Starf***er's Music Blog

Speeding Motorcycle to Austin pt. 2/ Lisa D'amour and Super Furry Animals

2008-02-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

Mr. Toad's wild ride continues...

The week ended on a very high note. We did a stumble through on Saturday afternoon and I think it really gave everyone in the show a nudge in the right direction. The run though on Sunday proved it. The band and the choreography have really come together.
Got to hang out with the band on Thursday and go over Life In Vain numerous times. At that rehearsal I got to witness the creation of a segue from Kathy's Hey Joe in to Speeding Motorcycle. The magic was evident in the bands first try. A keeper for sure.
The band got word of a party going on in the lobby of the arena theatre which led to a quick raid of the deli trays. Hannah (who is in the show) was part of the party and came to hang out with us. In a way she validated our raid and we hung out for 10 min. or so. Terri heisted the brie.
We've been working inside the theater all week and it's fucking huge. It took some getting used to. I don't really have any perspective on how it will look from the audience and it's take some time to set up the stage to make it work in the space. We'll probably run in to some stumbling blocks once it's time to add body mic's and such. Just a prediction. Hoping we get to use hand mic's as much as poossible. That may be a pipe dream though.
As a whole though, the rehearsals have gone terrific. All the changes are really adding to the depth of the show(additional band members, new songs added to the 'rock show' portion of the show, the rumor of children as cast members). All unexpected surprises. It's really hard to believe but it seems as if lightning may have struck twice.
Finally starting to feel a bit comfortable with Peek-a-boo on piano. It'll be fun to work with a real stand up piano again. The action on them is always unique.
Saw Jason this evening on my way to the store and he was glowing with excitement following an afternoon rehearsal with some children who are to be added to the show. Some in the chorus and another who will sing Don't Be Scared. I have a feeling it's going to be awesome. He also told me of a conversation he had with the lighting designer who watched both weekend rehearsals. He told Jason the show was already packing a personal punch even at this stage in the game. Phenominal news to say the least.
Troy stopped by the Saturday rehearsal and gave his nod of approval. Respect his opinion. Told him it must be like in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure when they are at the drive-in watching the "Hollywood" version of Pee-Wee's story(starring James Brolin & Morgan Fairchild). We both got a good laugh outta that.

Went to a local bar and hung out for a bit with playwright Lisa D'amour. She wrote an original piece for IBP in 2006 called Hide Town. There was a cover band playing that were the spitting image of The Band. They played several covers from The Band's catalog. They weren't half band. I don't know if the world is clammoring for such a band though.

Watched a interesting documentary of Herbie Hancock making one of those "duet" type albums. Schools Trey. Comes off as kind of a self righteous buddah brother at times. Some of it's cool, tho. Stuff with Damian Rice & Lisa Hannigan is way rad. Raul Midon pretty much schools Herbie w/ his schooling of Stevie Wonder. Felt guilty for not paying tuition after that. Ends with him(and Santana...oh, brother) apologizing for Hiroshima & Nagasaki. yeah...you got me.

"The master does not tell you what to do. The master wants you to reveal yourself." -HH

Saw the Super Furry Animals at Emo's on Saturday night. They blew me away. Their sound was a dense syrup filled satin matress that wrapped its arms around you makimg your brain feel as if it were floating in a medicated goo. Not a bad song in the bunch. They played several songs from their new album(Neo Consumer, The Girt That Keeps Giving) and a wide range from their past recordings(Slow Life, Juxtaposed With You, Hello Sunshine, (Drawing) Rings Aroung The World and Keeping The Cosmic Trigger Happy). I had gone in with huge expectations and they exceded them in ways I couldn't have imagine. Their live sound is so think and unobtrusive. The guitars were never overpowering and were placed delicately inside the mix like pedals on a flower. I want to quit everything and move to Northern England to dedicate every living moment I have to their music. Seriously. A whole crew of Houston folks came up to see the show(Ravi, Ed & Gretchen, Kevin & Hilary). Joe & Kyle and Matt & Mo all had a ridonkulous time. It was all a bit too much for Lindsey to take in. I bought two poster but neglected to but a .45 vinyl single they had on display. Trying to get Eddie to buy it for me when they see them in San Francisco next weekend. We walked back to the hotel from 6th St. taking about 30-40 min. Beautiful night.

(In a) Speeding Motorcycle to Austin

2008-01-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

Wow....

The end of the first week of rehearsals. Where do I start? The facilities at the Zach Scott are nothing short of amazing. There are more electronic gadgets than we know what to do with. Wireless mikes, an excellent p.a. system, lighting instruments out the wazoo, THREE theatres(2 proscenium thrust stages AND an arena), rehearsal spaces, an endless maze of hallways through three buildingds,and parking. Aside from the contract nonsense, everything is top notch.
It's silly, but I got really choked up during the first run through of "Loving Feelings". It felt like being greeted by a long lost friend. I remember how excited I was to first hear the song and my enjoyment of it hasn't diminished one bit. The love I have for this show knows no end.
It's funny how I initially found it difficult to imagine "new" actors portraying characters I had seen originated by fellow members in the Catastrophic Crew. Those illisions were blown away the first time the cast performed "Don't Let The Sun Go Down" as an ensemble. It was awesome. Tony's spectacular arrangement is in a league with anything Brian Wilsons' got up his sleeve.
Meeting and getting to perform a duet on "Loving Feelings" with Kathy McCarty was surreal. She's so sweet and talented. She's had nothing but kind things to say to me during rehearsal. A real classy chick. Her solo performance of "Hey Joe" just prior to intermission is gonna fucking floor you.
The choreographer for the show is a total throw back to the 70's. We shared Grateful Dead stories(as did Adam and I). She did the choreography for "Waiting For Guffman". It all made sense after I heard that.
I can hardly express how much fun the first week has been. I'm slowly falling in love with Austin. The HORROR! I know. Been riding my bike every day. I can actually ride from one end of the city to the next. Lots of hippy-dippy people. Probably just as many drunken asshole frat types, but I haven't had to deal with them yet. Although our trip to Emo's to see the Super Furry Animals this weekend may require some mingling. We'll see.
I miss Lindsey more than I thought possible. I'm currently going through some pretty heavy withdrawals. It powerful sucks. I'm counting the hours until she arrives.
I've been taking pictures like a man possessed. I think the cast was a little freaked out by my shutter bugness at first. They all seem to be fine with it now. Here are some to gives you a taste of what's to come.

Oh, the vapors!

I've never even heard of the Smithereens.

Don't make a sad song sadder than it already is...

Don't encourage her.

I think Adam farted.

The drummer's on drugs!

ITAOT?

Hunka-hunka!

His happy place.

$14 for beans & rice?!?

Insert fart joke here.

What's cookin'?

I'm feeling a "Hair Metal" type arrangement on this one. You?

-Bill played with Neko Case in 2000. WOW!
-Adam(the bass player) followed the Grateful Dead from 1989-1995. Exactly the same years I followed them. eeeerrriieeeee
-rehearsed "Dairy Queen" with band to play during 'rock show' portion of the show.

Song I love today: Worried Shoes by Daniel Johnston

2007-09-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Many more to come...

Lips As Big As Texas

2007-09-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

I love it when a plan comes together.
San Antonio was pie. Joe, Lindsey, and I arrived in the late afternoon to the outdoor venue. I looked like a very big outdoor patio with the stage at one end of a sunken concrete floor. We waited in the paid ticket line for about and hour and watched as the "free ticket" line grew to twice our lines size. It was amusing to see Michael walking down the sidewalk dressed in the official red jumpsuit and carrying his skeleton costume on a hanger. Only one guy jumped out of line to greet him.Once inside, we quickly made our way to the rail. We were standing on Steven's side and directly in front of the stage right p.a. stack. This made for a VERY loud evening. We hadn't been there long when Kliph stepped up to the rail and we scurried over to say "hi" and give him the Hello Kitty purse Lindsey had promised him. He accepted her gift and seemed quite pleased to receive it. I snapped a few pictures with he and Lindsey and a funny one that had him with a slack jawed look on his face as he gazed into a glowing candy ring she had given him. Sveral other people stepped up to talk to him, so we reclaimed our space on the rail and settled in for the evening.Not long after that, Lindsey tracked down the "animal wrangler" and managed to get one of the very last passes to dance on stage with the band. She was beaming as she approached us. I was so excited for he. This has been her dream and it was coming true that night. She scurried off to go backstage while all four members came and went to the side of the stage to watch the Birds Of Avalon. I didn't think they were anything special, but I thinks that's gonna be true for most bands who have the unfortunate postion of being the opening band.As the opening music came through the speakers, the Santa's & Aliens began to file on stage. The Santa's had obviously been instructed to follow the wrangler and they did just that. They emptied on to the stage and proceeded to follow him all the way across the lip of the stage. The wrangler was quite startled as he turned around to see the 8 Santa's that they had followed him instead of stopping in the box taped out for them. Pretty funny. He corraled them back across the stage and into their proper holding pen. I was delighted to see that Lindsey and the rest of the aliens were positioned stage right, directly in front of me. From ther I was able to take plenty on pictures of her and she jumped about and did her best "sultry alien dance". I was so excited for her. Although I think the group around me thought I was a bit of a pervert for snapping so many pix of the girating ladies. And because this was the closest I'd ever been to the band, I took a TON of pictures. Unfortunately, the rather dark lighting only produced about 30 keepers.The ceiling had a number of low hanging steel girters and this kept Wayne from coming out in the "space bubble". Instead, he entered wearing the gigantic foam hands and then walked around the stage cocooning each band member along the way. Throughout the evening he complimented the crowd and expressed the fun he was having. To be honest, the crowd was kind of mellow but that didn't stop them from being attentive. I don't recall them being very chatty, but then again I was right in front of the speaker cabinets and that may have flavored my auditory perceptions.Speaking of audio perception, as the band tore into the opening Race For The Prize, I noticed a siren in the mix that I hadn't noticed before. Turns out that the massive amount of smoke that Wayne was produciong from the fog machine had activated the fire alarm in the venue and it would go off at least two more times during the course of the evening. Always sharp as a tack, Wayne attributed the alarm to all those in the back of the house who were smoking the free Camel cigaretts that were being given away by the promoters. Quite amusing.The set list for the evening was very well played despite being the standard collection that has followed them across the country. Mountainside had a nice introduction from Wayne in which he pointed out the age of one of the dancing aliens(She was 3 years old) and incorrectly stated that he was only 17 when he wrote it back in 1989(he would have been 27). In the encore slot, we got She Don't Use Jelly. Not unheard of, but pretty unique.As Joe and I waited for Lindsey to come out from the backstage area, we were shuffled around by many security guards telling us where to stand. Finally, a guy named Jeff(who we later learned was the production manager) asked us to wait outside the gate and that she would be out shorty after he meeting with Wayne. We did so and it wasn't too long before she appeared with a shit-eating grin from ear to ear. She explained that she was fortunate enough to have a nice long chat with Wayne in which she discussed my fight with melanoma and the loss of her father from cancer. I don't know if it was discussed, but it's pretty common knowledge that both of Wayne's parents succomed to the disease. To my delight, she produced and hand signed poster for the evening on which Wayne had written an inspiring personal message. I was giddy. She then informed us that Wayne had agreed to meet with us in just a few minutes. Not long after we arrived at the back entrance, Jeff motioned for us to come back inside the venue and that Wayne would be out shortly. As promised, he came out greeting us with a smile, shook my hand, and gave me a hug. He looked weary from the heat, but took the time to speak to us individualy and allowed us to snap a few pictures. He was so sweet and gracious. I told him that during my struggle I had gained a great deal of hope from the band's music, to which he replied, "That's waht's it's all about." We followed him to the back exit where we said our goodbyes as he stuck around to say hello to a small group that remained. Wayne didn't have to take time out of his evening to make our concert experience even more enjoyable than it already was. But he did. I can't think of another band with their popularity that would do such a thing. As we walked back to the car I couldn't believe our dunb luck. When the three of us travel together, there seems to be an "X Factor" in play. Little did we know what was in store for us in Austin.

Austin(aka Hollywood, TX)
We arrived about 4 hours early to La Zona Rosa which put us back about sixty people back in line. I was happy about our position but concerned that only one line had formed with both "real" and Camel ticket holders mixed together. Everyone turned out to be pretty cool, except when they broke up the lines to distinguish which ticket you hand in your possession. Moving over to the "real" ticket line, we stood for about 45 minutes and it actually put us closer to the front. And to our surprise, Gretchen & Eddie were just picking up their tickets at Will Call as we arrived, insuring we would be together for the show. Just as the line began to move, some Austin jerk-off shoved his way in front of us with the excuse, "I let you guys get in front of me earlier." WTF? Eddie and I weren't about to swallow his shit, so we pushed he and his buddy back and made it in to the venue without a problem. We had no problem getting dead center, one person off the rail(about 10 ft. back). We took turns making ourselves "large" in order to save space for those in our group who needed to take a piss, buy merchandise, or get drinks. It wasn't long before the crowd filled in behind us when some drunk 20 year old girl pushed her way up to us and informed us she was gonna tell us how it would be. WTF? The second thing out of her mouth was, "How many concerts have you been to?", like she trumped us in some way. WTF? As Eddie & I brushed her aside, Joe took the time to calm the situation down and ended up flirting with her. Turns out she was only there to see the Birds Of Avalon and took off as soon as they left the stage. About 15 minutes before the opening band, another asshole pushed his way up to us and tried to stand in the spot we had been saving for Gretchen while she went to buy t-shirts. To our amazement the first question out of his mouth was, "How many concerts have you been to?" Uuuggghhh. Again, we pushed him aside and made sure he was as uncomfortable as we could. What is it about Austin residents that makes them think they can show up at 7:45 for an 8:00 show and get a front row position? Assholes aside, the evening was about to blossom into one of the most intensly personal concert experiences I've ever had. Not lang before the list came on, Santa came out and distributed our laser pointers. Oh, shit! The excitement began to build. Did I mention that the stage was teeny-tiny? Well it was. I thought San Antonio was small! We were shocked that they could actually get Santa's/Aliens on stage. They did, but there couldn't have been more than five on each side. They had the small video screen set up and we could only see about two thirds of it. It was right against Kliphs back. As Wayne walked on stage, the crowd went fucking berzerk. Both the crowd and sound were extemely loud all night. The energy was not wasted on the band. They came out firing on all pistons and I've never seen them be as intense and commited to what they we doing than I did that evening. Steven and Wayne kept making eyes at each other and were clearly having a ball. Both Steven and Wayne acknoledged Lindsey & I during the course of the show, with Wayne singing to us on more than a handful of occasions. But the moment that swept us off our feet was a personalized command performance of Taps>Superman directly to us. It was heavy. VERY heavy. In more than 20 years of seeing concerts have I ever experienced such a heart wrenching moment. Knowing about my fight with cancer, Wayne sent every ounce of love and healing energy in our direction, moving me to tears. I know words can't do it justice, but I felt a love of forgivenance rain down on me filling my soul with more joy than I've ever experienced. I think I began to glow and it's possible my body was lifted off the ground. My god, it was beautiful. The Moonlight Mile that closed out the evening was phenominal. Wayne was so focused on the task at had, he sang the lines "Let the airwaves flow. LET THOSE FUCKING AIRWAVES FLOW!" through clenched teeth. It was a big fat slice of Heaven. That's all. I've seen some fantastic Lips performances before, but this one had our names on it and I'm not sure that could ever be topped. But I hope someday it will. Thank you, Wayne. Thank you.

notable momets:
-As the smoke cleared following the chaos that was Mountainside, Wayne said he had fallen down several times and even forgot where he was. In his best deadpan voice Steven replied, "Yes Wayne, I forgot where you was."
-Steven's father was in attendance.
-As we walking into the venue, Jeff(production manager) recognized us from San Antonio and said, "You're back again!" Shook his had then and after the performance and thanked him for being so cool to us. Very nice guy.
-All of us bought at least one piece of merchandise. I got a powder blue t-shirt with a Wayne drawn cartoon of the band.
-Beacause of it's size, there was no space bubble entrance. Wayne did the whole cocooning bit again.
-The lasers during Vein Of Stars were fucking intense(as the pictures will reveal). At one point, there were so many lasers on Wayne he looked as if he was constructed of red lasers. He also held up the mirror like he did at Bonnaroo.
-Got a set list after the show(Steven's)
-Much horseplay between the band during their stage set up. Steven talking through his microphone to Kliph who was on his cell phone. "We're taking through the cell phone"
-Steven putting his hands together and bowing in our direction while mouthing, "Thank you".
-When ABBA's Dancing Queen came on as the pre-show music, the whole crowd began to sing along with it. This was truly the ice-breaker of the evening and put the band in an even better mood than they already were. Wayne mentioned it following Race For The Pize.

That Lucky Old Sun

2007-09-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Brian Wilson's newest musical endeavor premiered last week in London and, once again, exceeded all expectations. That Lucky Old Sun is a slice of Americana daydream pie. Surprisingly upbeat, the seamless piece slows down only for a handful of sprinkled narrative voice overs and for two slower numbers toward the end. The music contained inside its ivy walls recalls several classic Beach Boy songs including Do It Again and Marcella. All I have is an audience bootleg recording, so while the lyrics aren't always clear they frequently speak of Southern California and are stacked together with layer upon layer of trademark Wilson harmonies. Masterfully performed by his backing band and the Stockholm Strings, this splendid collection will effortlessly stand side by side with 2002's SMiLE. A real tribute to Brian's genius and a moment of body tingling joy for his generations of fans everywhere. Let's hope the studio recording isn't too far behind.

http://www.brianwilson.com/

Ween @ Warehouse Live! 8-8-07

2007-09-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

They're a little late...but tell the story quite well.

(in attendance): Lindsey, Kirk & Shelley, Jenni Rotten

noteworthy moments:
-1 person off the rail directly in front of Deaner
-Gener "I went to your mall today. It was big."
-a thong was thrown on stage. Gener wrapped it around his mike stand. After a few songs it was passed back and placed on a drum mike stand where it stayed for the remainder of the evening.
-bass drum was broken which caused "Big Jilm" to be played w/o it while being repaired.
-keyboard malfunction caused "The Mollusk" to be played w/o its signature line.
-bought two leather key chains w/ Ween logo for Lindsey & I
-two guys video taping. I hope to get a copy.
-15 min. "Poopshoot" final encore w/ Gener blasting the bullhorn

The Knockout Punch

2007-09-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

The defining moment of the Dylan concert at Stubb's BBQ last weekend was just as Bob turned to walk off stage following the bands "line up" he made eye contact with his drummer, George Recile, who made a boxing one two punch with his fists while bobbing his head from side to side. The sparring partners had been nodding to each other all night and brought out more smiles from each other than I can remember. Although, I must admit, the underage girls on the rail who were driving the show did seem to be having just as much fun. Bob had his eyes on them all night(as did the rest of the band).
This was the closest I've ever been to the stage in my 18 years of seeing Dylan shows and it made all the difference. The onstage "drama" was in full swing. From the first notes of the blistering "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat" to the Hendrix inspired "Watchtower", the band found a groove so deep it nearly left a smoking crater in their wake.
As always, I had big expectations for the show. Highlights included "Big Girl Now", "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)", and "Nettie Moore". However, the biggest impact of the evening came from "Working Man's Blues #2". Spitting the lyrics from between his clenched teeth, Dylan displayed a vitriol that I haven't heard since the Rolling Thunder performances. His anger was buoyant. But in the next moment he was gentle and vulnerable. I was caught off guard and moved beyond words.
In stark contrast to his soulful NYC performance last fall, Saturday night I saw Dylan at his most playful and exuberant. He danced and displayed his confidence on his sleeve. It's performances like this that will have me coming back for another 18 years.

(in attendance) Lindsey, Jason & Miki, Gretchen & Four

iPod Song Of The Day: "Midnight's Another Day" from Brian Wilson's new opus That Lucky Old Sun (WOW!)

noteworthy moments:
-Standing in line behind several hundred people for hours and having the gate right next to us open which allowed us to get a step on those in front. We were 2 people off the rail, dead center
-Seeing the ambient mikes that were on top of the p.a. speakers. Bob's recording these things and they'll NEVER see the light of day.
-Sharing her first Dylan show with my baby
-The band starting "Most Likely" and watching as Bob stepped up to the mike with much confusion. He almost acted as if he didn't know what they were playing. He missed the first line but made the most of the rest of the song. Even stuttering(on purpose) during the "t-t-t-t-time will tell" portion. He cracks himself up!
-massive crowd in attendance. Had to be more than the 2100 capacity .
-Got to hear "Masterpice" and "Memphis Blues" (along with several I didn't recognize) during the sound check. Bob was in attendance at the sound check. rarity
-Donnie had his eyes on Dylan's fingers the whole night. Even yelling out, "Go man!" at one point. nose and cheeks very rosy.
-Tony had the droopy eyelid syndrome. Looked like he'd been drinking for a better part of the day.
-Between song antics of Bob. In the darkness of the stage he primped, stretched out his legs, smiled at George, and generally acted pretty full of himself. Quite humorous.
-Post show(late night) music discussion at Matt & Mo's. KISS, Led Zeppelin vs. Black Sabbath, kraut rock, iPod shuffle, Gil Scott Heron, Super Furry Animals, Slayer vs. Marilyn Manson. Do you LOVE Slayer?!?
-Sometimes things are ridiculous, while other times they're REDUNKULOUS!

http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/091507s.html

Surprise, surprise!

2007-09-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing about this new Dylan remix of "Most Likely You Go Your Way(And I'll Go Mine)" for a few months now. It's been included as a bonus track on yet another retrospective boxed set surprisingly titled..."Dylan". My original though was to cringe. But to my delight, the remix doesn't suck. In fact, it's pretty rad. The original recording had a funky New Orleans jazz club feel to it, but the new mix takes it straight out of the bar and in to the streets. With an everpresent wailing trumpet to its chunky and driving back line, this is pure swamp-ass music. Dylan's vocals are clean and up front. Mark Ronson, who had a big hand in Amy Winehouses "Back To Black", has done a tremendous job at creating something new from this 40 year old nugget. That ain't easy, folks. Bravo!

I also came across a new recording by the Flaming Lips called "I Was Zapped By The Lucky Super Rainbow" that's to be included on the soundtrack for some Dane Cook movie. It's quite catchy. I was totally taken back by its infectious upbeat feeling. Think 80's Cure. It'll only take about two bars into the song before you feel like you're on the dance floor at Numbers(circa 1985) with a head full of MDMA. This song makes me wanna dance like Molly Ringwald.

In response to corporate sponsorship...

2007-08-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

Drock, I understand yer pain. I do. And it's really easy to put these guys up on a pedestal. I did once for a band called the Grateful Dead. I know. I know. But the fact is, in the end, I was totally let down by them.

When bands like the Lips(and the GD in my case) make such emotionally touching music(mixed with narcotics), it becomes very easy to believe they are some kind of magical mystery thang. When, in fact, it's only their MUSIC that weaves the voodoo, not the individuals. In a way, that sucks. I mean, Wayne Coyne for President...ya know. But it just ain't gonna happen. Never.

I've got cancer. I don't WANT cancer. But that's doesn't make it go away. I don't wanna pay Ticketmaster fees, but when I HAVE to, I do. The hope that the band brings me outweighs any corporate nonsense. Wanna protest? Tag one of the banners at the show. Paint a small "sux" under the Miller Lite logo. Those in the know will understand. Then again, you could spend the rest of your life bad mouthing Miller Lite. Do it. I encourage you to.

During my illness, I've tried to learn to live in that perfect moment. And the Lips have a way of creating those moments with their MUSIC(and by attracting such groovy fans). You've been there, man. When that first snap of the snare drum comes down during "Race For The Prize", that's it. Pure joy. From that moment on, I just live in that moment. Wishing and feeling that the world was always such a euphoric place. And for the hour and a half they play, it is.

30th Anniversary of Elvis' last concert

2007-06-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

My first concert was Elvis in Kansas City in '74(I was 4). Early show I believe. He actually wore the American Eagle jumpsuit. I can recall the excitement of the first few moments with the spotlight on him as the arena was illumintated by what seemed to be a million flashbulbs going off at the same time. He did the whole kneeling on the stage with back turned to the audience while spreading his arms to reveal the "bedazzeled" eagle. Quite a striking moment. I also recall it was the first time I'd ever been in a multi-level parking garage.

His single at the time was "It's Midnight/Promised Land". I can remember sitting in my room listening to it on my tiny 45 turn table that opened like a suitcase. It had a built in speaker in the top. My mother walked in my room one day and discovered me weeping as I listened to "It's Midnight". She asked what was wrong and I replied, "When are we gonna see Elvis again?"

II

2007-06-21T17:41:00.001-07:00

The faithful freaks were already there by the time Lindsey and I arrived(right of the barrier). She scurried up to the rail, but after spending 3 1/2 hours waiting for Ween, I decided to stay about 5 rows back ensuring I would get the whole picture in without missing out on the stage drama.

No sooner had I squeezed my tiny little ass down when I was greeted by Kind. He ended up staying there the whole show(yipee!).

We were both pleasantly surprised to discover everyone around us was young, intelligent, and well spoken. We had 4 hours ahead of us and we made the most of every moment. I'd brought along a backpack full of balloons, confetti, and streamers which added to the party that was already in full swing. Several people in front of us led the crowd in sing-alongs of Jelly, Bohemian Rhapsody, and multiple Happy Birthdays. Kind joked that if we sang their entire set the band would have no reason to come out and play.

The first hour and a half, the energy was climbing at a dizzying pace. Kind and I agreed this was gonna get as crazy as we had ever seen. And after the OKC show, that's saying a LOT. We saw Lindsey get Kliph's attention and then watched as she had a brief conversation with him from the lip of th stage. (Kristen, this girl is gonna give you a run for your money).

The crowds momentum was slowed by an argument in front of us in which one guy took it upon himself to put up a road block for a couple who was trying to squeeze their way up to the front. After some discussion, several of us agreed both were at fault and that security should have gotten involved much sooner. After about 45min. two thugs appeared and tossed him over the barrier. The whole situation was very sad. Cooler heads would have prevailed. With their exit, though, a HUGE amount of tension collecting above our heads evaporated.

Wayne(and band) was, of course, coming and going. With each new appearance, he insighted the crowd that much more and this pushed the anticipation to a new high. Finally, around 11pm, he announced that the band was going to perform a "sound check" and that we should refer to it as so in order to prevent anyone of authority climbing down their throats. The War Pigs that followed was downright dirty. The sound system sounded phenominal, specifically Michael's bass. It was thundering!

The lull that follwed(another hour or so) deflated the mood for a bit, but as soon as the band came back all was forgotten. The delivery of boxes of laser pointers didn't hurt either. The band was preparing to throw everything but the kitchen sink at us and, like good freaks, we were more than prepared.

Knowing that talking about music is like shitting about fucking, I'll let the video and audio recordings do most of the talking. I personally thought both were flawless. Even the premature popping of the giant Jelly balloon couldn't stop Wayne and Co. from moving forward. He made a "keep it going" movement in Stephen's direction and went right ahead and attached another to the leaf blower with help from Capt. America. The second went off without a hitch. "I love it when a plan comes together."

The crowd was a real exercise in duality. They were bat-shit crazy in all the right places and as quiet as a tit-mouse when necessary. Wayne spoke several times between songs and nary a hoot or holler was heard out of respect. During the Tapsmir>Superman performance, you could've hear a pin drop. Very sincere and moving.

Needless to say, the "ball", the UFO, and lasers were delicious eye candy. Even the new half circle screen was a joy to witness. We got it all. Sensory overload to be sure. Smoke and green lasers(from the stage) assaulted our senses and obscurred the band several times during the course of the show. It was more than we could have dreamed, and I know I can have some pretty fucked up dreams.

Musical highlights:

Mountainside(You could see Kind's brain slowly dripping out of his right ear). The S&M match between Wayne and Steven was electrifying!

Wayne's guitar playing during What Is The Light>Observer.

Kliph, on two feet, attempting to destroy his hand cymbals during Pompeii.

Vein Of Stars. I have a personal connection with this one, folks.

And the Rolling Stones cover, Moonlight Mile, was so far out of left field we all stood there with mouths agape.

But, I think I'm forgetting something...

Meeting Wayne in OKC and at the 'Roo(or Dizzying Heights and Soul Crushing Lows)

2007-06-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Do you believe in magic?

I do. And have for a long while. The thing about magic is that you never expect it, are always looking for it, and when it comes you're still surprised.

I'll preface the story with a few seeds that were planted long ago...

Joe, Lindsey, and I had driven from Houston to see the show and, just before the concert, Lindsey had managed to say "hi" to Wayne during the costume contest out in the parking lot. We were all three lucky enough to get interviewed on camera just as we entered the venue. This, despite being screamed at the entire time by a local policeman. We stood our ground, answered the questions, signed a release, and set off in to the now "Legendary" show.

Inside, we scrambled to our position located directly in front of the long ramp that had been constructed center stage. This is where we first met Doug(aka kind1002) and his friend Adam. They were bummin' pretty hard because the airline had lost Doug's luggage and everything he had for his travels to 3 shows in 2 states over the next few days. Harsh. At the conclusion of the evening, we swapped e-mails and Lindsey, Doug, and Adam stayed in touch while I lingered about more than I care to admit.

Of course the first UFO show has gone the way of legend, but it had a even bigger meaning for me personally. Ya see, three days before the show, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Melanoma. I was crushed. But, as bad as this news was, I wasn't about to cancel this vacation I had planned weeks before while at Lollapallooza(I'd purchased the OKC tickets at 9am the very same morning I was to see them in Chicago's Grant Park). In fact, I needed the escape now more than ever. And while I won't discount the "love" that was in abundance at the show, the "hope" provided to me by the band and audience in OKC was the thing I held on to most of all. The crowd at Bonnaroo was playful and giddy with excitement. But the OKC crowd was simply beside themselves with joy. Their cheering lasted the entire show and never let up(even during the opening acts). The noise they produced resembled that of a 747 engine soaring down the runway. It was HEAVY.

Did I mention that there were a couple dressed as a nun and priest standing next to us? Well, there was and I took the final exclamaion of "LOVE" during Spoonful to propose to Lindsey and have the priest marry us. I can hardly wait to see our wedding video(he-he).

Anyway, we parted ways with Doug and Adam with the agreement to meet again at NYE. Sadly, this did not materialize. I was scheduled to start chemo around that time and was in no shape to spend the time or money that it would have taken. Meanwhile, I watched as Doug took the "Dance On Stage With The Flaming Lips" prize on NYE. I knew there was something special about that guy and this confirmed it. I was sooooo happy for him. He is truly a freak of the highest order.

