early next week (likely by Tuesday).

I Want to Live!  a musical death row revue, conjures the life story of “a woman of dubious moral standards often a guest in seedy bars.”

New York Times’ Stephen Holden writes, “Inspired by the 1958 movie of the same name, I Want to Live! combines Nellie McKay’s virtually unlimited gifts as a singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, ukulele player, mimic, satirist and comedian into a show that is much deeper than its surface might suggest.  In the most lighthearted way they evoke a heartless environment of social injustice in which people who fall through the cracks are invisible to everyone else.”

“Pretty darned unique,” adds Michael Musto of the Village Voice.

“The McKay voice is a knife edged with honey. Which is good, because the words she writes are razor sharp beneath a homespun mantle.” – Tony Gieske

It’s a rare treat to have Nellie in our neck of the woods; so I’ll be at both the Eugene and Portland shows. :)

~Dan – np: TW Walsh – Songs of Pain and Leisure

Categories: Music News Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: David Bazan @ House Show (Portland, OR – 2/15/12)

16th Feb 12 (Thu) 1 comment

David Bazan is a busy man… he just got done with a 40+ date band tour in Nov/Dec 2011, and now he’s off and running with another near-40 date living room tour in Feb/Mar 2012.  His proximity (Seattle) to me (Oregon I-5 corridor) means I get to take in a lot of his shows.  Even though I just saw him with his band at Sam Bond’s in December, the living room tours are so fun and intimate.  I had to hit the Portland show last night…

He arrived about an hour late… first night of tour, and got stuck in traffic coming out of Seattle.  The good thing: hanging out in someone’s living room and kitchen sippin’ a beer is waaaaay better than hanging out at a stinky club playing LMFAO on loop.

After setting up his small cube amp, he kicked into his set…

Setlist: about 70 minutes

  • Cold Beer and Cigarettes
  • Wolves at the Door
  • Hard to Be
  • Q&A #1
  • Priests and Paramedics [Pedro the Lion]
  • Transcontinental [Pedro the Lion]
  • Shit Talker [Headphones]
  • Q&A #2
  • Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box [Radiohead]
  • Options [Pedro the Lion]
  • Virginia
  • Bearing Witness
  • Q&A #3
  • Strange Negotiations
    No Encore

A little shorter set than in the past, but I think that may have been due to running late.  The original “everyone needs to be out time” was 10pm, but he didn’t get going until 9:15pm.  So, for the rest of the living room tour, don’t judge the set length on Portland.  Despite the shorter set, I think it was a pretty good show… David was in a great mood and quite chatty as usual.

The somber take on “Wolves at the Door” was excellent… slower and a bit haunting compared to the version the band was belting out last year.  Another favorite was the return of the Radiohead cover that he played last year.  First three notes and goosebumps.  Such a great song.

There weren’t any new tunes played, which was a bit striking – as David is working on a new album, and it might even be done and to the label (Barsuk) by the beginning of May.  He said it could come out in August/September, but a lot of that depends on delivery to the label.

The Appropriate Linkage:

This was his first date of this tour… check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… MEDGE (bellydancing) at Cozmic Pizza (2/17) and then post-rockers Talkdemonic at Sam Bond’s Garage (2/24).

~Dan – np: John Zorn’s The Dreamers – O’o

David Bazan – Winter 2012 House Show Tour

2/15 – Portland, OR
2/16 – Sacramento, CA
2/17 – Oakland, CA
2/18 – Los Angeles, CA
2/19 – Long Beach, CA
2/20 – Orange, CA
2/21 – Carlsbad, CA
2/22 – Phoenix, AZ
2/24 – Clinton, OK
2/25 – Denton, TX
2/26 – Dallas, TX
2/27 – Austin, TX
2/28 – Houston, TX
2/29 – Baton Rouge, LA
3/02 – Orlando, FL
3/03 – Jacksonville, FL
3/04 – Altanta, GA
3/05 – Nashville, TN
3/06 – Asheville, NC
3/07 – Charlotte, NC
3/09 – Charlottesville, VA
3/10 – Baltimore, MD
3/11 – Philadelphia, PA
3/12 – Brooklyn, NY
3/13 – Brooklyn, NY
3/14 – Boston, MA
3/15 – Buffalo, NY
3/16 – Cleveland, OH
3/17 – Three Rivers, MI
3/18 – Chicago, IL
3/19 – Madison, WI
3/21 – Minneapolis, MN
3/22 – Lincoln, NE
3/23 – Lawrence, KS
3/24 – Denver, CO
3/25 – Salt Lake City, UT
3/26 – Boise, ID
3/27 – Spokane, WA

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Secret Chiefs 3 in Oregon @ WOW Hall & Dante’s (Eugene & Portland – 2/6 & 2/7/12)

9th Feb 12 (Thu) 3 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

I’ve been a fan of instrumental world/surf/film metal shape-shifters Secret Chiefs 3 for a long time and a fan of Los Angeles-based, Cambodian-pop-fusion band Dengue Fever for a handful of years as well.

SC3 and DF has their own connection.  Dengue Fever’s debut album in 2003 was on Web of Mimicry, the label that SC3 frontman Trey Spruance runs.  Their connection goes a little deeper still.  Dengue guitarist Zac Holtzman was in Dieselhed with Danny Hefietz (drummer for Mr. Bungle – another Trey Spruance band).  Danny is also back drumming with SC3 on this co-headlining West Coast tour.

For this tour, the bands have been switching off their order of performance.  I was able to catch both Oregon shows… for Eugene (Mon 2/6), DF played first and SC3 closed.  There was no opener, and Dengue Fever went on just before 8:30 at WOW Hall.  I have a couple of their earlier records, but never had the chance to see them live.  I dug it… pretty fun, and it looked like they were having fun on stage as well.

