tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13977448281149991692024-03-05T20:15:53.057-08:00Internet Audiophilesome music you have heard - some music you may have notUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-36485904179757672202020-05-21T06:13:00.005-07:002020-05-21T06:42:01.135-07:00Q&A with Musician Fink (republished from 12/20/09)
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Fin Greenall (aka the musician known as
<a href="https://www.finkworld.co.uk/">Fink</a>) represents everything that is unfair about this world. He’s an amazingly
talented singer/songwriter/guitar player who by his own admission can’t even
read the tablature that his own song</span><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt;">s are printed on. He’s amazingly like-able,
he’ll charm the pants off your girlfriend but it’s impossible to find fault in
his technique; you know you’d do the same thing if you could. He’s a skater and
club DJ but he’s as informed about the crisis in Eastern Bloc countries as he is
about the latest dub beats; and he’s set to take the American music scene by
storm. Like when Justin Timberlake shook off NSYNC and went solo or John Legend stepped out from in back of the production booth, so
too will Fink take center stage in American pop music culture. Weather you’re
ready for him or not.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT20AIG1eNW2kwkOCrTd2lot6Idpac93wZfrRJkrJPW9qfVpKScjZ9xUIiKHhgqIAl3qzTFVek4ix3AOB0dhbeNY5O4Jnlvbn7glwQMI6gOG3NhBZ2ZbN4dlJK2KYIg_7A261JKT2YO70/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT20AIG1eNW2kwkOCrTd2lot6Idpac93wZfrRJkrJPW9qfVpKScjZ9xUIiKHhgqIAl3qzTFVek4ix3AOB0dhbeNY5O4Jnlvbn7glwQMI6gOG3NhBZ2ZbN4dlJK2KYIg_7A261JKT2YO70/s320/turkey+fink+012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">I came to know Fink through his
appearance at the REM Tribute Concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City this
past March. His talent was clearly on display. As I do often with people who
have profiles on <a href="https://myspace.com/finkmusic">MySpace</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/finkmusic/">Facebook</a>, I sent him a note letting him know that I
was impressed with his performance, thinking that would be the last of it. In a
stunning move, he read the whole piece, commented on what I’d said, and wrote
me back! I was quite impressed; but there he goes doing things his own way,
which you’re in awe of.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmlkIzCHG2niCpB6HLKh4jVITrXtXDqXeUkAykdr91eHDamHjlF2ZrdCzND9Jwq5YtlVtuzOTbzt7Ff0OAONRHrhe-kd7pQOhRheTYb6r6ghe09C5NGDKQqKpAamjyZTqun3eGguZ_HY/" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">When I found out he was playing in the
Los Angeles area earlier this month, I reached out to him and asked for an
interview. Thus began the journey towards our two-hour discussion on top of his
hotel in the bitter cold of Los Angeles in early December. Perhaps the most
remarkable thing about this conversation was that he was just so easy to talk
to. We segued between so many topics that the notes and questions I brought
along with me were all but useless.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">“To get out of Cornwall’s quite an
achievement”-<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Fin Greenall was born Cornwall in the
West Country: “The wild west, no motorways” and grew up Bristol. Asked about
his influence from London, Fink noted, “When my parents left Cornwall they were
trying to get to London; they got half way.” Fink did speak highly of Bristol. According to the musician, Bristol was
“…really much safer than London; an amazing place to be a kid.” <span> </span>While many of the outlying areas around big
cities often live in their shadow Fink says that Bristol was “far enough away
from London to be proud that it isn’t London.” He later compared the city from
his youth to the likes of; “Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Fans of British trip hop undoubtedly know
of all the many talents who came out of Bristol. Bristol even has it’s own
“sound.” Says Fink, Bristol is the “home to Massive Attack, Portished,
Tricky.” Bristol is also home to a lot of baggage from its past and according
to Fink remains sharply divided in less developed areas.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">You may have known Fink not from his
acoustic guitar histrionics but from his work as a DJ. But he doesn’t want
that to be his mark left on the world: “With DJ’ing it wasn’t like I was a
house DJ; I was a Ninja Tune DJ which is a pretty broad church. You have to be
anything but normal.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Ninja Tune is a record company that’s
been around since 1991. Founded by Matt Black and Jonathan Moore (Coldcut)
featuring artists like Bonobo, Kelis, and Kate Tempest among many others. Fink
certainly let the Ninja Tune church wash over him. Still the mediums
limitations were not lost on the boy from Bristol: “Back in the day when you’d
go on an international gig; before the digital revolution; you’d have a finite
number of records to play!” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">He further reflected on the appeal of the
DJ culture in the beginning. “DJ’ing was pretty big in the 80’s in Europe. Acid
House; it was in the papers; really dangerous.” And of course the allure of the
dangerous is implicit. “The right wing press was like “kids are being fucked up
by listening to this robot.”<span> </span>Obviously
every 13 or 14 year old kid is like ‘right I’m into that now.’”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">But the DJ life wasn’t forever. So Fin
went his own way, put down the wax and picked up an axe; an acoustic axe. He
seemed to take to this means of musical communication much better than his
heady Ninja Tune years. “In the early days of doing the Fink gigs it was such a
pleasure to know what you’re going to play.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Counter that with the pressure he felt
from the emerging celebrity status DJs more regularly enjoyed, and there was no
question. “With Ninja the pressure’s pretty heavy,” he said, “so you’ve got to
be polished.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Quizzically, the guitar didn’t seem like such a good
fit for Fink at first. It’s not like he had any trouble learning the tool; “I picked up the guitar at 16 and within 6 months I was better
than anyone else I knew.” So it wasn’t his ability to make music; he just
didn’t much see the point. Fink opined: “I don’t know what my kids are going to be into; but I’m
sure I won’t get it. If I do get it; if my kids form a band and become Led Zeppelin
I’ll be really chuffed but if they do whatever the music is in the future that
I don’t understand I’m going to have to remember this. The same with my parents
and the hippie counter culture. I seen my father play guitar in folk bands and
it just looked like really shit. I mean why would you do that? For me it was
all about skateboarding, fashion, and when you’re old enough to work: money.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Even when the money’s coming in at a
pretty good clip, it’s not all fun and games. Record companies can be stifling
and the pressure is intense. “They’re paying you and there’s a queue of kids in
back of you who will do your job for free so you got no rights.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">More taxing than this is the fact that,
“There’s no such thing as a 9-5 day, every night is a ‘showcase’ or VIP gig, everybody
thinks you’re loaded.” The untruth of the situation could be a bit jarring.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Fink is a deep fellow with a grander
understanding and appreciation of the world which shines through in his music. <span> </span>He’s got opinions on a variety of subjects and
we touched on many. Still it was the last question I asked him as we were
departing from our chilly seats off of my sheet of largely unasked questions
that took me most aback. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">“What is it that you would want your fans
to know about you?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">He stopped in his tracks, paused, and for
the first time all morning seemed to not have an answer at the ready. He chortled
and replied: “I’m genuine.” He paused again and noted: “all this,” he waved his
hand about, casually dismissing the rock star lifestyle we’d just spent the past
two hours ruminating on, “means nothing. It’s all about the music.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: courier; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">And with that the interview was over. He
remarked to my photographer how much she was the spitting image of his sister.
He humbly slid off the elevator at the fifth floor and we spilled out into the
street. Sunday was well underway; Fink would soon be off to Chicago and I
wondered aloud if I’d ever run across this musical dynamo again. Who knows?
Right now Fink seems firmly in place; braced and ready for the next phase.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-76307026160079354452016-03-08T09:22:00.000-08:002016-03-08T20:17:09.424-08:00City Winery & WFUV Present Nada Surf at City Winery in SoHo<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060604214017/http://www.toazted.com/interview/699/Nada-Surf.html" target="_blank"><b>Nada Surf</b></a> (<i>noun, verb</i>):"<i>It’s actually referring to something much more existential, it's just surfing on nothing. Being lost in your head or in your imagination but you know, whenever I listen to music I always find myself off somewhere. Somewhere in space. You know, in mental space and it's a reference to that.-Matthew Caws</i></div>
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What is there to say about a band like <a href="http://www.nadasurf.com/" target="_blank">Nada Surf</a>? Consisting today of, Matthew Caws, Ira Elliot, Doug Gillard, and Daniel Lorca, Nada Surf were a post-grunge infant riding the wave of that moment in time. Awash in the mid to late 90's alt/grunge/anti-rock, they existed. Unlike Alice in Chains, Soul Asylum or arguably the biggest blow up of the era Nirvana, Nada Surf just kept existing. Admittedly towards the end of my dalliance in high school this group was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrsZog8qXg" target="_blank">Popular</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Honestly until they made a highly anticipated splash on a Monday night in March at City Winery, the Nada Surf wave had all but cast out to open waters for me. I was caught up in the Lilith Fair, PC, folkie experience, and didn’t really take to notice Nada Surf. While they continued to make records, tour the world, develop quite the following and become even more popular in Europe, I was falling under the spell of Tricky and Massive Attack. <o:p></o:p></div>
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While they self-produced, took hiatuses, and reconnected, I remained inept. They have made quite the career for themselves; what have I done over the same time period? I don’t mean to get too cerebral here but that was really the takeaway from this show for me. These were artists who burst onto the scene with a racy video, washed out distortion, and pillaged the spoils of this time. They could have, like so many other bands before them, exploded, broken up, gotten back together, been cast in and out of rehab, and remained at the forefront of our insatiable tabloid culture. But they just chose to keep going. </div>
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Of course they stumbled and had their doubtful moments in the trajectory of their careers, but if the acoustic renderings at City Winery in SoHo were any indication, this is a band that hit the timing just right with their first single and then matured. Like fine wine or slowly braised beef, this group took their time and kept at their craft. The career of someone like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJgsLdLL-IjelR5Bkdq1_cz7U_ibuJj5" target="_blank">Beck</a> would draw apt comparisons in this protracted maturation. So now, all these years later Nada Surf were here and so was I.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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This was an event at City Winery but it was also an event that was hosted by the radio station <a href="http://www.wfuv.org/" target="_blank">WFUV</a>. So to begin the evening someone from WFUV and Caws came out onstage to have a conversation about this very maturation. Caws who now lives in Europe, waxed poetic about growing up in New York City and listening with his own small radio to catch the newest sounds of the day from local stations of the time. He also talked about how the band has grown and stretched out but still manages to return back together, come to a recording studio in Brooklyn every few years and make new music. This is the situation for modern bands today though. Like the band <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrsZog8qXg" target="_blank">The Postal Service</a>, Nada Surf don’t even all live on the same continent anymore but through the use of digital means they can still come together, share their work, and create amazing music. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Really though this night wasn’t about their recording process or the maturation of their sound, it was about the songs. The audience was jam packed into City Winery for the earlier of the two shows on a Monday night in March. With the interview out of the way they just got into the making of music.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZzmmfL6-6M" target="_blank">Cold to See Clear</a>” was their first song they played. From an ad hoc survey of cheers, Caws seemed to glean that many in attendance this evening hadn’t gotten their newest record. The recently released and very good “You Know Who You Are” was available for sale at the merchandise table; undoubtedly this was going to be a hot seller this evening. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The second song, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoLKvWf4Fd0" target="_blank">Whose Authority</a>” from 2008’s “Lucky” was a lot more familiar. There was a noticeably more upbeat, cheering, grooving vibe happening when they tore into classics.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Keeping up with some of their newer stuff, the third song that they played as “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIyWpH5hj54" target="_blank">Believe You’re Mine.</a>” This was around the moment I noticed something interesting. This was an “acoustic” show and the sound inside City Winery is totally geared towards that. The rhythm and lead guitars were both acoustics. Even the drummer was playing hand drums on some kind of standing snare with the wrist tambourine included for many songs. But the bass player still had an electric bass. Granted the lead and rhythm acoustic guitars were “plugged in” and everyone could be “heard.” Still, for an acoustic show, it seemed rather bass heavy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In keeping with the new and old and new pattern, Caws said that they would reach back in the annals again, playing two goodies from “The Weight is a Gift,” “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrsZog8qXg" target="_blank">What Is Your Secret</a>” and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrsZog8qXg" target="_blank">Concrete Bed</a>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The show continued on for a bit but rather than stridently take notes for the remainder of the evening, I put my phone away and just enjoyed the performance. City Winery usually allows a lot more leeway in their starting and ending times but because the show I was at was the first of two for the evening, the end did come about too quickly. Still for what it’s worth this rediscovery of a classic band I never really appreciated was well worth the time. City Winery as always remains an amazing venue and Nada Surf’s an exciting group. This band is a group who still know how to rock but also can appreciate the silent spaces between the slides of their reverberating instruments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-61861382307868474362016-02-29T20:59:00.000-08:002016-02-29T21:04:16.622-08:00City Winery Presents: Jim Weider, G.E. Smith & Jon Herington "Masters of the Telecaster" at City Winery in SoHo<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier";">New York, NY 2/28//16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">O</span><span style="font-family: "courier";">ne of the most exhilarating
instruments that anyone can play and develop any kind of mastery of is the
guitar; second maybe only to the voice. It is still always thrilling to be able
to see a really good guitarist or a really good vocalist. This is why guitar
players and lead singers tend to take front and center in popular music, rock,
punk, metal, alternative, et al. Like I said it’s a thrill to see just one of
the greats onstage so when you’ve got three masters of their ax in one show,
you can pretty well bet you’re bound to have an amazing time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">So it’s with great anticipation
that I sat in the audience at Lower Manhattan’s <a href="http://www.citywinery.com/newyork/" target="_blank">City Winery</a> on February 28,
2016 to enjoy their Masters of the Telecaster show. <a href="http://www.jimweider.com/page.asp?pageid=1" target="_blank">Jim Weider</a>, <a href="https://gesmithmusic.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">G.E. Smith</a>
& <a href="http://www.jonherington.com/" target="_blank">Jon Herington</a> all came out to show their chops and entertain the whole
house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Known for his signature
bluesy sound, Weider has been subtly shredding for decades. Perhaps best known
for his work for 15 years with The Band, Weider has played at places as far
flung as The Berlin Wall to places as close to home as “The Bob Dylan Tribute”
at <a href="http://www.thegarden.com/" target="_blank">Madison Square Garden</a>. He even played at the inaugural for President Bill
Clinton in 1993. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Fans of late night comedy
will likely recognize Smith as the former floppy haired band director for The <a href="https://twitter.com/nbcsnl?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Saturday Night Live</a> band; a post he famously held for 10 years. Smith has also recorded
and played with the likes of <a href="http://www.mickjagger.com/" target="_blank">Mick Jagger</a>, <a href="http://www.davidbowie.com/" target="_blank">David Bowie</a> and Roger Water’s WALL
LIVE Worldwide Tour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">Herington is a bandleader
in his own right and has enjoyed a great deal of success with the <a href="http://www.jonherington.com/jonheringtonband.html" target="_blank">Jon HeringtonBand</a>. However since 1999 he’s been the guitarist of choice for touring and
recording with <a href="http://www.steelydan.com/" target="_blank">Steely Dan</a>. Herington has also played with the likes of Donald
Fagen, Boz Scaggs, <a href="http://www.bettemidler.com/" target="_blank">Bette Midler</a>, and others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">As a quick aside, for
those unfamiliar with the term, the Telecaster is a model guitar from legendary
guitar maker Fender. Introduced in 1950 the company calls this model “The One
That Started It All,” and the list of musicians who’ve used it can attest to
this fact. From Bob Dylan to David Gilmour to Merle Haggard to Chrissie Hynde,
Alex Lifeson to Johnny Marr to Keith Richards to Muddy Waters to Jimmy Page to
Bruce Springsteen to Joe Strummer, this first commercially successful model electric
guitar has graced the hands and the skill of countless musicians. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">So it was on this
unusually balmy February evening we were all in place to see the Masters of the
Telecaster. The arc was to be eclipsed and art was to be shared inside City
Winery on Varick Street in Manhattan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">The vibe inside the
intimate space prior to the lights going down was characteristically upbeat.