Fast forward....

Lindsey(who celebrated her birthday on June 1st) said she'd like to go to Bonnaroo as her gift and I was more than happy to accommodate her. After a few e-mails to Doug, we all agreed to meet up at some point during our 4 day musical extravaganza. We made contact the first evening and, after several calls and text messages plagued by electronic gremlins, hooked up again in front of the Which Stage(4 hours before the Lips were scheduled). Yowza!

This is where things start to get crazy...

Don't look back...

2006-11-20T22:48:00.000-08:00

I've let this blog go by the wayside the last few months because of some health problems. And after finally getting some good news, I treated myself to a vacation in the New Jersey countryside. And it didn't hurt that TWO of my rock 'n' roll idols would be in NYC during the visit.
I took the train in to mid-town Manhattan to catch Bob Dylan at the New York City Center and boy did the old man deliver. This show was all energy from top to bottom and had everything the April shows in San Antonio did not.
The theater was gorgeous. A renovated Mosque, it now is a three tiered performance space with a capacity of about 2,700, making it the smallest venue I've seen Dylan in during my obsessive 16 years at his feet.
After opening with "When The Levee Breaks" from his new album, he dropped right in to "Senor" and didn't look back the whole evening. Each song that followed was either played with overflowing enthusiasm regardless of its tempo. The one exception (IMHO) was "Spirit On The Water". But even a lackluster performance of that song couldn't dampen my elation.
Bob was dancing and even broke into a little jig during "Highway 61". Throughout the evening he was constantly making those weird motions with his hands and muggin for the crowd who ate up every glance he tossed our way.
The crowd roared after each verse of "Don't Think Twice" which found the band bathed in a beautiful sunset orange. His reading of "Nettie Moore" was sublime and heartbreaking. But he topped himself with a debut performance in the first encore slot. "Ain't Talkin'' was pure magic. A bit funkier and more electric that the album, the band played it as if it had been in rotation for years. Their dynamics throughout the evening were truly a thing of wonder.

Here is "Ain't Talkin'" on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQgNNZa6OvM

I've never seen him play a show where he played so much new material. By breaking out 7 songs from Modern Times, he fell short of playing the entire album by only 3!!!
This was one for the record books, folks. 45 years after playing at Carnegie Hall(which was only 1 block away), the old man showed that he still has the stuff that made me love him and his live performances. I'm rating this show a close second to the Austin 2002 gig which is my favorite of all time. I really didn't think he still had it in him. Tonight, he proved me wrong.

http://dylanstubs.com/pictures/ALT_POOL_11/NYC_2006_Mitch_023.html

*footnote*
While standing in line for the mens bathroom following the show, Gina Gershon caught my eye and we looked at each other for a moment as I heard her say "Can you hear me now?" on her cell phone. She's even more beautiful in person. Tiny woman. As soon as I walked out of the bathroom, John Fuglesang walked by me. We caught each others eye and I nodded to him and he ignored me. His eyes were VERY bloodshot. We caught each others eye again outside the venue and he ignored me once again. Next, I walked up a block to 56th St. get a photo of Carnegie Hall. After snapping a few pictures on the corner, some guy next to me exclaimed to his friend, "That was Elvis Costello!" I wasn't gonna miss this chance. I scurried across the street and got a few feet ahead to snap a photo of he and Diana Krall. Just as I did, Elvis look over to me and said in his best saucy voice, "Take a picture why don't 'cha." The picture came out horribly...doh!

LollaLand Through The Looking Glass pt.1

2006-08-09T23:55:00.000-07:00

OK…I’m gonna try and chronicle the events of the last 4 days in order, but take in mind I had difficulty recalling events as told to me by my traveling companions just a day after they happened. So, bear with me if I jump around a bit. It was one crazy weekend (to say the least) chock full of music and mayhem. Naturally, some moments are bound to slip through the cracks of my recovering brain. And away we GO…

With a taxi waiting in the driveway, I scrambled to gather my belongings and forgot my iPod in the process. Was this perhaps foreshadowing things to come? No way! I was determined to have fun, even if it killed us (it nearly did).
I hooked up with my partners at the hotel on the south side of Chicago the afternoon before the festival was to begin. We “suited up” as soon as we set foot in the hotel room and quickly set out for some of that famous Chicago food. It wasn’t long before we settled on Italian and were stuffing our bellies with as much food as we could stand.
As we walked through the streets, I was pleasantly surprised to see the transformation the south side had undergone over the years. In that time, it’s morphed in to a quiet neighborhood littered with trees and classic architecture with the University of Chicago and its students as the primary occupants. It seems light years away from the hussle and bustle of the north side.
A little behind schedule, we arrived at Grant Park on Friday afternoon with the heat of the day bearing down on us. Chicago was in the latter stages of a heat wave and the first two days of the festival would put our skin and sanity to the test. At the framed entrance, inflated letters spelling out “Lollapalooza” towered above our heads and welcomed us with open arms. This was to be our home for the next few days and it wasn’t long before that “Safe As Milk” feeling poured over us. I was stoked to see that the security “shakedown” was virtually nonexistent. I easily made it through the gate check with 3 bottles of water and several pieces of fruit.
Not being married to any of the groups playing during the time at which we arrived, we let the fickle finger of fate decide for us. Mute Math won. We weren’t overly impressed with them so we set off for a patch of grass in the shade to work out our plan of attack. It wasn’t long when a sound unlike any other caught our ears. A warbling female voice was singing “She Don’t Use Jelly” from a stage just beyond a bank of shrubs behind us. As we walked closer, the band sounded pretty rough and under rehearsed. Imagine our surprised when we realized it was a group comprised of four pre-teens called The Blissters. They were fucking great! We sat and watched the rest of there set which had such classics as “Rockin’ In The Free World”, “Sweet Home Alabama”, and two original tunes (one was an instrumental, while the other had lyrics that simply read “Fie-De-Do”). Someone later told us that one of the kids in the band was Jeff Tweety’s son. This would also mark our first of several sightings of a guy dancing in a rather peculiar way on the side of the stage named “Beatle Bob”. Two people in the audience were dressed in costumes, too. One was a giant hotdog, the other an enormous pickle. We’d only been inside the festival gates for an hour and things were already getting very interesting…
At the conclusion of The Blissters set, we set off across the park to catch a few songs by The Stars. I don’t really recall specifics about the sound, but I think we collectively gave them a thumbs up. What I do remember, though, is that because of the positioning of the stage we, in the crowd, were caught directly in the path of the sun, which had us searching for more comfortable surroundings.
Just across the field was a larger stage and the next person on our musical menu, Ryan Adams. I was really pumped to finally catch him live. He had been scheduled to appear at the Vegoose Music Festival in 2005, which I attended, as part of the Phil Lesh band. To my dismay, he was forced to cancel at the last moment after a rumored stay in rehab. His set started off a bit shaky, but once he caught fire the band was shooting on all pistons. Of course, by that time, my companions had set off to secure a choice spot for the band Iron & Wine. Since his stage was just across the field from where they were sitting, they were able to witness (via the JumboTron) his mid-set rant about eggs and his inability to secure them after 11pm. For nearly five minutes he stood center stage and delivered a deadpan soliloquy filled to the brim with puns that drew both jeers and cheers from the crowd. The remainder of the set, following the “freak out”, was phenomenal. With Adams firmly in the drivers seat, the band effortlessly segued from one song to the next leaving a musical tapestry in their wake. Their renditions of “He’s Gone” and “Franklin’s Tower” were spot on. But when they slowly eased in to “Wharf Rat” (my favorite Grateful Dead song), my jaw hit the floor. And just to throw us off course he played the un-obvious choice of Sonic Youth’s, “Madonna, Sean and Me” in what was, perhaps, the most straight forward rendition the song has ever had. Without a doubt, this was one of the highlights of the festival, for me, and a terrific sign of things to come.
At the conclusion of his set, I quickly shuffled across the field to hook up with the girls as they watched Iron & Wine. I had no luck finding them in the crowd, so I hung around for a few songs then set off to the opposite side of the park to see the Secret Machines. Iron & Wine, fronted by Sam Beam, have a catalog of acoustic ballads told from a personal point of view. It was a mellow set that really impressed the girls. Mary said this set was one of her favorites of the festival.
The next three artists provided a 1,2,3 knock out punch which left our heads spinning by the end of the day. The first hit came from Jack White’s new group, The Raconteurs. Seeing as this was one of their first shows in America (they’d done a few warm-up gigs in Europe), expectations were high and the curious came out in droves. They did not disappoint. Released from his self-imposed shackles, White wore a plaid shirt and sunglasses. It should be noted that all three of Jack’s guitars were varying shades of red, though (his hollow body Gipson a magnificent blood red). As the downtown buildings obscured the sun’s glare, the band tore through nearly every song off their one and only album with an attack that would have made Led Zeppelin proud. However, the biggest reaction of the night came with their cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”. Their guitars crunched and wailed as a crowd of 40,000 sang along with every word.
Our next highlight was the final performance by the legendary punk trio, Sleater-Kinney. They were phenomenal. I feverishly proclaimed my love for Corin with each close up on the JumboTron. They were loud, sexy, and down right bitchy. It was great to see Corin have a moment of anger as she yelled at the monitor guy when one of her pedals refused to work. You could see the uncomfortable response Carrie had to the moment quite clearly from our position in the audience. It doesn’t get more rock ‘n’ roll than these gals. I ache at the thought that I’ll never get to see them live again. Whoa is me.

How could anything compete with that?

One word…. WEEN.

I tried my best to get the girls to come with me, but they insisted on seeing Death Cab For Cutie. Ugh! Geaner & Deaner were en fuego! Opening with “Exactly Where I’m At” and filling out their 90min. set with such gems as, “What Deaner Was Talking About”, “Touch My Tooter”, “Piss Up A Rope”, “Light Me Up”, “Voodoo Lady”, “The Mollusk”, “Spinal Meningitis”, and the sing-along anthem “The AIDS Song”. The stage was frequently obscured with help from a smoke machine, while Dean performed the majority of his solos hunched over with his guitar almost resting on the top of his bare feet. They incorporated nearly every style you can imagine, including garage-rock, space-rock, Southern rock, psychedelia, funk, with some country thrown in for good measure.
Heading north to get some late night food on the A Train, we encountered a fellow concertgoer who carried an empty bottle of Jagermeister preaching for the end of hate in the world (“Love yer BONES! Love yer carcass! Okay, yer BEAUTIFUL BODY!” Others on the train gave him more beer, insuring his wisdom would continue well in to the early hours of the morning. For the remainder of the trip we referred to him as JagerMan. And we spoke of him often.

To think, this was just our first day! It was only going to get better.

Love Songs & The Beatles Through The Back Door

2006-07-26T23:01:00.000-07:00

Before this blog slips off the edge of the planet, I figure I better update it since I've actually got the night off.
I’ve been trying to figure out where to start in my assignment to write a “love song” for a show that’s coming up next year. Along the way, I’ve been obsessing over two songs in particular. The first one is by the Super Furry Animals titled “Juxtaposed With U”. It’s not your typical “I love her, she doesn’t even know I’m alive” kinda love lament. It’s more about a feeling of love for the world and how each and every day we have to choose between being tolerant of one another and being an asshole. The chorus lines are particularly poignant (You’ve got to tolerate all those people that you hate/I’m not in love with you, but I won’t hold that against you). Why is it so difficult for people to get along? What will it take for those in power to realize the burden is on their shoulders? Is the human race a failed experiment?
The second song is by the Flaming Lips and is titled “Satellite Of You”. This is a bit closer to the conventional love tune. The metaphors used are those of a satellite that orbits the moon and the gravitational pull between the two. It almost as much a song of praise and worship than it is a pure declaration of love. Very ethereal. Lush orchestrations and angelic vocals are used as a paintbrush that helps to create sweeping waves of emotion and wonder. I am in awe of its emotion impact.

Several weeks back I was discussing The Beatles with friends and in the process recalled my first brush with their music and the journey I took to discover their greatness. It started out in a very odd place, but of course ended in hero worship.
Like most things, I fell in to them years after everyone else my age had discovered them and abandoned their fever for them long ago. I was well in to my high school years and went with a friend to see the movie “Yellow Submarine” that was playing at a local art house. Not only was I stunned by the visual onslaught of the film; the soundtrack grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let me free.
Weeks passed and I knew I had to get my hands on as much of their music as I could find. Not having much money, though, that proved a bit of a task. But with my birthday just around the corner, I told everyone within earshot that they look no further than the Beatles record bin for my gift. Thankfully one person heard my cries of desperation. Her name was Lisa Hargus and I can remember sitting in a Chinese restaurant on Richmond Ave as she presented me with my gift. It was Abbey Road. I had my heart set on the Yellow Submarine Soundtrack, but didn’t show my disappointment. Using all my acting skills, I thanked her and immediately went to exchange it for the record my heart desired.
Proud of my musical exchange, I set off for home with my new vinyl acquisition. Not recognizing many of the song titles did not diminish my excitement. What was this song “Sea Of Holes”? And, ooooohhh, “The March Of The Meanies” sounded like it was gonna be a real winner. I had scored big and was giddy with excitement.
Talk about a buzz kill. When I discovered that the second side consisted entirely of orchestrations by George Martin I felt as though someone had skinned a puppy before my very eyes. Ick!
These days I have to laugh when I think about my lopsided exchange. Here I had their masterpiece in my hands and went and traded it for a collection of rejected songs and symphonic fluff. It goes to show, you don't ever know...

iPod Song Of The Day: Christmas At The Zoo from the Flaming Lips Clouds Taste Mettalic

Martha Wainwright on Letterman

2006-06-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

While channel surfing tonight, through the late night musical slots, I got a delightful surprise. Martha Wainwright was the musical guest on Late Night and delivered a mesmerizing reading of Leonard Cohen's "Tower Of Song". I've always wondered how a cover of this song would go over as it seems to be uniquely Cohen's with its boast, "I was born like this, I had no choice/I was born with the gift of a golden voice." No worries. She managed to make the song all her own with a singing style that very similar to Dolly Parton's. Her smooth vocals and flowing arrangement suited the song very well. I was riveted to the screen.
I've really been impressed with the batch of ladies overtaking the airwaves lately (Neko Case, Regina Spektor, K.T Tunstall). Having always been a fan of female rockers, I'm quite happy to see them claiming their place in the boys club that is rock 'n' roll. Their seductive and unique personas are a breath of fresh air in popular music.
And these women are no cookie cutter marketing scheme. They all seem to have terrific songwriting talents and wonderful singing voices. I certainly can't say the same for most of the male singers who populate bands today. Girl Power has never sounded so sweet.

iPod Song of The Day: "Twist The Knife" from the Neko Case album Furnace Room Lullaby

Speeding Motorcycle 6/24

2006-06-25T03:40:00.000-07:00

Yowza! I feel like I’ve been on an emotional magic carpet ride. I’m fucking tapped.

Tonight was beautiful. It’s seems that the end (for the time being) always brings out the best in people. You (or at least I do) corner cast/crew/friends who’ve been an important part of the show and lay a bunch of heavy feelings or words of praise on them that somehow had gotten smothered until that moment. Tonight was no exception. I think it’s totally cliché to say, but we’ve truly become a family during the course of this project.
All night I’ve been grasping for words to describe the journey we’ve been through together and have consistently come up short. I just kept asking everyone involved, “Wasn’t this fun?” It somehow doesn’t seem to do justice to the experience, but that’s what keeps coming out. Wasn’t it though?
I worried throughout the show that my nervousness was getting the best of me. I felt like I somehow wasn’t able to let it all hang out. Harnessed by apprehension. I am my worst critic and hope that I’m just over thinking it. After the show, Jason eased my fears by saying that hadn’t been the case at all and was, in fact, quite pleased with the outcome. Good. I feel a little bit better.
I totally lost it during “Birthday”. Performing it directly to my mom, I attempted to fight back the emotions, but they came flooding through. You just don’t get that many chances in life to express, to an attentive crowd, the depth of emotions you hold for those who have provided you with unconditional love and support your entire life. She is my everything.
It was so great to look out in the audience tonight and see all the repeat offenders. We’ve obviously struck a chord with more than a few people and knowing that is a tremendously comforting feeling. It makes me feel like everything I’ve worked for in the last 25 years has not been in vain. Chet, Elf, CFL, & Elise, your devotion means the world to us.
And then there was Charlesanne’s mother. She was about four rows back on the right hand inner aisle, and sat on the edge of her seat the entire time. I told her after the show that she was my muse for the night. She was radiant and overflowing with emotion and energy. She cried and cried and cried. There were tears of sadness, joy, elation, and inspiration from her. Talking with her after the show filled my heart with pride.
I asked Jason at the bar last night if I could work up something extra to perform following the lobby concert to commemorate the moment. He agreed and I set about the task as soon as I got home. He gave me several suggestions and I decided on the song “Enchanted Love” which had been one of my audition pieces. The moment came and it was an experience I’ll remember the rest of my life. The feeling of having the crowd hanging on every nuance of the song was nothing short of total bliss. It was a dream come true.

Finally, I raise my glass to my fellow cast and crew members. We fucking did it. And we did it bigger than any of us could have imagined. I’m so fucking proud of you all for fighting the good fight and bringing a beautiful thing in to the world. That is priceless and will live with us forever. I’d also like to thank Jason, Tony, Tamarie, Troy, Wayne, and Lisa for their tireless efforts and vision. You guys are amazing and I feel so lucky to have you guys on our side. Thank you all for making my dreams come true. Hang on to your loving feelings!

Wasn’t that fun?!

Speeding Motorcycle 6/23

2006-06-24T02:33:00.000-07:00

For the first time in the run, I firmly believe that WE drove the Speeding Motorcycle tonight rather than letting it drive us. The energy of the cast/crew was at record levels tonight and the show reflected our determination and spirit. Even the speed bumps that occurred weren’t enough to derail our momentum. That is an amazing tribute to us. Like Jeff Spicoli on the crest of a tasty wave, we caught the X-factor and made it our bitch.
My excite-o-meter had already been pushed in to the red before the show even started. At my request, my big brother had flow in from New Mexico especially to see the closing weekends performances. As with my father, I’ve not had a whole lot of opportunities to perform for my brother over the years and that made it very special. And the cherry on top was my mother accompanying him on the ride.
The first stumble came pretty early on in the show during “Life In Vain”. As the band came in during the second verse, the rhythm for a bit funky and it threw the band off for a few bars. Cathy said during intermission that she did several looks back and forth between the band and myself, finally concentrating on me, which calmed her down allowing her to keep her cool. That made me feel nice that she felt I was a calming force on stage. In fact, very nice. I felt us all get off for a few bars but didn’t feel like it took away any of the emotional impact of the song. Proving we were in the drivers seat.
The last few nights I’ve been pet sitting in a beautiful house located in West University. They own an incredible baby grand piano that I took full advantage of while there. In running through “Peek-a-Boo” on it, I had some great emotional discoveries and attempted to incorporate them during the performance. I was more than please with the outcome especially the final note that is pounded out at its conclusion. I found that if I release the echo pedal just as I strike those last notes, a desperately hollow feeling is produced.
Kyle continues to outdo himself with each new performance of “Funeral Girl”. In fact, Chris Bakos had a brief discussion back stage about which was more powerful, “Funeral Girl” or “My Baby Cares For The Dead”. While Chris argued for the latter, I favored the former sighting its changing tempo that offers the best of both worlds. Chris agreed. However, we both came to an agreement that the acapella nature of “My Baby” had to be more difficult to perform. Kyle’s performances of both are mystically sublime and have more soul in them than I thought possible for a rural white boy. He’s an incredible showman and never fails to inject every ounce of energy he’s got in to everything he does. Bravo!
The crowd tonight was stupendous. I got more laughs from them than I have any other which provided me with an even greater desire to please than I had arrived with. They applauded after “Peek-a-Boo” and created a tremendous roar following AJ’s “Don’t Let The Sun” and Kyle’s “Funeral Girl”. They even gave us a standing ovation following “Loving Feelings”(our second of the run).
Speaking of “Loving Feelings”, I’ve come to crave the raw emotion emoted by Joe during this song. Plain and simple, it’s “the truth and nothing more”. It’s inspiring, beautiful, and never fails to re-fill my emotional tank. Every person I confronted with during the second half looked me straight in the eye and seemed to feast on the wisdom contained inside the lyrics. I can’t properly express the spiritual high I get from such a reaction. It cuts deep.
Last week, Jason loaned me the master soundboard copy of our Rudyard’s performance from a few weeks back. After listening to it, I realized I should approach “Brainwashed” with a lighter feel rather than the forceful country twang I formally had performed with. It too felt a much more truthful in its delivery and even had me choked up at its conclusion.
Tony’s piano work on both “True Grief” and “Rock This Town” should make him a shoe in for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. At the climax of “True Grief”, Kyle turned to me and said, “I think he’s fucking it (the piano)!” Turning back toward the stage, Tony began a series of manic pelvic thrusts that confirmed his suspicions. Kyle and I nearly collapsed on top of one another with laughter.

Speeding Motorcycle 6/17

2006-06-20T23:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday night’s magic was the kind that comes from hard work and determination. Everyone showed up to the theater with their A-game in tow. After Friday nights less than spectacular show, the unspoken phrase on everyone’s mind was, “Let’s kick some mutherfuckin’ ASS!” And kick some ass we did.
Having the first solo song of the show, I tried my best to set the tone for the night. Without saying a word to each other, Kyle definitely was in the same frame of mind as he performed the most soulful version of “Dream Scream” I’ve heard so far. The game was afoot and I’m always up for a healthy competition.
Cathy and I had some great moments of “staged” flirting during “Life In Vain”. The audience was very attentive and I could feel them soaking up the show and its moments of truth that flow throughout.
As Cathy & I sat behind the closed curtain prior to “Life In Vain”, we were perplexed by the action going on stage right. Tony had quickly hopped up from behind his piano and was pacing about in a controlled panic. We both looked at each other and shrugged it off. It wasn’t long before he composed himself, sat down, and took a deep breath. We later found out that he had realized that the “falling baby” hadn’t been pre-set in its box and would have to be thrown onstage by a band member. It all worked out, too. It didn’t get as big a laugh as it usually does, but did receive a very respectable reaction from the audience. It was our only snafu of the evening.
The rest of the show was a good as it gets. The crowd was fantastic and had a great time from top to bottom.
The lobby performance was where we really let our hair down. All the songs were delivered with passion and fire. I had told Jason, several weeks earlier, that I was bound and determined to perform “Brainwashed” sans amplification (stealing a page from the Elvis Costello play book). I was feeling bold and did just as I promised. It felt fucking great! Stepping up to the front of the stage, the chorus of dancing girls all gathered at the lip of the stage and enthusiastically joined in.
“True Grief” had Tony bitch slapping his microphone and “Rock This Town” found Johnny Freedom doing his best Pete Townshend impersonation. His antics included several deep knee bends and climaxed with a karate kick to an unsuspecting music stand. HI-YA!
Long time IBP supporters Bill & Sarah Stewart were in the audience and I did a good portion of my performances straight to them, including the entire “Birthday” speech. Over the years, they have become like grandparents to me. Super- cool, fucking-rad grandparents who are in their late 70’s. I’ll never be able to erase the image of Bill doing the pogo (with his hands above his head) during the rock show portion in the lobby. If this show can do THAT to a senior citizen, the terrorists have truly been defeated
The highlight of the evening, though, was talking to my high school acting teacher, Bob Singleton, following the show. He was overflowing with pride and had nothing but terrific things to say about the show and its performances. He’s one of the few educators in my life that I hold in high esteem and whose words of wisdom mean more to me each and every day. It’s not often that you get an opportunity to thank those who’ve had that kind of an impact on your life and recognizing the moment, I did just that. It was the perfect end to a perfect night.

Speeding Motorcycle 6/16

2006-06-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

Mr. Toads Wild Ride continues....

Well, it's been a week like no other. First, the New York Times writes us a love letter and the cherry on top comes in the form of another rave review from the Houston Press. Needless to say, my expectations for the show have far exceeded what I could have imagined.
Friday's show had a few stumbles, resulting in an uneven second act, but our spirits were not dampened and we all pushed ahead and delivered the best we could.
A few technical difficulties and a lapse in my memory(during Living Life) left something to be desired from Friday's performance. A faulty microphone chord left us without amplification for all of act II and took the wind out of our sails in the process. As much as I tried, without a mic to pose behind, the finale fell flat on its face. The band did their best to help, but without their fire I felt I was just marking time throughout Loving Feelings. Nevertheless, the audience seemed pleased and was as appreciative as they've been for any other night.
As soon as I walked in to the lobby following the finale, Mossie turned to me and expressed her amazement at my ability to "wing it", despite the mechanical failures that plagued the act. That was really sweet.
The highlight of the evening for me was, once again, True Grief. The songs title said everything I was feeling after the rocky road that was the second half. The songs climax found Tony on his knees before the ivory God as he guided the band though a powerhouse rendition. The "rock show" portion was probably our strongest effort of the night. In our defense, we all managed to rise above the post intermission difficulties and maintained a consistent energy level that sent all those who remained home in a great mood.
During the beginning moments of the "rock show", many people approached me and complimented my performance. But the one that stuck out the most was a young lady whose reply to my, "Thank you for coming.", was an astonishing, "Thank you for BEING." Uuuuuh, GADZOOKS! That one took me by surprise.
Jennifer Mathieu was in the audience and her smile was beaming from start to finish. You can't help but have a great time when someone like that is returning every bit of energy you are delivering. Mad props to her. Though I did notice she had no problem taking her attention away from the action mid-stage to let her eyes travel stage right in hopes of catching a glimpse of her husband in the band. Newlyweds...whatcha gonna do?
The most pathetic sight of the night came just as we were leaving the dressing room to take our places for the first act. Alone in the lobby stood Chet & Erin, our biggest fans, having been shut out of the sold out performance. The poor saps. Following the show, I spotted Chet and asked if they had managed to get seats following intermission. "No", he replied, proudly explaining they had just come back minutes before in order to catch the lobby performances. Now that is some badass dedication. My hat is off to you both.
As I hung out after the show, I was handed a green piece of paper that had a hand written message that stated, "I platonically love your fire hydrant." It was signed, "Love, the whole world."

Saturdays performance? Now that was a WHOLE other ball game....

Neko Case on Letterman

2006-06-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Neko made a musical appearance on Letterman tonight and she was stunning. This lady has it all. Not only is she equipped with terrific musical talent and fantastic looks, but she also has a voice that could slay a giant. Her music is kind of a folksy/country mix with lyrics that are both sultry and haunting. I'm convinced she's the Emmylou Harris of this generation and it's only a matter of time before she conquers the world. She's been in a band called The New Pornographers for a number of years and started a solo career about 5 or 6 years back (as far as I know). I've gotten several bootlegs of her solo concerts and she's charming and captivating in her live show, just as she is in her recordings.
Her performance on Letterman of "Maybe Sparrow", from her latest release, was perfect.("The Needle Has Landed" is my favorite off her newest) Dwarfed by her Gibson guitar, she strummed dutifully away as her band held down the fort. A drummer, banjo, lead acoustic guitar backed her along with a stand up bass and female back up singer. I can hardly wait to see her live in concert, but I don't expect that to be anytime soon. She's traveling extensively this year in support of her album and isn't coming anywhere new Houston. However, I will get to see her with The New Pornographers at Lollapalooza this coming August and that's almost as good.

The late night talk shows were awash with female singer songwriters this evening. Regina Spektor did a wonderful job on Conan tonight. I don't know the name of the song she performed, but alone on a grand piano it was wispy, light, and fun.
K.T Tunstall performed on Leno with an acoustic guitar that had "This Machine Kills Fascists" written on it. Although I appreciate the nod to Woody, her song was the weakest of the ladies three. She did have some cool tricks with loop pedals that aided her performance, though. And did I mention that she stomped on a tambourine while she strummed her geetar? She did. It was rad.

iPod Song Of The Day: A 38 minute version of The Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray" from the bootleg entitled, The Quine Tapes

Speeding Motorcycle 6/9-10

2006-06-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

So, we started out the weekend with some pretty heady news. Before the show, Jason took me aside and confided in me the unbelievable news that a reporter from the New York Times would be in the house for Friday night’s performance. Although this information did have me on pins and needles for the first half of the show, I'm really glad he told me in advance. It gave me all the nervous energy I needed to perform at my best and helped me focus on the show after our longest break since opening the show. I guess it wasn't enough that Daniel's parents would also be in attendance. They would end up leaving during the intermission because of a problem we were having with the air conditioning. That sucked.
No having the knowledge of their departure, I approached a group of elderly people following the show and thanked them for coming out. I later found out they were a cast members grandparents and were in no way related to Daniel. Doh! It was cool of them to hang out during the entire rock show following the main stage performance, though. The elderly woman in the group had a priceless reaction during Kevin's "...love that marijuana" line, but ended up dancing by the end of the song. They were very sweet and, I believe, our biggest group of older people to come to the show. Good for them!
Another priceless Lisa Haymes moment tonight. While walking through the lobby during the middle of the show, I couldn't help but notice Lisa laying flat on her back as she was sprawled out across the couch while staring up at the ceiling. I think the thought of Daniel's parents and the biggest newspaper in the country there, all in one night, was a bit more that she could handle.
My best friend, for over twenty years, was also in attendance Friday. He had flown in from New Jersey that afternoon and I could not have been more excited to have him in the audience. He's been through a rough year and has maintained a brave face despite getting some horrible news just that day. He was a bit in shock following the performance, as he was not aware of my role in the show. He explained that he expected my role to consist of "tree stage left" and little more. To hear his praise of my performance and the show in general made my heart fill with joy. He's such a wonderful guy and I'm so lucky to have him as a part of my life. I love him dearly for the strength he has shown in character as he treads across the rocky road that has been thrust before him. Love ya, Omi!
The sold out performance was again littered with many friends who are appreciated more than words can express. Chet & Erin have been there nearly every night and have been more than generous in their praise of the show. Both have commented on how they have enjoyed the evolving performances from night to night and how they've discovered new moments/songs each evening that elevate their enjoyment with each viewing. Jeff Miller and Jo Bird were also repeat attendees and sat right up front. They are the definition of "cool couple".
Joe's performance of "Rock 'n Roll EGA" has grown each night and I was blow away by it on Friday night. He's approached each night with a tremendous enthusiasm that is to be admired and respected. We've had a moment together, following them main stage performances, the last two nights that have found us both on the precipice of emotion bliss. I think we both have discovered an emotional state this weekend that we've not inhabited before. The only word to describe it would be, ecstasy.
Christa came to the show tonight (Saturday) and was an emotional wreck the entire night. I kept from making eye contact with her until the final number for fear of completely losing my shit on stage during the show. She's seven months pregnant and is more beautiful than I've seen her ever look (and she is one hot mama!). She really made the show for me tonight and I told her as much following the show. She was nothing short of radiant in her front row seat and her blissful energy made it all worth it.
With that said, it was a bit of a weird night. This morning was the first of four days, over the next two weekends, which we have set aside to professionally film the show. As a result of the early day, I think many in the cast felt some fatigue. There were no major "fuck-ups" or problems with the show, I just think the energy level was a bit askew (I know mine was) and results were a somewhat lopsided performance. I felt the second act was as strong as it's ever been, but it took the majority of the first act for us to get our feet firmly in place. I don't know that others felt this way. Perhaps it was just me.
More good friends in attendance tonight along with a second viewing by the playwright, Lisa D'Amour, who has been commissioned to write our first show of the next season. She's way cool and had nothing but great things to say about the show. I hold opinions in highest regard.
Jason got in my head tonight and I think it resulted in a weird performance of "Peek-a'Boo". As I was running through the song on piano before the show, he tossed out a note concerning the emotional climax of the song and it got the best of me. I performed a slower and quieter version in hopes of squeezing something new from it tonight and I was not convinced of its results. Oh, well. You can't win 'em all.
I did have a ton of fun performing "Living Life", though. I've discovered a new vocal approach that really allows me to inject some soul in it and have had a blast ever since.
We celebrated Mossie's sweet 16 before the show and it was great to see her expression as the curtain opened to reveal a table full of sugar filled goodies illuminated by candles. She's a tremendous talent and has a wonderful maturity to her at such a young age. She's really stepped up to the plate during this show and has held her own with people who are twice her age. With that attitude, she can expect to go far in this business.
Some meaningful comments from AJ the last two nights following the show. I heart that. Friday night, she got her biggest ovation for "Don't Let The Sun" yet. Woot!
Highlight of the night, aside from Christa's emotional wellspring, was during "True Grief". At the climax of the song, rather than kicking over his piano stool, Tony performed a wonderful circus act as he leaned back on his heels while managing to balance his chair on its two back feet.