They played about an hour of Cambodian power pop.  Trey Spruance joined them on stage and played guitar and a wicked solo for their final number “1000 Years of a Tarantula”…

DF Eugene 2/6 Setlist: about an hour

  • Genjer Genjer
  • Seeing Hands
  • New Year’s Eve
  • Hold My Hips
  • Tiger Phone Card
  • Durian Dowry
  • A Go Go
  • Uku
  • Pow Pow
  • Sober Driver
  • Only A Friend
  • Cement Slippers
  • 1000 Tears of a Tarantula [with Trey]
    No Encore

Secret Chiefs 3 came out at about 10pm, donned in long, dark hoods except for violinist/ guitarist Timb Harris dressed in more masked martial arts attire…

This was my third time seeing them, and it was definitely the tightest band I’ve witnessed.  They ripped through a blistering set of proggy, world metal.  The off-kilter timings, the meticulous instrumentation… all spot on.  “Bereshith” is a tune that I think I saw them start the 2007 NYC show with, and I thought it was “off” in NYC.  It’s a really odd number, from a timing perspective.  This time… they nailed it.

Probably the most strikingly different moment “live vs. studio” was the gorgeous intro/outro to “Exodus.”  The intro/outro on the Book of Horizons studio version is a lovely melody played on strings (Eyvind Kang on viola & Timb Harris on violin).  For this live setting, Timb put down his violin and played it on trumpet.  I looooooove trumpet… and this melody on trumpet about made me swoon…

SC3 Eugene 2/6 Setlist: about 80 mins

  • Radar (The Day the Earth Stood Still) [Bernard Herrmann]
  • Zombievision
  • Personnae: Halloween [John Carpenter]
  • Balance of the 19
  • Fast
  • Bereshith
  • RFID Slaverider / Agenda 21 / Codex Alimentarius (Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini Medley)
  • Sophia’s Theme
  • Vajra (Rat Puriya)
  • Combat for the Angel
  • Tistriya
  • Book T: Exodus [Ernest Gold]
  • Saptarshi
  • Encore: Hurqalya

For Portland (Tues 2/7), I showed up at Dante’s right around 8pm, and the first band wasn’t going on until closer to 8:45.  It was U SCO, who I had never heard of before; so I walked to the near-ish Deschutes Pub and had one of the last pours of their Jubel Kriek (their Jubel Ale aged 25 months in a barrel on cherries and with Brettanomyces).  They blew their 2nd (and last) 1/6 BBL keg shortly after I ordered.  Mmmm… sour beer… after that, I skedaddled back just in time to catch U SCO’s bitchin’ set.

U SCO were helmed by guitarist Ryan A. Miller, who I had just seen a week prior in Eugene opening for a solo bass show from Trevor Dunn (a former Trey Spruance band member as well).  Small musical world in a quite vast musical sea.  Crazy.  Anyway, U SCO was a shredding, avant-garde jazz-metal band – to the best of my descriptions.  They’re a three piece made up of Ryan on guitars, Jon Scheid on bass, and Phil Cleary on drums.  They also had a guest saxophonist for some songs.  They’re from Portland; so I hope I’ll get a chance to see them again.  Definitely!

SC3 started setting up right afterwards and hit the stage about 9:45pm… of core of their setlist was the same, but they did throw in a few new ones: “The 15,” “The 4” and “Zulfikar.”

They ripped through a great set once again.  They’re such a tight band on this tour – quite stunning.  Even when Trey kicked his cord out for about 5-10 seconds during “Halloween,” they didn’t miss a beat.  And, once again, Timb’s trumpet intro/outro for “Exodus“… swoon…

SC3 Portland 2/7 Setlist: about 70 mins

  • Bereshith
  • Radar (The Day the Earth Stood Still) [Bernard Herrmann]
  • Zombievision
  • Personnae: Halloween [John Carpenter]
  • The 15
  • The 4 (Great Ishraqi Sun)
  • RFID Slaverider / Agenda 21 / Codex Alimentarius (Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini Medley)
  • Vajra (Rat Puriya)
  • Zulfikar
  • Tistriya
  • Book T: Exodus [Ernest Gold]
  • Saptarshi
    No Encore

The one gripe with the Portland show… the lighting was pretty poorly matched.  They didn’t turn the house lights down until nearing the end of SC3’s first song.  Also, the lights in general were behind the band, and they were still too bright if you ask me.  For some bands, that’s probably good… but with the Chiefs, the air of mystery and cloaks in darkness adds to the allure of the live show.  Don’t get me wrong, it was still an amazing show.  I’m just glad I got to catch it in Eugene, too.

I had a long drive home and work in the morning; so I sadly bailed on Dengue Fever’s closing set in Portland.  I’m sure it was groovy like the Eugene show.  Sorry, but my body thanks me for getting home at 1am instead of 2:30am!

The tour wraps this weekend… but stick around, SC3 are bound to kick something off later in 2012.  More 7″ vinyls?  More touring?  The long-awaited Book of Souls?  A Chinese Democracy cover album?

If you missed the tour, I’d HIGHLY RECOMMEND checking out their new schwag… including the new SC3 Traditionalists Le Chanson de Jacky / The Western Exile 7″ split (featuring Trey’s fellow Mr. Bungle band-mate Mike Patton on “Jacky”), the 12″ re-releases of First and Second Grand Constitution & Bylaws, and three bitchin’-design new t-shirts.

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… most likely the David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) house show in Portland on 2/15, unless something pops up before then.

