Modern Acoustic

Moving Day

2011-03-27T10:38:00.000-04:00

  Hi everyone.
  Today is moving day... Yes, this blog is moving to Wordpress (http://modernacoustic.com)!
  I promise it will be worth your while to join me there. If you've liked the content you've read here, or are just finding it for the first time, I promise to dazzle you with my words of wisdom about bands I love. Whether your a fan of Grace Potter, Lori McKenna, Josh Ritter, Patty Griffin, or the hundreds of other musicians and bands I have written about here, I promise to continue to bring you all the CD and concert reviews, all the info that I find interesting and newsworthy.
  The move allows me to have all my content, my magazine (have you seen my magazine?) and my blog all on the same site. In the past, some people who read my music blog had no idea I also published a music magazine and vice versa.
  Well, that is all changing.
  It's exciting, with only a touch of sadness. Sadness in that I really have liked Blogger's features. The way it is set up is perfect, I think, for a blog. I'm addicted to the Stats!
  Anyway please, please join me at my new site, once again, http://modernacoustic.com.
  I think you'll really like it.
Oh, and don't worry, all the content on this site is now over there as well.
Thanks so much for checking in, and checking out the new site. I think you will find it very cool.
Rich

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at the House of Blues Boston, March 25

2011-03-26T14:48:00.002-04:00

  Grace Potter the band has arrived!
  This is the third time I've seen Grace and the Nocturnals in about a year and a half. Each time I reviewed the shows, I thought I knew what kind of band they wanted to be.
  The first, in Nov. 2009 and just after the formation of the new Nocturnals (adding bassist Cat Popper and second guitarist Benny Yurco), I guessed they wanted to be a female-led version of the Allman Brothers. They had already had their makeover -- snazzy short dresses for Grace and Cat, suits for the guys -- but for the most part they still seemed to be geared to jam.
  The second time they came around, last May, I was sure they wanted to be a bedazzled version of Heart. They still jammed but were starting to add a more sharp stage presence, really started to gel as a band. Popper, who stays mostly in the background and plays a solid bass, adds another dimension and a second female voice, which helps the band's balance (and obviously helps draws some eyes).
  So here they are now, post-VH1 Divas show (with Katy Perry and Nicky Minaj!!?!), have dazzled audiences on every late-night talk show out there, and crossed the country spreading the love of Grace. They are now officially their own band, one that can crank out songs like "Paris" and "Medicine," equal parts solid pop and mesmerizing jam rock. They are fronted by a woman who twirls like Stevie Nicks and can belt out tunes like Heart's Ann Wilson.
  Last night's show opened with mostly newer tunes -- "Only Love," "Hot Summer Night" and "Low Road" -- with only "Toothbrush & My Table" as the only older song in the first four. But while "Paris" gets most of the play when the band hits the late-night circuit (and who can blame them, the song is built to kick ass) and is the surefire main-set show closer, Grace & co. gives her past album tunes plenty of space in concert.
  "Low Road" led right into "Joey" and had the Friday-night crowd in full lather, singing all the words. It should be noted that it didn't take too much to get the crowd into it: Blues & Lasers, basically three members of the Nocturnals plus a second drummer and a different bass player, were the openers for the evening and during the break between bands, there was a spontaneous singalong to Bon Jovi's "Don't Stop Believin'" as it played on the venue's sound system.
  Other highlights included a wildly pschedelic intro to "Mastermind" and a nice version of "Treat You Right," featurning just Grace, Scott Tournet and Benny, all playing acoustic guitars. That led into a wild flurry of tunes that bled into each other: "Stop the Bus," "Big White Gate" and the great "Nothing But the Water," parts 1 (Grace solo) and 2 (the electric band version). By this time Grace was whirling like a Red Bull-fueled Stevie Nicks as she moved seamlessly from her Hammond B3 stage right to center stage strutting around playing her flying V.
  After "Why Don't You Love Me," the band brought down the house with "Paris." Scott, who had torn it up all night while playing in both bands, is such a great joy to listen to. He can play tasty or incredibly nasty. On "Paris," he was downright nasty.
  For the encore, Benny came out by himself and played some nifty acoustic for the intro of Heart's "Crazy on You." Then the band walked out, or in Grace's case, skipped, twirled, and jumped (in heels!) out and blew the song out of the water. If you thought Ann Wilson could really hit those high notes, well, Grace takes them into the stratosphere. They finished with "Medicine," which as a pop song is nice on the album. But it something special when it becomes the rocking closer, complete with full-band drum solo in the middle.
  It was a phenomenal way to end the night, and perfectly fitting to what the band is right now -- emerging pop stars who can really rock.
For more pics, click HERE

The setlist
Only Love
Hot Summer Night
Toothbrush And My Table
Low Road >
Joey
Mastermind
Money >
Apologies >
Tiny Light
Treat You Right >
Stop The Bus >
Big White Gate >
Nothin’ But The Water Part I >
Nothin’ But The Water Part II >
Why Don’t You Love Me
Paris
--
Crazy On You >
Medicine

Argggh!

2011-03-24T09:11:00.000-04:00

So there is a new issue of Modern Acoustic magazine that is all done and ready to roll. However, I'm having some website issues that is causing its delay. I have posted the three new CD reviews from the issue: Lucinda Williams' "Blessed" (click HERE to read), the Low Anthem's "Smart Flesh" (HERE) and the Submarines' "Love Notes/Letter Bombs," which is due out April 5 (HERE). When the new issue is up, you'll find it at my magazine site, ModernAcoustic.com.
And in case you are interested, I am working on a brand-new website that will merge the magazine and the blog into one handy site. I'm not sure exactly when that change will happen, but it means leaving theis Blogger site and merging all content onto Wordpress. Luckily, all content on this site, will move to the new one.
I will post a note and a link here when the change happens (probably still a month at least off).
Thanks everyone who supports my musical sites. I love doing this and will continue trying to provide great content.

CD review: the Submarines, "Love Notes/Letter Bombs"

2011-03-24T08:59:00.001-04:00

(Out April 5)

  The first thing that becomes clear on the new album, “Love Notes/Letter Bombs,’’ is that Blake Hazard and John Dragonetti, the duo that makes up the Submarines, is that they are still in love – even if everything isn’t always perfect.
  That might not completely matter since their first album, “Declare a New State,” ostensibly about their breakup and reconciliation, put them on the musical map, and their second one, “Honeysuckle Weeks,’’ about their reconnecting in everyday life, hit it big with the song “You, Me & the Bourgeoisie” (which was nearly the iPhone theme song for a while).
  “Love Notes/Letter Bombs” is sort of the pair’s settling in album – you know, alternating between loving each other and annoying each other as married couples do.
  “There was so much love exploding into the songs, but the tensions were just as strong,” says Hazard.
On opener “Shoelaces,’’ Dragonetti sings “I’ve had better days than this/ words trip like untied shoelaces/ Still you’re worth falling down for once in a while.” The pair trades off lines about trying to come to grips with their relationship.
  Fans who fell in love with the bubbly, electronic beats of “Honeysuckle Weeks” will be happy to hear that the group’s sound hasn’t changed a great deal. (They employed a live drummer, Jim Eno of Spoon, this time instead of the computerized one in the past.)
  “Love Notes” initially may not be catchy as “Honeysuckle Weeks,” but the songwriting and lyrics continue the band’s growth.
  Many tunes, like “Fire,” “Tiger” and their first single “Birds” (lots of one-word titles on the album!) feature Hazard’s dreamy organ, Dragonetti’s fuzzy guitar and a steady beat enhanced by various techno effects and hand claps. Another tune, “Plans,” has already gotten some play in a closing scene on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
  Our favorite song is the finale, “Anymore,” a Hazard tune in which she’s vulnerable and trying to figure out where their relationship stands. “And it’s not the first time/I’ve heard you say/why can’t you just love me the same way/I disappoint you try as I may/you might be better off without me these days.”

CD review: the Low Anthem, "Smart Flesh

2011-03-24T08:56:00.000-04:00

  When you really are in the mood to “listen” to music put on a Low Anthem record. That is to say, don’t put it on as background music or when you are partying with friends. It’s not that the Rhode Island band plays overly serious music, but it is music that seriously needs your full attention to be appreciated.
  “Smart Flesh” is the follow-up to their hugely successful second album, “Oh My God, Charlie Darwin,” and continues the band’s trip into the ethereally intricate calm. Yes, they do break out occasionally, but “Smart Flesh” was recorded in an abandoned pasta factory in Providence, and the ghostly beautiful sounds of acoustic guitar, oboe, organ, and the like ring and echo off its empty walls.
  This is immediately apparent on the opening track, the haunting “Ghost Woman Blues.” “Apothecary Love,” one of my favorite songs here, sounds like James Taylor meets Neil Young, with its lilting country melody.
  The blending of voices of Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky, Jocie Adams, and Mat Davidson is what really sets the band apart. And each is a talented musician, playing multiple instruments – Adams, for instance, plays oboe, the crotales, and even electric bass.
  Check out the multiple oboe instrumental “Wire.” On “I’ll Take Out Your Ashes,” plucking banjo mandolin backs the singular voice of Knox Miller singing as an old man: “For time just ain’t no healer, with your ashes sittin’ there/I know you have been counting on me/Ever since your sad cremation day/I scanned all your Alzheimer’s poetry for all that I wished that it would say/It’s a sad and guilty feeling/Since I did not take out your ashes/Whatever I was fearing, never came to passing.”
  Put on your headphones to listen to the hushed “Love and Alter” and the title track for a real sonic treat.
As stated, the band breaks out and rocks on a pair of tunes, the 9/11-inspired “Boeing 737” (opening line: “I was in the air when the towers came down/ In a bar on the 84th floor”) and a raucous guitar and organ “Hey, All You Hippies.”

CD review: Lucinda Williams, "Blessed"

2011-03-24T08:53:00.000-04:00

  I’ll just come right out and say it: This is the best Lucinda Williams album since “Essence.” The songs on “Blessed,” her 10th studio album, are inspired, varied and contain some of her best writing in years. It’s an emotional album, with songs about a spectrum of loss and love, sung with depth and played with both subletly and with fire.
The album opener, “Buttercup,” tells a lover goodbye, with a nasty sneer and an electric guitar and organ backing.
  The next two songs, “Copenhagen” and “Born to Be Loved,” are softer in heart and in tempo. The former mourns the loss of a friend from afar, while the latter is a nice, slow blues ballad. The lyrics are simple: “You weren’t born to be mistreated/And you weren’t born to be misguided/You were born to be loved /You were born to be loved.” It reminds me a lot of songs like “I Envy the Wind” from “Essence,” where she repeats phrases and feelings for emphasis.
  “Seeing Black,’’ written to Vic Chestnutt, who committed suicide on Christmas Day 2009 is, excuse the pun, a killer. Like “Drunken Angel” – which was written about the demise of musician and friend Blaze Foley on her acclaimed “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” album (see Page 11) – “Seeing Black” is rife with not only sadness but an anger directed at the man for leaving life too early.
“Soldier’s Song,” sung to perfection in Lucinda’s tired drawl, is written from the perspective of a soldier overseas, with lyrical images that trade off between the tragic life in combat and thoughts of his family back home: “I hear echoes of shots/Baby’s only thinkin’ sweet thoughts /Why the hell did they send me here to fight?/Baby kisses my picture and turns off the light.” It’s a poignant reminder of what some families are currently going through.
  The album, in general, has some nice guitar flourishes. Redemption song “Blessed” is sparked by some crisp electric playing and “Ugly Truth” offers some tasty licks.
  The gospel-ish “Convince Me,” features a soulful organ and searing guitar, and the closing love song, “Kiss Like Your Kiss,” is a perfect ending to a superb emotionally wrought album.
  One more note: If you get the deluxe version of “Blessed,” you get a second set of the songs, stripped down to their bare bones. Williams dubbed these “The Kitchen Tapes,” just her voice and her guitar. Some of the songs, including the opener, “Buttercup,’’ a rocker on the album, is really great in its skeletal form. It’s worth the extra, minor investment to purchase them as well.

Lyrically Speaking: For the Turnstiles

2011-03-15T09:47:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure how I ended up with the album "Decade." I think I bought it from a used record store on one of the many excursions into Cambridge as a teen. My friends and I, or even sometimes me on my own, would drive into Harvard Square and spend hours walking the streets from used record store to used record store looking for cool albums or even just checking out the album covers... something today's teens probably don't get to experience. That album cover, with Neil's arms and head sticking out from his guitar case, is one of the classics.

  Sure, I had heard of Neil Young, and knew all his hits: "Hurricane," "Southern Man," etc. And of course had followed him into Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young territory. I think "Rust Never Sleeps" had just come out, which may have propeled me into a search for older, more obscure Neil. The best thing about "Decade" is that it isn't so much a greatest hits album as a look back at a young career, mixing the hits with cool songs that hadn't made the radio.
  When I first heard "For the Turnstiles," which was originally released on the album "On the Beach," it wasn't like anything I had heard before. Neil plucks out a haunting, almost sad bluegrassy melody on banjo and Ben Keith adds nifty Dobro over the pair's harmonizing. Being a big baseball fan, the lyrics "All the bushleague batters/Are left to die on the diamond/In the stands the home crowd scatters/For the turnstiles" really threw me as I tried to figure out what was going on.
  To this day, the sailors, the explorers and the ballplayers kind of haunt me. What is Neil trying to say? Here is one explanation, though I do not know its origin: The song was "inspired by the stadium tour he had just completed with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Mr. Young was clearly disturbed by the fact that big business was starting to take over rock and roll and art was suffering for commerce. The song foretells of the selling out of musicians and the forming of corporate rock."
  OK, I guess if you dig really deeply into the lyrics you can come up with that. I'd also say this is what's missing from Neil's music today... a little subtlety, mystery.
  In the past couple of years there have been some nifty covers of the song: The Be Good Tanyas do a great version on their album, "Hello Love" and Redbird recently released a slowed-down version on their album "Live at Cafe Carpe." Check them out.

For the Turnstiles
All the sailors
with their seasick mamas
Hear the sirens on the shore,
Singin' songs
for pimps with tailors
Who charge ten dollars
at the door.

You can really
learn a lot that way
It will change you
in the middle of the day.
Though your confidence
may be shattered,
It doesn't matter.

All the great explorers
Are now in granite laid,
Under white sheets
for the great unveiling
At the big parade.

You can really
learn a lot that way
It will change you
in the middle of the day.
Though your confidence
may be shattered,
It doesn't matter.

All the bushleague batters
Are left to die
on the diamond.
In the stands
the home crowd scatters
For the turnstiles,
For the turnstiles,
For the turnstiles.

A rare electric version by Neil in 2008

KINK-FM in Portland, a radio station worth watching

2011-02-27T07:55:00.001-05:00

I recently ran across KINK-FM (101.9) , a radio station out of Portland, Oregon. Since I live on the East Coast I had never heard of them before. But a recent video post of a Josh Ritter song on Facebook led me on a search for the station and possibly more video. I believe the host is one of the station's DJs, Steve Pringle. He brings in a great variety of indie acts including Ray Lamontagne, Justin Townes Earle and Grace Potter to name a few. Anyway, check out the videos and interviews HERE. You can also stream the radio station live, which I have not done yet, but hope to soon. Here are some vids I really liked.

Josh Ritter, "Change of Time"

Jackie Greene, "1961"

Bob Schneider, "Big Blue Sea"

The Avetts, "Kick Drum Heart"

Josh Ritter in Philadelphia and Boston, Feb. 10 and 11

2011-02-12T10:19:00.224-05:00

Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band, opening night in Philly

What should one expect from a Valentine's Day Brawl? Love, roses, a nice slow-dance sax solo, and of course some heartache because this ain't no Hallmark celebration. This was Josh Ritter's tell-it-like-it-is idea of Valentine's Day, and it was quite a party.
I was lucky enough to catch the first two of four of these events -- in Philly and Boston. Josh not only brought his crack band but also a three-piece horn section, and set the mood with roses draped on all the mikes.

Josh and Zack rockin' the Troc

  The Trocadero in Philadelphia, known locally as just the Troc, is nice old theater with a lot of history and some beautiful architecture, including swooping balconies and detailed columns. It made for an interesting contrast to the sort of cookie-cutter House of Blues in Boston the next night. Both venues had their advantages, the Troc's was the intimacy of its building. The House of Blues is a bigger venue (2,400 patrons to the Troc's 1,200) with impeccable sound so the HOB show really felt like a rock SHOW. At both places the crowd was right there for Josh as he led them through love's travails.
  The set lists for the two nights were similar though not the same (see below), and there was plenty of individuality to make them special. For one, Josh, at two points in each show, read out valentine dedications sent in by fans who were going to those shows. The dedications were hilarious, ranging from sweet to bawdy. One person in Boston even proposed through a dedication (and was accepted!).
Since the shows followed similar set lists, I'll go through the shows together, pointing out the highlights and differences as I go.
  Both shows opened with Josh bounding on stage -- dressed nattily in a vest over a red shirt with a rose in his lapel and even red socks! -- for one of his ultimate love songs (how many of these does he have?), "Bright Smile." It's amazing how he grabs the audience's attention right away... they see him out there alone and they immediately quiet down to hear him. At the Troc, the crowd sang along unobtrusively (mostly, more on this later) to every song. Josh's voice rang out but underneath you could hear the audience basking in the love of his lyrics.
  The band took the stage to roars from the crowds for the next tune. In Philly it was "Long Shadows" followed by "Lillian," in Boston the order was swapped, and seemed to fit better. "Lillian," played with rockin' delight by Josh's great band is a treat. At HOB, it just roared, a great piano solo by Sam Kassirer, and guitarist Austin Nevins was just on fire all night.
  "Southern Pacific" and "The Curse" were next. Beautiful renditions -- Josh waltzing by himself to the beautiful piano and bass lines of "The Curse." This led into the first set of dedications back by the still waltzing music of band. At the Troc, the last one read "Roses are red, violets are blue, hopefully not my balls"... something like that. The crowd was in hysterics.
  "Empty Hearts" followed, and then the highlight of both nights: the three-song killer of "Real Long Distance," "Rattling Locks" and "Harrisburg." A three-member horn section (trumpet and two saxes) torched these songs, rocking both venues to their core. This is where the HOB shined. Despite the volume and the number of players on stage, you could hear every instrument, crystal-clear. On "Rattling Locks," bassist Zack Hickman led the charge of musicians, including the horn players, cracking drumsticks together in percussive bliss. If Josh is the emotional leader of the band, Zack is the physical leader, making sure the show runs smoothly, and an incredibly talented musician. "Harrisburg," one of my all-time favorite tunes, including a very funny Josh story-song interlude that led in and out of the Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime."
  The band then brought the crowd down with a beautiful "Folk Bloodbath" before leaving the stage for Josh to work his magic again.
  At both shows, Josh opened the solo portion of the sets with "You Don't Make It Easy, Babe." In Philly, he dedicated the song to Sarah Palin, Queen of Alaska. He followed this with an acoustic "Thin Blue Flame," which he didn't play in Boston. The crowd was hushed as Josh worked his lyrical magic. The two shows continued with "Temptation of Adam" and a "Naked as a Window/Girl in the War" pairing that was amazing. In Boston, he poignantly dedicated "Girl in the War" to the people of Egypt. These songs, to me, really showed the difference in the intimacy of the crowds. In Philly, fans sang along with every word. In fact, they sang beautifully on "Girl in the War" except for one dude who kept shouting the lyrics before they were sung. It was funny at first, annoying by the end and then he was shut down. In Boston, the crowd really came to party. They were polite and sang along with the quiet songs, but lived for the rock.
  The band returned to the stage, but not to their instruments for the next song, a lush cover of Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes." Sam, Zack, Austin and drummer Liam Hurley stepped up to a side mike to sing harmonies on the chorus. They returned to their instruments for the next set of dedications, backing them with Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time." In Boston, this is where the proposal was made. It was pretty cool.

Matt Douglas' slow-dance sax solo on "Kathleen"

  Then it was back to rock. "Rumors" and "Right Moves" were blistering. The band was in high gear. The horns reappeared and took these songs to a new level. In Boston, the horn players were totally in to it, dancing and goofing in time to the music.
  And then there was "Kathleen," ever the crowd-pleaser. This time it was intro'd by the band, slow and quiet, as Josh worked the crowd into a lather. First, regaling the crowd with tales of love -- from a pigeon's standpoint. A male pigeon flies down, puffs himself for the females, who basically ignore them. He then warned the crowd there would be slow dance mid-song and promised it wouldn't be too awkward. Boom. Liam hits the kit and away the band sails into "Kathleen" full-on... and then mid-song the band quiets and Matt Douglas on baritone sax, steps to the front and delivers a jazzy slow-dance solo.
  You think you've come to the end of the night. There were peaks and breaks and peaks again. But the band played on. "Lantern," "Change of Time," and "To the Dogs" in different order (this is Boston's, and seemed to work best.) On "Lantern," folks swayed glowsticks to the beat. "To the Dogs" simply rocked, the crowd trying to keep up with the breakneck-speed lyrics.
  With that the band left the stage, but of course would be back.
In Boston, Josh unveiled a new song, "Galahad" (there's an animated video of the song HERE). He didn't play it in Philly (I think he ran out of time). Scott Hutchison of the band Frightened Rabbit, who was a great opener (need to hear more!), came out to perform an Everly Brothers cover "Stories We Could Tell," with Josh. Hutchison left, the band came back and ripped through "Snow Is Gone," a wishful, final valentine to their fans. More than two hours of music finally over, the crowd left jubilantly into the chilly night.

Check out my pics HERE

"Temptation of Adam" at The Troc

"Pale Blue Eyes" at the House of Blues"

Setlists for the two shows
The Trocadero, Philadelphia, Feb. 10

Bright Smile (solo)

Long Shadows (band joins in)

Lillian

Southern Pacific

The Curse

(Valentine dedications)

Empty Hearts

Real Long Distance

Rattling Locks -->

Harrisburg (with Talking Heads' Once in A Lifetime interlude)

Folk Bloodbath

You Don't Make It Easy Babe (solo)

Thin Blue Flame (solo)

Temptation of Adam (solo)

Naked as a Window (solo) -->

Girl in the War (solo)

Pale Blue Eyes (Velvet Underground cover; band joins in)

(more valentine dedications)

Rumors

Right Moves

Kathleen

To the Dogs

Lantern

Change of Time

Stories We Could Tell (Everly Brothers cover w/Scott Hutchison)

Snow Is Gone (full band)

House of Blues, Boston, Feb. 11

Bright Smile (solo)

Lillian (full band)

Long Shadows

Southern Pacific

The Curse

(Valentines dedications)

Empty Hearts

Real Long Distance

Rattling Locks -->

Harrisburg (with Talking Heads' Once in A Lifetime interlude)

Folk Bloodbath

You Don't Make It Easy Babe (solo)

Temptation of Adam (solo)

Naked as a Window (solo) -->

Girl in the War

Pale Blue Eyes (Velvet Underground cover; full band joins in)

(Valentines dedications)
Rumors

Right Moves

Kathleen

Lantern

Change of Time

To the Dogs

Galahad (new song; solo)

Stories We Could Tell (Everly Brothers cover w/Scott Hutchison)

Snow Is Gone (full band)

Lyrically Speaking: Charlie Darwin

2011-02-09T14:20:00.000-05:00

With a new album, "Smart Flesh," ready to hit the streets on Feb. 22, I figured it would be nice to give some kudos to Low Anthem's surely most popular song from its 2009 album, "Oh My God Charlie Darwin." It's a song that despite how many times you hear it, it still sends chills down your spine.
The Rhode Island band of Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky and Jocie Adams provide some of the most beautiful high harmonies and ethereal moody instrumentation to back lyrics of a world in turmoil. Are they about the past or the present?: "And who could heed the words of Charlie Darwin/The lords of war just profit from decay/And trade their children's promise for the jingle/The way we trade our hard earned time for pay." Adams' sparse bowing of her instrument called a crotales as well as a beautiful clarinet solo adds to ghostly atmosphere of the tune.
We can't wait to hear what the band has in store on the new album.

