If you are interested, click on the title of this post and it'll lead you to NPR's list of the 50 most important recordings of the '00s or noughties or whatever we're supposed to call this decade that's wrapping up. A strange, fascinating decade it was, from which ever lens you choose to view it through: politics, technology, culture, sports, and of course music.
The decade has seen the decline of what was supposed to be the be-all-end-all format for music: the CD. I remember when CD's first came out. They were supposed to be indestructable--if you took care of them of course. The sound was supposed to be crystal clear--but then people started to realize that when things become crystal clear, a certain richness is lost. Oh yes, they were expensive. How I remember going into Musicland in the Carl Sandburg Mall in Galesburg, IL and having to lay down $20 for a CD. I think I payed around $24 for the White Album, back in the days when buying a CD meant getting a whole lot of extra cardboard packaging. I ended up having to return it because the package contained two Disc Ones and no Disc Two. Oddly enough, I have since lost one of the discs of the White Album. I wonder if it was Disc One, because I sure could use one of those two copies I once had!
But thing changed, as things have a tendency of doing. There is no Musicland anymore, to my knowledge. Not many record stores, period. Fewer and fewer people buy CD's and the industry is struggling for it. Digital sales aren't yet making up for the difference and piracy continues to be an issue. What will the '10s (what are we supposed to call this decade!) look like for the music industry? Streaming seems to be the future, but who the hell knows? Nobody really saw the total collapse of the CD. I'm still convinced the industry will be okay and maybe even better in the long run for indie artists.
It seems like more music than ever came out during this past decade. Bands are everywhere! The rise of Pro Tools has made it easier for bands to take the crappy music they previously played exclusively in their garages and put it down in recorded form, whether anyone asked them or not! So there's plenty to choose from, some good within the loads and loads of crap. Most of it now comes to us via word of mouth rather than traditional ways, who are some of the other victims of the first decade of the 2000s: major record labels, music mags, mainstream radio (RIP, oh you relics of the 20th Century!!!).
And it just seems like there's more variety than ever before. I haven't done this, but I'd venture a guess that if you put up the most important music of the '90s up next to the most important music of the '00s, you'd see a stark contrast. I read somewhere that as time goes on, music just keeps splintering further and further. Is it the result of the decline of the industry? Is it because people are looking for niche music rather than mainstream fluff? Not that mainstream fluff has gone, nor should necessarily, go away--even it has its purpose. Has hipster culture grown so much that there has to be a constant supply of music that so-and-so only knows about, but is sooo much better than what we, the normals, listen to? My answer to every single one of these questions is: I don't know!
But nonetheless, there was a whole lot of great music released this past decade. I've heard and own many of the albums on the various lists, and some are just so ingrained in us that we may not realize that we know these albums, but we actually can't help but know them! I'm not going to make a list of the decade. I'm having a hard enough time with my best of '09 list. Take on the decade? Nope. But I will give you a few of the albums that were with me quite a lot and/or impacted me greatly during this opening decade of the 21st Century. In no particular order:
Radiohead, Kid A
Wasn't this actually released in '99? I feel like I was still in college when it came out, but I could be wrong. And maybe it's counted as being a part of the '00s because of carry over from '99 to '00? Regardless, it was and remains a classic. It's the album that got me into Radiohead. I had been a fan of The Bends, and of course OK Computer, but something with Kid A just clicked. It was the perfect mixing of electronic and rock music. Thom Yorke in ethereal, emotional top form--backed by sonic richness and just amazing SOUND! I can't tell you how many times I played this one when it first came out.
Bob Dylan, Love and Theft
It's weird how your view of an artist changes as you yourself age and/or the artist him/herself ages. Dylan's music had been all around ever since I remember being aware of music, but it was almost a cliche. Nasally Bob could write a great song, but man he was one awful singer! I couldn't get into it. I loved '60s rock, from a very young age, but I would have gladly taken the versions of Dylan's songs by The Byrds, Hendrix, and the many others, over Bob's. As I got a little older though, I began to appreciate it. I bought all three Greatest Hits records and then '01 rolls around and croaking ol' Bob releases Love and Theft--and I really get it. The songs are somehow just right for his worn out voice. They are songs of an aging troubadour. They are songs of a traveller who's got more travelling to do before his day is done. If Woody Guthrie would have made it to old age, I have a feeling his music would have sounded something like this. The songwriting is still amazing, the band is incredible, and I actually enjoy Bob's voice. Personally I think it's purposeful and just right for the songs.
Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
This is the album that got me into Wilco and I haven't looked back since. This is an album of texture, experimentation, brilliant songwriting. The album is one their record company, Reprise, famously saw as a failure and thus refused to release, but now is near universally lauded as a must-have of the decade (It was released by Nonesuch Records after Wilco left Reprise). The four song sequence of "Jesus Etc", "Ashes of American Flags", "Heavy Metal Drummer", and "I'm the Man Who Loves You", may very well be among the top few best sequences of songs of any album I've heard. The album was the last with master experimenter, the late Jay Bennett (who died this past year), who was quite often at odds with front man, Jeff Tweedy. Great album cover as well: Chicago's Marina City towers, the corn cob-esque structures that sit on the Chicago River. I know I'm not the only one that refers to them now as: The Wilco Buildings.
Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator)
This is one of the few albums that I've bought twice. I had it downloaded on a different computer, but that computer crashed, taking with it, most of my downloaded music, including Time (The Revelator). I guess you'd qualify this as country music, but it doesn't fit into the Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts vision of country that is predominant today. It's more in the vein of classic country: Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, etc. But then again, it's not a relic at all. And it doesn't quite fit into any of the sub-genres of country music. Folk? Maybe. Whatever it is, Welch's voice is captivating with every brilliant note and lyric. Her voice is at once heartbreaking, rich with life, other-worldly, part of the past, fore-runner of the future, and the thing of pleasant dreams. It's one of those albums I'd probably buy again if I had to!
Those are probably my main favorites of the past decade--at least the one's that had the greatest impact on my CD player/computer--however the songs may have reached my ears. Here's a few more that were in heavy rotation for me in the noughties. Don't consider this a comprehensive list by any means. Just a few of my personal favorites:
Arcade Fire, Funeral
MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
Spoon, Kill the Moonlight/Ga, Ga, Ga, Ga, Ga
O Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack
OutKast, Stankonia
Sufjan Stevens, Come on Feel the Illinoise!