~Dan – np: John Zorn – Film Works XIII: Invitation to a Suicide

SECRET CHIEFS 3 & DENGUE FEVER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

SC3 & DF 2012 West Coast Tour Dates

  • Jan 24 – Denver CO – Bluebird Theatre
  • Jan 25 – Santa Fe NM – Santa Fe Brewing Company
  • Jan 26 – Phoenix AZ – Crescent Ballroom
  • Jan 27 – Los Angeles CA – El Rey Theatre
  • Jan 28 – Santa Ana CA – Constellation Room
  • Jan 29 – San Diego CA – The Casbah
  • Jan 31 – San Luis Obispo CA – Club SLO Brew
  • Feb 1 – Santa Cruz CA – Moe’s Alley
  • Feb 2 – San Francisco CA – Great American Music Hall
  • Feb 3 – San Francisco CA – Slim’s
  • Feb 4 – Sacramento CA – Harlow’s
  • Feb 6 – Eugene OR – WOW Hall
  • Feb 7 – Portland OR – Dante’s
  • Feb 8 – Seattle WA – Neumos
  • Feb 9 – Bellingham WA – The Wild Buffalo
  • Feb 10 – Vancouver BC – Rickshaw Theatre
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Metal, Rock & Pop, World Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Secret Chiefs 3 & Dengue Fever in Eugene & Portland

7th Feb 12 (Tue) 1 comment

Due to my schedule, I won’t be able to edit photos until Wednesday night, but I should have my Secret Chiefs 3 / Dengue Fever post covering both the 2/6 Eugene WOW Hall show and the 2/7 Portland Dante’s show posted on Thursday morning.  Here’s a teaser from Eugene…

2/6/12 Eugene Setlists:

2/7/12 Portland Setlist (SC3 only):

Bereshith
Radar
Zombievision
Personnae: Halloween [John Carpenter]
The 15
The 4 (Great Ishraqi Sun)
Medley (Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini)
Vajra (Rat Puriya)
Zulfikar
Tistriya
Book T: Exodus [Ernest Gold]
Saptarshi
no encore

Check back Thursday morning for more photos…

~Dan – np: MadLove – White With Foam

Categories: Concert Photos, Jazz & Avant, Metal, Rock & Pop, World Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra @ Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – 2/4/12)

6th Feb 12 (Mon) Leave a comment

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Montreal’s Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra appear to have an identity crisis.  They’ve been known as A Silver Mt. Zion, The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band with Choir, and Thee Silver Mountain Reveries.  For short hand, I’ll simply refer to them as Silver Mt Zion.  I’ll admit, I am new to their music… I got into them via ambient post-rock giants Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who share three members with Silver Mt Zion (singer/guitarist Efrim Menuck, violinist Sophie Trudeau, and bassist Thierry Amar).

More on Silver Mt Zion later…

The opener was a one-man band called Total Life.  He played a 25-minute, ambient/drone guitar & loop set (his clear guitar to the right).  It had a slow burn, then quickly morphed into a wall of sound.

For most opening gigs, this would not do, but for a post-something crowd, Total Life’s 25 minute experiment showed the audience’s patience and respect.  All bundled up, he was barely moving making the sounds, but sweat started dripping down his forehead and nose until the final note.

While GY!BE tend to stay in the ethereal, ambient, sweeping post-rock movement, Silver Mt Zion are a little more difficult to pin down.  They have many components similar to GY!BE, but they definitely write more in a “song” vein, with vocals.  Yet, I wouldn’t call them a singer-songwriter troupe.  The first two “songs” alone clocked in at 35 minutes.  They sweep, they go places, come back.  The vocals sometimes have choruses, and sometimes it more resembles lofty prayers… to whom? I do not know.

Their label describes their influences as “free jazz, community sight-singing, Minimalism and American folkways – still anchored to a punk-rock take on neo-classical and modern music tropes.”  If that narrows it down for you, well, you’re more forgiving of “genre-fication” than I.  Whatever you want to call them, they made great music on Saturday night at Mississippi Studios in Portland.

Setlist: about 90 minutes

  • 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
  • There Is A Light
  • What We Loved Was Not Enough
  • Black Waters Blowed / Engine Broke Blues
  • Take Away These Early Grave Blues
  • Blind, Blind, Blind
  • Horses In The Sky
  • Encore: God Bless Our Dead Marines

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

They only have a select number of dates on this tour.  Definitely go see them if you have the chance!  Check out more tour dates below.

Next shows for me… back-to-back Secret Chiefs 3 & Dengue Fever co-headlining in both Eugene (2/6 WOW Hall) and Portland (2/7 Dante’s).

~Dan – np: John Zorn – Film Works IX: Trembling Before G-d

THEE SILVER MT ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Thee Silver Mt Zion — 2012 Jan/Feb Tour Dates

  • 31.01.12 Calgary, CAN The Republik
  • 02.02.12 Vancouver, CAN The Rickshaw Theatre
  • 03.02.12 Seattle, USA The Crocodile
  • 04.02.12 Portland, USA Mississippi Studios
  • 06.02.12 San Francisco, USA Great American Music Hall
  • 07.02.12 Santa Ana, CA, USA Constellation Room
  • 08.02.12 Los Angeles, USA Troubadour
  • 09.02.12 San Diego, USA Casbah
  • 10.02.12 Tucson, USA Club Congress
  • 12.02.12 Dallas, USA Sons of Hermann Hall
  • 13.02.12 Austin, USA The Mohawk
  • 14.02.12 New Orleans, USA One Eyed Jacks
  • 15.02.12 Birmingham, USA Bottletree
  • 16.02.12 Cincinnati, USA MOTR Pub
  • 17.02.12 Buffalo, USA Soundlab
  • 18.02.12 Ottawa, CAN First Baptist Church
  • 19.02.12 Montreal, CAN La Tulipe
Categories: Classical, Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Post-rock, World Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Trevor Dunn & Travis Laplante @ Wandering Goat (Eugene, OR – 1/31/12)

2nd Feb 12 (Thu) 8 comments

PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW AT THE BOTTOM

I’ve been a fan of Mr Bungle/Fantômas/John Zorn collaborative bass player Trevor Dunn for a while.  When I get a chance to see him, especially within biking distance, I go.  From Trevor Dunn’s website, the “Double Solo” tour was noted as a “West Coast spit-roasting agenda. I’ll be playing a 30 min solo bass piece & Travis [Laplante] will play a set for solo tenor saxophone.”  Ah, a night of avant-garde jazz… yum!

Ryan A. Miller from Portland was up first… he played about 30-40 minutes on solo acoustic guitar.  A lot of loops, noises, and a little bit of what might seem like “futzing around,” but I dug it.  There were definitely some odd parts, but I definitely thought his set was more interesting than not.  You could tell he had skills, just couldn’t tell how they were going to evolve and manifest.  Update 2/8/12: Ryan’s band (U SCO) was the opener for the Secret Chiefs 3 show in Portland the very next week.  U SCO is a wicked, rad schizophrenic proggy, jazzy rock trio.  Excellent stuff!

