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Portland Jazz Fest 2010 – huzzah!!!
OYG! The headlining line-up for this coming year’s Portland Jazz Festival is rad.
Thursday, February 25, 7:30pm, Hilton Pavilion Ballroom, Luciana Souza
Friday, February 26, 7:30pm, Newmark Theater, Mingus Big Band
Friday, February 26, 9:30 pm, Norse Hall, In The Country
Saturday, February 27, 3:00pm, Norse Hall, Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli
Saturday, February 27, 7:30pm, Newmark Theater, Dave Holland Quintet
Saturday, February 27, 9:30 pm, Norse Hall, Christian Wallumrød Ensemble
Sunday, February 28, 3:00pm, Newmark Theater, Pharoah Sanders
Sunday, February 28, 7:30pm, Crystal Ballroom, Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy
I’m definitely going to the Dave Douglas show… and the other bold shows are definitely good possibilities. More acts to follow in the coming months. The festival runs February 22-28, 2010.
Tickets go on-sale October 27th at TicketMaster (or October 14th – 10am if you are a PDX Jazz member).
Find out more at:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A totally unrelated sidenote… Texas band of rock siblings Eisley just released a new EP called Fire Kite (digital only, out Oct 9th). Album cover looks Jebus-y (or at least it’s geometrically-inclined with potentially religious ambivalence)… DL’ing now… we shall see…
~Dan – np: Megadeth – Endgame
Aimee Mann (10/6) photos posted
Photos from Tuesday’s show are now posted… go to…
REVIEW: Aimee Mann @ Aladdin (Portland, OR – 10/6/09)
~Dan
REVIEW: Aimee Mann @ Aladdin (Portland, OR – 10/6/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I got into Aimee Mann after several promptings by my friend Bruce, and then eventually via her quite powerful role in the P.T. Anderson movie, Magnolia (1999). Her spot in that movie and her pervasiveness on that soundtrack made me pay attention. I’ve stuck with her through some great albums, including a doozy of holiday album (but I don’t blame her, I blame the general holiday music content). Her albums are always pretty damn consistent… consistently good. I just never got the chance to see her until now. I happened to be up in Portland for work; so I naturally found my way to the venue. :)
I really like the Aladdin Theater… it’s a classy theater, and every show I’ve seen here has been great (Jude and Yael Naim), and I plan on hitting the Aladdin at least 2 or three more times this year (Múm, the Swell Season, and maybe Stryper… but mainly for the humor aspect of that show).
The opener was Nick Lowe, who I didn’t know. Apparently I knew some of his songs, specifically “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding” (he wrote for Elvis Costello, and I’ve heard the A Perfect Circle version). Nick played about 50 minutes, and probably 15 songs. He had some very good, short pop songs. I can see why people like him. I mean, he kinda blended into the background to me, but he had a charm and lyricism that I can admire.
Aimee Mann came on around 9:20pm with two keyboardists. Throughout the set, they both swapped around many instruments… mainly keys, but also guitar, shakers, drums, recorder. She played a short 40 minute pre-determined set before breaking out into the audience request portion of the show…
Setlist: 2 hours
- The Moth
- Nightmare Girl
- Momentum *a fave of the night*
- Build That Wall
- Par For The Course
- Amateur *a fave of the night*
- This Is How It Goes
- Wise Up *a fave of the night*
- Save Me [false start – see comments below]
——————— - Real Bad News [start to the audience requests]
- Long Shot
- Looking For Nothing
- Freeway *a fave of the night*
- Jacob Marley’s Chain
- 4th Of July
- Mr. Harris
- Video *a fave of the night*
- Ghost World
- You Could Make A Killing *a fave of the night*
- Red Vines
- Invisible Ink
- Susan
- One (Harry Nilsson cover)
- Encore: Save Me *a fave of the night*
- Voices Carry
So, the first attempt at “Save Me” got an odd response from a few ladies… almost like the cheering as you’re going up a rollercoaster. Aimee pointed that out and countered it with how depressing and co-dependent-y the song was. Then she went into some really depressing (but funny) new lyrics for the song… which led into the giggles; so she couldn’t even finish the real version of the song. She came back to it later for the encore.
Aimee was really fun… much more fun than I thought she’d be. I mean, her songs really meander on the line of depressed, melancholic disappointment; however, she was quite bubbly, and giddy in spots. Her three-piece band really worked well together in a pinch. Great, long show… check her out if she swings by!!! She’s only a short West Coast tour this fall; see the remaining handful of dates below…
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Finger Eleven – Finger Eleven
Aimee Mann West Coast Tour 2009
- 10/2/09 UC Santa Barbara CA
- 10/3/09 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre
- 10/4/09 San Francisco, CA Hardly Strictly Bluegrass FREE
- 10/6/09 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater …with Nick Lowe
- 10/7/09 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre with Nick Lowe
- 10/8/09 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
- 10/10/09 Coeur D’Alene, ID The Kroc Center
- 10/11/09 Boise, ID EgyptianTheatre with Fountains of Wayne
- 10/12/09 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room with Fountains of Wayne
- 10/14/09 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater with Fountains of Wayne
- 10/16/09 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern with Fountains of Wayne
AIMEE MANN & NICK LOWE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (7 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (24 Aimee pics, 6 Nick pics)
REVIEW: Alice in Chains @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 9/26/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
(the new Alice in Chains)
So, I could have seen Pearl Jam, but since I’d seen them (and they put on a freakin’ great live show) and I had never seen Alice in Chains. So, AiC won out in the battle of who to see tonight. Regardless of the lack of Layne Staley, I really dig guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell and the new lead singer (William DuVall) sounds pretty good. So, I’ll have to hold off on seeing Pearl Jam for a 2010 tour (?). This Alice in Chains show was billed as “An Evening With,” which makes me happy. Openers at rock/metal shows are usually for sucks.
Due to crappy Duck Football traffic, it took forever to get to Portland. I got to the Roseland Theater around 8pm, and the band hit the stage just after 8:30. It was a packed crowd, but I was able to move around a bit. No cameras again. Blerg. I’ll have to contact some people before Regina Spektor & Puscifer in this same venue to see if I can get photo access. We shall see. I took some iPhone photos, as that wasn’t expressly disallowed (like it was announced as prohibited for the Porcupine Tree show last week).
Jerry Cantrell was always a big part of their sound, on both guitar and vocals. He did quite a bit of vocals, and William really pulled off “the Layne sound.” It’s difficult coming into a band with a solid career and trying to replace a very distinct vocalist. While I wouldn’t say that William “has his own voice” with regards to the band, he’s definitely helping them carry on and make great music in the wake of losing Layne. Hopefully William’s own voice shines through on the upcoming record (out 9/29).
Here’s what they played…
Setlist:
- Rain When I Die
- Again
- Check My Brain *a new one – it was OK*
- Them Bones
- Dam That River
- A Looking In View *a new one – pretty good*
- We Die Young
- Nutshell *a fave of the night*
- Love, Hate, Love
- God Am
- Acid Bubble *new one – I’m kinda “meh” on this one for now*
- Angry Chair
- Man in the Box *a fave of the night*
- Would? *a fave of the night*
- Encore: Sludge Factory
- No Excuses *a fave of the night*
- Rooster
A great show… again, William does a great job filling Layne’s shoes. Jerry and the rest of the band were as tight as ever. Their setlist covered their career nicely. I’m looking forward to their new album, Black Gives Way to Blue, showing up on my doorstep (I ordered it with the new Megadeth & Nellie McKay). You can pre-order it below (it comes out on Tuesday):
Since my photos are only (subpar) iPhone photos… here are some professional photos from the Seattle show by Savoia Digital Concert Photography:
TONS MORE at Savoia’s Facebook photo album
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Fantômas – Fantômas (aka Amenaza al Mundo) 
ALICE IN CHAINS iPhone PHOTOS
(sorry in advance for the lower quality)
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: David Cross @ Newmark Theatre (Portland, OR – 9/25/09)
David Cross is on a little fall tour to promote his new book, I Drink For a Reason. You may know him from Mr Show with Bob & David, or as Tobias Fünke on Arrested Development (i.e.- the best television show of all-time), or his stand-up specials, or a glut of parts in television and movies.
