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RECAP: Glen Phillips @ Stageit Sofa Sundays (Santa Barbara, CA – 11/27/11)
Glen Phillips (from Toad the Wet Sprocket & Works Progress Administration) has been doing what he calls “Sofa Sundays” on Stageit.com for a couple months now. I didn’t know what it was all about until the last one (after it happened). He sits down in his living room and plays (at least) 30 minutes of music directly to his computer-connected audience. His shows thus far have cost only $3, and you can pay more (in tips) – but it’s limited to the first 250 people who buy tickets. You can make requests and also chat with others in “attendance.” Here’s what he played…
11/27/11 Setlist: ~50 minutes
- Train Wreck
- Nanci [Toad the Wet Sprocket]
- The Next Day
- Back On My Feet
- I Still Love You
- Cry For You [WPA]
- I Will Not Take These Things For Granted [Toad]
- Don’t Need Anything [fast version]
- Thankful
- Rainbow Connection/I’m Going To Go Back There Someday [teasers only]
- End This Now
- Good Intentions [Toad]
- Redemption Song [Bob Marley]
- Windmills
Easily the best $3 plus tip I’ve ever spent for live music. From here on out, if I’m around, I’m IN. He mentioned after “Train Wreck” in response to some requests, that he’ll do a show in the near future that’s more request oriented on songs that he doesn’t necessarily know off hand (i.e.- he’ll practice).
Stay tuned… the next Sofa Sunday might even be next week!
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Glen’s Site
- Glen’s Facebook / Twitter
- Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Site / Facebook
- Glen’s Stageit page
- My Prior Related Reviews~
- Toad @ Bend Summer Fest (Bend – July 2011)
- Toad @ Crystal Ballroom (Portland – July 2010)
- W.P.A. @ WOW Hall (Eugene – Sept 2009)
- Glen solo @ WOW Hall (Eugene – Feb 2008)
~Dan – np: Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Glen Phillips & Sean Watkins / WPA – “4×4” EP (2011)
Glen Phillips & Sean Watkins project Works Progress Administration just put out a new EP, entitled 4×4, with buddies Sebastian Steinberg and Jerry Roe.
2. Don’t Say You Love Me 03:22
3. It’s Over Now 02:47
4. Wild Side 02:40
Four friends, four songs, most of a day, many tacos.
released 05 March 2011
Made by WPA
Mixed by Jerry Roe at Ed.
Glen Phillips – vocals, guitar
Jerry Roe – drums, vocals
Sebastian Steinberg – bass, vocals
Sean Watkins – vocals, guitar
$4, that’s all. http://wpamusic.bandcamp.com/
2009 mix
Well, thanks to a certain bigwig, I got off of my duff to make a mix CD for his round robin dealio. No major theme this time like prior mixes… the only rule I placed before myself was that everything is current (i.e.- released in 2009).
{If you aren’t part of the round robin and want a CD, contact me. If you’re local, even better. I’ll get ’em out around Thanksgiving.}
The following songs were put on the mix CD from lossless sources for promotional purposes only (read: free direct market advertising to people who decidedly love music). Most of the artists on this compilation are independent (put out the music themselves) or signed to smaller, independent labels. If you like what you hear, check out their music / support them with your wallet if you are able. The artists’ Webpage, MyFace & Spacebook (whether official or not), and Amazon links are available for each song below. I’ve also included concert review links if I’ve seen the artist recently.
PDF front liner is available HERE (designed to print double-sided).
UPDATE (12/18): free download / bonus track #18 below
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01 Nellie McKay “Do Do Do” from Normal As Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day
Well, the person who got this round robin going (Brad) was a direct influence in me getting into Nellie McKay back when Get Away From Me came out. I’ve been a fan ever since. I think GAFM is my favorite of hers, but she’s still quite consistently entertaining to me. Her latest album is a tribute to the late great Doris Day. It’s missing some of Nellie’s sly wit, but is definitely fitting in her “I wish I was born in another era” wishes. The album art is 135% fitting for Nellie, too. Perfect choice!