Travis Laplante (Battle Trance) took his spot on the floor just off stage and gave us an initial onslaught of loud, raucous alto sax.  His first piece reminded me of Peter Evans solo trumpet show from 2008.  Ballistic, unfocused melodically, intense… what avant-garde jazz is meant to be.  His second piece was gentler and more melodic at first.  It was contained but not necessarily restrained before he finally let loose at the end.  His third and final piece was a dronier delight.

Trevor Dunn played last and gave us the 30-minute piece that he’s tentatively calling “The Pentagram.”  He dedicated it to Pisces.  It definitely had a “composed” feel to it (later confirmed with Trevor), but it was open and free enough to let him explore where it could go.  He plucked, he scraped, he bowed, he played below the bridge, he played with clothespins on the strings.  To sum it up in a word: fascinating.  You’ve gotta love it when he makes a few of his other bands (Mr Bungle/Fantômas) seem “too mainstream.”

Update 2/7/12: Check out this East Bay Express write-up of the Oakland show by Rachel Swan… waaaaaay better write-up (she’s a journalist and rightfully gets paid for it).  Gives you a better feel for the Dunn piece as a whole.

Trevor and Travis are wrapping up this tour this coming weekend… tonight in San Francisco, then Friday in Oakland, Saturday in Los Angeles and Sunday in Santa Cruz.  Check his Tour Page for more info.

The Appropriate Linkage:

Next show for me… Thee Silver Mt. Zion (splinter group from Godspeed You! Black Emperor) at Mississippi Studios on 2/4.

~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Them Or Us

TREVOR DUNN & TRAVIS LAPLANTE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2012 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Categories: Concert Photos, Jazz & Avant, Post-rock Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Over the Rhine on The Portland Sessions

5th Jan 12 (Thu) 1 comment

Last November, Cincinnati-based folk-Americana band Over the Rhine stopped by Portland, Oregon.  Their show at the Aladdin Theater on 11/17 is recounted at my post HERE.

From the stage, singer Karin Bergquist mentioned that they had stopped by and recorded in-studio with The Portland Sessions.  TPS wasn’t up and running yet, but it is now posted… enjoy all 26 minutes!

They play “The King Knows How” (dedicated to Elvis), “Oh Yeah by the Way,” the new song that I’m unofficially calling “On The Sacred Ground,” the Good Dog Bad Dog classic “Latter Days,” and end it with a Q&A.

Follow Over the Rhine: WEB / FB / Tw
Follow The Portland Sessions: WEB / FB / Tw

~Dan – np: Year of the Rabbit – Year of the Rabbit

Categories: New Sounds Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Favorite Concerts of 2011

27th Dec 11 (Tue) 4 comments

Well, this year was once again good to the Pacific Northwest on the concert front… 365 days, 67 shows, 132 artists, many long nights driving home, and a lot of photos…

My favorite concerts of 2011:

  1. Puscifer :: Paramount Theater :: Seattle, WA {7 Nov} [review with photos] – brilliant new album, fantastic stripped down/meets over the top tour!
  2. U2 & Lenny Kravitz :: Qwest Field :: Seattle, WA {4 Jun} [review with photos] – one of the biggest tours ever doesn’t disappoint
  3. My Brightest Diamond :: Mississippi Studios :: Portland, OR {6 Nov} [review with photos] – Shara’s gorgeous voice works well even in a solo setting
  4. Peter Mulvey :: three shows :: Eugene/Creswell/Corvallis, OR {10-12 Nov} [3-show review with photos] – yes, I’m an addict, but I can’t pass up any chance to see Peter in my neck of the woods…
  5. Godspeed You! Black Emperor :: Crystal Ballroom :: Portland, OR {18 Feb} [review, no photos] – surreal and amazing!
  6. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl):: The Woods :: Portland, OR {28 Jan} [review with photos] – pure pop brilliance, Sean takes after his father…
  7. Nels Cline Singers :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {30 Jan} [review with photos] – avant garde guitar experimentation…
  8. Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam) & Glen Hansard (of The Swell Season) :: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall :: Portland, OR {14 Jul} [review with photos] – Glen is a great singer-songwriter, and Eddie is an amazing performer (this time, mainly on ukelele)…
  9. Explosions in the Sky / MusicFest NW :: Pioneer Courthouse Square :: Portland, OR {10 Sep} [no review] – I had to scuttle from this show to a follow-up MFNW show, but this was definitely a highlight…
  10. Pomplamoose :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {27 Oct} [review with photos] – the youtube stars make good with a real tour… A+!
  11. Over the Rhine :: Aladdin Theater :: Portland, OR {17 Nov} [review with photos] – OTR will always be a favorite
  12. Opeth :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {16 Oct} [review with photos] – no cookie monster screams, I missed them, but Opeth still doesn’t disappoint.
  13. Erik Friedlander plays John Zorn’s Masada Book Two (Book of Angels, Volume 8: Volac) :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {8 Jan} [review with photos] – an amazing cellist playing a amazing book of melodies
  14. Toad the Wet Sprocket :: Downtown Bend Celebration :: Bend, OR {8 Jul} [review with photos] – anytime Toad or lead singer GLen Phillips are playing in my radar, I’m going!
  15. Jeffrey Foucault :: Cozmic Pizza :: Eugene, OR {20 Oct} [review with photos] – Jeffrey is quickly becoming a favorite songwriter of mine, full of grit and charm…

Runners-Up: Reptet at Luckey’s (Jan), Elton John at Matthew Knight Arena (Feb), A Perfect Circle at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (June), The Dead Kenny G’s at Sam Bond’s Garage (July), and Jason Webley & Mood Area 52 at WOW Hall (Oct).  Even after honorable mentions, I cut some GREAT ones… 2011 was a great year.

My favorite concert photos of 2011: (in chronological order)

(all images are free to use under a creative commons designation,
simply identify Daniel Temmesfeld with a
photo credit and link to pacificlectic.com.