Charlie Darwin
Set the sails I feel the winds a'stirring
Toward the bright horizon set the way
Cast your wreckless dreams upon our Mayflower
Haven from the world and her decay

And who could heed the words of Charlie Darwin
Fighting for a system built to fail
Spooning water from their broken vessels
As far as I can see there is no land

Oh my god, the water's all around us
Oh my god, it's all around

And who could heed the words of Charlie Darwin
The lords of war just profit from decay
And trade their children's promise for the jingle
The way we trade our hard earned time for pay

Oh my god, the water's cold and shapeless
Oh my god, it's all around
Oh my god, life is cold and formless
Oh my god, it's all around

David Wax Museum CD release party at Oberon

2011-02-05T11:29:00.000-05:00

When a CD release party is billed as an Extravaganza, you expect just a little bit more than a band onstage running through their new songs. And so it was that the alt-Mex-folk act David Wax Museum -- essentially the duo of guitarist David Wax and his violin and donkey-jawbone-playing partner Suz Slezak -- brought not only their music, but a musically theatrical show to the funky confines of Oberon on Feb. 3 for the unveiling of their hip and spirited new CD, "Everything Is Saved."

  After some brief comments from an emcee (who was also a super fan of the band) and some unusual merch hawking (including some shirtless male body posing), the pair took the stage along with Wax's accordion-playing cousin and a percussionist for the opening number "That's Not True." It was about halfway through that first number that the crowd realized why this venue was chosen for this party, as a procession of horns, percussionists and accordionist snaked its way from atop the theater's balcony, parted the standing crowd joined the group on stage.
  In all, 12 musicians would come and go during the set, playing a variety of instruments. At one point there were six or seven donkey jawbones simultaneously being whacked to the beat. The tunes, such as "Born With a Broken Heart," already played with enthusiasm on the album, were ramped up to foot-stomping, hand-clapping, audience-participatory levels by a group of musicians (and obviously good friends of the band), who couldn't stop from emitting smiles and laughter as they were playing.
  As for the carnival atmosphere of the show, well, let's see... there were two people on stage who had string pulled out of their mouths, there were crepe-paper streamers tossed from the corners of the theater into the crowd, shiny confetti fell from the ceiling. Oh, and did I mention the trapeze aerialist? Yes, there she was, about a third of the way into the crowd, doing her thing while two accordions and a percussionist serenaded her from the balcony.
  The highlight of the show (no, I haven't mentioned it yet) was around midway though the night when the musicians broke off into groups, with the horn section performing in the balcony stage right, followed by Wax and Slezak on the catwalk behind the crowd, then down to the floor where an acoustic bass backed a solo singer, then to the center of the crowd where Wax and Slezak performed a very acoustic gospel number that had the whole crowd foot-stomping the beat. It was mesmerizing music and theater.
  The night finished up with multiple encores: their very popular "Yes, Maria, Yes" brought the band out in full force. It was followed by a beautiful duet of just Wax and Slezak side by side on a single microphone for a final tune.
For more pics, click HERE

My video clip from the show

CD review: Iron and Wine, "Kiss Each Other Clean"

2011-02-03T10:06:00.000-05:00

  In our last CD review, of the new Decemberists album, I wondered how the band's longtime fans would react to their new sound. Well, I can ask the same question here, with Iron and Wine's latest release, "Kiss Each Other
Clean."
   Originally, Iron and Wine was Sam Beam, solo acoustic folkster. He built a fanbase around his hushed vocals and soft sound. Band members were added and world beat flavorings were introduced for the next pair of albums, "Woman King" and "The Shepard's Dog." The hushed vocals were now enveloped by a swirling, churning beats. Iron and Wine became critic darlings and the fanbase grew and grew. In fact, this is where I came in. "Woman King," to me, was dazzling.
  And that brings us to "Kiss Each Other Clean," in which the band, and especially its leader Beam breaks out and offers some new surprises.
  The first surprise is that I can finally understand his lyrics. I loved "Woman King" mostly for the music and mostly because I couldn't make out what Beam was whispering. On the new album, the vocals are out front. On the opener, "Walking Far From Home," he sings: I was walking far from home/And I found your face mingled in the crowd/Saw a boat-full of believers/Sail off talking too loud, talking too loud." I didn't have to look those lyrics up; I could actually hear them!
  The other surprise is that the songs are a lot more accessible. I wouldn't call them pop songs, but they are certainly more catchy than his past works. He still is offering up his takes on love and faith, and some of the lyrics are actually quite dark. But then there's "Tree By the River," which opens with the line "Marianne, do you remember the tree by the river when we were 17." It almost sounds like a line from a Beach Boys song!
  The tunes continue to have a world of influences. Touches of gospel, blues, world beat are weaved through the songs. On "Monkeys Uptown," percussion, electronic sounds, echoing guitar and marimba percolate under Beam's lyrics. A toy flute wanders amid blasts of heavy fuzz of electric guitar in the haunting "Rabbit Will Run." Blasts of clarinet punch through the funk beat of "Big Burned Hand.'' Beam litters the album with ear candy -- fuzzed-out vocals, funked-up bass lines, organs, wind instruments, and electronica of all sorts.
  It all sounds interesting, if not memorable. But by album's end, I start to grow weary. I really am wishing the band would play one song without the bells and whistles. I just kind of need a break.
  I don't long for the good old days, but a reminder every once in while wouldn't hurt.

NPR concert of new album

Lissie at the Paradise, Boston

2011-01-30T11:46:00.002-05:00

  The second show of my weekend concert extravaganza was quite different than the first. Instead of the sold out large-theater setting of the House of Blues for the Decemberists, I was a mile or so up Comm. Ave. at the more intimate and comfortably crowded Paradise Rock Club, where a heavily college-age crowd eagerly anticipated the singer-songwriter known only as Lissie.
  If you haven't heard of her, you probably will soon. If you know her already, either you were there at the show or you at least thought about going. I first heard about her early last year from a work colleague who is always ahead of the curve on these things. Once I listened to her "Why You Runnin'" EP, she quickly became one of my "6 Artists to Watch" (in the March issue of Modern Acoustic; click HERE to read the issue).
  For those who haven't heard of her, Lissie's sort of a hippie chick in the sense that she doesn't wear any makeup, doesn't shave her armpits or legs (her own admission on stage!), and doles out advice about living in the moment and "not letting shit bother you" (also her quote).
  As stated, the crowd at the Paradise was mostly college-age kids and heavily female in gender, who exuberently screamed out "WE LOVE YOU" and "YOU'RE SO HOT" with regularity. And the singer, in turn, spread The Word of Lissie, happily doling out advice (Lissie's in her late 20s, so she's got a lifetime of wisdom to impart): "Don't get STDs," "Don't get pregnant, unless you want to," and the best one, "Don't get drunk and end up in the back seat of some dude's car. Make sure you get yourself home... and then you can hurl.") She said this all in a very loving way. She really cares.
  Now on to the show... On record, Lissie sports a soulful voice, singing material that ranges from country to bluesy, and the songs themselves tend to live in that same country, gospel range. In concert, she becomes a powerhouse. The music is amped up with a more danceable beat behind her. You might think Lissie would get lost in all that, but you really haven't heard the best of her until you see her live. That soulful voice booms. It rises and falls easily with the music. She uses her arms, specifically her guitar-strumming hand as an exclamation point to her lyrics. Her head sways back, forth, left and right with feeling, her long, blond hair ending up covering her face, until she gently brushes it away in the quiet of a moment.
  She opened with a cover, "Wedding Bells," by Hank Williams, and ended with another, the Kid Cudi tune "Pursuit of Happiness," which is a staple of her shows and had the crowd in full frenzy.
  In between, while I don't have complete setlist at this time, she played a number of the tunes from her two recordings. "Little Lovin'," the bluesy "Oh Mississippi" (which she called an "ode to death"!), and "Everywhere I Go" from "Why You Runnin'" were superb. "When I'm Alone," "Bully," and "In Sleep," from "Catching a Tiger," could all make pop radio if they were given the dance beat they were given in concert.
   To me, Lissie has potential to be whatever she wants. Would she put up with being polished and primped up to make it as a pop artist? Is she happy being a soulful singer-songwriter outside the mainstream? We'll have to wait to see where she goes from here.
To view my pics from the show, click HERE

Lissie doing Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness" (not from Paradise show)

The Decemberists at the House of Blues, Boston, Jan. 28, 2011

2011-01-29T11:02:00.004-05:00

  "Apparently, we ruined indie," declared the Decemberists enigmatic lead singer Colin Meloy, in the middle of a small run of new songs off their new latest album, "The King Is Dead" early in the show. Meloy was referring to a recent, hilarious article in the Boston Phoenix blaming Meloy and his merry band of misfits for ruining "music doesn't mean anything" indie rock with their influential and wildly popular brand of "trying too hard" prog-folk. The article goes on to accuse the Decemberists of spawning bands like Fleet Foxes, the National and Blitzen Trapper. (Read the Phoenix article HERE.)
  Whether you think the article is funny or just stupid, may depend on your sense of humor and your love for the band's "British"-sounding tales of long ago and its dramatic flair. In fact, the new album drops much of that for a more stripped-sound and alt-country feel of harmonicas, 12-string guitars and beautiful harmonies.
  Which brings us to Saturday night's show at the House of Blues, where Meloy led the small band version of the group through a too-short (72 minutes, to be exact), but fun-filled night of music that spanned their 10-year career. (Ed. note: I learned after the fact that Meloy reportedly had the stomach flu, causing the show to be cut short.)
   After opening with "July, July," from one of their earliest albums, the group romped through three new tunes off the new album, beginning with the single "Down By the Water," "Rox in the Box" and "Rise to Me." It was amazing how well this new sound fit the band live. Sara Watkins, who became a star with the band Nickel Creek," is a powerhouse and a good sport (more about this later) and provided the Gillian-Welch-sung backup vocals on "King Is Dead" songs as well as some great violin solos.
   Not to be locked in on the new album, the Decemberists then launched into two of their great story-songs, "The Engine Driver" and "The Soldiering Life."
  After another new tune, "All Arise!," much of the band traded their instruments for drums and rocked the house on the highlight of the night, "The Rake's Song" from "Hazards of Love." The huge percussion sound rung out through the venue. This was followed by more fun tunes, "Valencia" and "The Chimbley Sweep," which got the crowd singing along "For I am a poor and a wretched boy!" Watkins was goaded by Meloy into multiple violin solos, and of course, the high-end woman's voice mid-song.
  Then they left the stage waving... It seemed like a little too soon. Maybe they'd be back for a bunch of encores?
  They did come back, for two songs: A fun "A Cautionary Tale" (see video below) had three members of the band (including the poor Watkins) parading into the crowd to perform a "tableaux of the wonders of the world." It was very goofy; and "June Hymn," an ode to summer during a nonstop horrendous New England winter.
  Then the lights came on and the show was over. A fun night that should have gone on a little longer.
To view my pics from the show, click HERE.

Setlist:
July, July!
Down By the Water
Rox in the Box
Rise to Me
Won't Want For Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
The Engine Driver
The Soldiering Life
All Arise!
This Is Why We Fight
The Rake's Song
O Valencia!
The Chimbley Sweep
----
A Cautionary Song
June Hymn

A Cautionary Song from the show (not my video):

Lyrically Speaking: April the 14th, Part 1

2011-01-25T08:48:00.001-05:00

Pity us poor Gillian Welch fans! We keep tapping our toes, checking our watches, paging through our calendars waiting for the next album to drop. I mean, she's got plenty of time to help her partner David Rawlings put out a nifty album, fly 'cross country to Portland to sing back-up on nearly every song on the new Decemberists album... But she can't piece together enough songs over the past, whatever, seven years for her own new album? We've even heard some of the new songs -- "Throw Me a Rope," "Knuckleball Catcher" -- and we love them. So please, Gillian...
  In the meantime, here's an old song of hers I love.
  Off of the still-amazing "Time (The Revelator)" album, from 2001, "April the 14th, Part 1" is part history lesson, part story of a band on the run.
  Gillian details what she terms "Ruination Day," April 14th, a day in history that includes the Lincoln assassination (1865), the sinking of the Titanic (1912) and "Black Sunday," one of the worst Dust Bowl storms in Oklahoma (1935).
  Over haunting minor-chord acoustic guitars, the first lines of the song set the tone: "When the iceberg hit/Oh they must have known/God moves on the water/Like Casey Jones."
  Gillian sings about an anonymous young band playing a nowheresville Idaho festival presumably on that same grave April Day: "They looked sick and stoned/And strangely dressed/No one showed/From the local press."
  Is she comparing the band's experience to the date's other tragic events? The lyrics do read like a disaster: "And the girl passed out/In the backseat trash/There were no way they'd make/Even a half a tank of gas."
  The bleakness of the lyrics, sung in Gillian's aching yet beautiful voice meld beautifully with her strummed chords and Rawlings haunting plucked notes.
  A second part to the song, "Ruination Day, Part 2" is a two-minute, 37-second epilogue repeating the same disaster themes and bringing the whole thing to a close, counting down the miles, like counting down the years: "That's the day.../The day that is ruination day./They were one/They were two/They were three/They were four/They were five hundred miles from their home..."

April the 14th, Part 1
When the iceberg hit,
Oh they must have known,
God moves on the water
Like Casey Jones.

So I walked downtown
On my telephone,
And took a lazy turn
Through the redeye zone.

It was a five-band bill,
A two-dollar show.
I saw the van out in front
From Idaho,

And the girl passed out
In the backseat trash.
There were no way they'd make
Even a half a tank of gas.

They looked sick and stoned
And strangely dressed.
No one showed
From the local press.

But I watched them walk
Through the bottom land,
And I wished that I played
In a rock & roll band.

Hey, hey,
It was the fourteenth day of April.

Well they closed it down,
With the sails in rags.
And I swept up the fags
And the local mags.

I threw the plastic cups
In the plastic bags,
And the cooks cleaned the kitchen
With the staggers and the jags.

Ruination day,
And the sky was red.
I went back to work,
And back to bed.

And the iceberg broke,
And the Okies fled,
And the Great Emancipator
Took a bullet in the back of the head...

CD review: the Decemberists, "The King Is Dead"

2011-01-22T11:43:00.000-05:00

   My 17-year-old daughter and I both love the Decemberists, but I suspect for different reasons. She loves their wildly dramatic flair, their old-world story songs, and that British tone. I love all that too, but what gets me is the band's sound -- rock guitars mixing with banjo and other assorted cachophony-inducing instruments, the minor-chord melodies.
  It will be interesting to see how some Decemberists fans will take to "The King Is Dead," the band's superb sixth studio album, because it literally drops all the fancy pretensions of the recent past and really gets back to its stripped-down Americana roots.
  The album falls somewhere between early Neil Young-era folk-rock and a '90s REM jangle (Peter Buck actually plays on some cuts). Throw in some Gillian Welch backing vocals on eight of 10 songs and you've got an album with an alt-country feel.
  "Don't Carry It Off," the first song, showcases the new (old) sound: Hard-strummed acoustic guitar, strong drumbeat and harmonica, and Buck adds some tasty mandolin. The song could have right at home on Young's "Harvest" album. Gillian's voice blends beautifully with Colin Meloy's, which in this context loses that "British" accent.
  On "Calamity Song," Buck's 12-string rings out, bringing the REM feel to the forefront. A pedal steel and harmonica ring out in "Rise to Me." The Neil Young references keep coming back to me. "Rox in the Box" may be the closest thing to a Decemberists story song, about the toil of old-time miners: "And you won’t make a dime/On this gray Granite Mountain Mine/Of dirt you’re made and to dirt you will return." The songs are creative and feel very true to their sound.
  The album's single, "Down By the Water" is probably the most rocking tune here. It's got that REM feel and the Colin/Gillian vocals adds a great tension. "June Hymn" is a nice, acoustic ballad as is "Dear Avery," which closes the album.
  It will be interesting to see how this album is received by true fans of the band and where the Decemberists will go next. But for this listener, "The King Is Dead" is a playlist keeper.

The Decemberists with Gillian Welch on Conan

Lyrically Speaking: For No One

2011-01-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

   It almost feels like cheating to pick a Beatles song for this feature. I mean, just because everyone knows every note, every lyric by heart -- does that mean I shouldn't be able to share my thoughts? I say no.
  Yes, I could have pretty much picked any song from their epic discography, but "For No One," off of arguably the best Beatles album ever, "Revolver," is an amazing song.
  What gets me the is the depths of the heartache in each stanza: "She wakes up/ she makes up/ she takes her time and doesn't feel she has to hurry/ she no longer needs you." The horrible emptiness of a guy whose lover has psychologically left him.
  And the chorus -- "And in her eyes you see nothing/ no sign of love behind the tears cried for no one/ A love that should have lasted years" -- is broken-hearted poetry.
  The music too is sparse and sad, just Paul and Ringo on this cut. Paul reportedly plays a clavichord (a medieval stringed keyboard), as well as piano and bass. A French horn takes the solo, adding to the mood.
  From Wikipedia: McCartney recalls writing "For No One" in the bathroom of a ski resort in the Swiss Alps while on holiday with his then girlfriend Jane Asher. He said, "I suspect it was about another argument." (To read the whole entry, click HERE)
  For some reason, when I think of the Beatles and how they broke up in 1969, this song always comes to mind...

For No One
Your day breaks,
your mind aches,
you find that all her words of kindness linger on
when she no longer needs you.

She wakes up,
she makes up,
she takes her time and doesn't feel she has to hurry;
she no longer needs you.

And in her eyes you see nothing,
no sign of love behind the tears cried for no one.
A love that should have lasted years.

You want her
you need her,
and yet you don't believe her when she says her love is dead;
you think she needs you.

And in her eyes you see nothing,
no sign of love behind the tears cried for no one.
A love that should have lasted years.

You stay home,
she goes out,
she says that long ago she knew someone but now he's gone;
she doesn't need him.

Your day breaks,
your mind aches,
there will be times when all the things she said will fill your head;
you won't forget her.

And in her eyes you see nothing,
no sign of love behind the tears cried for no one.
A love that should have lasted years

CD review: Lori McKenna, "Lorraine"

2011-01-08T11:25:00.002-05:00

  It's easy to hear the appeal of Lori McKenna's songs to country music stars and fans: the trials and tribulations, thoughts and actions of her everyday characters are those that fill countless country songs.
Yet I certainly didn't come to her music from a country music angle. I first heard her singing "Fireflies" on the disc "Respond," a compilation of songs by female folk singer-songwriters, and followed her with delight through the superlative "Bittertown."
  That album is what caught the attention of country-music queen Faith Hill, and gave Lori her brief shot at stardom. Lori toured with Faith, appeared on "Oprah" with her, and garnered her a deal with Warner Nashville which produced "Unglamorous," a nice, if overly produced, group of country-leaning tunes. And while the attention was certainly warranted, it left me wanting my Lori back again.
  And, luckily for me, she came back.
  Her new album, "Lorraine," is out Jan. 25 and it is everything I hoped for. According to her, the album is named after her mother, though she admits that her real name is Lorraine as well, so it may be just about as much about herself.
  And as with her songs of the past, you deeply feel the pain, the uncertainty, the love that her characters feel in her lyrics.
  She opens with "The Luxury of Knowing" (which Keith Urban actually sings as a bonus track on his new album), about the ups and downs of a couple's relationship:

You know that I like to dance/ But only when I’m dancing with you/ You know I must be bad at lying/ Because I’ve only ever told you the truth.
Just when I think you’re a hurricane/ You freeze right over and all that rain/ Turns to ice and your whole world just starts snowing/ I don’t have the luxury of knowing

These lyrics just flow out of her. They could be about me, about you, about people we know. And her voice and delivery is so convincing of both the ache and love. It is why when you hear Faith Hill or Keith Urban sing her songs, well, it's just not the same.
  The title track, "Lorraine," may be the most personal song of all here as she sings about her relationship with her mother, who died when Lori was small. The opening lines are so descriptive and wonderful:

The kitchen smells like orange peels/ Her stomach turns like a spinning wheel/ She puts the baby down in a little seat/ You should rest now mama you should eat/
It ain't right you've been working all day and all us kids getting in your way/ So she goes to bed as soon as the kitchen's clean/ And that don't mean a thing to you but it does to me.

Other great songs include "You Get a Love Song," which starts soft but turns into one of the few rocking songs on the album, and "Buy This Town," which Lori described in concert as a song she wrote in her head while driving her kids back and forth through her town to school multiple times in the course of a day.
There's also a lot more piano on this album than on her past ones. "If He Tried" has with a delicate keyboard intro and "Rocket Science" is pretty much just her voice and the piano (there's some atmospheric guitar and backing vocals that add to the song's beauty).
My favorite song on the album is "Sweet Disposition," an incredibly soulful and sad tune about someone who has lost her way but trying to find their way back:

My mother left me a wedding band/ And impossible shoes to fill/ Something I’ve always tried to do/ But I know I never will.
If you ask my children about me/ I wish in their brief description/ They’d say I love them with a true heart and a sweet disposition.

Wow. If this stuff doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will. This is the Lori we know and love.

Album releases update

2011-01-05T09:48:00.000-05:00

January and February are usually pretty light when it comes to album releases. Many bands like to release their albums in time to take advantage of the holiday season or wait till spring. But not this year. There's a ton of great music coming out early and I can't wait. Instead of waiting until the next issue of my mag (March), I'll be reviewing as many of these albums as I can here on my blog... so keep checking back. Since I'm waiting for the Decemberists and Gregg Allman's album to hit my mailbox, I'll start off with Lori McKenna's album, "Lorriaine," in the next couple of days. So stay tuned...

Here's a list of albums I am eagerly awaiting.

The Decemberists, "The King Is Dead" - Jan. 18
Gregg Allman, "Low Country Blues" - Jan. 18
Iron & Wine, "Kiss Each Other Clean" - Jan. 25
Lori McKenna, "Lorraine" - Jan. 25
Dala, "Everyone Is Someone" - Jan. 25
Wailin Jennys, "Bright Morning Stars" - Feb. 8
Low Anthem, "Smart Flesh" - Feb. 22
Zoe Muth, title TBD - april (date TBD)
Lucinda Williams, "Blessed" - March 1

Lyrically Speaking: Drunken Angel

2011-01-02T12:12:00.000-05:00

Blaze Foley

Some songs just grab you the moment you hear them. That's how I came to "Drunken Angel," one of Lucinda Williams' best songs. The tune, off her famously popular 1998 album "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road," is a tribute to Texas folk-blues singer Blaze Foley. I had never heard of Foley before this song. Apparently he was some sort of Texas legend, and friend of another tragic folk hero, Townes Van Zandt. While Van Zandt's life and death is well-documented, Foley pretty much lived in obscurity and was shot dead in 1989 trying to help a friend defend himself.

  The greatness of this song is in the detail of Lucinda's lyrics. She captured the devotion of his fans and the self-destructiveness of his personality. Each stanza builds him up and knocks him down:  "Followers would cling to you/ Hang around just to meet you/ Some threw roses at your feet/ And watch you pass out on the street/ Drunken Angel."
   Her lyric "Some kind of savior singing the blues/ A derelict in your duct tape shoes," perfectly captures this antihero, who according to Wikipedia "had a love affair with duct tape. Initially he placed duct tape on the tips of his cowboy boots to mock the "Urban Cowboy" crazed folks with their silver tipped cowboy boots. This love of duct tape grew until he'd made a suit out of duct tape that he used to walk around in. At his funeral, his casket was coated with duct tape by his friends." (Click HERE to read the whole entry on Blaze Foley).
   Of course, Lucinda's sort-of slurred/sneered Texas accent and the added 12-string guitar sound completes the song.
  I never tire hearing it. I just don't know how you beat this line: "Blood spilled out from the hole in your heart/ Over the strings of your guitar/ The worn down places in the wood/ That once made you feel so good."