(David Cross as Tobias Fünke was one of the best character pieces with laugh-out-loud antics in about every moment he was on screen).
I was just at the Newmark for another comedian, Patton Oswalt. Unlike the Patton show, though, this show wasn’t general admission. Yay! We got to our seats ( fairly close up). The show began not too long after.
The opener was Todd Glass. He only did about 15 minutes, but was pretty damn funny. He jumped around a lot in material, but I guess with only 15 minutes, you have to get as much in as possible.
David came out around 8:45pm and started off with a song about tearing Portland a new asshole that morphed into the jokes he was going to tell us, which wouldn’t involve any cosmonaut jokes… which, of course, ended with a cosmonaut joke.
David, of course, touched on religion, politics, and drugs. My favorite bits were scattered all about. His mom making yogurt… from yogurt was pretty funny. The bit on the horror porn was hilarious. He did make a good point – what’s the reason for horror porn? To scare the cum out of you?
One of the better parts of the night was when he called out a sign language guy for signing words that didn’t exist. The “deaf guy interloper” was part of the show, a friend of David’s; however at first, the audience didn’t know. When David said “Gallileo,” the guy signed the motions for looking through a looking glass. It looked so odd that David said it again about 3 times… then David started saying words like “ridonkulous” to see what the sign language would be. It all ended with David calling him out and telling him to leave (“deaf guy” showed up later as a “live blogger interloper” during the set).
The bit about Scientology and Mormonism was also pretty funny. We’ll see how that goes next week in Salt Lake City. :) Some of his other humor was a little bit over the line (re: hassidic jews, etc), but that’s what you get with David Cross. He ended with a joke on crazy things to buy (i.e.- SkyMall crap). The focus on the “time mug” was pretty hilarious.
After 90 quality minutes David left the stage… but then came back out shortly for a quick movie encore… he played 3 and a half minutes (all that was legally allowed) of his upcoming UK television series directed by Spike Jonze, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. It looks pretty damn brilliant. Anytime you have Spike Jonze involved, it’s got good potential. Arrested Development alum Will Arnett was also in it. We’ll likely not get it on this sided of the pond, until it hits DVD.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- David Cross’s Wiki (including Filmography)
- Todd Glass on MySpace
- Newmark Theatre / PCPA
~Dan – np: Faith No More – The Real Thing
David Cross’s Tour Dates
September 2009
24 & 25 – Portland, Ore. @ The Newmark Theatre
27 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Vancouver Comedy Festival
28 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ In The Venue
29 – Denver, Colo. @ Paramount Theatre
30 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Midland Theatre
3 – Milwaukee, Wisc. @ Riverside Theatre
4 – Chicago, Ill. @ Congress Theatre
5 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ State Theatre
7 – Durham, N.C. @ Carolina Theatre of Durham
9 – Munhall, Pa. @ Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead
10 – Morgantown, W.V. @ University of West Virginia
11 – Columbus, Ohio @ Capitol Theatre
13 – Ann Arbor, Mich. @ Michigan Theatre
14 – Austin, Texas @ Paramount Theater
16 – Dallas, Texas @ Lakewood Theater
17 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Tabernacle
19 – Boston, Mass. @ Wilbur Theater
20 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Merriam Theater
21 – Washington, D.C. @ Warner Theater
REVIEW: Sunny Day Real Estate @ Crystal Ballroom MFNW (Portland, OR – 9/18/09)
(photo: Rebecca Blissett, from Vancouver show)
I saw Sunny Day Real Estate in Oct 2000 on the Rising Tide Tour (Bogart’s in Cincinnati), which would ultimately be their last. I had a few chances to see Jeremy Enigk solo or The Fire Theft, but the shows never meshed with my schedule. Seeing as I count the 2000 SDRE show as one of my favorite shows of all -time (Top 25 at least), I was soooooo stoked when it was announced that they were getting back together for a tour.
This was only my second time at McMennamin’s Crystal Ballroom. The room was packed with tons of Music Fest Northwest (MFNW) people; so I’m hoping the hardcore SDRE fans got in. The venue was set-up like most Portland venues with the odd barrier between the drinkers and the youngins’. This was one of the rare shows of late where I don’t think I saw anyone younger than 25.
The opener, The Jealous Sound, were pretty good. I listened to them on MySpace before the show and they seemed like a pretty good power pop/rock band. At the show, the sound was a little muddled, but I could still get a good feel for their groove. Maybe like a slightly less hooky Heatmiser? I don’t know… they’re definitely worth checking out.
No cameras were supposed to be allowed in the venue last night (I asked). Yet, when I get in (without my camera), I see a few people with cameras. Damn me for asking. :( Anyway, Rebecca Blissett’s photos from Vancouver will suffice as my pictorial show of the reunited SDRE…
SDRE’s set went by blisteringly fast. They played a solid hour plus before leaving for a short break before their 3 song encore. Jeremy’s voice was on top of its game, yet as indecipherable as usual. I think he ranks up their with Karin Bergquist of Over the Rhine as misheard lyric contributor. :) The rest of the band seemed really tight. The “muddliness” of the opener’s set seemed to be cleared up. And while Sunny Day haven’t been a cohesive unit for 8-9 years, they sure seemed like one tonight. It seems like they didn’t miss a beat at all.
Setlist: 80+ mins
- Friday
- Seven *a fave of the night*
- Red Elephant
- Song About An Angel
- Grendel
- Shadows
- Inscarabaid
- 47
- Theo B
- 10 [new song]
- 48
- Sometimes
- Encore: In Circles *a fave of the night*
- Spade & Parade
- J’Nuh *a fave of the night*
They only played material from their first two discs at this show (they have played at least “Guitar & Video Games” off of How It Feels to Be Something On on this tour), which was kind of odd. And I know, this may be heresy, but I really love their last album the best (2000’s The Rising Tide). It’s probably just a factor of when I got into them as a band. So, as far as the only downside, that was it. But the fact that they wrote a new song as recent as a week or so ago… well, that bodes well for future album(s) & tour(s).
Sunny Day Real Estate’s Diary & LP2 (aka Pink) have been remastered and re-released by Sub Pop in 2009 (click pictures for info). No word on a remaster of How It Feels to Be Something On, though… hmm…
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Sunny Day Real Estate‘s Official Site
- Sunny Day Real Estate on MySpace
- Jeremy Enigk on MySpace
- The Fire Theft on MySpace
- Spin‘s SDRE – Vancouver Review(2nd reunion show, 9/17)
- The Jealous Sound
- The Jealous Sound MySpace
- Crystal Ballroom
- Music Fest NW
SDRE on Jimmy Fallon (9/29/09)
~Dan – np: Pearl Jam – Backspacer
no free download or torrent available here
SDRE Reunion Tourdates
09-17 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
09-18 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (MusicFest NW)
09-20 Murray, UT – Murray Theater
09-21 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater
09-23 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
09-24 Chicago, IL – Metro
09-25 Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
09-27 New York, NY – Terminal Five
09-28 Boston, MA – House of Blues
09-30 Washington, D.C. – 930 Club
10-01 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
10-03 Atlanta, GA – CW Center Stage
10-05 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
10-06 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live – Ballroom
10-07 Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa
10-09 Tempe, AZ – Marquee
10-10 Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
10-11 Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theater
10-13 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
10-15 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
10-16 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theater
REVIEW: Porcupine Tree w/ That1Guy @ Roseland (Portland, OR – 9/16/09)
Rarely do two bands you like happen to tour together. Porcupine Tree is touring with King’s X on this U.S. Leg… well… ok, starting in a week in Ohio. This West Coast leg, though gets That1Guy (another musician I like a lot). I’m bummed I’m missing a KXC/PT show, but That1Guy is a fun live act as well.