White Stripes--any and all!
Bright Eyes--also pretty much any and all!
Flaming Lips--Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Fleet Foxes--Ragged Wood
Like I said, not even close to being a comprehensive list. I'll probably remember quite a few more that I forgot to put on the list. What did you have blaring out of your headphones, car radio, stereo/computer speakers during the past decade?
Next up for The Hidden Chord--a look back at the best albums and songs of 2009. Also I'll mention a couple movies and top music news stories of the year. Sigh! It's a project, let me tell you!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Love's Fall-Out: Mornin' Old Sport--Mourning Sickness
I really don't know a whole lot about the band Mornin' Old Sport. I know the following for sure: they are from Boston, they built a high quality recording studio in a basement, and apparently they sometimes communicate with some sort of sound that is similar to a mating call. To each their own, I guess. The following, I don't know for sure, but can fairly confidently assume, that whoever wrote these songs went through an awfully rough bout with love. Break-ups and break-up songs are just one of those things that are timeless, whether we like it or not.
Before I get into the meat of this review, I'll need to let you know the following: I get a little nervous when someone I know says, "Take a listen to these guys and tell me what you think". As I've said before, there are SO many bands out there. And everyone knows someone whose band is "The next big thing", or "underappreciated geniuses", or blah, blah, blah. But sometimes, there are diamonds in the rough, and I love music enough to really hope the next recommendation I get is one of those.
I won't say that this is one of those diamonds, but there is definitely plenty of shimmering going on within Mornin' Old Sport's seven song EP, "Mourning Sickness".
Now as I said, I can't be 100% sure that this is a "break-up album" a la Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks", but if it's not, there's still plenty here about the mystery that is the "relationship". And let's just say for a moment it is a break-up album and all of these songs refer to one woman, well...let's just say the songs wouldn't paint the prettiest of pictures of this person. From everything I've gathered, she'd basically be a cold, ill-communicative, materialistic, manipulator who always needs to be right. Doesn't exactly make you want to track this girl down on Facebook. But then again, this is all conjecture. It would make for an interesting story, though.
To the music...The EP starts out with the song "You're Right", which opens with a bouncy jazz-like piano intro. If you had to look for a "single" on this EP, this would be one of my choices. It's catchy, up tempo and lyrically clever. The singer is trying to explain himself to, apparently, his ex, yet realizes that whatever he says is going to fall on deaf ears. And it doesn't help that, said ex, has plenty of overly agreeable friends who are willing to tell her that she's in the right, no matter if she was or wasn't. There's some barb throwing going on here, and it certainly won't be the last time in the EP.
The second song is my favorite of "Mourning Sickness". "Sucker" sounds like something straight out of ELO's catalog. It's a spirited bit of pop rock, complete with strings and an infectious tempo. I love it when bands can create a contrast of what the music says, versus what the lyrics say. For example, The Beatles created the peppiest song about a seriel killer that one could ever imagine, with "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". "Sucker" is not really a happy song despite the cheery tempo. It's song about being discarded by someone, but still wanting to come back for more because there are certain things that drive us all wild. It may be against our better judgment, but sometimes we can't help ourselves. It's all too confusing sometimes and I think that's summed up with this line from the song:
"I'm no better 'cause I can't explain the hurt and anger of being tossed away"
So far, so good with "Mourning Sickness". Quite an impressive one-two punch to start the album.
The next song slows things down a bit and introduces song 1 of 3 that predominantly feature the banjo. There are a lot of instruments featured on this EP. In fact, before I go any futher, I will say that these are well-orchestrated pieces. Knowing very little about the band, as I said earlier, I can only guess this, but it seems like whoever put these songs, and the EP together, knows what they are doing musically speaking. Who knows? Maybe it's all of the band memebers as a whole. Yet, I digress...The name of the next song is "The Most Dramatic Queen in Town" and the banjo and tempo remind me of The Avett Brothers, which are currently up there as one of my favorite current bands. Lyrically, the song seems to be dealing with someone (an ex-girlfriend maybe? a random acquaintance? a fictional character?) who is so completely obsessed with materialism that she misses the big picture and only sees herself, despite the people in her life that have their own struggles right in front of her face. This fact only seems to be a downer to HER image and HER wants and needs, rather than a wake up call to how life really can be to adults. "You're 18 and still just a child," says the repeated lyric at the end, in an accusatory tone. In reality, though, 18 is still a child, even if the rest of the world tells you otherwise. Cool slide guitar at the end, as well.
I'm with what the band's doing up until this point. At first, I saw this next song, "Out Matched" as my least favorite of "Mourning Sickness". I find the vocalist to be a bit crooner-sounding, which distracts from the lyrics (more on that in a moment, though). I also feel like the song goes on for a bit too long. Once again, there are some surprises in the arrangement, but on first and second listen, I just didn't get it. My third time through, though, was primarily to check out the lyrics of the EP and I've got to say, I was pleasantly surprised that "Out Matched" is probably the strongest lyrically. The song seems to be about trying to figure out why a break-up happened. Who was to blame? Why did we have to play the games that we played? What should have been said but wasn't, but now comes out through second and third hand accounts? Does it matter? There are some really cool lines in here about night, including this one which might be my favorite line of the whole album:
"The night she's a passerby, a runaway"
I really did have some difficulty with the vocals, but this one definitely grew on me.
Next comes a short instrumental piece entitled, "Intermezzo", which basically contains some choral sounding voices, some strings, and the last of the banjo picking. Seemed like a nice way to wrap up that little section of music--almost a bookend, or at the very least, I feel like it was an interesting idea, and maybe even away to continue the musical continuity of the EP.
I said, at first "Out Matched" was my least favorite of "Mourning Sickness", but I actually think it's the next song, which is called, "Broken Lip Service". I guess I was kind of hoping for another bouncy little rocker after the previous three slower tempo songs. And once again, I guess I don't get the vocal style. The crooner style reminds me a little of Antony and the Johnsons, which maybe just means it takes a bit of time getting used to, because I tend to like some of their material. However, I feel like it takes a little something away from the song on the whole. I was a bit confused here with the lyrics as well. It would seem that the singer is having some sort of internal crisis concerning his ex. She speaks what seems like truth, then takes his hand, which feels right, but something about the kiss makes him wants to believe everything she says, but that in turn reminds him that he doesn't beilieve. And I think there might be some reference to fatherly physical abuse as well, but I guess I miss the connection. It is still well arranged, and structurally sound, but I have a hard time with this one.
