Issue 25, June 2009

That Magic Moment - Our favorite musicians tell us why they do what they do
What would it be like to be standing on stage bathed in the warm glow of blue and green spotlights, looking out on a crowd of people waiting eagerly to hear your songs? You start playing, picking out chords to your most personal of tunes, the one you wrote when you were in that private place and time where the words and music came together. And then the band kicks in behind you – the drums tap out the beat, the bass follows, and then guitar, keyboards, and other instruments. There is a swelling of sound, a surge of energy and then…
What comes next? What does it feel like? We haven’t had the opportunity (or the skill!) to know the pleasure or the terror of what comes next. But it is something that has always intrigued us: Can you feel it when everything is going right? You surely know when things are going wrong, but can you hear it when you are in that Magic Moment when it is all perfect?
Modern Acoustic asked some of our favorite musicians to describe that Magic Moment to us – when they really knew why they do what they do: why they spend hours on end putting their most personal of feelings to music; why they are willing to travel great distances for potentially little pay and small crowds; how they are able to get up in front of those people and perform as if the whole world was listening.
It is a feeling that those of us who have never done it may have a hard time understanding, but we believe, with a little help from our friends, we’ve captured some of that Magic in our four-page feature.
Someone we didn’t hear from (but sure would have loved to!) was Neil Young. What makes Neil tick? We’re not quite sure, but we do know that he loves what he does – and that it should be celebrated. His long-awaited retrospective box set is finally out and that gives us reason to rejoice in his four-decade-long career and see him for what he is: one of the best songwriters in pop music history. Where would you place him in the pantheon of rock, folk and pop music? Can you think of anyone else who has covered so much ground for so long? Also, we offer up our favorite Neil tunes, and a list (one we don’t completely agree with) of the best living songwriters.
To read the Magic Moments, click HERE.

MA5- Songs
Songs that helped us survive this issue.
1. “Knuckleball Catcher,’’ not available yet, Gillian Welch. YouTube is the only place you’ll find this, but it’s worth the search.
2. “From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea),” “Picaresque,” The Decemberists. Their story songs just hit a nerve.
3. “Ain’t No Grave,” “Shaken by a Low Sound,’’ Crooked Still. We keep coming back to this album. Fantastic.
4. “James!,” “Grand,” Erin McKeown. Waiting (im)patiently for the new album.
5. “Loretta,” “Rear View Mirror,” Townes Van Zandt. After seeing Steve Earle, we had to go back and listen again.

Erin McKeown's house parties

In the past couple of years musicians who have decided to free themselves from the corporate structure of the music industry have come up with creative ways to finance their albums. One way they've done this is by offering their fans special deals in exchange for some help with funding. This has included exclusive meet-and-greets, autographed items, special concert seating, and even personalized house or backyard concerts for top donors.
Well, Erin McKeown has taken her house concert idea to someplace totally new: her house. Erin is offering up a series of concerts at her own house in Western Mass., and is inviting fans to join her over the Internet. In what she is calling Cabin Fever, Erin will play four shows from various places in her yard, all with different themes, and is asking people to pay $10 per show to stream it live on her site. A cost of $30 will get you all four shows. This is all to benefit the recording and release of her new album "Hundreds of Lions."
She writes: "In the grand tradition of barn-raisings and house-rent parties, Erin McKeown is inviting you into her living room, onto her porch, into her river, into her yard and asking you to lend a hand... just as farmers needed their neighbors to help raise the roof and musicians have sung for their supper."
Here's how it works. You sign up with a credit card on her site and then the day of the show, you log in with a password and watch the show live. If you aren't available that day, you can still view it at your leisure afterward.

Here is the info and schedule for the four shows:
Tuesday, July 7 - 7 p.m.: An intimate, acoustic candlit evening in Erin's living room, plus a tour of her house
Thursday, July 16 - noon: An interactive, all-request electric set from Erin's riverside porch
Wednesday, July 22 - 5 p.m.: Erin performs classic cover songs about water of all sorts from a rock in the middle of her river.
Sunday, July 26 - 3 p.m.: The new album performed in sequence by Erin and band, from her front yard
Rain Location: They'll broadcast from the inside of Erin's Sprinter Touring Van.

I love the idea that musicians are coming up with unique ways to share their music and give fans a chance to feel closer to the artist and to being a part of the creative process.
When I first got the email, I thought I was being invited over to Erin's house to hear her play live. That was exciting. But this makes more sense as a funding idea since fans can still feel some of that intimacy, but the reach for the artist is far wider than having fans who live in geographical proximity stop by... and it saves on cleanup!
Seriously, if this is the future of the music industry, it is so much better for consumers than going to some big box store and plunking down $18 for a CD, with most of the cost going to some fat cat label executive. At least you know you know where your money is.