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02 John Zorn “Miller’s Crake” from O’o
I could have put on some more skwoky Zorn, but I opted for a more accessible number. John Zorn is prolific, but this was actually a slow year – I only count six Zorn-related releases. O’o is twelve lyrical and adventurous instrumentals combining world music, surf, exotica, soundtracks, easy listening, and minimalism dedicated to twelve different birds (Chippy’s artwork is amazing). “Miller’s Crake” is a delightful Guaraldi-esque jaunt from the band that came out of the Electric Masada / The Gift / The Dreamers sessions: Marc Ribot, Jamie Saft, Kenny Wollesen, Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron, and Cyro Baptista.
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03 Extra Golden “Gimakiny Akia” from Thank You Very Quickly Vol 3
I was planning on going to Eugene Celebration anyway, but I got a call from a friend who suggested that we meet and definitely go to see Extra Golden. Um, OK, sure. Then I saw them, and wow… fuuuuun. I love African music, but sometimes it’s gets all too similar unless you do something fun (a la Fela Kuti, Antibalas, etc). Well, Extra Golden are half Kenyan and half American (which I guess is the “something fun” part? I don’t know). They fuse some great jam-rock with Kenyan beats* and singing… great stuff. Fantastic live show, too. *-Though, coincidentally, not so much Kenyan beats on this track. Yeah, sorry.
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04 Ember Swift “Hollowed Bones 空骨” from Lentic :: 子玉
Ember Swift (yes, her real name) is finally starting to head in a new direction. I mean, I dig her a lot, but her past albums have been slightly derivative of Ani DiFranco (with maybe a little more adventurism). She’s from Canada, but has spent time living in China recently. In fact, I think she’s still living there (don’t quote me on that)… that culture has definitely had an impact on her music.
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05 Works Progress Administration / Glen Phillips “Rise Up” from Works Progress Administration
This song first showed up on the Concert to End Slavery compilation as a Glen Phillips solo song. It’s my favorite from WPA, but it’s not very representative of the album. The album is more folky / americana via the heavy influence of Sean & Sara Watkins from Nickelcreek and Luke Bulla (from Lyle Lovett’s band).
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06 Madeleine Peyroux “Damn the Circumstances” from Bare Bones
I am usually not a fan of vocal jazz… it’s usually too full of schlock, if you ask me. Well, Madeleine’s smoky voice overrides that generalism for me. She’s a fantastic vocalist, a throwback to the golden era of jazz vocalists. This album is her first of non-covers. All original, either written solo or co-written, Bare Bones moves her from a “fantastic standards” singer to bringing vocal jazz back into fresh territory.
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07 dredg “Gathering Pebbles” from The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
dredg is one of my favorite bands now. 2005’s Catch Without Arms floored me, and I was eagerly awaiting the follow-up. It took too long (4 years), but it was well worth it. The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion is by far my favorite album this year. It was inspired by Salmon Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There’s No Heaven: A Letter to the Sixth Billionth Citizen.” In fact, this past fall, dredg and Salmon did a joint show that was captured by Spin magazine.
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08 Porcupine Tree “Flicker” from The Incident
The best progressive rock band around, Porcupine Tree’s The Incident is a 55-minute epic concept album/song. “Flicker” is actually a session b-side from the 2nd disc from the collection. I got a chance to see Porcupine Tree this September, and Steven Wilson & Co delivered the impeccable studio sound to the stage. It’s almost magic.
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09 O.S.I. “Terminal” from Blood
I really like this 3rd record by O.S.I. (formerly know as the Office of Strategic Influence). O.S.I. is a joint collaboration of Chroma Key’s Kevin Moore and Fates Warning’s Jim Matheos. Most of Blood is heavier progressive rock, but I tend to like the more Chroma Key-esque tracks like “Terminal.” The album has guests Gavin Harrison (of Porcupine Tree) on drums, Mikael Åkerfeldt (of Opeth) on vocals for one track, and Tim Bowness (or No-Man) on vocals for one track as well. The 2nd disc also features a Kevin Moore-sung, rockin’ tribute to Elliott Smith (“Christian Brothers”).
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10 900X “The Black Beach” from Library Catalog Music Series: Music For Lubbock, 1980
Sufjan Steven’s label Asthmatic Kitty is really becoming a favorite. They host music by Sufjan, My Brightest Diamond, Fol Chen, Osso, and now the excellent experimentation from the various Library Catalog Music Series artists. The 900X release is my favorite of the six releases so far. I received the high quality mp3s from the record label for free, and I loved it so much that I bought it on vinyl.