The last song on "Mourning Sickness" is perfectly placed and redeems any criticism I might have with the prior two songs. "When the Bomb" is a straight to the point, almost Ben Folds sounding, account of what will happen to the singer when "the bomb" drops. "Im ready for the nuclear war," he sings. And I'm pretty sure it's the metaphorical nuclear war, but maybe it's the real deal. Maybe it's just the realization that all of our pain and suffering when it comes to sour relationships don't really mean a whole lot after all:
"But right before it hits, oh God
My heart will be unbroken
'Cause after the explosion
This will all be unimportant
And I won't give a damn
That you never loved me back"
Metaphorical bomb or not, that's another solid barb thrown in the name of love gone bad. The song ends with an epic sounding build and culminates with some nice fuzzy, nuclear fall out-esque distortion, and there you have it. After the bomb drops, all of this "Mourning Sickness" regarding lost or pained love, can be wiped away and forgotten. Time to start fresh, because there's little choice but to move on after everything's been obliterated.
On the whole, I really like this EP, despite the couple weak points. The music is solid and, as I said, the arrangements are engaging. There are a lot of interesting surprises throughout. I do wish there were more songs along the lines of the first two, though. But overall, it's good pop rock, with some sharp, biting lyrics, some brilliant in fact, concerning the crazy, fragile, unstable, yearning thing that is the human heart.
Grade: B
myspace.com/morninoldsport
Before I get into the meat of this review, I'll need to let you know the following: I get a little nervous when someone I know says, "Take a listen to these guys and tell me what you think". As I've said before, there are SO many bands out there. And everyone knows someone whose band is "The next big thing", or "underappreciated geniuses", or blah, blah, blah. But sometimes, there are diamonds in the rough, and I love music enough to really hope the next recommendation I get is one of those.
I won't say that this is one of those diamonds, but there is definitely plenty of shimmering going on within Mornin' Old Sport's seven song EP, "Mourning Sickness".
Now as I said, I can't be 100% sure that this is a "break-up album" a la Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks", but if it's not, there's still plenty here about the mystery that is the "relationship". And let's just say for a moment it is a break-up album and all of these songs refer to one woman, well...let's just say the songs wouldn't paint the prettiest of pictures of this person. From everything I've gathered, she'd basically be a cold, ill-communicative, materialistic, manipulator who always needs to be right. Doesn't exactly make you want to track this girl down on Facebook. But then again, this is all conjecture. It would make for an interesting story, though.
To the music...The EP starts out with the song "You're Right", which opens with a bouncy jazz-like piano intro. If you had to look for a "single" on this EP, this would be one of my choices. It's catchy, up tempo and lyrically clever. The singer is trying to explain himself to, apparently, his ex, yet realizes that whatever he says is going to fall on deaf ears. And it doesn't help that, said ex, has plenty of overly agreeable friends who are willing to tell her that she's in the right, no matter if she was or wasn't. There's some barb throwing going on here, and it certainly won't be the last time in the EP.
The second song is my favorite of "Mourning Sickness". "Sucker" sounds like something straight out of ELO's catalog. It's a spirited bit of pop rock, complete with strings and an infectious tempo. I love it when bands can create a contrast of what the music says, versus what the lyrics say. For example, The Beatles created the peppiest song about a seriel killer that one could ever imagine, with "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". "Sucker" is not really a happy song despite the cheery tempo. It's song about being discarded by someone, but still wanting to come back for more because there are certain things that drive us all wild. It may be against our better judgment, but sometimes we can't help ourselves. It's all too confusing sometimes and I think that's summed up with this line from the song:
"I'm no better 'cause I can't explain the hurt and anger of being tossed away"
So far, so good with "Mourning Sickness". Quite an impressive one-two punch to start the album.
The next song slows things down a bit and introduces song 1 of 3 that predominantly feature the banjo. There are a lot of instruments featured on this EP. In fact, before I go any futher, I will say that these are well-orchestrated pieces. Knowing very little about the band, as I said earlier, I can only guess this, but it seems like whoever put these songs, and the EP together, knows what they are doing musically speaking. Who knows? Maybe it's all of the band memebers as a whole. Yet, I digress...The name of the next song is "The Most Dramatic Queen in Town" and the banjo and tempo remind me of The Avett Brothers, which are currently up there as one of my favorite current bands. Lyrically, the song seems to be dealing with someone (an ex-girlfriend maybe? a random acquaintance? a fictional character?) who is so completely obsessed with materialism that she misses the big picture and only sees herself, despite the people in her life that have their own struggles right in front of her face. This fact only seems to be a downer to HER image and HER wants and needs, rather than a wake up call to how life really can be to adults. "You're 18 and still just a child," says the repeated lyric at the end, in an accusatory tone. In reality, though, 18 is still a child, even if the rest of the world tells you otherwise. Cool slide guitar at the end, as well.
I'm with what the band's doing up until this point. At first, I saw this next song, "Out Matched" as my least favorite of "Mourning Sickness". I find the vocalist to be a bit crooner-sounding, which distracts from the lyrics (more on that in a moment, though). I also feel like the song goes on for a bit too long. Once again, there are some surprises in the arrangement, but on first and second listen, I just didn't get it. My third time through, though, was primarily to check out the lyrics of the EP and I've got to say, I was pleasantly surprised that "Out Matched" is probably the strongest lyrically. The song seems to be about trying to figure out why a break-up happened. Who was to blame? Why did we have to play the games that we played? What should have been said but wasn't, but now comes out through second and third hand accounts? Does it matter? There are some really cool lines in here about night, including this one which might be my favorite line of the whole album:
"The night she's a passerby, a runaway"
I really did have some difficulty with the vocals, but this one definitely grew on me.
Next comes a short instrumental piece entitled, "Intermezzo", which basically contains some choral sounding voices, some strings, and the last of the banjo picking. Seemed like a nice way to wrap up that little section of music--almost a bookend, or at the very least, I feel like it was an interesting idea, and maybe even away to continue the musical continuity of the EP.