While the audience wasn’t nearly as packed as it could have been, it was a
Sunday night in winter. Still that didn’t stop the energy for the show. Enthusiastic
audience whoops and wails made the space feel far more full. Everyone here wanted
to see these three artists shred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier"; font-size: 13.0pt;">With all that as the lead-in the
three ax-men ambled out to the stage at the same time. I wasn’t sure what to
expect with these three legends in their own rite, but I certainly didn’t
imagine they’d all erupt onstage together. It wasn’t boastful though and in
hindsight was totally appropriate. They all took their spots before three front
facing microphones and plugged in their guitars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier"; font-size: 13.0pt;">For a brief moment I feared they
would all try and harmonize or something but they used the microphones
sparingly and never really in concert. We weren’t here to see them sing we were
here to see them play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier"; font-size: 13.0pt;">As the Academy Awards were going on
at the same time, the guitarists were more than aware of this competing
entertainment venue. Still, G.E. Smith cast away fears of everything lame when
he said. “We’re gonna play something you won't hear at the Oscars; we’re gonna
play rock and roll!” With that proclamation the crowed erupted and all in
attendance were locked in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The first song was an instrumental
tune that I did not recognize, but the formula was recognizable enough. The
three men and their backing bass player (<a href="http://www.jeffhillmusic.com/" target="_blank">Jeff Hill</a>) and drummer (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Ciarlante" target="_blank">Randy Ciarlante</a>) evoked a smooth and familiar soul groove. The three leads traded
licks with one playing the rhythm line, another soloing and a third adding in
where they saw fit. Perhaps it was a bit of lead harmony or perhaps it was a
bit of rhythm line punctuation; whatever was needed the three were all there
for one another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier"; font-size: 13.0pt;">This Masters program is something
that’s been done before albeit not always the same players. Still you can tell
they were familiar with one another as the young lady sitting next to me at
City Winery commented. The three moved seamlessly from their featured solo line
to supporting rhythm line and back again in virtually every song. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The fun that these musicians were
having onstage was electric; even the backing band got were keyed in. Hill
joyfully romped along in his black fedora hat while Ciarlante emoted powerfully
on even the most deliberate backbeats. The bass players handling was luscious
and the tight drummer even changed sticks a number of times; moving from
traditional sticks to “rute” drumsticks (thin dowels all bound together for a
lighter sound), even subbing in timpani mallets to get the proper ride cymbal
crescendos. As a humorous aside, Ciarlante even dropped one of his sticks while
playing but didn't miss a beat! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eOJ7LSRB8z5et2fqAPYWGts4bfGlmAe1SlVV3oBrorTvAwRTEkFf-6yPnf7yMnQZjsyqrSvqwnRRbS_DCLsWvwI5sSrnc8koRWwhqYOCJgG3fPHz5qELBG_bY0W5XnY_4gORaJi94Lw/s1600/IMG_0660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eOJ7LSRB8z5et2fqAPYWGts4bfGlmAe1SlVV3oBrorTvAwRTEkFf-6yPnf7yMnQZjsyqrSvqwnRRbS_DCLsWvwI5sSrnc8koRWwhqYOCJgG3fPHz5qELBG_bY0W5XnY_4gORaJi94Lw/s320/IMG_0660.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier"; font-size: 13.0pt;">The musicianship was top notch, the
camaraderie was terrific, and all in all the sounds were sweet and together.
Whether you were stoked from their version of the Sam Cooke classic “A Change
is Gonna Come,” or lapped up their cover of Tom Waits “Chocolate Jesus,” or were
tickled by their version of Carter Burwell’s score for the Coen Brothers “Blood
Simple,” there was an eclectic flow and an inviting ambiance which kept
everyone in attendance hungry for more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier"; font-size: 13.0pt;">At one point a reflective Smith told
a tale about the old Lone Star Café on 13th St. and how he was invited by the
spontaneous live band NRBQ to come down and play with them one night with mere
hours to spare. He described his contribution to the evening as “terrible,” but
still displayed a definite reverence for the band and a fondness for the old
venue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier"; font-size: 13.0pt;">Mention of Lone Star evoked wails of
approval from a segment of the audience and all that got me thinking about
where we were sitting. With so many venues opening and closing all the time,
this is one of the reasons so many amazing musicians have sought out a space
like <a href="http://www.citywinery.com/newyork/" target="_blank">City Winery</a>. The intimacy, the acoustics, the staff and the audience are
all top notch at this <a href="http://www.sohonyc.com/" target="_blank">SoHo</a> destination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier";">If you have an interest in
finding out more about any of these Masters of the Telecaster, <a href="https://gesmithmusic.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Smith</a>, <a href="http://www.jimweider.com/page.asp?pageid=1" target="_blank">Weider</a>,
and <a href="http://www.jonherington.com/" target="_blank">Herington</a> all have their own websites. Folks who want to know about this or
future shows from <a href="http://www.citywinery.com/newyork/" target="_blank">City Winery </a>can sign up for regular updates from the venue. Master
of the Telecaster was a lively show and a lot of fun; so it’s worth it to keep
your ears open for future activity!</span><span style="font-family: "courier";"> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Varick St, New York, NY, USA40.7239109 -74.00605339999998540.7118769 -74.026223399999978 40.7359449 -73.985883399999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-26765189757200439732016-02-13T11:43:00.001-08:002016-02-13T14:09:20.790-08:00Keller Williams "KWahtro" at City Winery in SoHo<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 19px;">New York, NY 2/12/16</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQHY41ih3qitWZSU3Na5Df85FIaImKad2Zsr0lI-vdBQYl91Cwqw7dB-lxuSuGt2XJmxP00pd5DV7fcXgcgpzTD_rTjvdV3LZmzoa1CaqhJzTLjEPhulgFAbzcnnXzhQPmfB7UiXEsFY/s1600/IMG_0603.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQHY41ih3qitWZSU3Na5Df85FIaImKad2Zsr0lI-vdBQYl91Cwqw7dB-lxuSuGt2XJmxP00pd5DV7fcXgcgpzTD_rTjvdV3LZmzoa1CaqhJzTLjEPhulgFAbzcnnXzhQPmfB7UiXEsFY/s320/IMG_0603.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt;">It was an evening of bone chilling cold on
Friday, February 12 but the vibe and the energy coming out of SoHo’s <a href="http://www.citywinery.com/" target="_blank">City Winery</a> were rip roaring hot. <a href="http://kellerwilliams.net/" target="_blank">Keller Williams</a> and his <a href="http://kellerwilliams.net/shows/" target="_blank">KWahtro brand</a> of “<a href="http://www.citywinery.com/newyork/keller-williams-kwahtro-feat-gibb-droll-danton-boller-rodney-holmes-2-12.html" target="_blank">acoustic dance music</a>” with his touring mates <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibb_Droll" target="_blank">Gibb Droll</a> (guitar), <a href="https://twitter.com/dantonboller" target="_blank">Danton Boller</a> (double
bass) & <a href="https://twitter.com/rodneyholmes" target="_blank">Rodney Holmes</a> (drums) came in and laid their own brand of groove
down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just in case you were wondering what the
funk “acoustic dance music” was all about, Williams describes it thus:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Using my songs as a template for creations
involving improvisational bursts of new disco, reggae, drum and bass and jazz
swing afro trap, all with two acoustic guitars, double bass, and drums. This
project is an attempt to bring my vision to life and as always, to entertain
myself onstage while hopefully entertaining you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Williams and his brood are nothing if not
entertaining. The whole house seemed to really enjoy his self-professed nouveau
melding of styles. Being unfamiliar with his body of work before seeing the
show, I approached the Varick Street destination with a skeptical eye. However
by evenings end even I wanted to “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm6iYEyY9dI" target="_blank">Hula Hoop to the Loop</a>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Williams has a <a href="http://kellerwilliams.net/albums/" target="_blank">rich history of music</a> and
recording that actually reaches back 20 years. He’s got a predictable habit of
one word album titles; “Freak,” “Dance,” “Breathe,” “Laugh,” “Home,” and many
others leading all the way to his most recent recording “Vape.” I only call this predictable because he seemed
to be solely focused on the music and not really about the pomp and
circumstance of his place in the room. His energy and concentration were totally
committed to his playing and his art.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Williams called this presentation
“acoustic dance music” and it shows. Still, most dance music is simple grooves
with lots of repetition. I was more fascinated by his commitment to the
intricate rhythms he laid down. He entered the stage barefoot in black trousers
and a black t-shirt, spinning. He cut across the stage in something of a figure
8 style all while playing a solo slap guitar full of reverb and funk. He didn’t
boastfully call attention to himself; he just kept his joy in the groove.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8Mlr5kOAM7KXeiAed2Tnzknw3-rfXqdF6Ruj7V-8_llDlavZWU2vwU64EkQWLj-Zbky3rNGdY89Oe2u-NXPk_UhGm0zsyypUPV5oPJFXNS4w3LwgThlwOfME9o1wICHUs1DX-ked-78/s1600/IMG_0588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8Mlr5kOAM7KXeiAed2Tnzknw3-rfXqdF6Ruj7V-8_llDlavZWU2vwU64EkQWLj-Zbky3rNGdY89Oe2u-NXPk_UhGm0zsyypUPV5oPJFXNS4w3LwgThlwOfME9o1wICHUs1DX-ked-78/s320/IMG_0588.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">He stayed out onstage for a couple of
songs by himself. His first song </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr6CWBr-ks4" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Cadillac</a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">" had many of the typical musings of a confused, southern artist. He was trying
to get back to some illusive ’59 Convertible Cadillac with tons of speakers.
His journey commences with Allah, Buddha, God, Santa, Hare Krishna, and Jesus. The
depth of this song is further heightened by the fact that it’s daylight savings
time while he’s on the train. The loss of time, energy, and the title car evokes the
caustic hopelessness of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.” Despite the
heavier themes gleaned on deeper reading, the spirit of the song was upbeat and
fun.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;">From there he totally switched gears
to one of his most recognizable songs, “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO0xC3oJxnE" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Doobie in My Pocket</a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;">.” This song was an anxious meditation in an airport line that he’s left a shirt with a joint in
his bag that’s about to be screened and all the possibilities therein. He could
get in trouble in a variety of ways. He even surmises he could lose the joint to some disgruntled
airport worker, police officer or even somehow a Starbucks employee who’s on
the take. As the song draws to a fervent close he realizes that he’s wearing
the shirt with the doobie in his pocket and all is right with the world again.
The anticlimax of this tune is that none of his apocalyptic predictions came
true and he’s once </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">again</span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"> free to puff away, for now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Many of the sounds coming from KWahtro and Keller Williams
seemed quite familiar.</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: medium;">Despite his sometimes-exotic
presentation this guy owes as much to Don McLean and Jaco Pastorius as he does
to</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: medium;"> Jackson Browne and Weird Al. His sound is one part “</span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdILQwlP_pk" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Soul Suckin' Jerk</a><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">” and one
part “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF-kLy44Hls" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Lose Yourself to Dance</a><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">.” Simplistic comparisons are with jam bands like
Phish or The Grateful Dead or even bluegrass or country. Still, rather than taking all these mainline sounds
and dumbing them down or mucking them up, he uses his electronic synthesizers,
plays some fierce fast rhythms on his slap acoustic, and spools out a fresh
sound for the refined palette that’s more distillation than dilution. Williams
is paying homage to all those who’ve come before him and still keeping the vibe
fresh and original.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">One of the big caveats on his live shows is that
Williams never does any two shows the same. On the evening of the show, I heard
more than one of his longtime fans effusively gush to this sentiment. The young
woman sitting next to me at City Winery and I struck up a conversation before
the show began and her approval was overarching.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Williams kept this show fresh by gradually
introducing all of the musicians in his ensemble. He began playing alone; then
brought out Droll to play a second guitar line for a few songs. After that he
introduced Boller for a couple of tunes before completing the ensemble with the
drummer Holmes.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">All the while the audience kept their groove going.
The young woman next to me became “one with the music.” During “</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxG6kSyFiyE" target="_blank">Nepalese Temple Balls</a>” she openly laughed and taking cues
form elsewhere in the room began singing along and swayed with the songs. She
was not alone; City Winery had a section in the middle of the house where
people had cleared a space to begin pulsing and gyrating; it was almost as
though we were introducing a 1960’s love-in with Deadhead Dancers leading the
charge. However the mood and the atmosphere at City Winery never hiccoughed
into a trippy place; everything remained peaceful and pleasant while still
energized and enigmatic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">As I reflected I realized that I wouldn't
call this acoustic dance music; this seemed to be more like an opera or
gradually ascending symphonic movement. Beginning with the quieter solo work
this moved up to a duo, then a trio, culminating with the full ensemble. People
could dance, but you didn’t have to in order to appreciate the sounds
generated.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3Ri7QBcJ64CBcwY78BSsTTYhrW8CXUqSdobGLq979Vyg4yj6pxlQ-Ix7w-OKzQgyu-svxCuvh9v81DrnCcgbcoYsr6y0dWgCj7PgBZRTN18ASYmi4pnCOQIyvXpcLyIlY3xD-9Clg7A/s1600/IMG_0607-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3Ri7QBcJ64CBcwY78BSsTTYhrW8CXUqSdobGLq979Vyg4yj6pxlQ-Ix7w-OKzQgyu-svxCuvh9v81DrnCcgbcoYsr6y0dWgCj7PgBZRTN18ASYmi4pnCOQIyvXpcLyIlY3xD-9Clg7A/s320/IMG_0607-3.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The band took a break in the middle
and came back as a four piece playing tunes that fans will recognize like
“</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5mLVPbmR10" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Freaker by the Speaker</a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">.” Even though the house was packed and everyone really
seemed to be enjoying themselves, there seemed to be a bit of sadness in
Williams voice when he introduced a “newish” song and noted, “This song may end
up on the radio; probably not.” The life of a touring artist can be cruel but
with the very supportive group of fans at City Winery, it seemed clear that
Keller Williams and his traveling musicians could at least enjoy an evening of
revelry.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">As for his fellow musicians, everyone
seemed to really get into it. When Gibb Droll took on an acoustic guitar solo
he tore it up, furiously shredding and turning his clenched grimace skyward in
his worship to and from his guitar Gods.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Danton Boller was introduced as not
really being all that familiar with the style of music he was playing this
night. I don’t know too much about this musician or how long he’d been playing
with Keller Williams but he definitely held his own on the standup double bass.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiME73yQPnyWBP9pEuWmL4L_0h1DxY77PSVOvSi1SAoEbzrtRUqsqE8WmbwhaQgTIKp2DXk3IhJ6hoRj61SD5_o26pjhpyxFesyOll2Dm7ymI3HN2NffLHXqZ9xmOgvZuCQWmmDre1Pjg8/s1600/IMG_0616-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiME73yQPnyWBP9pEuWmL4L_0h1DxY77PSVOvSi1SAoEbzrtRUqsqE8WmbwhaQgTIKp2DXk3IhJ6hoRj61SD5_o26pjhpyxFesyOll2Dm7ymI3HN2NffLHXqZ9xmOgvZuCQWmmDre1Pjg8/s320/IMG_0616-2.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Then there is the matter of Rodney
Holmes. This guy is a pretty amazing drummer! Just before the four piece’s finale, Holmes was allotted time on the
stage for his own rollicking solo which went on for several minutes. He was equal parts
swinging Max Roach finesse and thunderous John Bonham power and he earned his
spot on the throne this night.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Keller Williams definitely has a following.