Drunken Angel
Sun came up it was another day
And the sun went down you were blown away
Why'd you let go of your guitar
Why'd you ever let it go that far
Drunken Angel

Could've held on to that long smooth neck
Let your hand remember every fret
Fingers touching each shiny string
But you let go of everything
Drunken Angel

Drunken Angel
You're on the other side
Drunken Angel
You're on the other side

Followers would cling to you
Hang around just to meet you
Some threw roses at your feet
And watch you pass out on the street
Drunken Angel

Feed you and pay off all your debts
Kiss your brow taste your sweat
Write about your soul your guts
Criticize you and wish you luck
Drunken Angel

Drunken Angel
You're on the other side
Drunken Angel
You're on the other side

Some kind of savior singing the blues
A derelict in your duct tape shoes
Your orphan clothes and your long dark hair
Looking like you didn't care
Drunken Angel

Blood spilled out from the hole in your heart
Over the strings of your guitar
The worn down places in the wood
That once made you feel so good
Druken Angel

Drunken Angel
You're on the other side
Drunken Angel
You're on the other side

Sun came up it was another day
And the sun went down you were blown away
Why'd you let go of your guitar
Why'd you ever let it go that far
Drunken Angel

Lucinda Williams performing "Drunken Angel"

Blaze Foley performing "Oval Room"

Lyrically Speaking: Mission in the Rain

2010-12-30T09:29:00.000-05:00

  "Mission in the Rain" is my favorite Jerry-penned Grateful Dead song...
  That's how I was going to start this Lyrically Speaking entry. But I could just hear in my head Deadheads everywhere grumbling and huffing and puffing, and decided just to get the disclaimer* out of the way, right up top, to help ease their worried minds.
  So here it is:
   *"Mission" technically is not a Grateful Dead song, since it was recorded (on the album "Reflections") and mostly performed as Jerry's solo project the Jerry Garcia Band. And, technically, Garcia didn't write the lyrics -- they were penned by Robert Hunter, Garcia's songwriting partner.
So anyways, "Mission in the Rain" is my favorite Jerry-penned Grateful Dead song.
  I love the imagery -- a guy walking through a deserted part of the city at midnight thinking about his life and the choices he has made: "Ten years ago, I walked this street my dreams were riding tall/ Tonight I would be thankful Lord, for any dream at all/ Some folks would be happy just to have one dream come true/ But everything you gather is just more that you can lose." Wonderful.
  Though Hunter wrote the lyrics, Garcia has been quoted as saying, "it's autobiographical, though I didn't write it." Very Grateful Dead-esque. He actually sings the tune like he's lived it. You really feel the guy's pain, and yet the comfort he gets from his surroundings: "There’s some satisfaction in the San Francisco rain/No matter what comes down the Mission always looks the same."
  Hunter says he wrote the tune about his time that he lived in the Mission District in San Francisco in the '60s. The area apparently came alive with hookers and other creatures of the night after dark. (For more on the history of the song, click HERE).
  As stated in the disclaimer, the Dead only performed this song for a brief period, and I'm not sure why. All I know is that when it comes on my iPod, I turn it up real loud and sing every word -- with feeling.

Mission in the Rain
I turn and walk away then I come ‘round again
It looks as though tomorrow I’ll do pretty much the same.

I must turn down your offer but I’d like to ask a break
You know I’m ready to give everything for anything I take.

Someone called my name you know I turned around to see
It was midnight in the Mission and the bells were not for me.

Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain,
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain,

Ten years ago, I walked this street my dreams were riding tall
Tonight I would be thankful Lord, for any dream at all.

Some folks would be happy just to have one dream come true
But everything you gather is just more that you can lose.

Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain,
Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain,

All the things I planned to do I only did half way
Tomorrow will be Sunday born of rainy Saturday.

There’s some satisfaction in the San Francisco rain
No matter what comes down the Mission always looks the same.

Come again, walking along in the Mission in the rain.

Jerry Garcia Band - 11/11/93

Lyrically Speaking: 2002

2010-12-22T09:30:00.010-05:00

  A song's lyrics don't have to be overly poetic to be great. In fact, for me a story song, in which we can empathize with someone's situation or one that places us in a situation past or present, can be just as moving as one that delves deeply into artistic verbiage or clever wordplay. (The worst is one that is cliche, where we can guess the lyrics before the singer ever sings them.)
  Bob Schneider is probably known more as a singer or performer than as a songwriter, though I think he is quite good in that capacity. He has a kind of dual musical personality: He's got a raunchy, rockin', rappin' side and he's got an acoustic-based singer-songwriter side. He's an expert at balancing the two sides (though they don't necessarily mix on the same album).
  His song "2002," from his fantastic album "Lonelyland," deserves some recognition. It's him and an acoustic guitar and some really matter-of-fact, down-in-the-dumps lyrics of a guy who is missing is old girlfriend. He admits he's done some things wrong in his personal life, really is trying to get his life together but realizes it's pretty fruitless.
  The song is written as a letter to this woman telling her how his life has gone since their breakup. Sounds depressing? Yeah, well as he sings, "Doubt things are ever gonna get much better/It seems like life's one big whatever anyway."
  If you are not tearing up or feeling bad for the dude by the end of the song you have no heart.

2002
The year is two thousand & two
I'm doing exactly what I wanted to
And baby I don't even think about you anymore

Just thought I’d drop you a line
And let you know I was doing fine
Cause baby it's been a long long time
Since you walked out my door

It took me some time I must confess
For a while there I was feeling less than my best
Had to get out of town so I headed out west
Ended up in Seattle

I thought I’d start a brand new band
Thought I might call it Lonelyland
Things got a little out of hand
Ended up hooked on heroin

So I ended up moving back over to Germany
Living with the folks baggin' groceries
But the time I had was mostly free
Spent most of it drinking

I got myself in a jam or two
Guess it's what I had to do
But late at night I’d still think of you
Felt like I was drowning

'Til I met this girl at a discotheque
She was a dancer, baby, but not what you'd expect
She taught ballet and she was half-Czech half Chinese

But after she decided not to have the baby
Said she might move back to the mainland maybe
By then I didn't really care I was half drunk, half crazy

I got arrested but never convicted
My parents eventually had me evicted
Tried your number it had been disconnected
Guess I should’ve known

I heard you got married and you moved away
I called your folks but where they would not say
Said it's probably better that way so I just let it be

I moved back to Austin 'bout a year ago
Drive a schoolbus I don't drink no more
I go out every once in a while and see a show but mostly I just watch TV

So I don't know where I’m gonna send this letter
Doubt things are ever gonna get much better
It seems like life's one big whatever anyway

I just thought I’d drop you a line
Lie and say I was doing fine
'Cause baby it's been a long long time
Since you walked out my door

Here's a short explanation of the song from Schneider in an interview with Andy Holloway in the online magazine 5 on Sunday in 2009 (to read the whole interview, click HERE) :
Andy: Your song ‘2002’ is one of the most sincere and genuine offerings about trials and tribulations I have ever heard from a musician. Can you explain the time period that caused you to write this song?
Bob: I wrote the song in 1998 after a bad breakup and I was sitting in a room in Denver. I knew that I’d be feeling better in six months or a year and I was daydreaming about having some kind of remote control that I could fast-forward through the next few hard months of heartbreak. Anyway, I ended up writing the song in an hour or two and now people think that it’s autobiographical when in fact, it was what I imagined the next few years would be like at the time.

Bob Schneider on Austin City Limits:

Lori McKenna at Passim, Dec. 17

2010-12-20T08:50:00.008-05:00

  The Holiday Crush is upon us, so I'll have to make this kind of quick. But because of the Crush it is important to take time out and enjoy the good things in life. One of those good things is seeing Lori McKenna on stage at Passim.
  Lori, who got a shot at fame a couple of years ago when Faith Hill "discovered" what we already knew (that Lori is a great songwriter). Lori opened for Faith on her arena tour and even appeared on "Oprah" with Faith. Lori's story (which all Lori followers know) -- a mother of five writing these songs of small-town surivival -- was captivating and helped her get a major-label record contract with Warner Bros. Nashville.
  For whatever reason, the relationship didn't last and now Lori is self-releasing her great new album, "Lorraine" (due out Jan. 25, but I bought it at the show!) -- and we are better off for it.
All this is a lead-up to the show at Passim, which had her playing six shows in three consecutive nights. I went to the late show of the middle performances, which were just her and her guitar in front of an enthusiastic crowd that included some of her hometown peeps.
  She is surprisingly unaffected by her almost-stardom, occasionally mentioning her friend Faith and sounding perfectly fine about the way it all turned out.
  Her set was a mix of old and new, opening with (I think, I could be wrong) the album's title song, which she said is about her mother or herself or both. After all, they are both named Lorraine. She apologized for her voice being a little hoarse, a victim of the multiple show format that she's been doing at Passim for the past seven years. Another great thing about Lori is that she is completely loyal to the people and venues that have supported her throughout her career -- musicians Mark Erelli, Kris Delmhorst and Mary Gauthier were namechecked during the show.
  Her voice to me, even slightly husky, sounded pretty great and really suits her songs beautifully. Is she folk? Is she country? Who the hell cares. She's got such a unique sound, and her guitar playing is really quite good. I originally thought I would miss the accompaniment of another voice or instrument (she played with a trio on the following night), but that was not the case at all.
  The older numbers included "I Know You," my favorite from "Unglamorous," and "Stealing Kisses," from the great "Bittertown" the one Faith Hill covered to all the attention. Just a side note: the Faith Hill version -- ick. I'm sorry, but Lori sings it with so much more feeling and tension.
  The same can be said for a new song, "The Luxury of Knowing," that is on the new album. Apparently Keith Urban has covered it as a bonus song on his new album. I listened to it online. Ick. Again, Lori's voice is so much more real.
  A couple of other great tunes she played from the new album: "Sweet Disposition" and "Buy This Town," which she called a "furball" song, one that popped into her head as she was driving her kids back and forth and back and forth to school.
  She filled most of the gaps between songs with these kinds of personal stories about her life as a mother, her relationship with her husband, and as a musician, and how they all crazily intertwine. She's named her studio in the basement Boy in a Hoodie because "whenever she goes down there, there's always a boy in a hoodie sitting at her computer." The stories are always followed by a little nervous laughter, like maybe she's revealing too much, like therapy. But it's just her being real and that's what her fans love about her.
For more pics from the show, click HERE.
Stay tuned for the review her new album a little closer to the release date.

Lyrically Speaking: Trouble

2010-12-18T15:26:00.003-05:00

Little Feat is one of those bands that, in my opinion, doesn't get enough credit. Sure, they may not have really broken new ground, but they were solid -- both lyrically and in band musicianship. They sort of fit very comfortably between Allman-esque Southern rock, New Orleans boogie, funk, jazz and Grateful Dead-like jam band. Many of today's jam bands take stock in different musical influences the way Feat did. Lowell George, his life cut way too short, was a great lyricist and musician. His songs -- "Dixie Chicken," "Willin'," "Fat Man in the Bathtub," etc. -- are classics. The band of George, Bill Payne, Paul Barerre, Fred Tackett, Kenny Gradney, Richie Hayward, and Sam Clayton were a juggernaut of sound and counted Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and Bonnie Raitt as FOB (friends of the band).
The song "Trouble," from 1972's "Sailin' Shoes," may not be their most famous, but is truly my favorite. It's certainly one of their most quiet tunes, sparse. It clocks in at a mere 2 minutes and 19 seconds. But the lyrics offer up a guy who is totally overstressed and a reminder to just remain calm, take it easy and everything will be all right. I love this line, it calms me: "Well I'll write a letter, and I'll send it away

And put all the trouble in it you had today."

Inara George, Lowell's daughter, covered the tune on a 2008 Little Feat tribute album called "Join the Band." I read an interview somewhere that though Lowell George died when she was only 5, her mother used to sing her this song at bedtime. Totally cool.

Trouble
You yelled hey when your car wouldn't start
So you got real nervous and started to eat your heart out
Now you're so fat your shoes don't fit on your feat
You got trouble
And it's tailor made
Well mama lay your head down in the shade

'Cause your eyes are tired, and your feat are too
And you wish the world was as tired as you, whoa
Well I'll write a letter, and I'll send it away
And put all the trouble in it you had today

Oh your telephone ring and you went "oh ho"
You forgot about this, and you forgot about that
'Cause you got to get back to what you doing
Goodbye, click that, so and so
You're an island and on your own

You yelled hey when the stove blew up
Upset? why yes
And the footprints on your ceiling, they're almost gone
And you're wondering why?
Well mama lay your head down, don't you cry

From 2009:

And this classic from 1977:

Blast from the Past: Sunshine Daydreamin' from March 2010

2010-12-18T14:55:00.001-05:00

This is a double Blast From the Past: Not only is it reprinted from an earlier issue this year (No. 28; the Two Stages of Jackie Greene; click HERE), but it also takes us way back to the early '80s when I was pretty much a Deadhead college student, going to shows near and far and enjoying life as it came. Hope you enjoy my look back...

Sunshine Daydreamin’
  In our youth we spent some time doing the Grateful Dead thing. Not the full-on, traveling show to show across the country, but we did strike out from time to time from our home base in Boston to visit with friends and relatives – and maybe catch a Dead show that happened to be in their area. Sometimes the journey getting there was just as fun as being at the concert. And since we’ve been discussing the Dead a bit in this issue, it seems like a good time to look back on some of those long, strange trips.

Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, 9/17/82
  My sister, her boyfriend and I left Boston and traveled the two-plus hours, certain we could buy tickets when we got there. After some initial trouble finding a seller, we split up, me going it alone and planning to meet them inside. I got a ticket. They didn’t. I had an awesome time inside, they had almost as good a time partying in the parking lot.
Concert highlight: “High Time’’ (I’d never heard it live), “Women Are Smarter” (love the tune), and a great “Morning Dew.” Also, apparently it was the first-ever time “Throwing Stones” was played in concert.

War Memorial, Rochester, NY, 4/9/82
  My sister and I met up with my cousin Steve, a huge Deadhead. We partied like it was 1977. Can’t for the life of me remember how or why we decided to drive 7 1/2 hours to Rochester.
Concert highlight: “China Cat/I Know You Rider’’; “Satisfaction” finale with “Brokedown Palace’’ encore.

The Coliseum, Hampton, VA, 4/9/83
  I had a friend who was going to school at Virginia Tech and figured we’d go visit him and then see the show. Got down to VT only to find out that Hampton was almost 5 hours away. And we didn’t have tickets. As I learned, that is not actually a problem on a college campus. So we made the trek and had a great time.
Concert highlight: New tunes “West LA Fadeaway,” “Brother Esau.”

Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY, 6/18/83
  My friend Rich and I drove to meet Jeff, who was coming by bus, in Albany. We got to the station and Jeff was nowhere to be found – we thought. We had an elaborate plan in case there were issues (no cellphones in 1983!) which we deployed. After a 40-minute mission to find him, it turned out he was at the other end of station the entire time. We made it to SPAC in plenty of time.
Concert highlight: It was a beautiful day, but as night started to fall, there were thunderstorms in the area... the Dead played “Scarlet Begonias/Fire on the Mountain” as lightning went off in the distance. At the beginning Brent teased the tune “I Can See Clearly Now (the Rain Is Gone).”

Decemberists cover the Grateful Dead

2010-12-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Two of my favorite bands come together in this cool cover by the Decemberists of the Grateful Dead's "Row Jimmy Row." Not much more needs to be said...
You can download it HERE
Listen to it below
The Decemberists - Row Jimmy (Grateful Dead cover) by jp917

CD reviews: Mike & Ruthy, Kate Redgate, Deadly Gentlemen

2010-12-16T08:24:00.002-05:00

Mike & Ruthy, “Million to One”

  We first took notice of Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar-Merenda when their previous band the Mammals covered Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” as a stripped-down, slowed-down folk blues. Now out on their own as a duo they call Mike & Ruthy, the husband-and-wife team have released “Million to One,’’ an album of rockin’ folk tunes – or as we think of them, folkin’ rock tunes.
  The title, we guess, has something to do with the odds of the album actually coming out since it was funded by Kickstarter donations. But while the odds of making the album might have been long, the chance of fans liking it is a sure thing. The standout track is “Covered,” a blues rocker with the pair sharing lead vocals.
   Harmonies on the album are killer. They especially shine atop the walking bass and fiddle tune “As My Eyes Run Wild.” Those harmonies are backed by bassist Jose Ayerve, drummer Craig Santiago, and others on fiddle and pedal steel, adding to the organic sound. “Be the Boss” has Mike singing in early electric Dylan; “Who’s Who” is a fun mishmash of crazy vignettes; and “On the Road” showcases Ruthy’s gorgeous vocals on a song about band life: “Up one highway and down the next/finding banks that’ll cash our checks/smilin’ in the rear view mirror as another good town disappears/oh don’t you want to go on the road.” With this band? Yeah, that sounds like fun.
www.mikeandruthy.com

Kate Redgate “Nothing Tragic”

  You get the feeling that with a little help, Kate Redgate’s songs would be right at home with the Nashville cats. Kate grew up in the Midwest and is now a full-blown New Englander. Similar to Lori McKenna, she’s a mom who has a calling to play music, though her sound is more straight-ahead country than Lori’s.
  “Into the Blues” rocks its country sound with help from drummer Zach Field and bassist Mike Miskis, with additional support from the great Kevin Barry on electric guitar and Tom West on organ.
  You can hear glimpses of Kate’s life stories in her lyrics: some hard times but always filled with resolve to keep on persevering. On the title track she sings “When your house is on fire you don’t think about what your next move will be/you grab the kids and you all jump out/run as far away as can be/when I said goodbye to you it was all that I could do/to pull these stakes out of the ground/it got a little messy here but you can rest assured my dear there’s nothing tragic here at all.”
  With songs such as “Walkin’ a Fine Line” and “Mississippi Moon” you can just picture Kate up on a honky-tonk bar stage somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon line in front of a crowd of appreciatively dancing country fans.
www.kateredgate.com

Deadly Gentlemen, “Carry Me to Home”

You will either love or hate this album depending on how you feel about your bluegrass being mixed with rock and rap. Greg Liszt, the banjo player of Crooked Still, leads this foursome in some innovative – sometimes jarring – bluegrassy numbers. The tunes are mostly standards that have been reworked into new songs. The playing is virtuoso and the ideas are creative. The group – Stash Wyslouch on guitar, Mike Barnett on fiddle, Dominick Leslie on mandolin, and Sam Grisman on double bass – no doubt has fun, and the lyrics for such songs as “Police” (based on traditional song “Policeman”: “Drink my liquor with a pancake cold/Can a man make silver?/Can a man make gold?/You don’t need to be mad to need a method/Good to be the maker but bad to be the meth head?”) are comical.
www.deadlygentlemen.com

CD reviews: Jess Yoakum, Dietrich Strause, Vickers Vimy

2010-12-16T08:24:00.001-05:00

Jess Yoakum, “This Quiet Mile”

We first met Jess when she was gigging around Boston a few years ago. Her passionate, confessional lyrics drew us in, much like her musical influences Patty Griffin and Joni Mitchell.
Since then Jess has moved to Chicago, a move we’re sure was exciting – and probably terrifying at the same time. Her new self-released album, “This Quiet Mile,” is certainly influenced by this physical and emotional change. Her previous hometown is mentioned in two different songs, as she speaks of trying to figure out who she is and where she is going. She sings on “Hold Me In”: “Beautiful day/I don’t feel like I remember the sun, the green/And, it’s not this awake in Boston. Not this dirty. Not this real/So, what am I going back to, anyway? And, where will I find my love? My history?”
“Triangles” is a surprisingly rugged opener, with Jess singing through a voice filter: “Playing power games, we’re each as powerless as the rest/It will never be either/or with you it’s always more or less.”
Jess has a beautiful, expressive voice, which stands out against the album’s darker sound – cello, violin, piano and acoustic and pedal steel guitars intertwining in minor chord arrangements. “Texas’’ is one of our favorites, melding lyrics of longing against the realities of Christmas in a state with no winter.
www.jessyoakum.com

Dietrich Strause, “Laborsongs and Barkingdogs”

  Dietrich Strause may be known more around Boston as a trumpet player, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying his hand as a guitar-playing singer-songwriter. In fact the talented Oberlin College graduate (yep, another Oberlin musician! See Josh Ritter) plays a variety of instruments, including mandolin, piano and organ.
  Many of these show up on his self-produced new album, “Laborsongs and Barking dogs.” Strause’s voice is mellifluous; his sound has traces of a young Paul Simon mixed with that Ritter Midwestern wanderlust.
  Standout tunes include “Fire” and “Jean Louise,” a tune that bobs along on acoustic guitar and is based on a “To Kill a Mockingbird’’ character: “Jean Louise I’ll tell you that your bare feet are still too loud, for sneaking through the garden you’ve got bells on your ankles and the belfry’s in the ground, lilacs and violets and a shotgun blast, the mockingbirds in whispers like the sky before the flash.’’
This is a solid outing and we look forward hearing more.
www.dietrichstrause.com

Vickers Vimy, “Vol 1. That Vinyl Scratch”

  One of my favorite albums on these pages was just released this month and is available through Bandcamp.
  Ed Drea and Finton Hanley from Galway, Ireland, have put together an album that reminds us of tunes from Glen Hansard and early Josh Ritter. That may not be hard to figure since they have the backing here by Colm Mac Nomaire of the Frames and the Swell Season.
  Wondering what Vickers Vimy is? According to the band, they take their name from one of the most celebrated cross Atlantic adventures, from 1919. You’ll have to look that one up to get more detail.
  As for the band’s sound, banjos and glockenspiel, in addition to acoustic and electric guitars and light drumming, create a warm atmosphere, as if you’re sitting in an Irish pub listening to them play live. Our favorite track: “Devil on Your Back.” “Old Fashioned Lover” features some fun barrelhouse piano over lyrics about a guy trying to prove his devotion.
www.myspace.com/vickersvimy

CD reviews: Lake Street Dive, Lucinda Black Bear, the Bowmans

2010-12-16T08:24:00.000-05:00

Lake Street Dive, "Lake Street Dive"

  Band members Rachel Price, Michael Olson, Bridget Kearney and Michael Calabrese met at New England Conservatory, but don’t let that dissuade you from putting on this album and dancing around your living room because as Lake Street Dive they play ... a wicked mix of country/bluegrass/soul music.
  Price’s voice is soulful, sweet and moving and is backed by solid musicianship, that includes Olson’s enthusiastic guitar and splendid trumpet interludes, Kearney’s acoustic bass, and Calabrese’s steady, sometimes funky beats as well as keyboards.
  The sound of organ, bass and drums is intoxicating on “Don’t Make Me Hold Your Hand.’’ “Henriette” opens with guitar licks reminiscent of early Beatles but then quickly turns into a funky, jazzy tune with a Kearney bass solo in the middle! “Miss Disregard” is a great kiss-off song and “Elijah” is just pure, bouncy fun. “Neighbor Song” opens with the line “I can hear my neighbors making love upstairs/There love is rattling my tables and my chairs.” You think it might be a funny song but it instead explores a sadness of loss of love. A beautiful trumpet solo echoes the heartache and wanting. Lake Street Dive is another in a long line of great, homespun artists picked up by the small Western Mass. label Signature Sounds.
www.lakestreetdive.com

Lucinda Black Bear, “Knives”

  It’s always fun when you come across a band that sounds new and different. Of course, if it doesn’t sound good, who cares? Luckily for us, New York-based Lucinda Black Bear, sounds both different and good.
  Its second album, “Knives,” on the small Eastern Spurs label, the group -- Christian Gibbs on vocals and guitar, Mike Cohen on bass, Kristin Mueller on drums, Chad Hammer on cello – stretches out, adding intricate arrangements that include loops and feedback to its folk-based tunes. It’s a sound that’s not simple to describe: equal parts experimental folk, indie rock, and chamber pop. One song may have the arc of Arcade Fire-esque indie pop, the next will soar like a new-school version of Queen.
  “Hand Bible,” with its guitar-plucked melody and electronica, starts slowly and builds to a crescendo of instruments, drums and bass crashing over Gibbs plaintive vocals. Our favorites include “Laugh at My Tears,” which features a full chorus and guitar break a la Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the neo-country of “She’s a Killer” and rocking “Suffocation Blues.”
www.lucindablackbear.com

The Bowmans, “Live at PowerPlay Studios”

  Sarah and Claire Bowman, twin sisters who have been performing around New York City for years, were recently invited to record these 13 songs – some new, some from past albums – live at the famous Powerplay studio in Maur, Switzerland, a place they have returned to often.
Sarah wrote most of the tracks and plays guitar, while Claire provides the harmonies and percussion, oh, and the album art.
  Playing live proves to be inspiring as this album is filled with the pair’s beautiful shared harmonies.
Back-to-back songs “You’re Right,’’ which urgently rocks on its acoustic guitar backing, and “The Kitchen Song’’ are particularly ear-catching.
  On “On the Road,’’ Sarah sings: “The bumpy road might break your toes, so you will never know/But I’ll take my chances, cut my losses. ’Cause I would rather go.” Sounds like they had a good trip.
www.thebowmansmusic.com

Favorites of 2010

2010-12-15T09:43:00.001-05:00

Way Down with 'Hadestown' and more!
Our annual list of Favorites: 2010

To read the whole issue, click HERE

FAVORITE CD

“Hadestown,” Anais Mitchell
A concept album in itself is very tough to pull off. A folk opera about the Orpheus myth? Please. Top it off with an incredible cast – Ani DiFranco, Greg Brown, Justin Vernon, etc. – singing the various roles and a band that pulls off an array of musical styles. We can’t think of another album in the last 10 years that has consistently been in our heads nearly every day since its release. It is truly an amazing accomplishment.

