Archive
ha’fway 2009
Happy 233rd birthday, United States!
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(Sub)consciously prompted by these music blogs, here are my favs of the first half of 2009… it’s all bound to switch around by year’s end:
Artist – Album (label)
- Dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion (Ohlone)
- Masada Quintet + Joe Lovano – Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 12 ~ Stolas (Tzadik)
- OSI – Blood (Inside Out Records)
- Wussy – Wussy (Shake It Records)
- Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy – Spirit Moves (Green Leaf Music)
- Wynton Marsalis – He and She (EMI / Blue Note)
- John Zorn – Alhambra: Love Songs (Tzadik)
- Regina Spektor – Far (Sire / Warner)
- Isis – Wavering Radiant (Ipecac)
- Zu – Carboniferous (Ipecac)
- Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings, really only the instrumental disc (Roadrunner)
- Jamie Saft – Black Shabbis (Tzadik)
- Madeleine Peyroux – Bare Bones (Rounder)
- Secret Chiefs 3 – Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini (Web of Mimicry)
- Ember Swift – Lentic :: 子玉 (Few’ll Ignite Sound)
I didn’t get a few that already came out this year… the new Green Day, U2, Placebo, Eminem, Dave Matthews Band, Fever Ray, Crank 2 soundtrack (by Mike Patton). I’m waiting for them to be cheaper used, but they may make it to the list at the end of the year.
The 2nd half of 2009 promises to bring some potential great ones, too… John Zorn’s O’o, Medeski Martin & Wood Radiolarians 3, Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane (possibly by November), Secret Chiefs 3 Book of Souls (maybe), a new Sufjan Stevens (just speculating, since it’s been a while), Ani DiFranco always has something coming out, Jon Madof’s CircuitBreaker debut (maybe) & another Rashanim, The Tango Saloon’s Transylvania (stateside release?), new Tristeza, Over the Rhine Live from Nowhere IV, George Hrab ‘s 6th album Trebuchet, Derek Webb‘s Stockholm Syndrome, SFJazz 2009 with Dave Douglas & Joe Lovano and others, A Perfect Circle internet only single releases (as mentioned back here), and a new Tool record (they’ve worked on it some, but I doubt it’ll hit until 2010)… and I’m sure another dozen or more that I’ll dig from Tzadik.
~Dan – np: Cut Chemist – The Audience’s Listening
again… Happy 233rd birthday, United States!
This July 4th, celebrate Sarah Palin resigning as Alaskan governor!
Secret Chiefs 3 – Traditionalists: Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini
Well, so much for the long lost Book of Souls… Trey Spruance and Secret Chiefs 3 snuck one out under our noses over on the Web of Mimicry message board. The new SC3 album, Traditionalists: Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini, is being shipped near the 3rd week of May. 2009. (!!!)
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/secretchiefs3
Sound sample: http://www.webofmimicry.com/label.php?band=sc3
Tracklist
1. Faith’s Broken Mirror
2. Sophia’s Theme
3. What’s Wrong with Cytherea?
4. Mourning In Ekstasis
5. He Hates Us
6. Psychism 1: Cytherea’s Possession
7. Love Spell
8. Agenda 21
9. Subcutaneous Solution
10. Abyss of Psychic Enchantments
11. Subdermal Sequence (Nano-Correction)
12. RFID Slaverider
13. Dionysian Dithyramb (Eros-seed of the Egregore)
14. Zombievision
15. Perfectly Reasonable
16. Psychism 2: Fear is the Great Teacher
17. Abolish Believers by Abolishing Belief
18. Funeral for What Might Have Been (Sophia’s Theme)
19. Codex Alimentarius
20. Putting Forth the Hand to Take
21. Psychism 3: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind
22. Hypnotopia (Obey your Passion)
23. Nano-correction / Human Migrations / Faith Realizes
24. Chapel by the Sea (a Heart That is Broken and Humbled…)
25. The Strength to Sever
26. Baby Hedone (Harvest of the Egregore)
27. Zombievision 2012
28. The Great Die Off (He Mocks Us All)
29. Cytherea’s Awakening / Martyrdom at Romiou Point / Return to the Foam
30. To Love God is Sweeter than Life (Sophia’s Theme)
Blurb from the webpage
From out of nowhere Secret Chiefs 3 (operating here as Traditionalists, one of the seven ‘satellite bands’ introduced on Secret Chiefs 3’s album Book of Horizons) presents an elaborate “colonna sonora paranoica” — a paranioac film soundtrack. The film is imagined, but the horror is real. This entire project, as you might expect from this band, is a spiralling allegory that extends itself well-beyond its starting-point cliché as a “soundtrack for a non-existent film.” But that’s always been one of those potentially good clichés, in theory anyway. Pursuant to that potential, this particular work remains singularly, decidedly faithful to its sworn genre, the Giallo Horror Film Soundtrack.
At this point, it’s fair to assume we can take the dizzying conceptual maelstrom that comes with anything SC3-related as a “given,” right?
Alright, so we won’t go into that here.But a word on the strictly musical side of things is warranted. The first thing to note is that Giallo cinema music has the distinction of having been graced by nearly all the great masters of Italian film music in general: Bruna Nicolai, Stelvio Cipriani, Ennio Morricone, Goblin, Pierro Piccioni etc. And though this area of “B cinema” certainly has its appreciators, one still-underplayed element is that when considering the music, Giallo’s harmonic language was developed by brilliant people who, by current musical and aesthetic standards, set the bar very high. For any of us wannabes to share in the magic of this lost artform, we have to bring a bit more more to the table than some vintage amps & keyboards and vague undeveloped musical ideas based only in hipster aesthetics. Because if you ignore the deeper intricacies of the music theory at work, the orchestration, the arrangement, etc., you’re really only asking to make an ass of yourself (which is likely anyway no matter what you do). But the usual thing is to sample stuff or simply borrow themes from the masters and to then repackage them in a new “updated” context. Well, in a climate like that we should emphasize that Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini is quite simply an album of original compositions. The process should be likened to when someone is learning another language and begins to have dreams in that language. It’s the same process in any style of music, really. So to state it plainly, these are original compositions that were dreamt into being in the harmonic language of the Giallo Horror Film Soundtrack. It’s that simple. The point is not to be strictly period-specific, or culturally-specific, but to be psychically specific — caring first and foremost about how to convey things that will affect the psychic state of the listener in the intended way. After all, the point of dreaming in this particular language, with all its sophistication, elegance and beauty, is to go that much more deeply into the territory of nightmare… and um, let’s just say SC3 feel it’s necessary to pursue this particular range of the human experience at this moment.