Past Favorite Concerts Lists:

Favorite music of 2011 will be coming soon… EPs/DVDs/etc, vocal albums, instrumental albums…

~Dan – np: Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra – MTO Plays Sly

Categories: Concert Photos, Hip-hop, Indie Rock, Jazz & Avant, Lists & Favorites, Metal, Post-rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: David Bazan Band @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – 12/14/11)

15th Dec 11 (Thu) 4 comments

If anything is certain in life, the move from the Midwest to the West Coast has been good for my David Bazan tour in-take.  Being only a short hike from his homebase in Seattle, we get the treat of the former Pedro the Lion frontman in our neck of the woods several times a year.

Many times, he trots out on his own… which is usually more intimate.  But the chance to see Bazan with a backing band shouldn’t be passed up.  He’s really able to let the rock come forth in his songs.  His doubtful, questioning, reflective lyricism work just as well behind a dirty, loud guitar as it does with just him and a guitar in a living room.

Last night at Sam Bond’s, after delightful indie-rock quartet opener Shay Roselip’s short set, Bazan came on to do what I thought was just sound check.  Nope… boom goes the dynamite, his mighty three-piece kicked into a tune from Pedro the Lion’s Control… “Second Best.”

Setlist: ~85 mins

  • Second Best [Pedro the Lion]
  • Wolves at the Door
  • Bless This Mess
  • How I Remember
  • I Do [PTL]
  • Of Up and Coming Monarchs [PTL]
  • Q&A #1
  • Gas and Matches [Headphones]
  • Eating Paper
  • Magazine [PTL]
  • Climb That Hill [Tom Petty]
  • Bearing Witness
  • Q&A #2
  • Virginia
  • People
  • Cold Beer and Cigarettes
  • Big Trucks [PTL]
  • Criticism as Inspiration [PTL]
  • Q&A #3 with lifetime pass drawing
  • Strange Negotiations
    No encore

The setlist was similar to other shows on this tour… a great mix of Pedro the Lion tunes, a Headphones tune, a Tom Petty cover and a lot from his two solo albums & EP.  Strange Negotiations, this years effort, will definitely be somewhere on my Best of 2011 list (still formulating).

Being the last stop of the 40+ date tour across the country, his voice showed some wear – especially on the “right on” part of “Cold Beer and Cigarettes.”  He powered through it, dropping the notes to a more suitable weary-throat range.  His band, made up of Alex Westcoat on drums and Andy Fitts on bass, blistered away with David.  Despite the aforementioned vocal strain, their musical chops were evident last night.

They were driving through the night to make it home to Seattle by sun-up.  If you missed them on this tour, David hinted at a new album being done by March 1st, with it coming out sometime in 2012.  So the chance of more tours in 2012?  High possibility!

The Appropriate Linkage:

This was the last date of the tour… see other dates below.  I’m sure David will be out again in the Spring…

Next show for me… Cellophoria private house concert on 12/18.

~Dan – np: Marketa Irglova – Anar

David Bazan + Band Tour – Fall 2011

11/01 Tue – Spokane WA – A Club
11/02 Wed – Boise ID – Neurolux
11/04 Fri – Colorado Springs – The Black Sheep
11/05 Sat – Lawrence KS – Bottleneck
11/06 Sun – Omaha NE – The Waiting Room
11/07 Mon – Iowa City IA – Blue Moose Taphouse (upstairs)
11/09 Wed – Milwaukee WI – Cactus Club
11/10 Thu – Indianapolis IN – White Rabbit Cabaret
11/11 Fri – Newport KY – Southgate House
11/12 Sat – Grand Rapids MI – Ladies Literary Club
11/13 Sun – Pittsburgh PA – Brillobox
11/14 Mon – Hoboken NJ – Maxwell’s
11/15 Tue – Baltimore MD – Ottobar
11/17 Thu – Charlottesville VA – The Southern
11/18 Fri – Norfolk VA – Jewish Mother
11/19 Sat – Charlotte NC – Evening Muse
11/20 Sun – Columbia SC – New Brookland Tavern
11/21 Mon – Knoxville TN – Pilot Light
11/26 Sat – Athens GA – Caledonia Lounge
11/27 Sun – Nashville TN – Mercy Lounge
11/29 Tue – St Augustine FL – The Original Cafe Eleven
11/30 Wed – Tampa FL – Crowbar
12/01 Thu – Tallahassee FL – Engine Room
12/02 Fri – Oxford MS – Proud Larry’s
12/03 Sat – Memphis TN – Hi Tone
12/04 Sun – Norman OK – Opolis
12/06 Tue – Albuquerque NM – Low Spirits
12/07 Wed – Tucson AZ – Solar Culture
12/08 Thu – Las Vegas NV – Beauty Bar
12/09 Fri – Costa Mesa CA – Constellation Room
12/10 Sat – Santa Cruz – Crepe Place
12/11 Sun – Sacramento CA – Blue Lamp
12/12 Mon – Arcata CA – Jambalaya
12/14 Wed – Eugene OR – Sam Bond’s Garage

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Over the Rhine @ Aladdin Theater (Portland, OR – 11/17/11)

20th Nov 11 (Sun) 4 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Prior to the show, we fought against the horrid Portland traffic, dodged rain and ducked into a fine meal at Portobello Trattoria, a creative vegetarian establishment that is fast becoming my new favorite SE Portland dinner spot.  Their cocktail list is impressive (apple-infused vodka ginger hot toddy), their bottle list is impressive (Russian River… yum), and their menu is the kind that is frustrating due to having too many things you want and one that a meat-eater wouldn’t even notice or care.  Check it out sometime.

After dinner, we got to the venue a little bit before the opener… we had a little bit of time to catch up with Kentucky-based friend / Over the Rhine photographer Bill Ivester.  He’s helping them out on this tour with merch and social media, and photography.  After briefly catching up, we found some seats for the opener…

The Milk Carton Kids were a fantastic guitar duo.  Based on their name, I was going in hoping it wasn’t going to be a repeat of “The Children’s Hour” opener for Over the Rhine a score ago.  Well, I was greatly pleased.  They played about a half hour set of mellower folk songs.  Fitting for fans of Paul Simon.  Excellent guitar chops and quite humorous between songs, as well.  They also have all of their recorded music available for free mp3 download (go here for free music).