People unfamiliar with his style may not appreciate his electronic/acoustic music,
but when I watched an older video before the show of his looping himself on top
of himself, I recalled something I fell in love with some years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Ingrid Michaelson was a featured performer at the
Michael Dorf “</span><a href="http://internetaudiophile.blogspot.com/2009/03/the-music-of-rem-tribute-concert.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Music of REM Tribute Concert</a><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">” at Radio City Music Hall. This
event led to an awesome </span><a href="http://internetaudiophile.blogspot.com/2009/03/rem-tribute-concert-after-party-in-soho.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">after-party</a><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> at the same City Winery where Williams played.
But when Michaelson took the Radio City stage she actually looped her own voice
as the underlying part of the strings and piano in REM’s “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heq6bR6niGw" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Nightswimming</a><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">.” Keller
Williams use of this tool tonight was sparing. When he did employ it, his interpretation
was a little more funky and explosive than graceful and melodic. However this
is the new world of music we live in and both approaches lend a captivating
effect for the careful listener.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Following the Holmes
solo, Williams returned to cover Joni Mitchell’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heq6bR6niGw" target="_blank">A Case of You</a>,” and riff off
of the Savage Garden chorus to “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQt6jIKNwgU" target="_blank">I Want You</a>” before the lights came on and the
crowd spilled out into the frigid SoHo air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Keller Williams continues the tour through the
spring and even has dates listed out as far as August. If you’re a fan of funky,
upbeat, joyous, explosive tunes and you’d like to come get your barefooted groove
on, come out and witness the Keller Williams experience! You’ll be glad you
did!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-84574034050474017192013-07-22T07:57:00.004-07:002013-07-22T07:57:44.592-07:00Guster, Ben Folds 5, Barenaked Ladies at Mohegan Sun<div class="clearfix" id="content_header" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">Montville CT - 7/19/13</span></h1>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">So the 1990's are a long time ago in the rearview. Today we have Drake and Gaga, and Bieber, oh my! But back in the 1990's things were simpler. We had east coast/west coast, we had Biggie and Tupac, and we had a bunch of other great musicians. Musicians which it feels like are increasingly not appreciated for their great contributions to the art. </span></h1>
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<br />So it was with some anticipation that my wife and I sauntered up to the bustling area of the Arena at Mohegan Sun to see alt-rockers Guster, The Ben Folds 5, and the Barenaked Ladies. These acts are largely distinct from one another but they all still know how to rock and roll.<br /><br />There was a pretty low key opening act who we didn't make it inside in time for. I missed this acts name but the one thing I will say is that "opening act" is supposed to get the audience amped up for the show. This opener was nothing like that. A very subdued and mellow set put me in a decidedly languid mood even from the halls of Mohegan Sun.<br /><br />Then Guster came out and livened things up. The still filtering in crowd responded in kind. Truthfully I had never been a fan of Guster before but I had many friends who were. However the points in their songs when people inexplicably began growling in anticipation were kind of lost on me. I mean I got it when the tempo picked up and the synth began blaring and people in the audience stood up and flailed about in a possessed trance like state but this music felt more like the symphony for a suicide for depressed girls with low self-esteem than anything else. But I guess we all have different tastes. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqBdTKMDKhqT3giWT_qAxuwXhs9kXuGwOc95zcODGvCbIP0lDEY_CFJqn2jJWAHvk878MtrRbkZ3Jvkuafa_27SthTqIxz8YTVkHSgz5BGNtPfpVv1JlXjpipF9yD5_PD_2mpjSPDul4/s1600/20130719_194454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqBdTKMDKhqT3giWT_qAxuwXhs9kXuGwOc95zcODGvCbIP0lDEY_CFJqn2jJWAHvk878MtrRbkZ3Jvkuafa_27SthTqIxz8YTVkHSgz5BGNtPfpVv1JlXjpipF9yD5_PD_2mpjSPDul4/s1600/20130719_194454.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><br />Guster kind of redeemed themselves towards the end of their show when a ukulele and trumpet made an appearance for "What You Call Love." It was a catchy tune and I could see their appeal. "This Could All Be Yours" capped off their set and they left the stage in a thunderous blaze.<br /><br />One spectator nearby me got up and left the show after they played. He raised his hands to the sky as he walked away and proclaimed "I can cry myself to sleep tonight," with some satisfaction. Like I said we all have distinct tastes.<br /><br />The Ben Folds 5 came out onstage.<br /><br />Apparently I am a lot more of a fan of Ben Folds than the Ben Folds 5. Most of their songs this night came from their collective catalog and I didn't recognize most of them. Apparently Ben Folds 5 has a new CD out so this tour is in support of that. They did play their breakout hit "Brick" as well as "Landed." But I felt cast out because I didn't recognize most of their songs. One tune "Song for the Dumped" began with a slap bass which was pretty cool. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKZTQNvRLOd8LrexAOuhbyHdjoX0TzMbyw9X03nxM0ESuBWA7naIBRss-g_kpi_L7xG4Zr5hMqA_vYMJ6n-m0BIwNPg3ERZkjM8GN8mjfzV8rjDiba0WIvTLIuhxHs0jX2lBb0cpr8Ko/s1600/20130719_204529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKZTQNvRLOd8LrexAOuhbyHdjoX0TzMbyw9X03nxM0ESuBWA7naIBRss-g_kpi_L7xG4Zr5hMqA_vYMJ6n-m0BIwNPg3ERZkjM8GN8mjfzV8rjDiba0WIvTLIuhxHs0jX2lBb0cpr8Ko/s1600/20130719_204529.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />One thing which bugged me out was there was a digital clock on the stage that the audience could see. Ben Folds took that to heart and he counted down the last 2 minutes of the show in a narrative fashion which I appreciated.<br /><br /><br />Then came the Barenaked Ladies. Surprisingly, Barenaked Ladies still put on a good show despite the absence of former front man Stephen Page. They definitely engaged the crowd, performing both old and new tunes mixed with an abundance of welcomed nonsense & humor. This set was not what I expected, which turned out to be a good thing.<br /><br />But the whole thing felt a bit truncated which kind of bothered me. I guess it's tough to get tours together that make any money but the demarcated fashion of the show really took me out of it. All in all it was great to see these acts together but I just wish there was some deeper integration. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-81241402355193675542013-05-13T19:35:00.000-07:002013-05-15T14:37:54.082-07:00Album Review: Leerone "Heart Shaped Bullets"<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The name of the
newest <a href="http://www.leerone.com/" target="_blank">Leerone </a>CD is “Heart Shaped Bullets”. This very talented independent
singer/songwriter/musician saunters onto this new record, guns blazing. Listeners
have been put on notice.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxPRXGupvp7pPbGA_7_CE1q5ZWexU7Uq5L7hrUH8mFhJNa4yHgOxPL0z5JeyiwAwIG9rpSoUcA-A3yveU4zesk4LfT5bjcnk2oZ2gIxCWkvr_2YPyuW6zaSjjmsxDoSURK3HxBb3Ewa8/s1600/Leerone_HSB_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxPRXGupvp7pPbGA_7_CE1q5ZWexU7Uq5L7hrUH8mFhJNa4yHgOxPL0z5JeyiwAwIG9rpSoUcA-A3yveU4zesk4LfT5bjcnk2oZ2gIxCWkvr_2YPyuW6zaSjjmsxDoSURK3HxBb3Ewa8/s320/Leerone_HSB_cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The first song “Use
My Lips” has got a slow swagger peppered with synth. The backdrop is the perfect
canvas for the singer to come in and breathlessly dominate the lyric.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Later on the record
behind a charging guitar Leerone dives into the story of what the narrator
would “do to you Suzanne,” were she a man. The imagined Leerone gender-bending really
hits on familiar themes for this singer. So often her songs capitalize on the
guy/girl cat and mouse games in love and relationships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><a href="http://www.leerone.com/FreeDownloads" target="_blank">Leerone </a>takes a bit
of a turn on a song like “Feel.” This tune begins with the sound of a very
old-timey, clock-tower-at-midnight, last dance at the prom love song. By the
songs end though the choir behind and her impressive vocal reaches high and
fills up the space as though she were leading a revival chorus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGC93PwoJyLvYGoLiJfvB3trlZhhUv9wL-yazzgNh7Jw9RhjSPyE1fN232ppx9I2A5cS16J-_G0CjfP6QWmLgmCRNUhpttaZsUhbOtK6HFWQj4ddt7X8k7X9kau5lw5Ddzgzf8-05pIg/s1600/Leerone2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGC93PwoJyLvYGoLiJfvB3trlZhhUv9wL-yazzgNh7Jw9RhjSPyE1fN232ppx9I2A5cS16J-_G0CjfP6QWmLgmCRNUhpttaZsUhbOtK6HFWQj4ddt7X8k7X9kau5lw5Ddzgzf8-05pIg/s320/Leerone2.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Cherry Red” has the
feel of an industrial/punk song, “She’s Your Bird” and “Pleased to Meet” have
the ambling westward sound and story familiar of classic songwriters like
Johnny Cash, so that by the time the albums conclusion comes around with “Trouble”
we are reminded why we love Leerone. Her elegant breathy voice and high
register piano playing are wonderfully melded with some classy production values.
The conclusion of “Heart Shaped Bullets” is reflective, sultry and celebratory
so that when the talented songstress asks: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“do I wanna gamble, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">sit at your table,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">be able to find me
some trouble?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As the listener, you
are there with her, watching her, captivated. You can’t even help the fact that
your leg’s pushing the seat out opposite you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">That’s when you know
that you’re about to find yourself in some trouble too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Heart Shaped
Bullets” is available on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heart-shaped-bullets/id559847708" target="_blank">iTunes</a>. Connect with Leerone at <a href="http://www.leerone.com/" target="_blank">her website</a>, on
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/LeeroneMusic" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, or <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mynameisleerone" target="_blank">MySpace</a>.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-23698629884100140412013-05-10T06:52:00.003-07:002013-05-10T06:56:59.461-07:00Rush: Clockwork Angels Tour 2013: Mohegan Sun Arena<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As the rain fell
down on Uncasville, Connecticut, the band Rush was getting ready to tear things
up in <a href="http://mohegansun.com/gateway/index.html?gclid=COeMsuvVi7cCFYc7OgodSGMA4w" target="_blank">Mohegan Sun’s Arena</a>. Rush are currently continuing their <a href="http://www.rush.com/tour-dates/" target="_blank">Clockwork AngelsTour</a> and while some may even question where Rush has been, as evidenced
tonight, there are plenty of people who follow the bands movement closely. Moreover
the band is still in the sweet spot of being great performers and talented
showman where they have lingered for years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkgYuILN4KjpLsQh2cRmoyHaqBKFZeaSTS7mrPyLTqdG-5gycJacN53lAzl9KSDmy7PGLImD8OBq7sRIgjIpOq9aTzJ9FWczMKLFXQuL9evL0OMSfKp72yB62z8_v3AFlCrpiU72zqcY/s1600/20130509_202031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkgYuILN4KjpLsQh2cRmoyHaqBKFZeaSTS7mrPyLTqdG-5gycJacN53lAzl9KSDmy7PGLImD8OBq7sRIgjIpOq9aTzJ9FWczMKLFXQuL9evL0OMSfKp72yB62z8_v3AFlCrpiU72zqcY/s320/20130509_202031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Canadian trio of
Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart have been kicking around since 1974 in
their current incarnation, the band taking its name all the way back to the
late 1960’s. One thing that’s clear though is that their synergy has never been
stronger. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I am a casual Rush fan
(I can’t pick up the title and lyrical content of each song in seconds as the
vast majority of my fellow concert goers could) but I have been since I first
heard them in the late 1980’s. One of the first cassette tapes I ever had was
Rush’s 1981 masterpiece “Moving Pictures.” Like Michael Jackson, U2, and Rush. Those
were my first three cassette tapes ever. I was an aspiring drummer and I was mesmerized
by Peart’s impressive chops. Chops he still has today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Arena was pretty
well packed, something I was a tad surprised about for a Thursday night in May.
Still I shouldn’t have been taken aback as Rush fans rank high on the list of
caravan devotees, somewhere between the callous disregard I <a href="http://voices.yahoo.com/eddie-vedder-beacon-theatre-8680651.html?cat=33" target="_blank">noted recently atan Eddie Vedder</a> show for the Pearl Jam lead singer and maybe a band like Phish
or the big daddy, The Grateful Dead. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gQ3pF3O3WbtUHW3x5M8WZOEGKA8uVVn4WBkahhNoDJY8YijSXzci-YJeDgMT2T1IrJH7ABl-yNdamAhtN1L8weUR2RQwmpl81kl0HEjLdL95YrldoMtDhGGGyRJxD2R5leuyRrE2cfE/s1600/20130509_200014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gQ3pF3O3WbtUHW3x5M8WZOEGKA8uVVn4WBkahhNoDJY8YijSXzci-YJeDgMT2T1IrJH7ABl-yNdamAhtN1L8weUR2RQwmpl81kl0HEjLdL95YrldoMtDhGGGyRJxD2R5leuyRrE2cfE/s320/20130509_200014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Everyone inside the near capacity arena
was on their feet mouthing the words bopping along such that the aluminum
risers that our seats were on were waving in time with the flavor of the music.
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The girl to my right
was maybe 15 or so and was here with her dad; they both loved every minute of
this show. Suddenly it occurred to me that dad was probably listening to Rush
when he was her age or younger. They both shared the enthusiasm for the songs,
mimicked the huge synth notes, guitar lines, and drum solos and sang out their favorite
lines together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Geddy Lee was
gracious enough welcoming the audience but all three of them just seemed intent
on playing. Lee at one point promised we gluttons for punishment that the band
had “about six million songs to play,” to which the enthusiastic crowd roared. So
the band got back up and began playing again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">A familiar AOR radio
song like “Limelight” evoked a kind of swell from the audience that would be
repeated a bunch more times throughout the evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Whenever Peart would
hit one of his thundering cymbal crashes or Lifeson would articulate one of his
signature riffs dozens of ARMS would flail wildly in the packed audience as
though they were the ones controlling the sound. It was quite a sight to
behold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The band took the
set in halves. Right before the end of the first half Lee began riffing some kind
of an extended slap bass guitar solo followed by a musical ensemble number.