The album itself is a full orchestral score that fully capitalizes on SC3 stock of musical manpower (Trey Spruance, Ches Smith, Timb Harris, Shahzad Ismaily, William Winant, et al.) and adds to that a broad cast of A-list hired musicians (among them Laurie Goldstein and Hans Teuber). The material runs the gamut; dissonant violent strings receding to beautiful textures with flute and female vocals through echoplex; analog synthesizers, harpsichords and celestas over a tight ’70s-style rock band rhythm section; crazed psychedelic freakouts with major payoffs; church organs granting repose, until tape treatments and a chorus of possessed shrieking voices force the listener to reconsider his position on the existence of Evil… If you can imagine all that produced to the standard found on any other Secret Chiefs 3 release, you’ve pretty much got the idea here.
The album was mixed analog to 1/2 inch tape. LP comes in 180 gram vinyl. CD is a mock gatefold LP, with a printed sleeve. Pure win.
The album title, roughly translated, means “The Severed Right Hands of the Last Men.”
OMG. For me at least… Caveat: Based on the sound sample, it doesn’t appear to be one of Trey’s more “accessible” SC3 releases; so I suppose maybe wait on Book of Souls if you’re not already a fan of SC3 or movie music.
~Dan – np: Circle of Dust – Circle of Dust 
Note: This blog does not have a torrent or free download for this album (never have, never will). Support independent muasic and buy this Secret Chiefs 3 record from the band directly at Web of Mimicry.
John Zorn in San Fran 2009
First off… Happy Pi Day…
Also, tomorrow (Sunday the 15th) marks the end of the run of special John Zorn’s Masada at Yoshi’s in San Francisco. Here’s a YouTube clip of the Secret Chiefs 3 performance of “Omael” from Xaphan on Tuesday night (pardon the video quality, the taper had to keep it “on the down low” due to the venue’s strict policies against such things):
And “Kemuel“…
Anyone able to sneak an audio recording of any of the Zorn Fest shows (below)? Hit me up…
~Dan – np: Kukl (early Björk punk band) – The Eye
Zorn Fest 2009
March 10 – The Secret Chiefs 3 Play Masada
March 11 – Masada String Trio – 2 sets
March 12 – Masada Quintet – 2 sets
March 13 – Bar Kokhba Sextet – 2 sets
March 14 – The Dreamers – 2 sets
March 15 – Electric Masada – 2 sets
SC3 @ the Great American Music Hall
Well, I was proven wrong for my naysaying only a week later, the Secret Chiefs 3 have followed up on their promise, and the live DVD is officially set and ready to go. This was posted to the Web of Mimicry store on Friday:
Live at the Great American Music Hall captures Secret Chiefs 3 in concert with what many consider to be the best of their many line-ups in 14 years of playing.
Shot in 2007 at one of the band’s favorite haunts, in San Francisco, this DVD does justice to a group whose live energy usually exceeds the recorded medium. Renowned for their ultra-elaborate CD productions, Secret Chiefs 3 has also garnered a reputation for the power and immediacy of their live shows. Their fanbase has swelled in recent years and grown accustomed to this live incarnation (the Secret Chiefs 3 bootleg scene is thriving), and they demand an official release! Not just some audience-hand-cam and stereo-mic-job thing, this DVD boasts a pro six-camera shoot with live sound mixed by Billy Anderson, with the multi-channel outs mixed for DVD by Trey Spruance and Randall Dunn (producer of Earth, SUNN O))), Kinski, Wolves in the Throne Room, etc). And it comes with a really nice six-panel gatefold digi-pack with original artwork. At the show, Secret Chiefs 3 performs a set of both familiar and as-yet-unreleased music. The line-up includes Ches Smith (Xiu Xiu, Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog), Shahzad Ismaili (who also plays with Graham Haynes, Laurie Anderson, and Tom Waits), Timb Harris (Estradasphere), Rich Doucette, Peijman Kouretchian, and Jai Young Kim.
Live at the Great American Music Hall DVD also includes an award-winning and seriously dimensionally altered 80-minute stop-motion animation feature film directed by Tawd Dorenfeld that uses Secret Chiefs 3’s live show as a soundtrack.
It’s a pre-order for a March 3rd release. Mine’s on order… yay…
Oh, and a side note… the Fol Chen CD out on Asthmatic Kitty (entitled Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune’s Made) is really really fun and rad. It’s poppy-electronic-indie rock goodness. Quirky, yet melodic. Totally a gem in 2009, if you ask me.
~Dan – np: Jamie Saft – Black Shabbis
Isis, Geo 100, and a Secret DVD
A trio of music news about Isis, George Hrab, and the Secret Chiefs 3…
As foretold in Pitchfork, post-metal band Isis is due out with their follow-up to the amazingly great In the Absence of Truth (2006) on May 5th on Ipecac Recordings. The release is April 21 for the special edition vinyl. Wavering Point is their 5th full-length album, and it features TOOL guitarist Adam Jones on a coupe of songs. The blurb in Pitchfork cracked me up…
And this is just a wild guess, but I’m thinking most of the songs will start out really quiet and pretty and they they’ll get epically loud and crunchy and they’ll last for about eight minutes. Call me crazy.
…because it’s true.