I guess I’ll have to get used to the Roseland, as I imagine I’ll be seeing more and more shows here over the years. It’s an “OK” venue… a basic stand-y rock club. They do have a nice food menu, though… and I got as Zappa veggie dog (I heart the PacNW). The band had a ban on cameras, outside of the officially selected photographer for the Incident tour blog; so no photos from me this time.
That1Guy played a short set. Pretty much the same set as the last time I saw him in Feb, but just cut short. I was kind of bummed that he didn’t play “Buttmachine” or “Mustaches.” Maybe he was trying to be “more serious” for the prog fans. I don’t know. I think “Buttmachine” is one of his catchiest songs, regardless of its ridiculous lyrics. Watch the video here. Overall his set & jams were a bit redundant / repetitive, but he’s still fun to watch.
Setlist: about 40 mins
- Intro Jam
- Jigsaw
- Weasel Potpie leading into Instrumental Jam
- Heaven or Heck
- Dig (with the magic boot)
- Outro Jam (T1G’s credit card jam with snippets of “Smoke on the Water”)
That1Guy’s 2007 album, The Moon is Disgusting, aged well. I’m still digging it a bunch, and wish he would have played more off of it outside of “Jigsaw” and “Dig.” You can listen to samples of the album HERE.
Next up, Porcupine Tree, whose new album, The Incident, arrived to my earbuds last weekend (thanks to Demonoid) but also hit my hands in a the lush limited edition on Tuesday. Wow… it’s freakin’ excellent. Great packaging in the deluxe edition. I think the limited edition is sold out, but the standard CD is available worldwide now.
Porcupine Tree hit the stage around 9:15 and played a first set entirely made up of The Incident‘s 1st disc. They didn’t stray from the album in scope or sound. It was very great being in the same room as Steven again. He’s truly a great musician and songwriter, which is a hard moniker to assign to a progressive rock musician (most of them can’t write a song to save their lives). Their set…
Setlist:
- The Incident (in its entirety)
I – Occam’s Razor
II – The Blind House
III – Great Expectations
IV – Kneel and Disconnect
V – Drawing the Line
VI – The Incident
VII – Your Unpleasant Family
VIII – The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train
IX – Time Flies
X – Degree Zero of Liberty
XI – Octane Twisted
XII – The Séance
XIII – Circle of Manias
XIV – I Drive the Hearse
2nd Set - The Start of Something Beautiful
- Buying New Soul
- Anesthetize Part 2
- Lazarus
- Strip the Soul
- .3
- Bonnie the Cat
- Encore: Way Out of Here
- Trains
Great show for their fantastic new album. They played right around 2 hours total. The Incident is easily the best album they’ve done since In Absentia, IMO. This was only the 2nd show of their tour, and it didn’t really show. I mean, they were on top of their game. Steven mentioned that they were a little nervous at the Seattle show the day prior. Somehow I’m skeptical of that. They probably roll out of bed and could play these songs blindfolded. :)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- PorcupineTree.com
- The Incident on Tour (official blog)
- Another Portland 9/16 Review (by Mark Colman)
- Porcupine Tree on MySpace
- That1Guy & the Magic Pipe
- That1Guy on MySpace
- Roseland Theater
~Dan – np: Patton Oswalt – My Weakness is Strong
Further U.S> Porcupine Tree Tour Dates (as of now)
Tue 15 Sep SEATTLE, WA MOORE THEATER [opener: That1Guy]
Wed 16 Sep PORTLAND, OR ROSELAND [opener: That 1 Guy]
Fri 18 Sep SAN FRANCISCO WARFIELD [opener: That 1 Guy]
Sat 19 Sep LOS ANGELES CLUB NOKIA [opener: Big Elf]
Mon 21 Sep CLEVELAND, OH HOUSE OF BLUES [opener: King’s X]
Tue 22 Sep CHICAGO, IL VIC THEATER [opener: King’s X]
Thu 24 Sep NY, NY TERMINAL 5 [opener: King’s X]
Fri 25 Sep BALTIMORE RAM’S HEAD [opener: King’s X]
Sat 26 Sep PHILLY ELECTRIC FACTORY [opener: King’s X]
Sun 27 Sep BOSTON, MA HOUSE OF BLUES [opener: King’s X]
Tue 29 Sep MONTREAL METROPOLIS [opener: King’s X]
Wed 30 Sep TORONTO QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE [opener: King’s X]
REVIEW: Patton Oswalt @ Newmark Theatre (Portland, OR – 9/13/09)
OK, so you may have heard of Patton Oswalt from Pixar’s Ratatouille. He was the leading… um… rat. You may also know him from the newly hitting the cinemas flick called Big Fan, and well… tons of other stuff. He just released a new CD/DVD of his Comedy Central special, My Weakness is Strong.
(available on the Amazons)
This was my second time in the Newmark Theatre. It suits a comedian as well as a 9-piece jazz band. The show started right on time (7:30pm), and it was general admission, and I showed up at about 7:29pm… but I lucked out with a decent spot in the 2nd balcony. The opener was really funny… a guy formerly from Portland, but who now lives in Seattle and writes trivia questions for an XBox game company or something. I didn’t catch his name… Andy something (any help to fellow comedy-goers?). Anyway, he was good, did 15 solid minutes and handed the mic directly to Patton…
Patton was really funny. He has some bits canned, but he seems to wing it more than other comedians that I’ve seen (i.e.- Seinfeld & Carlin don’t tend to stray from their “script”). Based on looking at the track titles from My Weakness is Strong, he did Sky Cake, The Oswalt Family Crest, Rats, Orgy, Treadmill, Obama…And Time Travel…And Coolness…And The Last Racist, and The Magician. He also did the KFC Famous Bowl bit with a newly added bit about an upcoming “Double Down” sandwich that sounded dreadful to eat. We got to witness a spontaneous song written for the Double Down when an audience member asked if there’d be a song…
♪♫ fuck you heart, fuck you liver, I’m gonna double down ♪♫
He ended the 90 minute set with the Christmas Song (Newsong) bit and a bit about Stella Dora breakfast treats.
Favorite bits from Patton… hmm… Sky Cake (YouTube below) is a great bit and right up my alley. Obama/Time Travel was great. The Magician who was pissed about $5 was great. KFC Famous Bowl / Double Down was classic, especially as we got to witness a new song formulated on-stage. And Patton’s random interaction with a kid in a band from Eugene called Busket for about 5 minutes was pretty hilarious, too. Good ol’ Motorized Vinyl Rhino!
Sky Cake is a Lie!