I said, at first "Out Matched" was my least favorite of "Mourning Sickness", but I actually think it's the next song, which is called, "Broken Lip Service". I guess I was kind of hoping for another bouncy little rocker after the previous three slower tempo songs. And once again, I guess I don't get the vocal style. The crooner style reminds me a little of Antony and the Johnsons, which maybe just means it takes a bit of time getting used to, because I tend to like some of their material. However, I feel like it takes a little something away from the song on the whole. I was a bit confused here with the lyrics as well. It would seem that the singer is having some sort of internal crisis concerning his ex. She speaks what seems like truth, then takes his hand, which feels right, but something about the kiss makes him wants to believe everything she says, but that in turn reminds him that he doesn't beilieve. And I think there might be some reference to fatherly physical abuse as well, but I guess I miss the connection. It is still well arranged, and structurally sound, but I have a hard time with this one.
The last song on "Mourning Sickness" is perfectly placed and redeems any criticism I might have with the prior two songs. "When the Bomb" is a straight to the point, almost Ben Folds sounding, account of what will happen to the singer when "the bomb" drops. "Im ready for the nuclear war," he sings. And I'm pretty sure it's the metaphorical nuclear war, but maybe it's the real deal. Maybe it's just the realization that all of our pain and suffering when it comes to sour relationships don't really mean a whole lot after all:
"But right before it hits, oh God
My heart will be unbroken
'Cause after the explosion
This will all be unimportant
And I won't give a damn
That you never loved me back"
Metaphorical bomb or not, that's another solid barb thrown in the name of love gone bad. The song ends with an epic sounding build and culminates with some nice fuzzy, nuclear fall out-esque distortion, and there you have it. After the bomb drops, all of this "Mourning Sickness" regarding lost or pained love, can be wiped away and forgotten. Time to start fresh, because there's little choice but to move on after everything's been obliterated.
On the whole, I really like this EP, despite the couple weak points. The music is solid and, as I said, the arrangements are engaging. There are a lot of interesting surprises throughout. I do wish there were more songs along the lines of the first two, though. But overall, it's good pop rock, with some sharp, biting lyrics, some brilliant in fact, concerning the crazy, fragile, unstable, yearning thing that is the human heart.
Grade: B
myspace.com/morninoldsport
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thoughts on Live Performances
Those who know me or have ever read anything I've written, probably know about my Steve Goodman obsession. For those who don't know, Steve Goodman was a Chicago-born singer-songwriter, best known today for penning the tune played after every Chicago Cubs home victory, "Go, Cubs, Go". He also wrote classic songs such as "City of New Orleans", "Banana Republics", and "You Never Even Call Me By My Name". He died of leukemia in 1984.
Why am I bringing up Steve Goodman in my blog today (considering that I have spoke of him so much...yeah you probably get it, I love the guy's music)? Because I happened over this:
http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/steve-goodman/concerts/bottom-line-march-30-1977-early-show.html
First off, Wolfgang's Vault is an incredible website that allows you to stream, free I might add, many a classic concert, by many a classic artist. It's a pretty incredible site (giving away free stuff is the way to go these days, I've said it once, I'll say it again). Two Steve Goodman concerts, recorded on the same day in New York in March of 1977, when I was just 2 months old, are featured here. Being a Goodman fan, I lept at the opportunity to hear one of his live performances.
The thing about Steve Goodman, is he was for all intents and purposes, a commercial failure. He was INCREDIBLY talented, but poorly marketed and really his albums were way over-produced. But live...wow! I'd heard a couple of live performances and own the one live concert dvd that is available for purchase, which is really what hooked me on his music. The man was a true performer in every sense of the word. His voice had such amazing range, being able to handle gentle ballads, the soulful and bluesy, folk sing-a-long tunes, and just about anything else. His guitar playing was astounding. I've really never, ever heard a style like his--one which covers the rhtythm and lead parts all in one, while also providing at times, a distinctly percussive element. And his stage presence was electric. He was a master storyteller with a quick wit. Listen to the concert and you'll hear it all.
There are a couple of things that you hear in Goodman's performance that you just don't hear with anyone around these days. First of all, incredible phrasing. Phrasing isn't really something you hear a lot of people talk about, and really when it comes to most pop and rock, it's not an issue. The lyrics of most popular songs tend to be fairly basic and are thus set to the, usually pretty standard 4/4 time signature, in a fairly comfortable, easily digestable way. But to me, a master at phrasing can make an enormous difference. Phrasing is often times a term reserved for jazz, which makes sense, I suppose, because generally speaking the rhtyhms are more varied and arrangements are more complex, so naturally this lends better for either interesting vocal or instrumental phrasing. People like Ella Fitzgerald were masters at taking lyrics and making them float and dance in ways you never thought possible. For pop/rock purposes, Bob Dylan is quite adept at phrasing. You sort of have to know what you're doing phrasing-wise when you have lyrics like this:
"While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the president of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked. "--from It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
Alright, so I'm a Dylan fan, too and don't mind extolling my love for his music every chance I get either. But lyrics like that don't necessary flow easily into a pop song structure. A little creative phrasing is needed and Dylan, along with Steve Goodman if you take a listen, are masters of this.
Another quality of Steve Goodman, which once again fits with Dylan (surprise, surprise), is his ability to take a song and make it into something completely different from the version you hear on the record. I know some people are more than content to hear a band play a song exactly like they're used to, but what's the point? Artists who have the ability to make a live performance into a true unique experience, are few and far between. We live in times where so many artists lip synch to an auto tune version of themselves to make them sound perfect at every performance. But why, I ask? Why am I going to pay ridiculously high prices to see you live, when I could hear the same thing sitting at home away from sweaty drunk dudes who are constantly bumping into me who are shouting along to every lyric, making it difficult to even hear your oh-so-perfect performance? To be in your presence? That's cool for a minute or two, but gets old real fast when I know how this whole show is going to go down by the time you lauch into your third song.
I think the beauty of live music is its unpredictability, its "in-the-moment" quality, it's potential to both fall apart and to transcend at the same time. I saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers around '94 or '95, and Petty, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer that he is, accidentally repeated a verse in the song "Into the Great Wide Open", which wasn't supposed to be repeated. Oh well. It happens. It didn't take anything away from the show, which stands as one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It almost enhanced it in a strange way. Now to know this about the Goodman concert, you'd have to be familiar with his albums, but trust me, he takes what's on there and makes it into something right for the moment in time. And Goodman has a cold during this performance, but he keeps right with it and makes it into a one-of-a-kind experience that was most certainly different from his previous show and the one he would do after this one. That's what artists and performers do (right?).