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George Hrab‘s Geologic Podcast (i.e.- the best free thing on the internets) just turned 100. With one every week (give or take), that’s roughly 2 solid years of putting out an almost album’s worth of comedy and musical goodness every stinkin’ week!? Check him out:
http://geologicpodcast.com/
http://geologicrecords.com/
Oh, and he’s working on album #6… which is oh so nice…
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And according to the prophecies and the motto of “screen shot or it didn’t happen,” I present you with this gem of “based on their track record, it probably won’t actually come out on time“… the Secret Chiefs 3 have a live DVD coming out in “March” on Web of Mimicry:
We shall see…
~Dan – np: Baby Animals – Shaved and Dangerous
Masada in March @ Yoshi’s
I wish it weren’t during tax season (or) that I weren’t a CPA (or) that I lived closer…
These Zornfest dates were posted on Erik Friedlander’s website. It’s not on Yoshi’s website yet (too soon), but the Dreamers and Electric Masada sets are confirmed on bassist Trevor Dunn’s performance listing. Eleven (or more) sets of Masada and Masada-based music spread over six days by six different groups. This line-up looks totally freaking AMAZING…
ZORN FEST 2009 at Yoshi’s in Oakland, CA (changed to San Fran)
http://sf.yoshis.com/sf/jazzclub (tickets on sale now)
March 10 – The Secret Chiefs 3 Play Masada
March 11 – Masada String Trio – 2 sets
March 12 – Masada Quintet – 2 sets
March 13 – Bar Kokhba Sextet – 2 sets
March 14 – The Dreamers – 2 sets
March 15 – Electric Masada – 2 sets
Seriously, guys… come on… you’re killin’ me… it couldn’t have been one month later? :)
~Dan – np: Miles Davis – Get Up With It
Favorite Concerts of 2008
Well, shockingly, I don’t have any concerts on the calendar for December 2008 (next up is Zappa Plays Zappa on Jan 2nd). Of course, Sam Bond’s may book a jazz show that I don’t find out about until a week prior. Eh, anyway, I’ve seen 42 concerts and 91* artists perform so far in 2008 (which is oddly considered a “slow year” for me).
Assuming no other shows pop up out of nowhere and blow me away, here are my favorite concerts for 2008:
- Extreme & King’s X – Union Center Blvd Bash – Cincinnati, OH {10 Aug} [review with pictures]
- Jude Christodal, opener: Ryan Andrew – Aladdin Theater – Portland, OR {6 June} [review with pictures]
- Secret Chiefs 3 with Secret Chefs 3, Diminished Men – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR {3 Aug} [review with pictures]
- Sigur Rós with Parachutes – Arlene Schnitzer Hall – Portland, OR {6 Oct} [review with pictures]
- Ornette Coleman – Arlene Schnitzer Hall/PDX Jazz Fest – Portland, OR {15 Feb} [review]
- SFJazz Collective with Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon and more focusing on the music of Wayne Shorter – Newmark Theatre/PDX Jazz Fest – Portland, OR {15 Feb} [review]
- Ani DiFranco, openers: Animal Prufrock, Judy Grahn – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR {16 Apr} [review]
- My Brightest Diamond with Clare & the Reasons – W.O.W. Hall – Eugene, OR {21 Nov} [review with pictures]
- Nellie McKay, opener: Amorèe Lovell – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR {15 Aug} [review with pictures]
- Orange Tulip Conspiracy – Samurai Duck – Eugene, OR {17 Nov} [review with pictures]
- Bill Frisell / Eyvind Kang / Rudy Royston – The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts – Eugene, OR {7 June} [review with pictures]
- Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket with J.Kingham – W.O.W. Hall – Eugene, OR {21 Feb} [review]
- Branford Marsalis and the Philharmonia Brasileira – The Hult Center – Eugene, OR {2 Oct} [review]
- Medeski Martin & Wood – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR {15 Nov} [review with pictures]
- Talkdemonic with Heavenly Oceans – Sam Bond’s Garage – Eugene, OR {9 Feb} [review]
Runners Up: God of Shamisen at Samurai Duck, EARTH at WOW Hall, Radiohead at White River Amphitheatre, Skerik’s McTuff & Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio at Sam Bond’s Garage, and Raquy and the Cavemen at Cozmic Pizza.
Shows I’m bummed I missed… Beck in Bend, Tegan & Sara in Salem and/or Portland, Sunn 0))) in Portland, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (twice) in Eugene, Glen Phillips in Portland, Chali 2Na & Ozomatli in Portland, Steven Bernstein’s Millenium Territory Orchestra at Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Fest, and next week’s Charlie Hunter in Portland (I wish it weren’t on a Monday). :( Oh well, maybe next year…
Of my concert photos this year, I think these are my faves (in no particular order):
- Jude Christodal
- Silhouetted Secret Chiefs 3
- Jason Schimmel & Timb Harris from Secret Chiefs 3
- Sunspot Doug Pinnick & Ty Tabor from King’s X
- Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme
- Nellie McKay
- Ninja, laser-eyes Lee Smith from God of Shamisen
- Jónsi Birgisson from Sigur Rós
I’m definitely looking forward to 2009… Dweezil Zappa & Co playing Frank’s music, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, the SF Jazz Collective (with Dave Douglas & Joe Lovano), and Madeleine Peyroux are already on the calendar…
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Film Works XXII: The Last Supper
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*– This was also the first year in 11 years that I haven’t seen Over the Rhine. I wish I was able to make it to their reunion show with Ric Hordinski, but alas, I shan’t be able to go.
Past Concert Fave Recap: 2007
REVIEW: Jason Schimmel’s Orange Tulip Conspiracy @ Samurai Duck (Eugene, OR – – 11/17/08)
FYI… my PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Samurai Duck on a Monday night… ugh… but it was for a good cause. It was to see Jason Schimmel’s Orange Tulip Conspiracy (hereafter “OTC”). I’d seen Jason thrice prior (with Estradasphere once and with Secret Chiefs 3 twice). I fought the late night start to the week, the sleepiness, the sticky bar, and deep fried pizza (shudder). Egads, why did I let myself be sucked in by $3 fried pizza? I mean, sweet muscular Jesus… why!? It was wrong on too many levels…
Anyway, OTC went on around 10pm, or at least I thought. They were just foolin’, as I think Jason was setting up his Mac to tape the show and needed some levels. They went on for real around 10:20 and played until just about 11:30. I’m bad with the song names on instrumental bands, but they played most of the music from their eponymous debut CD. They also played a Django Reinhardt tune like no Django I’d previously heard (it was pretty fun, fast & furious). Hot Club de France was usually fun & furious, but not so fast… it was fun to OTC stretch it out at the end, too…
(click for larger)
The band was made up of bandleader Jason Schimmel (on guitars & swanky hat), John Whooley (on saxes & keys, an original Estradasphere member), Dan Robbins (on basses), Zach Cline (on guitar) and Lee Smith (on drums). John Whooley really ripped it up, and the live show was very much more sax-oriented than I remembered the CD being. It makes me wish I’d seen the earlier incarnation of Estradasphere (even though the current incarnation is excellent). Lee Smith also seemed more comfortable because he didn’t have to start his set in a ninja costume…
The 70 minute set was full of rockin’ jazz-infused tunes. Very swingy in spots, but Jason also pulled out a 7-string for a chunky low-end on a song. If John Petrucci (from Dream Theater) has taught me anything, it’s that I love me some 7-string. The night was full of what my wife might call a band in an “identity crisis,” but that’s exactly what I love about bands in which I’ve seen Jason play – – they’re full of energy & musical chops. OTC aren’t afraid to just push the envelope. They enjoy ripping it open like a birthday card from a rich Aunt. :)
The live show was pretty awesome, and the album is fantastic. It’s quite frankly in the running for faves of the year. It can (and should) be bought via Web of Mimicry/Lobefood (click the picture below):
The Appropriate Linkage:
Where they’re heading next on this 2008 West Coast Tour?