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11 Chali 2Na featuring Talib Kweli “Lock Sh*t Down” from Fish Outta Water
I’m still sad that Jurassic 5 broke up, but now we get albums from Portable Payback (Marc7 & Soup), Cut Chemist, DJ Nu Mark, Akil the MC, and, of course, Chali 2Na (my favorite from the group). Chali’s got that deep booming voice that makes you pay attention. This song’s lyrics (and video) are kinda cheesy, IMO, but it still features some nice flow from the “lyrical manphibian.”
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12 Peter Mulvey “Vlad the Astrophysicist” from Letters From a Flying Machine
Storytelling has always been a fantastic part of Peter’s live shows. Nine years ago, when his first niece was born, Peter got into the habit of writing physical letters to his nieces and nephews (now 17 kids in total). This album is interspersed with spoken word letters and new music. I think it’s his strongest album since 2000’s The Trouble With Poets. I like a lot of different music, but with that being said, I think Peter is by far my favorite singer-songwriter. Support indie music!
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13 David Bazan “Curse Your Branches” from Curse Your Branches
I wanted to put on “Hard to Be,” but due to space limitations, I went for a shorter song. This is David’s first full-length solo album since disbanding the indie rock band Pedro the Lion. PTL was really David’s thing anyway; so him disbanding the band isn’t that big of a deal, if you ask me. This album also marks his first decided move away from the “religious guy” things into the “heavily agnostic thing” (kudos to him, from me at least). This album is peppered with his thoughts and doubts of his religious upbringing – even moreso than in his prior Pedro days. It very well called a “breakup letter to God” by some.
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14 John Zorn “Novato” from Alhambra Love Songs
Alhambra Love Songs is a set of 11 songs that are an eclectic homage to San Francisco Bay area musicians. This particular song is dedicated to Mike Patton (and, no, that’s not why I picked it). The album is played by pianist Rob Burger, bassist Greg Cohen, and drummer Ben Perowsky – and also falls into the “more accessible” John Zorn camp.
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15 Wussy “Little Paper Birds” from Wussy
This little band that could from Cincinnati is getting some good buzz in major publications (I know Spin has featured them several times). I went to college with their female lead singer, Lisa Walker, and remember when she did a more folky thing. I think Wussy’s sound suits her well (and vice versa). Anyway, this is their third record, and features some great songs from both Lisa and Ass Ponys’ Chuck Cleaver.
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16 The Dead Kenny G’s “Birther Blues” from Bewildered Herd
Prior to moving to the PacNW, I had heard of saxophonist Skerik via John Zorn and other avant-garde connections. I never got to hear him until I moved here and saw him at Sam Bond’s. He seems to be down here in Eugene every other month or so, in different band incarnations. The Dead Kenny G’s features Skerik on tenor sax & pianos, Mike Dillon on drums (who I recently saw drum with Ani DiFranco), and Brad Houser on bass & baritone sax.
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17 Ikue Mori “Redeye Skimmer” from Class Insecta
Ikue Mori is an interesting instrumentalist. She mostly utilizes a laptop, and I saw her play live with Ellery Eskelin & Jim Black in NYC in 2007 and was wowed by the improvisational nature of her craft. Most of her albums are more avant-garde. She has one album that I’d consider to be much more accessible (1995’s Painted Desert on Japan’s DIY/Avant label). Class Insecta is also more accessible than most of her work. I suppose if you like well composed, electronic music dedicated to insect species, it’s for you!
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18 Derek Webb “What Matters More” from Stockholm Syndrome
(bonus mp3) DOWNLOAD it >> http://www.derekwebb.com/387/WMM.zip
Stockholm Syndrome is an album that I’m bummed I didn’t get fit on the CD version of this compilation. It’s going to place fairly well in my year-end “Best of 2009” list. I think it’s the best thing Derek’s ever done, including Caedmon’s Call and prior solo work. It has a great overall vibe, and a message that I can agree with, even though I don’t agree with his religious philosophy. This song, while not the best on the album (IMO), has a great lyric and pro-gay marriage position and was actually banned by his independent Christian label (INO Records). He subsequently released an “uncensored” version of the album, and now has the song available for free on his site.