Towards the end of the number though Lee and Lifeson ducked offstage and Peart took
his turn playing a commanding and enchanted solo. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Rush even went so
far as to set off explosions. What started out as some red flares, just before
their intermission, wound up as one frighteningly big explosion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">This tour will
continue now through August in the United States and Canada and may extend even
beyond that. If you are looking for impressive musicianship, enthusiastic
crowds, and a community who loves playing and hearing music then get out to the
<a href="http://www.rush.com/tour-dates/" target="_blank">2013 Clockwork Angels Tour</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-18924240074766512552013-04-07T01:45:00.001-07:002013-04-07T09:08:09.240-07:00Green Day - Mohegan Sun - 4/6/13<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Montville, CT - 4/6/13:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Punk impresarios
Green Day recently came through Mohegan Sun Casinos Arena in Connecticut. Fans
young and old came out to enjoy the set. Many were here on one end of the ball
field with all that rancor and discord nothing more than a distant memory. Others
were still living it and caught up in the moment.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvl9DEyyknTJ1EuPjhJxuPTZENnFbOcoHYbGUVkpSwf18FKSxUEWqiNOeZZfVWzSQdbmvnc9KjUO-bsK76VivHGO-D70FxaYhyYDklU8EdkrQgYaIz7N3TVa73MlPa74emm01yey9D5vE/s1600/20130406_210336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvl9DEyyknTJ1EuPjhJxuPTZENnFbOcoHYbGUVkpSwf18FKSxUEWqiNOeZZfVWzSQdbmvnc9KjUO-bsK76VivHGO-D70FxaYhyYDklU8EdkrQgYaIz7N3TVa73MlPa74emm01yey9D5vE/s1600/20130406_210336.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Following the
opening act, Best Coast, who you can read about <a href="http://internetaudiophile.blogspot.com/2013/04/best-coast-mohegan-sun-4613.html" target="_blank">separately here</a>, the energy in
the arena began to swell. “Bohemian Rhapsody” hit the PA and the whole house
began singing along with Freddie Mercury’s tender missive. The swooning chords
of Brian May’s guitar line and our individual personal affiliations with the
song did not get in the way of the shared experience. It would not be the last
time a similar energy would take up the room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">With the house
lights still up the playful “drunk Easter Bunny” alighted to the stage to the further
scoring of the Ramones “Hey Oh Let’s Go.” Without further ado, Billie Joe,
Mike, Tre and their backing musicians came blazing to the stage in a furious
swooping energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">They opened their
set with “99 Revolutions,” and Billie Joe commanding the audience, “Let's go
crazy!” He is still as full of energy and enthusiasm as a child on Pixy Stix. It would not be the last time he would challenge his audience to push
themselves further, get engaged, and live the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">During the bridge of
“99 Revolutions” he asked for the lights to be brought up and he started a
wave. Speaking almost like a dictator or a fraternity brother he derided us
all; “This is not a fucking computer! This is rock n roll!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Even though there
were many younger people in the audience, the fact that “Green Day” has been
playing music ¼ century is not lost on the lead singer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYvd9QsPSd58mGF1oiSY7kPI9w3ELG_Ugku-5S_GKKy3qn4tZ2DBlKEzKLhXVb_tvfxC3NmKXa37PnTR48c9oYTGoBeybmPav6tN6H__JqKJeriO3GbcM3JhZDDt-8lYWiYao8fo6cJc/s1600/20130406_213710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYvd9QsPSd58mGF1oiSY7kPI9w3ELG_Ugku-5S_GKKy3qn4tZ2DBlKEzKLhXVb_tvfxC3NmKXa37PnTR48c9oYTGoBeybmPav6tN6H__JqKJeriO3GbcM3JhZDDt-8lYWiYao8fo6cJc/s1600/20130406_213710.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Tonight this is all
we fucking have right here,” he reminded us. “There is no school!” He lingered
on that for a second before quickly adding “…there is no work!” He hopefully
realizes that even those who were born in 1993, Green Day's breakout year, likely are out of or nearly out
of school and have work obligations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">There was a moment
during “Letterbomb,” when the lyric “It’s not over till you're underground,”
seemed to evoke something in him. Perhaps his frustration with his own
mortality. Perhaps something else. Who knows but when he squeezed the
microphone from his hand and flung it to the orchestra pit offstage, he had a
moment. A stagehand quickly brought out a replacement and Billie Joe
acknowledged it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Everybody's got a
moment when it’s not fuckin perfect,” he mused. “Fuck perfect! Give me some
trauma give me some hurt.” A cheer erupted from the audience, “…you know what
I'm taking about!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">There were moments
of candor and moments of scorn, but for the most part he was the audience’s
biggest cheerleader. He kept yelling out “CONNECTICUT!!” and engaging the crowd
by holding up his guitar in one-armed punk defiance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">More than once an
old school moshing session got underway in the middle of the floor level
audience. This one kid kept thrashing and shoving people and it would go from
just him, to 8 or 9 to 20 or more and then to no one. It was quite entertaining.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Billie Joe had
people coming up to sing at various points during the night. But one of the
biggest audience sing-alongs of the night was the first verse of “Boulevard of
Broken Dreams.” He set everyone up for it and when we all responded with eruptions of melody he just got down on his knees and kissed
the ground to the audience as though he were praying to Allah. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">He stood up, smiled,
and said “Life’s not pretty but it sure is beautiful.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarzAvSKki0E4LL7bSXYRKOymAit9oC77Br70dC1eVvE9c5jBxshPVVgCfoAJpeUBy7FpRRxUsJ7zCNhM0i82yUTadKH_TgvW_LPzQXt87lTWfTyzO5Drks3_EAuKsW6NfzbY9mU2vcqk/s1600/20130406_215728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarzAvSKki0E4LL7bSXYRKOymAit9oC77Br70dC1eVvE9c5jBxshPVVgCfoAJpeUBy7FpRRxUsJ7zCNhM0i82yUTadKH_TgvW_LPzQXt87lTWfTyzO5Drks3_EAuKsW6NfzbY9mU2vcqk/s1600/20130406_215728.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">It was right around
this time that the band went into a mash-up session of cover
songs. They started out with “Shout,” by the Isley Brothers, which led into “Time
is On My Side,” and “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones, and another
arm waving sing along to “Hey Jude,” before circling back to the "little bit louder now" portion of "Shout."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">After two full hours
of breaking us down and making us question ourselves, our motives, and our
whole reason for living our lives, Green
Day were done with their set. One of the last songs they played was “X-Kid” which
includes the lyrics:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">“Hey, little kid did
you wake up late one day? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">And you’re not so
young, but you’re still dumb<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">And you’re numb to
your old glory, but now it’s gone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">And when Billie Joe repeated
the lyric, “here goes nothing, the shouting’s over and out over and out again,”
a reasonable guess would have been that the show was over right there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Maybe just to stick
a flag in the turd they played a little longer. That is the message which Green
Day carries with them on this their 20 year anniversary of songs from their
debut album. We will be done playing when we are done playing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">And we will all still be
here, your loyal followers, listening until that time is up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-16920653493193656462013-04-07T01:40:00.000-07:002013-04-07T01:40:00.826-07:00Best Coast - Mohegan Sun - 4/6/13Montville, CT - 4/6/13<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Green Day was the entree of the day but their opening act came first. Working in their favor the</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> opening
act, “Best Coast” came onstage three minutes early which was really great. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Best
Coast is a surf/pop outfit from California and from all accounts they appear to
just be a duo though there were 4 musicians onstage tonight. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">The lead singer
and guitar player Bethany Cosentino, came out saying she was “wearing a sparkly
dress.” We were all just glad that she came out not just on time but even a few
minutes early!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The first song that
they played was the song “Crazy for You.”
The song was okay but I just couldn’t get over how tiny they all looked on
this pretty sizable stage. I understand that it’s not “their” stage but the
lighting designers could have done something for them so that they didn’t
appear so spread out. I mean, at the very least, just stand closer together!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As I mentioned Ms. Cosentino
sang the lead vocal and played some guitar.
Her vocal line reminded me a little of The Breeders, Jen Trynin or a
half-hearted Lucinda Williams. She
really sounded like she was giving it her all but her vocals were very much
overpowered by the wash of loud guitar and bass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">They played a few
other songs, all of which generally sounded the same. We were in the seats that
lined the floor and it was a little sad epitaph for the times because as the
set progressed and people’s interest waned you saw so many tablets and cell phone
screens illuminated on the floor of the arena.
At least there was a time for opening acts when you could think you had
your audience engaged. Today apathetic audiences
just flip open their phones akin to turning
the cold shrug shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Best Coast" weren’t bad. It’s
just a lot of their songs were awash in sameness. And you are going to have a tough sell somewhere like Eastern Connecticut when you say you're from California and you call yourself "Best Coast." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">However they were quick to get on and they honored their half hour time slot
and they got offstage quickly enough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">A restless audience for sure, the biggest applause
thus far this night happened as soon as they said goodnight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-23236707977687087922013-03-12T00:24:00.000-07:002013-03-12T00:24:03.495-07:00Oak Ridge Boys - City Winery - 3/11/13<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Manhattan, City Winery, 3/11/13:</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmx65somujFPTxbQZLq9yT02p0T67QT4nRYbhzHSTYzBBgI-77_b_53F1MufZCWw0meHJnJvYIs14_h8Zl-z3eAycQ6cDNIU1e4CFArVssWsrwbVRLMfgyaxr74YiQxpfAIGhoLKPWzE/s1600/20130311_203644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmx65somujFPTxbQZLq9yT02p0T67QT4nRYbhzHSTYzBBgI-77_b_53F1MufZCWw0meHJnJvYIs14_h8Zl-z3eAycQ6cDNIU1e4CFArVssWsrwbVRLMfgyaxr74YiQxpfAIGhoLKPWzE/s1600/20130311_203644.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">40 years is a long
time to do almost anything. It should take some people aback when they learn
that The Oak Ridge Boys are out on their 40th anniversary tour. The fact that
these guys are able to stand one another and stand the repetition of the songs
for so long is saying one thing. But for the grueling life of a touring band of
musicians, 40 years is really saying something. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Legendary, is one
word. The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Moody Blues. These are just some of the
bands who have been out touring in one form or another for around as long. Of course
The Oak Ridge Boys play a different kind of tune from any of those other acts. They
recently rolled in on their impressive tour bus to show their very best on the “It’s
Only Natural” tour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">For those unfamiliar
the current incarnation of The Oak Ridge Boys, at least as I saw them was as a 10
piece lineup in full. The four main musicians are the main attraction. The other
six musicians onstage played drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, and everyone
seemed to swap in with various instruments at different stages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPaDnd_TS3vqtvfXV6jFzeZgVPnot4X1_371swjjLE5VJmbtMo8cdeY84PebKdCrhkljKRLr8e3qJBTl90jVJLUuxI459Hg7XEc4W0SQTb24vzkvaB6bJ6NvkogZBmdiuMorDJFaiRq4/s1600/20130311_201259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPaDnd_TS3vqtvfXV6jFzeZgVPnot4X1_371swjjLE5VJmbtMo8cdeY84PebKdCrhkljKRLr8e3qJBTl90jVJLUuxI459Hg7XEc4W0SQTb24vzkvaB6bJ6NvkogZBmdiuMorDJFaiRq4/s1600/20130311_201259.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As we descended on
our seats they were just saying one of the four singers’, Richard, had recently
tore his Achilles tendon. Richard was
the bass vocalist and he had to remain seated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">From their first
song out of the gate, “One in a Million,” this audience was really receptive. The
audience was small but they were lively. Some of the other favorites they
played this night included songs like “Y’all Come Back Saloon,” “Ozark Mountain
Jubilee,” “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” and “Gonna Take A Lot of
River.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZohTQqX0bOvXV5TXGKEcB2ZH-B93R33yA93J-e7PmYGSf01gYCjvmpuITymelGack7Ac7OOWdMkiL8uQpG1mpez6l82ALSgn7sHwmAX_hVsaiy2-Ld2fqo9USWQjZhaH8qAp_NM6N6k/s1600/20130311_203659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZohTQqX0bOvXV5TXGKEcB2ZH-B93R33yA93J-e7PmYGSf01gYCjvmpuITymelGack7Ac7OOWdMkiL8uQpG1mpez6l82ALSgn7sHwmAX_hVsaiy2-Ld2fqo9USWQjZhaH8qAp_NM6N6k/s1600/20130311_203659.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I enjoyed the simple
twang and toe tapping harmony of the band, but I have to say that for a
concert, at times the whole thing felt like a bit of an infomercial. They kept
mentioning how they were streaming on “Sirius,” and they were “sponsored by
Cracker Barrel,” and whomever else. It was a little off-putting for sure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">But like the band
said this was their “All hits show.” And for all their blatant consumerism and
seemingly reflexive sponsorship-speak, these guys also know how to get an
audience clapping and the audience which was here really wanted to be here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Their music is pure,
simple, and infectiously catchy. All the choreographed moves and onstage
theatrics show this band still knows how to put on a show. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As the audience
lifted I couldn’t help but notice that it was s weighted mix of older men with
long gray hair in flannels shirts wearing baseball caps and a smattering of
younger folks. These youngsters sat with the intensity of youth but were also
already brimming over with the tell-tale signs that they would one day swap places
with the other folks in the hall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-18271948001155267852013-03-09T08:05:00.003-08:002013-03-09T09:42:53.196-08:00The Dedication at The Paper Box, Brooklyn<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Meadow St. Brooklyn: 3/8/13:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Brooklyn has got
some scary places in it. Map software can’t tell you what a deserted, vacant warehouse
district is going to look like after a couple of days of snow, but that was
what we came upon as we left Union Avenue, left Grand Street, and located The
Paper Box. It’s not far from civilization but on this night it might as well
have been a world away.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">So it was with some
apprehension that I came upon this Williamsburg staple which is probably much
more welcoming on a night when there’s not snow and cold in the air. We were
there this night to see this band The Dedication. They were first on the docket
tonight so we didn’t have to hang around all night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Dedication are
lead singer and guitar strummer Matt Booth, pianist Drew Hansen, guitarists
Jimmy Petro and Anthony Scanzano (though Anthony was not there tonight), Jake Coupart on bass, and Brittany Mac on
drums. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">They were late to
the stage by a good 30 minutes though it wasn’t their fault. The Paper Box held
them back because the crowd was so loose this night. I was talking with their
biggest fan-girl and she pointed them out all sort of sitting alongside the
stage, looking rather bored. I wondered how they would sound and how frustrating
that must be for them to just be kept on the holding dock when all they wanted
to do was play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">When The Dedication
finally did emerge to the stage they were none the worse for wear. There was an
exciting energy and electricity to this seemingly mismatched group of
musicians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI7l95sYgFffXFitQ7EtSQvVVdRrJZDaa0pIauUt0yctspej1YPrtyTg9URf4dgtZAFrtJEsUai7I41gtgyMwQIPY9WkDlFHtEMF5wr0mB7W0bYCHPFXjxfnKT5Sd6WKZN7p9lCbnnqU/s1600/20130308_203733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI7l95sYgFffXFitQ7EtSQvVVdRrJZDaa0pIauUt0yctspej1YPrtyTg9URf4dgtZAFrtJEsUai7I41gtgyMwQIPY9WkDlFHtEMF5wr0mB7W0bYCHPFXjxfnKT5Sd6WKZN7p9lCbnnqU/s1600/20130308_203733.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The first two tunes
they played really rocked. Check their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Thededication/info" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> though and they call
themselves “pop rock/acoustic.” Their fan-girl even went so far as to call it “folk.”