Nov 18 2008 – On the Y, Sacramento, California
Nov 19 2008 – Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz, California
Nov 20 2008 – The Ruby Room, San Diego, California
Nov 21 2008 – The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, California
Nov 22 2008 – Hotel Utah, San Francisco, California
~Dan – np: Zakarya – The True Story Concerning Martin Behaim
-and- Ellery – You Did Everything Right -EP-
ORANGE TULIP CONSPIRACY CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
Vladimir Bozar ‘n’ Ze Sheraf Orkestar
new music alert
Vladimir Bozar ‘n’ Ze Sheraf Orkestar‘s Universal Sprache is one of those albums that is hard to define. Vladimir Bozar started as an offshoot from a French Frank Zappa cover band, The Children of Invention. Their last gig was Vladimir Bozar’s first gig. The music on this debut CD is a great mix of the insanity that comes from artists like Frank Zappa, Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3, and to some extent John Zorn.
Clearly not for the purveyor of “pop” music, this is a very imposingly hard to digest collection of great sounds that I wouldn’t necessarily call “songs.” With that being said… I love it. It jots and tittles across your mind, and right when you start getting into the groove… it slaps you upside the mouth, buzzes up your leg, claws through your pant leg and sits down like a puppy who wants to be petted, then zooms off for an espresso.
Metal, punk, classical music, jazz, movie sound, Tzigane music, electronic, and spoken word. This Ritalin-side effect gang of misfits has toured in Europe with Trey Spruance’s Secret Chiefs 3, as well as the stripped down Estradasphere Trio. Trey Spruance said of Vladimir Bozar ‘n’ Ze Sheraf Orkestar that “obviously, this music is composed of lunatics hopelessly.” :)
The album, Universal Sprache, was recorded in Estradasphere’s Seattle studio with Tim Smolens recording, Tim Smolens and Jason Schimmel* mixing, and Timb Harris contributing trumpet, TIm Smolens contributing bass & vocals, and Jason Schimmel contributing mandolin.
*– Speaking of Jason Schimmel, I’m stoked for his amazing Orange Tulip Conspiracy tour coming through Eugene, Oregon, next week… November 17th @ Samurai Duck.
Vladimir Bozar ‘n’ Ze Sheraf Orkestar are planning to tour Europe and (hopefully) the US in 2009. In the meantime, you can hear clips of the album on MySpace and order it from iTunes, EMusic, Rhapsody, et cetera… or physical CDs via Estradasphere’s Lobefood mail order should be coming soon (not yet, though).
The band is:
- Djé de Vence (Jérome Simond)-Clavier/Sequencer/Accordion
- B’hz (cédric Benard)-Drum
- Cyro (Cyril Torres)-Guitar/back vocal/kazoo
- Mina (Jasmina Barra)-Bass/vocal
- Pedral (Pierre Lacasa)-Lead vocal/mandolin
On the web:
- http://www.myspace.com/vladimirbozar
- http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=179208
- http://www.estradasphere.com/ (their recording buddies)
~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – One Shot Deal
REVIEW: God of Shamisen @ Samurai Duck (Eugene, OR – – 9/11/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Well, before the show, I was kind of bummed, as Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco’s upright bassinator) was playing a show at Sam Bond’s in Eugene last night as well. GOS totally won, but Todd would have put on a great show as well. Anyway, I swung by Sam Bond’s before heading over to the Samurai Duck… to pick up Todd’s new CD, Tiny Resistors. I figured I might as well support indie jazz artists. Alas, the doorman told me that Todd had to cancel. Bummer… well, maybe he’ll reschedule, though I think he’s from New York; so maybe it’s just not meant to be this time around.
a great cartoon GOS by Rulo Barrera
On to the venue… hmmm… what to say about the Samurai Duck. Well, you can get fried pizza. Um… ick… I opted for a Blue Moon & a bag of pretzels. The rest of the menu was faintly “asian,” but nothing I’d really consider to be all that interesting. This place is definitely a dive metal bar, but they’ve got a decent stage, and the bands got set-up / switched over between sets really quick – which is a major plus, especially for a late night show.
The 1st opener, Deosyl, was really good. I had never heard of them, but they’re from Eugene. They were an instrumental rock/metal trio. They were all very good musicians. The guitarist seemed to have some great chops, in the vein of Dream Theater’s John Petrucci or Dimebag Darryl or a breed of the two. Great stuff…
I saw GOS’s Kevin Kmetz warming up with his shamisen in between the openers’ sets…
Shat came on next, around 11pm. I was a fan of their prior to this show. I mean, we go way back… we’re the bestest of MySpace friends. Or something. Well, I first heard of Shat via the (now defunct) Coma Lilies. They are connected to Righteous Gabe Records…
Which is absotively-posilutely supposed to confuse you with Righteous Babe Records. They make music very much unlike Ani DiFranco, though. :) Very much… crazy, spastic, turrets syndrome-induced rock. Oh, I think they’re also linked to the international smash hit “Tonight Tonight Tonight Tonight.” Or maybe just linked via Righteous Gabe… Anyway, they put on a lively show. They’re from Portland; so I’ll likely get to see them again.