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – The Incident
REVIEW: Erik Friedlander @ Winningstad Theatre (Portland, OR – 9/12/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Erik Friedlander grew up spending many of his summers on the road with his family due to his photographer father, Lee Friedlander. I knew his dad was a photographer with some notoriety, but I hadn’t known about the long, cross-country summer road trips – which were the basis for Erik’s 3-day run of Block Ice and Propane at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA)’s TBA Festival (aka T:BA:09). More about T:BA:09 later…
I have been into Erik for a while… basically contemporaneously with my immersion into John Zorn, as Erik is a mainstay in the Downtown NYC jazz scene and finds his way on maaaaany of the Tzadik releases that I love. He’s a part of the Masada String Trio & Bar Kokhba Sextet, and has played with Dave Douglas, Ikue Mori, Wadada Leo Smith, severalk of Zorn’s Filmworks series, et cetera.
When I showed up for the event, I was caught off guard by the vast amount of people milling about the lobby. “Does Erik have this big of a draw in Portland?”
Well, the answer to that question is, “now he does.” This was the third night of his three-night run as part of the T:BA:09 festival put on by PICA. The entire 10-day festival was also coming to a crescendo on the 12th… needless to say, the program looked amazing, full of art of all kinds, not just music. I’m definitely putting T:BA:10 on my radar for next year.
Erik’s solo chair, laptop stand, and microphone in front of a projector screen was nicely lit with a blue light as the herd of an audience entered the Dolores Winningstad Theatre. I’d never been to the Winningstad Theatre, but it’s in the same complex as the Newmark Theatre (where I saw the SF Jazz Collective in ’08 and where I’ll see Patton Oswalt tonight), and it’s right next door to the Arlene Schnitzer Hall (where I’ve seen many shows). “The Winny” was a great venue… small & intimate, but seemingly able to fit in a large amount of people, including 2 tiers of balcony seating. Luckily I was solo; so I found a stray seat right up front-left.
As mentioned prior, the show was Erik playing solo cello in front of a backdrop of photos from his childhood, primarily taken by his father Lee Friedlander. The performance, specifically the backdrop, had a very “Americana” feel set to non-“Americana music.” Or perhaps it was Americana music set through the filter of the cello. It wasn’t Woody Guthrie-esque, but it had that dirty, road weary, wow-look-at-this-wonderful-country feel to it. Amongst the photos were also some videos shot by Bill Morrison.
Outside of photographing the country on big summer roadtrips, Erik’s father Lee also photographed many musicians… Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane… even up to the current era like a famous Madonna photo. Lee’s love of music spilled over to Erik, who found a love for music early in his life. He started on guitar and eventually moved to cello. However, his basis in guitar drove much of the style of playing last night. Only a few times did Erik pull out a bow – rather he plucked and strummed his cello like one would with a guitar… well, a guitar that you were holding like a cello. :)
Setlist:
- Block Ice & Propane
- Road Weary
- King Rig
- I’m Not Here
- Cold Chicken
- Yakima
- Pressure Cooking
- Winking at Highway 7
- Rusting in Honeysuckle
- Dream Song
- Airstream Envy
- Night White
Some of my favorite pieces were the lead-in, title track (to the 2007 CD of the same name), as well as “Pressure Cooking” and “Night White” (nice harmonics). The story about “Cold Chicken” was great, about how at a diner they were served very slowly and Lee stormed into the kitchen to complain about “who wants to eat cold chicken!?” while the family scurried away. The music, which I’ve heard several times before on the CD, totally made sense now. Nice…
Block Ice and Propane (the 2007 CD) can be purchased directly from Erik HERE.
The Appropriate Linkage:
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – The Incident
ERIK FRIEDLANDER PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Bad Veins @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 9/8/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Bad Veins were only one of the openers last night, but my main draw for the evening. The main band was Division Day, with additional support from Love Like Fire. I knew Bad Veins from kicking around the Cincinnati rock scene a few years ago. I’d seen them once prior in Cincinnati, then shortly thereafter that I moved to Oregon… but I’ve kept up with them on Woxy, Daytrotter, et cetera. This is their first trip out West. They’re also coming back, and playing in my town (Eugene) on October 16th (Sam Bond’s Garage). Yay!
Bad Veins is a two man wrecking crew: Benjamin Davis on vocals & guitar and Sebastien Schultz on drums. They also employ a reel-to-reel for backup music. And by “employ,” I mean, they plug it in… I’m pretty sure a W-2 is not involved. It’s part of the lo-fi charm of Bad Veins. They were pretty true to form, and busted through a solid set from their debut album (out on Dangerbird Records). It was a pretty good wall of sound coming from these two gents. Here’s what they played…
Setlist:
- Found
- Gold and Warm
- Crosseyed
- Afraid
- Dry Out
- Falling Tide
- The Lie
Sebastien cut his finger on the drumkit the last song of their set, and bled on the drums. Oh, the joys of D.I.Y. rock! Seeing as it was a “school night,” and I had two hours of driving to do, I bailed shortly after Bad Veins’ set. (Sorry to both Love Like Fire who played before and Division Day who played after.) I look forward to seeing Bad Veins play again when they’re in Eugene next month.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Bad Veins Official Webpage
- Bad Veins on MySpace
- Division Day on MySpace
- Love Like Fire on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
~Dan – np: Marty Ehrlich’s Dark Woods Ensemble – Sojourn
BAD VEINS PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Get Cross…
David Cross was playing at the Newmark Theatre in Portland, OR, on a day that I already had local Eugene plans (Th, Sep 24 – Raquy and the Cavemen). Well, David’s show sold out so fast that they added a 2nd show the next night (Fri, Sep 25)… yay! Needless to say, I already blue my tickets this morning.
For your own 2nd Portland David Cross show tickets… GO HERE.
This is going to be two weeks in a row with four shows on consecutive nights… batch 1 (Sept 15-19): Porcupine Tree & That1Guy / Wynton Marsalis / Sunny Day Real Estate / Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (well, JFJO is a maybe as it’s the same day as PDX VegFest and we’re volunteering there early in the day), and then batch 2 (Sep 24-27): Raquy & the Cavemen / David Cross / Alice in Chains / Works Progress Administration (with Glen Phillips & Nickelcreek folks).
I wouldn’t have it any… other… way. I do have a feeling that my concert reviews will suffer a backlog. Anyway, I’ll take photos on shows I am able…
~Dan – np: Duran Duran – Astronaut
REVIEW: dredg @ Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR – 8/15/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
This was my third time seeing dredg, and the second time this year. Their latest record (The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion) is an amazing album… a definite front runner for album of the year for me. It is inspired by Salman Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There’s No Heaven: A Letter to the Sixth Billionth Citizen.” I gladly made the trek up to Portland, and now that I’d been able to soak in their latest album (it wasn’t out when I saw them in April), I knew much more of the material being played. I was also able to bring my camera… yay!
The first opener As Tall As Lions were really good. The first song, the bassist was acting a bit goofy. I thought it seemed weird, or that he was “overacting.” However, throughout their whole 5-6 song set (35 minutes), he kept it up. Maybe it grew on me, or maybe I changed my mind and felt he really was into it that much (plus he’s got some backing vocal chops). :) Anyway, As Tall As Lions were a 6-piece in this live setting. They’re from New York, and had a good indie rock vibe – nice vocals, nice groove, and good use of horns. The band was way forward on the stage; so my only downside was that I was right next to the drums, which drowned out a lot of their vocals. But, all in all, a very good opener.