And okay, maybe some of Goodman's material sounds a little cheesy for our "oh-so-serious" sensibilities. He sung folk songs, yes, but he sung a lot more too. Can I ever see someone being taken seriously these days opening a show with "Red, Red Robin" or having a song called "Chicken Cordon Blues"? Maybe on the folk circuit, yes, but not on a mainstream level. You may now be shaking your head in embarrassment, but stay with me if you will. I don't care who you are or how deep and/or serious your music tastes are, listen to this concert and you will find something that you enjoy within it. Not only was Goodman one hell of a musician, he played with joy, to make people laugh, smile, have a good time. I like a ton of indie rock, but I sometimes feel like so much of it is stripped of pure joy. And yes, there's something maybe a little old-fashioned (the title of one of Goodman's songs, by the way) or corny about a lot of his music, but I don't see one thing wrong with that. Aren't we allowed to like the artsy along with the plain ol' fun?
Sure, music tastes are subjective, no doubt about it. Maybe you'll listen and just won't like it. And that's fine, even though you're obviously wrong. But at the same time, you have to respect what the man did within a live setting. He was a genuine, all-around showman. He could engage a live audience like none other. I can think of no one around these days who can lay such a claim. Not even the aforementioned Mr. Dylan. My advice to artists these days would be to consider what it means for someone to buy a ticket to see you live. Someone is taking their hard earned money, which is even harder to come by in times like these, and paying you for a memorable, enjoyable performance. Even with a local band, who you pay less for, you still are forking over some cash with hopes of an EXPERIENCE. I never got the chance to see Steve Goodman play live as he died when I was just seven years old, but from hearing from others who did see him, I've only heard rave things about being witness to one of his incredible shows. Imagine that for a minute. Twenty-five years after the man left this earth, people still talk about the greatness of his shows! Some of that was raw talent, of course, but some of that was learning the craft of not only being a musician, but an all around performer who takes risks night in and night out. Give me an imperfect, yet energized performance any day! Today's performers, take heed!
Why am I bringing up Steve Goodman in my blog today (considering that I have spoke of him so much...yeah you probably get it, I love the guy's music)? Because I happened over this:
http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/steve-goodman/concerts/bottom-line-march-30-1977-early-show.html
First off, Wolfgang's Vault is an incredible website that allows you to stream, free I might add, many a classic concert, by many a classic artist. It's a pretty incredible site (giving away free stuff is the way to go these days, I've said it once, I'll say it again). Two Steve Goodman concerts, recorded on the same day in New York in March of 1977, when I was just 2 months old, are featured here. Being a Goodman fan, I lept at the opportunity to hear one of his live performances.
The thing about Steve Goodman, is he was for all intents and purposes, a commercial failure. He was INCREDIBLY talented, but poorly marketed and really his albums were way over-produced. But live...wow! I'd heard a couple of live performances and own the one live concert dvd that is available for purchase, which is really what hooked me on his music. The man was a true performer in every sense of the word. His voice had such amazing range, being able to handle gentle ballads, the soulful and bluesy, folk sing-a-long tunes, and just about anything else. His guitar playing was astounding. I've really never, ever heard a style like his--one which covers the rhtythm and lead parts all in one, while also providing at times, a distinctly percussive element. And his stage presence was electric. He was a master storyteller with a quick wit. Listen to the concert and you'll hear it all.
There are a couple of things that you hear in Goodman's performance that you just don't hear with anyone around these days. First of all, incredible phrasing. Phrasing isn't really something you hear a lot of people talk about, and really when it comes to most pop and rock, it's not an issue. The lyrics of most popular songs tend to be fairly basic and are thus set to the, usually pretty standard 4/4 time signature, in a fairly comfortable, easily digestable way. But to me, a master at phrasing can make an enormous difference. Phrasing is often times a term reserved for jazz, which makes sense, I suppose, because generally speaking the rhtyhms are more varied and arrangements are more complex, so naturally this lends better for either interesting vocal or instrumental phrasing. People like Ella Fitzgerald were masters at taking lyrics and making them float and dance in ways you never thought possible. For pop/rock purposes, Bob Dylan is quite adept at phrasing. You sort of have to know what you're doing phrasing-wise when you have lyrics like this:
"While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the president of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked. "--from It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
Alright, so I'm a Dylan fan, too and don't mind extolling my love for his music every chance I get either. But lyrics like that don't necessary flow easily into a pop song structure. A little creative phrasing is needed and Dylan, along with Steve Goodman if you take a listen, are masters of this.
Another quality of Steve Goodman, which once again fits with Dylan (surprise, surprise), is his ability to take a song and make it into something completely different from the version you hear on the record. I know some people are more than content to hear a band play a song exactly like they're used to, but what's the point? Artists who have the ability to make a live performance into a true unique experience, are few and far between. We live in times where so many artists lip synch to an auto tune version of themselves to make them sound perfect at every performance. But why, I ask? Why am I going to pay ridiculously high prices to see you live, when I could hear the same thing sitting at home away from sweaty drunk dudes who are constantly bumping into me who are shouting along to every lyric, making it difficult to even hear your oh-so-perfect performance? To be in your presence? That's cool for a minute or two, but gets old real fast when I know how this whole show is going to go down by the time you lauch into your third song.
I think the beauty of live music is its unpredictability, its "in-the-moment" quality, it's potential to both fall apart and to transcend at the same time. I saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers around '94 or '95, and Petty, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer that he is, accidentally repeated a verse in the song "Into the Great Wide Open", which wasn't supposed to be repeated. Oh well. It happens. It didn't take anything away from the show, which stands as one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It almost enhanced it in a strange way. Now to know this about the Goodman concert, you'd have to be familiar with his albums, but trust me, he takes what's on there and makes it into something right for the moment in time. And Goodman has a cold during this performance, but he keeps right with it and makes it into a one-of-a-kind experience that was most certainly different from his previous show and the one he would do after this one. That's what artists and performers do (right?).