Over the Rhine hit the stage at 9pm.  Karin & Linford had Nick Radina with them again on drums/percussion/cuatro, as well as a slide guitar player Jason Goforth.

The set seemed somewhat similar to last year’s tour, a lot of The Long Surrender tunes.  But this time, the album was officially out.  It was nice to hear those tunes more in a live setting.  I get thrown off that it’s technically a 2011 release, I think I’ve had it too long.  Anyway, it’s a beautiful record, and it’ll wind up somewhere at the top of the pile for 2011, for sure.

Setlist: 1 hour 45 mins

  • The Laugh Of Recognition
  • Rave On
  • Undamned
  • The King Knows How
  • Suitcase
  • I’m on a Roll
  • Infamous Love Song
  • Only God Can Save Us Now
  • Latter Days
  • “On The Sacred Ground” (new song, currently untitled)
  • Jesus in New Orleans
  • Trouble (with drum solo)
  • All My Favorite People
  • Encore: Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen]
  • Born
  • Drunkard’s Prayer

My favorite tunes of the night were “Trouble” and “Latter Days,” and the lead-in of “Laugh…” through “Undamned” is a great start to the show as well.  The new currently untitled song is great… it seemed quite poetic and moving.  Karin was about to give out a tentative title, then stopped.  I’ll go with “On the Sacred Ground” for now, but I doubt that’s it.  I wish I had more listens to digest it.

They’re wrapping up a few more dates this year, culminating in the annual Taft Theatre show in Cincinnati.  Catch ’em if you can!  Oh, Karin also mentioned that they recorded a Portland Session when they were here.  Keep an eye out on the Portland Session Vimeo & Facebook pages for that to be posted in the future (HERE NOW).

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates below.

Next show for me… Dan Deacon at the Branx in Portland on 12/3.

~Dan – np: Sigur Rós – Inní (live)

OVER THE RHINE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Fall 2011 Tour Dates

  • Fri, 2011-11-18 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
  • Sat, 2011-11-19 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
  • Sun, 2011-11-20 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
  • Fri, 2011-12-02 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
  • Sat, 2011-12-03 New York, NY (le) poisson rouge
  • Sun, 2011-12-04 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere
  • Mon, 2011-12-05 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live!
  • Wed, 2011-12-07 Columbus, OH The Lincoln Theatre
  • Thu, 2011-12-08 Kent, OH The Kent Stage
  • Fri, 2011-12-09 Grand Rapids, MI Calvin College
  • Sat, 2011-12-10 Chicago, IL Old Town School Of Folk Music (7:00 PM)
  • Sat, 2011-12-10 Chicago, IL Old Town School Of Folk Music (10:00 PM)
  • Sat, 2011-12-17 Cincinnati, OH The Taft Theatre
  • Sun, 2011-12-18 Norwood, OH Sunday Soiree @ St. Elizabeth’s
Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Chali 2na @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 11/16/11)

17th Nov 11 (Thu) 1 comment

Chali 2Na is a rapper that commands an album.  His deep baritone and unrivaled flow were a staple on Jurassic 5’s albums.  His height and booming voice also command a room.  I’ve seen Chali many times with J5, but for various reasons, I’ve always missed him when he’s brought his solo tour through town.

This show was going to fall into that same trap… until the Michael Jackson-tribute Cirque du Soleil show set for Wednesday, November 16th got canceled and moved to only being on Tuesday the 15th (my review of the Eugene MJ Cirque show here).  “Yay!  I could hit Chali’2 solo show!”  In fact, had the Cirque tickets not been so much, I would have bailed and gone to see Chali anyhow…

What makes Chali so good?  Well, check out the video for “Step Yo Game Up”…

There was a DJ I didn’t catch the name of as an opener, and then tour opener MTHDS went on late (10pm or so).  They were good and got the smallish WOW Hall crowd warmed up.  I was worried that the crowd for Chali 2Na would stay low, but I guess a lot of people were downstairs during the earlier sets as the floor got a little more packed during Chali’s show…

more photos below

Chali hit the stage around 11:15pm with his live band the House of Vibe.  They were a three-piece rock format with “Brew” on keys and vocals… there was also a drummer and bassist (didn’t get their names).  It was a fresh take to see a live band with a rapper… most times I’ve seen rap in a live setting, it’s been to DAT or a DJ.

Setlist: the first hour…

  • Unknown
  • “Mister DJ”
  • Comin’ Thru
  • Don’t Stop
  • F.O.W. (Fish Outta Water)
  • International
  • Guns Up
  • Welcome to the Fish Market
  • Freedom [Jurassic 5]
  • Quality Control [J5] w/ MJ “I Want You Back” & “I’ll Be There” (snippets)
  • What’s Golden [J5]
  • Step Yo’ Game Up
  • Righteous Way
  • …

I bailed around 12:20am… caught about an hour of Chali’2 set.  Great show, wish it would have started earlier – especially for a Wednesday night.  I loved that he threw in a few Jurassic 5 tunes.  Keyboardist “Brew” sang a few Michael Jackson ditties in the middle of J5’s “Quality Control”… the crowd ate it up!

The Appropriate Linkage:

Check out more tour dates on Chali’s site HERE.

Next show for me… Over the Rhine @ the Aladdin Theater in Portland tonight (11/17).

~Dan – np: Causing A Tiger – How We Held Our Post

CHALI 2NA PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Categories: Concert Photos, Hip-hop Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: The Immortal @ Matt Arena (Eugene, OR – 11/15/11)

16th Nov 11 (Wed) 1 comment

I love shows by Cirque du Soleil.  I also dig some Michael Jackson’s music.  A perfect combination?

The short of it: No, not a perfect combination in my opinion.

The stage set-up, lights and costumes, dancers, live band mixed with Michael Jackson vocal tracks was TOP NOTCH.