The second opener Rx Bandits may as well have been a co-headliner (maybe they were billed as such). It seemed as if tons of the crowd were there to see RxB. They started the set with all four members on drums, which was fun. One of the highlights of their 70 minute set was their lead guitarist and their drummer. Their drummer had a dirty Daniel Johns (of Silverchair) look, and was kicking the crap out of his drumkit. And their lead guitarist didn’t have the most “rock” stage presence, but he seemed like he could fit in a really into a shredder band… he played some really complex underlying scales, all while having a nonchalant look on his face. :) Their vocalist reminded me physically as Brett McKenzie (from Flight of the Conchords). And vocally, he seemed like he could fit in a jamband meets reggae/punk band. Their bassist looked like he also fit in a jamband, and he had a very nice groove and bounced around the stage a lot. It was an odd mix for a group, but it worked. I’ll definitely see them if they swing through Eugene. I took a few pics of RxB, but they didn’t turn out… oh well… next time…
Dredg came on right at 10:50pm and blasted into the trio of songs that kicks off The Pariah, The Parrott, The Delusion. They seemed a little toured out (only compared to the last show in April). They still put on a great show. Gavin (singer/ lap steel), Dino (drums/ keyboard), Drew (bass) and Mark (guitars) were joined by a second guitarist for a few songs (I didn’t catch his name). He played with them on Pariah, Drunk Slide, and Information. Great 85 minute set. Here’s what they played…
Setlist:
- Pariah
- Drunk Slide
- Ireland
- Ode to the Sun
- Catch without Arms
- Same Ol’ Road
- Saviour
- RUOK?
- I Don’t Know
- Δ
- Bug Eyes
- Information
- Light Switch
- Zebraskin
- The Tanbark is Hot Lava
- The Canyon Behind Her
- Down to the Cellar
- Cartoon Showroom
No encore (again), but perhaps that’s their M.O. I’m not putting my usual “a fave of the night” notations by any song, because, quite frankly, it was all amazing. At the end of Down the Cellar, the crew took Dino’s drum kit away one piece at a time at the end, with him ending on piano and no drums around him. That was fun.
The only song I really wish they played but didn’t was “Gathering Pebbles” (from their new one). I could play that song on repeat all day…
As much as I can get across in words, dredg is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands. Rarely does an opener hit me, and ever since I saw dredg open for Coheed & Cambria (a few years back), I’ve been an immediate fan. Their latest is their best yet, and their other albums are great as well. I’d recommend picking The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion up on CD, vinyl (from the dredg store), or if you are silly… on mp3 (why go for the lower quality folks?). :)
dredg “Information“
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.dredg.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/dredg
- http://www.myspace.com/rxbandits
- http://www.myspace.com/astallaslions
- http://www.wonderballroom.com/
~Dan – np: Dub Trio – New Heavy
DREDG PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (6 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (31 pics)
Mike Bragg :: Pulled from the Ground
Yesterday, I went up with some friends (including the featured artist) to see the opening of Mike Bragg‘s Pulled from the Ground at OGLE in Portland. Fun times, too much food, great art, and voodoo donuts were had by all. If you’re up in Portland within the next two months, go check it out. It is set up with a great view from the street, too…
MIKE BRAGG
Pulled from the Ground @ Ogle
August 6th to September 26th, 2009
http://www.mikebragg.com/
http://ogleinc.com/
310 NW Broadway
Portland, OR
The images & video below are the intellectual property of Mike Bragg
and are used with promotional intent only.
(click for larger)
The performance piece / video is located at:
Mike Bragg’s Video Archive
Pulled from the Ground is a series comprised of a multi-channel video installation, a single channel video, photographs, drawings and a sound collage. Its foundation imagery centers on a collection of roots and a man’s obsession with them. The symbolization of the roots is seen throughout: they are an anchor of stability, yet at the same time, a literal reminder of the tangling snare of obsessiveness. Pulled from the Ground documents a struggle for stability against the constant flux of existence. The perception of safety and comfort derived from man’s organization and compulsory system of stability are precarious when viewed from within an exaggerated environment.
The elements of this series are designed to operate both autonomously and in conjunction with one another. The main element of the installation is the substantial, obsessive collection of roots. Displayed within the existing space or within a constructed set, the jars of roots are combined with drawings, photographs, videos and sounds to create an overwhelming, claustrophobic effect. In addition to the installation videos, there is a single channel video providing an experimental narrative echoing the themes explored in the installation.
Pulled from the Ground is adaptable to a variety of spaces. The project can be assembled as a full installation, a site specific modified version or as a single channel projection. The full installation includes three monitors situated in a room cluttered with root filled jars. The monitors loop images of pulsating and turning roots synchronized to a cacophony of sounds ranging from deep breathing to frantic mumblings. Almost every space is covered with worn photographs, tattered drawings and jars filled with roots. Other items contribute to the obsessive collection, such as microphones positioned to “capture the sounds of the roots” and a reel-to-reel recorder. A fourth monitor is tethered to the space via an extension cord, distanced somewhat from the cluttered collection and displaying an experimental narrative that documents the themes’ progression.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And unrelated, but also dark & arty (ok, maybe Anti-Sweden could use Mike Bragg’s accompanying music to sell jeans, too)… drone metal titans Sunn O))) are now being used to sell Anti-Sweden jeans in Norway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxjGPRPODyc
Odd. I doubt we’ll ever see Sunn O))) used for commercial purposes in the U.S.A.
~Dan – np: Bill Frisell – Disfarmer
REVIEW: Tori Amos @ Arlene Schnitzer Hall (Portland, OR – 7/11/09)
Tori Amos has been a big part of my musical fanaticism for a long time. I first heard of her my freshman year of college, got Little Earthquakes & Under the Pink from BMG, got Boys for Pele right when it came out, and I’ve been a fan ever since. There was a period of time where, if I could, I’d drive all over the Midwest to go see her. This show was going on the 6 year mark since I’d seen her, and let’s just say that I was itching for some classic Tori live… but first up, the opener:
One Eskimo hit the stage right about 8pm, and played 4-5 songs (about a half hour’s worth of material). I liked their sound… sort of a singer-songwriter blown up into a pop group (sort of if Maroon 5 had more interesting musicians). Their drummer had a nice style, sitting on a box-type drum and using that as the kick drum. Their guitarist and bassist/trumpet player were also fun to watch. They played “Kandi,” “UFO,” and “Astronauts” for sure, as those songs are on the EP that I picked up for only $5. They’re working on wrapping up their full-length debut now…
I was too far away to take any good concert photos;
so the marquee is all you get this time.
Tori hit the stage with her band (Matt Chamberlain on drums & John Evans on bass) at around 8:50pm and played for a solid two hours without much stopping. I forget how much I love her live shows. Great lights, great mix of tunes from her whole career, fun stage presence, pretty energetic crowd… she played a lot more older songs than I would have thought, and only four songs from her latest record.