I'd have to disagree and say they are much more alt-rock-punk, following closely in
the shadows of band like 311, No Doubt, Green Day, or Foster the People. They had the lazy pop sound
of a catchy band like Sugar Ray with also some of the harder edge of a band
like Sublime or even Rage Against the Machine. Most of their set didn’t sound
like any “folk” I am familiar with. I am a big fan of all kinds of folk, but
just because you have an acoustic guitar doesn’t mean that you are at all folk.
Even acoustic music can be cagey and deceptive. Fans of popular music from the
early 1990’s may remember the song “More Than Words.” On the surface that song
and that band, Extreme, may sound like a harmonic, acoustic duo. However listen
to the rest of their body of work and they are a pretty hard-core hard rock/metal
band. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I drive home this
point so directly because I really liked what this band did when they were a
full five piece and I’d hate for them to be held back by the weight of their own
hubris. When Booth got up twice and
played two solo acoustic songs (one song and one “mix-tape” with riffed lines
from popular music) it really took me, as an audience member, out of it. Even
Booth’s dancing brother and the girl he was there with who rocked out when the
band rocked didn’t seem to know what to do during these lighter moments. I get
it that you want to show off virtuosity but that’s what B-sides or hidden
tracks or free tracks on your social media page are for. When you’re playing a
live show you only have a half hour or 45 minutes to wow your audience. I would
have been far more blown away had they used these digression periods more to
their advantage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Overall Booth gives
an earnest effort and his singing is good. His warbled vocals wound up somewhere between his
best Justin Timberlake and Mike Patton from Faith No More with a little bit of that Jason Mraz flip-kick in his rhyme. If he put down the
guitar and focused on being more of a band leader and a singer, he and The
Dedication would be better served for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">There was a solid
bedrock of rhythm lain down by Mac and Coupart. If you looked at her before the
show you might have been shocked to hear the sounds coming out of the drum kit.
However Mac apparently learned her fundamentals very young. Her skills shone
the night I saw The Dedication. Coupart didn’t overstep his bounds but his
solid bass lines were heard and honored. He wouldn’t let the more prominent instruments
shut him out, nor should he have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Another area I was pleasantly
surprised by was the pianist Hansen. His line oscillated between and often
overlapped with a small whiny KORG synth and the graceful accenting of ivories on
his Casio. The first song they came out with had a strong synth line which took
me back to bands like Depeche Mode or Tears for
Fears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I understand that
the guitar players were at half-staff and that may have been another reason
that Booth felt so brazen with his guitar. However Petro played a thoughtful, deliberate lead guitar line. I’d really love to see this band
at full force.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I made many allusions to many different artists because this band were so hard to pin down. They can literally go off in any direction they want. Their rhythm section are tight and even with just one guitarist and keys taking the melody line, the sounds just pop off the stage. The Dedication play
shows all up and down the Hudson River Valley. Connect with them on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Thededication/info" target="_blank">Facebook </a>or
<a href="https://twitter.com/TheDedicationNY" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and come check this fresh band out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Brooklyn, NY, USA40.65 -73.94999999999998940.4572285 -74.272723499999984 40.8427715 -73.6272765tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-88144923275497608812013-03-01T09:27:00.000-08:002013-03-01T09:27:04.255-08:00Neomythics "Beautiful Blackout"<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">If you're wondering
what's happened to music lately, recent samplings from Neomythics give rock and
roll some kind of hope. Call it post-modern rock with plaintively descriptive
lyrics wrought from and borne of a world brought up behind the shadow of their
laptop screen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">This video
"<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1YhuS7zgbY&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Neomythics+%2522Beautiful+Blackout%2522+Music+Video&utm_campaign=Neomythics+Video&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">Beautiful Blackout</a>" is a wrenching account and it tells the story of
star-crossed lovers even if it's not a mutual cross. Taking its cues from the Japanese
animation Anime, the press kit says this song is said to explore "the
beauty and darkness of a relationship."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Neomythics is the
project of Matt Montgomery and Gregory Howe. Their 12 song release is called
"New Corporate Resistance," and is something that disillusioned
grunge rock fans who still opine for 1992 should certainly keep an eye on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-81876332433088095342013-01-02T23:17:00.004-08:002013-01-03T08:27:47.576-08:00Charlie Mars at City Winery: January 2, 2013<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">For the first Wednesday
night in 2013 the mood at <a href="http://www.citywinery.com/newyork/" target="_blank">City Winery</a> in Lower Manhattan was surprisingly
subdued. The room traffic was light and the show began mostly on time as the
very fun Charlie Mars was in for a set on January 2. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7JyuXnmOWIGGoA53qUNCUpHpCccZyIroUP_lArW2ISMrANm73U04ndM1JF-AnKATSirUDRgS7pP7GML3-k01I6uAp0ApyUBmwzBYLw4M5SEU8J_SMpmg7uNB1Ih42XDnqqYbJwD_xLk/s1600/20111025125547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7JyuXnmOWIGGoA53qUNCUpHpCccZyIroUP_lArW2ISMrANm73U04ndM1JF-AnKATSirUDRgS7pP7GML3-k01I6uAp0ApyUBmwzBYLw4M5SEU8J_SMpmg7uNB1Ih42XDnqqYbJwD_xLk/s1600/20111025125547.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Mars emerged onto
the stage and leapt right into his somewhat droll storytelling; something he would do quite often throughout most of his 2 hours+ set. He marveled right off the bat that this
morning he woke up in his bed in Mississippi and suddenly, he’s here for his
8pm show in New York City. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">His first song, he
said, was about a relationship where he had “possibly behaved badly.” It was
this self-deprecation that he would return to again and again; whether it be in
discussing his marijuana smoking, intoxication, reverence for and double
talking to the Almighty, or his most popular spoof, relationships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">He used a harmonica
a couple of times alongside his acoustic guitar. He remained tethered to his ax
save two songs at the ivories. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">His forlorn longing would rear its head again
and again; even as he was a lot more dubious than his descriptions let on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Before tonight’s set
I was not familiar with Mr. Mars and while his down home Mississippi attitude
shone through, his fingerpicking and slap guitar style evoked many of my folk
favorites. The lyrical line shifted a number of times from the howling
at the moon like Michael Penn or Mark Olson to his more slick lyrical hyperbole
of Jason Mraz.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The guitar playing
drew influences from any number of sources; Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley, Matthew
Sweet or many others. But it was the guitar line combined with the poppy melody
which drew out tones of Bob Marley and a far less produced sounding Mraz. There was no pomp and fanfare here; only a guy
and his stories which he played out on his guitar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Mars’ invocation of
acoustic guitar musicianship used slow plucking, slap technique and the vacant
spaces between his breaths to tell stories all their own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Unlike many
other guitar players in that vein his was a tight narratives line; many of his songs
simply stopped dead once they were over; very much like Evan Dando of The Lemonheads. This was somewhat jarring yet also strangely refreshing in
a style of music, folk, which is beleaguered with long rambling listless
narratives which seem to stretch on indefinitely. The artistry in Mars playing
lies not in complexity or over-layering but in deceptively simple accents and
arpeggios of which he has gotten quite good in his six album career.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">His set was just
over two hours and I must confess, as the evening weaned on, I began to tire to
a lot of his tropes and clever little lyrical tricks. He asked us to do a call
and response sing-along towards the beginning of his set. I thought that was
cute. But when he asked us to do it four or five times; to four or five different
songs; it seemed to be a little much. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Towards the end of
the night though, he did lay himself bare in a rather surprising turn when he leaned right into a small vignette
of Bruce Springsteen’s “I'm On Fire.” He then told a story about how the record “Nebraska” was one of "...three or four albums which changed my life." While I didn't hear much of The Boss in Mars performance this night, the musicians early influences offer a bit of insight into who the performer has become.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Charlie Mars comes
through City Winery regularly enough. If you’re looking to sing along or just
enjoy some tunes, give him a shot the next time he’s through. To hear some of
his stuff, check out his <a href="http://charliemars.com/" target="_blank">webpage </a>or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1VNVakjlf48&list=PLF1E4C8728347E86A" target="_blank">YouTube page</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-40226958769723708922012-10-23T20:08:00.001-07:002012-10-24T13:35:48.944-07:00Night of Discovery & Healing for EB <br />
While the rock and roll lifestyle of the modern musician might seem to be all sound and fury, there are many who take time out from their busy schedule in order to do things for those less fortunate and draw attention to things that need our attention. Eddie Vedder, lead singer of the seminal band <a href="http://pearljam.com/" target="_blank">Pearl Jam</a>, and his wife Jill are shining examples of that pay-it-forward attitude. They both are drawing some attention to a terrible illness which affects young children.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LXK8rQJKnlwRsMBoOOtSTvGiHZqfd-j1_q_XQ1CRE9BwN57L_jaW5seHoUgyf-ZA5Z_hY_xQ2LYJT8f42dP_UQ_H8sRk8OF7sskLo4WqHeo_YA95k1T6V3lEXQUyJQrp8sO7x0j4uHQ/s1600/2012-10-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LXK8rQJKnlwRsMBoOOtSTvGiHZqfd-j1_q_XQ1CRE9BwN57L_jaW5seHoUgyf-ZA5Z_hY_xQ2LYJT8f42dP_UQ_H8sRk8OF7sskLo4WqHeo_YA95k1T6V3lEXQUyJQrp8sO7x0j4uHQ/s320/2012-10-23.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Vedder’s both took part in "A Night of Discovery & Healing for EB" recently at <a href="http://www.cdm.org/index.asp?f=1" target="_blank">Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose</a>. This event happened a day before <a href="http://bridgeschool.org/concert/index.php" target="_blank">The Bridge School Annual benefit concert</a>. The evening was an awareness and fundraiser for “<a href="http://healeb.org/" target="_blank">Heal EB</a>.” Heal EB is a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure while raising awareness for Epidermolysis Bullosa.<br />
<br />
If you have never heard of EB before, it just sounds dreadful. EB is a painful congenital disease that causes blisters after the mildest trauma. The <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/epidermolysis-bullosa/DS01015" target="_blank">Myoclonic describes EB</a>:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbda9wFcizm0yh0lyKFrOcuARbhNn903TY8aIqW77fuXUNO0LSz9qMsET40Sy3FYaep44_HIb2k3jqBDooZfTy-Kym0cQ9znzIGliLOCTEdQaiHY0Q4wZKo2evFnlo0tLF9k4lMcy7ZU/s1600/2012-10-23+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbda9wFcizm0yh0lyKFrOcuARbhNn903TY8aIqW77fuXUNO0LSz9qMsET40Sy3FYaep44_HIb2k3jqBDooZfTy-Kym0cQ9znzIGliLOCTEdQaiHY0Q4wZKo2evFnlo0tLF9k4lMcy7ZU/s320/2012-10-23+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a>“Epidermolysis bullosa (ep-ih-dur-MOL-uh-sis buhl-LO-sah) is a group of skin conditions whose hallmark is blistering in response to minor injury, heat, or friction from rubbing, scratching or adhesive tape.”<br />
<br />
Maybe the most terrible thing about EB is that children are the ones who suffer from it.<br />
<br />
“Most types of epidermolysis bullosa initially affect infants and young children, although some people with mild forms of the condition don't develop signs and symptoms until adolescence or early adulthood. Mild forms of epidermolysis bullosa may improve with age, but severe forms may cause serious complications and can be fatal.”<br />
<br />
While the fact that EB may improve with age is one small bit of hope for those diagnosed, that is not always the case. And there still remains no known cure. For most kids who develop EB the treatment is all about dealing with the pain and preventing outbreaks. Kids will be kids though; imagine having had to have lived your whole youth in a bubble; reacting violently and painfully to even the slightest abrasion. Depending on the type of EB, the effects can be mild, disabling, or life threatening. Children with severe cases of the disease oftentimes do not make it to adulthood.<br />
<br />
Mrs. Vedder has a dear friend, Heather Fullmer, whose son who suffers from EB. Mrs. Fullmer is CEO and founder of the Heal EB non-profit. Because she was so deeply moved by the pain of these children and the strain they endure, Mrs. Vedder sits on the Heal EB board of directors.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTB7dYPZLXQhDCWHie1qHskLwhbmNLkdX6ftsS1OWzBu6NtB0HuRcS_FV7MCrsI0OIsTjDPFTSwN-id4fWFZUXX-4BKRuS6PNttnlYY161PbAo8Du9kvltonc-Frx3TWMElYxjrIPqM8/s1600/2012-10-23+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTB7dYPZLXQhDCWHie1qHskLwhbmNLkdX6ftsS1OWzBu6NtB0HuRcS_FV7MCrsI0OIsTjDPFTSwN-id4fWFZUXX-4BKRuS6PNttnlYY161PbAo8Du9kvltonc-Frx3TWMElYxjrIPqM8/s320/2012-10-23+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a>During the night, the Vedder’s made fast friends with a number of children who are grappling with EB. Eddie also got up to do an impromptu performance with the event band, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bigdaddysunshine" target="_blank">Big Daddy Sunshine</a>. Together they played "Running Down a Dream", "Come Together", and "Rocking in the Free World."<br />
<br />
In order to raise awareness and help spread the word, Heal EB has an auction currently up on <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/healeb2012/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_trksid=p2047675" target="_blank">EBay</a>. The auction is running through 9am Pacific this Friday October 26. There are a number of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam items up for grabs, including:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>- Autographed Eddie Vedder ukulele, autographed Eddie Vedder Deluxe Edition songbook, front row tickets to an upcoming Eddie Vedder solo date (first time front row tickets are being offered for bid)</li>
<li>- Eddie Vedder solo tour front row tickets and autographed poster package</li>
<li>- 2 autographed Pearl Jam posters (Made in America and Montreal 2011)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
There are a ton of other great items from athletes, fellow musicians and others. If you are a fan of the band or if you are interested in getting some cool auction items and helping a great cause like Heal EB you should check out the whole lot and see what strikes your fancy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-80521445035713104632012-06-30T08:27:00.001-07:002012-06-30T08:34:17.110-07:00Fiona Apple - WCSU Ives Concert Park - 6/29/12<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58LLkI-1PgnGQTGqlC4dCxC448rFjPyu0PhORC2vQ93j50kkUyLWzFOk5Doss_fjZTB38c1x3qU2li_xbauyDfT8u9o7EEua0ZY_48XLUHCZEAGExxwOUeL8UmupG-ErsHwJ9qe1B4a0/s1600/20120629201012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58LLkI-1PgnGQTGqlC4dCxC448rFjPyu0PhORC2vQ93j50kkUyLWzFOk5Doss_fjZTB38c1x3qU2li_xbauyDfT8u9o7EEua0ZY_48XLUHCZEAGExxwOUeL8UmupG-ErsHwJ9qe1B4a0/s200/20120629201012.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-top: 0px;">
For a very particular slice of the public consciousness lexicon, the name Fiona Apple is one filled with reverence and mystique. However Fiona Apple's also a name which fell from public consciousness as mysteriously as she appeared.</div>
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If you're a young person today who divides your time evenly among names like Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, you probably have never heard of Fiona Apple before.</div>