And okay, maybe some of Goodman's material sounds a little cheesy for our "oh-so-serious" sensibilities. He sung folk songs, yes, but he sung a lot more too. Can I ever see someone being taken seriously these days opening a show with "Red, Red Robin" or having a song called "Chicken Cordon Blues"? Maybe on the folk circuit, yes, but not on a mainstream level. You may now be shaking your head in embarrassment, but stay with me if you will. I don't care who you are or how deep and/or serious your music tastes are, listen to this concert and you will find something that you enjoy within it. Not only was Goodman one hell of a musician, he played with joy, to make people laugh, smile, have a good time. I like a ton of indie rock, but I sometimes feel like so much of it is stripped of pure joy. And yes, there's something maybe a little old-fashioned (the title of one of Goodman's songs, by the way) or corny about a lot of his music, but I don't see one thing wrong with that. Aren't we allowed to like the artsy along with the plain ol' fun?
Sure, music tastes are subjective, no doubt about it. Maybe you'll listen and just won't like it. And that's fine, even though you're obviously wrong. But at the same time, you have to respect what the man did within a live setting. He was a genuine, all-around showman. He could engage a live audience like none other. I can think of no one around these days who can lay such a claim. Not even the aforementioned Mr. Dylan. My advice to artists these days would be to consider what it means for someone to buy a ticket to see you live. Someone is taking their hard earned money, which is even harder to come by in times like these, and paying you for a memorable, enjoyable performance. Even with a local band, who you pay less for, you still are forking over some cash with hopes of an EXPERIENCE. I never got the chance to see Steve Goodman play live as he died when I was just seven years old, but from hearing from others who did see him, I've only heard rave things about being witness to one of his incredible shows. Imagine that for a minute. Twenty-five years after the man left this earth, people still talk about the greatness of his shows! Some of that was raw talent, of course, but some of that was learning the craft of not only being a musician, but an all around performer who takes risks night in and night out. Give me an imperfect, yet energized performance any day! Today's performers, take heed!
Friday, November 20, 2009
3 Songs on Shuffle
Here's how this works. Make sure iTunes is on shuffle and see what three songs end up playing. Write about said three songs. Nothin' too bewildering about the process of this particular entry. I'm starting out this morning with The Beach Boys and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and seeing where things lead me. Almost scrapped the idea entirely, though, to listen to all of "Pet Sounds". Such a great album! But no, this is an excercise in discovery and re-discovery, so here goes:
Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam, Nirvana, Unplugged in New York
Wow! Haven't heard this track in so long. Probably played this album 800 + times when it first came out. It was actually the album that made me REALLY get Nirvana. This was a talented band and this was the album that captured the sentiment that this was not just some loud rock and roll band. This song is not a Nirvana original and many of the songs are more reflective of Kurt and the band's diverse music tastes, rather than the actual catalog. Kurt's sounding great and the band sounds tight. A lot's being said about Nirvana once again, with two major recent releases ("Bleach" 20 year anniversary re-release and a new concert DVD). And I'm sure there will be plenty more being said within the next couple years since soon it will have been 20 years (!) since the release of "Nevermind", which still stands as THE classic album of the last 20 years. A band like Nirvana hasn't been seen since, nor probably ever will be.
Smiles (Single Version), Spiritualized, The Complete Works Vol. 1.
I came to this band late as well. Much less known of a band to come to late, though, but certainly not a minor act. I really liked their most recent release, "Songs in A & E", which was more reflective than much of their earlier work, which is understandable considering co-frontman Jason Pierce's near fatal illness, which heavily influenced the tone of the record. This is largely an instrumental song, that kind of has a "Satisfaction" riff going on. There's plenty of distortion and guitar effects in this tune that starts slow and builds to a blood vessel rupturing burn right around the 3:45 mark. The word for this is, "cacophony" (just like using that word)--horns, manic drums, strings?. Smiles all around, indeed.
Oceans & Streams, The Black Keys, Attack and Release
I mentioned these guys in my last blog entry. This is soul music meets grungy, dirty rock and roll music. The Black Keys could have been a late '60s psychedelic garage band. Their music's got that raw, jangly (one of the more overused rock descriptors, but hey, it works) sound to it. There isn't too much to say about this track. It's straight ahead rock and roll. I like the new stuff that's filled with layer upon layer, but sometimes it's also nice to curl up with a nice, stripped down, rock song. I'll take it!
Those songs go together really well, actually. My iTunes collection on shuffle is a better program director than most on modern rock radio! Probably isn't an accident that the songs go together so well. Technology is scary smart sometimes. I'd like to see it write reactions to each of the songs it plays, though! Ha! Gotcha, computer! I better not antagonize it.
How about a link to something Nirvana. From the aforementioned concert DVD "Live at Reading/1992", here's a song from the aforementioned album, "Bleach". I'll also put it up on The Hidden Chord FB page. Become a fan today!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfjGsrDKKoc
Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam, Nirvana, Unplugged in New York
Wow! Haven't heard this track in so long. Probably played this album 800 + times when it first came out. It was actually the album that made me REALLY get Nirvana. This was a talented band and this was the album that captured the sentiment that this was not just some loud rock and roll band. This song is not a Nirvana original and many of the songs are more reflective of Kurt and the band's diverse music tastes, rather than the actual catalog. Kurt's sounding great and the band sounds tight. A lot's being said about Nirvana once again, with two major recent releases ("Bleach" 20 year anniversary re-release and a new concert DVD). And I'm sure there will be plenty more being said within the next couple years since soon it will have been 20 years (!) since the release of "Nevermind", which still stands as THE classic album of the last 20 years. A band like Nirvana hasn't been seen since, nor probably ever will be.
Smiles (Single Version), Spiritualized, The Complete Works Vol. 1.
I came to this band late as well. Much less known of a band to come to late, though, but certainly not a minor act. I really liked their most recent release, "Songs in A & E", which was more reflective than much of their earlier work, which is understandable considering co-frontman Jason Pierce's near fatal illness, which heavily influenced the tone of the record. This is largely an instrumental song, that kind of has a "Satisfaction" riff going on. There's plenty of distortion and guitar effects in this tune that starts slow and builds to a blood vessel rupturing burn right around the 3:45 mark. The word for this is, "cacophony" (just like using that word)--horns, manic drums, strings?. Smiles all around, indeed.
Oceans & Streams, The Black Keys, Attack and Release
I mentioned these guys in my last blog entry. This is soul music meets grungy, dirty rock and roll music. The Black Keys could have been a late '60s psychedelic garage band. Their music's got that raw, jangly (one of the more overused rock descriptors, but hey, it works) sound to it. There isn't too much to say about this track. It's straight ahead rock and roll. I like the new stuff that's filled with layer upon layer, but sometimes it's also nice to curl up with a nice, stripped down, rock song. I'll take it!