The usual acrobatics from a Cirque du Soleil show were a bit toned down.  Well, more than a bit… A LOT.  The intro spray can skit was great, the few aerial artists were awesome, the pole dancer was awesome (but seemingly out-of-place), and the dancing overall was awesome.  One of the dancers was one-legged… wild stuff.

But… I don’t think people tend to go to Cirque shows for “dancing.”

They played a great mix of MJ’s music.  The live band was top notch, though sometimes a bit over the top with the crazy rocking (it just seemed out-of-place).

My bottom line opinion: I had fun, but I think if you’re a Michael Jackson fan and have some money to blow… go for it.  If you’re more of a Cirque fan, I’d recommend saving your money for one of their other terrific shows.  For me, it was more of a “price tag” thing.  With that being said, I understand the price tag based on the number of people & sets involved.  I just don’t think the pay-off was up to past Cirque experiences.

~Dan – np: Chali 2Na – Fish Outta Water

Categories: Art, Rock & Pop, World Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: A 3-day string of shows with Peter Mulvey (Eugene & Corvallis, OR – 11/10 to 11/12/11)

13th Nov 11 (Sun) 3 comments

Peter Mulvey takes the craft of American singer-songwriter out of the humdrum of a “guy and three chords on a guitar” into the realm of oft-comedic-oft-sentimental storytelling mixed in with the grit of the road and the shine of fine silver in your grandmother’s dining room.  He plays Tom Waits with humility and charm, and he plays perfectly ear-worm inducing folk-pop originals.  He plays show tunes, rock covers, and Michael Hedges-executed instrumentals.  His music gets stuck in your head, and for me, any time I hear of new music from him, I get it without question.  I also try to see him whenever I can… which brings me to recount the past three days of fantastic music.

from the house concert, 11/11/11
more photos at the bottom

Three Peter Mulvey concerts, three unique experiences.  First up, an interview with Peter Mulvey on KLCC Living Large (stream it here).  He talks about his tentative new standards album (tentatively called “Pocket Diamonds“) and played a few new songs in the studio.

The first of three shows was at Sam Bond’s Garage in Eugene on Thursday, November 10th.  The opener was local musician Michael Conley.  He played a shortish 25 minute set, but I was impressed with his songs… he fit in really well with fans of Peter Mulvey and Jeffrey Foucault.  Good guitar work.  Gritty songs, yet with a pop edge.

Peter came on at 9:45 and started off with a normal closing song for him, “Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (And Far Away From Home).”  As expected, Peter’s set was a great mix of originals and covers.  Despite the large amount of covers that he plays, he really puts his own mark on them.  He also pulls songs out that are classics or memorable favorites but not in the forefront of one’s memory.  A favorite from the night was his take on U2’s “The Fly“…

Eugene 11/10 Setlist: ~80 minutes

  • Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (and Far Away From Home)
  • Are You Sure? [Willie Nelson]
  • Old Simon Stimson
  • “The Rain Comes Down” [new PM song]
  • The Knuckleball Suite
  • Two Janes [Los Lobos]
  • Come All Ye Fair And Tender Ladies [Maybelle Carter]
  • Some People
  • Lonely at the Top [Randy Newman]
  • Black Rabbit
  • What Else Was It? [new PM song]
  • Lord I Have Made You a Place in My Heart [Greg Brown]
  • The Dreams
  • Blackbird [The Beatles]
  • Charlie
  • The Fly [U2]
  • Kids In The Square
  • Encore: The Book of Love [The Magnetic Fields]

Peter is usually good with a few one-liners or jokes.  Some favorites from the Sam Bond’s gig:

“Freedom should be fried.”
“I had a banjo once, and then someone broke into my car… and they left 12 more banjos.“

SO, how do you make a concert experience better?  You invite the musician to your house (or a friend’s house in this instance) and have him play in a living room for 35-40 of your friends.

Well, that’s what we did on Friday, November 11th… we invited Peter to play at a friend’s farm in Creswell (near Eugene).  He played two fantastic sets, with only a little bit of overlap from the night before.  There was much fantastic music, fantastic food (a HUGE vegetarian smorgasbord thanks to host Jenny!), vegan cupcakes (yay Divine Cupcake!), great craft beer and homebrew beers and sodas, and great discussion!

House Show 11/11 Setlist: two 45-minute sets

  • Set1 ~ You Meet the Nicest People in Your Dreams [Fats Waller]
  • “shout the battle cry of freedom” [public domain w/ Beatles instrumental tag at end]
  • Kids In The Square
  • Windshield
  • Pearl Handled Pistol [Jeffrey Foucault]
  • The Knuckleball Suite
  • Shirt
  • What Else Was It? [new PM song]
  • …Plus The Many Inevitable Fragments / Dynamite Bill
  • Set2 ~ Black Rabbit
  • Charlie
  • The Trouble With Poets
  • Trempealeau [new from 2010, not recorded yet]
  • Jockey Full of Bourbon [Tom Waits]
  • “The Rain Comes Down” [new PM song]
  • The Healthfood Girl [new PM song]
  • Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (and Far Away From Home)
    No Encore

I bought tickets to the Corvallis show (Saturday, November 12th) before I even knew about the Sam Bond’s show and before I could organize the house show.  Was I going to go?  Um… duh!

This was my first time to the Majestic Theatre in downtown Corvallis.  It was a gorgeously remodeled theater, and it looks like they’re ramping up to have a lot more exciting things going on (if you’re local, friend them on Facebook or sign up for their newsletter).

We had a wonderful dinner at Del Alma then dodged the rain to catch the opener Joe Von Appen.  I had only seen a YouTube clip of him prior, and it didn’t grab my interest.  Well, I’m glad I showed up for his set.  He was a mix of thinker/agitator/comedian/one-man freak show.  He was thought provoking, humorous, and frighteningly exciting and entrancing.  He is from Portland, and I hope he makes his way down south sometime again.  He was highly entertaining!

Peter hit the stage at 8:45 and played his longest set of the weekend.  Some repeats (hey, we like re-Petes) and tons of untouched music in the three-day run.  He did one of my favorite spoken word pieces from Letters From A Flying Machine – “Vlad the Astrophysicist.”