SURPRISE CD
See above.

FAVORITE CONCERT

“Hadestown” performed live at Passim
We’ve never seen a group of musicians more into what they were doing. Some of Boston’s best musicians crowded onto and in front of the small stage to re-create “Hadestown” from start to finish. It was exquisite. Peter Mulvey, Kris Delmhorst, Tim Gearan and many others along with Anais and backed by Michael Chorney’s band. Even when they weren’t performing you could see how intensely the musicians were listening: bobbing their heads, eyes closed. It was mesmerizing. Read our concert review HERE

BEST TIME AT SHOW

Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band, Orpheum Theatre, Boston, and State Theatre, Portland, Maine
We should just retire this category. There’s no way to beat friends, family, and Josh Ritter… Unless another band wants to invite us along to ride their tour bus, this is the way it’s always gonna be!
Read our concert reviews HERE and HERE

FAVORITE CONCERT PHOTO

Avetts on the scissor lift at Newport
It captures the band’s free spirit and the surprise of the moment. What the photo doesn’t show is the row of port-o-potties beneath them. See a video HERE

FAVORITE QUOTE

‘Music is entertainment, yeah sure. But it’s also a language. It can be a romantic dialogue. A mournful soliloquy with onlookers. It can be playful, sexy, offensive. The only way to get reactions from people is to connect. That’s the truth.’
- Jackie Greene Read the full interview HERE

FAVORITE VENUE

Fort Adams State Park, Newport Folk Festival
This may be only a once-a-year excursion, but it is a great festival experience. There may be more scenic venues – Red Rocks in Colorado, the Gorge near Seattle – but the Newport stage looks out on a peninsula of land surrounded by boats and yachts on the harbor, the crowd is more intent on listening than drinking and the acts are diverse, ranging from up-and-coming to legendary.
Read our concert review HERE

FAVORITE NEW ARTIST

Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers
How does a young woman from Seattle sound like she’s spent her whole life playing Nashville-based country music?
Read our CD review HERE

OTHER MEMORABLE CONCERTS OF THE YEAR
David Rawlings Machine, Paradise, June 5
“The beauty of The Machine is that they really swing – they almost rock those acoustic instruments. ... The beautiful “Ruby” shined with Gillian’s amazing harmony vocals backing his. She and Dave were just meant to sing together. They seem to fill in each other’s empty spaces like no pair I can think of. ... They came back for two encores and the crowd was rocking. I’ve seen Gillian and Dave a couple times before but I’ve never seen such a rowdy, excited crowd – and they knew almost all the words to the songs.” To read the whole review, click HERE

Stone Temple Pilots, Bank of America Pavilion, Sept. 1
“All of the worries that the Stone Temple Pilots are rock stars on the decline were blown away when the quartet took the stage. ... Opening with fan favorites “Crackerman’’ and “Wicked Garden,” Weiland looked and sounded great. Singing songs through his signature bullhorn, Weiland led his mates through STP classics as well as songs from their latest album. To read the whole review, click HERE

Erin McKeown’s 10th anniversary Distillation tour, Sept. 24
“As hoped, Erin rocked her guitar as the “Distillation” songs called for. ... “How to Open My Heart in 4 Easy Steps” was gorgeous, and she hit every note perfectly; the wink-wink of the cocaine-loving tune “The Little Cowboy” was filled with [Dave] Chalfant’s brilliant slide playing; “Le Petite Mort” is always great for its chance to let the audience scream “Oh Estelle”; and “Blackbirds” blew me away as always.” To read the whole review, click HERE

OTHER MEMORABLE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
Josh Ritter, “So Runs the World Away”
“Josh Ritter’s proven to be a natural storyteller. So it is no surprise that on his new album, the focus turns to tales of cursed mummies and ships seeking new worlds. The songs, says Josh, “are larger and more detailed and feel to me as if they were painted in oil on large canvasses.” After the rockin’, brash “Historical Conquests” album, this time we get a much more cerebral one, overflowing with imagery set against a palette of sound, rather than the raucous backing of the past.” To read the whole review, click HERE

Dawes, “North Hills”
“When we first heard Dawes our impression was that they sounded like a California version of the Avett Brothers. ... You get the picture: dreamy harmonies, lush acoustic-leaning instrumentation and lyrics of love lost and found. The quartet’s songs are a nice mix of soul and pop that could probably do with a little of that punkish edge the Avetts have.” To read the whole review, click HERE

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, “Grace Potter and the Nocturnals”
Grace has a new female bass player and has added a second guitarist. The new lineup allows for a fuller – and sexier – sound, and a chance for Grace to step out front even more. But don’t be led astray, she’s not putting down her Flying V or forsaking her Hammond B3 chores. That is very clear from the first tune “Paris (Ooh La La),’’ which opens with some screaming guitars. It sounds like a ’70s Heart tune on steroids.” To read the whole review, click HERE

Issue No. 31, December 2010

2010-12-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

Way Down With 'Hadestown'
Anais Mitchell's stellar folk opera tops our list of Favorites of 2010

  It seems every year there’s one album we cannot stop listening to: In 2004, Patty Griffin’s “Impossible Dream” blew our minds; a few years later, a neo-bluegrass band named Crooked Still shook us up with their “Shaken by a Low Sound.”
  This year it’s “Hadestown,” Anais Mitchell’s brilliant folk opera, which is based on the Greek myth Orpheus, but set in a mining town during a post-apocalyptic American depression era.
  The easy answer as to why this is such a great album is that it’s a blast to listen to.
  The songs, full of inspired and detailed description of life in the underground, tell the story of love and greed.
  It is actually an ALBUM, something you have to listen to from start to finish, unlike so many of today’s releases. It’s a concept album that doesn’t feel contrived or forced, exceptionally difficult to pull off.
  But there is so much more to love about it.
  The voices: Anais, who sings Eurydice, has an almost childlike voice, one I suspect people either love or not. And the other characters add incredible depth. The husky, deep sound of Greg Brown is perfect as Hades; Ani DiFranco, as Persephone, adds a ’40s speakeasy madame’s persona; Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) warms up Orpheus; and Ben Knox Miller (The Low Anthem) adds a funky presence as Hermes.
  The music: Under the direction of Michael Chorney, the music moves effortlessly from genre to genre – blues, jazz, sparse folk – in a way that ties the whole undertaking together.
  From the moment we heard it – and saw the whole album performed live with local musicians at Passim in Cambridge – “Hadestown” was destined to be the pick as our favorite album of the year. Congratulations Anais, it is truly a work of art.
  As for our other favorites, turn to Page 5 to see who else rocked our world in 2010.
  We also offer a chance to read about some musicians you probably don’t know, those who are either on small labels or have self-released albums. They might not have the vast resources to get their music out there, but they deserve to be heard.
  Who knows, one of these musicians could be the next to produce an album as breathtaking as “Hadestown.”
To read the issue, click HERE

MA5 - SONGS
Songs that helped us survive this issue:
1. “Furry Sings the Blues,” “Hejira,” Joni Mitchell. Beale Street in Memphis comes to life.
2. “Burgundy Shoes,” “Children Running Through,” Patty Griffin. Just beautiful.
3. “Jealous Guy,” “Imagine,” John Lennon. The guy put his feelings right out there for all to see.
4. “Pour,” “Bittertown,” Lori McKenna. Word of a new album early next year, got me listening – again.
5. “Washington,” “Oh Little Fire,” Sarah Harmer. This song has grown on me, even if the album hasn’t quite.

Lyrically Speaking: It Makes No Difference

2010-12-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

  Earlier this morning when I was contemplating doing another Lyrically Speaking, "It Makes No Difference," by the Band popped into my head because of the sheer pain in the lost love of the words. When a song makes you feel something deeply -- pain, happiness, etc. -- you've got greatness.
  By sheer chance, today also just happens to be the 11-year anniversary of the death of Band bassist Rick Danko. While Rick didn't write the song (that would be Robbie Robertson, probably one of the most underappreciated American songwriters), he did sing it. His mournful voice, which he often stretched into registers I didn't think possible, perfectly projects the deep, deep loss of the lyrics. So RIP, Rick. We miss you.
  As for the lyrics, Robertson came up with some beauties. First of all, this song isn't written in standard verse, verse, chorus, bridge, verse. It sounds instead like it was written as if the person was just rambling through his sorrows, tears rolling down his cheeks. My favorite line: "Since you've gone it's a losing battle/Stampeding cattle/They rattle the walls." Stampeding cattle? Wow. This guy is really bad off!! And this line, another killer: "Well, I love you so much/It's all I can do/Just to keep myself from telling you/That I never felt so alone before." Yikes.
  Robertson is known for his story-songs -- "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Get Up Jake," "Up on Cripple Creek" -- songs that sort of transport you to another place and time. But for me, this song just eats me up. "It Makes No Difference" is originally found on 1975's "Northern Lights - Southern Cross," but may be best heard in the Band's farewell concert "The Last Waltz" (see video below).
  Oh, one more note: If you like the Lyrically Speaking entries, you can easily find them by going to the Labels pulldown menu to the right, and look for "lyrically speaking."

It Makes No Difference
It makes no diff'rence where I turn
I can't get over you and the flame still burns
It makes no diff'rence, night or day
The shadow never seems to fade away

And the sun don't shine anymore
And the rains fall down on my door

Now there's no love
As true as the love
That dies untold
But the clouds never hung so low before

It makes no diff'rence how far I go
Like a scar the hurt will always show
It makes no diff'rence who I meet
They're just a face in the crowd
On a dead-end street
And the sun don't shine anymore
And the rains fall down on my door

These old love letters
Well, I just can't keep
'Cause like the gambler says
Read 'em and weep
And the dawn don't rescue me no more

Without your love I'm nothing at all
Like an empty hall it's a lonely fall
Since you've gone it's a losing battle
Stampeding cattle
They rattle the walls

And the sun don't shine anymore
And the rains fall down on my door

Well, I love you so much
It's all I can do
Just to keep myself from telling you
That I never felt so alone before

From "The Last Waltz"

News and videos

2010-12-09T09:23:00.001-05:00

Some of this and a little of that before the big splash of the next issue of Modern Acoustic, which should be posted early next week (HERE).

A bunch of new albums from some of our favorite artists are slated for release right after the first of the year. Here is the list I have... feel free to send me others
The Decemberists "The King Is Dead," Jan. 18
Iron & Wine "Kiss Each Other Clean," Jan. 25
Lori McKenna "Lorraine," Jan. 25
Dala "Everyone Is Someone," Jan. 25
The Low Anthem "Smart Flesh," Feb. 22
Zoe Muth (album title to be announced), April 2011
Lucinda Williams, "Blessed," March 1

And now for some fun videos...
The curling scene from the Beatles' "Help"

Josh Ritter on the creative process and his responsibility to his audience

Lyrically Speaking: Casimir Pulaski Day

2010-12-03T09:12:00.000-05:00

In a few days, I'll be publishing and posting my Favorites of 2010 issue of Modern Acoustic magazine, but until then I thought I'd offer up another in the series Lyrically Speaking, song lyrics that, to me, go beyond just words to a song.

  Sufjan Stevens is an odd cat. In concert he wears butterfly wings; early on, he wanted to make one album for each of the 50 states, etc. He has actually abandoned the idea (the states thing, not the wings!). But before he did, he released an album called Illinois, in which all the songs had some connection to the state. It's a pretty great album, with cuts -- many with long titles (like "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is out to Get Us!") -- that run the gamut from instrumental snippets to songs with sincere, heartfelt stories, all backed by his odd orchestra-like band. A song called "John Wayne Gacy Jr." tells the story of the '70s serial killer from Chicago and how we all have that instinct deep inside of us.
  As for our favorite song on the album, "Casimir Pulaski Day," is about a girlfriend who is diagnosed with cancer and passes away, presumably on Casimir Pulaski Day, a state holiday in Illinois. The lyrics are heartbreaking, as he remembers memories of their relationship and the pain of his loss: "Tuesday night at the bible study/We lift our hands and pray over your body/But nothing ever happens."
  The best lyrics are ones that move you, takes you into the author's world. When the music fits that mood, you have a great song. This is one.

Casimir Pulaski Day
Golden rod and the 4-H stone
The things I brought you
When I found out you had cancer of the bone

Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car to the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry

In the morning through the window shade
When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade
I could see what you were reading

Oh the glory that the lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth

Tuesday night at the bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens

I remember at Michael's house
In the living room when you kissed my neck
And I almost touched your blouse

In the morning at the top of the stairs
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared

Oh the glory when you ran outside
With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied
And you told me not to follow you

Sunday night when I cleaned the house
I find the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of your mother

On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom

In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window

In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March on the holiday
I thought I saw you breathing

Oh the glory that the lord has made
And the complications when I see his face
In the morning in the window

Oh the glory when he took our place
But he took my shoulders and he shook my face
And he takes and he takes and he takes

A video of Casimir Pulaski Day

Lyrically Speaking: Burgundy Shoes

2010-11-27T10:11:00.000-05:00

To me, Patty Griffin is a vastly underappreciated singer and songwriter in popular music. Maybe the word popular is the problem. She is far outside the realm of the fans of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and even to a majority of those who love, say, Bruce Springsteen. But those who know her and have really listened to her songs love her voice, one that can deliver beauty or a growl as needed. She was my first voice crush and continues to be to this day. Her album "Impossible Dream" is one of my top 5 albums of all time... yes, all time. Patty's lyrics capture the desperate, the needy, the redemptive. Love is usually just out of reach but not too far that hope is extinguished.

One of my favorite songs is "Burgundy Shoes," from the album "Children Running Through." It's a tune she says was written after she was challenged by a friend to write a happy song. It captures a pleasurable memory of a bus trip with her mother when she was a young child, growing up in Maine. I just love the childlike details she captures in her description of that ride: "The bus driver smiles, a dime and a nickel/We climb on our seats, the vinyl is cold/"Michelle ma belle,"a song that you loved then/You hold my hand and sing to yourself."

"Burgundy Shoes"
We wait for the bus that's going to Bangor
In my plaid dress and burgundy shoes
In your red lipstick and lilac kerchief
You're the most pretty lady in the world
Sun

The bus driver smiles, a dime and a nickel
We climb on our seats, the vinyl is cold
"Michelle ma belle", a song that you loved then
You hold my hand and sing to yourself
Sun

The leaves are green and new like a baby
Tulips are red, now I don't miss the snow
It's the first day I don't wear my big boots
You hold my hand, I've got burgundy shoes
Sun

Lyrically speaking: Lantern

2010-11-20T15:52:00.001-05:00

Last week, I posted lyrics of Joni Mitchell's "Furry Sings the Blues," basically because I really dig the song. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that it might be cool to ocasionally posted lyrics to songs and say a few words about why they rock my world. To be truthful, I'm not a huge lyric guy. Don't get me wrong, I love when a song makes sense, when an artist truly is inspired and puts words to things I could not dream of doing. But usually, it's the music that hits me first, then the lyrics. I will say that if the lyrics are crap, cliched or boring, forget it -- the song doesn't get much play by me.
So here goes, my second in an occasional series of lyrics that kill me.

  Trying to pick one Josh Ritter tune to highlight the lyrics is like eating one potato chip. Near impossible. In fact, at the end of last year I declared his "Thin Blue Flame" as the song of the decade (still believe it so) and posted the lyrics because they are so brilliant.
  Anyway, here are the lyrics to his song "Lantern," off his newest album "So Runs the World Away."
Even without the music, this song reads like poetry.
  I mean, who else out there is writing lyrics like this: "Where the thistles eat the thorns/and the roses have no chance/and it ain't no wonder that the babies come out crying in advance/and the children look for shelter in the hollow of some lonesome cheek."
The whole song is filled with brilliant, literate, and even profound insights into one man's need for love and understanding.

Josh Ritter, "Lantern"

Be the light of my lantern, the light of my lantern, be the light
be the light of my lantern, light of my lantern tonight
be the light of my lantern, light of my lantern, be the light
I need light of my lantern, light of my lantern tonight

It's a hungry world out there -- even the wind'll take a bite,
and I can feel the world circling, sniffing around me in the night
and the lost sheep grow teeth, forsake the lambs and lie with the lions

And the living is desperate, precarious and mean,
and getting by is so hard that even the rocks are picked clean
and the bones of small contention are the only food the hungry find

I'll need light from my lantern, light from my lantern tonight
light of my lantern, light of my lantern tonight

Where the thistles eat the thorns, and the roses have no chance,
and it ain't no wonder that the babies come out crying in advance
and the children look for shelter in the hollow of some lonesome cheek

And the sky's so cold and clear the stars might stick you where you stand
and you're only glad it's dark cause you might see the Master's hand
you might cast around forever and never find the piece you seek.

I'll need light from my lantern, light from my lantern tonight.
Be the light of my lantern, light of my lantern tonight

For every cry in the night, somebody says Have faith,
be content inside your questions -- minotaurs inside a maze.
Tell me what's the point of light that you have to strike a match to find?

So throw away those lamentations -- we both know them all too well;
if there's a book of jubiliations, we'll have to write it for ourselves,
so come and lie beside me, Darling, and let's write it while we've still got time

So if you've got a light, hold it high for me
I need it bad tonight, hold it high for me
'cause I'm face to face, hold it high for me
in a lonesome place, hold it high for me

With all the hurt that I've done, hold it high for me
that can't be undone, hold it high for me
light and guide me through, hold it high for me
I'll do the same for you, and hold it high for me

I'll hold it high for you 'cause I know you've got
'hold it high for you, your own valley to walk
I'll hold it high for you though it's dark as death
I'll hold it high for you and then gets darker yet

I'll hold it high for you though your past seems lost
I'll hold it high for you through the thieves and rocks
I'll hold it high for you, I'll keep you safe from harm
I'll hold it high for you, until you're back in my arms

Be the light of my lantern, light of my lantern tonight
be the light of my lantern, the light of my lantern tonight
be the light of my lantern, light of my lantern tonight
be the light of my lantern, light of my lantern tonight

This video is from Tarrytown, N.Y., where the crowd surprised Josh and the boys with glow sticks during the song. Check out the expressions on Zack's face and the fact that Josh had to basically stop and restart the opening lyrics because of the surprise. Classic.

Lyrically speaking: Furry Sings the Blues

2010-11-18T09:37:00.003-05:00

Furry Lewis (from the Falstaff beer site)

This has always been one of my favorite songs by Joni Mitchell. The song written about bluesman Furry Lewis is amazing and the lyrics just brings him and Beale Street in Memphis alive.

Furry Sings the Blues from the album Hejira

Old Beale Street is coming down
Sweeties' Snack Bar, boarded up now
And Egles The Tailor and the Shine Boy's gone
Faded out with ragtime blues
Handy's cast in bronze
And he's standing in a little park
With a trumpet in his hand
Like he's listening back to the good old bands
And the click of high heeled shoes
Old Furry sings the blues
Propped up in his bed
With his dentures and his leg removed
And Ginny's there
For her kindness and Furry's beer
She's the old man's angel overseer

Pawn shops glitter like gold tooth caps
In the grey decay
They chew the last few dollars off
Old Beale Street's carcass
Carrion and mercy
Blue and silver sparkling drums
Cheap guitars, eye shades and guns
Aimed at the hot blood of being no one
Down and out in Memphis Tennessee
Old Furry sings the blues
You bring him smoke and drink and he'll play for you
lt's mostly muttering now and sideshow spiel
But there was one song he played
I could really feel

There's a double bill murder at the New Daisy
The old girl's silent across the street
She's silent - waiting for the wrecker's beat
Silent - staring ar her stolen name
Diamond boys and satin dolls
Bourbon laughter- ghosts - history falls
To parking lots and shopping malls
As they tear down old Beale Street
Old Furry sings the blues
He points a bony finger at you and
"I don't like you"
Everybody laughs as if it's the old man's standard joke
But it's true
We're only welcome for our drink and smoke

W.C. Handy I'm rich and I'm fay
And I'm not familiar with what you played
But I get such strong impressions of your hey day
Looking up and down old Beale Street
Ghosts of the darktown society
Come right out of the bricks at me
Like it's a Saturday night
They're in their finery
Dancing it up and making deals
Furry sings the blues
Why should I expect that old guy to give it to me true
Fallen to hard luck
And time and other thieves
While our limo is shining on his shanty street
Old Furry sings the blues

From the Shadows & Light tour in 1979

Videos and other stuff

2010-11-18T09:30:00.001-05:00

I ocassionally run across videos and other things that catch my eye. In the past I've just posted them up on my Facebook page (HERE) because it is quick and easy. But in a little rethinking, I think they should be posted on the blog as well. So here are some of the videos I've gotten a kick out of the last couple days... Feel free to check in later for more.

Joni Mitchell - Free Man in Paris from Shadows and Light tour in 1979.

Grace Potter cooking... on her tour bus

Jimmy Fallon (as Neil Young) and Bruce Springsteen

An honor

2010-11-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

To quote Sally Field: "They like me, they really like me!"
I jest, but I am quite honored that this blog has been named one of the 25 Best Blogs for Folk Music Fans by bestcollegesonline.net.

Here is what they say:
The horrible stereotype of the folk music fan — the guitar-packing sap, often a college student, who's almost too sensitive to live — is finally fading away. Folk music is as varied and intriguing as the stories and musicians that have made up the genre for decades, with styles and artists ranging from traditional music born in the 19th century to pop-folk of the mid-20th century to singers and songwriters in Americana, country, and rock. It's as much an attitude as a musical leaning. Accordingly, folk music fans embrace everything from classical sounds to anti-folk to modern rock and everything in between. Let these blogs show you the best of what's out there.
News and Reviews
These blogs will give you a good grounding in the folk world and keep you up to date on the latest happenings.
12. Modern Acoustic: A blog that functions as an online magazine, Modern Acoustic highlights current folk artists and anyone who knows their way around a six-string.

Quite an honor!

Double play: Eilen Jewell at Johnny D's, Sarah Harmer at the Paradise, Nov. 6, 2010

2010-11-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

Sarah Harmer at the Paradise

Ever have one of those nights where plans seem to just magically work, no matter what they are? Last Saturday, as much as a month ago, was tagged as a "tough call night" as to which show we would attend: Eilen Jewell at Johnny D's, Sarah Harmer at the Paradise, Dawes at Royale... and there were more. But since a good friend was leaving for Nashville, country seemed like the right choice, so Eilen got the nod. After diligently checking the schedule, we learned she was playing an early show... and if we could somehow make it from Somerville to Comm. Ave in Boston, we might be able to catch Sarah Harmer as well.
Let's just say this was not a sure thing. First, there's parking... or lack thereof. In Somerville it's either get ticketed for a meter space that runs until 8 (we were at the club at 5:30 to get our great spot for the show; FU, Somerville!) or try your luck in a city permitted space (maybe our car won't be there when we get back; double FU!). Then if your car is intact (no ticket, no towing!), you have to make it cross town (through Harvard Square, without hitting pedestrians) and find, yes, another spot on Comm. Ave (BU hockey game just ending) close enough to the Paradise to make it for Sarah's 10:30 set.
Let's just say we were standing in front of the stage at 10:20, beer in hand, as her equipment was being set up.
OK, now for the shows!
Eilen and her band had just returned from a European tour and were genuinely delighted to be home. The show was originally billed as a tribute to Loretta Lynn, based on her most recent release called "Butcher Holler." But it was clear from the start that they weren't sticking to the program. Her set was loose and fun and filled with songs from all her albums. The crowd, a surprisingly older-aged (40s and 50s), were in a dancing mood, which is perfect for Eilen's music. Her sound which ranges from straight-ahead country to early'60s-era rock fit the bill.
Some of the highlights included Lynn's "Fist City" (a crowd favorite), some great country shuffles "High-Shelf Booze," "Rich Man's World," and "Dusty Boxcar Wall" and some down and dirty rock tunes from her "Sea of Tears" album, like "Sweet Rose" and "I'm Gonna Dress in Black."
Her band, of course, is top-notch, especially guitarist Jerry Miller, who is a monster.
She finished the night with Miller going off on "Shakin' All Over," as he spent his 5-minute solo referencing songs from Creedence to the Beatles to the James Bond theme and more. It was dazzling. A quick encore break and they finished off by getting the crowd up and dancing on "Mess Around."
Then after a little crosstown traffic (the real kind!), it was time for Sarah Harmer.
It was clear from her setup that Sarah was gearing the night to a more electric set. I loved "I'm a Mountain," and less love her new album, "Oh Little Fire," but this would be a good test of that material. Live, the new material sounds very close to fellow Ottawa native Kathleen Edwards, which is a good thing.
One thing that is clear no matter which songs she sings: Sarah has an amazing voice. She hits notes that skitter upward in scale with beauty and depth. That is, in fact, what separates her from Kathleen Edwards, who doesn't have that range.
She played a lot of the tunes from the new album, including "Silverado," "Careless," and One Match," which actually fit in well against some her older material including "Almost" and "Pendulums" (from the album "All of Our Names") and "Basement Apartment" and "Lodestar" (from You Were Here"). She did one song, "The Ring," played solo with her backup singer Julie Fader, from "I'm A Mountain." From that and other tunes, it is clear that Sarah is pretty adept on guitar as well. She had a full band – drummer, guitarist, bassist – but allowed herself a little plucky solo on "One Match."
The crowd, a little sparse, was enthusiastic and Sarah seemed genuinely happy for the support.
For more of my Sarah Harmer pics, click HERE (my Eilen pics sucked!)