Those songs go together really well, actually. My iTunes collection on shuffle is a better program director than most on modern rock radio! Probably isn't an accident that the songs go together so well. Technology is scary smart sometimes. I'd like to see it write reactions to each of the songs it plays, though! Ha! Gotcha, computer! I better not antagonize it.
How about a link to something Nirvana. From the aforementioned concert DVD "Live at Reading/1992", here's a song from the aforementioned album, "Bleach". I'll also put it up on The Hidden Chord FB page. Become a fan today!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfjGsrDKKoc
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cliched Songs for Bad Weather and Other Stuff About Good Music
Just so you know, it's a gloomy, rainy, generally nasty day outside here in Chicago. It's getting to be the time of year that the weather officially gives us midwesterners its annual beat-down. Not fun, but it gives one plenty of extra time to curl up under a blanket, get a steaming cup of coffee (Irish or not...but the Irish version is a whole lot more fun) or cocoa or hot cider or tap water, and read your favorite blog. Today's post is rather disjointed, so prepare for a little bit of this and that without much direction!
I fired up the ol iTunes this morning with "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors. Kind of a predictable choice for a stormy day, I know, but I hadn't heard the song in awhile and it brings back plenty of memories--Wisconsin wilderness camp counseling for one, driving down the highway in the midst of a storm when the song comes on and helps punctuate the night with a little extra creepiness and potential for sinister happenings, etc. Jim's voice was/is the night. The song has the extra effect of the "whisper track", as after The Doors recorded the song, they had Jim whisper the song for overdub purposes, and the effect is pretty brilliant if you ask me. Does anyone listen to The Doors anymore? I feel like they've faded from our collective music consciousness to a certain degree. I'm not The Doors fan I once was, but I think there's still plenty of brilliance to be found amidst the cliches, at times weak lyrics, and Morrison drunkenness.
Just downloaded tracks from Them Crooked Vultures and Bear in Heaven. Them Crooked Vultures is the supergroup consisting of John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age). It's good when the music lives up to the hype. The last supergroup that I was excited to hear was Audioslave, but honestly, apart from one or two songs, I was pretty disappointed. So of course, being burned before, I came at this one with interest, but a touch of skepticism. It's actually good, though. It's what you would hope from two guys who were part of two of the most amazing bands of all time--good rock & roll music. My advice for supergroups is this (since I'm sure they care about my opinion): don't get cute, just play the damn music. Dave Grohl's been doing the extra poppy Foo Fighters thing for a long time now and JPJ, well I'm not sure what he's been doing besides the one Zeppelin reunion show, which came after Page/Plant had been snubbing the dude for years. But together with Homme, the result (at least the three tracks I've heard) is pretty engaging. The song I just had on, "Scumbag Blues" is a great rock song, complete with a funky organ riff. I'm interested to hear the rest of the album.
Bear in Heaven came to me as a recommendation from a friend. Most of my music comes from friend recommendations, these days actually. Pitchfork, everyone's favorite snobbish music site, also gave the album high marks. I guess you'd call it "indie pop"? Maybe "indie rock"? The description is so vague that you might as well just say it's music with guitars, drums and a singer and effects and "is that a synthesizer?", and you'd be just as, if not more descriptive than you would be by using those weak labels. Regardless of what you call it, pretty good stuff, indeed! As is "in" these days, the band's sound is packed with many a layer. Elements of electronic music, "alternative" rock, atmospheric Animal Collective type stuff...a blog I read compares them to A Place to Bury Strangers without the darkness (I'm really not too familiar with A Place to Bury Strangers, so I don't know if that's accurate or not). I can imagine hipsters dancing badly, trying to look oh-so-much-better-than-the-rest-of-the-world to this music. Despite that, I'm gonna go with a recommendation with this one.
Ramona Falls, "Intuit" is also an excellent album that I've got in heavy rotation right now. I guess you could put them in a similar category as Bear in Heaven, but more on the indie rock side and less electronic and effects heavy (although there is some of that). It still has that atmospheric feel to it, but it's more echoey and almost orchestral at times. On one or two tracks, the lead singer starts sounding a little like Antony of Antony and the Johnsons. Check out the video for their song "I Say Fever". Highly recommended.
The Black Keys are getting ready to release a rap-rock album. The term rap-rock makes me squeemish, yet from what I hear, it's the jangly guitar/psychadelia of The Black Keys, mixed with rap from MC's the calliber of Mos Def and Raekwon. So good rap-rock? Release date is November 27 and it's called Blackroc. Hoping for good things from this one.
That's it for now. Just a little randomness for a rainy day. To sum things up, still, no one is making money in the music industry, ticket prices are too high for big name acts, but there's still a lot of great music to be discovered.
Check out this little piece from Bear In Heaven and La Blogotheque from 2006...Once again this isn't linked, so just copy and paste into your browser. Trust me, it's worth it...It's arty and fabulous:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3a9rlg19IQ
I fired up the ol iTunes this morning with "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors. Kind of a predictable choice for a stormy day, I know, but I hadn't heard the song in awhile and it brings back plenty of memories--Wisconsin wilderness camp counseling for one, driving down the highway in the midst of a storm when the song comes on and helps punctuate the night with a little extra creepiness and potential for sinister happenings, etc. Jim's voice was/is the night. The song has the extra effect of the "whisper track", as after The Doors recorded the song, they had Jim whisper the song for overdub purposes, and the effect is pretty brilliant if you ask me. Does anyone listen to The Doors anymore? I feel like they've faded from our collective music consciousness to a certain degree. I'm not The Doors fan I once was, but I think there's still plenty of brilliance to be found amidst the cliches, at times weak lyrics, and Morrison drunkenness.