God of Shamisen went on right around midnight. I was tired, but doing OK. I work right across the street; so I had popped over there to get a Coke. :) God of Shamisen is Kevin Kmetz on tsugaru-shamisen, Karl Schnaitter on guitars, Mark Thornton on bass, and Lee “ninja” Smith on drums. They played a great set, and it was well worth staying through a late night and two openers to see them play. I also got to pick up their new CD, Dragon String Attack. I’ve been listening to it today at work, and it’s great. My favorite track so far is “The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack!”
The CD (click the picture for more info):
The Set List: (with adjustments by Mark from GOS*)
- Traditional (Kevin solo)
- Bad Dog Attack
- The Prisoner (called “The Village Attack” on the CD*)
- Tar Bomb Attack (not recorded yet*)
- Ripe Fruit Attack
- Stacie’s Song (for Kevin’s s/o)
- Dragon String Attack
- Mary Jane (with Danyl Johnson)
- The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack
- Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls* (with Christian from Shat)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/gos
- http://www.godofshamisen.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/shaturdaynight
- http://www.myspace.com/righteousgabereocords
- http://www.myspace.com/deosyl
The Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is on for tonight. I’m excited. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a few years, but missed them when they came to Eugene in the spring, because I was at the Ani DiFranco/Judy Grahn/Animal Prufrock show down the street at the same night. Well, JFJO coming back to town 5 months later is a-OK with me.
~Dan – np: Jeff Ament – Tone
GOD OF SHAMISEN CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
God of Shamisen – a pimpin’ I shall do…
OK… God of Shamisen, great band, gonna get to see ’em on Thursday. They’ve got a new CD, Dragon String Attack. It’s their 1st CD. It’s out now. If you don’t happen to live near where they’re playing on this tour, you can order it online with the easy-peasy PayPals. This is directly from the artist to your ears. Support indie musics!! Check ’em out online: http://www.myspace.com/gos
The CD (click the picture for more info):
The Shirt (click the picture for more info):
The Tour:
Sep 8 2008 THE FUNHOUSE – w/ the Diminished Men Seattle, Washington
Sep 9 2008 DUNES – w/ SHAT and Circuit Breaking Silence Portland, Oregon
Sep 10 2008 JOHNNY B’s Medford, Oregon
Sep 11 2008 SAMURAI DUCK Eugene, Oregon
Sep 12 2008 CRUX ARTIST COLLECTIVE Chico, California
Sep 13 2008 THE FISHTANK – w/ Shamalamacord Oakland, California
Sep 14 2008 THE SCENE (new venue!) Glendale, California
Sep 16 2008 AUDIE’S OLYMPIC / CLUB FRED – w/ Brian Kenney Fresno and Foxycock Fresno, California
Sep 17 2008 BLUE LAGOON – w/ We Be The Echo and Happy Meal Santa Cruz, California
Sep 18 2008 RASPUTINS RECORDS free in-store Mountain View, California
Sep 19 2008 BOTTOM OF THE HILL – w/ We Be The Echo and Headshear San Francisco, California
If you live in Eugene, OR, see you on Thursday… if you know what’s good for you. :)
~Dan – np: Medeski Martin & Wood plays John Zorn’s Masada Book Two – Zaebos
You down with OTC?
Jason Schimmel, from Estradasphere (and the recent Secret Chiefs 3 live incarnation), has a lovely new album out now… Orange Tulip Conspiracy. It’s available directly from Web of Mimicry (SC3’s label), but oddly not yet from Lobefood (Estradasphere’s distro) or Amazon (a large women & rainforest wholesaler). I picked it up at the Portland SC3 gig, and I absolutely LOVE IT. Behind SC3’s Xaphan, it’s probably my #2 album of 2008 so far.
Well, apparently the OTC is going to tour. YAY! The tour is going to feature Jason Schimmel (guitar/ keys), John Whooley (sax, an original Estradasphere member), Dan Robbins (bass), Zach Cline (guitar/ keys) and Lee Smith (drums).
Here are the dates and cities (subject to change):
Saturday Nov 15- Seattle, WA @ Rendezvous
Sunday Nov 16- Portland, OR @ Dante’s
Monday Nov 17- Eugene, OR @ Samurai Duck :)
Tuesday Nov 18- Sacramento, CA @ On the Y
Wednesday Nov 19- Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
Friday Nov 21- Los Angeles, CA @ The Knitting Factory
http://www.myspace.com/orangetulipconspiracy
http://www.myspace.com/estradasphere
Jason needs help with opening band slots and additional venues in or around the cities above. If you are in a band or know of any good venues, contact him through either the OTC or Estradasphere MySpace pages (above).
~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Trance-Fusion
REVIEW: Secret Chiefs 3 @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – – 8/3/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
The Doug Fir Lounge is an excellent venue in Portland. Pretty good sound, big enough stage, and a weird/comforting log cabin motif… a tout les monde aime l’arbre…
Primer: Secret Chiefs 3 was an offshoot from Mr. Bungle (but have now outlived MB). They play middle-eastern-influenced world/progressive metal musics. Secret Chefs 3 (no “i”) is a band that one might say is an homage to the Chiefs, and they play world music/avant-garde songs with instruments made from ordinary household items (see Ken Jacobson‘s creations in the Chefs’ MySpace photos).
1st opener… The Secret Chefs 3 (again, no “i”) is made up of Steve Parris (bass paddle), Julie Baldridge (crutch fiddle), Scott Adams (kettlevina / percussion), Rick Isotalo (drums), and Ken Jacobson (paddle / percussion). They were pretty damn good, but played far too short of a set (20-25 minutes). The drums were trash cans and water jugs. The bass and guitars were oars. There was a violin made from a crutch. Per Ken Jacobson, a string broke on it; so Julie had to switch to a regular violin for the rest of the set. The Chefs were more avant-garde than I was expecting… which was thoroughly entertaining. Trey and many of the other Chiefs came out to watch the Chefs’ set as well.