A video from the Eilen Jewell show (not mine)

A video from the Sarah Harmer show (not mine)

Josh Ritter in Portland, Maine, Oct. 22

2010-10-23T14:44:00.018-04:00

  First, the bullet points for those in a hurry to hear the details:
1) I got this close to riding the tour bus from Portland to Northampton... damn those family obligations!
2) The Portland crowd is a rowdy bunch. Hey, State Theatre bouncer guys: let the women dance in front of the stage. It's a rock concert!
3) Josh did indeed don a "party" dress in celebration of his birthday!
4) Josh unveiled a new song titled "Sir Galahad, a bawdy-lyriced tune he performed solo.

  OK. Here now the details:
  The recently renovated State Theatre in Portland is really cozy and comfortable, and I'm guessing seats 1,200 maybe a little more. The place was not filled but it was pretty well packed and the crowd was rowdy. Loud songs, quiet songs, the crowd was into it. During some of the quieter numbers guys (GUYS!) were yelling that they loved Josh. I think toward the end the band decided to heck with the quiet songs and rocked the house!
  Oh yeah, before I get too far: the Low Anthem opened, and despite playing a rather short set (I think about a half hour), they really sounded great. I've seen them a couple of times and they rocked a little more this time, which was good.
  Josh opened with a solo "Idaho." I remembering him opening with this song during the "Animal Years" tour. It's really special. I think "The Other Side" was solo too but my recollection is a little hazy, followed by the full band on "Good Man" and "Wolves." The interesting thing here is that it isn't until the fifth song, "Long Shadows," that we hear anything from the new album. This makes me think that this tour isn't necessarily a "new album" tour but the band seems to be now meshing all their albums' songs together.
  When the new songs did come, they came in groups. The beautiful waltzing "The Curse" and "Lark," with Liam on rattles and shakers rather than drums backing Josh and Zack. Not even sure if Austin and Sam were playing on that tune. It was stellar in its sparseness. They rocked out "Rumors" and the crowd went nuts. "Folk Bloodbath" sort of finished that set.
  The band then left the stage and Josh performed solo on "Roll On" and "Girl in the War" and then introduced a new song called "Sir Galahad." I wish I could remember the lyrics but I know there's a mention of a hand job in there, believe it or not. Hopefully someone shot video. I foolishly did not. Josh then sang "In the Dark" in total darkness, sans microphone. It's always really cool to hear him (and not see him) do this.
  The band came back for "Southern Pacifica" and a slightly sped-up version of Neil Young's "Pocahontus."
  It must have been around this time that the band decided that the crowd was too restless for the slow stuff and just went full speed ahead. "Real Long Distance," "Right Moves" and "Lantern" got people out of their seats and dancing. A bunch of women charged the stage and began wildly dancing right in front of Josh, but the bouncers kept pushing them back. Josh pleaded for them, "Don't sit down!" Don't worry, they would be back.
  To encourage them, the band charged into "Kathleen" (often left for the encore), then "Harrisburg." At the break of "Harrisburg," Josh breaks into the Talking Heads' "Once in a Liftetime" -- "You may tell yourself this is not my beautiful home/you may tell yourself this is not my beautiful wife..."
The last song of the set was "To the Dogs," which rocked and finished with the band in stop motion as they did on the last tour. It must have been a complete minute before they slammed home the final chords of the song. Tremendous. They had hit the two-hour mark of the night and still weren't done.
  For the encore, Josh came out and played a solo "Come and Find Me" and the band returned for raucous "Lillian, Egypt." This is where the dress comes in... during the break of "Lillian,'' Zack retrieves a bag from sidestage and humorously complains that on Thursday it was Josh's birthday, and that this was the first year that Josh's birthday didn't fall while they were on tour. But not to worry. We were in the midst of a party and, therefore, Josh must don his "party dress." I don't think Zack could have found an uglier outfit but Josh good naturedly (of course) put it on and completed the song and the show wearing the dress. It ended a completely fun, entertaining and rocking night of music.

Here is a video of the new song!

and the dress!

Here's the setlist
Idaho (solo)
Other Side
Good Man
Wolves
Long Shadows
The Curse
Lark
Rumors
Folk Bloodbath
Roll On (solo)
Girl in the War (solo)
Sir Galahad (new song!) (solo)
In the Dark (sang in the dark/no mike) (solo)
Southern Pacifica
Pocahontus (Neil Young cover)
Long Distance
Right Moves
Lantern
Kathleen
Harrisburg (with Talking Heads' Once in a Lifetime)
To the Dogs
----
Come and Find Me (with Pretty Saro lead-in) (solo)
Lillian

Jackie Greene at the Paradise, 10-9-10

2010-10-12T10:47:00.000-04:00

  "You guys are so rad. I'd forgotten just how rad you guys are!" That's what Jackie Greene told the pumped-up crowd at the Paradise last weekend. His last visit, in February, must have made as good an impression on him as it did us. Greene, for those who have not heard of him, flat out rocks. He is an amazing guitar player who can also play the keys, the harmonica and I'm guessing a bunch of instruments we haven't seen him play. He's got a soulful, strong voice and a bunch of really thoughtful songs. He can rock, he can play acoustically, oh yeah, and he's played with members of the Grateful Dead, so he's got a following there as well.
  On this night he opened with an acoustic set featuring just him and his fellow guitar player. After opening with darkly confessional "I Don't Live in a Dream" he asked the crowd for requests. As he tuned his guitar, enthusiastic shout-outs from the crowd had him chuckling and saying "yeah, we can do that," and initiated his "rad" statement. Among the requests honored was a Merle Haggard-inflected "Mama Tried" and his oldest song "Georgia." He also performed a beautiful "Spanish Harlem," the Dead's "Friend of the Devil" and dug deep for the set ending "Gone Wondering."
  A 15-minute break was enough time to catch your breath before the blistering electric set. Now sporting his full band, Greene opened with "I'm So Gone," "Medicine" and "A Moment of Temporary Color," the latter two from his new album, "Till the Light Comes." His own funky version of the Dead's "New Speedway Boogie" got the crowd juiced for what was to follow.
  He asked if anyone knew who's birthday it was today... but the crowd was way ahead of him, shouting out John Lennon songs he should play. A touching "Don't Let Me Down" was the perfect choice, a great crowd singalong and a great guitar solo. (See my video below).
  After that, he returned to earth with his tunes "Shaken" and "Shaky Ground" and then back to the stratosphere with his own "Hollywood" bleeding into the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," full of swirling feedback, and an out-and-out rocking "Taxman," something we heard him do the last time he was in Boston. He finished up with the Dead's "Scarlet Begonias" to the thrill of the crowd and encored with his fan-favorite "Ball and Chain."
  This is the third time I've seen Jackie Greene live and he seems to gain confidence and has become more comfortable as a lead performer each time I see him. If you get a chance to take in his show, I highly recommend you check him out.
One more note: This was my first time in the newly refurbished Paradise. Any worries that it would lose any of its gritty club atmosphere was quickly dispelled. It has been slightly reconfigured to make more room in front of the stage, but other than that it really is same great space.

The setlist:
Set One (acoustic):
I Don't Live In A Dream
Judgement Day
Mama Tried
Don't Let The Devil Take Your Mind
Another Love Gone Bad
Friend of the Devil
Prayer For Spanish Harlem
Georgia
One Bad Love
Gone Wanderin'

Set Two (electric):
I'm So Gone
Medicine
A Moment Of Temporary Color
New Speedway Boogie
Don't Let Me Down
Shaky Ground
Shaken
Tell Me Mama, Tell Me Right
Hollywood > Tomorrow Never Knows > Taxman
Scarlet Begonias
-----
Like A Ball And Chain

To download the entire set, click HERE

Blast from the Past: Can Jazz Rise Again?, June 2008

2010-10-01T14:05:00.001-04:00

  In the spring of 2008, desperate for some new topic for the magazine, I came up with this headline: Is Jazz Dead?? I had been thinking for a while that the venerable genre really hadn't come up with anything new and exciting in a while. I decided to run the idea past my wife and teenage daughter, both of whom scolded me, saying "That's a stupid idea; of course jazz isn't dead!" So I changed the headline slightly and wrote the following story anyway!

-------------------

Can jazz make a comeback?
  Since college, I have always had a place for jazz in my musical life. As a freshman at Ithaca College, my mind was blown by my college roommate who opened my ears up to the electric side of jazz – Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew,” and albums by Weather Report and Return to Forever. I was a rock ’n’ roller, but hearing horns added to the beat was exciting and “cool.”
  When I transferred to Emerson College two years later, I was all in with Pat Metheny and eager to hear more. A History of Jazz course with Tony Cennamo took me back, way back, to Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Dizzy, and others. I soaked it all in; big bands, bebop – I even caught the way-out Pharoah Sanders in concert. And I was never more blown away than when I first heard Miles’ “Kind of Blue.”
  Like most people when they first heard the album, it stopped me dead in my tracks and I said “Whoa.” It was the most beautiful music I had ever heard.
  Even today, I listen to it and it sounds fresh and new.
  It’s been a long time since I’ve been moved like that by jazz. Over time, while my love for music has not changed, my love for listening to jazz has. I still like to hear it, but it is not my first choice anymore. While I will occasionally put on a Coltrane or a Mingus album as background to something I’m doing, I’m more likely to put on a singer-songwriter or rock album that’s got me juiced.
  Recently, I’ve been relistening to the Miles Davis Radio Project, a multi-part series on Miles’ life that was first aired in 1991 (see accompanying story below for more on the series). It got me thinking about how wonderfully popular jazz was in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, and what has happened to the music since.
  In those days, jazz musicians were the stars of the day – Bird, Dizzy, Trane, Cannonball – everyone knew who you were talking about. They were personalities, icons.
  But who are those leaders, where are those personalities today?
  Some say jazz started its decline when musicians chose bebop over dance music in the ’40s; some say the popularity of rock ’n’ roll in the ’50s and ’60s made it more financially fulfilling for musicians to pursue rock, r&b and the blues over jazz.
Marc Myers, a New York journalist and historian, writes a blog called Jazz Wax (www.jazzwax.com). He says jazz’s decline is twofold: “The best argument I've heard for jazz's declining popularity in the mid-1950s and 1960s revolves around jazz's abandonment of dance music in the late 1940s. As jazz became more focused on technique and prowess and less on entertainment, the argument goes, the music ceased to have largescale social significance. Once jazz and jazz musicians began to take themselves too seriously and the music catered to distant outsiders rather than the jukebox, a beat-hungry generation turned elsewhere for its soundtrack.”
  He also says that promoting in the music industry at that time was new territory.
  “What jazz lacked,” he says, “was smart promoters to sustain jazz's charm and appeal. In all fairness, the marketplace wasn't set up for this in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
National distribution and marketing was in its infancy, the 45 rpm and 12-inch LPs hadn't made inroads until the mid-1950s, and stereo was still many years away. Television didn't exist on the level it did in 1964, and most jazz musicians weren't young or telegenic, anyway.”
  Some jazz artists were able to bridge the musical and generation gap by joining the rockers and going electric, like the charismatic Miles Davis did with the landmark “Bitches
Brew.” From his mix of rock and jazz came the superstar fusion bands of the ’70s – Return to Forever, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report. Beyond that, the ’80s birthed jazz lite, the hideous Kenny G and his wannabes, and then what?
  In recent years, the Bad Plus has fused jazz with a rock sensibility to ignite a following and Medeski Martin and Wood has updated ’70s fusion.
  And while there continues to be some great-sounding jazz being performed and recorded, there seems to be a lack of innovation and certainly a lack of personality.
  “Originality is nice to find but is no longer the holy grail [of jazz musicians],’’ former Village Voice jazz critic Gary Giddins writes in his book “Weatherbird: Jazz at the Dawn
of Its Second Century.” “Interpretation has trumped it. ‘Can you play?’ has supplanted ‘Can you play something I've not heard before?’ – something that comes only from you, and not from your favorite records.’’
  The brothers Marsalis – Wynton and Branford – are as close as we’ve come in the last couple decades of being any sort of jazz stars, but “neo-conservative’’ Wynton, a great musician and keeper of the jazz flame, seems to turn as many people off as he does on with his reluctance to accept new forms of the music.
  Some, like trumpeter Roy Hargrove, have tried to meld hip-hop with jazz. I love the attempt; the results are only minimally effective, and disappointingly it has not sparked any kind of trend to pursue it further. There are young jazz talents out there: Cyrus Chestnut, vibist Stephon Harris, pianist Jason Moran, to name a few. But jazz needs an identity boost, someone to step out and try something different.
  How do you hook young kids with music? Shock value: Take a stand, make a statement, be noticed. It may be harder to get young people today to listen to jazz, but kids have access through the Internet to more music and may be more open to new sounds.
  The last of the old greats are dying out.
  Sonny Rollins and McCoy Tyner are still out there performing occasionally, but when they are gone will jazz innovation only be available on vintage recordings?
  Then again maybe jazz fans don’t care that much. As Myers writes: “When all is said and done, don't most jazz fans really like the fact that the music we love isn’t accessible to millions of people? That it's a private club requiring knowledge and years of listening? And therein lies (another) reason for jazz's improbable comeback: Jazz fans secretly prefer that the music remain unpopular. If jazz came back on a Super Bowl level, its widescale popularity would certainly make a lot of fans feel, well, pretty un-cool.”

Revisiting Miles

  In 1991, a friend sent me seven cassette tapes he recorded off the radio. Back then, with no Internet and no other way to transfer music, this was a big deal. And on them was another big deal: Those seven cassettes made up the entire series of “The Miles Davis Radio Project,” which detailed Miles’ life and music through interviews and recordings – some previously unreleased.
  The documentary, produced by Steve Rowland and narrated by the actor Danny Glover, follows Miles’ career, adding insight and candid commentary from Miles’ friends and fellow musicians including jazz historian Quincy Troupe, George Duke, Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell and Olu Dara. Duke talks of Miles the superstar of the ’50s, dressed in fine Italian suits and driving fancy sports cars; Miles’ ex-wife, dancer Frances Taylor, talks of the two-headed monster Miles, saying she had to walk on eggshells around him, not knowing at a moment whether he was going to hit her or make love to her; and Santana talked of Miles the bluesman with a trumpet, explaining how Miles’ playing was much like that of a blues guitarist getting “inside the note.”
  All of these interviews make for fabulous listening.
  Accounts from the “Bitches Brew” years are tremendous, with percussionist Airto Moreira relating a story about when he was in Miles’ band opening for the Grateful Dead at the Fillmore West in San Francisco: “The audience, they were rock ’n’ rollers, man, and they were totally crazy. Everyone was on acid... they would dance to anything. We would play this very complex stuff... it was like a ramble kind of thing and people they were dancing, they were rolling on the floor.”
  Through it all, Miles’ music is weaved expertly between Glover’s narration and the interviews.
  If you’d like to hear the series, it is available by download at www.artistowned.com for $35.
  Another way to get your Miles fix is a book by music historian Ashley Kahn called “Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece,’’ published in 2000. Kahn was able to get access to the master tapes of the legendary 1959 sessions, as well as an interview with the last surviving member of the amazing band, drummer Jimmy Cobb. Kahn details how each song progressed as well as conversations that took place and recorded, and puts everything in historical perspective to tie it all together.

Erin McKeown, 10th anniversary Distillation tour, Passim

2010-09-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

A couple issues back I featured a readers' poll asking which album you'd like to hear in entirety. The idea of artists playing their prized albums from start to finish in concert has become quite a trend. Critics claim it's the musicians trying to capitalize on past glories, while others believe that fans want to relive that thrill of hearing that album as it was created. It is, of course, is both, and done well is a win-win for everyone.

Last weekend Erin McKeown celebrated the 10th anniversary of her stellar album "Distillation" at Passim in Cambridge. For an added bonus she brought along the album's producer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Chalfant and even wore the very (non-flattering) dress she was photographed in for the cover! Very brave.
As hoped, Erin rocked her guitar as the "Distillation" songs called for. She played the album in reverse order, starting with the funky rhythmed "Love in 2 Parts" and the beautiful "Dirt Gardener." Because I love every song on the album, it's hard to pick out favorites. "How to Open My Heart in 4 Easy Steps" is gorgeous, and she hit every note perfectly; the wink-wink of the cocaine-loving tune "The Little Cowboy" was filled with Chalfant's brilliant slide playing; "Le Petite Mort" is always great for its chance to let the audience scream "Oh Estelle"; and "Blackbirds" blew me away as always. I was really happy to see Erin really let loose on guitar. At some past shows, I have been left wanting more guitar from her because she is so great.

"If you a viper..."

After a short break and a change of wardrobe, Erin was back and taking requests. As I remember, I counted three tunes from "Grand" ("Slung Lo," "Born to Hum," one other); two from "We Will Become Like Birds" ("We Are More" and "To the Stars"); a couple from "Sing You Sinners," including an amazing, drawn-out "If You a Viper" that had the crowd in stitches as Erin held her breath then let it out as if she was smoking a joint accompanied by the lyrics "The sky is high and so am I / If you a viper." And interestingly only one song from her stellar new album, "Hundreds of Lions."
A surprising note: Erin asked the crowd during the "Distillation" set how many were familiar with the album and few people raised their hands. Odd for a show that was billed as a celebration of the album. Despite that, the crowd was totally into the show, and when Erin encored solo with "Rhode Island Is Famous for You," ecstacy was achieved. A fun night indeed.

Heavy duty: A night out with the Stone Temple Pilots

2010-09-23T09:23:00.000-04:00

A review of the Stone Temple Pilots concert at Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, Sept. 1, 2010

  We had read the stories: Singer Scott Weiland, numerous times in rehab, had fallen off the stage at a recent show. We had heard the rumors: He was lip-synching at the time.
  But all of the worries that the Stone Temple Pilots are rock stars on the decline were blown away when the quartet – the enigmatic Weiland, brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass), and drummer Eric Kretz – took the stage at Bank of America Pavilion in Boston.
  During the day it had hit 94 humid degrees, and even though darkness was falling as we arrived and the venue shadows the Boston Harbor, the slight breeze didn’t do much to cool things down.
  The first group up, the badly named TAB the Band, played a quick and uptempo but sparsely attended set. They are mostly noteworthy because the bass player/singer and the guitarist are sons of Aerosmith’s Joe Perry – though to the band’s credit, it was never mentioned.
  Cage the Elephant followed. This is one of our son’s favorite bands, and they pack a ton of energy. The quintet is led by lanky frontman Matt Schultz, who lashes his long hair front and back as he sings, moving across the stage, into the crowd, and back without ever missing a rap-like lyric. It’s very entertaining.
  The one complaint in all the music we heard, including STP, is that there was a lack
of slower, or even downtempo, numbers. The pace is torrid, the beats are booming, and the guitars raging. Even guitar solos are masked by the squalor of the other instruments behind them. I’m sure this is not a problem for fans of these bands, but from a geezer perspective, someone who likes to hear the notes of the instruments, it’s a little bit of a sensory overload.
  STP took to the stage in front of a wall of lights – flashing colors, patterns, and words throughout their rocking show.
  Opening with fan favorites “Crackerman’’ and “Wicked Garden,” Weiland – who comes across as a little Jim Morrison, a little David Bowie – looked great in his fedora, scarf and suit, all which were soon discarded. Singing songs through his signature bullhorn (with a camera affixed to it from which pixelated-like images were broadcast behind the band), Weiland led his mates through STP classics as well as songs from their latest album. We’re not huge STP fans but we were able to recognize “Vaseline’’ and “Plush,” as well as their Led Zeppelin cover, “Dancing Days.’’
  The crowd was generally well-behaved, as fans high-fived each other as each song was
played. The band ripped through a 19-song, 2-hour set that took few breaks, closing with “Sex
Type Thing.” They returned for two encores: “Dead and Bloated” and “Tripping on a Hole in a Paper Heart,” much to the delight of their fans.

Issue No. 30, September 2010

2010-09-21T10:38:00.006-04:00

The Heights of Summer - Scenes from our busy day at the Newport Folk Festival

As much as winters are for hunkering down in a small, packed club with a pint of Guinness and a band playing ethereally on the stage, summers are for getting outside, celebrating the nice weather (hot, but not too hot, please), cool drinks, and hanging at multiple-band festivals.
This year, we traveled to the Newport Folk Festival, not only is it the most iconic of festivals (Bob Dylan, of course, plugged in there) but it is also situated in one of the most bucolic spots to see a show. The main-stage musicians look out past a peninsula packed with music fans nestled on chairs and blankets to the pristine harbor packed with more fans on pleasure boats and yachts.
Of course, it would all be meaningless if the music wasn’t great. But that was not a problem – not with the likes of the Avett Brothers, Sharon Jones & Dap-Kings, Swell Season, Levon Helm on the main stage and some great up and coming acts on the smaller ones.
We only wish we could have split ourselves so we could have been in two places at once: Tough choices had to be made as to which acts to catch. What we saw and heard was awesome.
We also spent a really hot summer night with the Stone Temple Pilots and Cage the Elephant courtesy of our teenage son’s love for grunge and heavy music.
Scott Weiland and the boys did not disappoint, putting on a “rock show” like it’s supposed to be done.
In the past, we’ve parked ourselves smack-dab in the middle of jam fests and speed metal shows to catch the vibe of music we don’t usually listen to. So we add this experience, all in the name of service journalism. (You can thank us later!) Check out our review of the STP show on Page 8.
Finally, summer’s usually a slow time for CD releases, but we found one you definitely should check out.
Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers have released a debut album of amazing country-style tunes. Muth is from the Northwest, which is why her music may take you by surprise when you hit the play button on your iPod. Check out our CD review on Page 9.
Nevertheless, it’s a perfect album to hop in the car, roll down the windows and blast the stereo ... while heading to the next festival.
Rich Kassirer, Editor
To read the new issue, click HERE
To see all my the photos from the Newport Folk Festival, click HERE; Stone Temple Pilots concert, click HERE

MA5 - SONGS
Song that helped us survive this issue:
1. “Captain Kirk,” “I’m Good Now,” Bob Schneider. A sunny-day song. Fun catching all the icon references.
2. “Black Hearted Woman,” “Beginnings,” the Allman Brothers. It ROCKS.
3. “Fist City,” “Eilen Jewell Presents Butcher Holler,” Eilen Jewell. A nice version; hearing it live is even better.
4. “Oye Como Va,” “Abraxas,” Santana. Fanstastic classic-rock, guitar-god awesomeness.
5. “Trying My Best to Love You,” “Acid Tongue,” Jenny Lewis. When I need a dose of beautiful vocals.