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At the same time if you're too old to appreciate the names who headline the Lilith Fair embargo (Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco) and instead fall back on old standards like Heart, Pat Benatar, and Annie Lennox then the name Fiona Apple probably means as little to you as anything.</div>
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However if you do fall in that tender slice of years (say high school graduating class 1994-1999) then you may know who Fiona Apple is. You may have known her firsthand or maybe you had an older sister or cousin who turned you on to songs like "Criminal" and "Shadowboxer." Maybe this relative turned you on to her inverted and tortured music and filled your head with some of the wilder stories about Apple like that she allegedly had an eating disorder. Or perhaps you were drawn in by the very true story of how she was raped when she was very young. Whatever the bait was time turned you around and her impression was indelibly made and you were hooked.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwaEKbzfr96o5eX-O5VptszIIiwW4VogD_soubC5vhVHeFoGvCOc8o7PXxw_T3qtTysWoMKjpvDu7YWpG3Mbg6Nsp9ciIsYyxRPw0OKeWBi36b43o3aql_ZcDBUiNasWX8Cu4gEYh6Pg/s1600/20120629214508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwaEKbzfr96o5eX-O5VptszIIiwW4VogD_soubC5vhVHeFoGvCOc8o7PXxw_T3qtTysWoMKjpvDu7YWpG3Mbg6Nsp9ciIsYyxRPw0OKeWBi36b43o3aql_ZcDBUiNasWX8Cu4gEYh6Pg/s320/20120629214508.jpg" width="320" /></a>So when Fiona Apple was reported to be coming through the <a class="" href="http://www.wcsu.edu/newsevents/events.asp" style="color: blue !important; cursor: text !important; line-height: 1.65em;" target="">Western Connecticut State University</a>Westside campuses Ives Concert Park I was delighted to find myself present for that show. I saw on Pitchfork earlier in June a new song from Apple, "<a class="" href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/13703-werewolf/" style="color: blue !important; cursor: text !important; line-height: 1.65em;" target="">Werewolf</a>," from her new record "The Idler Wheel is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Ever Do." This song is incredible and so I looked forward to this concert with great anticipation. </div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-top: 0px;">
Much to this reporters delight the Fiona Apple of today looks much the same as she did in the mid-90's. Her arms are a little stronger looking but she's still very gaunt and this fact tells me that this is just who Fiona Apple is; she's just a thin woman. </div>
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The concert took its time to get going; the opening band came out a little after 8pm and strummed along for almost an hour. Then just after 9, Apple took the stage to thunderous applause.</div>
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She was in pretty strong form which was also pleasantly surprising; still with a defiant attitude throughout. She stood with an almost stoic indignation as she sang the lyric to "Sleep to Dream," and I thought that maybe she was a little resentful of that simple song's powerful commercial success. "Is she just going through the motions," I wondered. But then, as though reading my mind, as the band riffed off on an extended solo the singer totally lost it and began thrashing in a manic dance all over the stage. The cheers came and she cavorted herself further still before curling into a fetal position and squeezing her knees tight to her breast sitting on the stage floor for the songs conclusion. </div>
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She was a very energetic performer but Apple never lost her groove though. There were other moments, later on in the show, where she stood with her arms akimbo, sighed and let her exhausted and frazzled looking head fall backwards even as her sultry hips kept moving with the underscored beat. Just when you thought she might collapse from exhaustion or fall into a heap she then would thrash her body about some more. She ended one song retreated to a full surrender of her upper torso even as her legs stood taught like toothpicks. </div>
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Of course Fiona Apple had soulful moments as well. One such occasion was her stirring rendition of "I Know." Apple commanded the microphone and laid down her longing vocal line around the warm encapsulating synth, simple drum brushes, tiny plucks of the bass and the single note twang of the guitar. </div>
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Her voice was certainly edgier than I remember from FM radio. A new song like "Daredevil" was filled with a guttural rawness which was at once refreshing and unnerving. </div>
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I can't wait to hear what's next from Fiona Apple. I also apparently need to be a better fan and pick up her intermittent recordings as well. If this show is coming to an off-the-beaten-path venue near you, I would get my tickets right away! </div>
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<br style="line-height: 1.65em;" /></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-72958322153325250032012-04-26T21:25:00.000-07:002016-02-13T19:51:55.070-08:00The Bacon Brothers at City Winery; New York City -- with Vance Gilbert 4/26/12Bacon was on the menu recently at <a href="http://citywinery.com/events">City Winery</a> in Lower Manhattan. Not cured strips of meat from the rumpus of a pig but Kevin Bacon and big brother Michael; the Bacon Brothers. Michael Bacon is a CUNY (City University New York) professor and an accomplished musician and film scorer; little brother Kevin is also a well-respected thespian; star of numerous big and small screen reckonings. Kevin Bacon even has his own <a href="http://www.thekevinbacongame.com/">“Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”</a> game where you can apparently link any actor to Kevin Bacon (alive of dead) by no more than six degrees of separation. However together this duo (and their excellent backing band) simply do the deed of playing an interesting bit of soul, blues, folk, ballad, jazz, country, and good old fashioned rock and roll.<br />
<br />
Before we get to the Brothers Bacon though there was the mystery of opening act <a href="http://vancegilbert.com/">Vance Gilbert</a>. Gilbert was a twangy-blues laden singer songwriter. He actually called himself “The Black Folk Star of Love.” His short set might have been okay if he were the attraction. Maybe such macabre, heartbroken musings such as his would have been more appropriate for an engagement at a coffee house or something. But as an “opening act” for a group as full of verve and energy as the Bacon Brothers, it would have stood to reason that Gilbert would have played some more upbeat songs.<br />
<br />
Forgetting the topics of his set for just a moment; Gilbert had a glaring self-awareness and a corny disposition coupled with a sharp wit which at times elicited laughter.<br />
<br />
“You’re so old,” he joked to one audience member, “you’ve got a signed copy of the Bible!”<br />
<br />
His songs though were very intentionally oppressive and languid. Despite this fact Gilbert had a fierce set of lungs on him which oscillated between a practiced John Denver high to an extended Herman’s Hermits vibrato.<br />
<br />
Still, I go to the audience for the most fun quote of the night. One of the individuals sitting nearby me, who had even appeared to enjoy portions of the opener remarked, as Gilbert was exiting the stage:<br />
<br />
“For most of that performance, I wanted to stick something in my eye.”<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyc-is-9r2GHEn-VTfcI7OszaBPRq9X2BGMBUIlv1l27l3c_WdIfAGaWDoU2syLZS3gycRayovXDWA8dZMaNmCBNVnKVsT_jdyCJvpvB9K74Gxe8hzwvhXsuSc5mbyKZwZae_H0ntGx4/s1600/20120426210912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyc-is-9r2GHEn-VTfcI7OszaBPRq9X2BGMBUIlv1l27l3c_WdIfAGaWDoU2syLZS3gycRayovXDWA8dZMaNmCBNVnKVsT_jdyCJvpvB9K74Gxe8hzwvhXsuSc5mbyKZwZae_H0ntGx4/s320/20120426210912.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bacon Brothers. City Winery, New York City. 4/26/12.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then out came the Bacon Brothers. Both Bacon’s were spry and full of life. The entourage was Kevin and Michael trading lead vocals and both wielding rhythm lines on the electric and acoustic guitars. Kevin played the conga drums, a Latin shaker tube, and was the one man dance party as though everybody were hanging “Footloose!” Michael also played a floor string instrument like a standup bass only stouter.<br />
<br />
The first two songs were sung by Michael and Kevin simply sang backup vocals, strummed along as a second rhythm guitar, and played some very insignificant conga lines. When I pointed out to my wife that you didn’t even really hear the conga, she remarked that it's attributable to the fact that Kevin’s an actor. Actors onstage (or onscreen) should always have some kind of an action for their hands. I couldn’t disagree with her.<br />
<br />
By the third tune though, a song Kevin dubbed “the iPod song” he had earned his place onstage. Just before breaking it down Kevin took his audience on a funkdafied history of what it was like when he first came to New York City in 1976. He danced and cavorted to the tight funk line the song was electric.<br />
<br />
All the musicians onstage appeared to be effortlessly competent at their instruments. The bass player slid all over his fret board while singing harmony and doing something of a queer crouching crab step. The lead guitar player and organ player both cut out nice solo lines when they were called on to do so. The drummer also had no problem tearing up the skins a little bit like Animal from the Muppets.<br />
<br />
I wasn’t able to stay for the whole evening but from what I saw of the Bacon Brothers, they are a group worthy of your attention. A lot of times famous actors get a hard time when they just want to play in a band. But Kevin Bacon rips that stigma out and chucks it to the side. He just appears to be having a great time with his big brother, playing the music that’s had him dancing inside his head for all these years.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-85479630599734118262012-03-26T00:27:00.000-07:002012-03-26T00:27:45.643-07:00Marcy Playground - City Winery - NYC - 3/25/12<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3Kuk0xzPICi82Wx-4l6aq_2Vz0PlFmQXeF2yd9EBA1969j_nU8c3YsMqMoLXANdBuHZZkY75DYl0SAUlE85QjG-5mTh2d-dKrNx1_pQbqWseBhtwROoCAQFFOiMVA4-Yj9QhrZv37zg/s1600/20120325201504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3Kuk0xzPICi82Wx-4l6aq_2Vz0PlFmQXeF2yd9EBA1969j_nU8c3YsMqMoLXANdBuHZZkY75DYl0SAUlE85QjG-5mTh2d-dKrNx1_pQbqWseBhtwROoCAQFFOiMVA4-Yj9QhrZv37zg/s320/20120325201504.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
When I heard that <a href="http://marcyplayground.com/media.php">Marcy Playground</a> was coming to one of my favorite Manhattan music venues; all I could think was “Sex & Candy,” the bands 1997 hit song which was its only, to date, charting single. <br />
<br />
1997. That was 15 years ago. A lot has happened in the last 15 years; for me anyway. In 1997 I was still a comparative novice to things like modern rock and was still a heavy fan of candy. Regardless the last 15 years have been something of a rollercoaster for Marcy Playgrounds lead singer/guitarist John Wozniak. Marcy Playground has written and released two other CD’s following 1997’s eponymous debut and now they are back with a fourth album “Leaving Wonderland…in a Fit of Rage.” Wozniak boasts the new album is “by far the best thing I’ve ever done.”<br />
<br />
So it was with a great deal of anticipation that I took the A trains long journey from Northern Manhattan all the way down to the <a href="http://citywinery.com/events/256173">City Winery</a> SoHo location on a brisk Sunday night in an otherwise tropical New York City winter/spring to see Marcy Playground and find out just what Wozniak was talking about.<br />
<br />
The ambiance at City Winery was relaxed and jovial as it always is. The place was full of Marcy Playground fans because as soon as they introduced the band everyone “shushed” everyone talking and waited for the music to begin.<br />
<br />
Wozniak came out alone at first and began playing the admittedly appropriate “All the Lights Went Out.” My wife asked me if this was a one man outfit. As though on cue the bass player and drummer entered the stage and began accompaniment following the first verse. <br />
<br />
Maybe one of the things which most immediately impressed me about Marcy Playground was their deep bass lines and audibly vibrant tones. Because my investment with this band to this point had not been very deep the only tune of theirs I knew was kind of timid and sparse; radio-friendly as it were. There were certainly other songs they played tonight which I could see coming across on the FM dial but that wasn’t the whole deal with these three; there were sonic arpeggios and long, dissonant periods of feedback.<br />
<br />
In the middle of the third song Wozniak made a motion to hold on for one second and he went offstage to change guitars. He would do this again. He couldn’t seem to decide which of the two identical looking guitars he liked. If you hadn't seen him walk offstage during “Devil Woman” you never would have known that he'd left. The bass player and drummer kept a rollicking beat going for 16 bars or so while he was offstage and his absence just sounded like an extended bridge.<br />
<br />
I'm sure he wasn't intentionally trying to upstage him but I was enthralled with the drummer, Shlomi Lavie. In very minimalist fashion he had the most basic setup: snare drum, bass drum, bass-tom, hi-hats, and a ride cymbal. That's it. But watching him play was like watching Animal from The Muppets. He thrust his arms and flailed about in such a crazy way, it was mesmerizing for me as a former drummer anyway. Ask any drummer; getting a good “crash” from a ride cymbal is difficult. To compound his thrashing though many of his crashes included him banging on his open hi-hats.<br />
<br />
The bass player, Dylan Keefe, was interactive with Wozniak and Lavie. On more than one occasion he chimed in to one of Wozniak’s musings. Carefully reminding the audience not to give Wozniak too big of an ego. Keefe also did a really nice thing and told an abridged story of Michael Dorf who founded both City Winery and earlier The Knitting Factory and gave his heartfelt thanks to the venues owner. <br />
<br />
Towards the end of their set the three had a dissonance reckoning with everyone playing as fast and with as much extended feedback as they could for about 5 min. <br />
<br />
When they finally got to “Sex and Candy” they were almost done with their set. Wozniak called the song an indelible gadfly. The song included a somewhat muted sing-along (their instruments were still really loud) and just like that the evening was over.<br />
<br />
Marcy Playground are back on tour and that just makes me feel old. But if you’re like me and miss that lost generation we knew as the 1990’s, check out Marcy Playground when they swing through your neck of the woods.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-69912600425685167312012-03-08T06:48:00.001-08:002012-03-08T06:50:15.763-08:00Jane’s Addiction - Palace Theater - Waterbury, CT 3/7/12<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqQUe93d3OzAKZs5Gp0mkn98JnYW8cUI_n8eHYFUQohfxm0ivNkyjAenYLfd1SJxFmk6ajfIpGOVpALVNE8wCKQGvMYqziLSdLeS-rzCezwNnDsbt85iy2vxxp8ZE5fOrsIb3Zs2lLvc/s1600/20120307212204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqQUe93d3OzAKZs5Gp0mkn98JnYW8cUI_n8eHYFUQohfxm0ivNkyjAenYLfd1SJxFmk6ajfIpGOVpALVNE8wCKQGvMYqziLSdLeS-rzCezwNnDsbt85iy2vxxp8ZE5fOrsIb3Zs2lLvc/s320/20120307212204.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The fathers of 'modern American alternative rock' and one of the best bands to come out of the 1980's, Jane's Addiction were a group whose influence entered my life at a pivotal moment. Perry Farrell is the front man and a zany one at that but for those who don't know the band they likely know another of its members; guitarist Dave Navarro. It may have been his relationship with the likes of Carmen Electra, it may have been his work with other bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Panic Channel or it may have been his hosting reality TV shows or selling other products but Dave Navarro is one of those guys whose face is out there. I also had an affinity for Jane's drummer Stephen Perkins who was popular in the drumming world around when I was first learning the craft. They've had a bunch of bassists; Chris Chaney joins them on this current tour.<br />
<br />
Jane's Addiction has a few songs which may ring a familiar chord ("Been Caught Stealing" and the songs chorus of guard dogs may be the most familiar). Jane's Addiction has broken up and gotten back together they've even taken an extended break for Farrell and Perkins to team up with others for Porno for Pyros (MTV aficionados of my era my remember their song "Pets" which got video and radio airplay). But Jane's Addiction was always bigger than that. They were pretty influential; they remain pretty amazing. The Lollapalooza Tour was founded by Farrell and it's always been their live shows which have drawn the most intrigue. Intrigue was in the air when I reviewed their live show in Waterbury Connecticut at the Palace Theatre.<br />
<br />