I don't know what the quality of the broadcast will be. The technological aspect of this may be the tough part, though streaming video is getting better and better very quickly.
My guess if Erin's idea goes off without a hitch, there will be a lot of artist's following suit. And if so, I will be a happy music fan.

Check out the video preview:

Steve Earle and Joe Pug at Berklee

Friday night I had the chance to experience a performance that symbolizes all that is right about music and the music business. Steve Earle is one of those performers who is the reason folk music exists and thrives. Earle said he learned his musical outlook from the great Townes Van Zandt, Earle's idol and mentor and whose songs he covered on his latest album: Be true to yourself and sing what is true to you. And Earle has followed that.
Before we get to the Earle specifics, let me say a few words about Joe Pug, since I was invited to this show to see the young folksinger from Chicago. Pug, a lanky dude, got up on stage with a guitar and a harmonica and no backup. He has been compared to John Prine, Josh Ritter and M. Ward, though I would say he's not quite there yet. He seems to have a good sense of humor -- a reference to how he travels to gigs was humorous -- but he could more stage presence. To say his influences included Bob Dylan would be an understatement. In fact, one of his numbers could have been called "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall Jr." But Pug is his own self too. "I Do My Father's Drugs" speaks to a generation that will be left to pay the bills of their parents. And his CD title song "Nation of Heat" is catchy. A little more seasoning could make Pug a name to listen for in the future.
As for Earle, well, I went to the show with the following knowledge. He is a straight shooter, not afraid to speak his mind. He spent much of the Bush years railing against the government (for good reason!) and he is married to country hottie Allison Moorer.
What I didn't know was about his love and dedication to the spirit of folk music, of following your heart on a musical journey, no matter where it leads. His set was littered with songs of his hero, Townes, but also with his own tunes, both political and satirical. At one point he stated that he though the country felt different now that Barack Obama is president. He said he voted for Obama and he was happy with what Obama was doing... right now, but he reserves the right to change his mind. He mentioned clean coal, and how he disagreed with Obama on it's potential use. He was funny, engaging and told some great stories about his relationship with Townes Van Zandt, especially about the first time Earle played in front of Townes in a down-and-out Texas bar. Townes kept shouting at him to play the "Wabash Cannonball."
As far as songs he played, well, I'll defer to Mark at whatilikeissounds.blogspot.com, who provides an almost-complete setlist:

Where I Lead Me (TVZ)
Colorado Girl (TVZ)
?? Unknown
Fort Worth Blues
Pancho & Lefty (TVZ)
Brand New Companion (TVZ)
Tom Ames' Prayer
More Than I Can Do
Valentines' Day
Hometown Blues
My Old Friend the Blues
Someday
Mr Mudd and Mr Gold (TVZ)
City of Immigrants
Soldiers' Joy (instrumental)
Dixieland
The Mountain
Lungs (TVZ)
To Live is to Fly (TVZ)

Encore:
Marie (TVZ)
Sparkle & Shine
Copperhead Road

(TVZ = Townes Van Zant cover)

For more pics, click HERE
Below is a video I shot during the show. It's a long, rambling explanation of his love for Townes. Awesome. If you know the name of the tune, let me know.

The community of No Depression

It's been a while since I posted, what with major job issues, etc. But I just have to spend a few minutes talking about the new No Depression website. First let me say that I really miss the magazine version. It was one of the few publications that went for substance over style (take that, Rolling Stone and Paste). The interviews were always interesting and the album reviews weren't always trying to please the artists. But being in the print business (newspaper), I understand how hard it is to keep a publication afloat, and where this is all heading no one really knows. I want to say damn the Internet, but of course I use it as much as anyone -- even for reading my own newspaper!
But to the ND website. At first I thought I would have very little interest in the "community" idea. Yeah, we could post our favorite shows and listen to others rattle on about this and that, but I just didn't think I'd find it that interesting. But I was wrong.
The ideas, the ruminations and the information about "alt-country" music (whatever that is!) has become a great jumping-off point for many interesting and relevant conversations. My favorite spot is the forum where such topics include "Funniest Live Moments," talk about the new Dylan album (see, not just alt-country), and a question about whether house concerts are the savior for acoustic music.
I've even used the space to post my own question for musicians to answer for my next issue of Modern Acoustic.
If you haven't checked out the site lately or at all, you should. It may not offer the same experience as sitting down with the latest copy of No Depression the magazine, but it still has the same alt-country (whatever that is!) feel.

In a conversation of Neil Young's best songs was this great video... Enjoy!