CD review: Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers

2010-09-21T10:38:00.005-04:00

Gone Country... by way of Seattle

ZOE MUTH &

THE LOST HIGH ROLLERS

(Out now)

  “Check out one of the best discoveries the EJB has made on the road...the great Zoe Muth!”
This note by the Eilen Jewell Band on its Facebook page in late July was our introduction to the up and coming “country” girl from Seattle.
Zoe Muth and her band the Lost High Rollers may be an anomaly in the Pacific Northwest, but their sound is faithful right down to its mandolin and banjo twang.
  Muth’s voice falls somewhere between Emmylou and Dolly, with maybe a touch of Lucinda for spice, and is backed by the Lost High Rollers – Ethan Lawton on mandolin, Miguel Sala on bass, Greg Niews on drums, Dave Harmonson on guitars/pedal steel, Tyler Richart on backing vocals/tambourine. The band provides an authenticity that pleasantly transports you to a backporch on a hot southern night.
  With the opening pedal steel licks of “You Only Believe Me When I’m Lying,’’ Muth pours out her heart as guitar mingles with mandolin and bass along bounces in the background.
  Honky-tonkin’ “Hey Little Darlin’ ’’ swings and “I Used to Call My Heart a Home” offers up those ol’ lonesome blues.
  The cool thing about this album is that it does not come off as some country knock-off. We’ve seen Gillian Welch, a California girl, turn old-timey music on its ear with her own interpretation of the music. Zoe Muth, while not nearly as seasoned as Welch, seems to have taken a similar path: an outsider to the music she sings but true to its core.
  The six-minute “The Last Bus” even meanders down a common stretch of road – a weary traveling companion – to Welch’s epic “I Dream a Highway.”
  In fact, Muth’s debut album is filled with songs that sound like they’ve withstood the rigors of the long road of touring, worked out intimately in honky tonks from Seattle all the way to Nashville – even if to date Zoe and the band have made few excursions far outside their native state.
  But it is only a matter of time before the group breaks out.
Songs like “Not You,’’ which sounds like it could have been penned by Loretta Lynn, is a my-man-done-me-wrong standout. Muth sings “I wish I didn’t even have to ask/where you were last night or the night before that...’’ and then she follows that up a few lines later with the tough-as-nails retort “... and if I want to start a fight/it wouldn’t be hard tonight/All I’d have to do is say/Hey, hey, not you.”
  The album certainly hits all the touchstones of country music: heartache, lost love, scorned lovers, long roads, which the final track, the seven-minute “Never Be Fooled Again,’’ encompasses perfectly.
  We certainly hope that Muth’s future travels lead her to a honky tonk bar near us.
To listen to tunes on Zoe's album, click HERE

Blast from the Past: Guitar Heroes, from Feb. 2008

2010-09-15T23:00:00.002-04:00

This was one of my favorite issues to design. I was messing around with a program called Comic Life and came up with the idea of a whole issue done in a comic book format. I was also working on an idea for a readers' poll to find out which guitarists -- other than the obvious choices -- were people listening to. The two ideas just seem to fit together really well. I also think the list that Modern Acoustic readers helped compile is pretty great. Check it out. If you have others, let me know. A kind of funny note: The pic on the front is of Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. I had recently gone to a concert in which he performed with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings so I was snapping a lot of pics. He actually did not make the list, but the picture fit so perfectly I had to go with it.

Check out the whole issue HERE
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Capo Crusaders

Everyone knows the greats – Clapton, Page and Hendrix. But we asked Modern Acoustic subscribers to tells us – aside from the guitar gods – who are the ones that strike chords with you. And you responded with a list that is both extensive and expansive. The list includes the well-known and the obscure, it draws from rock to folk to world music, and covers both electric and acoustic realms. Descriptions like “the most tasteful licks in folk music” and “either pure genius or pure trash, you decide!” made this project a guitar-smashing success. We’ve provided links to all the guitarists so you can visit their websites and check them out.

So here, in your own words, is your list (in no particular order). Enjoy!

David Rawlings – Tasteful, innovative, effortless solos.
Kristin Hersh – Plays the hell out of the guitar whether it’s one of her beautiful Collings customs or her electric.
James Blackshaw – Acoustic instrumentals a la Robbie Basho.
Erin McKeown – Fresh sound, terrific technically, interesting lyrics. An absolutely breathtaking instrumentalist; whether she is improvising on a jazz tune, creating a new sound for one of her own, or accompanying, she has a unique and exhilarating sound; she makes it seem so effortless.
Sonny Landreth – Who other guitar players love to watch, even while conceding that they can’t really cadge from what he does, because it’s singular.
Vince Gill – With his songwriting, performing and vocal skills, his guitar talent gets overlooked. I’ve regularly been amazed by his casually skilled riffs.
Ani DiFranco – She plays, plucks and beats the heck out of her guitar.
David Hidalgo – Los Lobos is perhaps the most unfamous band performing regularly for more than three decades. Its most-often-lead guitarist is similarly underappreciated.
D’Gary – a Madagascaran who plays mostly acoustic, though I find his electric work even more thrilling. You might often think there are two guitarists playing, but he’s the only one.
Duke Levine and Kevin Barry – They are recording studio quality guys who justlove to play; Duke is one who rarely takes the main role, but he’s a backbone for so much great music.
Mike Castellana (formerly) of Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles – On both electric and pedal steel, he is tasteful and ferocious, sometimes at the same time.
David West – Simply brilliant melodies, in both his original compositions and as lead guitarist for others. He has the ability to get the sweetest sound from a guitar.
Nina Gerber – The most astounding and tasteful licks in folk music. She just adds magic to whomever she is playing with.
Blake Sennett of the Elected and Rilo Kiley – He is so comfortable wailing like Page, yes, or scruffing the edges like Elliott Smith or Nick Drake. His instincts are unexpected and right on.
Patty Griffin – She is hailed mainly for her vocal and songwriting talents – which are exceptional – but her guitar playing is subtly complex. She plays the guitar just how she plays her vocal chords: intricate, fluttering, also brick-solid.
Richard Thompson – He’s underrated on every level. His songwriting and guitar playing are amazing. This man can take you from 0 to 180 in seconds and then lull you to tears with a gorgeous Celtic-inspired ballad the next.
Chris Smither – Great acoustic blues guitarist, who plays with passion.
John Hammond Jr. – Yet another amazing blues guitarist.
Rodrigo y Gabriela – This Mexican duo is lightning fast and precise. Great guitar work.
Trace Bundy – He’s very flashy, actually, but also very interesting.
Jerry Miller of Eilen Jewell’s band – He is a guitar master and the most tasteful player alive.
John Mayer – His guitar work on “Continuum” was awesome.
The Edge of U2 – Has always had one of the most clearly recognizable sounds, like the ringing of a bell.
Jonny Buckland of Coldplay – The right texture for their particular brand of haunting music.
Jack White of the White Stripes – It’s either pure genius or pure trash, you decide.
Willy Porter – He’s incredibly dynamic live.
Derek Trucks – A guitar god without the attitude. A monster on slide guitar covering a wide range of styles – from Southern rock to world beat.
Phil Wandscher of Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter – His electric-guitar lines whine, moan and wreak havoc on your brain ... in a good way.
Eliot Fisk – The classical guitarist extraordinaire is able to merge technical challenges of Bach while bringing forth a beautiful lyricism.
Prince – His funky licks are electric. Someone once called them “delightfully masturbatory.” That about says it all.
Jackie Greene – He blows me away with his talents on the guitar and seemingly every other instrument available on the stage. He also has a great voice.
Austin Nevins of Josh Ritter’s band – He has been the go-to guy for so many Boston locals. He’s one who flies under the radar – until he takes the stage and starts playing.
David Jacobs-Strain – He is a mainstage performer, known both for his remarkable guitar work, and his penetrating vocals.
Also receiving mention: Leo Kottke, Alexi Murdoch, Damien Rice, Julian Coryell, Nils Lofgren, Joe Satriani, Mark Knopfler, Bryan Lee, Otis Taylor, Keller Williams.

League of Legends
Where would rock music be without these great guitarists? Not only have they been around for decades dazzling us with their riffs, they basically created what is now called “Classic Rock” and are still performing today.

Carlos Santana
Neil Young
B.B. King
John Fogerty
Jeff Beck
Bonnie Raitt
Stephen Stills
Joni Mitchell
Eric Clapton
Steve Winwood

The (guitar) gods must be crazy
Our top guitar gods, and their songs that make us bow down

Jimi Hendrix,“Little Wing” – Probably not the song most would choose as a Hendrix guitar masterpiece. But his licks here are just so tasteful.

Duane Allman, “Black-Hearted Woman” – Tough choice here. There are so many great solos, but this is Duane at his nastiest, just ripping through the song.

Stevie Ray Vaughn, “Cold Shot” – Again, others will probably think there are better tunes, especially for his soloing. But we love the groove here, and when Stevie lets loose ... it’s controlled mayhem.

Eric Clapton,“Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad” – We gave this away earlier in the issue. This and “Layla” are probably two of the most urgent love songs ever. But this one is by far the best as Clapton and Duane Allman duel it out in a wild guitar-solo frenzy.

Jimmy Page, “D’yer Mak’er” – Again, not Page at his wildest. But what we love about his guitar playing is what you hear underneath the bombast of Zeppelin songs. He filled out those tunes with amazing licks. Check out the quieter numbers and really listen to the guitar.

Rolling Stone's great guitarists
In case you were wondering, here is Rolling Stone’s list, from 2003, of the top 30 of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
1 Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11 Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy

Goodbye Paste

2010-09-04T10:43:00.002-04:00

You knew this was coming. Paste magazine, which had struggled for some time from lack of advertising revenue, is dead... or at least the print edition is. Earlier this week, Paste abruptly let go all of its staff and closed up shop, with a note saying they may try to make it online a la No Depression, which folded a year or two ago in a similar fate.
It's sad. The magazine's heart was in the right place. It truly wanted to be the indie, hipper version of Rollng Stone. But the truth is, I lost interest in Paste a few years ago.
When it first came on the scene, it was hip and indie and strictly filled with just music. They consistently wrote about bands before they hit the mainstream. The issues featured a few interviews, but mostly it was filled with album reviews, loads of them. You could sit for an hour reading their reviews, and most of them I found fit my music tastes.
I remember the cover of the first issue I read – in 2003, Issue No. 8, I believe – very clearly: Josh Ritter, Erin McKeown, Sondre Lerche and Kathleen Edwards, all young, fresh faces on the music scene. The mag had gathered all four in New York for a photo spread and interviews.
I had heard of Josh and Erin, but was new to the other two. No other magazine was featuring these types of musicians. Rolling Stone was featuring nearly nude actresses or women musicians on their covers almost every month and lots of crap features inside. There were a few other mags, Harp, for instance, which had short stays and little interesting to say. No Depression was cool, covering the alt scene but didn't branch too far into indie rock.
Paste was a blast of fresh air. Oh, and I forgot to mention the free CD of music with every issue!!
Then along came the music industry meltdown. I don't exactly remember the year, but I do remember what happened to Paste. I'm guessing music advertising began to diminish and Paste, trying to save itself, added movies, books and culture to its music content.
The Little Music Mag That Could started to become Just Another Magazine, a GQ for a hipper set. The number of album reviews shrank; where there were solely musician interviews, now there were actors, authors and other movers and shakers. I understood the move, business-wise, I just didn't like it.
Then it ended for me: Michael Jackson's glove showed up as an issue cover (No. 40, 2008).
My indie mag was no longer. I had had enough. I bailed on my subscription renewal, and when No Depression folded and offered Paste to finish out that subscription, I rarely picked it up from the pile of bills on the table.
It is sad that Paste is gone; it's sadder that the whole publication business is dying thanks to the Internet and advertising. I'm in the newspaper business so I feel the pain personally.
So don't forget to read your issues of Modern Acoustic when they are published... I think I can safely promise you (because I don't accept advertising and therefore not making any money!) that it will always just be a music magazine ... as long as I publish it.

Newport Folk Festival, Aug. 1, 2010

2010-08-02T21:13:00.002-04:00

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

Cory Chisel

  The challenge for a music festival is striking the right balance in the acts, mixing new and old, loud and soft, energetic and laid back. Too much one way or the other and you lose portions of your audience. Festivals also require a philosophy that the vibe is more important than the actual performances. Not that great performances by band don't happen, it's just that most of the time what you get are shorter sets so the musicians don't really have the time to warm up to the point of hitting their peak. Mostly what festivalgoers want is great weather, good tunes, and good vibes.
  George Wein or whoever works the magic at the Newport Folk Festival recently deserves some serious kudos. First, the weather was perfect (I don't think George can take credit for this) and the vibe was as well. And both weekend day lineups were a masterful mix of musicians.
  There is an equal challenge for festivalgoers: Do you try to catch a bit of all the acts? Do you miss some to catch full sets of others? Do you just sit in front of the mains stage and catch all the big acts?
  On Sunday, the main-stage acts included Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, the Avett Brothers, Richie Havens, Swell Season and Levon Helm. A damn good lineup by itself, mixing folk, soul, rock and country. But if we just stayed there, we'd miss on the smaller two stages the likes of the David Wax Museum; the Felice Brothers, Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, and many others.
  So I carefully planned our course of action the night before. We had to plan getaways in the middle of a few sets and miss others altogether to make it work. And then there was the problem of crowds at the smaller stages, which we didn't foresee.
  In all, what we took in was awesome. Here are some highlights in order as I remember them:
Our first decision was to pass on Rodriguez-Seeger and trek to the Quad Stage to catch the David Wax Museum, which had won a contest to play at the festival and is an up and coming band playing a cool mix of country, folk and Mexican music influences (note: their upcoming album is produced by my brother Sam). One of the band members, Suz Slezak, plays a donkey jawbone as well as fiddle.
  We then left halfway through their set to catch the last couple tunes from Cory Chisel at the Harbor Stage. I had recently chosen Chisel as an artist to watch in one of my recent issues and wanted to catch him live. The Harbor Stage proved to be the hardest to get into, usually very crowded and there wasn't great space for overflow. Chisel's got a good voice and his songs are decent; the band seems only mediocre.
  We headed back to the main stage next for the neo-soul of Sharon Jones and the awesome Dap-Kings. She danced and sang through her hits like “If You Call,” “How Do I Let a Good Man Down” and “When I Come Home” and had everyone up and moving too.
  The Avetts were next so we didn't budge. They are such a dynamic band, especially live. Songs that might have been subdued on their albums are jolted with energy on stage. They mixed plenty of older tunes like "Shame" and "The Fall" into their set alongside "Tin Man" and "January Wedding" from their latest album, "I and Love and You." We saw the band enjoying the David Wax Museum set from the side of tent earlier in the day, and this would not be the last we'd see of them.
  We traveled quickly back to the Harbor Stage to catch the Felice Brothers. We'd seen the crazy bunch a while back and wanted to catch their act again. The tent was so full, we couldn't even see them, so we sat off to the side and listened for a while. Loved "Run Chicken Run," but after a while it was just too crowded and too hot to stay. Plus, we had to get back and catch at least some of legend Richie Haven's set. He has to be in his 70s now and it seemed wrong to pass up the chance to see him for the first time. We got back to our blanket in time to hear him sing the Beatles tune "Here Comes the Sun."
  By now we were pretty happy not moving around anymore. We had some drinks, some food, and the sun was starting to head westward. We knew we were missing some great acts at the other stage: Elvis Perkins in Dearland and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. But we knew those stages would be hard to get close to and we'd just run out of energy for the challenge.
  We took one more loop around before settling in and heard a cheer over by the harbor. There, up on a forklift in front of the harbor were... the Avett Brothers, being filmed playing their acoustic instruments about 50 feet in the air. Pretty cool.
  Back to our seats for the Swell Season -- Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova backed by members of the Frames. At one point, Hansard was being harassed by a loving fan in front. He leaned over and jokingly said the the guy, "I've been wanting play here forever, and your ruining my day!" Hansard asked the crowd to sing melody lines in a couple of tunes and Marketa delivered a heartfelt "If You Want Me," playing the guitar front and center. At the end of the set, the Low Anthem and Rodriguez-Seeger came out to join them for a rendition of the Clancy Brothers' "The Old Triangle."
  As the sun sank, on came Levon Helm and his large band, which included his daughter Amy and guitarist/mandolist/fiddler Larry Campbell. Helm's vocals are obviously not what they once were. The many other band members took turns leading the way and backing Helm as needed. We couldn't stay for the whole set because we had to beat the crush home to the kids (that's life!). But they opened with "Ophelia," as well as "The Shape I'm In," which was fun, "Long Black Veil," and a few others.
  In all, a great full day of music.

For my pics, click HERE

Blast from the Past: Tale of the Tapes, from July 2005

2010-07-29T10:45:00.001-04:00

Five issues into the existence of Modern Acoustic, the magazine started to gel for me. I realized I was not confident as an album reviewer (still working on that...), was not a great photographer and, being a family man, not getting to concerts as much as I'd liked. So how was I going to fill empty pages of a magazine I had just created? For the most part, what I like best about Modern Acoustic is dealing with musical issues that are personal to me. One of the first "issue-oriented" stories I wrote was on my despair at getting rid of my huge cassette tape collection. Recently, in a funny turn, the Boston Globe did a story on cassette tapes making a comeback (click HERE). They even used the same headline as my story! Anyway, below is MY tale of the tapes, from Issue No. 5, July 2005 (click HERE to read the whole issue) . Enjoy!

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TALE OF THE TAPES

It was a collection that spanned more than 30 years

of my life as a music listener and lover.

The music was special; the memories attached to them even more so.

About 400 empty cassette tape boxes are set out for recycling; the tapes that once filled them take up multiple trash bags. My once-majestic tape collection is no longer.

It was a collection that spanned more than 30 years of my life as a music listener and lover: rock records I bought second-hand, taped in my basement bedroom and returned for more albums during high school; then-cool jazz fusion tapes I made from my college roommate’s records which blew me away; classic and obscure blues I fell in love with after a trip to Chicago; and countless other genres, bands and musicians that led me to the musical place I am today. I will most likely never buy or download many of those albums again.

But it was time, I suppose. Most of the cassettes sat dusty on shelves or in closets for years without a listen.

Oh, there were days when a certain song or a mention by someone somewhere would send me scurrying deep into my collection for a certain tape.

Just to find that tape was an experience – even a chore. But over the years those searches had gotten fewer.

The quality of the tapes had eroded badly in some cases. In the age of digital and MP3, tape hiss and album crackle – let alone sound dropout – had made some unbearable to listen to.

Even still, knowing I somewhere had copies of John

Mayall’s “Turning Point” or Jeff Beck’s “Truth” validated my musical taste, as self-indulgent as that sounds.

There were also tapes I had of Stanley Turrentine given to me by a former co-worker, a crazy mixtape by a friend that moved away 10 years ago, and the UB40 album shared with me by my soon-to-be-girlfriend as I drove her home on our first date. (She later became my wife!)

The music was special; the memories attached to them even more so.

I remember the day I said goodbye to my albums – probably 15 years ago now – when compact discs became the Next Great Thing. That was an easier decision. I handed them over to my brother, sure they would be in good hands. Whether he has them anymore doesn’t matter; at the time I knew

they were appreciated. This is different. No one was going to take my recorded tape collection.

There is little that is nostalgic about it – except to me.

It’s time to move on, to start a new collection. I have hundreds of albums on CD and loaded into iTunes. I’ve downloaded many of those CDs into my iPod. Those that I haven’t will most likely become the next target for disposal ... but probably not for another 15 years.

Blast from the Past: An Ode to Liner Notes: A Casualty of the Digital Music Age

2010-07-15T07:17:00.001-04:00

In our continuing series, Blast From the Past, we bring you a story written for Issue No. 9 from March 2006 (to download the whole issue, click HERE). Apparently, I am not the only one feeling like we have lost something in the translation to digital. To this day, in conversation or on Facebook, talk of liner notes comes up and they are recalled with fondness and a wistful hope for their return.

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DULY NOTED

We’d like to thank liner notes for all the great memories and for teaching us a few things about music

  A couple days ago, I was listening to Patty Griffin’s “1,000 Kisses” album and my daughter became interested in the lyrics.
  She began browsing the CD’s booklet. “Did Patty draw the pictures in here, Dad?,” she asked? It reminded me how much I like – and miss – album liner notes.
  This isn’t the first time I have come to this sad conclusion. When records were replaced by CDs there was an outcry that the reduced size of recordings would destroy the “art” of the album— which it did. There was truly something great about being able to discover a band’s personality by browsing an album while you were listening to the music.
  Inside, you might find a collage of photos taken while the band was recording the album, the lyrics of each song, who played on the songs, or maybe even some written nugget of information that gave color or insight into the band. It was also where you’d discover trivial details that made you a “real” music fan: Duane Allman played slide guitar on Eric Clapton’s Derek & the Dominos album “Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs” or the fact that Muddy Waters’ songs were actually written by McKinley Morganfield, which later you learned was Muddy’s real name.
  Finding those morsels about a musician or band in the small print was the best part, and made you feel like you “knew” them.
On Laurie Geltman’s “No Power Steering” album, she thanked a bunch of first-name-only folks, Dr. Altoids, the Geltmans, and “anyone else who’s given us a place to crash or picked us up on the side of the road.” OK, it’s not vital information, but it does give you a sense of her personality.
  With CDs, you could still find that information, albeit in even smaller print. It was not nearly as intimate to sit down with a 5-inch square booklet to check out the band photos, and at times it took a magnifying glass to read lyrics and other information. But at least the information was still available.
  Now comes downloadable music, and the end of music packaging.
  As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of downloading music. I do it all the time and love the convenience, the cost savings, and even the online searches for nuggets not available on albums or lesser known bands and musicians.
  But despite that joy, there still lingers a sadness from losing some of the intrigue I got from spending time with the liner notes.
Jazz, I believe, may be hurt the most from this loss because jazz musicians tend to play with many different pairings rather than stay with one band. Unlike in rock, it is much harder to keep track of who is playing on what album. Joshua Redman’s “Wish” album features Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins. I know that because the album cover tells me so.
  The iTunes version of the album does not mention the supporting players. If I had bought Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” by download, I may never have known that John Coltrane played on the album. When I borrowed the original album from the library, I remember pouring over the sleeve notes to see who else played on it.
  That information today is readily available on the Internet, and I’m sure some eager music fans will take the time to research it, but I worry that the average kid listening to the album for the first time
would not take the time to find out such details.
  There is some hope on the horizon though. A company called TuneBooks has begun to produce “digital liner notes” for certain albums sold on iTunes.
  According to its website (www.tunebooks.com), “TuneBooks combines traditional visual elements — liner notes, cover art and band collateral — with custom-designed interactive art and media to create a new visual experience.”
  The company produced such materials for the Click Five, the Darkness and Prodigy.
  While it will never take the place of the visceral experience of sitting alone, headphones on, scouring the inner depths of an album jacket for clues to your favorite band, I am hopeful that liner notes will not disappear forever. And when the next youngster is turned on to the Beatles’ “When My Guitar Gently Weeps,” they will read somewhere on its liner notes (digital or otherwise) that helping out on guitar was none other than Eric Clapton.

CD review: Eilen Jewell Presents Butcher Holler

2010-07-10T14:40:00.001-04:00

EILEN JEWELL PRESENTS BUTCHER HOLLER
A Tribute to Loretta Lynn
Out July 27

One day last summer, instead of coming straight home from work, I decided to head to the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge for a show by a group called Butcher Holler. Full disclosure: I knew what I was in for. Eilen Jewell and her band performing the songs of one of her idols, Loretta Lynn. (Butcher Holler or, more accurately, Hollow in Kentucky, is in fact the birthplace of Lynn.) I also knew Lynn’s songs were not foreign to Jewell, who has covered of few on her albums and played even a few more live in concert.
But what was a surprise that night and on her new album called Butcher Holler, which comes out officially July 27, was how incredibly natural Jewell is to carry the torch of Lynn’s amazing, heartfelt tunes.
The album opens appropriately on one of my favorite Lynn-penned, Jewell-covered tunes, “Fist City.” It’s hard to believe a country gal living below the Mason-Dixon line in the ‘60s could get away with singing lyrics like this: “I'm not a sayin' my baby's a saint 'cause he ain't/N' that he won't cat around with a kitty/I'm here to tell ya gal to lay offa my man/If ya don't wanna go to fist city,”
Lynn broke some serious barriers for female singers of her time with her tough-as-nails, not-taking-any-guff tunes, and Jewell delivers them with a similar musical sneer. Both Lynn and Jewell are at their best on these tougher tunes - “Ain’t Woman Enough (to Take My Man),” “Don’t Come Home A’Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind.” “Wanna Give Me a Lift” is a sassy reminder of Lynn’s toughness, as Jewell sings “You wanna give me a lift but this gal ain’t goin’ that far.” There are so many fun songs on this album, its tough to pick out favorites. Jewell is once again backed by her superb band - Jason Beek on drums, Jerry Miller on guitars and Johnny Sciascia on bass - though they tend to stay more in the background on this album than on Eilen’s stellar “Sea of Tears,” released last year.
“Who Says God Is Dead” bounces along on Miller’s stellar guitar playing. And we don’t want to leave out how Jewell also capably handles Lynn’s gentler side: songs such as “A Man I Hardly Know,” fronting Miller’s gorgeous steel guitar-playing, “Whispering Sea” and “This Haunted House.”
The album finale is Lynn’s swinging hit “You’re Looking at Country,” a fitting way to close out a sentimental tribute from a modern country girl to her music legend idol.