Secret Chefs 3 Setlist: (per their pre-show MySpace blog)
- Ritual of the Bowls
- Advieh (the Spice)
- Kettlevina Sadaqa
- Book of Tea: Lapsang Souchong
- Discotheque at the Gates of Jahannam
- Fruit of the Zaqqum
2nd opener… Diminished Men were quite good as well. They started out as a trio (guitar, bass, drums) and were joined by a saxophonist for about half of their set. I guess I’d describe their sound as rock instrumental with a heavy touch of exotica/surf guitars. Nice sound, but I couldn’t hear the sax too much in the mix. It may have been due to where I was standing, but I wandered out for a few minutes and didn’t notice much change. They played for about 45 minutes of smoke-machine filled fury… I was right by the guitarist, and got a face full of smoke/steam most of their set. At least it smelled pretty much like water. Great sound, despite the smoke. :)
The Closer… The Secret Chiefs 3 (led by a very bearded and cloaked Trey Spruance of Mr. Bungle “fame”) were fantastic. This was my second time seeing them, and my first time seeing them play a full “headliner” set. WOW… they played without much stopping for around 75-80 minutes. They started out with Jason (bass), Trey (sas) and Peijman (drums) playing “Medieval.” And they didn’t let up much until the ender “Renunciation”… the lineup for the SC3 this time around was Trey Spruance (sas, guitars), Timb Harris (violin, guitar, keys, trumpet), Jason Schimmel (bass, keys), Rich Doucette (sarangi, bass, guitar), Jai Young Kim (keys), and Peijman Kouretchian (drums). Timb and Jason are in a Web of Mimicry/SC3 brother band, Estradasphere. I picked up Jason’s new side-project (as well as the Chefs -EP-), Orange Tulip Conspiracy. Wow… it’s rad.
Secret Chiefs 3 Setlist:*
- Medieval
- The 15
- Vajra
- Personnae: Halloween
- Zulfikar
- The 4 (Great Ishraqi Sun)
- Bereshith
- Castle of Sand
- Fast
- Assassin’s Blade
- Dolorous Stroke
- Brazen Serpent
- The 3 (Afghan Song)
- Encore: Renunciation
*– Outside of a few songs, I’m shit for remembering their song titles. Luckily, I was close enough to Timb’s setlist to take a picture and scrawl the info down.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/secretchiefs3
- http://www.webofmimicry.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/secretchefs3
- http://www.myspace.com/diminishedmen
- http://www.dougfirlounge.com/
- My blog about SC3’s Xaphan
- My blog review of SC3 in NYC (Mar 2007)
Great show, all around… if you want to hear some Secret Chiefs 3, check them out on iTunes. I recommend all of their stuff, but I guess for newbies, I could limit it to: Ship of Fools (Stone of Exile), Renunciation, The 4 (Great Ishraqi Sun), Book T: Exodus, Assassin’s Blade, Zulkifar / Zulfikar / Zulfiqar III, Jabalqa / Jabarsa… or check out their Xaphan album on other music shops that may have samples (it’s not on iTunes, yet). Xaphan is my fav CD of 2008, so far.
~Dan – np: Greydon Square – The CPT Theorem
SECRET CHEFS 3 (6 pics), DIMINISHED MEN (6 pics)
& SECRET CHIEFS 3 (34 pics)
CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz
slow news day… how ’bout a Mr. Bungle song arranged for high school percussion ensemble… in a non-crappy kinda way?
Magnolia High School’s percussion arrangement of “Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz” from Mr. Bungle‘s Disco Volante:
(c. 1995, written by Trey Spruance)
ha’fway
(Sub)consciously prompted by this music blog, here are my favs of the first half of 2008… it’s all bound to switch around by year’s end:
Artist Album (label)
- The Secret Chiefs 3 play Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 9: Xaphan (Tzadik)
- The Bar Kokhba Sextet play Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 10: Lucifer (Tzadik)
- My Brightest Diamond A Thousand Shark’s Teeth (Asthmatic Kitty)
- Opeth Watershed (RoadRunner)
- Earth The Bees Make Honey in the Lion’s Skull (Southern Lord)
- Dave Douglas & Keystone Live at Jazz Standard, 4/10/2008 to 4/13/2008 (2 sets each night = 8 CDs worth, each set downloadable within 24 hours of the performance… cool stuff…) (Green Leaf)
- Sigur Rós Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (XL)
- Reptet Chicken or Beef? (Monktail Creative Music Concern)
- John Zorn’s The Dreamers (Tzadik)
- King’s X XV (Inside Out)
- Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) Secrets of the New Explorers -EP- (Umami)
- Ashes Divide (Bill Howerdel of A Perfect Circle) Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright (Island)
- Mike Patton A Perfect Place (Ipecac)
- Puscifer V is for Viagra – The Remixes (Puscifer)
- Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey Lil’ Tae Rides Again (Hyena)
- Bill Frisell History, Mystery (Nonesuch)
- Steven Bernstein (of Sex Mob) Diaspora Suite (Tzadik)
- Hiromi Beyond Standard (Telarc)
- Stebmo Stebmo (Stebmo)
- Bobby Previte & New Bump New Bump: Set the Alarm for Monday (Palmetto)
- Swami Late Plate (Previte & Saft) Doom Jazz (Veal)
- Porcupine Tree We Lost the Skyline -EP- (Transmission)
- Raquy and the Cavemen Mischief (Meef)
- Aimee Mann @#%&*! Smilers (Super Ego)
- Kaki King Dreaming of Revenge (Velour)
The 2nd half of 2008 promises to bring some potential great ones, too… Medeski Martin & Wood play John Zorn’s Masada Book Two, 3 other Medeski Martin & Wood albums (later in the year), Secret Chiefs 3 Book of Souls (maybe), God of Shamisen debut, Extreme Saudades de Rock, Mike Patton‘s Mondo Cane, Mike Patton & Dan the Automator’s Crudo, a new Sufjan Stevens (just speculating, since it’s been a while), Ben Folds is working on one, Ani DiFranco always has something coming out, Jude‘s Cuba, Jon Madof‘s CircuitBreaker debut (and maybe another Rashanim?), The Tango Saloon‘s Transylvania, new Tristeza, Over the Rhine Live from Nowhere III, David Bazan full-length, George Hrab (maybe?), SFJazz 2008 with Dave Douglas & Joe Lovano and others, Frank Zappa‘s One Shot Deal, another installment of the John Zorn avant-metal trio of Mike Patton/Trevor Dunn/Joey Baron… and I’m sure another dozen or more that I’ll dig from Tzadik.