Setlist:
- Give (a fave of the night)
- Caught a Lite Sneeze (a fave of the night)
- Welcome to England – John’s bass intro was very Tool-y… as if Justin Chancellor was in a pop band
- Graveyard
- Cornflake Girl (a fave of the night)
- Icicle (a fave of the night)
- Little Amsterdam
- Siren
- Starling
- Black Dove (January)
- 1,000 Oceans
- Joni Mitchell’s River (solo – Lizard Lounge)
- Winter (solo – Lizard Lounge)
- Playboy Mommy
- Little Earthquakes (a fave of the night)
- Fast Horse (a fave of the night)
- Take to the Sky (a mega fave of the night)
- Carbon
- Honey
- Precious Things (a fave of the night)
- Strong Black Vine – crowd floods front part of theatre, much to the “oh crap, what do I do?” of the security guys
- Encore: Big Wheel (a fave of the night)
- Tombigbee
Fantastic show… prior to this show, I was kind of in a “cooling” phase with Tori. I hadn’t seen her since the Scarlet’s Walk tour (2003), and I’d only been slightly fond of The Beekeeper and American Doll Posse albums. Forcing myself recently to dig into her newest one, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, and then seeing it live was great. It was a much warranted end to the break from being a big time Tori fan. Sure, Abnormally isn’t going back to the Little Earthquake through Boys of Pele days, but it’s still good music and she still puts on a great show, full of songs from her vast catalogue.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Official Tori Amos Webpage
- Tori Amos on MySpace
- Undented – a Tori fansite
- Official One Eskimo Webpage
- One Eskimo on MySpace
- Arlene Schnitzer Hall in Portland, OR
~Dan – np: Riceboys Sleeps – All Animals -EP-
no torrent or free download available
The rest of the Abnormally Attracted to Sin tour dates (as of now)
- Mon 07/13/09 Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre
- Tue 07/14/09 Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre
- Thu 07/16/09 San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay
- Fri 07/17/09 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
- Sat 07/18/09 Phoenix, AZ – Dodge Theatre
- Mon 07/20/09 Salt Lake City, UT – Abravanel Hall
- Tue 07/21/09 Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
- Thu 07/23/09 Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
- Fri 07/24/09 Grand Prairie, TX – Nokia Theatre At Grand Prairie
- Sat 07/25/09 Austin, TX – The Long Center For The Performing Arts
- Mon 07/27/09 Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre
- Tue 07/28/09 Orlando, FL – Bob Carr Perf. Arts Centre
- Wed 07/29/09 Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater
- Fri 07/31/09 Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center
- Sat 08/01/09 Washington, DC DAR – Constitution Hall
- Mon 08/03/09 Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
- Tue 08/04/09 Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theatre
- Wed 08/05/09 Minneapolis, MN – The State Theatre
- Fri 08/07/09 Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
- Sat 08/08/09 Detroit, MI – Detroit Opera House
- Mon 08/10/09 Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
- Tue 08/11/09 Montreal, QC – St. Denis Theatre
- Thu 08/13/09 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
- Fri 08/14/09 Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
- Sat 08/15/09 Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
- Mon 08/17/09 Boston, MA – Bank Of America Pavilion
- Sun 09/06/09 Manchester, United Kingdom – Apollo Manchester
- Mon 09/07/09 Birmingham, United Kingdom – Symphony Hall
- Tue 09/08/09 Glasgow, United Kingdom – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
- Thu 09/10/09 London, United Kingdom – Apollo Hammersmith
- Fri 09/11/09 London, United Kingdom – Apollo Hammersmith
- Sun 09/13/09 Basel, Switzerland – Festsaal Messe Basel
- Mon 09/14/09 Munich, Germany – Circus Krone Bau
- Tue 09/15/09 Zurich, Switzerland – Kongresshaus Zurich
- Thu 09/17/09 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Heineken Music Hall
- Sun 09/20/09 Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Theatre
- Mon 09/21/09 Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene
- Thu 09/24/09 Prague, Czech Republic – Prague Congress Centre
- Fri 09/25/09 Vienna, Austria – Wiener Stadthalle
- Sun 09/27/09 Hamburg, Germany – Laeiszhalle
REVIEW: King’s X @ Berbati’s Pan (Portland, OR – 6/8/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
So… King’s X? Where do I start. They’ve been a band for 26 or 27 years. I’ve been a fan of theirs since 1994. I see them every time they come through my town (16th time in 15 years). I’ve seen them in 6 or 7 states (mostly Ohio), but this is first time to see them in Oregon for me. It was only last August that I saw them open up for Extreme in Cincinnati, and they haven’t put out anything new since that show. Honestly, though, it really doesn’t matter. It’s King’s X… Doug, Ty & Jerry. They are a must see show, any time, any place!!
I showed up late for the show; so I can’t speak to the rockin’ (or not rockin’) of the openers Orange Sky & Quandry. If history tells me anything, the openers were good but not phenomenal*. I had other work-related plans, and I couldn’t make it to the venue in time.
*– A good/great opener in days of yore is a band like Podunk. Also, re: “openers,” I wouldn’t put Galactic Cowboys in that category. They’re more like “peers”… and were always a great lead in to King’s X. For the most part, other openers for KX were OK, but usually just delayed KX starting time by more than I normally cared for… I mean that in no disrespect to the openers tonight. Had it not been a rough day of work, I’d have done my best to make it for your sets. Seriously.
I showed up right at 11pm, and King’s X were deep into their third song (per the door guy). So, for those keeping track at home, file that under “whoops… messed that one up.” My guess is that they started with “Groove Machine.” Regardless of my missing the intro, King’s X put on a great show, and I thoroughly enjoyed it… a little bit of feedback and a low ceiling’ed venue, but I got to move around a bit and snap some shots from several angles. No videos… I imagine it’d be too much feedback for the camera.
Setlist: thanks for the setlist additions
- Groove Machine {thanks, bishopjso}
- Pleiades {thanks, bn}
- Visions
- Move (*a fave of night*)
- What Is This?
- Black Flag
- Lost in Germany
- Pray (no offense, but a non-fave)
- Dogman (*a fave of night*)
- Go Tell Somebody (no offense, but a non-fave)
- Summerland
- Looking for Love (*a fave of night*)
- Over My Head
- Encore: It’s Love
- We Were Born to Be Loved (*a fave of night*)
Fantastic show… once again. Doug, Ty & Jerry are a joy to see. I hope they’re making music for many more years to come. Doug’s preachin’ during “Over My Head” had a new slant… “It’s a terrible thing to do what you don’t want to do for the rest of your life.” I’m glad that Doug didn’t get stuck being a choirboy for the rest of his life. Oh, and Ty’s “Over My Head” solo was smoking!!!! It was one of the few instances where I wish I had been taping…
Wishes for the evening… maybe switch out “GTS” and “P4M” with “Cigarettes” and “A Box.” But all in all, I’m glad that they’re still making music and still touring. I figure, beggars can’t be choosers. I saw a great show by some great musicians… yet again.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- King’s X Online
- King’s X on MySpace
- Doug Pinnick on MySpace
- Ty Tabor on MySpace
- Jerry Gaskill on MySpace
- King’s X & Extreme @ Union Center Blvd Bash – 8/10/08 Review (with pictures)
- Berbati’s Pan
How the screaming changes when the meaning hits your ears…
~Dan – np: dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion no torrent or free download here
KING’S X PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
The Rest of the King’s X Tour Dates (as of now)
6/09/2009 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
6/10/2009 Coeur d’Alene, ID @ The Grail
6/12/2009 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas
6/13/2009 Denver, CO @ Owsley’s Golden Road
6/15/2009 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
6/16/2009 Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room
6/17/2009 Lincoln, NE @ Knickerbockers
6/19/2009 Sioux Falls, SD @ Nutty’s
6/20/2009 Fargo, ND @ Venue At The Hub
6/23/2009 St Paul, MN @ Station 4
6/24/2009 Des Moines, IA @ People’s Court
6/26/2009 Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
6/27/2009 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
6/28/2009 Mt Clemmens, MI @ Freedom Festival
6/30/2009 Memphis, TN @ Newby’s
7/01/2009 Little Rock, AR @ Juanita’s
8/07/2009 Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
8/08/2009 Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
8/09/2009 Pittsburgh, PA @ Pepsi Roadhouse
8/11/2009 Hartford, CT @ The Webster Theater
8/12/2009 Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
8/13/2009 Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
8/15/2009 Southbridge, MA @ ADC Performance Ctr.