Speeding Motorcycle 6/3

2006-06-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a very liberating experience. While nervous energy can be a helpful tool, it can also cause a strangle hold on your ability to be loose and keep you from surging ahead, free of inhibitions. I think tonight a great majority of us broke free of the tension we held for the last week and were finally able to take the fun level to new heights. It was one of our best shows, without quesion.
Kyle was footloose and fancy free tonight. His showboat moment of the evening was (and has always been as far as I'm concerned) "Funeral Girl". Each night he seems to get a little bolder with his vocal performance and tonight was no exception. His voice was strong (if not downright powerful) and I think he has officially become a member of the Pointer Sisters with this evening’s powerhouse rendition. Kyle es muy en fuego.
Following the show, he told me of a sort of backhanded compliment he had received from a female fan who expressed her desires toward him. Poor Kyle. Paradise lost. Although, on the up side, Mike seems to be getting affection from women who have less than 20/20 vision and have mistaken him for Kyle. One man gathers what another man spills.
Got nice comments from both Chris B and Tony about tonight's "Peek-a-Boo". Chris noted a "growl" I had during the middle eight section. I try to attack that song with a "feeling the moment" kind of thing and that's what came out tonight. It felt good.
I could see the reaction Jason had mentioned last week during the line, "Don't you think you could do better?” in "Loving Feelings". A woman in the first row and a man in the second row both nodded to themselves during their personal revelation. I also got a reaction after the line, "Don't you wish you knew the truth and nothing more?" A man who I had confronted with the question quietly mouthed the reply, "yes".
The girls in the booth have taken to dancing and clapping their hands above their heads (like they just don't care) during the finale as well. Go girls.
I should also note that during the finale, as I approach Kyle and Joe with the opening lines, both have been giving me looks of self revelation. Not sure if I'm imagining this or not. Either way, that's some good acting fellows!
A man on house right wearing a Daniel shirt was on the edge of his chair the entire performance. Literally. Also noticed him singing some of the songs. I mistook him for Mossie's father, who was also wearing a Daniel t-shirt, but was corrected by her following the show.
The first people to approach me, following the show, were a couple who wanted to know what the deal was with the head gear. Told them of the "Joe the Boxer" character and I think that helped them understand. I'm can't be sure, though.
The next person was the very same twentysomething kid who later approached Jason about the Rudz "Don't Let The Sun..." performance. He asked if it was going to be performed (ala Rudz style) during the rock concert. I told him unfortunately "no" and he proceeded to tell me about the impact it had had on him during the Memorial Day show. When I told him Daniel had been there the night before, a sudden "Oh, shit. I missed the boat", look came over his face for a moment before he quickly shook it off and told me of being shut out by the sold out opening night performance. I directed him to AJ's scooter with the "flying eyeball" doodle by Daniel (which is now legendary) and then pointed out Jason and told him to inquire with "the bald guy" about "Don't Let The Sun..." He later reported back that the scooter drawing was "fucking rad".
A slowly moving old man walked in front of the dancing girls during the rock concert with both hands covering his ears on his way to the front door.
I distracted Jenni during her performance of "Monkey In A Zoo" and caused her to forget the words. She said I had rekindled her ADD.
A very nice girl had a look of stunned disbelief on her face when, after offering to buy me a beer, was told that I didn't drink. Mossie then said, "You don't drink?!?"
Fantastic performance by The Misfires following the show. Mike and I were trying to figure out when exactly it was that they had graduated from "power pop" to full out "rock-n-roll" band. The encore of "Loving Feelings" was, well...interesting. I'll leave it at that.
The show, and its performances, just keeps getting better and better. In the words of The Beatles, "To the toppermost of the poppermost!"

...and beyond.

Speeding Motorcycle 6/2

2006-06-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

So, I've been writing an informal blog after each show in the private section of the IBP forum for the last week. Since I don't get the chance to update this thing very often, I figured I might as well waste my thoughts on the rest of the world while I'm at it. So, here goes...
Kind of a wild show tonight. There were 2 VERY drunk people in the audience who were very vocal in their responses to the first half. Both are friends of IBP who have been very supportive of us. Not only were their responses loud, some were a bit inappropriate and that threw a bunch of people (cast & audience) for a bit of a loop. I didn't really care or pay much attention to them, but I can see how it would disrupt other patrons and irritate performers. They were asked to leave during intermission and did so quietly.
Daniel came again tonight and brought members of his band, the Nightmares, along for the ride. I met Bridgette and Jason. I met another guy who had a name tag that read "Elvis", but I don't think he was in the band though. Bridgette, Jason, and Daniel were all very nice and said some terribly flattering things to me following the show. Daniel noted how much he enjoyed our treatment of "Loving Feelings" and how some people had laughed at its lyrics prior to our performing it. Well, I don't know who these "people" are, but they have got to be morons to have not been impressed by its message. It's probably one of the finest songs I've ever heard and I told him as much. I gave him a Beatles bootleg on cd and he thanked me for the gift.
The reviewer for the Chronicle came tonight and I got a kick out of seeing him make a b-line for the door as soon as the main stage portion was over. Just as he was about to reach the door, Jason stopped him dead in his tracks and informed him the play was not over. So, he sat down at a table by himself and stayed for all but the final song of the rock concert. He asked Tamarie during the intermission if the head dresses we all wear were some kind of Egyptian thing.
I went to great lengths to remember my angel wings for the opening song of act 2 and promptly forgot to wear them. Just as the curtain opened, I suddenly remembered and bolted backstage to grab another pair and made it on stage by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin. Bet I don't forget them again.
I felt like "Loving Feelings" was taken to a higher level tonight. I tried to channel the feeling I get from the "birthday" monologue, which precedes it, and segue it straight in to the song. Not that it's difficult to sell that song, I just felt a little something extra was going on underneath the whole thing. It felt great and bittersweet, as it always does.
The show was very solid tonight. I was tremendously pleased with it considering the amount of time we've been apart from it (not counting the brush up, of course).
Aside from Daniel and the reviewer in the house, the show was also attended by our biggest donor (Michael Zilkha) and my father who had driven all the way down from Independence, MO just to see the show. I know he had a great time and I was very very pleased to have him make the nearly 800 mile trek just for me. I've only been able to perform for him a handful of times in my career and I did all I could to make it a special show for him. He told me later that a young lady approached him following the show to thank him for having me because I made her feel "good" whenever I was around. I'm speechless. :^)
The energy during the rock show portion of the evening was, in a word, electric. I saw Daniel in the back corner singing along to "Like A Monkey In A Zoo" and generally having a grand ole time. For the most part, the entire crowd hung out and seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. I don't think it hurts that all the girls in the cast/company get up front and dance around. I had a blast performing "Brainwashed". Don't think I've had that much fun with it before. "True Grief" was amazing. It never disappoints.
Another stream of flattering compliments about the show and performances from friends and strangers alike. I never get sick of it. It's so fucking cool to see the looks on people’s faces when you can see that a production has had an impact on them. It's like some sweet narcotic that always puts you in the right place. Gimme more. Gimme more.
I'll conclude with a few observations about Daniel.
Him sitting at the bar taking large gulps of what appeared to be red wine as Jenni bombarded him with "Jenniocity".

He autographed AJ's scooter and even drew a flying eyeball between the handle bars.
rad.

Tonights performance was advertised as a "no smoking" show. It was posted and explained to Daniel as such. I hadn't completed the first verse of the opening song before I could see that he had sparked up and was soon puffing away on a cigarette. He ain't no doughnut!

As I was leaving the theater, Daniel was standing near the door with Jason, Bridgette, and Jason Nodler circled around him. He was playing "air guitar" while making sorta half-assed Pete Townshend like windmills all while exclaiming, “I feel like Lucifer tonight! I feel like Lucifer tonight!"

Does it get any better than that?

Speeding Motorcycle @ Rudyards

2006-05-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

A little more than a week ago, the director of our show was approached about performing selections from Speeding Motorcycle on Memorial Day during an all day event that was to be held in the parking lot of Rudyard's. Since most of the cast and crew have beds there, it was pretty much a given that we would participate. And with fond memories from our 2003 performance of the Kinks rock opera Soap Opera at the very same venue as our guide, we all jumped at the invitation.
This performance was going to be quite a bit different, though. With Soap Opera, we had transported virtually the entire performance (props, set, costumes) to the upstairs stage and did the entire show top to bottom for a sold out audience. For this performance we would be just one part of a larger rock show and didn't get any billing or advertising to announce our presence. The odds seemed stacked against us, but that has never stopped us before and certainly wouldn't stop us this time. And while we don't necessarily thrive on that kind of energy, we've never been ones to back down from a new adventure. Up, up, and away!
Over the course of several hours, we all gathered at the bar and prepared ourselves for the great unknown. Take in mind we were about to face a crowd that had been drinking for the better part of the day and, because of the lack of advertising, had no idea what was gonna happen when more than a dozen (overly excited) theater fags jumped onstage to entertain them during the waning hours of the evening. It didn't help that the R&B explosion known as The Rehabilliteens(my favorite band) would have the stage just prior to our little show.
I managed to convince the director that having the three lead men wear our costumes (complete with fleshy head gear), while the rest of the cast was in street clothing, was just going to confuse and possibly anger the unsuspecting crowd. Thankfully, he agreed and the costumes were put back in the bags they came in. Whew. That was close.
I could see apprehension on a number of cast members faces, as the time for us to go on slowly got closer. One of the leads, Kyle, looked down right pale. I saw him standing by one of the pool tables and I thought he might throw up on it at any given moment. Thankfully, for us, he did not. Tensions among the cast and band grew even higher when it took more than a half hour for us to set up and get the trolling soundman to prepare the microphones and stage mix. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.....
Finally, the time came and we set about our way. The surprised looks on their faces as we started a quadraphonic chant of, "Funeral home. Funeral home. Going to the funeral home." was a moment of unexpected pleasure for me. These cats had no idea what was about to hit them. And believe it or not, I think we won them over before too long. The band was simply on fire. And our rapid fire execution of jumping from one song to the next, never gave them enough time to think about what was happening. It most certainly didn't hurt that we had a cast and group of well-wishers of nearly 2 dozen strong to act as our cheering section throughout the proceedings. We must have looked like a rock-n-roll Up With People.
Like I said, the band was in top form and by far our strongest asset of the evening. Other highlights, for me, included blistering versions of "Rock-n-Roll EGA", "Rock This Town", and "Livin' Life"(if I do say so myself). Normally, during the theatrical run, I try to handled some of the vocal performances with a little more finesse than were presented here. But this was a rock show and I treated it as such. Stuff it in their ear and down their throats. Ahhhh, just what the doctor ordered.
My favorite song of the night was when a dozen cast members got on stage to sing a near acapella rendition (and all churched out) choral version of "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Grievances". And I truly loved "True Grief" as performed by Tony and band. During that song, a righteous saxophone solo smoothly sailed out of the P.A. and it was pure Bleeding Gums Murphy magic at its best.

W came. We saw. We rocked.

More photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67511399@N00/sets/72157594150457390/

iPod Song Of The Day: Satellite Of You a b-side from the Flaming Lips

I've Got(had) A Secret

2006-05-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

Been slacking on the updates on account of the all the extra time I've spent working on a production of a brand new rock opera called Speeding Motorcycle that’s based on the music of Daniel Johnston. Well, the show has finally gotten underway and I could not be more excited about it or proud of the way it turned out. There have been a number of memorable moments along the way, but one shines above the rest and has had a profound effect on me since it occurred.
With lots of guidance from our musical director, I learned one of Daniel's songs titled "Peek-a-Boo" on piano. Having never before played a piano, the task before me seemed more than a little daunting. Setting my fears aside, I plugged away and after a few days had put together a respectable version. One evening following rehearsal, I fumbled through it for the director and musical director to see if they wanted to assign the song to me in the production. I performed a respectable version and was lucky enough to have it assigned to me.
Following the audition, they asked if I wanted to go up to the office space and hear the new song Daniel had penned for the show. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and up the stairs we went. I was not at all prepared for the experience that lie in wait.
At that point in the rehearsal process, I estimate that only four people on the whole planet had ever heard this song. So, I thought that was pretty cool. I was handed a lyric sheet and sat down to soak it all in. Before I knew what hit me, the song was pouring out of the speakers and barreled over me like a tidal wave of hope. The fact that is had been recorded on a hand held digital device did not diminish its power one bit. The name of the song was "Loving Feelings" and it was glorious. As I followed along with the printed lyrics, my spirited was lifted higher and higher with each passing phrase. The best way I can describe the message and feeling within is to compare it with two songs that hit me in the very same way after first listening. It's as if Daniel had cross-pollinated the euphoric and inspirational feelings contained inside "Do You Realize?" with an epic presence that could easily rival the size and scope captured in "Good Vibrations". That's big. REAL BIG. One might even say colossal. OK then, I will.
The song haunted me in the days that followed. Because I didn't have my own copy of the recording, I was forced to refer back to my initials feeling generated by the song. I worried that maybe I had just blown it out of proportion and that perhaps it wouldn't have the same effect on me when hearing it a second time. Those concerns were blown to bits when the mp3 arrived. It was indeed as enlightening as I had remembered it to be. How often does that happen?
For several weeks I walked around feeling like I had this special little secret all to myself and I held it very close to my heart. Last week, the beast was finally released from its golden cage and now it belongs to the masses. Who knows what they’ll do with the beautiful message contained inside? I can only hope for the best. One thing is for sure, though, and that is my memory of the brief time I had with the secret all to myself.

Hang on to your loving feelings
Quit your teasing, it’s a lie
Can’t you see we’re all gonna die
So give life a try
loving feeling
loving feeling

The Bob Dylan Show In San Antonio

2006-04-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

We got caught in a butt load of traffic before we even got out of the inner loop of Houston. Not a good sign. But as luck would have it, this was the least pleasant part of our journey. Once we got outside the loop the freeway opened up and we were on our way. Our driver is obsessed with Hispanic radio for some reason, so we blasted tejano tunes until we got out of radio range and then switched over to the iPod. We listened to Prince's new release 3121, which is fantastic. It's like he finally come to grips with himself and recorded an album of catchy pop tunes without making them too saccharine sweet or obtuse for the casual/devoted listener. It's about time. He also has embraced his inner Jimi Hendrix. weedlie-weedlie-weedlie-wee!
One of the cooler moments along the way was during the middle of a Dylan bootleg(Genuine Bootleg Series Vol.3) when the four of us in the car had a collective "moment" during Tangled Up In Blue from his '84 tour. It's notable because he switches the word around to the story even more than he usually does. At times, going from first to third person in the same sentence. He released an album called Real Live from this tour and a number of soundboard recordings from it were leaked to the public. Lucky for us.
Arriving in San Antonio, we got lost for a few minutes but quickly found our way back on the right track thanks to our drivers knowledge of the city. We found our(very intoxicated) friends at the Manhattan Mexican Restaurant on the River Walk. They had been on a steady diet of margaritas for lord knows how many hours and were certainly feeling no pain as a result. The waitstaff ignored us for the first twenty minutes, but made up for it by giving us great service for our final twenty minutes there. Weird how that works out. Oh, and on our way to the restaurant, we saw Kinky Friedman driving in a car going the opposite way.
The Municipal Auditorium is a fantastic old venue with a proscenium stage which is VERY deep. Ornate moldings cover the walls and ceiling as well as the balcony. What puzzled me, though, was that the seats on the floor were not permanent. Not that they were too terribly uncomfortable, it just seemed a bit odd. Dylan had played this same venue back during the Rolling Thunder Review of '76 and again in '78. I was hoping that this history would have a positive effect on the show. I can't say that it did.
We walked in to the main theater just as Merle Haggard was taking the stage. To our amusement, our friends at the Mexican restaurant had been under the false impression that Waylon Jennings was to be the opener. Jason took much pleasure in informing them that he had been dead for several years. We all got a good laugh at that one. Merle was in fantastic voice. His band, The Strangers, looked as if most of them had at least one foot in the grave(several looked waist deep, though). Regardless, they played like old pro's and did not disappoint. We got classics like "Okie From Muskogee", "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down", and "Mama Tried" just to name a few. A real class act, if I do say so myself. I think the rest of the crew was more impressed by him than they were Dylan. To each his own.
Dylan came out and put on a solid, if somewhat reserved, performance. The highlights of the evening were easily the slower numbers sprinkled throughout the set. "She Belongs To Me", Queen Jane Approximately", and "Girl From The North Country" were all given more than respectable readings by Dylan. He seems to handle the vocals of the slower numbers in higher regard than the up tempo numbers these days. This would become a point of contention between my seating partner and I at the conclusion of the show. I also thought "Highway 61" and "Cold Irons Bound"(with a radical new arrangement) were highlights. The show ending "All Along The Watchtower" even had a dynamic to it that I found remarkably playful. But, without a doubt, the "money song"(as my seat mate remarked) was "Every Grain Of Sand". It being Good Friday, we were hoping for a set full of "Jesus" songs(but never really expected) and this was what we got. Dylan and band gave this song all the respect(and more) that we could have hoped for. It was almost as if he didn't want it to end. With complete instrumental verses between each sung verse, it was like floating on some beautiful crest that reached skyward and beyond. There was a brief moment during the first and second verse where Dylan was vamping on the chords and expected the band to follow along. When they didn't(going directly in to the second verse) he shot them a looked that could have killed a weaker-willed man. It was as if he was saying, "Don't you DARE fuck this one up for me, fellows." But quicker than a hippie on a ball of hash, they straightened up and steered their way through a flawless version.
In my humble opinion, the band was pretty darn solid for the entire evening. This too was a point of disagreement with my friends following the show. On lead guitar, Denny was all profile the entire evening. I seriously don't think he took his eyes off of Dylan for more than five seconds during the entire show. The rhythm section(George Recile & Tony Garnier) were as solid as they come. These two guys never disappoint. But the star of the band was multi instrumentalist Donnie Herron from the band BR549. The only member not wearing a hat, he rocked the pedal and lap steel like I've never seen. He sat directly next to Dylan who heavily leaned on him during the entire night. Did I mention he had great hair?
We ran in to our friends from Austin, Matt & Mo, during the break between Haggard and Dylan and again following the show. We walked the streets of San Antonio looking for a bar that would let us in. Along the way, Jeff named himself Mayor of the city and finally Emperor. The rest of the crew then appointed him "Rey Feo". He accepted his title with all the grace you would expect from someone who had been drinking heavily for more than eight hours. All hail Rey Feo!!!!
Closing the bar, we parted ways with our friends and started back to Houston in the dark hours of the evening. A more enjoyable car ride I've not experienced. Our driver needed music she could sing to in order to maintain conciseness during the three hour drive and opted for a somewhat perplexing choice in The Clancy Brothers. Another member of the car insisted on consuming mass quantities of psychedelic materials in order to neutralize the robust songs of the Brothers Clancy. It was somewhere during Hall & Oates Greatest Hits that he began to dance/squirm in his limited back seat space to my amusement(and no one else's). Tourette's Syndrome set in somewhere during the Clancy Brothers and manifested itself in well timed outbursts of "TIMMY!" during the remainder of the car ride. He tried to buy beer during a 3am potty break at a truck stop(and failed) and I found much hilarity in his fifteen minute struggle with a gas pump.
So, all in all, a great road trip.

iPod Song Of The Day: "Tonight It Shows" from Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs

Orchestral Elvis

2006-04-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was witness to one of the most unique musical experiences in my concert going career. Elvis Costello(and Steve Nieve) used the Houston Symphony Orchestra as their pick up band in a evening of music comprised of a commissioned orchestral piece(Il Songo, The Dream) based on Shakespeare's "A Mid Summer Night's Dream", and concluded the evening with a collection of tunes from his vast and varied musical catalog.
Dressed in a penguin suit, Elvis introduced the symphonic piece, gave its background, and stepped off to let the orchestra do their thing for the first half hour. A very pleasant piece of swirling ear candy, but when you know Elvis is waiting in the wings to perform, you're bound to get a bit antsy for him to reappear no matter how thrilling the piece is.
At its conclusion, Elvis stepped back out with long time friend and bandmate Steve Nieve(also dressed in black, except for his blood red socks) and immediately went to work. He first performed a new number that all of us agreed at intermission was one of his most overtly political statements ever. Don't recall the name, as I was a bit distracted trying to get my digital recorder to start. I'll have to give it another listen once it's burned to disc. I did finally get it up and rolling for his second number, All This Useless Beauty, which was just a duet between he and Steve(WHEW!). He played one more number before taking a short break.
The second half was all Elvis, Steve, his bass player(on stand up, of course) and the orchestra backing him up on most of the songs. He created a thick musical stew with ingredients from his collaborations with Burt Bacharach, Charles Mingus, The Brodsky Quartet, Bill Frisell, as well as songs from his period with the Attractions and prolific solo career.
The back to back selection of She and God Give Me Strength was a sublime pairing to wrap up the pre encore slot. In between, he played a barn burning Veronica, a heavily orchestrated Watching The Detectives(with noir film flava added to wonderful effect), a heapin' helpin' from his "blue period" with Almost Blue & Flame Burns Blue, and a heartbreaking Allison.
More than once during the evening he would step back from the mic to let his powerful vocal chords do the work of carrying his sonic vibrations to the back of the house. But with his closing number, Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4, he stepped to the lip of the stage and projected the entire song sans amplification. The entire crowd(except for the hens directly behind us) were glued to every movement and vocal nuance during the course of the song. A breathtaking experience.
During the performance, Elvis was charming, funny, intense(prowling the lip of the stage like a caged cat), and downright brilliant. His voice was a thing of wonder, truly. Nary a shaky note or missed cue. He was spot on the entire night and his only moment of disappointment(a shrug of the shoulders) was during the closing number when the shy Houston audience refused to join him as he hummed the final notes to No.4, while the orchestra built an ever climbing crescendo behind him.
The most exciting thing of the evening, though, was knowing that my friend and I walked out of the venue with 2(count 'em TWO) digital recordings from the floor and boxes, that are going to be mixed to make a DVD-A in 5.1.
I take that back. The best part was sharing the evening with my soul sista, AJ.

Tomorrow I'm off to see Dylan in San Antonio!

Lips On Letterman

2006-04-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

A early birthday present came last week dressed up as the Flaming Lips on David Letterman. They performed the upbeat single "The Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Song" from their latest release At War With The Mystics. And if I do say so myself, it's one catchy radio friendly unit. Propelled by a hard driving beat(with a curious country swing during the bridge), it asks all the hard questions any person with a conscience is confronted with nearly every day. If you could make everybody poor just so you could be rich, would you do it? If you could take all the love without giving any back, would you do it? What would you do with all your power? And the answer to all these questions are right there amongst the lyrics. The truth is, you'd never know how you would react to any given situation until you are actually faced with it. Eh?
And to be truthful, I had very high expectations for their newest release and was a bit disappointed upon first listen. But since then(I got it last month when it was leaked through advance copies), I've had it on the iPod in rotation and it's grown on me tremendously. The album tells the story of a band who has reached, and conquered, a tremendous Everest of unexplored artistic boundaries and are(yet)again allowing themselves the freedom to reach further in to the great unknown to fearlessly explore where no band has gone before. Armed only with an arsenal of experience and noise, these guys are truly, as the title says, fearless freaks. Not content to rest on their laurels, they keep reaching for the brass ring with more sincerity in their facial hair than most pop stars have in their whole body.
Anyway, back to the Letterman performance. Steven in a flight suit, Michael in a skeleton costume(in March?), Kliph without his signature pink drum kit, and Wayne in a gray Armani suit, the band tears through an abridged version while managing to retain all its power and fun. Steven's opening "Aaaaaaaaahhhhh's" are spot on and hysterical. He plays and sings portions through a Talkbox(think Peter Frampton) on a double neck guitar. Kliph's drumming is heavy and pounding while Michael's bass is omnipresent without sounding like it's even there. And, of course, Wayne's occasional grin is enough to light the sun in some long dead universe a billion miles away.
After a short commercial break, all Letterman had to add was, "There's a lot going on there."

Indeed.

iPod Song Of The Day: (Drawing) Rings Around The World by the Super Furry Animals

In Rotation...Dylan, Heron, Case & More

2006-03-29T19:28:00.000-08:00

Finally got around to burning some discs tonight that have been in my lossless archives. First one in the player was Bob Dylan 3.28.05 at the Fillmore in Denver, CO. The sound is top notch. Not boomy at all with some very nice separation. Dylan's vocals are upfront with his "wolfman" growl nowhere to be found. He has kinda switched to a more speak-sing kind of delivery over the last few years, but when he wants to deliver a first rate performance he still can. I'm stoked to be going to San Antonio with a number of chums to see him next month. Should be a hella good time. I'll report on it after the show.
Also been listening to some Gil Scott Heron lately. I know I'm about 30 years behind schedule on this one, but better late than never. His classic The Revolution Will Not Be Televised has gotten the most play and I am consistently blow away by his smart, un-biased view of his surroundings and world view. This cat doesn't pull any punches or dilute the ambrosia. I first discovered him back in '92 thanks to my roommates Mel & Jason. Also had the pleasure of seeing him live in concert back in December of 1992 at the now defunct Rockefeller's here in Houston. A memorable concert to say the least. He was center stage at his electric piano with his drink at his side. He must have knocked a dozen drinks off their perch during the course of the evening, only to have them replaced by a faithful stagehand. He also had a young female piano player in the band that he would escort backstage during extended jams and return with a white plume of crack smoke as his shadow. I've never seen a performer as loaded as he was that night(Garcia might have been in '94 & '95, though). Despite his intoxication, he carried on and delivered one fine show that my friends and I still talk about to this day. I have a recording I made that I will someday digitalize.
Have recently discovered the seductive siren song of Neko Case. I've fallen in love with her just as I did Liz Phair more than a decade ago. Not that their songwriting or vocals are similar in any way. It's more their delivery. Her most recent release, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, is filled with choice neo-folk. Songs like "Dirty Knife", "The Needle Has Landed", and "That Teenage Feeling" are just a few of the phenomenal tracks. Get it...now!
A few months ago a friend burned a disc of mp3's that I just now loaded on to the iPod this week. I requested some Ween, but he included much more than that. And to be truthful, I'm much more impressed by his additions. The Super Furry Animals are fucking incredible. Their album Songbook is chock full of electronic psychedelic pop. Brilliant use of vocal effects throughout and some wonderful hooks to boot. I highly recommend it.
Next on the disc was Steve Burns' Songs For Dustmites. With a helping hand from his friends in the the Flaming Lips(Michael & Steven), Burns has delivered one hell of a freshman disc. Top notch songwriting and production that is pure ear candy.
And I saved the best for last. The Mercury Rev. Taking a page from the Flaming Lips book of magic music, the guys have now written their own with Deserter's Songs. Lush and beautiful, their songs are melodic snippets of angels breath with enough heart to make a grown man cry as he peddles his bike through town. With this one album, I have fallen head over heels for the guys and can hardly wait to check out their live performances as well as their five other releases.
There is some truly astounding music being made these days and I'm pleased as punch to be shoving it in my ear as fast as I can. Vive la renaissance!

iPod Song of the day: "Holes" from Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs

Townes Van Zandt: Be Here To Love Me

2006-03-16T22:02:00.000-08:00

The irony that only a dozen people gathered upstairs at a local British pub to view the newly released documentary on Townes Van Zandt wasn't wasted on me. For even in death, one of America's greatest songwriters of the last century still has a difficult time attracting a crowd.
In the opening sequence of the movie an audio interview with Townes reveals that not only does he claim to know his fate, but indeed states that he designed it. It sets the tone for the somber and sometimes haunting film that chronicles a life filled with a succession of lows and the occasional high. His story is told through interviews with friends in the music business, three ex-wives, and an astonishing number of home movies and interviews spanning his entire life.
Early on, we learn that Townes was one tough sumbitch. A college friend recalls how, dressed only in a old pair of blue jeans, Townes strolled in to a school formal and parked himself next to the punch bowl and downed a few glasses to help get his buzz on for the night. As he walked out of the dance, Van Zandt is harassed by a number of his fraternity brothers for his lack of dress and his pervailing outsider attitude. Whereupon Townes approached the brother giving him the most grief, reached in to his pocket, pulled out his pledge pin, and pinned it directly on to his bare chest. Without saying a word, a small trickle of blood ran down his chest as he glared in to the eyes of his tormentor.
In another display of machismo, or temporary insanity, Townes purposely flung himself backwards off a fourth story balcony, landing flat on his back. In his own words he describes the incident, claiming his desire was to experience the feeling of going all the way to the edge and his realization that the only way to get there was to just do it. So, he did it. Wrapping it up by saying he never forgot the feeling. I guess not.
Steve Earle recalls a moment when the two were living in a wooden cabin in the back woods of Tennessee or Kentucky and how Van Zandt played a game of Russian Roulette in front of him and won...THREE TIMES IN A ROW! Needless to say, it tortured Earle to see his good friends unhealthy display of desperation and says it took him several years to forgive Van Zandt for putting him through such a disturbing incident.
But, above all, the most revealing, and downright heartbreaking, moments are when Townes songs are showcased. Inside his mobile home, a home movie from Austin(circa. 1974) captures a surreal moment as Van Zandt performs his song "Waiting Around To Die" before a handful of drinking partners including an elderly black man. As he sings the lines, One-time friends I had a ma, I even had a pa/He beat her with a belt once cause she cried/She told him to take care of me,she headed down to Tennessee/It's easier than just a-waitin' 'round to die, the lens focuses on the elderly man behind him as his weary, bloodshot eyes swell up with emotion at a verse that hits a little too close to home. As he wipes the tears from his eyes, Townes second wife, Cindy, puts her hand on his shoulder, drawing him closer in an effort to comfort the aching man's soul.
Guy Clark recalls receiving a phone call from Townes inviting him over to his hotel room where he had just completed the song "Maria" that morning and proceeds to premier the song for Clark with paper on knee. Clark then marvels at how, that very evening, Townes played the song live in concert for the first time and remembered every word to the newly born song without the aid of the lyric sheet.
In a home video from 2002, five years after his death, a heart wrenching moment catches his daughter, Katie Belle, quietly dancing and mouthing every word to one of his songs on the turn table.
Finally, in a video interview with Townes and old friend Guy Clark at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1993, Van Zandt recalls the first time he ever played nine ball with Clark as his teacher. As the balls were placed on the table in their familiar diamond setting, Townes promptly sinks the nine ball with his first break. Guy reluctantly hands over the hundred dollar bill that had been bet. But just as quickly, Townes loses the money in the second game. He claims that breaking even was all he ever wanted out of life and that Purgatory would be just fine with him. Going on to describe the three levels of life as Heaven, Purgatory, and the Blues. And concludes by saying he's been trying to claw his way up from the Blues since day one.
As the credits roll we see Townes, in a light hearted moment, trying on his collection of hats for the camera. There are a variety, ranging from cowboy hats to an old weathered Houston Astros baseball cap. A burst of spontaneous applause arose from the crowd of twelve.

from "The Hole"

What about my mother
I can't just leave her there to mourn
You don't have to think about her
Just forget you were ever born
I'll disappoint my father
you know he worked so hard for me
If you have to pay your father back
Just send him some misery

I'll miss, I said, a girl I know
I can't just leave there to pine
she's still got plenty of men to go
I'm sure she'll do just fine
What about my little boy
She said, he's just like you
Let a few short years roll by
He'll end up down here too

Adventures In Tinley Park

2006-03-03T23:04:00.000-08:00

Setting: Tinley Park, IL. Summer 1990. World Music Theater.