Scrt Chfs 3
If vowels didn’t exist, this sentence would be idiotic. If vowels also didn’t exist, it would seem that Scrt Chfs 3 were opening for Scrt Chfs 3… or perhaps… Scrt Chfs 3 wr pnng fr Scrt Chfs 3. Gd thng thy d xst…
The Portland show (Oregon… eff you, Maine) of the Secret Chiefs 3 mini tour has openers of the Diminished Men and Secret Chefs 3 (a tribute band who play the SC3-style of world metal/rock with kitchen utensils).
Sunday, August 3rd. Doug Fir Lounge. 3 grt bnds.
Assuming I’m not far away for work, I’m planning on making it up from Eugene for the show.
http://dougfirlounge.com/
http://www.myspace.com/secretchiefs3
http://www.myspace.com/secretchefs3
http://www.myspace.com/DIMINISHEDMEN
Nooch.
~Dan
ALBUM REVIEW: Xaphan, Book of Angels Vol. 9 ~ The Secret Chiefs 3 play Masada Book Two
Got this album in the mail the other day… I’ve four times through it, and since I imagine it will hold up fairly well as far as albums go this year, it deserves the ol’ track-by-track analysis…
Xaphan, Book of Angels Volume 9
The Secret Chiefs 3 play Masada Book Two
Masada Book Two – Background: John Zorn had a fantastic jazz-klez quartet called Masada. It was John Zorn on alto sax, Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on bass, and Joey Baron on drums (sometimes Kenny Wollesen of the Sex Mob filled in on drums). They recorded 10+ studio albums in the mid-1990s, and they played live consistently up until March 2007. They may play a one-off in the future, but their Lincoln Center shows last spring were their final bow, as it were. I saw it, yay! The initial 10 studio albums by Masada are hardish to find (Japanese import label DIW), but they have many live and previously unreleased stuff on John’s own Tzadik Records, like Sanhedrin (below):
Anyway, sometime in the early 2000s, John Zorn started several splinter Masada or Masada-esque groups (Electric Masada, Masada String Trio, Bar Kokhba Sextet). He also wrote upwards of 300 additional Masada tunes that were not to go into acoustic Masada repertoire, but rather go into the “Masada Book Two. ” Different artists get these tunes (in the form of melody sheets of about 16 bars of music), and they arrange and record their version of John Zorn’s Masada Book Two tunes. Favorites in the past have been Marc Ribot, Koby Israelite, Cracow Klezmer Band, Bar Kokhba Sextet, et cetera…
Xaphan Personnel: Trey Spruance: guitars, organs, percussion, synths, autoharp, piano, bass; Timb Harris: violin, trumpet; Jason Schimmel: guitar; Anonymous 13: voice, viola; Rich Doucette: sarangi; Jai Young Kim: B3 organ; Shahzad Ismaily: bass; Ches Smith: drums, congas; with special guests Adam Stacey: clavinet; Monica Schley: harp; and Tim Smolens: cello, upright bass. ie- people from the latest incarnations of Secret Chiefs 3, Estradasphere, Mr. Bungle, Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, Carla Kihlstedt’s 2 Foot Yard, yadda yadda…
photo credits: Peter Gannushkin / Theremin Noise Club / Jae
The Xaphan Songs: (all written by John Zorn & arranged by Trey Spruance)
- Sheburiel ~ Nice surf/exotica about 30 seconds in, which transitions into a delightful string melody with surf guitar reminiscent of something from the Electric Masada catalog. Overall, this is quite a schizophrenic song, but nice textures… it’s a prelude for what’s to come in the rest of the record.
- Akramachamarei ~ Very much a spaghetti-western-meets-middle-east vibe on this track. I dig it. The title sounds like an interesting mixed drink (something along the lines of okra-infused vodka bloody mary with a sprig of mâche instead of celery). Oh, and if you don’t know what mâche is, well, it’s a delightfully nutty leaf in the lettuce family. So, yeah, spaghetti-western-meets-middle-eastern bloody mary concoctions all around!! And any band naming themselves Okra-infused Vodka, you owe me royalties. OK, back to the music…
- Shoel ~ Conga intro… keys, dub beats, and fuzz-guitar. Nice. Like at least 2-days of stubble on the guitars. Back into clean spag-west guitar… yeah, know, pretty soon, I’m running out of descriptions and adjectives beyond “cool,” “neato,” and “nice tom work, Ches.” I’m not a musician; so that’s the best you get, fools. This is one of my favorite tracks so far.
- Barakiel ~ Slowish, clean guitar entry with some slide, harp, and genteel vocals… moving into a bouncier spag-west guitar, but still with ethereal strings and piano.
- Bezriel ~ Oooo… Trey’s bringing the rock into it. Good interplay between the calm-before-the-storm viola and/or violin with the guitar chunk and vocal haunts. The last half of the track features some more strings and less of the chunk (oh, wait, I lied… it ends with the chunk). :) Another one of my favorite tracks.
- Kemuel ~ Bungle-y circus organ into swirling drum-guitar-vocal passage into a dirty string solo.
- Labbiel ~ Interesting time signature interplay between the guitars and drums.
- Asron ~ Aw geez, I just lost the game. I zoned out to the great music and forgot to write about it. Bad reviewer, bad reviewer. Anyway, back to the music. Nice violin and guitars to end it.
- Balberith ~ Starts with a great melodic bass line with some fuzz/scratch guitar. Ah, the trumpet finally kicks in. Nice stuff, Timb. This could fit on Zorn’s The Dreamers or Electric Masada nicely. That’s a compliment. :) Another one of my favs on this record.
- Omael ~ Add some xylophone, and I’d say the intro to this fits into a Zappa catalog. :) This is a faster-paced song… for the SC3 bellydancer contingent, don’t pick this. Your legs might fall off. This one has some great percussion and more trumpet. I’m getting lost in the sounds, but I’m digging it.
- Hamaya ~ Clean exotica guitar intro, organ, vocal chants (something about tostadas?). Oh, a seemingly (to me) “The Exile” or “Book T: Exodus” strings-n-guitars moment about 1 minute in… nice. Nice melty fade that sucks me back into… g-to-the-d, why is it 84 degrees in my house!? Sometimes I hate renting a house in Oregon that does have A/C. Anyway, a great end to a great album.