Blast from the Past: Talkin' About Another Revolution, from Nov. 2005

2010-07-08T07:20:00.001-04:00

This is the second installment in the series Blast From the Past, a look back at past stories published in Modern Acoustic. This one, the first "music-issue"-oriented story in the magazine, discusses whether or not a music revolution, like the one in the '60s, could ever happen again. Yes, it's long, probably too long. I had a professor of music write most of it and I didn't edit it much. Some of the stuff she writes about is already dated -- in just 5 years -- but I think it is an interesting read nonetheless.

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TALKING ABOUT ANOTHER REVOLUTION
(Reprinted from Modern Acoustic magazine, November 2005; to download the issue, click HERE)

From the parents of baby boomers to teenagers today, the names are familiar to us all: The Beatles. The Rolling Stones. Jimi Hendrix. Bob Dylan.
Even less popular acts – Canned Heat, Moby Grape and Ten Years After – are known to many. Nostalgia? Yes, much of what we hear today about the 1960s and its musical legacy are based on nostalgia. It is incessantly and nauseatingly packaged on radio stations nationwide as “Classic Rock.”
  But it is more than nostalgia that makes up the legacy of the decade’s songs. Sandwiched between the slick love songs of the ’50s and narcissistic ’70s disco, ’60s music was borne as part rebellion, part social change, and part love-in. It was a time of exploration, experimentation, and naivete.
  The influence of the music then was a reflection of what was going on in America: an unpopular president, an unpopular war, student protest, civil rights, women’s rights and young people questioning and defying the mores of their parents.
  There was also an explosion of exploration through visual art, music, theater, and film, at least in part fueled by psychedelic drugs. Technology was improving: Stereophonic sound became the norm for recorded music. Television, now a part of the furniture in homes, beamed back the first live images of war in living color, and Americans looked on in horror.
  And all this was synthesized into the songs. Young musicians allowed themselves to be carried by their ideals and emotions, and for the most part, were naive to the “business” of the music business.
  So could this kind of musical revolution happen again? Modern Acoustic posed the question to Roberta Schwartz, Assistant Professor of Historical Musicology at Kansas University to lend her perspective. Does she believe the ingredients are still here to spark something new and original? Here is her wonderfully in-depth response:

  No one knows what the future will hold, but I’m inclined to say that the kind of musical revolution that occurred in the ’60s won’t happen again. However, I believe that we are in the earliest stages of a musical revolution, albeit one that is different in many respects.
  The forces that brought about the “Renaissance” of the 1960s cannot be replicated. In the ’60s the world was a more dangerous place than ever before, thanks to the threat of nuclear annihilation.
  These dangers were mostly created by the older generation, which created a sense among young people that maybe authority didn’t have all the answers (or any of them); consequently, other foibles of modern society were questioned, and societal mores and expectations were weakened. World War II made the world a smaller place through the spread of popular culture. Paradoxically, this narrowed artistic choices while also creating room for new ideas and views, especially those from the East.
  These combined with economic prosperity of an unprecedented scale that gave youth more freedom to pursue interests beyond subsistence living. The entire movement was underscored by increasing notions of equality, in part brought about by the early flush of rock ’n’ roll, which brought black music to white youth.
  This idea extended beyond a black-white binarism to encompass all races, sexes (to a degree), religions, musical styles, and forms of expression. Psychedelic drugs and optimism were catalysts; these elements, above all others, captured the attention of a larger public.
  The sounds, sights, and messages were so outrageous, in comparison to the standards of the time, that “straight” America (and England, to be sure) had to take notice. This, I sense, is the key factor of the ’60s that can’t be replicated. In our media-saturated society, where every form of outrageous behavior, both innocuous and heinous, has been televised, the ability to shock bourgeois sensibilities is no longer a simple proposition!

  The current social and political situation in the United States is in many ways similar to that of the ’60s, though the climate is one of increased repression, rather than openness and tolerance. Still, the incubator is in some ways ready, and there are signs that political activism and music are coming together again.
  Acts as varied as Green Day, Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, the Dixie Chicks, and Steve Earle have produced overtly political recordings in the past few years that have been commercially and critically successful.
  However, their tone is not optimistic; rather, they evince strident criticism of politics and other institutions. Punk rock has left an indelible mark on popular music, and its influence will be felt for quite some time.
  Still, music that engages social issues is a refreshing change from the escapist, materialistic fare that dominates the Top 40. Hip-hop, long a vehicle for political content, has been revitalized as well. The current “worldrap” movement, exemplified by artists like M.I.A. and rappers X-Plastaz from the African Maasai tribe, demonstrates that in many parts of the globe rap has proven an excellent vehicle for political commentary among the poor, oppressed, and dispossessed.

  Musically, the key ingredients of the ’60s musical revolution were ones that increased potential musical influences. Rejections of popular culture led to revivals of pre-war styles, especially folk music and the blues, which expanded the possibilities of musical creation, as did the new soul sounds emerging from Motown, Stax, and other independent labels.
  New technologies like the massproduced electric guitar, the Mellotron, and effects pedals introduced a broaderpalate of tone colors, and the standards and possibilities for studio production granted unprecedented control over the sound of a recording.
  Today a similar broadening of possibilities is in play. Our on-demand world means that music – all kinds of music – is readily accessible. Virtually every conceivable form of recorded music, be it classical arias by Enrico Caruso, jug band music of the ’30s, or Yoruban highlife, is in circulation, and can be accessed through alternative radio, digital download, streaming audio, or your local record store. And it can be sampled, sequenced, looped, and manipulated from a home computer.
  The possibilities for fusion are endless, and have begun to yield a dizzying array of combinations and sub-genres that range from merely interesting to extraordinarily vital.
  The products of the American roots music revival are particularly interesting; I personally find the White Stripes one of the most exciting bands to emerge in years. Recent fusions of rap with jazz, soul, world music, and even country (who’d have thought?) have proven that hip-hop is not only the “new world folk music,” but also a resilient and expansive genre that can allow infinite variety.
  Concert audiences of the past few years, particularly the jam-band sect, have demonstrated a willingness to embrace startlingly diverse acts in a way that hasn’t been witnessed since the late ’60s; last year’s festival circuit included the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans (talk about “old school”!), The Polyphonic Spree – a clash of influences so disparate and strange that they defy classification in any normal sense – Yonder Mountain String Band, Los Lonely Boys, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Danger Mouse, Doc Watson,Taj Mahal, Ani DiFranco, Steve Winwood, and the Dave Matthews Band.
  Such diversity can only be for the musical common good, and the fact that some of these acts have hit the Top 40 is an indication that a revolution of some sort is afoot.

  The extraordinary freedom of artists to express themselves and experiment during the ’60s was the result of changes in the recording industry itself. Immediately after World War II only seven record labels controlled recorded output.
  Tape recording reduced the cost of producing records, and small, local independent labels began to emerge. Their successes in marketing R&B, jazz, and rock ’n’ roll records led to the development of an independent distribution system that bypassed the monopolies of the major labels.
  These independents launched nearly every major musical act of the 1960s; once their moneymaking potential was realized, the majors often moved in and capitalized on both the artists and the trends.
  In turn, this created an environment of corporate risk-taking; as executives had no idea what would be popular (who could have foreseen Beatlemania?), they were willing to sign just about anyone who came highly recommended by young staff members, hip agents, or “those in the know.”
  Once acts became successful, their ability to generate revenue was the only concern of their labels; the musicians were able to experiment fairly freely with a minimum of oversight.
  Some musicians were able to thrive even without major label contracts. Many of the San Francisco bands gained popularity through exposure on FM radio; this new broadcast spectrum was relatively loose and not dominated by Top-40 stations.
  This modest exposure was enough to promote concert attendance, which became a greater source of income for many acts during the decade; the Grateful Dead emerged as one of the most popular bands of the 1960s though they had no hit record or best-selling LP during that era and were never heard on popular AM stations. today.
  Lately the major record labels have demonstrated that their ability to divine what the “next big thing” will be has weakened. The most convincing evidence emerged in the spring of 2002, when the majors were taken completely by surprise as acts like the White Stripes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Strokes, and the Hives emerged to shatter the dominant boy band-teen pop-nu-metal hegemony.
  Recently “big money” releases by proven pop stars like Janet Jackson have generated disappointing returns, and the majors have had to rely on their smaller divisions (like Interscope, The Inc., and Vice) to produce successful hits.
  As this trend continues, more local artists and styles (like southern crunk and the Detroit rock sound) will gain national exposure.
  Moreover, the major labels have recently been taking some interesting risks lately, signing artists whose marketability is unproven.
  Independent labels have also proven that they can compete on the charts and in the marketplace with independent or unorthodox distribution networks. Jack Johnson’s latest, “In Between Dreams,” on the Brushfire label, recently hit the top five; and the White Stripes, despite achieving mainstream success, remained with the independent Third Man Records for a while before signing on with V2.

  Though only four companies now control all recording and corporate radio permits broadcast of very small sampling of music, there are now a host of alternatives. Alternative and college radio stations provide access to minor artists, though these stations have short transmission ranges and are not available in all markets.
  However, their demographic is considered significant enough that the industry maintains separate “college radio” charts.
  There is also a dramatic upswing in local radio startups and pirate radio stations – the latter particularly in Britain – and satellite radio, streaming audio and podcasting also offer alternatives to Clear Channel and other corporatecontrolled stations.
  The Internet is likely to be the carrier of the new revolution; while Kazaa and similar services are enmeshed in legislative battles, legal applications serve as completely anonymous distribution sites, where any artist can post their own music for download or sale.
  Anyone with a computer has a world of music at his or her fingertips at any time, day or night, and the most successful of these acts will emerge into the mainstream, not because major corporations think they might be saleable, but because they have already proven their appeal to a market niche.
  In times of declining record sales, niche markets wield significant power. For example, the major record labels ignored blues and country music until they proved to be consistent sellers, even in the depths of the depression.
  As long as those interested in new and independent music buy CDs and support concert appearances by these bands, the revolution will continue.

CD review: Sarah Harmer, "Oh Little Fire"

2010-07-03T10:37:00.003-04:00

SARAH HARMER

Oh Little Fire (Out now)

Sarah Harmer has always followed her own path. Her initial breakthrough album, “You Were Here” in 2000 was followed four years later by “All of Our Names,” which netted her the nice little hit “Almost,” and it looked like she was headed for some commercial success in Sarah McLachlan-like territory.

But instead this Sarah took a U-turn and went back home to try to help save her native Canada’s escarpment, and in the process created a wonderful acoustic folk and bluegrass album, “I’m a Mountain.” The 2005 album may have had little commercial appeal but it was a smash with critics and independent-thinking music fans, including this one.

So five years later, we had no idea what to expect from “Oh Little Fire,” her new album. And after a couple of listens we’re still a little in the dark. The album is filled with a group of country, folk and soft-rocking indie-pop tunes.

Harmer has said in interviews that she doesn’t want to be tied to a style, which is great. We were not expecting another “I’m a Mountain,” but few of the songs stand out on “Oh Little Fire” the way some of her past successes have.

The album opens with “The Thief,” which sounds like it could have been very much at home on a Laura Veirs album. “New Loneliness” has a nice slinky sound with organ backing up her acoustic. “One Match” offers glimpses of the voice we fell in love with on “Mountain.” Her voice and her lyrics on such songs as “New Loneliness” have an honesty and sadness to them that makes us think she was going through a rough patch romantically during the making of this album. On “Washington,” she sings: “I didn’t go to Washington/instead I swept the floor. The only things I’ve ever done you can’t see anymore.” “Silverado’’ gets some beautiful harmonies from fellow Canadian Neko Case, who seems to be everywhere lately from the New Pornographers to backing Jakob Dylan.

The title “Oh Little Fire” seems to perfectly encapsulate many meanings for the songs on this album. We just wish one of them wasn’t the lack of fire we felt listening to them.

Blast from the Past: Q&A with Josh Ritter 2005

2010-06-22T10:47:00.003-04:00

This Q&A is a reprint from the May 2005 issue of Modern Acoustic (Josh Rocks; click HERE). Josh had just finished recording "The Animal Years" in Washington State. The issue's cover "story" was a pictorial by Boston photographer Jon Strymish of Josh and the band recording the album at Bear Creek Studios. Below is our mostly tongue-in-cheek email interview with him. Pay close attention because one of his answers actually reveals a lyric to a song that appears not on "Animal Years" but on the next album "Historical Conquests." Pretty great! Remember, this interview was in 2005, two years before "Conquests." Also, I jokingly asked him about picking up the electric guitar for "Animal Years,'' but certainly did not expect that he really would. Enjoy!
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At Modern Acoustic we are not afraid to ask the tough questions – the “real” questions – fans would like to ask. So we got ahold of Josh by email and grilled him.

Q. Has signing that big record deal with V2 changed you in any way?
A. I hope not.

Q. Would you care to comment on the rumors that you’ve been seen hangin’ with J.Lo recently?
A. I will when she does. ... Has she?

Q. If the Stones called and asked if they could cover “Kathleen” would you grant them permission?
A. In a rock ’n’ roll heartbeat.

Q. How do you explain your rise to fame in Ireland compared to that of the US? Better beer?
A. To me, Ireland is proof that if you work hard and love what you do, great things come along. I try not to ask why, and try to do my best with what I’ve been given.

Q. You caused quite a stir among your fans with the beard. Any plans for your next fashion statement?
A. The beard is scary enough.

Q. There’s talk you’re a maniac with the wah wah pedal. Any chance you’ll be picking up the ol’ electric for this album?
A. I think there is a huge chance. Sometimes the music just isn’t loud enough.

Q. Some of the stories that you tell in concert seem a tad, well, far-fetched. Is your life really that weird?
A. I actually think those stories are closefetched. I think my life is far weirder. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and a pack of wild dogs is waiting for me. Other days, things are less exciting. The road is an invitation to strange occurrences. Each day you’re in a new place, new people show you around, you sleep in strange hotels. I could tell you some stories about Knight’s Inn that would make your blood run cold.

Q. Any hints to what the new album will be called?
A. All I know is that I’m looking for a title that will be as amazing as the record will be.

Mixing the new, old

2010-06-22T09:40:00.000-04:00

As we mentioned in the new issue of Modern Acoustic (click HERE), there's a lot that goes on in the three months between editions. Timing of album releases certainly make it difficult to decide whether to run reviews early or late because of our magazine release schedule (usually March, June, October, December). That is what this blog has been for, to fill in the gaps and try to keep readers up to date. In the past it's been mostly concert reviews and tidbits of facts and ideas that come to mind, but not necessarily worthy of full stories.
To add to that, we're going to try something new... and something old.
You may have noticed in the last issue we ran a column on the List Page featuring snippets from blog posts written between issues. We are going to expand that idea in the magazine, most likely replacing in most editions the List Page, which is becoming more and more of a challenge to keep up.
And here on the blog, we will begin offering short CD reviews of albums we receive but don't fit the timeframe of the magazine. Most likely those reviews -- or snippets of those reviews -- will end up on the last page of the magazine with links to the blog review.
Also, here on the blog, we'll occasionally offer a feature called Blasts from the Past -- stories from past issues of Modern Acoustic. From the beginning, right up to the last four or five issues, stories were only available on the pdfs and to this day do not live on the Web in any other form. We're going to start it off with a short Q&A we did with Josh Ritter from 2005 (Issue No. 4; click HERE). I think you will find it amusing.
We hope you'll enjoy these new -- and old -- features. We think they will help fill in the empty spaces between issues.

With a Little Help From Their Fans

2010-06-16T10:33:00.001-04:00

Musicians are seeking unique ways to fund their albums and tours, including offering exclusive sponsorships in exchange for donations. But is fan-funding sustainable?

Singer-songwriter Kevin So wants to make a live album, but has no record label to back him. Another singer-songwriter, Jenee Halstead, planned a tour to the Netherlands without the backing of a label to make it happen. A third, Jake Armerding, set out to raise $5,000 with the help of his fans to fund his 2009 album, “Her.”

The odds of these musicians – and the many others like them -- meeting their goals have increased greatly in recent years thanks to their fans. Even in poor economic times, it appears fans are willing to donate anywhere between $10 and $1,000 to help fund their favorite acts’ new albums and tours. In return, fans not only feel like part of the process but in many cases get something in return – maybe an autographed CD or, depending on how much they donate, their name in the liner notes of their favorite artists’ album.

Fan-funding is an age-old system: the busker on the city sidewalk playing for spare coins offered up by an appreciative crowd. It’s also a fairly new system, pioneered and seemingly perfected by folk musicians Ellis Paul and Jill Sobule, who both, individually, raised enough money to fund their albums without any record-label support.

So while the system does work, the question remains as to whether it is sustainable enough for those same musicians to return to their fans and ask for their support for the next project.
“Yeah, I think I can,’’ says Paul, about going back to his fans again for his next album. Paul raised $100,000 to make the completely fan-funded “The Day After Everything Changed,” released in January. “I think next year I could start again. There were a lot of big donors last time, which I don’t know I would get again. But I’m confident I could do $50,000.”

Paul created what he calls a “ladder system of goods and services,” in which fans paid a certain amount and in return got exclusive merchandise or opportunities. Among them were: “The Street Busker Level” ($15), allowing them to be the first to receive the new CD; “The James Taylor Level” ($250) receiving an autographed CD and a guest list pass to a Paul concert; all the way up to “The Woody Guthrie Level” ($10,000), a list of 11 enticements, including being named executive producer on the album and a live Ellis Paul concert in your home.

Paul is adamant that in order for the system to work, and especially to be sustained, musicians must offer something back to the fans.

“Don’t do it as donations,” he cautions. “Give them something for their money. Offer house concerts, recording sessions.” It makes fans feel like part of the process and more willing to help out.

Indie folk-rocker Erin McKeown did just that by allowing fans to “attend” a series of four house concerts, she dubbed Cabin Fever, via the Internet for a small fee. Each show took place in various places in her yard and had different themes, and benefitted the recording and release of her album, “Hundreds of Lions.”

Jill Sobule, who may have actually been the originator of the fan-funding idea, raised $80,000 to make her album “California Years,” which was released in early 2009. She created a website called Jill’s Next Record to explain her idea to fans. She, too, offered staggered funding choices, which were funny and personal. At the highest level was this: “$10,000, Weapons-Grade Plutonium Level – You get to come and sing on my CD. Don’t worry if you can’t sing – we can fix that on our end. Also, you can always play the cowbell.”

Sobule is known to her fans as incredibly accessible. She is constantly chatting with her fans on Facebook, offering insight into what she is doing and thinking.
But she doesn’t feel she could just post the same fan-funding enticements as last time and get the same response.

“I am not sure I would do it in the same exact way, and for that much money,” says Sobule. “However, I am and would do it in more ... ‘micro ways’? For example, John Doe and I shared a band and paid the expenses for them as well as the studio by inviting fans to spend the day watching a record being made. We had to raise $4,000 and did it. It was very fun, by the way.”

Sobule offered fans different “packages” – including half-day ($125) to all-day ($200) access to watch the recording process, and wrote this about it on her blog: The energy of having people there was such a revelation, as well as a good antidote from the often times sterility of a recording studio.”

According to E. Michael Harrington, professor of Music and Music Management at William Paterson University in New Jersey, done right, fan-funding could be a long-term solution.

“In the past, a musician’s best means to success was through one of the large record companies or one of their smaller record labels. Labels had the best equipment to record as well as a large machine that created, developed and promoted an artist’s career. The advantages with respect to technology are gone as CDs are not as important. And the artist has much more control over how she/he gets known.”

Ellis Paul is a good example. He was with Rounder Records for years before striking out on his own.
“A label offers you a brand and some clout, a staff of artists for design work and a radio staff and marketing people do press. And distribution,” he said. “You pay back the label through record sales.” He said he wouldn’t see any royalties until after the album sold $25,000 in sales, a tough number to hit for a folk musician.

So after he saw what Sobule did, he decided to try it himself.

“We did it and then the economy crashed. Even still, we did every bit as well as the Rounder stuff ever did,” he said about the number of records sold – and this time he didn’t have to pay any of it back.
And it appears younger musicians are taking notice of what some of these trailblazers have done and are trying it themselves – on smaller scales.

The $5,000 Armerding raised for his album was solicited by personal email to his fans.
Halstead funded her tour of the Netherlands by raising more than $2,500 through the donation site Kickstarter, a Web service that helps facilitate the collecting of funds for a project of any kind. She raised it all through small-amount pledges from 50 backers. Both Halstead and Armerding offered “gifts” – CDs, T-shirts, etc. – to their fans for their donations.

Songwriter Kevin So, who is a friend of Ellis Paul, says he plans to follow the advise of his pal as well, to fund his upcoming live album.

“I think many new approaches have to be tried – musicians need to tap into previously unconsidered areas, companies and services to get support,” says professor Harrington. “Artists must become more involved with fans through all social media, YouTube. The more connected a fan feels with an artist, the better it is for both. An artist who would openly ask for money/funding could do well if she/he goes about it respectfully and innovatively.”

With major labels sinking and younger musicians finding success in building fan bases to their projects, “It’s only a matter of time before major label acts are going to be doing it,” says Paul.

To read the full issue of Modern Acoustic magazine, click HERE

Issue No. 29, June 2010

2010-06-15T09:55:00.002-04:00

As the recording industry continues to struggle with the reality of the digital revolution, musicians are looking for new ways to get their music to the public.
Many have realized that they have the ability to do it all themselves – fund, produce, promote, and tour – without the help of a record company’s backing.
Yes, it is a lot of work. But because of how far-reaching the Internet is, it is possible to make a nice career in music without the star-maker machinery, as Joni Mitchell so aptly put it.
How an artist funds their projects has become one of the more integral parts of this DIY process. In the past, record companies would give the artist an advance to pay for studio time, advertising, touring, etc., and the artist, in turn, would not see a dime of profit until that advance was earned back.
That might still work for Springsteen or U2, but for a young musician with only a moderate fan base, that just won’t work.
The idea of fan-funded projects is fairly new, and allows for creativity and innovation from musicians.
In its simplest form, an artist will ask fans to donate money to an upcoming project. In return, fans may receive special “gifts” or privileges from the artist.
This process has worked for more than a handful of artists. But the question remains whether those artists who have been successful with fan-funded projects – such as Ellis Paul and Jill Sobule – could return to their fans and ask for their support again. Is fan-funding a sustainable system?
On Page 4, we try to shed some light on this question.
OK, you’re probably thinking, wow, that’s some pretty heavy stuff. Good topic, but, come on, it’s summer! We’re drinking fruity cocktails, lounging in the sun, riding in the car with the windows down blasting the tunes. Can’t we just chill?
We hear you! We need new tunes too. So our special CD review section, starting on Page 6, has just what you need.
We’ve got new music from Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Jakob Dylan, Pieta Brown, Crooked Still, Jackie Greene, Shannon McNally and In the Cinema.
There’s something for everyone here and it’s all worth a listen.
So go forth. Drink, lounge and ride in style. (Not all at once!)