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Let me know what you think…
unfortunately missing (due to space or flow limitations, or that I simply didn’t get them in the mail yet): pop from Regina Spektor, Zero 7 & the Swell Season; jazz from Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy and A Single Sky, Masada Quintet + Lovano, and The Fantastic Terrific Munkle; comedy from Flight of the Conchords; and some metal Ahleuchatistas, Megadeth, Isis, Dream Theater, Puscifer, Tides From Nebula & Alice in Chains. Oh well, those may make it on my “favorite albums” of 2009 list.
~Dan – np: Puscifer – C is For…
there are no torrents, free mp3 or other downloads available
REVIEW: W.P.A. at the W.O.W. (Eugene, OR – 9/27/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Works Progress Administration
I’ve been a fan of Glen Phillips via Toad the Wet Sprocket since back in my “high school days”… Toad is one of the few artists to make it out alive from that period, remaining a cherished part of my collection. Glen’s voice is so evocative and honest and personable… it’s hard not to love just about everything he does. In fact, last year, he pulled a doozy, releasing two albums under different band monikers (without much warning) under Radiohead’s In Rainbows “pay what you want philosophy.” Both the Plover and RemoteTreeChildren cracked my Top 5 albums of 2008.
Well, this time, Glen decided to let us know about his new band and let some buzz build up… the Works Progress Administration (aka W.P.A. / WPA) is more or an Americana effort that is at its core made up of the trio of trio of Glen Phillips, Luke Bulla (from Lyle Lovett’s band), and Sean Watkins (from Nickel Creek). The Eugene show was with the extended band, not just the core trio of Phillips/Bulla/Watkins. It also included Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Bill Frisell), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing), and Don Heffington (Lone Justice… and I remember seeing him play with Over the Rhine at one point).
The first opener, Ehren Ebbage, put on a quick 20 minute set, four songs. He hails from Seattle. He was pretty good – he has the pop singer-songwriter vibe going on. He seemed like a good soul, funny personality. He got a opening slot due to “begging for it.” We didn’t walk out with his CD, unfortunately; but if he swings back through Eugene, I’ll give him another listen.
The second opener, Molly Jenson, stomped on the stage shortly after Ehren. I say “stomped,” as she had these killer heels with jingles fixed to them (see pictures below). Her first song in her 20 minutes, 4 song set was a song that showed that playing guitar, singing and stomping your foot in heels is probably more than I’d be able to handle physically. It’s gotta be much harder than patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Molly was pretty funny, she joked about the disco ball (and had the light guy turn it on). She also talked about how she and Sara Watkins rolled around the hall’s floor that afternoon in their rollerskates. Her sound was more in the country/folk singer-songwriter mold. She ended her set with “You Are My Sunshine.”
Molly Jenson released her Webisode #13 that included footage from the WOW Hall show. Check it out on YouTube.
WPA hit the stage around 9pm and jumped right into material from their new album. “Always Have My Love” is such a good lead-off track to their live show (and CD). It really features all aspects of this huge band. WPA overall is really hard to pigeonhole. They definitely fit in the folky genre, but they have many aspects of bluegrass, pop, rock. Lots of violin, steel guitar, great vocals. Vocal duties were shared by Glen, Luke, Sean and Sara. They played mainly songs from the debut CD, but they also played songs from each of the singer’s “main gigs / solo albums.”
Part way through the set, they invited Alex & Tatiana Hargreaves on stage. I had never heard of them, but they were well received by the crowd. They are both young and are quite the fiddle phenoms. They jammed on two songs with Sara, Luke & Sean – one instrumental and one with Tatiana singing lead on a song from her recent album.