I'm not sure how it happened, but I ended up riding with Marc and Lisa(the blonde sister on "That '70's Show") in a old beat up van to the show. This would be Marc's first(and maybe his last) Grateful Dead experience. Perhaps the desire to "show him the ropes" was my catalyst for joining them, I don't recall. I'm pretty sure this wasn't Lisa's first show, though. We would run in to each other, over the next few years, at shows far and wide. However, this would be the first(and last) run of Grateful Dead shows, closing out the 1990 Summer Tour, for the newly opened World Music Theater in the outskirts of Chicago.
The drive began uneventful enough but soon turned in to a nightmare as thousands of Deadheads converged on the venue, which was woefully unprepared for such an infestation. The highway was in total gridlock for as far as the eye could see. Finally, we decided to pull off the road and park in the back lot of a gas station a few miles away from the venue. In desperation, thousands of others had done the same, turning the roads in to a parking lot the size of which I'd never seen or would ever see again. Subdued chaos was the name of the game. Everyone was calm, but in a hurry. To make things worse, it started to sprinkle and would continue on and off for the remainder of the evening.
Arriving in the venue's lot, I quickly scored a healthy dose of LSD for Lisa and I(Marc stayed stone cold sober). We could hear strains of music coming from inside the venue, so we rushed along in hopes of missing as little as possible. I believe we got in somewhere during "Friend Of The Devil", meaning we had only missed about four songs. I had smuggled in a hand held tape recorder to document the show and in a moment of temporary insanity would record over it a few years later. Dumb! Soaking wet, we danced to the groove provided by the band(it also helped to keep our bones warm in the incessant drizzling rain).
The tape revealed that I was singing aloud to the second set opener, Scarlet>Fire, and came in too early for the chorus. This produced a number of laughs and sideways glares from our mates on the hill. I shrunk a little out of embarrassment. And the rain kept falling. Always with the rain!
As the show progressed, so did the psychedelic jumble that was my brain. Things were getting weird and would continue in this vein for some time. And oh, how the rain did fall.
In an attempt to get the best vantage point, we moved to a number of different spots, finally planting ourselves underneath the stage left speakers. As the set progressed, a ever growing mud pit under the speakers formed as a result of the falling rain and dancing feet. In an attempt to avoid being consumed by said mud pit, the crowd had increasingly retreated to its outer edges forming a human wall that enclosed it. Here's where things got stupid weird. While in the throws of deep "Space"(a freeform feedback segment mid set), we could hear an ever increasing groan emanating from the crowd behind us. Suddenly the crowd parted to reveal a large hairy man, dressed only in ill fitting Speedo undies, coming toward the pit at great velocity. He belly flopped into the pit and proceeded to throw his body in every conceivable direction, bouncing off the human wall that was surrounding the perimeter. On the tape, with Lisa looking at me with ever growing concern, I could be heard pleading with Marc to help guide us out of this insanity, as Lisa and I were unable to muster the ability to move our feet on our own. She & I were losing our shit, quickly. But having been forced, at our whim, to move to any number of spots on the hill during the course of the evening, Marc was deaf to our pleas. In our state, with Space exploding all around us, the "mud beast" was all she and I needed to push us over the psychedelic precipice. Aaaaaarrrggghhh! Not long after Space peaked and the Speedo undies came off, the faint strains of "I Need A Miracle" could be heard on the tape. To our fragile psyche's delight, out of the blue came what seemed like a bus load of orange security jackets and escorted Mr. Beast to Comfort Inn. A large approving uproar from the surrounding crowd could be heard on the recording.
Oh, but it doesn't end there. The show over, we started on our trek back to the car. In the ever present rain, Marc graciously loaned his jean jacket to Lisa as we started off across several large muddy fields, in and out of rain soaked ditches, and over barbed wire fences toward the car that seemed like a million miles away. By this time, it was close to midnight and we were growing more and more weary from our travels. Along the way, Lisa would take the jacket off, put it back on, then take it off again...well, you get the picture. In the moonlit mist we could finally see the gas station where we had abandoned the car so many hours before. Our final obstacle was a small clover leaf entrance to the highway. As we approached the road, Marc asked that Lisa retrieve the keys to the van from inside one of the coat pockets. Uuuuuuggghhhh. You guessed it. Somewhere along the way the keys had fallen out of Marc's coat. Lisa and I were sunk. We had made it this far and the Gods of Psychedelic were now getting in one final laugh at our expense. Lisa and I fell to the ground and began to whimper. We had been beaten. Game over, man. Game over.
With a sigh and the words, "I'll be back", Marc set off to retrace our steps across the muddy fields we had walked between the venue and freeway entrance. The poor fool, we thought. Here we were in the middle of nowhere, with only the moon as a light source, rain falling all around us, and this guy thought he was gonna find a fucking needle in a haystack. Lisa and I held each other for warmth as we sat on the side of the freeway cursing our luck and praying for a miracle.
And that's just what we got. Not fifteen minutes later, Marc stepped out of the cold rain and darkness with keys, and our salvation, in hand. I don't know how, why, where, or when he found them. I knew better than to ask. The Grateful Dead had performed their final bit of magic for the evening and we were there front row center as witnesses.
Climbing in to the warmth and comfort of the van, Marc started up the van which cued up the tape deck. And so began the music that was to become our theme for the evening. It was Blind Faith and the song was "Can't Find My Way Home". You can't make this shit up, folks. It was Grateful Dead whodoo-voodoo at it weirdest and finest. LONG LIVE GARCIA! I reclined in the back of the van and just watched the shadows on the walls as we headed for town.
Arriving home in the early hours of the morning, I sat in my room trying to piece together the events of the evening. It was fruitless. I was still too high and in a sort of numbed state of shock.
Not too much later the phone rang and it was the crew from Lincoln Ave. requesting my presence at their din of debauchery. Without shoes(I was feeling invincible), I walked fifteen blocks in the pouring, freezing rain to their apartment only to discover that each group had a tale as outrageous and miraculous as mine. "Gridlock" was the word of choice. Anytime the word was spoken, we would all burst in to hysterical laughter bringing tears to our eyes. This continued on for several more hours. And as if having an out of body experience, I could see myself sitting in the hallway, alone, with a shit-eating grin the size of Illinois, giddy with the knowledge that we still had another two nights of shows ahead of us.

But that's a story for another day.

Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold"

2006-03-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

Walking in to an empty theater for the late showing of the new Jonathan Demme concert documentary "Heart Of Gold", I was once again reminded that my finger is nowhere near the pulse of America. I was eventually joined by two other moviegoers, though.
Let me state, first of all, that this movie is brilliant. It captures all the nuance and soul that a Neil Young concert has to offer. And let me tell you, there are mountains of soul presented here. I was quite literally blown away. I went in with high expectations, but after just a few moments I was reduced to tears of both sorrow and joy. It was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least.
The opening image of the concert is of the beautiful golden curtains of the Ryman Auditorium, lit only by its famous foot lights, as they part to reveal Neil and band. For a moment you actually believe the tall, lanky figure center stage is the ghostly image of Hank Williams Sr. making his triumphant return to the stage, where he was fired from the Grand Ole Opry, after more than five decades. It's a truly breathtaking moment.
Neil then leads his band through the entirety of his most recent release, Prairie Wind. This is no frills rock 'n roll at its finest. Except for the band and two backdrops that alternate, the gigantic stage is empty. Proving that the grand spectacles that are passed off as rock shows these days are really just meant as a distraction from sub-par bands with even more sub-par music. He's joined by a whole cast of fantastic musical talent including, Emmylou Harris, the Fisk University Jubilee Singers, The Nashville String Machine, and the Memphis Horns. His old bandmates Ben Keith, Spooner Oldham, and wife Pegi are also along for the ride.
At the completion of Prairie Wind, Neil then graciously presents the audience with a staggering set of classic songs from his vast catalog. And this is not your run of the mill "greatest shits" set. He digs deep in to his repertoire with songs like, "Old King", the Ian & Silvia classic "Four Strong Winds", and one of my all time favorites "One Of These Days" to close out the show.
In one of the more emotionally charged moments of the film, Neil speaks candidly about his father's dementia and eventual passing earlier that year. It's tremendously moving to see the normally stone-faced Young swell up with emotion before playing the albums title track "Prairie Wind" which begins with the line, Trying to remember what my daddy said/Before too much time took away his head. In-tense!
There's also a lovely moment during "Harvest Moon" where Neil glances back and grins at Pegi, his wife of over twenty years, during the lyrics, I'm still in love with you/I wanna see you dance again/'Cause I'm still in love with you. Very subtle and genuinely moving.
It's easy to see that Neil is quite overwhelmed by being on the historic stage of the Ryman. He graciously soaks up every bit of joy and love it has to offer only to project it back, through his performance, to the enthusiastic crowd that has gathered to witness the world premier of his new musical project. The audience is attentive and very well behaved with nary a hoot or holler during the proceedings except between songs. Neil's fans(or Rusties) are infamous for the way they've welcomed each and every new project he's presented to them with loving open arms. And here, they are well rewarded with a tidal wave of soul and a heart of gold as big as Nashville itself.
As the movies credits roll, we witness Neil alone on stage performing an acoustic version of his classic "The Old Laughing Lady" with only a guitar case and old weathered traveling bag as his companions. And as the credits finish we see his dedication and final proclamation of love for the evening. It simply reads, "for daddy".
As I walked out of the theater, I passed up my car and soon found myself several blocks away looking in the window of a local nick-nack shop. I quickly got lost in the brilliantly back lit, hand blown glass figurines as some lovely violin music floated above the parking lot. I realized that I had had such a wonderful experience that I didn't want the night to end. It was all like some beautiful gold tinted dream that had renewed my love of music all over again.

But it got cold, so I went home.

iPod Song of the Day: "Funny Little Frog" from Belle & Sebastian's new release The Life Pursuit
This is a great new pop album with a ton of great songs. I also saw them perform it live on Conan O'Brien tonight and it was killer!

Chaos & Creation At Abbey Road

2006-02-27T21:02:00.000-08:00

Blind faith led me to what PBS boldly entitled Great Performances. Abbey Road's Studio #2 is where we find Paul McCartney leading us through a decidedly mixed bag of new and old tunes and at times, downright embarrassing moments. I'll start with the highs...
Surprisingly, the songs that came across the best are a batch of new songs from his latest album titled Chaos And Creation In The Backyard. All given a very straight forward approach, "Friends To Go", "How Kind Of You", "Jenny Wren", and "English Tea" are a lovely collection of songs that showcase Paul's nature melodic sense and at times some interesting introspective lyrics. Backyard is actually a very nice album. It's been compared to his first solo effort McCartney, but to me it has more the flavor of some of his simpler White Album tracks. I highly recommend it.
Other highlights include an acoustic rendition of a pre-Beatles penned song called "In Spite Of All The Danger". He tells a nice story about how he, John, and George(along with friends Duff and Colin) each donated a pound a piece to the cause and went down to a local recording studio to record it. Leaving with disc in hand, the idea was for them each to hold on to the 45 single briefly and then pass it on to the next band member after a weeks time. Paul explains how the three of them each did as was agreed and that Duff then held on to it for the next 23 years. Quite funny. He also does sweet acoustic versions of "Blackbird", "20 Flight Rock", and "One After 909". His voice has held up remarkably well but there are moments that it shows its wear and tear from the years(his new wife, Heather, has said in interviews that Paul & Linda smoked pot every day they were married and that she forced him give it up before they wed).

Now the low points...

Paul then proceeds to re-tell a bunch of tired old stories that even the least informed Beatles fan has heard a million times over without adding so much as a hint of additional insight to previous versions. Do we really need to hear the "Love Me Do" harmonica story or how he impressed John by remembering all the lyrics to "20 Flight Rock" upon their first meeting, again? Several times he makes bad jokes thinking he's being clever or holds for laughter/applause and it just doesn't come. And I wanna puke every time I see him give that wink of the eye while cocking his head and flashing that toothy grin that seems to say, "I WROTE this! Aren't I clever?". Uuuuggghh.
They should throw him back in a Japanese prison for his dreadful performances of "Heartbreak Hotel" and white-boy soul re-telling of "Lady Madonna". There are also half-baked renditions of "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Blue Suede Shoes" that surely have their original composers rolling over in their graves. But worst of all is the amount of time he spends laying down individual tracks for an atrocious "Band On The Run" remake in which he accompanies himself on wine glasses and Mellotron! Yuck.
I take that back, the lowest points of the show are when he seemingly makes up two songs on the spot. One is a Las Vegas lounge singers ode to Abbey Road. The other is a heap of tripe that ends the show that I can't even begin to explain its meaning or purpose. As hard as it was to watch, it's was equally enjoyable to see a superstar of his magnitude fall flat on his face on national television....once again. He's got a history of making these hit and miss television specials designed to promote his latest release. I've got several of them on bootleg DVD's spanning the decades and each time he succeeds in making just as much great music as he does crappy stuff. Let's hear it for consistency!
The audience is filled with a highly unenthusiastic lot and a first row generously peppered with what appears to be middle aged record executives bobbing their chicken heads out of synch while simultaneously doing the "white man's overbite" along to some John Denver beat still stuck in their head from 1977.

Bob Dylan: Austin, TX 2/24/02

2006-02-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

"Along came Brady in his 'lectric car."

"Does anybody know anything about cars?" That was the question I posed to my car load of friends who were joining me on a journey to see Bob Dylan in Austin as it stalled out before we even got out of the city limits. I heard them all sigh, knowing that they thought this was not a good sign. However, we did make it to Hollywood, TX(my term of endearment for Austin) and were rewarded with the show of a lifetime.

"Sugar baby get on down the road..."

Arriving at our hosts house(Matt & Mo) we all began our festivities in earnest. Many things were consumed by all in celebration of our good fortune. I had scored some mighty fine seats for my friend Jason and I and we had high expectations for the evening. Not 2 days before we had seen Dylan perform at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in the Astrodome from what seemed like a mile away and knew that it could only get better with our floor seats. A whole slew of friends would be in attendance including Tamarie, Dewitt, Matt & Mo, Tony & Emily, along with Emily's mother. The energy was potent but we tried to keep our cool as the hours slowly ticked away. With knowledge that this was the final show of the Spring 2002 Tour and that Bob would be performing at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles just three days later gave us even higher hopes for that evenings show.

"I'll be your baby tonight."

Arriving at the UT Erwin Center we all went our separate ways with Jason and I heading to the best seats of the bunch. I don't recall waiting long for Bob to take the stage. And when he did, he never looked back. Starting off with a short acoustic set, we knew he meant business when the second song of the night was "Boots of Spanish Leather". And with a powerful one two punch, Bob and band then socked it to us with a blistering "It's Alright, Ma". I must have blacked out shortly thereafter, because the rest of the show was like some beautiful dream. And when they finally got to the meat of the show and delivered "Lay, Lady, Lay", "High Water", "Visions of Johanna", "One Too Many Mornings", and "Tangled Up In Blue" in succession I was floating on cloud 9.

"How does it feel?"

You see, for the last 20 years I been chasing the dragon so to speak. I've been searching for that elusive "magical" musical performance that is so sublime and so perfect that I could finally say that I had been to the mountain top. That one performance where everything falls in to place. Where the artist builds the cosmic puzzle, piece by piece before your very eyes. And I'm proud to say, this was one of those times. I guess I've been pretty lucky too. For I have been witness to several moments where the "X Factor" has been in play(Grateful Dead 12.28.91, White Stripes & Flaming Lips 12.31.03). But having chased Dylan for so many years(this was year 12) it was made all the sweeter by its vintage.

"...you might as well keep goin' now."

As the show came to a close after a massive 20 song set, Jason and I must have looked like two deer caught in the high beams of an approaching eighteen wheeler. We had been to the peak of Mt. Sinai together and lived to see another day. It was indeed glorious, beautiful, inspiring, and all the other delicious adjectives you can think of to describe it. As we stood there at our seats for a few moments, not quite believing what it was we had just seen, Jason captured the moment perfectly. He said, "That's the first Dylan show I've seen where I can walk out and say I'm full."

Yup.

"....blowin' in the wind"

As we walked out in to the cool evening air, we caught up with Tamarie, Tony, Emily, her mom, and Dewitt. We all agreed we had seen a tremendous performance and as if a knowing wink from the Gods, Dewitt presented me with a poster from the evenings performance. Life is sweet, ain't it? And like little kids coming down from a sugar high, Tamarie and I giggled our way to sleep that night at Matt & Mo's.

"You ain't got no brains no how."

Driving home to Houston the following evening, our brains were still smoking from the show we'd seen 24 hrs before and so were we. And in a brilliant moment of insanity, Jason purchased a cassette copy of Foreigner's "4" at a truck stop and we listened to it all the way back home.

"Jukebox hero! Stars in his eyes!"

It's been 4 long years to the day since that glorious outting and I'd like to dedicate this entry to the loving memory of Steve Barnett who was with us at the Dylan Rodeo performance and passed away just a few months later much too early in life. Here's to you, old pal.

iPod Song of the Day: Nirvana covering the KISS classic "Do You Love Me" from the ultra rare Australian import Hard To Believe

Vinyl Vault: Emmylou Harris "Luxury Liner"

2006-02-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm still unpacking things from the non-hurricane we had several months back and this little beauty was the first thing that caught my eye. And what a treat it is. This is Emmylou slowly separating herself from singing partner Gram Parson with baby steps(2 tracks are penned by Parsons). Harris and her Hot Band are here to show that traditional country music could stand side by side with modern rock and create something as true and long lasting. She shows her forward motion by recording songs by outsider artists(Susanna Clark's "I'll Be Your San Antone Rose", Rodney Crowell's "You're Supposed To Be Feeling Good") and placing them in juxtaposition with country benchmarks(A.P. Carter's "Hello Stranger", Ira & Charlie Louvin's "When I Stop Dreaming").
Each side kicks off with upbeat, hip shaking tunes that are pure western swing. The title track has a wonderful "surf" tone to its lead guitar that would make Dick Dale proud. While side B begins with a splendid rendition of Chuck Berry's "C'est La Vie" that is said to have "blown away" Mr. Goode.
But just as soon as you've swallowed these quick paced foot stomping nuggets, Harris gets down to business in a flash. The remaining tunes are full of sweet pining and longing remorse. Her voice is so effortless and magical that you can't help but be seduced by its pixie-like tone. When not accompanying herself on vocal harmonies, she's joined by the likes of Dolly Parton, Rodney Crowell, Nicolette Larson and Fayssoux Starling(I LOVE that name!).
Only once does she push her vocal chords to the raspy side, but to great effect. During a particularly poignant moment in the Parsons penned "She", Harris roars out the phrase "Oh, Hallelujah!" with such gusto it creates a chilling goose bump moment that sounds as if Bonnie Tyler herself has stepped up to the mike just for that brief moment. While the lyrics, "Didn't mind if she wasn't very pretty/For deep inside his heart he knew/She was the only one/Oh, but she sure could sing/My, my she sure could sing." are enough to break the heart of even the cruelest man.
The crowning jewel to the collection is the first ever recorded cover version of Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho & Lefty". I'm sure you've heard Willie & Waylon's version a million times and this version is every bit as breathtaking and powerful(if not, more so) than the one they would record a few years later. To hear Harris relive the story of these two scroungy nair-do-wells is a ear filling delight indeed. Do yourself a favor and search this one out. You won't be disappointed.
The album is Emmylou in one of her finest(among many) shining moments and truly reveals her to be a progressive pioneer in modern country music.

iPod Song of the Day: "Carless Soul" from Daniel Johnston's self titled album
This is a live performance done acapella before a handful of listeners that is as truthful and heartbreaking as they come, folks. It's sure to bring a tear to your eye as Daniel struggles to complete the song with his voice cracking from emotion. A riveting, earth-shattering performance done by memory in front of a New York City audience. Here's the mp3.
http://rapidshare.de/files/13682646/10_-_Careless_Soul.mp3.html

** Symphony EP CD

2006-02-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

This Houston based stringed quartet ain't your mama's wedding playin', pastel wearin', garden variety outfit. These four ladies are true originals in every sense of the word. They write all their own music and do it while decked out in black leather boots. I've had their latest EP in regular rotation for a few weeks now and I'm ready to throw in my two cents. The first few listenings were through my regular cd player and receiver and I wasn't too thrilled with the overall feeling. However, since I've been playing it through my 5 channel dvd/cd player, I've been quite impressed. Here's the lowdown...

Something She Said: Very dark. This is pure death metal. Lots of heavy handed cello with winds of violins and viola swirling and dancing around your head like little devils at play. Laughing as they prod you in your soft spots with little to no mercy. It brings to mind some silent black & white footage I saw somewhere of little demons tormenting a drunken man as he wandered through the streets lost. This could easily be on the soundtrack for "A Nightmare Before Christmas" or "The Corpse Bride". The instruments come together at the end creating a ever building crescendo of fire that climb higher and higher up the walls of your ears.

Hell Hound: Having not paid much attention to the actual names of the pieces, I didn't see this one as foreboding as the name would suggest. The first few notes of the cello seem to send out a long bellow of a cry that appear to be a warning for the see-saw ride that follows. I picture long flowing Irish landscapes with this one. Emerald fields as far as the eye can see. Up and down. Up and down. The violins stair step ever upward until finally releasing allowing the listener to tumble down the hill end over end. About half way through it becomes more middle eastern/Arabic in flavor.

Napoleon's Grudge: The most light hearted piece in the collection, this is pure cat and mouse. At first, the viola and cello play the part of the cat and the violins the mouse. About a minute in to the work(my favorite part), the tiny gray mouse sneaks in on his tip toes to get his cheesy poof. With his prize in hand, he does a funny little jig around for a bit only to arouse the cat from its slumber. With that, the instruments seem to reverse roles and the chase is on! But, like all good Tom & Jerry cartoons, the final few bars reveal the two to be life long pals. As the screens closes in around them, we see the two shake hands and give a knowing wink to the audience. YAY!

These gals play all over town in a variety of different settings. Do yourself a favor and visit their website, buy some merchandise, and go see 'em live. You won't regret it. They're gonna be bigger than Elvis someday soon. I don't wanna piss the girls off by posting a whole song, so I've made a little snippet of the"sneaking gray mouse" section from "Napoleon's Grudge"
http://rapidshare.de/files/12854457/Sneaky_Cheesy_Poof.mp3.html

http://www.twostarsymphony.org/

iPod Song Of The Day: "I Believe In You" from Neil Young's Decade
"Now that you've made yourself love me, do you think I could change it in a day?"

The Soft Bulletin & Yoshimi 5.1

2006-02-04T17:19:00.000-08:00

You may think you've heard these albums before but until you've experienced the 5.1 mixes of both, you've heard NOTHING! These are not merely recordings, these are sonic wonders. Futuristic landscapes constructed in three dimension with instruments and voices as their bricks and mortar. As vivid as any Monet. More intricate than a Serat. These brilliantly produced waves of ear candy put the Flaming Lips and producer David Fridmann so far ahead of anything that's been released by a recording artist in the last 3 decades, it's hard to imagine anyone catching them. Or even a glimpse in their rearview mirror, for that matter. Perhaps, if proper care is given to any Pink Floyd or psychedelic-era Beatles album, I might just eat my words. But until then, I have to believe these to be the equivalent of a rock 'n roll revolution. Not since Sgt. Pepper's was unleashed or the deep vinyl grooves of Wish You Were Here cut has psychedelic pop received such a life renewing shot in the arm. These are not the abstract, sometimes obtuse, noise- rock sounds that the band cut its teeth on in the early nineties. These are crisp, delightful cuts that express emotion in a palatable, mind-tingling manner. When Coyne sings the phrase, "Feeling yourself disintegrate.", you actually believe that are dissolving in a solution distilled from acid-tinged quarter notes. And what a heavenly feeling it is. In a stroke of genius, Warner Brothers has not only given us the dvd-a, but also include the cd version in the same package, insuring you a bellyful by the end.(I've chosen not to discuss the major "fuck-ups" that accompanied BOTH releases). These are the real deal, folks. More words would be futile. Sprint ,don't run, to get these.

Pop Songs I Have Known

2006-01-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

I love a great pop song. Regardless of who it's recorded by. As snobbish as I pretend to be, I sometimes can't help but be snared by a brilliant hook, vocal line, or chorus. Here are a few I've succumbed to...

Beach Boys "Sail On Sailor": The 70's were not very kind to the boys. I'll be the first to admit that they released a lot of crap during this, and subsequent, eras. But this nugget is a shining jewel affixed to their otherwise off white leisure suit. Carl Wilson, having not been satisfied with lead vocal performances by brother Dennis and himself, asked then band member Blondie Chaplin to step up to the mike. What's delivered is a soul powered performance that propels this song from beginning to end. The organ line buzzes like a chainsaw while the magnificent chorus will have you lifting your palm to the clear blue sky. I even saw Darius Rucker(aka Hootie) deliver a power house version during the Tribute To Brian Wilson a few years back. Hootie can sing. He just chose to sing crap with the Blowfish.

Sheryl Crow "Soak Up The Sun": With a driving bass drum that even this white boy can twist his chicken neck to, Sheryl brings a smoky vocal line filled with acrobatics and a candy-coated chorus with help on harmonies from Liz Phair. Wonderfully produced with a lush vocal arrangement and a bouncy guitar riff that puts you right on the sandy beach of some tropical paradise wishing you had one or both of the singers by your side.

Level 42 "Something About You": Who the fuck are these guys? They're huge in Europe, from what I can tell. Another pulsating disco bass drum(I sense a pattern!) with what appears to be a white guy playing a sort of slapping bass line. Without a doubt, the thing that catches my attention is the soaring falsetto vocal hook. Chock full of bubbly 80's keyboards and 10cc type backing vocal "ooooh's" and "aaaah's".

The Outfield "Your Love": This was the first of their two hits(the other being "Say It Isn't So"). A perfect pop song if ever I've heard one. With its McCartneyesque vocals and infectious melody it never outstays its welcome. By that, I mean, it doesn't have any extra slapped on verses or bits that disappoint. It moves quickly and brilliantly from verse to chorus to middle eight with little effort or even a guitar solo to get in the way. This has probably my favorite middle eight of any pop song I've heard by any artist. OK, I'll admit that the middle section of Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" is in a neck and neck race with this one.

Naked Eyes "Always Something There To Remind Me": Electronic drums and a keyboard effect that sounds like a million wedding chapel bells ringing at the same time. Very appropriate considering the songs theme. The vocal line of the chorus wonderfully conveys the feeling of desire/yearning expressed by the singer. Man, the drum beats on this thing are outta this world! Very electronicy sounding(I just made that word up) with lots of "metallic" bits in the background for added effect. An excellent vocal performance to boot.

Carly Simon "Nobody Does It Better": A magnificent piano ballad with swirling violins and harp used to maximum effect. This was one of the very first singles I can remember being truly mesmerized by as a kid. I can recall sitting at my cousins turntable relaying the song countless times while never tiring of it. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Carly's timeless vocal on this one. The songs builds to a final crescendo that layers horns, strings, and a nearly hidden backing track("You're the best.") by Ms. Simon that is truly intoxicating.