8/16/2009 Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
8/17/2009 Virginia Beach, VA @ Peppermint Beach Club
8/19/2009 Charlotte, NC @ Amos’s
8/21/2009 Marietta, GA @ The Local
8/22/2009 Fayetteville, NC @ Jester’s
then they hit the road with Porcupine Tree in September 2009
REVIEW: Holy Fuck @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 6/4/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I love my job. I get to be in towns that quite often host artists I like to see… so I don’t have to drive up to make a special trip. Well, this time, it was for my second time seeing the instrumental, avant-groove, live electronic band from Toronto – – Holy Fuck. While their name may be offensive to some, their music is delicious. I tried to make the “gotta eat there while in Portland” stop at Blossoming Lotus, but downtown was PACKED – no parking to be found; so I crossed the River and checked out The Farm instead. Then I scuttled off to the venue to meet some Eugene friends and take in some great music.
Crocodiles went on first, and they played about a half hour. It was a singer & guitarist playing to a drum machine or tape. It wasn’t too shabby. Two man bands are usually more miss than hit, but these guys had some good songs and rocked out fairly well.
Holy Fuck took the stage around 10:15 and played a jam-packed hour or so. I forget how infectious these guys are, even when not playing something all that melodic (though they had plenty of groove last night as well). We got right up front, and I was able to snap some pics and a video or two (see below). I was glad to see the audience show up, too… at first, it was looking grim, like a 10 person crowd. By HF show time, the MFDF was filling up quite nicely. Much groove, much film scratchin’, oft screamin’ and looping, with a thumping rhythm section…
Songs are harder to distinguish when there are no vocals (i.e.- no official “setlist” here). I know they played The Pulse, Super Inuit, and Lovely Allen, and I’m pretty sure they played Milkshake, Safari, Frenchy’s, Jungle, maybe Royal Gregory. Those last five are just a guess, though. I do know that it was a bitchin’ show!! It’s great to see them in progressively bigger venues. First Newport, KY’s Southgate House “parlor” (i.e.- the very small room upstairs) to the real venue of Doug Fir Lounge as the headliner. A+… and I hope it’s not another 2+ years until I get to see them again.
Holy Fuck “The Pulse” @ Doug Fir Lounge, 6/4/2009
The videos are just “OK,” but not too shabby for a digital camera (not a digital video camera), if I do say so myself. Regardless of the video quality, quite frankly, this show is probably one of my favorite shows this year so far.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Holy Fuck Online
- Holy Fuck on MySpace
- Holy Fuck review & pics from Brooklyn Vegan <— *great shots*
- Holy Fuck interviewed by Joe Walker (YouTube link)
- Crocodiles on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Alhambra Love Songs
no torrent or free download available here
CROCODILES / HOLY FUCK PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Steven Bernstein’s Sex Mob @ Goodfoot Lounge (Portland, OR – 5/23/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Sex Mob is a downtown NYC jazz band made up of bandleader Steven Bernstein on slide trumpet, Briggan Krauss on saxophone, Tony Scherr on bass, and Kenny Wolleson on drums. For those keeping score, Steven Bernstein is one of my top 3 favorite (living) trumpet players [Dave Douglas & Wynton Marsalis being the other 2]. I got into Steven via some of his CDs on John Zorn’s label Tzadik and their Radical Jewish Culture series… then I found Sex Mob (and also Millennial Territory Orchestra). Steven Bernstein came through Ohio just shortly after I moved away; so last night was actually my first time to see him live. And for it to be a Sex Mob show made it much more special.
The opener, Trio Subtonic, was great. I saw them last fall at a small college, but this time it was nice to see them in a more intimate, non-auditorium setting. They played for 75 minutes or so, more than a normal opener. In fact, had they not been so good, I would have kind of been pissed. :) In my opinion, the best part of their set was when they ripped into an instrumental jazzy, slightly obscured cover of Radiohead‘s “Just” (the original has one of my favorite videos). I was singing along… Shortly thereafter, they were joined on stage by a saxophonist for about half of their set – which was a great addition. Maybe they should add him permanently and change their name to Quartet Subtonic.
Sex Mob came on around 11:45, and they started in on an avant-garde piece. I’d seen Sex Mob’s saxophonist Briggan Krauss play with NYC downtown avant-garde musicians Ikue Mori and Jim Black in March 2007; so I expected some avant-garde from this group of downtown NYC musicians. Sex Mob mixed it up a bit and jammed as well, but every corner had a bit of the avant-garde nature hiding in it. Maybe more of a halfway point between groove jazz and avant-garde jazz would be a good explanation – “raucous.” I think my favorite from their set was the tune whose opener reminds me of Dizzy Gillespie‘s “Salt Peanuts.”
Sex Mob Intro @ the Goodfoot, 5/23/09
Sex Mob #2 @ the Goodfoot, 5/23/09
I hope they come back again soon… and maybe start earlier (or play closer to me). :) I bailed around 1am to head back home to Eugene. All in all, a great night for jazz.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Sex Mob’s official page
- Steven Bernstein’s official page
- Sex Mob on MySpace
- Trio Subtonic
- Trio Subtonic on MySpace
- The Goodfoot Pub & Lounge
~Dan – np: Isis – Wavering Radiant
no torrent here
TRIO SUBTONIC / SEX MOB PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
REVIEW: Flight of the Conchords @ the Schnitzer (Portland, OR – 5/14/09)
Well, let’s just say… this show was mutha’uckin’ AWESOME!!!
Before the show, there was a spot-on Murray look-a-like in the crowd. A little bit younger looking, but definitely pretty damn close. At around 7:45pm, the lights dimmed and what sounded like Jemaine (from FOTC) announced the opener. 
Arj Barker, who plays Dave on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords show, came out and did a hilarious 30-minute stand-up routine. Very witty humor. He’s got a Comedy Central special coming soon, plus he’ll be doing his own solo tour later in the year. Should be fun… I’d definitely recommend Arj, and if he comes near me again (Eugene, please?), I’ll be there.
Arj introduced Flight of the Conchords Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie immediately after his set, and they came out swinging right away in their robot costumes. To which they immediately broke into a song from their 2nd season, “Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor.” They never got back into their robot costumes again, which was… well… unfortunate. Great show though. They also had a cellist, Nigel, who was “New Zealand’s symphony orchestra.” Due to budget cuts, Nigel is the entire NZ symphony orchestra. :) Here’s what they played…
Setlist: (YT: YouTube video from the HBO show)
- Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor (YT)
- Hurt Feelings (YT) (*a fave of the night*)
- The Ballad of Stana
- The Most Beautiful Girl (in the Room) (YT) (*a fave of the night*)
- Carol Brown (Stick Around)
- Jenny
- Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros (YT) (*a fave of the night*)
- I’m Not Crying (YT)
- Freebird (upon request, but we think it was a planted request… Bret moved over to drums)
- Mutha’uckas (YT) (Bret continuing on drums – *a fave of the night*)
- Business Time (YT) (*a fave of the night*)
- Think About It (Think, Think About It) (YT)
- Lazy Eye
- Sugalumps (YT)
- Encore: Albi the Racist Dragon (YT)
- Bus Driver’s Song
- Bowie (YT)
The only real disappointment was the obvious lack of “Robot Song (The Humans Are Dead)” (YT). “Foux Da Fa Fa” (YT), “If You’re Into It” (YT), and “Ladies of the World” (YT) would have been fun, too. They show was really great, though. They played and talked and talked and played for an hour and 45 minutes. Really funny, and I liked most of the new songs… I’m looking forward to the 2nd season when it comes out on DVD (as I don’t have HBO). I wasn’t able to take any photos due to the venue’s rules. Here is one from SPIN‘s Miami review (more further down in the links):
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Flight of the Conchords webpage
- Flight of the Conchords on MySpace
- Arj Barker webpage
- Arj Barker on MySpace
- SPIN Review from Miami
- SPIN Photos from Miami
- Arlene Schnitzer Hall in Portland, OR
~Dan – np: Wynton Marsalis – He and She
REVIEW: Opeth & Enslaved @ Roseland (Portland, OR – – 5/12/09)
Similarly to the professional Abba cover band I saw play with the Cincinnati Philharmonic Orchestra / POPS, the band I saw tonight (Opeth) is from Sweden. Un-similarly to the Abba cover band, Opeth is… HEAVY. I didn’t want to risk bringing my nice, new camera to a Swedish & Norwegian Death Metal double-bill (Strongbad email link). So, I’ll post and point you to some from BrooklynVegan’s blog. I also won’t be able to bring my camera into Flight of the Conchords in two days due to venue restrictions. Boo… anyway, here is Enslaved (from the recent NJ show):
photo by Justina Villanueva
This Oregon concert was billed as just the two bands. Enslaved went on first. I have an odd history with the band name Enslaved. I have some friends in Dayton, Ohio, who briefly had a metal band called Enslaved (in 1994-ish). Then I had to break the news to them that there already was a band named the same, and that they’re from Norway. Well, the Dayton band changed their name to Gnashing of Teeth.