Rich Kassirer, editor

To download the new issue, click HERE
To read the CD reviews, click HERE

MA5 - SONGS
Five songs that helped us survive this issue:
1. “Why We Build the Wall,” “Hadestown,” Anais Mitchell. We love the whole album, plain and simple.
2. “Rattling Locks” “So Runs the World Away,” Josh Ritter. It gets deep into your brain.
3. “Miss Mary” “Silver City,” Sarah Borges. When the weather gets hot, the music must rock.
4. “Magnolia Mountain,” “Cold Roses,” Ryan Adams. Summer also means Grateful Dead or Dead-inspired tunes.
5. “Squeeze Box,” “The Who by Numbers,” The Who. Classic rock always sounds better blasting on car speakers, with the windows wide open.

Three cheers for Treme

2010-06-10T09:53:00.000-04:00

Steve Zahn, musician Kermit Ruffins and Wendell Pierce in "Treme"

I'm not a big TV watcher. Luckily, "Mad Men" is on a station I get and I can't wait for it to resume this summer. I enjoy a couple cop shows network TV, but don't get too attached too many dramas or sitcoms. I don't have HBO or Showtime, etc., so my only access to shows on these channels is the Internet. I've watched "Weeds" and "Californication" after they've aired by the links at www.alluc.org. And now I'm doing the same with "Treme," and I'm this close to getting HBO because of this show.
For those who haven't seen it, "Treme" is based in New Orleans a couple months after Katrina. The people are still dazed by the disaster and are trying to put their lives back together as the first post-hurricane Mardi Gras approaches. The series focuses on a diverse group of characters, whose lives weave in and out of each other. The acting is brilliant, and while John Goodman is probably the best-known actor of the cast, the show is filled with amazing characters.
Among the cast are: Wendell Pierce as trombonist Antoine Batiste, who is always searching for his next gig. Khandi Alexander as LaDonna, who is looking for her brother, who has been missing since the storm. Goodman is a college professor who makes a name for himself locally with his YouTube rants about lack of aid and caring for the city. His wife is played by Melissa Leo, a civil rights lawyer. Kim Dickens plays Janette, a chef who loses her restaurant because she can't pay her bills. The superb Clarke Peters as a Mardi Gras India chief. Lucia Micarelli and Michiel Huisman as buskers. And the hilarious Steve Zahn as Davis McAlary, who is constantly getting himself in and out of trouble.
The other stars of this show are the city and the music. The producers of this show do an amazing job of staying true to both. They let you see both the bad side of the city as well as the good. You want to help the characters and to slap them, sometimes simultaneously.
There's a great jazz blog on NPR.org called A Blog Supreme that breaks down, in incredible detail, the show's story lines and the music. NPR's Patrick Jarenwattananon with the help of Josh Jackson, a DJ at WBGO in New Orleans and knows first-hand about the city and the scene, break down the songs, the characters, the food and, the best part, who the musicians are. There are tons of cameos on the show. Dr. John, Elvis Costello, McCoy Tyner, and Steve and Justin Townes Earle.
There is so much to discuss about this show. I hope it continues for years, but I'm guessing its run will be short. I've been lucky to be able to find these episodes on line. You really have to search, especially if you are trying to do it as it's airing. If you have HBO, you have to watch this show. If you don't, it's definitely worth searching for.

Dave Rawlings Machine at the Paradise

2010-06-07T08:59:00.001-04:00

Here's my surefire remedy for temporary relief of serious back pain: Start with some exquisite acoustic guitar solos. Add some beautiful harmonies. And a dash of dueling fiddles with some tasty harmonica.
This works so well you might even find yourself moving your hips a little when you could just barely stand upright hours earlier.
Yes, my solution has a name. It's the Dave Rawlings Machine and for three hours Saturday night at the Paradise I forgot all about my woes because Rawlings, backed by his more famous partner Gillian Welch and a trio of great musicians -- fiddler Ketch Secor and bassist Morgan Jahnig from Old Crow Medicine Show and fiddler/guitarist Gabe Witcher of the Punch Brothers -- performed some serious magic onstage.
Gillian may be more popular with the masses but Rawlings guitar work is like no one else: it's melodic, it's intricate, it weaves in and out like Jerry Garcia used to do but never meanders. The group is absolutely tight. When Gillian is in charge (billed as Gillian Welch), she takes the lead and, yes, her vocal prowess is stronger than his. But the beauty of The Machine is that they really swing -- they almost rock those acoustic instruments.
I didn't keep a set list so I'll do what I can from memory.
First they started a little bit late when one of the roadies tripped over something, knocked over a table and nearly busted the bass. Once that was cleared up, on came the Machine starting off with "Monkey and the Engineer." Most of the set was made up of Dave's "A Friend of a Friend" album. "I Hear Them All" was in there early with "This Land Is Your Land" sandwiched in the middle of the song. The beautiful "Ruby" shined with Gillian's amazing harmony vocals backing his. She and Dave were just meant to sing together. They just seem to fill in each other's empty spaces like no pair I can think of.
Next they broke out the banjo (maybe for "It's Too Easy," not exactly sure) to roars of cheers from the crowd, and Gillian exclaiming that Boston is a banjo lovin' town.
One of my favorite moments was when the other musicians left the stage and Dave and Gill played their unreleased song, which I know as "Throw Me a Rope" (others call it "The Way It Should Be"). After the first verse, Gill stopped abruptly saying she couldn't go on because Dave's guitar was so out of tune. They started up again and that song is just mesmerizing. If Gill doesn't put out a new album soon and include that... well... I keep telling myself it's coming.
Then Gill got to lead a couple tunes of her own. A request for "Red Clay Halo" (the banjo again) and "Miss Ohio." And I think just before the end of the set, Gabe Witcher led the group through The Band's "Ophelia." It's funny I had just seen Witcher a week before with the Punch Brothers opening for Josh Ritter. I didn't recognize him fully until they mentioned who he was.
After a short break, they came back for a second set that included a bunch of songs about candy, including "Sweet Tooth," "Big Rock Candy Mountain" and a third one. Then the exquisite pair of "Method Acting"/"Cortez the Killer" and "How About You" was in there somewhere.
I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff, but it was all so great. I haven't said much about Ketch Secor, but his fiddle and harmonica playing adds so much to the sound as does his baritone voice. The main set ended with Dylan's "Queen Jane Aproximately."
They came back for two encores and the crowd was rocking. I've seen Gillian and Dave a couple times before but I've never seen such a rowdy, excited crowd -- and they knew almost all the words to the songs.
The first encore included three tunes: "Too Be Young (Is to be Sad)" and "The Weight" and I cannot remember the third -- maybe someone can recall.
They left the stage and came back again to a huge roar. They all stood center stage around one mike and sang the a cappella "Go to Sleep Little Baby," with the crowd clapping along and Gillian adding a stomp and a clap for emphasis. They left the stage again to more roars. It was a great night.
Please feel free to chime in if I missed something or have something wrong...
I'll post pics and/or a setlist when I find it.

Grace Potter at the House of Blues, Boston

2010-06-01T09:40:00.002-04:00

Photo by Mallory Finley

This was a band supposedly jet-lagged.
Six months after Grace Potter and the Nocturnals last played the House of Blues, the band returned to the venue just off a tour overseas and ripped through a two-hour set filled with soaring vocals and guitar-heavy highs. Despite comments about her jet lag, Grace sang and danced up a storm – moving easily from the center stage mike, with guitar or without, to her Hammond B3 – never missing a step, a lyric, a breath. She's Tina Turner for a new generation.
And she's finally backed by a band that can keep up with her. In the six months since I saw them last, the new Nocturnals – guitarists Scott Tournet and Benny Yurco, bassist Catherine Popper and drummer Matt Burr – have melded into a cohesive, dynamic group, adding power and finesse to new songs off the upcoming self-titled album as well as the fan favorites.
The group has transformed itself. The once neo-hippie jam band has grown up, dressed up and given itself a harder-rocking sheen. They can still jam, and do it well, but there is a little more pop attitude thrown into the mix. In my review of the band from November (HERE), I foresaw them as a female-led version of the Allman Brothers. I would now like to amend that. I think they are leaning more toward an early-'70s version of Heart. Nothing wrong with that.
Grace and Catherine Popper arrived on stage in swishy mini-dresses and heels (though for both the shoes came off somewhere around midpoint), the boys in suitcoats. They blasted through an early set of new and old songs, including band classic "Ah, Mary" and the new, reggae-ish "Goodbye Kiss." The band showed its ability to mix song styles, as it moved from more new tunes, the jammy "Oasis" and the poppy "One Short Night," to the blues of "2:22."
Grace was completely into it. Dancing wildly, arms over her head, jumping up and down in place. The main set's end was something to behold as the band tore through two more new songs, "Hot Summer Night" and "Paris," with confidence and authority. "Paris" featured some screaming guitar from Scott Tournet. And "Nothing But the Water" went from Grace singing alone to rip-roaring band accompaniment back to just Grace. She knows how to work an audience.
The encores were great as well. Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" seemed to be meant for them to cover. It was followed by another fan favorite, "Stop the Bus,'' and a super new tune, "Medicine," which is sure to be a showstopper for a long time.
This is a band on its way up. How far and which direction are the only questions.
The show if available for download HERE
View Mallory Finley's pics from the show HERE

Setlist (from This Is Somewhere blog)
Only Love
Sweet Hands
Goodbye Kiss
Ah, Mary
Mastermind
Oasis
Money
One Short Night
2:22
Apologies
Tiny Light
Big White Gate
Falling or Flying
Here's to the Meantime
Hot Summer Night
Paris
Nothing But the Water I & II
------
White Rabbit
Stop the Bus
Medicine

Josh Ritter at the Orpheum, Boston

2010-05-22T11:51:00.002-04:00

There are some shows you hype so much in your head that by the time you actually see the show, it's a letdown. Let's just say this, that never happens for a Josh Ritter show. Because as great as you expect it to be, it's always better -- way better.
Josh and his old faithful, but newly dubbed, Royal City Band came to the Orpheum last night and delivered a show that was not only entertaining but masterful. There is no artist I can think of who seems to have as good a time on stage as he does, and no band that can go from subtlety and quiet to full-on rocking out.
The setlist is below, but the highlights are many.
The band strolled on to "Curtains," the instrumental that opens the new album, "So Runs the World Away." The seamlessly picked up the orchestration of the song on their instruments and then in semi-darkness segued into "Change of Time." "Southern Pacifica" followed before they launched full-blast into "Rumors," which included some tough-ass playing from guitarist Austin Nevins.
They brought things down a notch for wonderful versions of "Folk Bloodbath," "Monster Ballads" and "Good Man." The crowd was great, participating in singalongs as necessary but also singing quietly enough to let Josh's voice be heard. When Josh hit the chorus, "I'm a good man," well-deserved cheers, hoots and hollers went up all around.
It was here the show hit the next gear. With "Rattling Locks," Josh took to a small keyboard, Sam moved to electric drums, and Darius Zehlka, the bands' manager, came out to pound on drums and cymbals next to drummer Liam. Zack took center stage leading the band in the huge percussive intro while Austin knifed in the heavy guitar lines.
After the mayhem, it was back to quiet, and the magical song "The Curse." It's just amazing how the band goes from muscular to delicate in a matter of a song. Sam's piano filled in the beautiful melody behind Josh's amazing story song about a mummy falling in love with an archeologist.
The Paul Simon-esque "Lark" followed and then another treat: Josh solo doing Springsteen's "The River." And while the crowd was in a hushed faze, Josh had all the lights turned off, moved to the front of the stage and delivered a completely acoustic "In the Dark." The crowd quietly helping out with the ooohs.
The band came back on and charged into "Kathleen" and the audience went nuts, rising to their feet and dancing in the aisles, as if they had finally gotten the invitation they were waiting for to party. And the band kept it right, cranking up "Right Moves" and brining them back down a notch with "Girl in the War."
And then another special treat. Sam's mom (my stepmom) was invited up on stage to read Edgar Allen Poe's "Annabelle Lee" backed by the band before launching into "Another New World." But there was no time to catch our respective breaths because "Harrisburg" was right on its heals, complete with Zack's wonderous version of "Wicked Game."
The set finally wound to an end with a joyous "Lantern" and incredible, fast version of "To the Dogs,"
which ended with the boys in stop-motion, holding their pose for nearly a minute before completing the final notes to the song.
Phew! A break to realize what we had all witnessed... a band completely in charge and in sync.
Back for the encore, "Hello Starling" led it off to more cheers and hysterics from the crowd. The older songs got the loudest cheers and really got the crowd going. The opening act, the Punch Brothers, were brought on stage to play the silly "Next to the Last True Romantic" (see my video HERE), and finish up the night in a mostly a cappella, finger-snapping "Wait for Love."
To see my pics, click HERE

the setlist:
Curtains
Change of Time
Southern Pacifica
Rumors
Folk Bloodbath
Monster Ballads
Good Man
Rattling Locks
The Curse
Lark
The River
In the Dark (literally in the dark)
Kathleen
Right Moves
Girl in the War
Another New World (w/ reading of Poe poem by Sam's mom)
Harrisburg (w/ Zack's Wicked Game)
Lantern
To the Dogs
-----
Starling
Last True Romantic (w/ Punch Brothers)
Wait for Love (w/ Punch Brothers)

Paradise gets a makeover -- a plea

2010-05-14T13:25:00.000-04:00

Shelby Lynne at the Paradise in 2005.

It was recently reported that the Paradise Rock Club in Boston is on the verge of renovation (story HERE). This scares me to death.

The Paradise has a storied past. Bands like the Police, U2 and REM played there when they were starting out. It is the perfect spot to see Kathleen Edwards, Shelby Lynne and the Low Anthem, who I recently caught there. Its stage can handle punk, bluegrass and everything in between. It is a place to get up close to whichever act graces the stage.

For anyone who has seen shows at the Paradise, you know what you're getting when you step through the door. First, the ticket prices are relatively cheap for the mid-level and up-and-coming acts that play there. Second, it's a small club, capacity is around 700, with few seats. So you know you'll be up close to the bands, sweating to the beat. While it may get crowded, there's usually enough room in the back near the bars to find a little personal space. And finally, beer prices are reasonable.

The club will close around July 4 and reopen after Labor Day in its new configuration.

With a renovation, you never know what you'll get.

From the Herald story: "Plans call for the box office and hallway leading to the club entrance to be knocked down to increase the floor space, and a new box office will be built near the front of the building. The current dressing rooms will be demolished; new ones will include such amenities as showers. Another source said the Paradise Lounge, a separate room in the front of the club, will be reconfigured to enlarge the capacity of the rock club to around 1,000."

What I'm most worried about is demolishing the aura of the place. In its current form the Paradise is not fancy or shiny or bright. It's a rock club, as rock clubs should be: small and dark with a good sound system. That's all rock fans really care about. Showers for the band? We're all for it. But don't ruin the club.

The House of Blues is fine, but we don't need another one. Beer prices there suck; we're paying for ambience.

So please, Paradise owners, think twice before you renovate. Do the right thing and make sure you keep the club's spirit intact.

Low Anthem at the Paradise

2010-04-22T09:56:00.004-04:00

With some bands, you go see their show, you love the tunes, you go home. The Low Anthem, for me, made me think. Don't get me wrong, their show was pretty great, their ethereal-folk rock is incredibly intense, soothing, mysterious and lush. It washes over you. Also, the band is incredibly tight and talented. Their harmonies are spot-on and the band's voices play off each other beautifully. Each of the four musicians – Ben Knox, Jeff Prystowsky, Jocie Adams, and Mat Davidson – play multiple instruments. It's impossible to list what each one of them plays, so let's just take Jocie, for example: She played guitar, bass, clarinet, drums/percussion, and the best was this instrument called cotales, which has a bunch of small cymbals on top that she bows between to make the gorgeous ethereal backing sounds to a lot of their tunes. The combination of Knox's whispered vocals and acoustic guitar plucking, Prystowsky's sparse acoustic bass playing, Adams on the cotales, and Davidson on pump organ is truly magical.
They played quite a few songs off their album, "Oh My God Charlie Darwin," including great versions of "Charlie Darwin," "To Ohio," "Cage the Songbird," and "Ticket Taker," which, after you see how completely they reproduce them live, you realize that the album isn't a layered studio effort as you might have thought.
They broke away from their woozy, whispered-vocals sound briefly in the middle of the show for a two-song, ear-crunching electric set, that seemed a little out of place. Even though they do show that side of their personality on their recordings, it was a little bit jarring live. Once the two songs were done, they went back to their quiet stuff and never returned to the electric instruments.
So that's my concert overview. Now the thoughts that floated through my mind during and after the show: First, many of the songs, excluding the electric ones, not only have the same tempo, but a similar sound. Now they play a ton of different instruments, I count 14 listed on their MySpace page. So I was surprised that the songs sounded so similar. It's not they all sounded exactly the same, but some varying tempos could have aided the show. Toward the end of the show, the crowd seemed a little restless, like they were waiting for something to happen. There were some really beautiful moments, where the group all stood around one microphone and sang together (see photo above). Also, it seemed that the sound could have been a little louder, given the quietude of the songs. Maybe it was tough to balance the really loud rock with the quiet stuff in the overall mix of the show.
And finally, and I know I've been rambling here, but I thought the crowd was pretty small for a band that seems to have pretty good buzz. Maybe the Low Anthem is really more of a critics' band than a rabid following-type. It really thinned out at the end and there was a lot of loud talking in the back by the bar, which was very disappointing.
To view more pics from the show, click HERE

Anais Mitchell's Hadestown live at Passim

2010-04-16T11:36:00.005-04:00

Just waking up after a great night of music at Club Passim in Cambridge. Anais Mitchell recently released the concept album "Hadestown," a modern, folk opera take on the Greek myth Orpheus. Last night she brought it to life on the small and very crowded stage at Passim. To try to describe the full background of her folk opera Hadestown would take way too long here, and it has already been told in great detail in Joan Anderman's recent Globe feature, which you can read HERE. On the album, the various characters of the story are performed by the likes of Greg Brown and Ani DiFranco, among others, which is wonderful. But for the live show at Passim, Anais brought together some of the finest Boston-area musicians, and as usual these guys not only performed beautifully, they obviously enjoyed the challenge and reveled in each other's voices. When they weren't singing, they were swaying, eyes closed and applauding each other. The roster included (and I'm praying I don't leave anyone out) Tim Gearan, Peter Mulvey, Kris Delmhorst, Dinty Child, Rose Polenzani, Anne Heaton and Melissa Myers. Five of them sat around a table in front of the stage, each taking on a character, while Anais led the group through the album, start to finish. The group was backed by the Michael Chorney sextet, a jazzy group that supplied both beautiful soundscapes and kickin' tempos when needed.
I'm hoping someone will post a video soon because words just don't do justice to the amazing community feel and soaring harmonies coming from the stage.
Because of the configuration of extended stage, I ended up first row, front and center. While this was a great spot to see the performers' expressions, it made it impossible to break out my camera. So I have attached a photo that Passim sound guy Matt Smith took. Hopefully, someone else will post more pics soon.

All a'Twitter

2010-04-03T09:06:00.004-04:00

I recently joined twitter HERE. I waffled a long time about joining... do I really need more "things to update" in my life? No, not really. But I decided to join because I realized there are things posted by bands -- news tidbits, video -- that I was missing.
So in lieu of original content at the moment, here are four videos I found through Twitter. All are really cool to watch. Enjoy.

The Submarines doing the Beatles "For No One"

The Submarines » The Beatles from The Voice Project on Vimeo.

Peter Wolf and Shelby Lynne

Josh Ritter doing "Rattling Locks" in rehearsal

Grace Potter playing live in a rolling studio at SXSW

6 Artists to Watch: Lissie, Smoke Fairies, Dawes, Dawn Landes, Anais Mitchell, Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons

2010-03-22T09:51:00.009-04:00

Reprinted from Modern Acoustic, Issue 28. Click HERE to read the issue.

LISSIE

Latest album: “Why You Runnin’ ” (EP)

Where we first heard of her: A friend at work/ “World Cafe” radio show

What we like: On first glance you may wonder how old this hippie chick-looking singer-songwriter is. But the 27-year-old Lissie Maurus, who goes just by her first name, has a seasoned voice that falls somewhere between Neko Case and Sheryl Crow and sounds like she’s been around for years.
Her five songs on “Why You Runnin’,’’ speak mostly of heartbreak and resolve and are backed by guitars, drums, and keys. The opener, “Little Lovin’, simmers along before opening into a romp. A cover of Hank Williams’ “Wedding Bells” fits in seamlessly.
A full album is apparently in the works and if it is similar to “Runnin’,” we will be thrilled.

Song stuck in our heads: “Little Lovin”

Hear her music HERE

SMOKE FAIRIES

Latest album: “Ghosts” EP

Where we first heard of them: Saw a story about them in Teen Vogue (seriously, don’t ask!)

What we like: The British duo of Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire are unusual in that these young women would find their musical spirit buried in the folk blues of the Deep South of the United States. After spending some time in New Orleans, the pair found their calling.
This is not happy music. Most of it is dark and entrancing with layered harmonies backed by acoustic guitars and some sparse bass and drums.
The Fairies recently hooked up with the White Stripes’ Jack White, who was intrigued by their style and helped them release the single “Gastown.”
Hopefully, the duo will record a full album soon. Right now “Gastown” is the only song downloadable from the American version of iTunes.

Song stuck in our heads:“Gastown”

Hear their music HERE

DAWES

Latest album: “North Hills”

Where we first heard of them: CD was playing at Newbury Comics

What we like:When we first heard Dawes our impression was that they sounded like a California version of the Avett Brothers.
Upon further review, we will stick with that even though others compare the band to everyone from Crosby, Stills & Nash to Fleet Foxes.
But you get the picture: dreamy harmonies, lush acoustic-leaning instrumentation and lyrics of love lost and found.
The quartet’s songs are a nice mix of soul and pop that could probably do with a little of that punkish edge the Avetts have. This is not to say Dawes can’t rock out – they do on a couple numbers. The next album should really let us know where this band is headed.

Song stuck in our heads:“When My Time Comes”

Hear their music HERE

DAWN LANDES

Latest album: “Sweetheart Rodeo”

Where we first heard of her: Heard her CD “Fireproof” years ago

What we like: Potential. That’s what we hear in Dawn’s music and voice. In fact, when we first cracked open “Sweetheart Rodeo” and heard the opening tune, “Young Girl,” we shouted “Yeah! That’s what Dawn can be!” Sassy. Tough. Rocking. Well, the whole album doesn’t quite fulfill that. But there are moments that really get us excited. The song “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” has a great groove.
At times it feels like Dawn’s not quite comfortable pushing those limits. Her quirky folk-pop tunes have plenty of style but sometimes quirky just seems quaint. In our opinion, she needs to push those boundaries and let loose. We saw her live and she has the ability to rock, it’s just whether she’s comfortable enough to do it.

Song stuck in our heads:“Young Girl”

Hear her music HERE

ANAIS MITCHELL

Latest album:“Hadestown”

Where we first heard of her: Saw her open Kris Delmhorst a couple years ago

What we like:It’s hard enough for a young songwriter to put out a full album of tunes. It is another thing altogether to create a concept album, and another thing still to base that album on the Greek myth Orpheus, and give it a modern feel.
But that is what the Vermont-bred Mitchell does brilliantly on the 20-track “Hadestown.”
Initially, a “folk opera” she brought to stages around New England, “Hadestown” is now an album featuring her musical friends playing the different roles: Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) sings Orpheus, Greg Brown as Hades and Ani DiFranco as Persephone,” to name a few.
While best heard as a full album, the songs individually do stand on their own.

Song stuck in our heads:“Way Down Hadestown”

Hear her music HERE

CORY CHISEL AND THE WANDERING SONS

Latest album:“Death Won’t Send a Letter”

Where we first heard of them: On radio show “World Cafe”

What we like: Corey Chisel. Now that’s a name. His sound backs that up with some gruff and rough-life tunes. Chisel’s voice rises above a dirge of guitars, bass, and drums provided by members of Jack White’s Raconteurs.
Chisel’s father was a Baptist minister so that first song “Born Again” is a direct comment on his upbringing, saying “I been feelin’ like my old self again/because momma didn’t raise me to be no Christian/and I been drinkin’ to my own health again/well raise another glass for the unforgiven.”
Other tunes that stand out are “So Wrong for Me,’’ one of the quieter numbers, backed by female harmonies and the haunting “Mocking-bird.”

Song stuck in our heads:“Born Again”

Hear their music HERE