I recommend you take some listens on MySpace, Amazon, and iTunes (when they get it)… and support good music if you like what you hear. It’s currently available at Web of Mimicry, Downtown Music Gallery, and Amazon (to name a few). I don’t do the track-by-track treatment on just any record… this is a special record.
Any musical review faux pas above? Eh, I’m not a musician. My ears my have defied me brain, matey. For Secret Chiefs 3 fans, I suppose this more relates to a Ur / Ishraqiyun / Forms / Traditionalists musical offering? I dunno which one moreso than the others. Any thoughts from you WoM boardies?
Fav tracks: Shoel (#3), Bezriel (#5), Balberith (#9), and Hamaya (#11).
Recommended if you like: world music, middle eastern music, progressive music with a bellydance beat, ADHD prescriptions, Secret Chiefs 3, Estradasphere, Mr. Bungle, John Zorn, et al… it’s very much a Secret Chiefs 3 record, but probably one of their more “accessible” ones (as well as being an accessible John Zorn-penned album). User friendly, middle-eastern rock-romp through a mad alchemist’s mind (Trey is a brilliant musician, IMO). This is my favorite in John Zorn’s Masada Book Two series, and that’s saying a lot (I love all 10 of the series thus far).
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Secret Chiefs 3’s Website (pleasing design, not realistic from a PR side of things)
- Secret Chiefs 3 on MySpace
- Web of Mimicry (Trey’s label)
- Tzadik Records (John Zorn’s label, released Xaphan)
- Tzadik on MySpace (unofficial but approved)
- John Zorn on MySpace (unofficial but approved)
- Other key Xaphan players on MySpace… Estradasphere, Ches Smith…
~Dan – np: Susie Ibarra – Drum Sketches
The Masada Book Two Series (to date):
new Secret Chiefs 3 tour dates
I imagine these tour dates, as they trickle in, are all about “making their way back home after a festival.” Alas, the fact that they’re swinging by my way is FANTASTIC…
Secret Chiefs 3
Fri, 7/25/08 – Detroit Lakes, MN -Soo Pass Ranch “10,000 Lakes Festival”
Sat, 7/26/08 – Milwaukee, WI -Turner’s Ballroom
Sun, 7/27/08 – Chicago, IL – Double Door
Thu, 7/31/08 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater new date
Fri, 8/01/08 – Salt Lake City, UT – Club Paladium new date
Sun, 8/03/08 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge new date yay!
http://www.webofmimicry.com/
http://www.myspace.com/secretchiefs3
Their latest record, Xaphan: Masada Book Two Vol 9, is FANTASTIC…
~Dan
Mark my words… best CD of 2008…
I’m not a bettin’ man, but I’ll bet you a hundred ducks that Secret Chiefs 3‘s Masada Book Two, Volume 9: Xaphan will be one of my favorite CDs of 2008 (likely Top 3 to be safe)… and it’s not even out yet.
Per a recent SC3 blog, it hits April 11th (from Tzadik-direct Downtown Music Gallery) or later in the month at other outlets (April 22nd or so from Amazon, etc), and a “Masada preview” is now posted on their MySpace page.
The Masada Book Two series is comprised of 300 or so songs that John Zorn wrote in the Masada vein, but not for the Masada quartet to play. A different artist arranges and records a handful of these tunes to make them theirs… so far, the results have been great (Marc Ribot, Cracow Klezmer, Koby Israelite to name a few). Xaphan (aka Volume 9 from Secret Chiefs 3) features arranger Trey Spruance, plus musicians from his latest SC3 tour, members from Estradasphere, and more…
http://www.myspace.com/secretchiefs3
Up next in the Masada Book Two series is Volume 10: Lucifer from Bar Kokhba which will likely also hit a top spot on my CDs for 2008. It’s Bar Kokhba’s first studio release since The Circle Maker in 1998.
~Dan – np: Bill Moyer’s Journal podcast interview with Susan Jacoby
Another Wave of Fave (2007)
My Other Favorites of 2007 Recaps:
* Fav Concerts of ’07 are recapped *HERE*
* Fav Local / Vinyl / Internet-Only / Podcasts of ’07 are *HERE*
Well, this “Round 3” is decidedly less flashy (sans pics)… I’ve got too much homework to do to be putzing around on my 2007 pontifications… :-) I have included MySpace links for artists represented on MySpace, whether officially or fictionally represented (just click their names and check out their stuff).
Favorite EPs
1) Porcupine Tree – Nil Recurring
2) Holy Fuck – Holy Fuck
3) Kelly Evans – Easy
4) The Album Leaf – Green Tour
5) Auragami – +/-
6) Sia – Lady Croissant
7t) Sarah Masen – Magic That Works
7t) Sarah Masen – A History of Lights and Shadows
7t) Sarah Masen – Woman’s Work is Alchemy
8 ) Múm – The Peel Session
Favorite Compilations/Re-issues
1) Secret Chiefs 3 – Path of Most Resistance: In History and Presence
2) Ani DiFranco – Canon
3) Sigur Rós – Hvarf-Heim
4) Peter Mulvey – Notes From Elsewhere : solo acoustic
5) Derek Webb – One Zero (Acoustic & Remixes)
hm) Nick Drake – Family Tree
Favorite Live Albums
1) Dave Douglas Quintet – Live at the Jazz Standard
2) Ken Andrews – Never Say Never – Tour CD
3) Ellery – What I’ve Said Out Loud
4) Dub Trio – Cool Out and Coexist
5) The Cracow Klezmer Band – Remembrance: Live in Warsaw
hm) Ani DiFranco – Boston, 11.10.06
hm) Over the Rhine – Live from Nowhere Farm, Volume Two
Favorite Music-related DVDs (huge tie for 5th, obviously a rigged election… or a sign of getting too many DVD for xmas from family)
1) Sigur Rós – Heima
2) Silverchair – Across the Great Divide
3) That1Guy and the Magic Pipe – Live in the Land of OZ (late-late 2006 release)
4) Ellery – An Evening with Ellery
5t) Ben Folds – Live at MySpace
5t) Estradasphere – Palace of Mirrors Live
5t) Incubus – Look Alive
5t) Kaada / Patton – Live
My final two rounds (Fave Instrumental & Fave Vocal Albums) should be posted next week or so. Yeah, I know. Whatever. :-)
~Dan – np: Crunchy – Loserville
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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