The Jane's Addiction portion of the evening started out with the Pink Floyd song "Welcome to the Machine." Anyone who knows that song knows that it's kind of long and strange with this building crescendo of synthesizers and guitar. The crowd grew restless as the seven minute song droned on and all I could think was what a waste it would be if indeed the band did not show up onstage. After several minutes of stops and starts from the audience though they finally did show up.<br />
<br />
I must admit; I am a Jane's Addiction fan from their first incarnation: "Jane's Addiction," "Nothings Shocking," & "Ritual de lo Habitual." Those are the three albums I'm familiar with and those are the three albums most fans know. There are some others; the album "Kettle Whistle" is a live/rare one with a few new tunes and they just put out a new record. But by and large it's the first three that matter. So a few of their initial songs I was not totally familiar with.<br />
<br />
The second song they played though; "Mountain Song" I knew very well. When Farrell screams "Everybody has their own opinion," it's as though he's singing it for the first time. One couldn't help but notice that they were really quite loud. Farrell had some kind of a monitor for his vocals onstage and it was during the guitar line in "Mountain Song" that he first dove into getting feedback from the bass guitar; it was reverb city.<br />
<br />
Farrell then told a story about how he was stealing and was confronted by a police officer. His bravado seemed genuine enough if for no other reason than a mystique has always surrounded him. And of course one of the most well-known Jane's Addiction songs is "Been Caught Stealing."<br />
<br />
Right after that they dove into "Ain't no Right." It was during this song that I noticed how so many of his words were getting lost; primarily because of Farrell's cavorting with the crowd. More than once he dove into the audience and at the very least was up front high-fiving everyone. This loss of vocals actually didn't matter because everyone in the audience knew every word. Perkins, Chaney and Navarro were also so bombastic, loud, and unrelenting. It was almost as though they were playing a festival show or an arena show in the few thousand seat Palace Theatre.<br />
<br />
During the song "Nothing's Shocking" was when Dave Navarro took off whatever shirt he'd been wearing to show off to the audience all the lovely artwork all up and down his body.<br />
<br />
I was sitting in the middle of the mezzanine and noticed that everyone in the audience stood up before the first song. Even though the Palace is a "theatre-proper" with seats even up in the mezzanine everyone wanted to get as close to the action as they could.<br />
<br />
They moved a drum-set skeleton downstage for a couple of songs. "Classic Girl" was the first and Navarro and Chaney sat down on stools. The drum kit had electronic steel drums which are the signature instrument in the song "Jane Says." <br />
<br />
Farrell noted that it's not a concert; his shows are a "carnival. We drive in on the bus and they say to me, 'Do you wanna go to a party?' and I say sure." That is what is most impressive about this band; after 30 years together and breakups and makeups they still have a festival atmosphere. There are girls in leather (one of whom is reportedly Farrell's wife) and they still get all the sound and atmosphere out of each other that made them famous on the Sunset Strip in the early 1980's.<br />
<br />
For our portion of the evening there were two more songs I'd like to mention; "Three days" and "Stop." "Three Days" is one of the best songs in their whole catalog and one of my favorites. Seeing this song played out live was also one of the coolest musical performances I've ever witnessed. There is an almost unassuming bass solo line that's flipped around in the intro. The song on the album is part of a second-side that's like a symphonic movement. But when the four played it this night it worked well as a standalone track. Navarro's got a pretty amazing extended solo which he took on for an extra 32 bars or so. Most of the songs remained largely as they are on the record but with this solo Navarro and Perkins both showed off their chops. During the songs drum break towards the end, Perkins really took it home. I could imagine thins song being the way Jane's Addiction began the end of plenty of sets in the past.<br />
<br />
After the exhausting, extended mix of that long song they played "Stop." Farrell addressed the crowd by saying "Good night Connecticut; now the real party starts!" and they walked offstage.<br />
<br />
I couldn't hang around to see their encore; stupidly I'd parked in a zone which from November 1 - April 1 had to be cleared out for snow removal, so by the time they finished their main set it was already half-past 11pm.<br />
<br />
I stepped out into the warm Waterbury March twilight, saw a wonderful near full moon in the sky, and considered myself privileged to have been a part of the musical-carnival of Jane's Addiction in this way, on this night. My temples were throbbing, my head was ringing, but my mind could not stop dancing.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAKXGBM0c-9xxvv4TiEdV6VoCaSKzQGSC9una56vBiWF9fqRNmI3kHizYA_sOrlBw_GMMrmP6d10KZixT4PUYMG_hQs5YJGzd18sC5lYS8bH2eAR2SirfWHvhTefspApbPuPoN3MYVJg/s1600/20120307215702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAKXGBM0c-9xxvv4TiEdV6VoCaSKzQGSC9una56vBiWF9fqRNmI3kHizYA_sOrlBw_GMMrmP6d10KZixT4PUYMG_hQs5YJGzd18sC5lYS8bH2eAR2SirfWHvhTefspApbPuPoN3MYVJg/s320/20120307215702.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-31983191232065733912012-02-22T10:18:00.000-08:002012-02-22T13:05:28.984-08:00The Southern Gentleman Tour, City Winery, 2/21/12The mood was jovial at City Winery in Manhattan on a recent February Tuesday. There were some southern gentlemen in the house and their aims were pure enough. The Southern Gentlemen tour is the collaborative arrangement between Ed Roland of Collective Soul and Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra. Both bands stake their roots in the south (Georgia and New Orleans, respectively) and from the ambling demeanor of the evening, both appear headed for the same ends as my dear old grandpa and others I'd met while living in the south. Folks in the south could just go on for days about anything and everything (which, coincidentally, appeared to be the narrative of the Southern Gentleman show). They spoke about their families, their kids, their misadventures one day prior to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and their love/hate relationships with their respective bands (which, Roland says, is like another marriage).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzMh9_kjLwLnCDQ5Omos1HnFNYKNh05Bc7WynwuPHHB1XzP6Ubum8_tyEQr9BS0l_nRCAJDmsuvhDCf02p3ZQpnyfdfQxe8dwSsOaDxMgC7loDhi6Us3hdnwM1yxZraBZxSEq3YO3RwE/s1600/20120221201200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzMh9_kjLwLnCDQ5Omos1HnFNYKNh05Bc7WynwuPHHB1XzP6Ubum8_tyEQr9BS0l_nRCAJDmsuvhDCf02p3ZQpnyfdfQxe8dwSsOaDxMgC7loDhi6Us3hdnwM1yxZraBZxSEq3YO3RwE/s320/20120221201200.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Six minutes past the top of the hour and there was a fair amount of seats towards the rear which sat vacant. I wondered if that would change as the night progressed and it really didn't. Throughout the evening though I learned that the Southern Gentleman Tour began in this same venue months prior. Many of the fans who were here on this February night were also here in October. And it was a Tuesday night in the middle of winter; so in a way I understood the sparse audience. This seemed more of a thank you to the die-hards; fans who were there were cheering in full support.<br />
<br />
When the two hit the stage I must admit I was a little taken aback but for different reasons. Anyone who knew Collective Soul in the 1990's knew that Ed Roland had something of a Jesus/wrestler thing going on. He had long hair, a beard, and appeared very muscular. He struck these epic poses, he led his crew around; shepherding them through their troubles as it were. Roland today looks totally different. He came out in professorial spectacles, had a curly gray bob-haircut, and had a suit jacket on. Having just brushed up on my Collective Soul earlier in the day I had to admit I was a little surprised.<br />
<br />
Kevin Griffin looked the same. Basically the same. Tall and skinny. Roland I would later discover is only a few years Griffin's senior. However it was something about their respective dispositions which also made an impression. For Griffin who did a lot of the talking; he seemed very comfortable with Roland (and their percussionist/accompanist) and comfortable with the audience. Roland on the other hand seemed very comfortable with his stage-mates. And he communicated easily enough with the audience; it just didn't appear to be what he preferred to be doing. I don't know if it was just the way he was feeling this night but I got the impression that Roland was much more comfortable playing than he was performing.<br />
<br />
These two showmen didn't waste any time jumping right into the fracas with one of Collective Soul's more well-known numbers, "December." They played a couple of songs together before Roland took to the stage himself to play some songs of his own, Collective Souls, as well as another group The Sweet Tea Project.<br />
<br />
Songs rolled off his guitar which I was unfamiliar with. Lyrics like "Goin' to Birmingham" and "When it comes down to love" were in the mix. Then he introduced two new songs. "You Said That You Loved Me," had a droning and monotonous repeat of title or the line "it was a long time ago." The song ends with refrain Amazing Grace ("…how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me…"). All I could think was some songs should stay in the studio. Apparently his wife agreed. He wrote this just the week prior (or so he says) and played it for her on Valentine's Day. She rejected it so he wrote an upbeat poppy tune, "All I really need is love." This song was full of biblical allusions "walk the earth," "once was lost," "lift you up." However when he capped off this tune with the same refrain from "Amazing Grace" it was funny. So I guess the lesson here is that you never know what you've got until you tag it with a familiar refrain. He also played a surprisingly reflective, quieter, almost pained version of another one of Collective Souls more well-known songs, "The World I Know."<br />
<br />
Kevin then came on and played some of his songs. It's interesting I have very detailed notes from the Roland solo session but my only notes about Griffin's time was "Kevin played..." I think that's because he was a lot more entertaining. Don't get me wrong I liked Roland's songs but I guess it's akin to studying for a test or going to a birthday party. Or so it seems to me.<br />
<br />
The whole of the evening came across less as a Southern Gentleman's tour and more of a real mellow jam session between friends. Their whole thing was just two singer songwriters telling stories, razzing one another on the couch.<br />
<br />
I am more familiar with Collective Soul than Better Than Ezra, but I was shocked to find all the work that Griffin had done on popular songs with artists. The two guys had stark contrast in their demeanor. Griffin appeared that he could care less. He was impersonating Bono and took the stage as MASTERS OF RAWK!<br />
<br />
Roland on the other hand was a lot more reserved. His demeanor was open but he looked tired. He appeared to almost be saying, "are you serious? You guys are going to let me play another day?" - as though he knows his jig should have been up. But he's a good musician. So he should just milk it. Maybe Roland is moving into a different phase in his life. Griffin on the other hand was busy singing about Daisy Dukes and Ugg Boots. I could picture Griffin being the kind of guy to leave the toilet seat up, as it were.<br />
<br />
When both reappeared they played songs like "Shine" which had the extended "Midnight Train to Georgia," remix and "Good". The whole crowd remained engaged for both choruses and requisite "YEAH" or "Aha."<br />
<br />
For their encore they came out and played a really brief medley of "Wonderwall," "Kids" (MGMT),"Shattered," "Feel Good Inc," "White Wedding," and I think that was it. And then the show was over. The lights came up, the doors swung open and we all spilled out into the streets.<br />
<br />
And everyone who'd been to that show on that night couldn't stop smiling.<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<br />
https://www.facebook.com/southerngentlementour<br />
<br />
http://www.collectivesoul.com/<br />
<br />
https://www.facebook.com/KevinGriffin <br />
<br />
http://www.betterthanezra.com/<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6exsatE-DUk<br />
<br />
https://www.facebook.com/thesweetteaproject<br />
<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7TLTjqUyog<br />
<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m0bI82Rz_k<br />
<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9fqx4H_CgUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-15320368515081142542012-02-09T21:00:00.000-08:002012-02-09T21:00:58.383-08:00Bob Mould at City Winery in ManhattanNew York, New York - 2/9/12<br />
<br />
<br />
I must admit that when I heard about the legendary <a href="http://bobmould.com">Bob Mould</a> coming to my favorite intimate New York City music venue, <a href="http://citywinery.com">City Winery</a>, I was really excited. I was not as familiar with his work as any fan of alternative rock probably should be; I had heard some songs from Husker Du and I actually had one track from Sugar on a CD compilation some time back. But I was not as familiar as I should be with his whole body of work. Regardless, City Winery is one of my favorite spots to see live music and this Mould show did have an excited energy about it.<br />
<br />
As my wife and I approached the Varick Street venue in the still February cold, the insides of City Winery looked packed. Usually this place gets pretty full but a full half hour before the show the place was buzzing so we did our part and got to our seats quickly.<br />
<br />
Obviously Bob Mould solo is not Bob Mould with Husker Du, Sugar, his backing solo band or even any of the work he’s done with any other artists (like his work with the Foo Fighters). But I was surprised when the projection screen in front of the stage was lifted and the stage was bare save a microphone stand. <br />
<br />
Mould entered from stage right in a pair of worn blue jeans and a black short-sleeved t-shirt. He had a guitar around his neck, a piece of paper with his set list, and three bottles of water. A lot of the fans in the audience were a tad on the older side. This would make sense since Mould began his musical career in the late 1970’s. But these fans went nuts when the singer took the stage. They all began clapping and engaging in a seated cavorting and pumping their fists in the air and thrashing their heads to and fro.<br />
<br />
From the moment he began to sing over his wash of hard-charging guitar chords I was really able to hear the derivation of the angst-ridden modern rock which I grew up around in the early 1990’s. He stepped out on stage and the only thing he said was “I’m not going to talk; just going to play.” And he played. One song ran into the next ran into the next. His fading riff hadn’t even gone out before Mould had attacked the next song.<br />
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Mould was exercising the same angst in the 1970’s and 80’s. As I scanned the older gray haired gents in denim collared shirts who are head banging along with a song like “Your Favorite Thing” mouthing the words as they go; I was struck by an inescapable fact. Nothing about life gets any easier; not for this middle aged rocker on stage who still appears as anxious as if it were his first time before an audience, not for these apparently happily married guys who have their grown kids sitting across the table from them. Not for anyone. <br />
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The one lyric that I really walked away from on this evening was when Mould said “…Let’s see what the future brings; I wouldn’t mind; and I can’t tell you what’s been happening; I don’t know…Not at all.” <br />
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That’s it people. Your life is what you make of it; right here; right now. There is no tomorrow and yesterday’s already done.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-82860796172336807982012-02-01T10:57:00.000-08:002012-02-01T10:57:53.154-08:00Brooklyn Industries CRASH INTO SPRING<a href="http://www.mbfashionweek.com/schedule">Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week</a> is happening February 9-16, 2012. Hot on the heels of this semi-annual event our friends at <a href="http://www.brooklynindustries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/storelocation.store/store/ccf99ebf-7863-4b8e-93cc-91e1861c701b">Brooklyn Industries</a> are going to be presenting their “CRASH INTO SPRING” Fashion Presentation. The event is happening at the Union Square store (801 Broadway) and will be full of sweets, treats, and beats.<br />
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The CRASH INTO SPRING Fashion Presentation is going to include the unveiling of Brooklyn Industries Special Edition CRASH Handbag.<br />
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One of Bed-Stuy’s favorite bakeries, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/dough-brooklyn">DOUGH</a>, will be providing the sweets portion of the evening.<br />
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Brooklyn’s own <a href="http://www.brooklyngin.com/">Brooklyn Gin</a> will be presenting some signature cocktails for all those who are of course of-age to enjoy.<br />