I ran into the Norwegian Enslaved here and there, but never listened to them… until tonight. They were… hmm… they were OK. Musically, they had chops, but their sound seemed hollow. Maybe not enough guitars or bass in the mix, but especially compared to Opeth, Enslaved didn’t fill the room – – and not for lack of trying. Vocally, they were fairly brutal, but mostly uninteresting. One of the “singles” from Vertebrae that I heard on the MySpaces before the show was played. It just doesn’t work, IMO. Oh well, I suppose I’m continuing my streak of not all that great opening bands, but at least Enslaved were the only opener. All-in-all, they weren’t what I’d call “dreadful.” I just don’t really need to dig much more into their music.
Next up, only after a short 25 minute set change, sound check… OPETH…
Opeth‘s Mikael Akerfeldt in NJ
photo by Justina Villanueva
This was my 3rd Opeth live experience. Previously, I would say that there is the law of diminishing returns going on with live Opeth. The 1st show I saw was awesome, and then the 2nd show was a little dissappointing. Well, third time seeing them, they ripped into some great material. Overall, utterly fantastic show. Their sound was much fuller than Enslaved’s, and they just seemed like a better band. I guess this didn’t come as a surprise. Mikael announced early on that the band formed in 1990. So, next year is their 20th anniversary. Holy cow, when did that happen!? Their maturity and breadth of material was on display tonight. They hit post-Blackwater Park songs, and they even hit songs from Morningrise, Still Life, and My Arms Your Hearse – – which has to go down as one of the best metal album names ever. Anyway, here’s what Opeth played…
Setlist:
- Heir Apparent
- Ghost of Perdition
- Godhead’s Lament
- The Leper Affinity
- Credence
- Hessian Peel
- Closure
- Night & the Silent Water
- The Lotus Eater
- Encore: band introductions and “swine flu blues” guitar solo
- Deliverance
Great set… right around 2 solid hours, 10 songs… so, yeah, your basic pop songs. :) I’m looking forward to next year’s 20 year anniversary Opeth takes a nap-a-thon.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Opeth webpage
- Opeth on MySpace
- Enslaved on MySpace
- BrooklynVegan’s New Jersey Review (with more pictures)
- BrooklynVegan’s New York Review (with more pictures)
- Roseland Theater
~Dan – np: Wynton Marsalis – He and She
The rest of the Opeth tourdates (so far)…
May 13 2009 Senator Theater, Chico, California *
May 14 2009 Regency Theater, San Francisco
May 15 2009 Glasshouse, Pomona, California *
May 16 2009 The Avalon, Los Angeles, California *
May 17 2009 Rialto Theater, Tucson, Arizona *
May 19 2009 Scout Bar, San Antonio, Texas *
May 20 2009 Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma *
May 21 2009 New Daisy Theater, Memphis, Tennessee *
May 22 2009 Bijou Theater, Knoxville, Tennessee *
May 23 2009 Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio *
May 24 2009 Clutch Cargo’s, Pontiac, Michigan *
May 26 2009 Grand Ballroom at The Manhattan, New York, New York *
May 27 2009 9:30 Club, Washington, Washington DC *
May 29 2009 Rock Hard Festival, Dortmund
May 30 2009 Wave Gothik, Leipzig
May 31 2009 Schlachthof, Wiesbaden
June 1 2009 Skaters Palace, Munster
June 12 2009 Download Festival, Donnington
June 13 2009 Provinssirock, Seinäjoki
June 21 2009 Metal way, Zaragoza
June 26 2009 Peace & Love, Borlänge
June 27 2009 Metaltown Festival, Gothenburg
July 2 2009 Festival, Arvika
July 3 2009 Oslo Live, Oslo
July 17 2009 Art Mania Festival, Sibiu
July 26 2009 Zwarte Cross Festival, De Schans in Lichtenvoorde
July 30 2009 Storsjöyran, Östersund
August 7 2009 Brutal Assault, Jaromer
August 15 2009 Summerbreeze, Dinkelsbuehl
August 21 2009 Lowlands, Biddinghuisen
* w/ Enslaved
REVIEW: Yann Tiersen @ the Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR – – 4/29/09)
(that’s unnatural)
So, I was soooo stoked about seeing French musician Yann Tiersen for the first time. His albums are quite delightful. I, like many people in the States, first heard of him via the soundtrack/score to Amelie. But then based on the Brooklyn Vegan (photo credit above) and photobear 2009 tour reviews, I got a little sad. No accordion, very little violin, and Yann on guitar for most of the night!? Pardon my French, but… viens m’enculer!? Viens m’enculer!?
Well, I didn’t know how it would turn out; so I figured it’s still a rare occasion to see Yann in the U.S. I already had the tickets, it was only 2 hours away… so… I gotta go. No photos allowed at the venue. Boo.
The opener, Skinni Dip yogurt (on Burnside – downtown), was awesome. The opener (at the venue), Asobi Seksu, played far too long. I’m having a bad streak of uninteresting / painful openers. Sorry. Just didn’t like them at all.
Yann Tiersen and his band came on around 9:45pm, and the first two solid songs were rock numbers that had very little resemblance of a Yann Tiersen song. The 3rd song was finally one I recognized, but only vaguely as it was turned into some sort of messy, too fast rock blast.
No try on the set list… it’s too difficult to remember song names originating in a foreign language to mine. Also, the set that we caught didn’t even seem to be a Yann Tiersen show. I mean, I have 95% of his catalog (all but the latest Tabarly soundtrack)… and the songs were completely foreign to the crowd. Had I wanted to go to a decent/mediocre rock band play a poorly mixed show, I would have gone to my local rock venue and paid $3 to see what was going on that night. I went to see Yann Tiersen’s songs in a live setting. Unfortunately, we really didn’t get that. I mean, I’m all for artistic expression, and the artist doing what they feel is their artistic direction versus what the fans “want” – – but to some extent on a live tour, you’d expect to give the fans what they expect… again, at least to some extent.
Maybe this was his French way of pulling a prank on us stupid Americans. It just makes you wonder. Oh well… if he comes back, I’m not buying tickets until I read some reviews with more mention of accordion solos. :)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.yanntiersen.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/yanntiersencomposer
- http://www.asobiseksu.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/asobiseksu
- http://www.wonderballroom.com/
~Dan – np: Celldweller – Symbiont -EP- & then… O.S.I. – Blood
To cleanse the palate… here’s what I was hoping for in a Yann Tiersen show…
(or)
(or, from Amelie)
Sigh. Maybe next time.
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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