Michael Jackson "Human Nature": Perhaps the only unmined treasure from his blockbuster Thriller album(It reached #7 on the charts, but could have easily been #1). The keyboards sound like they're high on Quaaludes and they take you to that place right along with them. It's like floating on a big satiny marshmallow with Michael voice as your pillow. The production on this is nothing short of genius. With the guitar neck high in a chorus effect and layer upon layer of Michael's gentle vocals leading the way, I could almost be convinced to follow him in to bedroom.

Sixpence None The Richer "Kiss Me": So sugary sweet you're bound to get a cavity on that molar at the back of your brain. Without a doubt the most addictive agents present are the jangling ever present 12 stringed guitar, the wispy vocals of Leigh Nash, and (believe it or not) the alliteration used throughout the lyric. I think you would be hard pressed to find a Billboard single in the last 30 years that had a squeeze box amongst its ingredients.

Missing Persons "Destination Unknown": A pulsating beat with production that sounds like it came right out of the computer box. Was the bass line lifted straight off the Buggles "Video Killed The Radio Star" multi-track tape? Dale Bozzio's mousy vocals and stoners mantra, "Life is so strange!" make this irresistible electrofunkpop. Lots of high hat and cymbal splashes throughout add to the synthetic feel of the song.

The Faces "Stay With Me": Awwww, yeah! Funkinfuzzed-out geetar and a Rhodes piano played with all the machismo the band could steal from the Rolling Stones bag 'o mojo. This is party 'til the liquor and coke are all gone kinda music. Dueling guitars(one slide, one plucked). Rod's vocals are all sex and slime. The descending instrumental lines all lead to the same place...a bed with red satin sheets and pink champagne on ice.

Rod Stewart "Young Turks": What I find most appealing about this song is the fantastic universal story it manages to tell with its lyrics. I know it sounds crazy, doesn't it! Young, crazy love turned loose in a world that couldn't give a rats ass about them or their ten pound baby boy. Rod's exclamation at the conclusion of the story still gives me goose bumps to this day. The sincerity in his voice as he proclaims, "Don't let 'em put you down. Don't let 'em push you 'round. Don't let 'em ever change your point of view." is, well...inspiring.

Huey Lewis & The News "Do You Believe In Love": An early hit for the band, you can almost see ole Huey pumping his fist as he sings, "Oh, you can bet I believe it too!" The master stroke of this song are the "reply" backing vocals provided by the band and the chorus that sounds like its got about a million vocal tracks laid on top of one another. A bass driven tune where the other instruments do a kind of see-saw trade off in between pounding drum beats.

Climax Blues Band "I Love You": Another piano/Rhodes driven love ballad with amazing production that utilizes every trick in the book to its advantage. With a lush string arrangement and slide guitar solo that sounds so much like George Harrison, you'd swear it was the real thing. The lead vocals sound like they've come right off a mid-seventies Wings album. The lyrical hook at the end of the chorus changes each time to reflect the status of the relationship(i.e. "I want you", "I got you", "I love you"). Brilliant. I love the final proclamation of the song, "If ever a man had it all it would have to be me!" What's most interesting, about the band, is that this was a TOTAL departure from their normal "rock-oriented sound". They never made another song that even remotely came close to the sound they found here. The song is placed perfectly over the credits of the indie film "Cherish".

Geezus, I could go on all night. This was FUN! I'll do this again soon.

Neil Young's "On The Beach"(DVD-A)

2006-01-30T00:28:00.000-08:00

"In this land of conditions I am not above suspicion."

The spirit of Neil looms large over my little shack today. First thing this morning, I grabbed NME magazine on the way to the head and read two articles from July and August 1974 reviewing On The Beach. One positive, one negative. As soon as I finished them, I immediately put the disc in the dvd player and ran through it 2 times. Just as the second listening was completed, I finished a two day download of a newly released soundboard recording from his solo acoustic tour in 1971. I thought I might write about Beach here but, it being Sunday and me being lazy, I put it off the whole day. So, just as I'm about to turn in for the night I read on the SXSW website that Neil has been chosen as the keynote speaker for the 20th annual music festival held in Austin each year. I decided that this was some kind of sign from Neil that I should go ahead and do it.
On the surface, this album is a rather melon collie collection of tunes with its heart pinned to its sleeve. But even with a cloud of doom seemingly hanging over it, there is an underlying current of hope for the future that permeates its thick exterior. It would be hard to argue that the opening track "Walk On" doesn't project a sense of forward momentum in its stride. I've found this to be one of the most inspiring tracks in his long eclectic career. "Big Time" is a close second. Even "See The Sky About To Rain" holds the promise of a wash over that will bring with it a new feeling of revival and forgiveness.
"Revolution Blues" emotes a chaotic and paranoid vision for the days ahead. Written after a meeting with Charles Manson, one can't help but think that maybe Manson wasn't so outrageous in his beliefs. Who hasn't thought about wiping the earth clean of the bloated, fevered egos that Hollywood dangles before our eyes every day? Don't think I'm advocating the brainwashing of nubile young women who will do anything and everything to stay in your favor. However, the desire to live a simple uncluttered life void of "pigs" and fucked up phonies sure does sound appealing to me. And I bet riding dune buggies in the desert is a gas, gas, gas!
"For The Turnstiles" has remained a constant in Neil's live repertoire to this day. The songs theme discusses the inevitable price those who seek out the Business of Fame must face sooner or later. Remember when baseball was just a game? Yeah, me neither.
"Vampire Blues" tells of our desire to rape and pillage this planet for all it's worth. Sucking the Earth of all its blood and selling it by the barrelful to the highest bidder. A drunken cousin to the rocky ride that Tonight's The Night had in spades. And the perfect metaphor for the variety of subjects that Neil sinks his teeth in to on this album. The guitar solo sounds like a smacked out bumble bee that's wandered in to the studio only to collide with the Telfunken U47 used to mike the vocals. Despite it's cerebral and weary mood, Neil seems to be looking toward greener pastures.
The title songs follows and you can almost hear the roar of the waves crashing gently on the sand as it melts between your toes. Lethargic and somber in its delivery, it's an intimate tale of needing and wanting the adulation of the crowd while despising it in the same breath. A double edged sword handed to him on a silver platter. His only recourse is to "...get out of town."
He's saves the best for last with "Ambulance Blues"(which is not a blues progression at all). Denouncing his critics, he injects a cheeky razor sharp wit that's shared only with Dylan and Leonard Cohen. A true epic in the vein of "Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands". You experience so many twists and turns along the way that, by the end, you can't remember where it all began. But, by it's conclusion, you feel like you've grow by leaps and bounds throughout. One of my most memorable concert experiences was seeing him perform this live on the final evening of his epic 1999 acoustic tour of America.

"You're all just pissin' in the wind. You don't know it, but you are."

Coachella: The Movie

2006-01-24T22:43:00.000-08:00

Just got back from what I believe may have been the only Houston screening of a new documentary about the 2003/2004 Coachella music festival held in Indio,CA. Lots of fun. Crowd was in to it and the music was super-duper. A few thoughts.

Arcade Fire: Missed them at Vegoose. Great performance and excellent bass-driven song. Didn't know there were girls in the band. Red headed guitarist is taunted(playfully) with a black sheet by a fellow band member the whole song. Ends up completely tangled up in it and on the floor by the end of the song.

Belle & Sebastian: Another fun song. Band having a great time and really mixing it up with the crowd. Encouraging everyone to dance. Bringing dancers on stage. One of the funniest moments in the movie is, as the band arrives at a quiet moment in the song, you can hear the Foo Fighters gigantic volume floating above theirs as it comes in from across the concert grounds. In recognition of their noise, the singer of B&S adds lyrics to the song about hearing the Foo's from across the field. Very light hearted and hysterical.

Bjork: Sings like an angel and looks like a huge white butterfly in her outfit. Very sweet love song. She's always smiling and wonderfully beautiful.

Bright Eyes: My companion(Joe Bathroom) didn't like this cat at all. He made "ppfffft" sounds at his pretentious song. I agree, it was a bit hokey. But at times rang true. Googled it, and the song was called "Lua". Reading the lyrics didn't do much for me. But the singer seemed to be feeling it and that definitely translated on screen. Thinly veiled song about a long night of narcotic abuse. Not that I've ever done drugs. Both of us lost it though when, at the conclusion of the song, the camera turns to reveal a chubby sunburned girl on the rail whose eyes are bloodshot red from sobbing. Tragically funny.

Chemical Bros./Crystal Method: Lots of very high people dancing and having hallucinations all over the place. Some very cool visuals. Lots of tripping tents for all the high people. Some funny interviews with tripping people. Lots of break dancing, too. GOOD break dancing. Guess it's a West Coast thang.

Flaming Lips: Sang "Yoshimi pt.1". Wayne's so killer. I luvs him THIS much. Brief montage of them setting up their equipment. Fixing problems. Wayne with the nun puppet during the sing along. It just never gets old. Especially when he has the puppet enunciate the "ts" at the end of "robots". Has him descending on to the audience in a gigantic bubble. Cool. Love this band more than I can ever say.

Iggy & The Stooges: Unbelievable performance. Iggy Pop is all over the stage. Hurling the microphone all over the place. Wrapping himself up in the chord. Jumping around like a hypnotized chicken. Hurls his body off the stage and on to the security and crowd while screaming something about wanting to "fuck things up!!!" Ends up climbing on top of a strapped down 6 ft tall Ampeg bass stack and dry humping it with all his might. Rest of the band looks surprised/confused at the songs conclusion. Like they don't know what kind of crazy-ass shit to expect from him next. True dat.

Kool Keith: "WHEN I SAY BLACK, YOU SAY ELVIS!!" Complete with Elvis wig and a satin collar a mile high. He should have let his performance do the talking for him, though. In an interview following his set, he rambles on about his band catching up with time or something like that.

Mars Volta: We got in a bit late and they were playing when we walked in. I believe several instruments were destroyed in the process.

Morrissey: High-larious interview with a guy who looks just like Morrissey but is identified on screen as "Not Morrissey". Tells the story of a girl he just met who had traveled all the way from Japan to see the show. She was bummed when he cancelled in Las Vegas a few days before and now the question in everyone's mouths(of the voices in this guys head)was whether Morrissey was gonna show at the festival at all. Obviously, Morrissey was a way of life for this guy. Another gut busting part of the film is during Morrissey's performance, the camera catches several "frat" type guys scaling the barrier in order to get on stage to hug him.

Nu-Mark & Cut Chemist: I don't know who this is.

Oasis: Song was good but seemed like it was edited toward the end. Song & band very much petered-out at its conclusion. Or maybe they just lost interest. These guys are too cool for school. Interview with a VERY stoned/drunk Noel that has him strumming on an a beautiful acoustic Gipson guitar. Bunch of inane shit about it being great to be here and all and how at England's festivals they like to get dirty. However, in one of the most compelling parts of the film, the screen cuts between Noel Gallagher and Saul Williams as they each discuss their personal views on the power of music. Not surprisingly, Noel is jaded and bitter claiming the "men in suits" control everything. While Saul is very positive, stating music can have a significant change/effect on the world/people. I feel like I'm crazy pills. On any given day, I have the same feelings as both.

Pixies: Numerous interviews with concert goers and bands members professing their respect for this band. Band closes their set with a spellbinding "Where is My Mind". Frank howling out a droning vocal line as Kim wails the "Oooooohs" along with a crowd of 70,000+. An interview with Wayne Coyne of the Lips has him discussing the beauty of that moment the following day. Saying the world could have ended ended there and probably should have. Describes a fantasy scene in which, at the conclusion of the song, Kim Deal yields her bass above her head and triumphantly smashes "Charles" aka Frank Black with it, bringing their renunion to an end after only 1 show. Very very funny.

The Polyphonic Spree: Fun song. I don't know why I hate the lead singer of this band so much. He's a bit too corny for my tastes. And the band in matching robes has that kind of an "Up With People"/crazy religious cult feeling to me. Spooky and stupid don't mix well with me. I did love Ghostbusters I & II, though.

Prodigy: These guys are very high and very intense. Insane British techno-something.

Radiohead: Never seen them perform live before(even on television). Thom Yorke seemed less intense and less brooding than I would have expected. Smiling and making goofy shapes with his mouth the whole time. Dig the band and it's music. Maybe someday I will dive in feet first.

Red Hot Chili Peppers: This band just isn't my thing. A bit too "Hollywood" for me, ya know? There is a cool reply and respond duet jam between Flea and guitarist John Frusciant that precedes the song, though. Song performed is "Californication". Ehh

Roni Size/Spearhead/Squarepusher: I don't know who or don't recall seeing them in the movie.

The White Stripes: In a backstage interview during the 2003 festival with Mos Def, we see him ranting on about why the Stripes were not performing at that years festivities. "Too much bass in their songs?!", "'Cause they're from Detroit!?", "'Cause there are only 2 of them in the band!?". Quite funny. Of course the film them immediately cuts to "The Following Year..." where the band is just coming on to a darkened stage to thousands of flash bulbs and cheering fans. And then proceeds to blast their way through a frantic "Hotel Yorba" sing along. I love Meg White. I mean it. I love Meg White. Let it ring from the muthafucking hills. I_FUCKING_LOVE_FUCKING_MEG_FUCKING_WHITE. There.

Zero 7: Lovely R&B song wrapping up the final day of the festival. Love is everywhere and all that nice stuff. A nice cool down from the Flaming Lips performance that came just before.

Beck: No performance. Just quietly tooting his own horn in a interview about how he comes to check out the festival every year regardless of whether he's performing or not. Too cool for school all dressed up like an innocent hipster. Love him. Lots.

Perry Farrell: Surprisingly no mention of his own Lolapayola. Lots of cosmicspeak from him, though. If you can dig it, man.

Great movie. Great music. Six thumbs up.

The Greatest Music Video Ever Made: Weezer "Keep Fishin'"

2006-01-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

There's trouble in Weezerland. Pat, the drummer, is missing and the band is scheduled to play The Muppet Show any minute now. So, what does the ever fearless Kermit the Frog do? He panics, naturally. Not to worry, though. Pepe the King Prawn has come to the rescue and to assure all everything will be fine.

With that, the band takes the stage with none other than "Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhems" Animal behind the kit. And aaaawaaaay we go! As Rivers begins to strum the opening chords of "Keep Fishin'", we discover that Miss Piggy has taken Pat as her love hostage by tying him to a chair in the dressing room. Unable to reject her advances, Pat watches as Piggy heads for the closet to find something "a little more comfortable" to slip in to. Seeing his opportunity, he locks Miss Piggy in the closet and looks for the best way to release him from the chair he's been tied to.

Meanwhile, the band, with help from Kermit, Pepe, and Gonzo on backing vocals do their best to rock the house full of stuffed critters(the penguin go-go dancers on top of the Marshall stacks seem to be having a great time!).

With help from the Swedish Chef(who's been chasing chickens with a large meat cleaver), Pat is freed from his bindings. However, he's not out of the woods just yet. There's the little matter of a furious Miss Piggy to deal with. Taking shelter under a lamp shade, he narrowly averts tragedy and Piggy.

But now we have another issue to tackle! You see, in the melee, Miss Piggy has found her way on stage and is now showboating for the cameras and anyone who gets in her way receives a karate chop to the solar plexus(or worse!). Feeling her wrath, both Rivers and Brian step aside to give Piggy the spotlight she so rightly deserves.

Just in time for the final chorus, Pat makes his way to the skins where he pounds out the triumphant finale to the greatest video ever made.

A commentary from Statler & Woldorf naturally follows:

Statler: Hey, they're not half bad!

Woldorf: Nope, they're ALL bad!

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you the Class of 2002!

The expressions on Rivers face during his scenes with Kermit are priceless. This is every kids dream to be on The Muppet Show and he's living it. The smiles are genuine and infectious.
Brilliant. Just brilliant.

In the attempt to get it "just exactly perfect", the band recorded no less than three versions of the song. Here they are for you grooving pleasure.

The demo track:
http://rapidshare.de/files/11618270/WEEZER-2002-01-06_04Keep_Fishin_275.mp3.html

Maladroit album track:
http://rapidshare.de/files/11619057/03-weezer-keep_fishin-aaf.mp3.html

Radio & video track:
http://rapidshare.de/files/11619966/01-weezer-keep_fishin__radio_version_-ssr.mp3.html

Grateful Dead 4/2/89: Tape 2, Side B

2006-01-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

Ten days before I fell in to the tender trap that is the Grateful Dead, the band rolled in to Pittsburgh, PA to a flurry of gate crashers and tear gas. In deep contrast to the activities outside the Civic Arena, inside the venue, the band was pulling out all the stops for those who were lucky enough to make it inside. I'm not sure exactly how or when I acquired the tape of this concert, but I believe it was sometime during the summer of 1990. And as one of my first live recordings by the band, I treasured it and listened to it countless times over the next few years. The post "Space" segment from the first show had a tremendous impact on me and helped to fuel the ever growing obsession I had with live concert recordings by the band. This segment of the show wasn't "perfect" in its execution by the band, but what they lacked in precision they made up for with sheer heart. Here's a blow by blow commentary on side B.

Band Grateful Dead
Venue Pittsburgh Civic Arena
Location Pittsburgh, PA
Date 4/2/89 - Sunday
set 1
Iko Iko ; Little Red Rooster ; Dire Wolf ; It's All Over Now ; We Can Run ; Brown Eyed Women ; Queen Jane Approximately ; Tennessee Jed ; The Music Never Stopped
set 2
Shakedown Street > Man Smart (Woman Smarter) > Foolish Heart > Drums >Space > The Wheel > Dear Mr. Fantasy > Hey Jude > Around And Around > Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad > Turn On Your Lovelight
Encore It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Space>The Wheel>:: After a nice melodic Space, Garcia gently tumbles in to The Wheel. This was one of my first favorite songs by the band. The opening sequence feels as if you are slowly rolling through a beautiful field of wind blown grass. Before we know it, they're in to the first verse and moving ahead at a nice pace. The lyrics "If the thunder don't get 'cha, then the lightening will" always had a familiar ring with me, stroking something deep inside my psyche for sure. Garcia's descending guitar riff again brings to mind the undeniable sense of rolling along as if propelled by some invisible wave of love. Drops quickly in to->

Dear Mr. Fantasy>Hey Jude>:: Brent's smoky vocals and grinding B-3 organ help to increase the momentum behind the band and things really start to pick up. The backing vocals by the band add fuel to the fire and Garcia's tone is spot on. And in true Grateful Dead fashion, just as they've built a thing of beauty, they crush it just as quickly. As Mr. Fantasy begins to fade, Jerry plays the notes from The Beatles Hey Jude chorus and the band falls right in to place. A brief hush falls over the crowd as they strain to make sure they are in fact hearing those familiar notes and Garcia plays it once more to reassure them. With that, the crowd howls with delight and the band stumbles in to a pitiful re-telling of this once jubilant refrain. The bands backing vocals can only be described a horrendous. Realizing their snafu, they don't linger long. Before you know it, Jerry plays the opening riff to Chuck Berry's "Around & Around" through the stage monitors as the rest of the band winds down with Jude.

Around & Around>:: Let the juggernaut begin. This is where the band really shows what they are made of. Played to perfection and building the momentum with every note, Bobby plays his roll as rock star to the extreme and does all the vocal acrobatics he can muster. The drummers come to life and the pistons start to create a frantic friction that is intoxicating. Some wonderful Garcia licks and a smooth key modulation are the icing on the cake. The train is leaving the station and the steam is starting to make our toes sweat. Did I mention that Brent is fucking awesome? Well, he is. You can really tell when the band is having fun and it's infectious fever is passed around the venue. Turning on a dime, we splat right in to->

GDTRFB>:: Oh, shit. This is a rare treat indeed. Phish learned everything they know from this type of playing. The "catch me if you can" feeling is in full swing and a race to the end of the song is the name of the game. The boys are really smokin' along at this point. Another perfect rendition played at a break neck pace. Garcia's having a ball and his guitar playing is as bubbly as his vocal treatment. Bobby and Brent add some wonderfully strong backing vocals. At 4:30 in to the song, the volume is kicked up for one last ride around the park. Punching the "We Bid You Goodnight" segue section and playing it with a supreme confidence the band have got to be proud of themeselves at this point. Tumbling back to Earth, we feel the pull of gravity and ease gently in to->

Lovelight: This is high-stompin' fun played with whimsy and full throttled abandon. Bobby's veins are popping out of his neck as he growls his vocals and the band is right there with him every step of the way. Another volume bump and in to the stratosphere we go. The tempo is blinding at this point. Bob's milking every extra bar he can get out of the song and the instruments are precise and pointed in their delivery. If you ain't dancin', you're dead. Smiles all around. Bobby's shredding his vocal chords at this point. The finale explodes with Quaalude thunder as we fall on to the gigantic air cushion placed "just exactly right" to catch our fall. And as a cherry on top, Mickey gives us one last bashing of the drums to remind us we're on top of the world. Take THAT you fucking pigs!

Zaireeka 5.1 or The revolution WILL be televised.

2006-01-19T16:37:00.000-08:00

(caveat auditor)

ZAIREEKA from Flaming Lips is their experimental release from 1997. It consists of 4 CDs that can be played in any combination, though it is best heard when you play all 4 CDs at the same time. Yes, that requires 4 CD players/amps and a minimum of 8 speakers to achieve the full effect, but believe me, it is well worth it. Grab your friends and plan a gathering.

Do not think of ZAIREEKA as an audiophile recording by any means. This is truly an experiment, where the result of music in and out of phase can create disorientation and confusion in the listener. You see, 4 CD players, no matter if they are the same brand, will not play at exactly the same speed. This shift alone makes ZAIREEKA most intoxicating. This experiment works. Dig it.

(end caveat)

With that said, I have recently acquired a fan made DVD project known as Zaireeka 5.1 (thank you, Joe Bathroom). The first viewing/listening left me at a loss for words, quite frankly. And those of you that know me, know that's a RARE thing indeed. This DVD, to me, reveals the future of music as we know it. As professional as any Hollywood or major label produced product, this disc is probably the richest, most exhilarating audio/visual experience I had since my introduction to psychedelic music. This is transportation music at its finest. It's ability to lift the soul, allowing it to float above the room, and view life as it unfolds before your very eyes is astonishing. It's all here. The good, bad, and ugly. This is black magic kind of stuff here, folks. What it means to be alive! Mayhem. Love. Hate. Beauty. Sorrow. Confusion. Euphoria.
The designers have done all the hard work for you on this one. They've beautifully mixed all 4 cd's together, encoded to 5.1, added visuals from a variety of movies and nature films, thrown in some anime and in the process have created digital rope that will ensnare your mind with a flurry of images and sounds reducing you to a quivering lump of psychedelic jello in the corner. All that's left for you to do is soak it up and hope that you are strong enough to endure all that is has to throw at you.
The designers have masterfully synched up motion and music to the degree that only a true music lover would have taken the time and care to create. It surely must have taken dozens(if not hundreds) of hours to plan and execute. And when they were done, they gave it freely to the music community and the world. Does anyone remember the word utopia? A true labor of love if ever I've seen one. And inspiring to say the least.
With ever evolving technology, we've been given the tools to make what was once only available to a very elite group of corporate shills. And we all know what they did with their power. So finally, the struggle has shifted our way. Balancing the scales and perhaps even tipping them in our favor. Music executives and Hollywood moguls have officially been put on notice. We are marching forward in greater and greater numbers. You see, we LOVE the music. We've dedicated nothing less than our lives to the notes, chords, staffs, and bars.
When viewing this, I want to laugh, cry, and evolve. But mostly I just wanna say, "WOW!".

I have seen the face of God. And her name is Zaireeka.

Vegoose II (Electric Boogaloo)

2006-01-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

We made our long journey back to the ghetto side of the Vegas Strip and Circus Circus via a nice air conditioned coach. The driver let us know that anything was fair game while we were on the bus, but requested that we not leave a mess. The aroma of Humboldt Co. KB was soon dancing down the aisle and we all strapped in for the video game projected on the large windows at the front of the bus. The guy behind me wouldn't stop talking about how great the Beck set was which only upset me because we had opted to skip his set because of our killer rail position for Phil & Friends. Peaking over the seat I could see that Leigh's eyes were as big as dinner plates. We had skipped out early because he hadn't eaten in 3 days and was in desperate need of calories. Our first day of music had been long, but wasn't anywhere near over.
After grabbing some food(I got Chinese), we started down the alleyway of Circus Circus. In a momentary lapse of reasoning, Leigh decided to spark up a roach when we were less than 100 ft from the back door. Just as he lit it up, he heard some keys moving in behind him. I didn't hear shit. Jeff and I reached the side door just as a Vegas cop yelled at us to stop. My heart sank. Like good friends, Jeff and I headed toward the lobby at a steady pace leaving Leigh to deal with the fuzz. Just as we were about to turn the corner in to the elevator bank, the cop caught up stopping us dead in our tracks. "Were you guys smoking pot in the alley?", he asked. My only reaction was to hold up my bottle of water and bag of food and say, "Chinese food." Like some magical Jedi Mind Trick, he bought it and sent us on our way. Whew! Leigh caught up with us in the room where we told him what a dumb fuck he was. In the early hours of the morning, we went back down to the lobby and found the HUGE roach right where Leigh had dropped it. The Gods were on our side.
I certainly won't go in to the gory details of the early morning. Needless to say it was depraved behavior, at best. Leigh had a ticket and plans to meet up with friends at the late night moe. show at the Aladdin. I decided to walk them down to the lobby and send them off in to the neon night by themselves. As luck would have it(the Gods must be CWAZY!), the couple in front of them waiting for a taxi had just been given two extra tickets for the show. So, now I had a ticket to go. Woot! I called Jeff up in the room, but he decided to pass. We made it to the Aladdin about 1:45am with the band in full swing. We made it through about an hour of their show before we felt the heavy hand of slumber. We bailed. It was for the best, though. We heard the next day that their set had stretched passed 5am.
Jeff took off early Sunday by himself in order to catch some of the early artists that day. I think he caught Spearhead and another I can't recall. We arrived about 2pm and I nearly fell over Leigh's friends I had met the day before during Phil's set as I was looking for a choice spot to catch Ween. It wasn't long before all the usual suspects(including Jeff) were about 50ft back, dead center. Ween came out and were by far the big surprise of the weekend. I had big expectations for their set, but they delivered above and beyond my wildest dreams. During the middle of their set, and in between songs, I got a bit hungry and dug in my bag for one of the bananas I had managed to sneak in. Just as I began to peel it, the band broke in to their song "Bananas & Blow". The whole crew got a good laugh out of that one.
After smoking out with the crew, Ween started to get really weird(in a good way). I don't know the name of the song, but it was played by the band as if they were submerged in molasses with a tripped out effect on the lead singers vocals. One of the coolest aural experiences of my life. It actually sounded as if the band were playing a 45 record at 33 1/3 speed. WAY COOL!
I had been talking up the Flaming Lips to everyone and I was very pleased that practically the whole crew decided to join me for their set. We set up just right of center about 35ft. back. We watched as the band mulled around the stage and set up their own equipment. Later, I found out that this had impressed Leigh.
Their set was spectacular! Wayne actually landed on the audience(from space) in a gigantic clear plastic bubble. As expected, the stage was adorned with a variety of people in animal costumes dancing all about. What I didn't expect was that the band had invited several people in the audience who had come dressed in costume(it being Halloween and all) to join them onstage, as well. To my delight, the guy right next Stephen was dressed as Jerry Garcia! It was more than entertaining to see the Fat Man shake his booty all night long to the Lips. WOOT!
The band had gotten in to the spirit of things by dressing up themselves. Wayne was, of course, in his Armani suit. Stephen was dressed up as a VERY fat Santa, while Kliph and Michael were both in skeleton outfits. Very nice.
Highlights of the set included, a karaoke version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" complete with words projected on the video screen. Two new songs, one of which featured Wayne trading licks with Stephen on a rewired children's toy. And finally, a BLISTERING version of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs"(complete with Bush bashing comments by Wayne to start it off). WOW! I was giddy at this point and just stood their in awe as the crowd headed off toward their next musical adventure.
As I was heading toward the stadium, where the crew had set off to secure a spot for Widespread Panic, I noticed a backpack that looked very familiar to me. I grabbed it and set off. Not a minute later, I ran in to Mark who had realized he had forgotten it and was frantically heading back toward our spot. When he saw that I had it, he was very thankful and gave a huge sigh of relief. Not too much later, I would rescue some of Jeff's personal belongings.
Once in the stadium, Mark and I managed to secure the exact same spot we had the night before. But it wouldn't last. The crowd closed in behind us quickly leaving little, if any, space for the ever growing crew of misfits we were with. Just then, I happened to pull my phone out and noticed it was ringing. I hadn't been able to hear it all day long because of the crowd and P.A. noise and it was just luck I caught the call. It was some guy who had found Jeff's phone somewhere on the grounds of the venue and was looking to return it. (If you remember part 1, this is the second time in as many days that he had lost it, only to have it returned). I hooked up with the guy behind the soundboard and thanked him by telling him that Jeff was just a little ole cowboy from Texas who would be totally lost without his phone. Little did I know how true that statement was. As it turned out, Jeff had been frantically making phone calls back to Texas in order to get my cell phone number. After securing my number, he called me and I greeted him with the information that I had his phone. An even bigger sigh of relief came from him. stoners...sheesh!
Widespread's set was long and jammy. I danced like a man possessed. I looked around and saw Leigh, which reminded me it had been just over 10 years since he and I were in the very same stadium dancing with friends at the last Grateful Dead shows we would see together.
Will it go 'round in circles? It sure as shit will!

Life is strange and wonderful.
Dance hard.
You have to make you're moments in this life.
Rarely do they find you.
This was certainly one for the record books.
Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.....

Thanks to Jeff for coming along. We climbed the Rock of Gibraltar together and then knocked it down. ;^)

This is for sparky:
http://rapidshare.de/files/11203236/75_87b_Ringo_Starr_-_Snookeroo.mp3.html

Stripes On Daily Show or We Don't Need No Stinking Badges

2005-12-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

Jon Stewart's Daily Show on Comedy Central took a huge step in to the 25th Century last night by having their very first live musical guest. And they came in with a bang by inviting none other than that dynamic duo the White Stripes! And what a performance!
They started off with a short interview with Jon Boy who concluded the gab fest with the rhetorical(?) question, "How's the pot?". No answer, just a sly evil glare from Jackie and a roll of the eyes over the shoulder by Meg.
The "Denial Twist" was the first song of the night. Heavy-dootie-garage-rock-n-roll. Oooohhhhgeeze. These songs sound even better live than they do on the album. Jack brings the heavy rock which includes some smoldering basscentric effects on his two tone plassteek geetar. Meg is a solid goddess. She has the right arm of Thor! She's seems to be playing some kind of drum stick/tambourine hybrid thingy on both songs. Thunder! BOOM! BOOM! Pounding like fucking H-bombs.
Here's comes "My Doorbell". And don't you go thinkin' that just because our boy is sitting behind a grand piano that we should cut him some slack. Nu-uh. Don't think so bra. Not even close buddy. GAWD! Meg is so fucking TEEN-SHITASS! She jumps on the bass pedal distorting my computer speakers. Fuk. Rock. Jack is double fisted with an electric piano steering his left hand. It looks like he's driving the damn thing! They've set up a little mirror on top of the piano that faces Jack so that the camera can get an angle on his face even from behind. WOW! Keys pounding!THUD! THUD! MEG! THUD! MEG! ROOOOOOOOOOOOOCK!

it fades out before the song ends.

damn.