A new Mulvey tune “The Cardinal” made its first appearance for me.  It was a touching tune that came along with a seemingly non sequitur story about a squirrel getting into a large batch of THC butter.  Another favorite song he played was a Joe Henry cover… “Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation“… I think I’ve heard Peter play this before.  Prior to this, though, I was only familiar with Joe’s producer/mixer work (he does a LOT, specifically Over the Rhine’s latest album that I’m currently listening to in advance of their gig this coming week – The Long Surrender).

Peter also busted out not one, not two, but three Tom Waits tunes – the last one as the encore, sung off-mic.  He has a side gig in The LPs, and they play Tom Waits’ Rain Dogs front to back!  I’d LOVE to see that gig…

Corvallis 11/12 Setlist: ~1 hour 40 min

  • Kids In The Square
  • “man I’m broke and I’ve got nowhere to go” [Mississippi John Hurt, unidentified title]
  • Black Rabbit
  • Oh What A Beautiful Morning [Rodgers & Hammerstein Oklahoma! teaser]
  • The Dreams
  • Charlie
  • Shirt
  • “The Rain Comes Down” [new PM song, guess on title]
  • Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation [Joe Henry]
  • Girl in the Hi-Tops
  • Old Simon Stimson
  • Jockey Full of Bourbon [Tom Waits]
  • Hang Down Your Head [Tom Waits]
  • The Cardinal [new song]
  • What Else Was It? [new song]
  • Some People
  • Vlad The Astrophysicist
  • Mailman
  • Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (and Far Away From Home)
  • Encore: Goodnight Irene [off-mic] [Tom Waits]

Some gems of info… Peter was once in an all-rollerskate version of Oklahoma!  Also, apparently, scientists have a difficult time showing THC toxicity in small animals.  A new expression Peter uttered… “the nickel of espresso dropped.” (explaining when the caffeine kicks in).  I dig it!

Peter has a new guitar duets CD out now, Nine Days Wonder, with long-time collaborator David “Goody” Goodrich.  It’s a fantastic record (click the image to the right for samples) – though it’s not really indicative of his live show.  Based on the amount of new material he played this weekend (five songs not on a PM record yet), it looks like he has a good start on a new studio record.  Here’s hoping!

In the meantime, check him out on Facebook, iTunes/Amazon, YouTube, etc… and go see him live if you get a chance.  He plays upwards of 120 live gigs a year all over the US (and sometimes in Europe, too).

I can guarantee you’ll like him (I’ve yet to hear someone who doesn’t love him when I drag them along to shows). :)

The Appropriate Linkage:

Next shows for me… Cirque du Soliel presents Michael Jackson: The Immortal (Eugene 11/15), rapper Chali 2Na (Eugene 11/16) and the Americana duo Over the Rhine (Portland 1/17).

~Dan – np: Over the Rhine – The Long Surrender

PETER MULVEY PHOTOS 11/10 to 11/12/2011

 

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

REVIEW: My Brightest Diamond @ Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR – 11/6/11)

7th Nov 11 (Mon) 7 comments

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

I can’t go on enough about how much I love My Brightest Diamond and how much I love her newest album, All Things Will Unwind.  She hasn’t planned a full tour under this record (yet), but when I saw she was playing a couple one-offs in Seattle and Portland, I jumped out of my chair.

While hitting both shows in a scenario like this isn’t uncommon for me, I showed some restraint and only hit the Portland show…

The opener, Netherfriends, is currently in Portland this week for a “residency” of sorts.  Several shows at the Mississippi Studios and two DJ sets (one at Aalto Lounge and one at Beech Street Parlour).  He was a veritable one-man rockfolktronic wrecking crew.  After his first song, I wasn’t sure what to expect… he powered through some technical difficulties and ripped through 35-40 minutes of fun energy.

Very danceable, very off-kilter, a little spastic, but grounded in melody.  Sort of like Holy Fuck, if they were a one-man band.  Beatboxing, electronic drums, loops, Harry Nilsson covers (see below).

What’s more to love?  Check him out (free downloads here)!

Since it was billed as a “Shara Worden solo show,” I expected a more stripped down My Brightest Diamond set.  Oh, was a wrong… she came out initially in costume (mask, fabric bubbles on her shirt) and danced along to a pre-recorded instrumental number, then immediately took off her mask and started in with the lead-off track, “We Added It Up.”  She donned the mask again for “Be Brave“…

She mixed up the set a bit with ukulele, keyboards, pre-recorded drums and strings, acoustic guitar, rockin’ electric guitar, mbira (below), and a hand-held harp-like instrument.

Setlist: just over an hour

  • Instrumental #1 with dance
  • We Added It Up
  • Everything is in Line
  • Golden Star
  • Escape Routes
  • Instrumental #2 with dance
  • Be Brave
  • She Does Not Brave the War
  • There’s a Rat
  • High Low Middle
  • Apples
  • Feeling Good [Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley]
  • I Have Never Loved Someone [for her son]
  • Inside A Boy
  • Encore: Be My Husband [Nina Simone]

My favorite songs of the night were “Be Brave” and “Inside A Boy,” but honestly, I enjoyed it all intently.  Even the almost-too-cutesy-for-me “There’s a Rat” was brought to new heights for me with Shara’s adorable story about her rehabbing her “fixer-upper” that she and her husband recently bought in Detroit.

more photos below

I hope she does a bigger/longer tour for the record… but if she doesn’t Portlanders & Seattlites can count themselves blessed.

The Appropriate Linkage:

Next show for me… Puscifer tonight (11/7) in Seattle, then a three-day run by Peter Mulvey (11/10 @ Sam Bonds in Eugene, 11/11 @ private house concert in Creswell, 11/12 @ Majestic in Corvallis).

~Dan – Peter Mulvey & David Goodrich – Nine Days Wonder

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND (SHARA WORDEN)
& THE NETHERFRIENDS PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2011 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Categories: Concert Photos, Indie Rock, Rock & Pop, Singer-Songwriter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,