Here’s what they played…
Setlist: 90+ minutes
- Always Have My Love (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- End This Now (Glen on vocals)
- Paralyzed (Sean on vocals)
- Cry For You (Luke on vocals)
- Solar Flare (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Rise Up (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- I Feel the Blues Movin’ In (Luke on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- I Go to Sleep (Sara on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Already Gone (Sean on vocals)
- Not Sure (Sean on vocals)
- Drive By (Glen on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Pink Triangle (Weezer cover, Sean on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Garfields (with Alex & Tatiana, instrumental)
- Sugar Babe (with Alex & Tatiana, Tati on vocals)
- Somebody More Like You (Sean on vocals)
- Remember Well (Luke on vocals)
- Long Hot Summer Days (Sara on vocals) *a fave of the night*
- Good As Ever (Glen on vocals)
- A Wedding or a Wake (Glen on vocals)
- Encore: The Price (Glen on vocals)
- You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome (Bob Dylan cover, Sean on vocals) *a fave of the night*
Fantastic show. It’s amazing to see so many great musicians on the stage at the same time. They honestly looked like they were having a ball, too. It was also good to see Glen playing guitar again (after his pretty nasty glass table accident last fall). Luke Bulla and Nickel Creek, while already on my radar, made my list of “I should see them if they come through again.” Fantastic players all around…
I picked up the debut WPA CD at the show. It came out a week ago, but I wanted to wait until I saw them in person – you know, to make sure they got all the money, not shipping or some distribution middle-man like Amazon. You can order it directly from the WPA site (click the photo):
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Always Have My Love (live on WNCW)
Introducing W.P.A.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Works Progress Administration Official Site
- WPA on MySpace
- Glen Phillips Official Site
- Glen Phillips on MySpace
- Sean Watkins on MySpace
- Luke Bulla on MySpace
- Tatiana Hargreaves Online
- Alex Hargreaves Online
- Molly Jenson Official Site
- Molly Jenson on MySpace
- Ehren Ebbage Official Site
- Ehren Ebbage on MySpace
- WOW Hall
~Dan – np: Faith No More – Album of the Year
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
WPA’s tourdates:
- Sun 08/16/09 – Schwenksville, PA – Old Pool Farm
- Tue 08/18/09 – Exton, PA – Eagleview Concert Series
- Wed 08/19/09 – New York, NY – Joe’s Pub
- Thu 08/20/09 – Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
- Sun 09/06/09 – Yosemite, CA – Camp Mather
- Wed 09/16/09 – Columbia, SC – White Mule
- Thu 09/17/09 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
- Fri 09/18/09 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
- Sun 09/20/09 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic
- Fri 09/25/09 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
- Sat 09/26/09 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile Cafe
- Sun 09/27/09 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
- Tue 09/29/09 – Chico, CA – Manzanita Place
- Wed 09/30/09 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
- Sat 10/03/09 – Ventura, CA – The Lodge
- Mon 10/05/09 – Los Angeles, CA – Largo
- Thu 11/05/09 – New York, NY – High Line Ballroom
- Sat 11/07/09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Diesel Club Lounge
- Sun 11/08/09 – Charleston, WV – Cultural Center
- Tue 11/10/09 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage
- Wed 11/11/09 – Vienna, VA – Barns At Wolf Trap
- Thu 11/12/09 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne
- Fri 11/13/09 – Cambridge, MA – Passim Folk Music & Cultural Center
- Sat 11/14/09 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
- Sun 11/15/09 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center For The Arts
- Tue 12/01/09 – Cedar Rapids, IA – CSPS / Legion Arts
- Wed 12/02/09 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
- Thu 12/03/09 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
- Sat 12/05/09 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
- Sun 12/06/09 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School Of Folk Music
Waffles & Glen’s new band
Two unrelated, but equally good things…
There’s a new waffle place in Eugene. It’s called Off the Waffle (it’s on Van Buren just south of 7th). They make Liège style waffles and they are freaking amazing. I’ve been there twice in the last week. As of now, they have 3 options: white or whole wheat ($3), and waffle of the week ($5). This week’s waffle was goat cheese and blueberry, and it’s baked right into the waffle. Holy Cow! A+++
They also have coffee from local One Cup, do a barter system (if you have things to trade), and they do catering… they’re open from 8am to midnight every day of the week!!! Their webpage will be here (not active yet): http://www.offthewaffle.com/
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There’s a new promo video for Works Progress Administration featuring Glen Phillips (from Toad the Wet Sprocket), Sean & Sara Watkins (from Nickel Creek), and many more…
WPA is:
- Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) – vocals, guitar
- Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek, Fiction Family) – guitar, vocals
- Luke Bulla (Jerry Douglas Band, Ricky Skaggs) – fiddle, vocals, guitar
- Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) – fiddle, vocals
- Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) – piano, organ
- Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Beck) – pedal steel
- Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Randy Newman) – drums
- Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Cracker) – bass
I’m looking forward to just about any Glen Phillips. He had two in my top 5 for 2008… anyway, I’m looking forward to a WPA album in 2009.