The Day The Music Died

2005-11-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

Reprinted w/o permission:
Requiem for the Dead - [www.cullensweeney.com]

--

Goddamn, well I declare, have you seen the like… ?

In a lot of ways, the Grateful Dead were more of an idea than a band. Which is a clumsy way of saying that the fact they played musical instruments really, really well was far less important than the shared intuition that they were actually instruments themselves: master craftsmen in whom a holy fire found its rightful vessel. Which is an elaborate way of saying that the Dead as musicians were greater than the sum of their parts, that it wasn’t just fingers and strings and drumsticks but rather, somehow, a collective of seekers aiming their arrows at the Infinite, just beyond the pale of our usual understanding.

Which is all a lengthy preface to a bleak finale, because the Dead have died, at their own hands. As far as deaths go, it was a quiet and mundane affair. The passing was, in a word, businesslike. And, indeed, no word but that could ever describe their demise, because it is the ultimate negation of their entire journey. It is the darkness at the end of the tunnel.

In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is drawn by the Grateful Dead. So said the long-gone prophets of the Haight-Ashbury. But when the moorings are loosed and both ship and Dead slip faltering and fading into night, what then shall you do?

The musicians have become merchants — the freedoms of yesteryear are sold, souvenir-like, for the comforts of today. Once, the Dead danced at the edge of an abyss that stood at the outward edge of human consciousness, that far side of possibility where our best dreams are glimpsed, maybe even realized. But, while they played, someone was filling that chasm behind them to the very brim with a luxurious padding of dollar bills and, last Tuesday, and perhaps only by default, the Dead fell into the money pit.

The Internet Archive at www.archive.org manifests the (correct) dictum that Information Wants to Be Free. For roughly the past 18 months, the Archive’s Live Music Archive has been home to almost three thousand recordings of Grateful Dead concerts, from its goofy acid-pop beginnings in 1965 to the decayed grandeur of the end-year of 1995, and all the boundless glories in-between. The recordings, most of which were taken from the band’s soundboards, were freely available to all — a stunningly vast repository, a collection open and evolving.

It was a compilation of thirty-years’ worth of moments. And, if we accept the premise that life is but a series of moments, to be performed in as we are able, then the Dead’s long train of action-in-time was more powerful, more awe-inspiring and just more totally fulfilled than almost anything else you could compress into the narrow historical document of a musical recording. It was all there, all free, all open — and just as the Dead wanted it.

Or so we thought. A pretty natural thing to assume, really, given statements such as the one by Jerry Garcia (an avid taper of bluegrass concerts in his younger days) that once the band was through playing the music, it belonged to the fans. Yes, for the past forty years, it would have been a very easy thing to assume that, after the instruments fell silent, the immense musical legacy of the Dead would be free for posterity.

But from that cup no more. On November 22, under orders from some shadowy source within the band’s organization, the Dead’s presence on the Live Music Archive fell silent. All soundboard recordings were removed, a decision that hacked away about two-thirds of all available recordings and more-than-decimated the availability of sources from the band’s most prime years. Audience recordings, often of markedly inferior quality, are now all that remain. And those, like the band’s integrity, are present only in a highly curtailed format.

The day has come which few could have foreseen and which fewer still could have beared contemplate: the day that the Grateful Dead’s music, every note and sound, got locked away, to be heard only for a price. While traditional avenues of obtaining concert recordings remain open (though positively archaic by comparison and, presumably, also now somewhat suspect under new band policy), the Live Music Archive, poised to become the great storehouse of the Dead’s recorded legacy, is now only a sad reminder of what might have been. It is the Great Leap Backward. What once was free will now cost you fifteen to thirty bucks a pop if you want to be 100% legal about it, and precious little will even make the light of day with official sanction. Something is over, and that thing is the Grateful Dead.

A clean, calm, efficient suicide: suffocation-by-choice in a sea of cash. Forty years of freedom met its end in one act of commerce. Finished.

For many, the Dead were the soundtrack to a dream of freedom, and that music just stopped.

Truth is, it didn’t require much effort. The surviving members don’t much play like they used to, at least not with each other. The day-to-day operations of the Grateful Dead organization have been pawned off on hired corporate jockeys who pronounce “music business” with a silent “m-u-s-i-c.” The Dead’s “scene” long ago atrophied from lack of exercise, meaning that there just wasn’t much left for the band to keep in touch with outside of their ever-narrowing world. The band members gradually disappeared behind a faceless conglomerate. And there is no accountability — no address to write to, no sympathetic ear to speak to.

In the absence of connections, rumors abound. Was it Garcia’s harridan of a wife, Deborah Koons, who was responsible? Some particularly avaricious band member who forced the issue? But no truth will penetrate through the layer of lawyers who must have pulled off this heist. Make no mistake — to reclaim what was once freely and gladly given is no more than theft.

With cobwebs strung across their stage, the Dead’s only shot at immortality lies in the thousands of hours of recordings which constitute some of human civilization’s greatest achievements. It is a legacy now gambled away. They wagered that people would pay for it piecemeal and in that they are correct — a handsome profit will surely be made off of people’s genuine hunger to hear this music. But what a price… what a fucking price. Because to put a price sticker and some shrinkwrap on the gift that the band and the audience used to give each other with such willing and joyful abandon is to deny the value of the freedom that underscored and surrounded their entire musical journey. As Bob Dylan said about that other great, dying experiment, the labor union: “Sure was a good idea ’til greed got in the way.”

You lived as heroes and, now, you end your days as a commodity. You have cancelled yourselves out. The cold calculus of commerce has swallowed the better angels of your dream, just as it has taken down so many other seers. Something new is born, and it’s not the Grateful Dead anymore.

The risky thing about frontiers is that they exist to be stamped with imprints of our own making. In 1965, the Dead appeared as prototypes for new ways of living, thinking, and existing — for a different and better way to be. And after the Sixties were over, man — after things like LSD, communal living and liberty-equality-fraternity were said to be no longer tenable, viable or desirable, the Grateful Dead were still standing. And not just standing, but singing, playing and dancing: Pied Pipers of a vision they refused to let die, a sturdy cabin in the American tundra occupied by the Armies of the Right.

The good ol’ Grateful Dead carved out a sizeable homestead on the frontier of human possibility. While it lasted, it was a good place. It was worked and tended in their image and those who had eyes to see, saw that it was good. After Reagan, even after Jerry, it still stood.

But they have grown old now, those who remain. In large part, I can’t even really blame “the boys” for seeking some easy financial solace in their waning years. And, in truth, there wasn’t much left for them to wash their hands of.

Please don’t call this a naive idealization of the past. Look at a picture of them playing in the middle of Haight Street, or of their equipment set up on the grass in Golden Gate Park, or of them playing to a sweaty and rapturous crowd at the Fillmore. Look, but don’t listen, unless you’re a paying customer. And please don’t call this a selfish grasping at things that aren’t my property or my business, as some of you no doubt will. A thing is either free or not free, and a lot of us got shown the difference between the two by the Grateful Dead in better days.

Yeah, better days — that sun will shine again. But, for now, in the mouth of winter, it’s all too clear we’re on our own. I guess it doesn’t matter anyway.

Except that it does.

If there is consolation to be had, it is that, in our best moments, we can hear a music bigger and better than all of us. It is a music of our own making. And there is a time at close of day when even the best craftsmen choose to walk away from their work.

Fare you well, boys.

Vegoose

2005-11-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

Vegas was fucking awesome. Jeff Miller and I set off early Friday and slid right in to our ghetto palace without a hitch. We killed a few hours that afternoon by walking the entire length of The Strip and then walked farther to find a lousy overpriced guitar store. On the walk, Jeff dropped his phone at an intersection and a local chased us down to return it(lose #1). He got lucky. His luck would get better.
Our first show of the weekend was billed as "Trey Anastasio" and was set to start at 11:59pm at the Aladdin Theatre. Capacity approximately 4000. The show didn't actually start until 12:45 as the crowd was delayed entrance by a Dave Matthews performance in that same venue earlier that evening. Our seats were near the back and under the brim of the balcony. The sound was lousy under there. I would discover at a moe. performance, later the next night in the same venue, that the sound was much better upstairs.
My thoughts on the Trey Band performance were mixed. I thought the crowd was pretty talkative and not nearly as respectful as I had seen at a Phish show. This was most disruptive during the solo acoustic segment performed in the middle of the set. I felt like Trey was trying to please everyone and in the process may have stretched himself a little too thin. The second half of the show along with the acoustic set that proceeded it were the most inspired portions. I felt the first half was a little slow taking off. I kept wanting to be more impressed and it kept falling a little short during the first few songs. But once Anastasio started to engage his fellow band members, he became more hit and a lot less miss. He gave shout outs to Les Claypool in the audience along with a good friend from high school and finally, Matthews. We had a long walk back to the hotel and Jeff's feet were falling apart. To his credit, he didn't complain about the all weekend and either rode it out quietly or just became numb to the pain. Suit up!
We set out by shuttle bus Saturday mid day heading for the Sam Boyd Stadium that lies on the outskirts of town. We choked down a half a turkey and Swiss sammich each and floated through security on our way to the Jokers Wild Stage to see the Warren Hays led Gov't Mule. We had no problem getting in very close and there was plenty of space for everyone. This familiar feeling would follow us all weekend regardless of the stage we were at or band we were seeing. The Mule wooped our asses with a killer She Said She Said>Tomorrow Never Knows jam late in the set and was one of the highlights of the weekend. We saw about an hour and a half before we took off for the stadium stage where Phil Lesh and Friends were playing. This is where things started to get a little crazy.
I had finally gotten in touch with my friend Leigh who had flown up from Phoenix and he told me he was on the floor dead center on the rail and they had space for us. Jeff stayed back because of his feet as I bolted for the front. Leigh wasn't kidding when he said they were front and center. We were bouncing off of each other with excitement. Joan Osborne was sitting in with the on vocals and that made all the difference in the performance. There were strong vocals and wonderfully tight musicianship in abundance on the stage. Leigh talked the ear off the huge Mafioso type security guard at the foot of the stage. On the floor, I met several of Leigh's friends from Portland(Annie & Stephen, Scott). Scott and I had a brief misunderstanding later that night that was the kind of thing that only happens in Las Vegas. He handled himself like a gentleman and I came off looking like a clown. We laughed about it for the rest of the weekend.
So the Phil show was a complete delight. Being front row made a great show all that much better. They played at least 45 minutes longer than they were supposed to play which chewed up a great portion of the time I had scheduled to see Beck. Jeff and I sang "Nobody's Fault But My Own" along with Beck as we headed for the exit. Leigh's hunger pains were the main catalyst for our departure. The call of the wild was in the air.

part II soon...

Neil On Conan

2005-11-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

This has been a fantastic week for Rusties. Neil Young made a rare television appearance with a four night stand on Late Night With Conan O'Brien. He performed a song from his new album each night(and sometimes more) and brought a truck load of soul to the stage. The interview revealed a sense of humor all his own.
Tuesday:
Performed a very up beat "Far From Home" with Emmylou Harris, Peggi(his wife), and Astrid(his sister) on back up vocals. I can also spot old friends Spooner Oldham and Ben Keith in the backing band. One of the more original songs from the album and a great start for the week. He's seated during the performance and is wearing all black with a black flat brimmed hat. Band also has horn players and might have even had Jim Keltner on drums. Hard to tell on that one.
Wednesday:
Dressed in a fedora and knitted sweater, he rambles through "The Painter". Not my favorite song. Not particularly catchy and the lyrics aren't anything of note. He's written better songs about friends and lovers. Same band as the night before, but the back up singers are 3 men I do not recognize. One kind of looked like Peter Wolf, but I know it wasn't him. Weakest song of the stand.
Thursday:
Back with his flat brimmed hat, black jacket, blue shirt, and the wonderful Emmylou Harris joining him on vocals and acoustic guitar, he plays an excellent new song "This Old Guitar". Emmylou is right up front with Neil tonight and she looks and sounds like a million bucks. Not the most original song in his catalogue, though. I've heard him say he re-writes all his songs, but the main riff sounds a little TOO much like "Harvest Moon" lick for my tastes. Nice song though. A simple ode to his musical companion the acoustic guitar. It's revealed during and interview segment that the Martin Acoustic he's been playing all week once belonged to Hank Sr in the 1940's. There's also a priceless comedy bit during the interview in which it's revealed that Neil has re-tuned all of Conan's guitars to D-modal. Neil returns and lays down a short and bittersweet solo version of "Needle And The Damage Done". It's hard for me to enjoy this song. It makes me sad. Excellent performances and a super rare interview bit.
Friday:
He's the man in black again tonight. Backed by the Fisk Jubilee singers, his guys/girls are all back singing too, and best of all Spooner Oldham is wearing a bright red Knit sweater while rockin the B-3! The song is "No Wonder" and it's some kind of apocalyptic warning that doesn't strike me as being all that good. He crams the stage full of people perhaps in hopes of distracting the audience from the sub par song. But being a class act all the way, he wraps it up with the soulful poem "When God Made Me". I hate to compare it to John Lennon's "Imagine", but I feel forced to. A song full of wonderful questions and bursting at the seams with heart. A choir backs Neil at the Steinway with Spooner, his wingman, on B-3 and sweater.

This was a real treat for Neil fans. Conan O'Brien's show continues to do wonderful things with musical guests. U2 and Springsteen have also been given showcase performances on the show. Way to go, Coney!

iPod Song of the Day: "Apeman" by The Kinks

Vinyl Vault: Lyle Lovett's "Pontiac"/ Dylanism

2005-10-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Lyle is one of those unique contemporary artists that is impossible to label. It's just as difficult to find another artist who records anything like the distinct nitch he's carved out.
I first stumbled upon his music while on the road following the Grateful Dead during the summer of 1994. The tape in the console deck switched between Liz Phair's "Exile In Guyville" and any number of Lyle's recordings. "Pontiac" probably got the most airplay in the rotation and my fondness for his brand of country swing with pop/blues tendencies(along with a side of juevos rancheros) has grown ever since.
This album is a wonderful display of the varying styles he is able to tackle with the utmost of ease, all the while making them his own. Just when you think you have him pinned down, he throws you a curve ball in the form of dance hall big band boogie or a soulful blues number with his bad-ass lady killer persona at the helm. Then he'll pull off a slow simple ballad that's never heavy on sentiment or reeking of cheese. A master of musical disguises.
He's at his best when tossing out self deprecating lines or come-back zingers that leave you busting a gut. The chorus of "She's no lady, she's my wife" says it all. Even lines like "Oooh give back my heart chip-kicker redneck woman. I can't be no cowgirl paradise" reveal that his humor can have a delightful double edge to their sting.
Then their are songs like "L.A. County" that are sheer perfection. He describes a long time friendship that takes many turns and finally ends with a .45 gun in hand. His description of Los Angeles, "...the lights of L.A. County look like diamonds in the sky." will never make you see the town that sin built in quite the same way again.
A beautiful recording that contains lovely backing vocals by Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill.
I've been lucky enough to see him in concert several times. His dry onstage humor and magnetic presence make for a perfect evening under the stars. Go see him if you ever get the chance.

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Here's a bit of stoned poetry from the Scorsese "No Direction Home" documentary. It finds Dylan riffing off an advertisement posted on a brick wall.

"I'm looking for a place that will collect, clip, bath and return my dog; KN1-7727; cigarettes & tobacco... Animals and birds bought or sold on commission.

"I want a dog that's gonna collect and clean my bath, return my cigarette and give tobacco to my animals and give my birds a commission.

"I want, I'm looking for somebody to sell my dog, collect my clip, buy my animal and straighten out my bird.

"I'm looking for a place to bathe my bird, buy my dog, collect my clip, sell me cigarettes and commission my bath.

"I'm looking for a place that's gonna collect my commission, sell my dog, burn my bird and sell me to the cigarette.

"No, no, bird my buy, collect my will and bathe my commission.

"I'm looking for a place that's gonna animal my soul, knit my return, bathe my foot and collect my dog.

"Commission me to sell my animal to the bird to clip and buy my bathtub and return me back to the cigarette."

iPod Song of the Day: "Who Loves The Sun" from the Velvet Underground bootleg Who Loves Ya Lou?

Vinyl Vault: Ray Price's "All Time Greatest Hits"/ Willie's Pizza Joint/ Music Magic

2005-10-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

I was unpacking all the albums I had packed in garbage bags for the hurricane and stumbled across this gem. Ray Price is a classic country crooner. His voice is pure velvet. This album is full of genuine country classics like "Sunday Morning Coming Down", "Crazy Arms"(wow!), and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix".
This is country music that, despite its slick presentation, still retains its credibility. There's a orchestra backing almost every song on the album with subtle hints of pedal steel and nylon strung guitars dusted throughout. Did I mention this guy could sing? Oh boy, can he. Never strained or overblown. Just relaxing melodies that make you feel like you(and Ray) have eaten a handful of valiums.
I had the pleasure of seeing him live at one of Willie's 4th of July picnics in Luckenbach back in the mid 90's. My bandmate, Ben, was/is a huge fan and was as excited as anyone I've seen to be in the audience. I recall him laying down a set of greatest hits that seemed to please all the die hard fans who had baked in the 100 degree weather all day. He was on the bill along with Waylon Jennings who kind of overshadowed the whole day. Of course, Waylon was one of the main reasons we all piled in Chris King's minivan and drove several hours to bake in the treeless field all afternoon. Can you blame us?

Funny story...

We left the picnic well after midnight and set out for Houston. We soon discovered that the right rear tire of the minivan had become a little "screwy"(maybe because we had 9 people in the van!). It was pitch black out on the long country road and we pulled over at the first(and only) gas station we found. We quickly realized that it was not only a gas station but a pizza parlor as well. Maybe it was the minor heat stroke we were all suffering from, but that was the finest pizza I'd ever eaten in my life. And our fondness for the pizza was soon justified when, not 5 minutes later, Willie Nelson's tour buses pulled up to this pizza parlor in the middle of nowhere and just as quickly pulled away with a dozen pizza's in hand. We had found Willie's secret pizza joint!
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Let me preface this story by saying, I have my TV hooked up to play through my stereo system. I always turn off the TV when I leave, but almost never turn down the audio running through my speakers. I also download music pretty much 24/7, 365 days a year.

This morning I started downloading Bob Dylan's album "Oh, Mercy". With my slow connection, it usually takes between 12-24 hours to get a complete album. As I was leaving this afternoon for my final dog walk of the day, I noticed an advertisement for the movie "High Fidelity" on Comedy Central starting on the hour. I took off on my bike just before it started.
Returning about 1 1/2 hours later, I could hear John Cusack's voice softly coming through the speakers, so I knew the movie was still in progress. The first thing I did was to sit down at the computer and see the progress of my download. My favorite song on the album "Most Of The Time" had just finished its download, so I started it up in WinAmp. I listened to about a minute of the song and then closed the program. Except even after I closed it, I could still hear the song playing. I was confused for a second, when I realized that exactly where I had stopped the song on my computer it had been picked up in the VERY SAME spot on the "High Fidelity" soundtrack playing through my stereo speakers.
(insert Twighlight Zone Theme music here)

iPod Song of the Day: "Portland, Oregon" performed live by Loretta Lynn and the DoWhatters on the Late Show w/ David Letterman 5.3.04

Vinyl Vault: Bob Dylan's "Infidels"

2005-10-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

An album of righteous condemnation with an ironic twist.

One of Dylan's strongest assets as a songwriter is his ability to display the numerous faces of his persona. This album showcases multiple sides of that face and this collection is about as close to perfection as he came in the 1980's. Two sides, above all, are examined in depth on the album. The first is, of course, his condemnation of man. The second is the salvation he finds in the embrace of a woman(the irony). He struggles with both thoughts throughout most of the tracks. While never offering any solutions, he sure does post a lot of warning signs for the listener to heed lest they tread on dangerous ground.
The opening track is probably one of the finest songs of his career. "Jokerman" is a autobiographical masterpiece displaying his ability to tackle the human spirit and condition all in one master stroke. There are so many brilliant lines in this song it's terribly hard to dislodge any from the piece as a whole. A poetic tour de force that soars to such magnificent heights that you are still grasping its nuances and imagery long after the first listen.
"Sweetheart" and "Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight" are his odes of love to a woman who has offered him the strength he needs to deal with a world populated by ego, greed, and death. Both are pleas for comfort from the chilling wind that has overtaken him in the outside world. Both are wonderfully soothing and sure to warm even the coldest of hearts. The artwork that adorns the back cover is of a dark haired woman smiling as she accepts a delicate kiss from a man on her cheek. Duality, my friends!
I have forever linked both "License To Kill" and "I And I" in my mind. They appear, to me, to be cut from the same cloth. While not resembling one another in chord structure or melody, they both seem to be warnings from a paranoid mind(and rightly so) whose vision of the future is nothing but anguish and strife. And time has shown that we are indeed headed down a path that holds little promise for us unless we continue to evolve our ideas toward some kind of peace and human compassion.
Perhaps we are doomed. But if Judgment Day comes with any kind of warning, rest assured I'll wear out my vinyl copy of this album waiting for its arrival.
Beautifully produced by Mark Knopfler with contributions by both he and Mick Taylor on guitar.

"We're a virus with legs"
-Bill Hicks

iPod Song of the Day: Dylan's "New Morning" from the album of the same name.

Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (pt.2)

2005-09-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

No doubt about it. The star of tonight's episode is the D.A Pennebaker footage from Dylan's 1966 European tour with the Hawks. Pennebaker miraculously managed to capture some of Dylan's most historic performances and backstage antics on beautiful color film. While the first episode hinted at this footage, the second showcases it in all its glory. The DVD has promised to contain bonus footage presenting full performances which only elevates my anticipation for its arrival.
Same song, second verse. I'll cover a few of the highlights and offer some screen captures for your eyeballs.

The opening sequence with Dylan riffing off of some English advertisements is nothing short of brilliant. It shows Dylan to be the true poet and wordsmith that I've grown to love and admire. It's a stream of consciousness rap that's one part genius and one part narcotics. He's having a ball as he twists and turns on the English sidewalk while weaving a fantastic tapestry of words out of thin air. It's sure to leave your head spinning in wonder. Pure Dylan magic!

This episode also delves deeper in to his relationship with Joan Baez and reveals the moment when the fractures in it began to separate the two. She actually comes across as pretty square and possessive, admitting that she was a wet blanket when it came to cutting up with friends and purposely separated herself from the crowd. Having invited Dylan on stage for duets on her tour, she was expecting him to do the same during his 1965 European tour. She would soon find out that he had no intention of doing such a thing. In a recent interview, it's obvious that this action hurt her very much when stating that she could see he clearly wanted the stage all to himself. Cutting to a recent interview with Dylan he replies, "You can't be wise and in love at the same time." This incident most certainly created a wedge in their relationship.

Allen Ginsberg's remembrance of Dylan's encounter with the Beatles in a hotel room during his 1965 tour is both revealing and humorous. A message was sent to Ginsberg requesting his presence in the room where Dylan was hanging with the Beatles. Arriving, he discovered a quiet, tense atmosphere prevailing in the room. After taking a seat on Dylan's armchair, Lennon was said to snidely interject, "Why don't you sit a little closer?". Ginsberg could jut laugh. Allen then asked Lennon if he had ever read any William Blake. John, insisting he had never heard of him, was quickly called out on his little white lie by wife Cynthia. With that, the mood was lightened in the room quickly breaking the ice between the two camps. Allen recalls being amazed at both groups naiveté and how each appeared so unsure of their minds and speech despite being at the summit of their musical and spiritual powers.

Al Kooper's story of his sly insertion in to the "Like A Rolling Stone" session is also a fun one. Having shown up to the session with his guitar he quickly became intimidated by Mike Bloomfield's obvious talents, packed up instrument and retreated back to the control room. It wasn't much later that the organ player was repositioned behind the piano. Seeing his opportunity, Al insisted to producer Tom Wilson that he had a great idea for an organ part on the song(admitting that it was a bullshit line). Knowing that he was a guitarist, Tom laughed and brushed off Al's idea. Not long after, Wilson was called away to a phone call and Al quickly slipped in to the studio and behind the organ. And the rest they say, is history. The wonderful banter caught on tape when Wilson realizes what Kooper has done is priceless.

The fascinating differences in perspective on a single moment are not exactly enlightening. No fewer that four points of view are discussed concerning the backstage goings on during Dylan's Newport '65 electric set. Each shines little light on the subject and, in fact, only shrouds the moment further in to darkness. Did Seeger threaten the electric wires with an axe or not? Seeger himself states that "if" he had had an axe, he would have used it to cut the power. All others state that they had actually seen or heard he was brandishing an axe. Even Dylan chimes in, stating that when he heard about the incident it had affected him deeply. Claiming it felt "like a dagger" to have someone whose music he greatly admired react in such a way toward his artistic choice. We then see an interview with Seeger himself saying he thought what Dylan(and band) had done that night on stage was wonderful. Confusion reigns/rains.

Following his Newport '65 performance, Dylan is approached by Maria Muldar who found him sitting apart from the party. Stepping to him, she asked if he wanted to dance. His reply, "I'd dance with you Maria, but my hands are on fire." Wow.

It was great to learn what a cool southern cat Bob Johnson really is.
Here are a few quotes from him.
About being in the studio: "I took all the clocks down. Nobody had any fuckin' clocks in there!"
On Bob: "Instead of touching him on the shoulder, God kicked him in the ass!"

Favorite Bob quote of the evening: "We all like motorcycles to some degree." :^)

Weirdest quote of the evening: "Could you just suck your glasses for one moment." !?!

Dylan's beautiful encounters and admiration for Johnny Cash are truly heartwarming. Following the Newport Folk Festival, Johnny presents Dylan with his guitar. Whereupon, Dylan is informed by Bobby Neuwirth that the gesture is an old country music traditions show of respect. There's also footage of Dylan and Cash singing a hauntingly beautiful version of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" together at the piano. And finally, Dylan's genuinely touching moment recalling Johnny recording one of his songs. This is way powerful stuff here, folks.

The prevailing feeling of weariness that looms large over this episode is pretty heavy. He puts on a brave face at the beginning, even stating, "I had a perspective on the booing." But it's not long before it begins to show during the endless string of press conferences, slowly bleeding in to his offstage life, and finally creeping it's way in to backstage and onstage moments. He had reached burnout. There's no doubt about it. Whether it was the drugs, audience, daily grind, or a combination of the three, it's unmistakable. You can't help but feel for the guy.

What's good is bad, what's bad is good,
you'll find out when you reach the top
You're on the bottom.

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Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (pt.1)

2005-09-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

I relented tonight and decided to watch the new Scorsese documentary on the early years of Bob Dylan on PBS rather than wait for my DVD set to arrive. I knew I wouldn't have the will power to hold out. What can I say...I crave anything I can read, see, or hear about the man. I've been an avid consumer since '89 or so. Urged on by my friend Jason, I fell deeper and deeper under Dylan's spell and have collected several thousands of hours of bootlegs in both audio and video format.
Naturally, with a career spanning four decades, there are countless myths and legends about the man both true and false. With the release of the first book in his trilogy of autobiographies earlier this year, it's finally given Dylanologists the opportunity to wade through the bullshit and hear the real story straight from the horses mouth. The documentary not only gives us the story from Dylan's perspective, but also the chance to hear it from those around him during his formative years as one of the most influential and inspirational artists of all time.
I haven't got the time or energy to retell the story top to bottom, but rather will pinpoint those moments from Scorsese's movie that rang true or made an instant impact on me. I'm also going to post a gallery of screen captures from the vast archives presented in the documentary. And away we go...

Certainly one of the funniest stories retold in the film concerns a man names Paul Nelson who was a folk historian of sorts. Not a musician, but a collector of folk records whose vast archives impressed Dylan so much that, when given the opportunity, he broke in to Glover's house while he was out of town and "borrowed" a number of Woody Guthrie recordings on vinyl. Arriving back home, it didn't take Nelson long to figure out who had stolen the records given that the subject matter leaned heavily toward Dylan's preference. Paul and friend searched long and hard to track down Dylan and were surprised to find that many people thought that Dylan must be something special considering the amount of people trying to track him down. After much searching, they did track him down and confronted Dylan with a bowling pin in hand. The heated discussion went back and forth with both being impressed with the others knowledge of folk music and musicians. Nelson's friend would then realize why he was there and the discussion would heat up again with the bowling pin being held above Dylan's head once again. In a recent interview with Dylan, his only excuse for swiping the records was, "I saw myself as a musical expeditionary." That's a good one, Bob.

Another memorable incident was captured on film backstage during his historic 1966 tour of England with the Hawks(aka The Band). Having been heckled during the entire tour, it's reported to Dylan that someone in the audience has informed the house manager that there is a shotgun being brandished by a concertgoer. The scene opens with Dylan being informed of this and the ensuing shock and nervous banter that follows. Dylan proclaims, "I don't care about being shot. I just don't want to hear about it!" Dylan retires to a chair and starts to read a music rag when he is approached by a man who kneels and whispers out of earshot, "Don't push too hard." With a nervous grin on his face Dylan replies, "DON'T PUSH TOO HARD!!!"

During one of their 1966 performances, the lens catches Dylan and Hawks between songs with a hostile audience screaming insults as Dylan perches himself behind the piano. Cries of "Go Home", "Get off Bobby", and "How about switching it off?" are hurdled in their direction. Bob merely flashes a defiant smile and rips in to a blistering version of "Ballad Of A This Man" with its acid tinged chorus proclaiming, "Something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you Mr. Jones?"

The next scene finds Dylan and Robbie Robertson fleeing in a limo and mocking the crowd that surrounds the car. Dylan states, "It's hard to get in tune when they're booing." Robertson interjects, "Who wants to get in tune when they're booing?"