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Beats are being spun live by <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/sosupersam">DJ SoSuperSam</a> from Los Angeles.<br />
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The Brooklyn Industries design team will also be presenting some Live Art Demonstration so make sure to check that out.<br />
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In order to gain access you MUST RSVP. <a href="http://internetaudiophile.blogspot.com/2011/12/brooklyn-industries-mega-band-night.html">Brooklyn Industries Mega Band</a> event was crazy and the whole place was packed. DJ SoSuperSam promises to pack the house once again. RSVP at PR@BROOKLYNINDUSTRIES.COM.<br />
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The CRASH INTO SPRING event is happening during <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/fashionweeknyc">Fashion Week</a>. It goes down in Union Square February 10, 2012 7-9:30pm. 801 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-17213876402891494372012-01-26T08:19:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:19:04.728-08:00Ingrid Michaelson ‘Human Again’1/26/12: New York, NY<br />
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Ingrid Michaelson is an interesting chick. <br />
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Of course I say that with the most hallowed reverence. As anyone who has ever read my pieces on this uber-talented singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist will tell you, I love the work she does. However I’ve had a problem with her first couple of records; they’ve always left me feeling kind of moody and apathetic.<br />
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But it was that terrestrial apathy which was what was so appealing about her work too. Songs like “Masochist,” “Die Alone,” and “The Hat” on “Girls and Boys” were replaced by talented and tender versions of classics like “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Over the Rainbow” but still the meal felt incomplete. At the end of the record “Be OK” was an acoustic version of the opening title track which led you to believe that the singer was anything but.<br />
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That was then; this is now. The new Ingrid Michaelson record, aptly titled “Human Again” covers a wide swath of terrestrial emotions; catapulting the listener up into the trees, back in time, and with heavy heart but it’s always hopeful. I think that was what was missing from Ingrid Michaelson records past. Hope. A hope which is alive and electric and very present on this newest record.<br />
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Diving right into the tracks on this record, Ingrid gets things going with a rapid fire opening track called “Fire.” This song reminded me of Kate Bush and a song like “The Big Sky.” Even though a lyric like “I’m walking into the fire with you” is a familiar one for Ingrid; the hook immediately afterwards, “…and I love it” shows a bold new leap that the recently humanized singer is making.<br />
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“This is War” reminded me of a cross between Depeche Mode and Gloria Estefan-South-Beach type musical sound. The clincher for this one though was Ingrid’s distinct vocal line which illumed her standing-on-a-rock-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean loneliness (a sound perhaps best recalled in her own "Starting Now").<br />
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The third song “Do it Now” has a real spunky and fun line “…don’t waste a minute on the darkness and the pity sitting in your mind and do it right now” which the singer kind of spills out over the listeners ears.<br />
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“I’m Through” is a very tender love song; much more in the familiar Ingrid style of a song like “The Chain.” One of the principal differences between the two songs though is that there is no vocal overdub on "I'm Through." It sounds as though on this record Ingrid is growing a lot more comfortable with her instrument. “I’m Through” really represents this liberation. She doesn’t have to hide behind the production tricks we've come to know. A song like “I’m Through” proves to her fans and to herself that she can stand at the microphone, sing a straight love song and belt it out to the back-row.<br />
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“Black and Blue” is a lot funkier; a straight piano line but funky beat. The sound of this song reminded me of my first New York City apartment. I lived on 108th Street between 5th and Madison; Spanish Harlem. The neighborhood wasn’t quite Harlem but it also was still technically right on the border of some very ritzy real estate on the Upper East Side. And there was not a decided division between the two. I could just imagine an Upper East Side Ingrid in this song running her scales at her piano lessons while secretly messing with her Walkman and listening to the latest hip-hop grooves; all the while listlessly gazing out the window; yearning to be on the streets below from where the same music she was yearning to break into was being created.<br />
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“Ribbons” starts out with a mopey undercurrent. Ingrid envelopes the microphone as she repeats “wrapped me up in ribbons then he went for the door” in a silly-low voice. But of course when the chorus comes up she breaks out and pleads the question with this object of her affections; “I’m not flying, am I?”<br />
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“Palm of Your Hand” is another powerful song with a driving backbeat. The rhythm on “Palm of Your Hand” sounds like it’s pop music out of the 1980’s. The storyline of the song though is quite good. The narrator takes us on the road of leaving a controlling relationship. The breakup seems to affect the narrator more than the one she’s cutting it off with but her resolve just makes the triumph that much more fulfilling.<br />
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A quick summary of other tracks: “In the Sea” sounds like Sinead O’Connor, “Blood Brothers” is more straight pop and sounds like Gwen Stefani with a Cheryl Crow guitar line.<br />
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“Keep Warm” is a homey, synth-laden tune that rises slowly and fully like a 1920’s film score and takes the listener on the journey: “Down down down I go on a road that I don’t know.” The final track “End of the World” also has the appeal of an old-time song. <br />
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Then there’s this song “Ghost” which I’m not really sure what to make of just yet. It sounds to me as though there’s something pointedly personal going on here.<br />
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“Human Again” is a sonic wonderland for the listener; a combination of her signature plucked acoustic guitar, piano which slides from big and imposing to demure and almost forgotten, carefully arranged strings, classically warm synth, and even stranger computerized sound effects. The signature Ingrid Michaelson vocal looping feature is noticeably absent on this record. At least insofar as how audiences have become accustomed to it. <br />
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Not much about this new record is all that familiar; especially for fans who latched on to the somewhat helpless sounding, flailing heartbreak which many had fallen hard for. But that’s a good thing. As the title reminds us; even when we go through our darkest hours; we always emerge on the other side, a little wiser, a little more cautious, but always have been; human again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-57123347460271420982012-01-20T09:20:00.000-08:002012-01-20T09:20:42.050-08:00What's Next for Joe Crummey?While it may surprise many of the vocally vociferous Facebook fans of Joe Crummey who were flummoxed and flabbergasted when it was revealed towards the end of 2011 that Crummey would be replaced by Geraldo Rivera on WABC radio, Joe Crummey is not angry. Quite the contrary. He sees this change in employment status as little more than a bump in life’s swooping road. An opportunity for him to find a venue where he could continue to broaden his base. Arizona, Los Angeles, New York…what’s next? <br />
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He blew in like a hard charging storm cloud with a laid back sass which caused the half-listening listener to up and take notice; he disappeared like a mirage; almost as though you had imagined the whole thing. <br />
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Still now that WABC 770 AM in New York City and Joe Crummey are no more, that doesn’t mean the listening masses should give up on him. What has Crummey been up to in the days since leaving WABC? Plenty actually. I recently got the chance to sit down with Crummey and talk with him about his severance from Cumulus Media and 77 WABC, new media, what he's been up to, and what's next.<br />
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Me: So I guess the biggest question on everyone’s minds is ‘what’s up?’ ‘Where can we hear you again?’<br />
Joe: “I’m interviewing. I can’t tell you with who, but I’ve got to tell you, I’m excited.” <br />
Me: What happened at WABC?<br />
Joe: “Well, ya know…change.”<br />
Me: Are you okay? What have you been up to?<br />
Joe: “I’m not in a funk. You go through a range of emotions when you get fired and I was in LA for a couple of weeks, hanging out but I finally decided, ‘enough.’ You know I got myself a really good agent and they know everybody.”<br />
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When I pressed him further for more details about what he and his agent had going he was pretty mum about the whole thing. However Joe did open up generally saying: “LA stuff, Boston stuff, San Diego stuff,” and he promised that he would be streaming online. <br />
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Maybe the most interesting thing about our conversation was that Joe Crummey has got his own new website where he promises all of his ranting’s and ravings and musings and discussions will live. Fans who love the Crummey experience can check out the still under-construction website at<br />
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http://joescrummeywebsite.com<br />
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Joe seems to be taking pause from this time outside of the working world to be tackling broader issues. To hear him tell it, Joe sounds as though he wants to be back in Los Angeles; back with his family; but that he would be open to offers from stations in a variety of markets. He also is very honed in on the new media side of things; he seems to want to be partners in his working arrangement rather than working for the man. <br />
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Still, to this listener, at WABC I felt like he had a great deal of control over his own image and his own message. If I didn’t know any better I would say that a show like the one he had at WABC is exactly what Joe wants to have back again.<br />
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Speaking for parties in my circle, that is what his fans want back too.<br />
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Joe Crummey’s microphone at 770 WABC radio in New York has gone dark for now. But don’t worry about that New York; when I asked him if he’s coming back to the Big Apple, his answer was promising: <br />
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“I plan on being back on the air in this town. It won’t be like the first time; it will be much bigger.”<br />
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While I wonder how much bandwidth it would require for a voice that’s bigger than the one he exerted before, Crummey’s got a message for all the fans who are bummed out that he’s gone: <br />
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“Wait and see what’s next.”Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-14477185404851944472012-01-11T12:50:00.000-08:002012-01-11T12:52:52.155-08:00Jane’s Addiction Announces Waterbury CT Show in March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUPTynYJDZUH_scKyExJKVq4mjuEHHw1ApDBERnzZzmIMH1x0-MgxN9FYn6JmIM5lU5yRk9virNv3ZVijwzKJtgcVH7HLEiPkfzJzC4BBhMVOJxsWGbbOtp1btrSWTVEp6RbSzBqvuGE/s1600/janes_addiction_1.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUPTynYJDZUH_scKyExJKVq4mjuEHHw1ApDBERnzZzmIMH1x0-MgxN9FYn6JmIM5lU5yRk9virNv3ZVijwzKJtgcVH7HLEiPkfzJzC4BBhMVOJxsWGbbOtp1btrSWTVEp6RbSzBqvuGE/s320/janes_addiction_1.tif" /></a></div><br />
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Just when all the alt heads thought it was time to grow up and that they would never see Perry Farrell again; Premier Concerts just announced that Jane’s Addiction is going to be back on the east coast for a show at Waterbury’s Palace Theater. <br />
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Wednesday Mach 7, 2012 at 8:30 PM the Palace is going to rock out the late 80’s - early 90’s alternative favorites. Fans can only hope that Farrell and company will be playing favorites from “Nothing’s Shocking” and “Ritual de lo Habitual.” <br />
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Jane’s Addiction has produced two more CD’s; 2003’s “Strays” and 2011’s “The Great Escape Artist,” though the band is far more well regarded for their two earlier albums including the groundbreaking “Ritual de lo Habitual” which drew comparisons to “Zeppelin IV.” Farrell and drummer Stephen Perkins also collaborated on the Porno 4 Pyro’s project after Jane’s first disbanded.<br />
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Opening up for Jane’s is the Brussels alt-rocker band Black Box Revelation. These two young Europeans have been described as an “R&B inflected garage-band rock that takes its cues from mid-60’s Stones and The Kinks to the most gut-bucket, electric delta blues evocative of Led Zeppelin by way of The White Stripes, The Black Keys and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.” Hmm. Sounds like a band with a bit of an identity crisis. But if they’re good enough to open for Jane’s Addiction… <br />
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For fans interested in seeing the show, the concert was just announced today and tickets run between $38-$58 plus service charges. Reserved seats can be attained at www.palaetheaterct.org or by phone at 203-346-2000. Tickets go on sale Saturday January 14, 2012 at 11am.<br />
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Listing to Jane’s Addiction as I often do is like a walk down memory lane. It will be interesting to see the response and if Jane’s Addiction can still bring out the zealots after all these years.<br />
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http://www.premierconcerts.com/news<br />
www.janesaddiction.com<br />
http://us.blackboxrevelation.com/Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0100 E Main St, Waterbury, CT 06702, USA41.5555862 -73.039741841.5555797 -73.039744800000008 41.5555927 -73.0397388tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397744828114999169.post-5669558895997849342011-12-29T14:37:00.000-08:002011-12-29T14:46:10.936-08:00Brooklyn Industries Mega Band Night January 6, Lafayette St Location<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC59vvYmYynDVWtpodHskbJrJX0z9y90_bJAM0BHr3LagOOUg_9171LSAHtMAKqroGHVSoQn-hbTBe7A_7oR4siXrefDbjzvlRdxA6gLnNVXOkBssB_0X9Chyphenhyphen4UdGAPxkWieSsVeH4fP0/s1600/Mega+Band+Night+Invite.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC59vvYmYynDVWtpodHskbJrJX0z9y90_bJAM0BHr3LagOOUg_9171LSAHtMAKqroGHVSoQn-hbTBe7A_7oR4siXrefDbjzvlRdxA6gLnNVXOkBssB_0X9Chyphenhyphen4UdGAPxkWieSsVeH4fP0/s320/Mega+Band+Night+Invite.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Brooklyn’s own clothier of record Brooklyn Industries has an exciting event coming to their SoHo store in the New Year. Brooklyn Industries Mega Band Night will be rocking their Lafayette Street location on January 6, 2012 from 7-9pm and there are loads of reasons to come out and party.<br />
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Brooklyn Shakedown’s own Zoe Wilder will be guest hosting the event and Mega Band Night doesn’t get more mega than with Brooklyn’s own electro-dance-punk band Tayisha Busay.<br />
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The Mega Band Night will also feature a Mega sale in effect for all to enjoy. There will be giveaways, drinks provided by Sixpoint, snacks provided by Brooklyn Salsa, and an all-around night of Mega Fun. <br />
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As part of the lead in to this event Brooklyn Industries is hosting the MEGA BKI Twitter Giveaway. Between now and January 6th Tweet “@BKLNIndustries how you style your plaid for #MEGABANDNIGHT” for your chance to win all kinds of cool prizes. <br />
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You’ve got to Tweet to enter and you’ve got to be at Mega Band Night to win so come on out!<br />
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Brooklyn Industries SoHo - 290 Lafayette St <br />
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RSVP to PR@BROOKLYNINDUSTRIES.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0290 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012, USA40.724382 -73.995896740.724377 -73.995906200000007 40.724387 -73.9958872