Derek Trucks at the House of Blues

I have been waiting patiently for other bloggers to chime in, to deliver a setlist, pictures from the Derek Trucks show last Thursday at the House of Blues in Boston. I was there, and Derek put on a great show. The problem is, I'm not a huge fan so I don't know the song titles, players etc. So I was looking for some help.
Here's some things I do know: Derek Trucks may be the last of a dying breed of guitar gods -- guys who just stand up there and play without the bullshit theatrics or corny pop songs -- he isn't even his own band's singer.
The band was superior: The singer Mike Mattison has a soulful, gravelly voice who must have the patience of a saint, for standing there during all the lengthy solos. Kofi Burbridge on keyboards and flute is a dynamo. Bassist Todd Smallie, Yonrico Scott on drums and Count M'Butu on percussion are solid. For this show, Susan Tedeschi, his wife and who is also from Norwell, joined the band on a number of songs on backup vocals and Jaimoe, the Allman Bros. drummer, played on a few tunes. His Jassz Band was the opener, a funky mix of soul and jazz.
The new House of Blues is a nice place to see a show IF you are able find a good spot for viewing. It has an expansive floor space and a balcony above that, which is a great place to watch from IF you can get along the rail. If you don't get the rail, you will not see. The acoustics in the place are dynamite so if you don't care about "seeing" the show, you can still enjoy the sound. There is an awesome VIP area (which I did not get into), which starts on the same level as the balcony and slopes upward and is straight-on to the stage.
So the songs... He did a totally out there, great version of "My Favorite Things" and a blow away version of "Anyday," the Derek & the Dominoes tune.
I finally found the setlist and luckily for me, it was attached to the actual whole show available for download. Click HERE to go there.

Here it the setlist:
Get What You Deserve
I'll Find My Way
These Days Is Almost gone
So Close, So Far Away
Don't Miss Me When I'm Gone
I Know
Down in the Flood
Already Free
Done Got Over
My Favorite Things
Anyday

Encore:
We're A Winner
Sweet Inspiration

PS Sorry for the rushed post... my life is kind of in upheaval at this time. Will try to be more attentive to this blog in the future, but it may be a while before I get my act together.

Bill Fagley at Toad

Bill Fagley's CD Release Party at Toad on Sunday night was a blast -- lots of friends and family on hand to hear the tunes from his debut CD, "You Don't Care," played live. Billy appeared to be having the time of his life up on stage in front of many of the folks who backed him in his musical endeavors, including his parents, co-workers, and various hangers-on. His emotion-filled songs were flushed out by the able members of Josh Ritter's band -- Zack Hickman on bass, Austin Nevins on guitar, Sam Kassirer on keys and Liam Hurley on drums.
Check out the video below:

Issue 24, March 2009

WINTER THAW - Our CD review special Skating, skiing, sledding, snowflakes quietly descending on fields and trees, icicles sparkling in the sun ... shoveling, falling on black ice, heavy boots, gloves, hats, below freezing temperatures for a dozen days straight...
OK, you get my (snow) drift: Winter, as beautiful as it can be, is a long drag of a season. What is fun and even inspiring in November and December basically sucks by February and March – and don’t get us started about this past January.
But we New Englanders are a hearty sort (so they say) and we know how to make the best of the coldest, most miserable months of the year.
Yeah, for us it’s finding ourselves a warm club, a Guinness, and a killer band. Give us Johnny D’s on a Saturday night with Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles ripping it up on stage. Throw in some sweet potato fries and don’t bother sending out a search party.
We actually did that recently and we’re much better for it. The next day it was nearly 50 degrees and our whole attitude changed.
Hearing music thaws the brain. So this issue we set out to melt our winter blues with a slew of new tunes.
There are lots of new albums coming out, and some that have been out for a bit that we hadn’t caught up to yet.
Tops on our list is Eilen Jewell’s “Sea of Tears,” due in April. And Sarah’s new album, “The Stars Are Out,” is out this month.
Another group, who we have not seen live yet, is Sometymes Why, a trio of women who play in other bands we like. Their new album, “Your Heart Is a Glorious Machine,” is a treat. We also love to “find” albums by musicians who many have not heard of yet. So we are offering some info on the music of Seattle songwriter Ali Marcus; singer Marybeth D’Amico, who lives in Germany; and a Nashville group called the Bittersweets.
Take a listen, and come and find us when the snow melts.
To read the full issue, click HERE.
To read the reviews online, click HERE.

MA 5 - Songs
Songs that helped us survive this issue.
1. “Drunken Angel,’’ “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” Lucinda Williams. We don’t know why, it just always pops into our heads.
2. “Rain Roll In,” “Sea of Tears,” Eilen Jewell. Bringing back that great 12-string Byrds sound.
3. “Melt Your Heart,” “Rabbit Fur Coat. Jenny Lewis. Just a sweet tune.
4. “Mission in the Rain,” “Reflections,” Jerry Garcia. Makes us want to see California through his eyes.
5. “Goodbye, San Francisco,” “Goodnight, San Francisco,” The Bittersweets. Continuing our Bay Area jag.