Joan Baez retells a story in which she and a then unknown Dylan pull in to town and, because of his "ragamuffin" appearance, Dylan is refused a room. After pulling some strings, Baez is able to convince the hotel owner to relent and give him a room. She marvels in her remembrance that it was that very evening he penned the song "When The Ship Comes In" condemning those that doubt him and his abilities.

In an interview with one of Dylan's childhood friends, the man recalls how Dylan returned to Hibbing, after being in New York for only a few short months, having acquired musical talents that far eclipsed his previous abilities. Dylan, interviewed now wearing a black leather jacket and a thin moustache, slyly grins, his eyes glittering, self-mocking his own mystery: "I went to the crossroads."

In one of the more powerful stories told in the film, Allen Ginsberg recounts the first time he heard "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall". He realized after hearing the song that the torch had been passed from the Beats, his generation, to the new one. With that epiphany, he wept.

At the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, Liam Clancy recalls seeing Dylan on stage and amazed at his transformation. "He was Charlie Chaplin, Dylan Thomas, Woody Guthrie." Claming Dylan almost seemed possessed with the spirit of these men and an uncanny chameleon-like ability to change with his surroundings and ape those who inspired him.

And finally, again at the '63 Newport Folk Fest, there's footage of a sheepish Dylan being led on to stage by a confident Baez. She simply states to the adoring crowd, "We just have to sing something together." With that, they begin a riveting duet of Dylan's "With God On Our Side." Breathtaking!

Waiting impatiently for tomorrows installment...

iPod Song of the Day: "Pocahontas" from Neil Young's Unplugged

Police @ Rockpalast

2005-09-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

It's the cops! It's the fuzz! No...it's THE POLICE!!!

Like a bullet shot from a .45, the power trio takes command of the scene from the first second they set foot on stage. As a goofy looking German MC(Alan Bangs) hesitates before the bands introduction, Stewart Copeland urges him to "Make your peace!" and get the fuck off the stage. With that, the bands tears in to what Sting announces as "All I Wanna Be Is Next To You". Not sure if this was the original title, but we know it as simply "Next To You".

Every song in the set list is played at break neck speed. Even the mid-tempo ones! There must have been some chemical enhancement backstage to help push them along during this roller coaster ride. They stretch each song out of its original boundaries in exploration of the hidden sound and with every opportunity succeed. This is a band that is still hungry and yearning to please its audience. Sting is in excellent voice and he stretches to reach the heights of Everest in earnest.

As Sting has a grin stretched across his mug, we find Andy and Stewart stone faced and all business. However, Andy does join his 4-stringed partner in a manic back and forth swaying that is almost hypnotizing to watch. He doesn't join Sting in hairstyle, though. While Andy sports a mod "shag" style, Sting proudly displays his mullet to the adoring crowd of Krauts. Sting jumps about mugging to the audience and generally having a great time.

Summers studiously hammers away on a well aged sunburst Tele and Mullet-boy does the finger ballet on what appears to be a fretless Washburn(?). And while these two perform their duties to perfection, top to bottom this is the Stewart Copeland show. His drumming is nothing short of phenomenal. At times it sounds as if two, maybe three drummers are at the helm. The energy that shoots from his Tama kit electrifies the band and propels the crowd to blistering heights. He is acutely aware of everything going on onstage. He switches rhythms and tempos effortlessly and all the while manages to support the front line on vocals. He sounds like an eight-armed wonder!

As the band comes back on for the encore, Copeland hurdles Andy Summers' guitar amp and immediately leaps behind his kit and prepares to anchor the band for its final assault. In a moment of dissention, he starts up the beat for "Message In A Bottle" and taunts the band and audience with the question, "Three guesses what this is." What a brat! It's also worth noting that Stewart has tape on his drums heads that spell out a number of insults aimed toward "Gordon". One camera angle reveals the words "fuck" & "cunt" displayed across his tom and snare. You gotta love this guy. Long before Sting revealed himself as the titanic Tantric asshole we've come to know, Stewart had seen him for what he truely was.

The DVD's video quality is good, but I don't believe it to be A+ as I've seen listed on several online reviews. Since it's been broadcast numerous times across Europe there may very well be an A+ quality version that circulates, but mine isn't one of them. This is a fantastic performance with excellent audio, though.

Police - Hamburg, Germany
11/1/80 or 1/11/80<----there's some confusion as to the exact date, although I believe it to be from November 1980.
72 min. DVD(TV broadcast) A
Setlist:
01 Next To You (2'30'')
02 So Lonely (5'45'')
03 Walking On The Moon (5'05'')
04 Hole In My Life (3'50'')
05 Death Wish (5'00'')
06 Fall Out (2'25'')
07 Bring On The Night (5'20'')
08 Visions Of The Night (3'10'')
09 The Bed's Too Big Without You (7'50'')
10 Peanuts (4'30'')
11 Roxanne (4'00'')
12 Can't Stand Loosing You (7'35'')
13 Message In A Bottle (4'55'')
14 Born In The 50's (3'25'')

iPod Song of the Day: "Walk Away" a Traveling Wilburys outtake with Jeff Lynne on lead vocals

Danko @ The Cubby Bear

2005-09-24T23:47:00.000-07:00

In what is surely the roots rock equivalent to a Fireside Chat by FDR, Rick Danko takes the stage at Chicago's Cubby Bear in the shadow of Wrigley Field. This intimate setting reveals Rick as a man who still has the vocal chops to captivate and sooth even the rowdiest crowd. He actually comes across as a white man's John Lee Hooker throughout the performance.
The show starts off a little rough as he has to battle the feedback from the stage monitors and has no problems telling the soundman just how he feels. After a few songs the problems get ironed out and we are left to bask in his simple, yet ultimately, mesmerizing performance.
It's just Danko and his acoustic guitar kicking out a number of blues numbers, crowd sing-alongs, and a few hits for good measure.He's joined onstage by longtime sidekick Sredi Vollmer on harp. As is noted, the levels of the harp are a little low on the recording but not enough to make the listener strain. Rick's guitar playing is a little sloppy at times, but it kind of adds to the wonderful "living room" feel of the concert. It's as if we are lucky enough to be present at a private party in his Woodstock residence where the libations and herb flow freely.
In fact, in the info file that came along with the music files I downloaded, it's noted that the taper was able to get access to the soundboard because of a little deal he was able to arrange with Danko that involved some of the green stuff(and I ain't talking about money). Lucky for us and Rick! He's very loose on stage, taking requests from the crowd and inciting them to sing along at every opportunity.
The sound on the recording is rather good although there are points of near distortion because of Rick's proximity to the vocal microphone. But again, nothing that takes from the performance. The show does end rather abruptly during an acapella version of "Rivers Of Babylon". Asking the crowd to sing along, Danko quits mid verse and walks off stage leaving the crowd scratching their heads in bewilderment.

Date: 12/9/89
Performer: Danko, Rick
Location: Chicago, IL Cubby Bear
Source/Quality/Length: SB/VG+/79min.
Note: w/Shredni. levels low

Song list:

Mystery Train
Twilight
Crazy Mama
I Shall Be Released
Little Red Rooster
It Maks No Difference
Stage Fright
The Weight
Long Black Veil
It's Raining In My Heart
Sip the Wine
CC Rider
Spoonful
Blaze of Glory
Java Blues
Shape I'm In
Every Night & Every Day
Rivers of Babylon

iPod Song of the Day: "Chest Fever" from The Band's Music From Big Pink

REM: Parallel

2005-09-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

What an amazing collection of videos preserved on this dvd. I first saw it at a record store located at Shepherd and 59 before I even had a dvd player. I remembered it for at least a couple of years and planned to buy it as soon as I got one. Well, the time came that I finally got a player, but I never encountered the collection again. Finally bought it online and it's been one of my favorite collections ever since. I wish more groups would put out a retrospective collection of videos they've produced over time. The Flaming Lips just did that. Perhaps I'll discuss it at a later date.
Most of the videos are from their ground breaking album Automatic For The People. It is by far my favorite and I've probably listened to it a few hundred times. As with most things, I didn't discover it until a while after it came out. Thus proving, once again, I don't have my finger on the pulse of America.
The videos are laced together with seemingly unrelated montages of security camera video, arrangements of flowers, and random video images with radio static behind them. Not distracting, and in fact it's kind of a nice way to cleanse the pallet between videos. Nice touch, Stipe. But this band has always been pretty daring and artistically brilliant in the medium, so I wouldn't expect any less.

Drive(dir. Peter Care)
Presented in black and white. We find Michael swimming atop a sea of hands. Tossed about, hosed down, and generally man-handled. The rest of the band are presented as kind of "Dutch boys" holding back a mass of humanity that seems like it may break through at any time. They too are saturated with instruments in had. I never really liked that image, though. Do these electric instruments survive after such a bath? Being as I always had to scrape to put together money to acquire an instrument, I cringe at the sight of beautiful(and ugly) musical instruments being subjected to water. There are moments that are reminiscent of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video. Faceless crowd and all.

Man On The Moon(dir. Peter Care)
Another one in B&W. The first half uses a very effective "kaleidoscope" type of camera view. Several images at a time are projected. Some at normal speed, others sped up. And if you don't crack a smile at the footage of Andy Kaufman wrestling women, you must be dead. The final half takes place in a kind of roadhouse and is quite funny in its presentation. We find Peter Buck playing the part of the bartender as the camera cuts around the bar and features different people in the place singing the lines instead of Stipe. Very dry humor.

The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight(dir. Robert Duffy)
This is one of my favorite songs from the Automatic album, but probably the worst video. It's basically the band in a film studio performing in front of multi-colored scrims. They did a similar video for their song "Can't Get There From Here" in an even more sparce setting which was much more effective.

Everybody Hurts(dir. Jake Scott)
There's no two ways about this song. You either love it or hate it. I can understand those that feel the latter. It was way over played on Mtv and radio. I, on the other hand, really enjoy it. Call me a sentimentalist. I can handle it. The shot of the young boy sitting in the truck with his grandfather where the caption reads "Stop Singing. Stop singing. Stop singing" is priceless. It is a little sappy in its closing moments, but a little sap(or even a lot) has never bothered me. A little fact to help you in Trivial Pursuit: it was filmed on an unfinished stretch of freeway in San Antonio.

Nightswimming(dir. Jem Cohen)
Another of my favorites from the album. Why this song wasn't a worldwide hit, I'll never know. A truly magnificent piano ballad that rivals anything Elton John did in the early seventies. The prelude is a small discussion that sounds like it comes from a production meeting prior to filming. It contains audio of a man and woman discussing images that perhaps they had after listening to the song. The videos nudity must have surely kept if from regular Mtv rotation and thereby destroyed its chances of climbing the charts. The nudity is sprinkled liberally through the video, making it impossible for an edited version to be shown. The band is nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, half way through, the song fades and leaves a space of a minute or so with just images of naked and half naked bodies swimming. Totally unnecessary and distracting from the pace of the song.

Find The River(dir. Jodi Willie)
This final cut is by far my favorite from the album. B&W footage of the band in a recording studio performing the song which is cut together with scenes of an old sea captain character, random ocean footage, and a dog roaming a beach. It would have been better if they had just stuck to the studio footage. But I love this song so much, I'm not distracted by the extraneous shots.

What's The Frequency, Kenneth?(dir. Peter Care)
The band performing the song in a huge warehouse/studio with a lighting effect that makes it appear as though a massive lightning storm is taking place inside. Lots of stinking blue, red, and yellow tints are used. This is the first time I can recall the bass player(Mike Mills) wearing what I can best describe as a "Nudie suit". The type Porter Wagoner used to wear. He would continue to wear these custom suits for several years. Always wished I could afford one. Intentional or not, there are several shots in which Bill Berry is not sitting at the drum kit, despite the fact that there is percussion being played. As with the "Sidewinder" video, the final shot has him walking away from his kit and not looking too pleased to be there in the first place. Another bit of trivia: the songs title comes from a phrase a mugger shouted to Dan Rather just before mugging him in NYC.

Bang And Blame(dir. Randy Skinner)
Again with the B&W film. The screen is divided up in to 3 parts and shows the band performing the song in a film studio. Mike is in a Nudie suit again. Not that great of a video and it doesn't do justice to the song.

Star 69(dir. Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris)
Probably the weakest song in the dvd collection. B&W footage of the band performing the song live in concert(although the soundtrack is from the studio recording). Professionally shot footage is spliced together with video from a hand held video camera that has the date in the lower right corner(Feb. 7 1999). A Google search revealed that they were indeed NOT touring on this date, so the venue is unknown. And the clock in the lower corner reveals that the concert ended just minutes after midnight. Mike Mills is again wearing a Nudie suit and Peters amp is decorated with several plastic dinosaurs(?).

Strange Currencies(dir. Mark Romanek)
Here we are again in B&W inside what appears to be some kind of steel mill warehouse. Does anyone see a pattern here? Band, once again, performing but this time in winter clothing. Footage of Peter and Michael(separately) driving around shining a spotlight on a variety of people in an urban district after dark. Again, I think just footage of them would have been just as effective. I didn't know this song until a friend of mine, Erin Callahan, turned me on to it. Very happy she did, I love it!

Crush With Eyeliner(dir. Spike Jonze)
Now this is more like it! A fucking hysterical video, top to bottom. Inventive and fun, but what else would we expect from Spike. The band is portrayed by 4 young Japanese hipsters. Funniest of all, Peter is played by a cute as a bug Japanese girl! The lead singer is portrayed by an cheeky, cowboy hat wearing, pink fur covered trouble maker. One of the most revealing moments is during the "life is strange" line. Hanging from a subway pole, he delivers the line and is overtaken from behind by a NYC policeman. He immediately loses his mischievous persona and retreats in to a subdued Japanese boy. In the final minute, the band(minus Bill) are revealed as patrons of the nightclub. I get the feeling Bill wasn't a fan of filming videos.

In what is listed as "credits" on the box, we see footage of the band in various states of "on tour". Suffering reporters inane questions, signing autographs, and rehearsing. I was delighted to find that they are rehearsing the song "Star Me Kitten" from Automatic For The People, backed by a mixing board vocal "instrument" played by Mike Mills. Unfamiliar with the words, Michael reads from sheet music. Excellent footage and a remarkable song.

The final shot is of an ant in climbing atop the model of a castle in an ant farm . Having reached the top perch, he struggles to stretch his body to a higher level.

The Striped Holy Grail

2005-09-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Every so often a gift of such magnificence falls in to your lap, it's hard to deny. Even those not a fan of Saint Jack and Lady Meg would be hard pressed to refuse this gift that fell from the brow of the digital deity. Hollywood, sure. But the redemption comes from straight from the stage of the Greek Theatre in SoCal. Two against an army. (I won't make the obvious pun here). Their only weapons; 3 amps, 3 guitars(2 blood red) , and a sparkling set of skins. Those that clawed their way to the front were repelled by the tnt hurled from the ampliphied cones. Even the poor keyboards get caught in the melee. Jack, dressed in his finest 'Freddie Mercury" pants. Meg, perched upon her leather throne, is in red pants and black shirt(accented by her finest bounce). Her hair, propelled by a hidden fan, swirls like beautiful bats around her head. Jack comes forward only to incite the youngsters and urge them to "take a whiff on me". There's also the near "Jimi @ Monterey" moment that finds said Saint on his knees before the six stringed God with only a pick and slide, instead of a urn of lighter fluid. Incendiary indeed. There are moments of short-lived peace as well. Lady Meg steps out front to deliver a luscious ode of love to her lover draped only in the cold fingers of night. And as a nod to Zimmy, Jackie-boy tickles the keys and serenades the masses with his internal struggle against jaded love. If you think a strobe light is a gimmick, call it just that. It's here. So, deal with it. There's even a lesson in French by Messier Jacque before all's said and done. Our cup runeth over with rock. But as the green guy says, "Don't Panic!" If you look close enough, you'll find what you've been looking for. The hits, b-sides, vinyl only pressings, hard to find singles, and everything in between. You will be converted with a single viewing. Don't fight. You'll lose. I'll tell you one thing. When they discover higher intelligence in the universe, this will be our greeting card. Loud, lovely, and well...loud.

radioheadvids0.tripod.com/WS/images/WS09-23-03f.jpg
White Stripes 09/23/03 DVD(1) A- Hollywood AUD from DV

black math>dead leaves and the dirty ground
hotel yorba
I'm finding it harder to be a gentleman
when I hear my name
cannon > take a whiff on me
sugar never tasted so good
in the cold cold night
the hardest button to button
do
death letter > grinnin' in your face
astro > jack the ripper > everyday
devil's haircut
ball and biscuit
we're going to be friends
lovesick
you're pretty good looking
apple blossom
look me over closely
lafayette blues
I want to be the boy
seven nation army > wichita lineman
little room
let's build a home > going back to memphis

Ipod song of the day: "This Here Giraffe" from the Flaming Lips Clouds Taste Metallic

SMiLE Journey or A Lesson In Duality(part 2)

2005-09-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

Arriving in Providence, I still had the feeling that something very special was gonna happen that night at the show in Waterford, CT. I just couldn't shake it. I hoped Brian and band wouldn't disappoint me. I spent the better part of the day catching up with an old high school friend named Jason. Several months earlier he had promised to loan me his car to drive the 200 miles to Waterford and he held true to his word. I bought him a ticket for the show, but for some reason or other he chose not to come. I didn't question him as he had come through with the car and I didn't want to pressure him.
I started off for the show during the peak evening rush hour and was a bit worried I might not make it on time. Thankfully, the Gods of rock 'n roll were with me and I arrived at the venue with a mere five minutes to spare. I quickly shuffled in, got my recording device prepped and blissfully took my seat 11 rows back on Jeff's side, just in front of the right hand bank of speakers.

The only bummer during the show was the very drunk middle aged asshole who occupied the seat just in front of me. His off-time clapping and inappropriate 'hoots & hollers' were really annoying, but I wasn't about to let this fuckball ruin my evening. I ignored him for the most part, but did feel like kicking him right in the back of the head more than once during the show. The couple that was sitting next to me did manage to tell him and his drunken friends to shut up, which surprisingly did just that.
The band came out for the first set and it was clear they had come to play, and play well. They built momentum during the first set with barn-burners like "Breakaway","Add Some Music", "Darlin", "Pet Sounds", and a one-two punch of "Sail On Sailor>Marcella" to close out the set. I was very excited at this point. Not only was Brian in fantastic voice, but the band was clearly having a ball on stage and it was evident in their playing.
Finally, why we had all come (and what I had traveled over a thousand miles to hear) began! I'll start by saying that the performance surpassed even my grand expectations for the evening. Every note was pitch-perfect and a tidal wave of bliss was pouring out of the speakers. At points during the SMiLE section, Brian was actually growling! His vocal performance was the strongest I had seen in the four performances I've witnessed. The band was grinning ear to ear and Brian was as animated as I've ever seen. He was singing on parts that he normally doesn't, including 'da-da's' during the cello segue from "Old Master Painter" in to "You Were My Sunshine"(he loves to say da-da, you know!). He even joined Nicky during the "pirate rap" section. WOW! Mr. Wilson was en fuego! Brian was waving his hands all about, yelling to the audience to clap along, and projecting a soaring falsetto.

Highlights included:

The orgasmic vocal crescendo to conclude "Cabin Essence" Ga-ga-gooey!

The bouncing vocals on the "Never you mind, you wonderful you!"

The sublime "I believe" section of "Child Is Father..."

The haunting beauty of the piano segue in to "Surf's Up".

Brian tore in to the first verse of "Surf's Up" with such gusto I nearly fell outta my seat. The old man's still got it!

The first few lines of "Vegetables" with Brian growling on the down beat was a wondrous thing to witness. As they all played with their tools, Brain blurted out, "We're building a HOUSE!"

The frantic chaos of "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow"

The trio of vocals traded off between Jeffrey, Darian, and Brian at the beginning of "I'm In Great Shape".

Suffice to say, I was in a state of complete mind and body nirvana by the end of the second set. I had just witnessed sheer perfection and I knew it! This was one of the most amazing concert experiences I've had in over 20 years of seeing live music. Brian and band delivered a masterpiece.
The first encore was about 20 or so minutes of greatest hits songs from the Beach Boys early recording career. The whole crowd had been on its feet since "Good Vibrations" and remained standing for the rest of the show. "Johnny B. Goode" and "Barbara Ann" were two highlights and had the whole place bopping as fast as they could. Although this was basically the oldies part of the show, it was still thrilling to see Brian play bass and continue in the animated fashion he had displayed earlier. It was also revealed during the band introductions that none other than David Marks(one of the original Beach Boys!) was in attendance. Perhaps this was a motivating factor for the band and Brian to perform at their peak. Lucky for us!
They returned for the second encore and performed a new, if seemingly unfinished, Brain Wilson composition called "The Path Of Life" that beautifully segued in to "Love & Mercy". This was as heartfelt as they come, folks. There aren't many genuine moments in a rock 'n roll concert, but this was truly a moment of spiritual enlightenment if ever there was one. I felt elevated to an emotional level that even comes through in the recording. L&M is probably one of my favorite songs by ANY composer and it moves me everytime I hear it. I am eternally grateful that Brian has returned to a form that allows him to continue to break new musical ground and barriers that once stood in his way. His wife, Melinda, has a lot to do with this. She and their children have given him a foundation of love and emotional support sorely lacking from his life in previous years. And we are ALL the better for it. Thank God for Brain Wilson!
As I walked out in to the cool air I saw a beautiful moon shining down on me and was surrounded by several families also heading for the parking lot. Two middle-aged men with a pre-teen boy and girl were walking just ahead of me. Clearly repeating what he had heard from one of the men at an earlier date, the young boy proclaimed, "Mike Love sucks!" To which one of the older men replied, "Mike Love doesn't suck. He just a jerk." Ahhhh, sweet insanity.

I'm not sure how I made it back the 200 miles to Providence in the middle of the night considering the altered state I was in by shows end. I worried the whole drive back that somehow I hadn't managed to capture the evenings performance on my recording device. Not to worry, I had. Once again, the Gods of rock 'n roll were smiling upon me. I truly thank them and offer this prayer as payment for their generosity.
http://rapidshare.de/files/5078407/Our_Prayer1.mp3.html

SMiLE Journey or A Lesson In Duality(part 1)

2005-08-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

It was a two weeks ago tonight that I was sitting in a small theatre in Waterford, CT watching one of the most thrilling concert experiences of my life. I had driven for two hours through Connecticut to Rhode Island in a borrowed SUV to reach my destination only minutes before the show began. As I sat and listened to the angelic lotus of sound that opened before me, I thought back to Brian's performance in Philadelphia the night before and what a difference a day makes.
I had arrived in Philly mid-afternoon and quickly caught a taxi($35) to a large park(the name escapes me) just northeast of town. It was a wonderfully lush part of the city that was bordered by a not so clean part of town. I sat at a picnic table across the street from the venue and ate the lunch I had packed before the trip. Somehow I knew that there wouldn't be a great deal of nourishment to choose from near the venue. I was right. It was misting ever so lightly as I sat across from the Mann Music Center while the smell of urine and bums wondered about.
Having finished my lunch, I approached the ticket window and inquired about a bus after the show. The ticket attendant assured me that one would be leaving for downtown 15 minutes after the show from just in front of the box office. I had plenty of cash but was trying to save as much as I could having spent several hundred on the trip already and knowing that I wanted to buy an overpriced($30) "Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE" baseball cap somewhere along the way. I had seen one at the merchandise booth during the Fall Tour of the South but had opted for a t-shirt instead.
With several hours to kill I walked to a convenience store for some water and generally loitered around the venue watching the tour buses arrive and unload. There was a monument within eyeshot of the box office, so I decided I would hang around it and take care of the unpleasant business I needed to do before the show. I was planning on recording the show that evening and the only way to get the recorder in the venue I needed to put on some briefs under my boxer shorts in order to smuggle it inside. The monument shielded me from the street and it was the perfect place to take care of said business. I discovered that it was placed there during the late 1800's by the Catholic total abstinence union! Considering the amount of narcotics I planned on eating that evening, I decided I'd better not hang around too long for fear of being converted.

The rain had let up during the course of the afternoon and I was lucky enough to be one of the few(if not the only) concert-goer to hear the soundcheck from the side of the lawn. They first ran through a nice 'Add Some Music' and then went over the chorus of 'Help Me Rhonda' several time acapella! What a treat to hear. Next, they ran through the whole song. After the band left the stage, one of the guitarists(I'm guessing Nicky Wonder) remained on stage and noodled around. Several bars of Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb" guitar solo were present in his amp check.
By this time, the rain had returned and it was beginning to mist in earnest. I retired to a nearby tennis court and shoved the digital recorder down my pants and then walked the short distance to the main gate. I was caught under an awning for the better part of an hour as the rain picked up. A few people showed up early as there was some confusion with the tickets. Not only did they have the wrong date, many had the wrong start time. I wonder if anyone was fired for that debacle?! Probably not.
I was one of the first to enter the venue and the security was more concerned about the empty water bottles in my backpack than anything else. He did ask if I had a camera and questioned why I had a change of clothes in my pack. I told him I had come straight from Texas, but I don't think he cared or even listened to my response. Once inside, they refused to let the ever growing crowd enter the covered seating area for almost an hour. What the hell that was about, I'll never know. I think they were trying to get people climb the hill and eat at one of the over priced restaurant tents. Dickheads.
Finally, I was able to sit in my box seat a little less than half way back in the seating area. I was soon joined by a couple who I had seen just as I was walking inside. We sparked up a conversation and they informed me that they knew Probyn Gregory, one of the very talented members in the band and multi instrumentalists, and had spent the earlier part of the evening backstage with him. I was quite intrigued and questioned them about their backstage adventures. Probyn, they informed me, was a genuinely nice fellow and had gone out of his way to make sure they were introduced to the rest of the band including Brian himself! This made the concert experience that much more exciting. I wasn't able to meet him, but got to live vicariously through them and share in their joy. Probyn had given them a tour of the stage and even asked if they wanted to play his Theremin. They refused, thinking that it would be just their luck to break it prior to the show. I knew how they felt. They had gotten to meet the man himself, and probably didn't want to push their luck any further. Smart choice.
We talked quite a bit before the show and during the set break. I was very surprised at how much of a fanatical fan the husband was. He had quite a knowledge of Beach Boys history and had spent years, prior to Brain's completion, searching for SMiLE compilations in local stores. He was a huge music fan and it was fun picking his brain and swapping stories. They really made my experience in Philly a delight and I feel lucky to have shared the show with them.
Brain and band entered the stage and Brian quickly stepped to his mike and thanked two individuals he called "friends". I had learned earlier in the evening from my conversation with the couple that a concert promoters convention was in town and had chosen Brian's performance as entertainment for the evening(and purchased 300 tickets in the process). I didn't make the connection until later.
The inside of the seating area, and the whole venue for that matter, was constructed of beautiful planks of wood. This made for a very nice sound mix. As expected the bass and drums were a bit boomy, but nothing that took away from the performance. The crowd was very considerate and sat through the majority of the performance. The seating area was about 2/3 filled, leaving the hill empty. This was probably for the best as it continued to rain for the whole of the performance. The show was very good, with Brian being in MUCH better voice than the previous shows I had seen in the fall. There were a few lyrical flubs during the course of the show by Brian, but nothing too bad. The band was in fine form and turned out a very solid performance. I was very pleased. Very pleased indeed. Little did I know that the following evening would shine even brighter.
As I hurried out of the venue, I said goodbye to the couple and scampered to the front gate. Outside I found a number a trolley- like buses lined up front and asked if there was still room in the first one. The driver said yes, so I hopped right on taking a seat about 3 rows back. Everyone kinda gave me a strange look, but I gave it no mind. Shortly after I sat down, the guy sitting to my left asked the woman across the aisle how she had gotten Brian to say "thank you" to her at the beginning of the performance. She said she hadn't been inside the seating area yet, but had heard what he had said. It was then that I realized I was on the trolley for the concert promoters convention. By this time the trolley had pulled out in to traffic but still had it's door open. Without saying a thing, I jumped out of the moving vehicle and on to the curb. I wonder what they all thought? At that moment, I saw what was clearly the public transportation bus sitting further down the driveway. I jumped in and was headed downtown. Geez, that was close. Who knows where I would have ended up if I had stayed on the trolley. Whew!
Once downtown, I tried to figure out the train system but had to ask for help. The attendant told me the final train for the airport was leaving in 5 minutes and to not miss it. I reached the ticket dispenser, but the fucking machine only took dollar bills and I was shit out of luck. Needless to say, I had to hail a cab to the airport($25).
Arriving at the airport, I had a good 7 hour wait before my plane left for Connecticut the next morning. I wandered around and found a reasonably priced snack machine and sat down to listen to that evenings performance. The digital recorder only had a capacity of 90 minutes, so I had decided to record all of the first set and with the remaining time caught what I could of the SMiLE performance. It cut off just as 'Surf's Up' came to an end. While not perfect(several instances of distortion during the louder first set songs), it was very satisfying to re-live the show so quickly following the performance. I slowly drifted off to asleep in the luggage retrieval area while being awakened every 30 minutes or so by an announcement or pervert.
Knowing that the following evenings performance was being held in a much more intimate theatre setting, I made the hard decision to delete that nights recording in hopes that the show in Connecticut would have more in store. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what was waiting for me there.

to be continued...

Stones Boots 69-81

2005-08-09T23:43:00.000-07:00

I can remember being in Bookstop 10 or more years ago and reading through Relix(or some other magazine like that) and found an article on Rolling Stones bootlegs from their '69 Tour. It listed the set lists for the shows and the quality of the recordings. I realized then that I should start seeking out some of their shows. Understand that as far as I'm concerned, anything the Stones did after '82 is pretty much shit(excluding Undercover Of The Night). So, that would put limitations on shows I would be searching for. I didn't really find a whole lot until I got on the internet, but since then it's been a virtual flood of Stones in my ear hole. I'm gonna list(from memory) some of my favorite shows. Take in mind that some of these shows circulate under MANY different names and I'm gonna go for quality rather than quantity.

7.5.69 London, England: I actually have this as a bootleg DVD that is more of a psuedo documentary of their performance in Hyde Park from Granada Television. A pro-shot performance with Mick Taylor replacing Brian Jones for the first time, who had died just 2 days earlier. With Brian's death there was some question as to whether or not the show should go on as planned. But since he had been kicked out of the band a few months earlier, I guess they decided they should press on and turned the show in to a tribute to his memory(complete with Jagger reading a eulogy for Jones). Excellent performance footage(though a little tentative at times) spliced in with interviews from the band and fans alike. A very sedate crowd(most of the 250,000 are seated) despite the fact that the Hells Angels were doing security detail as they would at Altamont later in the year. But I guess that's the difference between English and American Angels. The biggest problem that days seems to be people climbing up in to the trees to get a better vantage point of the stage. This is where the idea for the Angels to do security in California stemmed from. Mistake #1!

11.9.69 Oakland, CA(2nd show): I have this as a boot called Live'r Than You'll Ever Be. There is also a 30th anniversary edition that I assume has been remastered. An excellent soundboard recording. A little less than a month before their horrific experience at Altamont, also in Northern California. A very nice document of the '69 American Tour, their first with Mick Taylor. The first show circulates on a bootleg called Pot Boiler and is from an audience source with little to no audience noise, but is a bit distant and muffled. Still a nice listen, though.

12.6.69 Altamont Speedway: This is the exception I'll make to quality. I have this as a bootleg called The Killer Festival(yikes!). Even on this sub-par audience recording you get the sense that death was hanging in the air that day. Very spooky. Lots of crowd noise and distant sounding. When the Grateful Dead refused to play(Mistake #2) because the Hells Angels(Mistake #3) were getting out of control(including punching Marty Balin from the Jefferson Airplane in the face and knocking him out cold), the crowd sat around for a few hours while the Stones waited for the sun to go down because they wanted their lightshow in the movie they were filming(Gimme Shelter). Mistake #4. In the Phil Lesh autobiography "Searching For The Sound", he states that perhaps it would have been better for the Grateful Dead to have played that day because it would have placated the audience and Angles. But hindsight is of course 20/20.

3.13.71 Leeds, England: Bootleg title Get Your Leeds Lungs Out. There is also a version with "Revisited" in the title that has been digitally remastered from the original tapes. I've seen this listed as a sbd and FM broadcast, either way it's a fantastic performance and recording. One that should be in every Stones lovers collection. My favorite version of 'Stray Cat Blues' is on this cd. To be honest, all the tracks on this disc are phenomenal. Get it!

6.24.72 Fort Worth, TX(evening show): Ahmet Ertegun, Thank You Kindly is the name of the boot. A fantastic soundboard from their legendary '72 American Tour. Get it! There's a great scene in the movie "Cocksuckers Blues" where the cameras catch a bit of duality in the backstage area of a Stones concert. The cameraman is in the hallway and has the view of two locker rooms, one has Jagger and Ahmet(famous record executive) talking business as Jagger paces back and forth. As the camera pans over to the other room we can see Keith Richards in the arms of an anonymous groupie slowly fading away in a heroin stupor. The camera goes back and forth between Jaggers feverish pacing and Keith nodding off more and more until finally his head is in the lap of the groupie chick. The Glimmer Twins, indeed!

2.24.73/2.26.73 Perth & Sydney, Australia: 2 disc bootleg named Happy Birthday, Nicky. The title refers to the song being sung for piano player Nicky Hopkins during the Perth show band introductions. Great soundboard recordings. However, only a portion of each show is present on these discs. Not too disappointing, though. Both have a nice running time and plenty of great material is played. Band seems to be in a good mood despite the fact that they were refused entrance visas in to Japan and had to cancel all the Japanese shows scheduled for this tour. As a result, they would not play in Japan until 1990. Replacement shows were booked in Hawaii instead(that's a hell of a compromise!). The Perth portion of these recordings also exists on a bootleg called Exiles Afternoon Revisited. The following night 2.27 exists on a recording called Welcome To Australia, but I have never seen or heard the disc. It was also the first complete Mick Taylor era soundboard recording to surface.

10.17.73 w/ 9.9.73 Brussels, Belgium & London, England: The Rolling Stones in one of their finest hours. Many different versions of this combo of shows circulate because it has been aired via the radio(notably King Biscuit Flower Hour) in many different forms. Too many to denote here. Do a Google search and you'll find at least one very in depth description of the songs and versions aired. The most popular bootleg I've found this to exist on is titled Bedspring Symphony. Again a version with "Revisited" in the title circulates with 20-bit digital remastering performed on the original tapes(I assume). This also circulates under the title Brussels Affair. A fantastic collection of songs played masterfully from each concert in pristine quality. The instruments jump out at you and grab a hold of your nuts, making you squirm about like Jagger himself. Mick Taylor is at his tastiest form here. Unfortunately, this European Tour would be the last for Mick Taylor, but thank goodness we have such a wonderful document of it to remember this line-up by.

7.13.75 Los Angeles, CA: This venue(the LA Forum) is the only set of recordings I have from this year, although I've read that they toured quite a bit during 1975. I have an audience recording(somewhere in the pile) of 7.11.75 and don't remember being that impressed with its quality. However, I do have a pro-shot DVD of this nights performance playing on the set right now. Looks like it might be a generation from the source, but still very good sound and video. With the new line-up(Ronnie Wood replacing Mick Taylor), the birth of the mammoth Stones stage, props, and shows came to life. They did have a bridge riser that went behind Charlie's drum set during the '73 tour, but what evolved in '75(and onward) dwarfs all that petty stage dressing. Before they even set foot on stage there are men running with 20' long Chinese Dragons through the audience to the sound of firecrackers exploding all around them. The boys come on stage to the sounds of 'Fanfare For The Common Man' and never look back. During this tour they were performing an excellent version of 'If You Can't Rock Me' that segued in to a rockin' version of "Get Off Of My Cloud' that is much faster than the recorded version. Very nice energy from the band at this show. Also showcased during this tour was a great version of 'You Got To Move' that found Keith, Ronnie, and Mick flanked by Billy Preston(piano & child molester) and Ollie Brown at the foot of the stage all singing together in to one mike as soulfully as they could. Keith looks really unhealthy and skinning during this show. Way to beat the odds, Keith!

6.28.78 Memphis, TN: This FM broadcast is titled Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others. Great quality, but a little short on songs. Only 10 of the 14 songs performed that evening are present here. It's nice to hear Mick cussing on the radio, if nothing else.

7.18.78 Ft. Worth, TX (and various other dates): Handsome Girls chronicles the best of this sometimes sloppy, but still magical tour of America in wonderful soundboard quality. This comprehensive 4 disc set has the Ft. Worth show in its entirety, complete with alternate mixes of 8 songs on the 2nd disc. The 3rd & 4th disc have a variety of songs from many different stops along the way including Houston, Lexington, Detroit, and Memphis. The Memphis show has a very rare version(only performed twice) of Big Mama Thornton's 'Hound Dog'. While The Ft. Worth show has a wonderful rendition of 'Faraway Eyes' with Doug Kershaw on violin. One of my all time favorite collections! Get it now!

12.13.81 Phoenix, AZ: I can't seem to find this 2 disc recording amongst all my cd's, but I know I have it because I was really impressed with the performance when I listened to it some time back. I did a check and it apparently circulates under the titles Satisfaction Guaranteed & Welcome To Phoenix. This is last great era of the Stones live shows as far as my ears can tell. Sloppy at times, but not during this show that's for sure. Although, I don't have it within my reach at the moment, it does stick out in my mind as a very fine show in excellent soundboard quality.

12.18.81 Hampton, VA: Another great show from this tour in excellent quality. Taken from a nationwide(?) FM broadcast, this show is nice and long as were most of the shows on this tour. The Stones trying to give the fans their moneys worth(25 songs in the set list). There's also a 2 disc dvd set that circulates from a pay per view broadcast of this show, produced by none other than Bill Graham himself. I have it and it's great. It opens with Bill Graham and Bill or Charlie(I can't recall) playing a game of ping pong backstage while George Thorogood opens the show. It's got Jagger playing guitar which was a bit of a poser move on his part, but to his credit he was doing back as early as '75. I think he was the original lead singer to pick up and start playing just to show everyone he could. Eddie Vedder and many others would follow his lead(lame!). The notoriety of this show is that when the band began the encore, "Satisfaction", thousands of balloons were released and a fan, taking advantage of the confusion, ran past security and onto the stage, directly at Keith Richards, who proved that they don't call guitars "Axes" for nothing! The best part is that Keith nails the guy with a Telecaster, then puts it back on and keeps playing! Here's a screen grab of the moment.

http://www.geetarz.org/reviews/stones/hampton-81-dvd-28.jpg

So, there you have it. Some of the best Rolling Stones recordings out there. It's a shame that more fine audience recordings of the Stones don't exist. I'd like to hear the crowds reaction as long as it doesn't interfere with the sound, that is. But those that I have heard(mostly from the early 70's were lacking is fidelity and overall quality). Not to mention that Stones fans are a rowdy drunken lot!

I heart Macca...sometimes

2005-08-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Although George is my favorite Beatle by far, I am a sucker for a good pop song. Therefore, I'm a big fan of certain Paul McCartney albums and songs. I'll do my best to lead you down the right path and help you avoid all the crapolla he's put out over the last 35 years.
First off is his second solo album called Ram. This was his response to the critics who had panned his first lo-fi solo effort simply called McCartney, which was literally recorded in his living room(I'll get to it later). Here, Paul went in to a real studio and turned out a whimsically produced album of ear-candy. Granted most of the songs on the album are fluff, they are an enjoyable lot with plenty of marshmallow filled center. While most have heard the mini suite 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey on classic rock stations over the years, some of the most outstanding tracks have rarely, if ever, graced the airwaves. The opening track 'Too Many People' is a nice little jab at his old bandmates dressed up inside a sweet pop wrapper. 'Smile Away' is a very pleasant blues rocker with its memorable(and hysterical) line, "Boy, I can smell your feet a mile away!" The closing track 'Backseat Of My Car' is another mini suite that also manages to throw in a backing vocal barb aimed at his estranged fiancées. I'm also a big fan of the segue tracks called 'Ram On'. Very simple in their message and delivered nicely on a strummed ukulele. A great road trip album. Just push play and soon you'll too have that white line fever.
Next up is probably his biggest selling solo album entitled Band On The Run. The recording of this album nearly cost Paul and lovely Linda their lives while in Lagos, Nigeria. They arrived to find that the studios construction was far from being complete and were held up at knife point by locals who were not exactly thrilled to have a pop star flaunting his wealth in the third world country. The attack had him screaming to the thieves, "I'm Beatle Paul!", which obviously made no impression on them. The title track has become the world wide hit we've all known it to be, while others such as 'Jet', 'Let Me Roll It'(a response to Lennon's venomous 'How Do You Sleep'), and 'Helen Wheels(one of my all time favorites) never did get as much airplay as they deserved. The last two songs of the album have a similar feel to the suite on the second side of Abbey Road. While falling a bit short of that high water mark, the production and grand scope of the songs give them both a feel of epic proportions and are sure to put a smile on your puss.
The last great album to come from the pen of Macca was released shortly after John's assassination. Tug Of War showcases Paul in a variety of different styles and moods. Reuniting with producer George Martin, Paul turns out one of his strongest efforts to date. There are terrific pop songs 'Take It Away' and 'Ballroom Dancing', playful folk tunes 'Tug Of War' ,'Get It'(a duet with Carl Perkins) and 'The Pound Is Sinking', blockbuster piano tunes in 'Ebony & Ivory' and 'Wanderlust', and a hauntingly beautiful tribute to John with 'Here Today'. The production is majestic, even if sometimes dated. Even psuedo disco songs like 'What's That You're Doing'(w/ Stevie Wonder) and 'Dress Me Up As A Robber' are sure to grow on you with multiple listenings.
Other singles/songs of note through the years include, 'Maybe I'm Amazed'(McCartney), 'Wild Life'(Wild Life), 'Let 'em In' & 'Silly Love Songs'(Speed Of sound), 'Arrow Through Me' & 'Getting Closer'(Back To The Egg), 'Mull Of Kintyre'(single), 'Wonderful Christmastime'(single), 'Waterfalls'(McCartney II), 'No More Lonely Nights'(Give My Regards To Broad St.), and finally 2001's 'From A Lover To A Friend'(Driving Rain). Drop any or all of these in to your iPod's shuffle mode and you'll be well on your way to cotton candy bliss.

iPod Song of the Day: 'Someone Who Is Cool' from The Odds album Nest

The Mother Ship Has Landed

2005-08-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

Now I've seen some crazy-ass shit on stage in my day, but what I've just witnessed on dvd tops 'em all. I've recently acquired a pro-shot video of the Parliament/Funkadelic 3.21.78 performance of the "Flash Light Tour" at the Summit in Houston, TX. These motherfuckers are rockstar HIGH!
The evening begins with a groovy little cartoon that explains how Dr. Funkenstein has returned to the planet to discover that Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk has removed all the Funkentelechy with assistance from the Placebo Syndrome. Uhhhhhhh, ok. That's when the "j" drops and the band kicks in on the down beat.
The 'Funkentelechy Medley' is up first. The bank of horns and back up singers start it off with a groove so fat that you've got to check your blood pressure before you go any further. What looks to be a silver fabric covered pimp mobile then rolls out on stage and none other that George Clinton himself pops out as if from a trap door on the stage. Dressed in a blood red beret, black silk scarf, and a silver flame covered fringe outfit that has a vampire collar as high as he is(and this is probably his most conservative outfit of the evening!). Did I mention that he also has on what appears to be a pair of giant lime green novelty sunglasses? Well, he does.
Throughout the show there are never less that a dozen people on stage funkin' so hard I have to believe The Summit was actually sliding on its foundation farther and farther down Highway 59 South. The entire audience has 3 foot long illuminated "light sabers", but I suppose they had to call them "flash lights" to keep from getting sued and also to maintain their street cred. Nearly everyone in the band has some sort of silver or gold lame cape on as well.
And this band if funkin' tight as a schoolgirl. With the simple wave of a hand, they shift gears from funk to super funk and then back again. The funk they brought to the house is so nasty, no amount of remodeling by the "Oasis of Love" is gonna scrape it all off. And the grooves go on forever! How anyone this high can remember an arrangement this crazy is beyond me. The nickname "Dr. Funkenstein" is right on the money. Clinton leads and cheers his band on for the entire 2 hour funkfest without losing an ounce of enthusiasm(but probably going through an ounce of white powder in the process!)
Never fear, George ain't the only star of the show. Garry Shider, diaper-clad-guitarist-extraordinaire, flies down from the rafters with a strobe light ray gun shooting the funk to the back of the house for those in the cheap seats. A six foot tall flash light and the infamous Sir Nose even make an appearance. But, hands down, the climax of the show is when the gigantic flashing, smoke shooting, tin foil covered Mothership makes its landing on stage. As the door opens, out steps Clinton clad in a flowing navel length white wig and dressed head to toe in a fur-lined pimpish white suit that would make Elvis crawl back in to Graceland crying like a baby. This is some serious funk here folks.
Like I said, these guys are wild, weird and funkin' high as kites. Nevertheless, they put on one hell of a theatrical rock show oozing with so much funk that a dunk in Buffalo Bayou ain't got nothin' on these mofo's. The music is amazing, but the visual experience is what really shoots this performance off in to the psychedelic funk-filled stratosphere. Alls I can say is, good-god-damn!

BTW, has anyone seen where I put my funkentelechy?

An Evening With Neil Young Solo-The 1999 Tour

2005-07-31T01:43:00.000-07:00

Easily one of the most important rock n' roll events of the decade took place just as it was closing. Neil Young's all acoustic tour of 1999 will go down in history as an event of epic proportions, despite it relative simplicity. Covering nearly the entirety of the United States and a portion of Canada, the tour started its first of 3 legs in Vancouver moving down the West Coast, across the Mid-West and East Coast, and finally wrapping up south of the Bible Belt in my hometown of Houston.
I have a number of field recordings from this tour and each is filled with its own surprises with songs covering the bulk of Neil's almost 40 year old recording career at the time. Each night was filled with classics like 'Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing' and 'Flying On The Ground Is Wrong' standing side by side with newer compositions such as 'Looking Forward' and 'Out Of Control'. A repertoire of almost 80 songs on this tour required that he have a notebook at his feet each night to keep him aware of his options.
There is a beautifully filmed official DVD of this tour released by the name of, you guessed it, Silver & Gold. It chronicles a magical night of music at the Bass Music Hall in Austin, Texas on May 29, 1999(Neil calls the venue a "music church"). It's just Neil alone on stage surrounded by a semi-circle of stringed instruments ranging from 6 and 12 string guitars of varying ages(including one of Hank Williams') with a guitjo(a six stringed banjo) thrown in for good measure. On one of the evenings I saw the show in Houston, he told the story of one of the guitars that had a bullet hole in it from where the original owner had been gunned down as he played it(yikes!). Flanked on his left and right by an upright and grand piano with a magnificent pump organ upstage center. The only bummer is that the DVD only showcases 13 of the 28 songs played on that evening. Maybe someday we'll get to see the rest in digital clarity.
This was a 'no frills' musical experience. With only a simple white scrim as his backdrop, Neil performed all the musical acrobatics needed to take your mind to that heavenly place that most performers fill several eighteen-wheelers to try and accomplish. A variety of pastel and primary colors were projected on the backdrop as the mood changed with each new song. A truly elegant, yet simple, approach. He let the songs do the talking and did not rely on gimmicks to dilute the ambrosia.
In one of the more beautifully organic moments of the DVD, while singing the song 'Daddy Went Walkin' he accidentally comes in a bar too early with his vocals but catches himself just in the nick of time. In that brief moment, someone in the audience gives a cheer of approval and Neil can be heard ever so quietly saying to himself..."yeah". Yeah, indeed.

Songs performed on the 1999 solo tour:
Tell Me Why
Looking Forward
War of Man
Out of Control
Albuquerque
World On A String
Shut Up Asshole
Don't Let It Bring You Down
Philadelphia
Homegrown
Daddy Went Walkin'
Distant Camera
Ambulance Blues
Southern Pacific
The Needle and the Damage Done
On The Way Home
Goin' Back
2Time Spent In Detroit
Pocahontas
Long May You Run
Old King
Old Man
Harvest Moon
Heart of Gold
Last Trip to Tulsa
Slowpoke
After the Goldrush
Good To See You
Lookout For My Love
Unknown Legend
Razor Love
Lotta Love
Cortez The Killer
Dreamin' Man
Expectin' To Fly
Horseshoe Man
Love Is A Rose
I Am A Child
One Of These Days
Cowgirl In The Sand
Throw You Hatred Down
White Line
Mansion On The Hill
Harvest
Birds
Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing
Comes A Time
Railroad Town
Helpless
Flying On The Ground Is Wrong
Dance Dance Dance
Down By The River
Mr. Soul
Mother Earth
From Hank To Hendrix
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Cinnamon Girl
In The Great Divide
Lotta Love
See The Sky About To Rain
Kansas
Southern Man
Silver and Gold
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Powderfinger
Pocahantus
On The Beach
Sugar Mountain
Last Trip To Vegas

Truckin' Up To Buffalo

2005-07-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

The most recent release from the video vault of the Grateful Dead takes us up to Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. This 4th of July show has the band igniting their own brand of fireworks, magic, and comedy routines on stage as the cameras roll. Top to bottom the performance by the band is flawless. The weather was hot(as indicated by the beads of sweat) and so was the band.
I won't break it down song by song since each is a masterpiece in its own right, but I am gonna point out a few of the highlights...

Speaking of masterpiece, during their first set performance of 'When I Paint My Masterpiece' the first comedy routine takes place. Ya see, Bob Weir can't help but play the part of "rock star" since no one else in the band will. As he sings the line "ran on a hilltop following a pack of wild geese", Jerry joins in for a harmony with his eyes closed. At the conclusion of the line, Bob points out toward the sky to a flock of imaginary wild geese(or not depending on how high he was). Jerry opens his eyes just in time to see Bobs gesture and quickly looks to see what the hell he is pointing out. Nothing Jer. It's all in the mind. Bob gets a laugh and Jerry just keeps on rockin'.

The next bit is pure Grateful Dead magic. In Bobby next song, 'Looks Like Rain', the lyric reads "I'll still sing you love songs written in the letters of your name. Brave the storm that comes, for it surely looks like rain." Just as he finishes the word "name" a crash of thunder, loud enough to be caught on the soundtrack, shakes the whole stadium. The rain would soon follow and the cosmic ballet begins.

The final bit of comedy presented on the dvd comes just as the band is walking on stage for their second set. Jerry can be see looking around in all directions as if he doesn't know what's going on or where he is. Ole Jer scratches the top of his head in a bewildered state. Brent sees the confusion on his buddies face and does what any friend would do in front of 60, 000 tripping Dead Heads...he mocks him and laughs aloud. Silly Jerry, trips are for kids! Jerry laughs it off and tears in to a raging set opener 'Touch Of Grey".

This performance is killer any way you look at it. The only let down is, unlike the previous video vault releases, there are no filler tracks. However, the show does run over 2hrs and 40min. Plus you get to see Jerry playing his "midi-sized" Stratocaster during the Space segment of the show, a real rarity. In the words of Ted Knight, "Top Notch! Top Notch!"

iPod Song of the Day: 'Silver Train' performed by the Rolling Stones on Don Kirshners Rock Show 9.29.73

Neil Young's Silver & Gold (cd)

2005-07-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

This album is just exactly perfect. A little short, but perfect. At just over 35 minutes in duration it could use some fleshing out, but I think Neil donated the other songs that would have been included to his pals CSN on their 1999 album Looking Forward. Which is a real shame because if he had included the songs 'Looking Forward', 'Out Of Control', and 'Slowpoke' this would have been an even better album. It's hard to imagine this masterpiece getting any sweeter, but it would have been even more of a slice of heaven with those included. And as much as I love this album, I've read many Rusties(hard core Neil fans) criticize it for one reason or another("light-hearted", "fluff", "too comfortable"). All bullshit. Maybe I'm a softy, but I think it displays his writing, vocal, and musical abilities at the top of his game.
The album starts off with a very pleasant greeting in 'Good To See You'. As if welcoming a good friend after many years, it pops a grin on your mug and puts a bounce in your stride. Its "back to the woodshed" feel is carried throughout the entire album. Containing a very positive message accented by wonderful harmonica playing and pedal steel licks sprinkled generously throughout.
The title track actually dates back to 1982. I have many bootlegs that have this song appearing in a number of different styles through the years, but Neil seems to have really nailed it with this version. Just Neil and his acoustic guitar singing about the glory of love and all the joys that come with it. Peggy Young must be proud to know he's singing about his love for her that "never seems to get old".
The country sing-along 'Daddy Went Walkin' is next up. This is pure classic country, simple and sweet. Mama, daddy, and the old dog all get a mention. A gentle tale of uncluttered living and easy life on the farm.
The nostalgic 'Buffalo Springfield Again' makes me smile every time I hear it. It pretty much tells the story of his old band and band mates, describing his longing to see the old gang one more time to "show the world what we got". A beautiful backing track supplied by the Stray Gators colors his lyrics and emotions to perfection. A happy-go-lucky tune if ever I've heard one and one of my favorites of the album.
Even though 'Great Divide' lyrics paint a picture of loneliness and alienation, it still manages to feel "up" in its delivery. Great wailing pedal steel licks provided by Ben Keith add to the somberness of the lyrics. Neil's vocals floating ever so gently above the track as if they were a gentle breeze blowing across the ripples in an otherwise placid pool of water.
'Horseshoe Man' provides some of the best poetry on the album. It's Neil discovering that, despite his age, he still has a lot to learn about the complexities of love. The lyric "I don't know about love" with its double meaning is meant to twist your head, leaving you scratching it in a blissfully confused state.
Emmylou Harris provides a wonderful counter vocal line on 'Red Sunset'. It's dusk once again in the old railroad town and everyone's heading to the bar or home for a peaceful evenings rest. A lover is arriving home from a long journey to a heart filled with soothing care for ailing bones. A wonderful instrumental break in the middle between the pedal steel and either a squeeze box or violin, blend together sounding like bagpipes. You can almost see the rolling hills of Scotland before your eyes.
The reflective 'Distant Camera' is a song of love for his soul mate. More wining pedal steel incorporated to provide a wistful backdrop for this snapshot of Neil's heart and soul.
Which brings us to the final song 'Razor Love'. This song shakes me to my core. Another song that Neil reached back in to his past and finally recorded more than 13 years after it was written. I first heard this song on a bootleg from his acoustic 1989 world tour. I loved it as much then as I do today. Every phrase evokes deep emotion from me, as in the line "You really make my day with the little things you say". This song is how I picture love. Something that cuts you so deep, there can be no mistaking its presence. And as Neil stretches for the notes in the line "silhouettes on the window", my breath is truly taken away. A love song to end all love songs. Not silly, sappy, or embarrassing. Just heavy, heady, and stunning in its brilliance. One of my favorite songs of all time.

Funny story about 'Razor Love'.
The setting: Sitting at a friends house smoking lots of pot and watching Saturday Night Live with several strangers in the room.
I had come to his house because he had digital cable and I wanted to record Neil's performance in the best possible quality on video tape. So, we sit through the first half hour getting progressively more stoned as the not-so-funny sketches came and went. Finally, Neil is introduced and the band every so smoothly starts the song. Not having the album yet(it wasn't in stores for several more days), I had no idea that it was included on the album. As I slowly begin to recognize the song, I jump from my chair pointing and screaming "THIS IS THE SONG! THIS IS THE SONG!" All the strangers look at me like I'm a fucking loon and go back to their conversations, not paying an ounce of attention to the song. Meanwhile, I'm doing cartwheels in my chair with excitement. Neil did not disappoint, the version was magical. Those poor fools didn't know what they were missing.

iPod Song of the Day: 'Helen Wheels' from Paul McCartney's Band On The Run

Searching For The Sound

2005-07-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Several weeks back a very nice woman, whose dog I walk, gave me the recently released autobiography of Phil Lesh, former bassist for the Grateful Dead. Those who know me, know of my fondness(bordering on obsession) with this band. I own several thousands of hours of their live music on cd, dvd, and tape. I've spoken in recent entries about my cosmic connection to them and their music which is truly unexplainable to others in words. You either get it or you don't. And after years of trying, I no longer feel the desire to waste my breath trying to convince others of the magic and joy they possess. Nevertheless, to this day, they affect me in such a profound way that I am moved to tears by their music and the memories I have of the wonderful times I experienced with them, and this autobiography is no exception.
Trying to recount Phil's journeys with them would be fruitless. However, I do recommend this book highly to those interested in learning about the inner workings of a successful rock n' roll band. Phil does not mince words. He's very candid about his drugs use(good & bad) and the highs and lows that a group can experience in 30 years of touring and recording. These guys were a family in every sense of the word. Encountering all the problems(lack of communication, enabling, petty bickering, money) and joys(love, children, music, adventure) that one would expect.
The glue that held these guys together was Jerry Garcia. All were brought together in some way by the charisma and light that was Jerry. Though all would form relationships through their travels over the years, Jerry was the guy who all would look to as the big man on campus. From the very first days of the band, Phil and Jerry would form a very special bond that was perhaps the strongest of them all. It's evident in their playing and would carry over in to their offstage life as well. It's amazing to me how this relationship would spill over in to the audience as well, breaking the "fourth wall" that exists for any other band. Ask any of my Deadhead pals and they will tell you of the personal relationship we all felt we had with members of the band even though we never met them personally. Our journey through their music and across America was enough to solidify our bond as brothers. We all spoke of them as though they were right there along with the gang, sharing our moments as if they were their own. A wonderfully unique relationship to share with others on such a grand scale.
I'll just note two specific moments that come in the closing chapters of the book that illustrate the magic that Jerry possessed and shown him to be the giant among men that he was. Phil was insistent that his family travel with him through their rigorous touring schedule, bringing his wife and sons, Grahame and Brian, along on the long strange trip. He tells how by the age of 8 his son, Grahame, had begun to journey beyond the special "kids room", set up backstage for the growing team of band & crew children, to the side of the stage having bonded with Jerry. Many nights Grahame could be found sitting atop an anvil case on Jerry's side of the stage listening to the show through headphones. As Grahame would give Jerry a wave, who at this point was beginning to backslide in to his old habits, Garcia would turn to face him and rip a beautifully inspired guitar line as only he could. Lifting himself and band to a higher plane of musical bliss in the process. Even a child could sense the beautiful lotus of energy that flowed from Jerry and his music despite his declining health and inner turmoil.

Another tale written by Lesh is in the final years of the Grateful Dead. Having been offered the uniquely un-Grateful Dead like opportunity to guest conduct an orchestra for an annual fund-raiser Lesh, having been an orchestral conductor in college, jumped at the offer. Without informing his bandmates, Lesh was to conduct a piece called "A Celebration of Some 100 x 150 Notes" by one of America's greatest living composers, Elliott Carter. As he walked to the podium that evening, he thought he saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eye but was too focused on the task before him to turn and get a proper look. As he returned to the wings, he looked to the audience and saw, to his delight, Jerry sitting alone with his ineffable quicksilver grin shinning back at him. Jerry had discovered, through the newspaper, of the gig and had come to show support for his friend of so many years.
As I sit and listen to the sublime and unsung majesty that is Neil Young's 1999 album, Silver & Gold (too sad to listen the GD), I am reminded that Saturday marked the tenth anniversary of the final live Grateful Dead performance. And realize that I couldn't have planned it better, rather this moment was planned for me. Ole Jer is sitting just behind me, planning the next cosmic prankster move that will help me find my smile and bring the magic to the surface once again. I love these moments. Thanks guys, for everything.

"Days Between"
Hunter/Garcia

There were days
and there were days
and there were days between
Summer flies and August dies
the world grows dark and mean
Comes the shimmer of the moon
on black infested trees
the singing man is at his song
the holy on their knees
the reckless are out wrecking
the timid plead their pleas
No one knows much more of this
than anyone can see anyone can see

There were days
and there were days
and there were days besides
when phantom ships with phantom sails
set to sea on phantom tides
Comes the lightning of the sun
on bright unfocused eyes
the blue of yet another day
a springtime wet with sighs
a hopeful candle lingers
in the land of lullabies
where headless horsemen vanish
with wild and lonely cries lonely cries

There were days
and there were days
and there were days I know
when all we ever wanted
was to learn and love and grow
Once we grew into our shoes
we told them where to go
walked halfway around the world
on promise of the glow
stood upon a mountain top
walked barefoot in the snow
gave the best we had to give
how much we'll never know we'll never know

There were days
and there were days
and there were days between
polished like a golden bowl
the finest ever seen
Hearts of Summer held in trust
still tender, young and green
left on shelves collecting dust
not knowing what they mean
valentines of flesh and blood
as soft as velveteen
hoping love would not forsake
the days that lie between lie between