Just downloaded tracks from Them Crooked Vultures and Bear in Heaven. Them Crooked Vultures is the supergroup consisting of John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age). It's good when the music lives up to the hype. The last supergroup that I was excited to hear was Audioslave, but honestly, apart from one or two songs, I was pretty disappointed. So of course, being burned before, I came at this one with interest, but a touch of skepticism. It's actually good, though. It's what you would hope from two guys who were part of two of the most amazing bands of all time--good rock & roll music. My advice for supergroups is this (since I'm sure they care about my opinion): don't get cute, just play the damn music. Dave Grohl's been doing the extra poppy Foo Fighters thing for a long time now and JPJ, well I'm not sure what he's been doing besides the one Zeppelin reunion show, which came after Page/Plant had been snubbing the dude for years. But together with Homme, the result (at least the three tracks I've heard) is pretty engaging. The song I just had on, "Scumbag Blues" is a great rock song, complete with a funky organ riff. I'm interested to hear the rest of the album.
Bear in Heaven came to me as a recommendation from a friend. Most of my music comes from friend recommendations, these days actually. Pitchfork, everyone's favorite snobbish music site, also gave the album high marks. I guess you'd call it "indie pop"? Maybe "indie rock"? The description is so vague that you might as well just say it's music with guitars, drums and a singer and effects and "is that a synthesizer?", and you'd be just as, if not more descriptive than you would be by using those weak labels. Regardless of what you call it, pretty good stuff, indeed! As is "in" these days, the band's sound is packed with many a layer. Elements of electronic music, "alternative" rock, atmospheric Animal Collective type stuff...a blog I read compares them to A Place to Bury Strangers without the darkness (I'm really not too familiar with A Place to Bury Strangers, so I don't know if that's accurate or not). I can imagine hipsters dancing badly, trying to look oh-so-much-better-than-the-rest-of-the-world to this music. Despite that, I'm gonna go with a recommendation with this one.
Ramona Falls, "Intuit" is also an excellent album that I've got in heavy rotation right now. I guess you could put them in a similar category as Bear in Heaven, but more on the indie rock side and less electronic and effects heavy (although there is some of that). It still has that atmospheric feel to it, but it's more echoey and almost orchestral at times. On one or two tracks, the lead singer starts sounding a little like Antony of Antony and the Johnsons. Check out the video for their song "I Say Fever". Highly recommended.
The Black Keys are getting ready to release a rap-rock album. The term rap-rock makes me squeemish, yet from what I hear, it's the jangly guitar/psychadelia of The Black Keys, mixed with rap from MC's the calliber of Mos Def and Raekwon. So good rap-rock? Release date is November 27 and it's called Blackroc. Hoping for good things from this one.
That's it for now. Just a little randomness for a rainy day. To sum things up, still, no one is making money in the music industry, ticket prices are too high for big name acts, but there's still a lot of great music to be discovered.
Check out this little piece from Bear In Heaven and La Blogotheque from 2006...Once again this isn't linked, so just copy and paste into your browser. Trust me, it's worth it...It's arty and fabulous:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3a9rlg19IQ
Sunday, October 25, 2009
"One Fast Move or I'm Gone"-- Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard's take on Kerouac's "Big Sur"
"'One Fast Move or I'm Gone' so I blow $8 on a cab to drive me down that coast, it's a foggy night tho sometimes you can see stars in the sky to the right where the sea is, tho you cant see the sea you can only hear about it from the cabdriver--'What kinda country is it around here? I've never seen it." from "Big Sur", Jack Kerouac 1962.
I'm a bit obsessed with the Jay Farrar/Benjamin Gibbard collaboration, "One Fast Move or I'm Gone." It could very well be due to the fact that I'm a Kerouac fan and a fan of the novel which it is based on, "Big Sur". It could be that I'm a fan of Jay Farrar and all of his projects (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt). Maybe I'm pleasantly surprised with Benjamin Gibbard, he of Death Cab for Cutie fame, a band that I don't really hold in too high regard. Maybe it really is a good album.
It's a Jay Farrar album, really. He "wrote" the songs. I put "wrote" as a quotation because many of the lyrics are direct quotes from Kerouac's novel. I guess you could say Farrar developed the musical score. It is actually the score to the film, "One Fast Move or I'm Gone", which is a fascinating look into how the novel came about and what Kerouac was going through at the time.
For those that don't know Kerouac's works, first of all, I'm sorry. Second of all, they are less works of fiction, than literary expositions on actual events that happened in Kerouac's life. It was his thought that all of his novels were just chapters in his overall life story, which he entitled, "The Duluoz Legend". This particular chapter, is probably one of the darkest, grittiest, horribly truthful chapters in that "Legend".
It is three years after the publication of "On the Road" and Kerouac has been constantly barraged by all that comes with being crowned "King of the Beats". Women want him. Men want to be him. Everyone wants to have a drink with him and Jack NEVER turns down a drink. In fact, he uses alcohol more than ever during this period. He very well may have been the first celebrity in our modern celebrity obsessed culture.
In an attempt to dry out and escape from the pressures of his new found fame, he takes the California Zephyr (a train I've taken many a time from Chicago all the way west to Galesburg, IL) west to San Francisco to spend some solitary time at Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Big Sur (Ferlinghetti is still alive and well and very much a part of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, which he founded. His first hand accounts add a ton to the film).
But upon reaching San Francisco, Jack goes on a drinking binge and all is not well. He eventually does make it to the cabin, and for a moment or two, enjoys the solitutde, but then finds himself bored, lonely, and surrounded by death and all that can be sinister and terrifying about nature. The story will bounce back between San Francisco and the cabin, which Kerouac returns to, this time with others, for more drinking. His old road buddy, Neal Cassady joins the cast of characters as well, though, Kerouac speaks with regret of all the time that has gone by between them.
The book is about alcoholism, madness, lonliness, the nature of human relationships, with a touch of optimism, as well, though. Where many of Kerouac's novels move quickly, filled with bop rhythm, bounding along like a Charlie Parker solo, this one plods a little more. I don't say that in a negative way. It just has to, considering the subject matter. There is plenty of trademark Kerouac free-flowing style, yes, but rather than being about the high of Saturday night, "Big Sur" is largely about the morning after.
In fact, before downloading this album, I listened to some samples and read some customer reviews. One of the main criticisms seemed to be that Kerouac is known as a jazz author. How can one take a mid-tempo, at times alt-country-ish album, to seriously be a reflection of any Kerouac writing?
I think the people who made those comments probably have yet to pick up "Big Sur". And I'm not saying you have to know the novel to appreciate the album, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.
The album, like the book itself, is a mixture of hope and despair. Appropriately enough, most of the despair fueled songs (Breathe Our Iodine, San Francisco) are sung by Jay Farrar, who has the deeper, slightly gravelly voice, suited to lonesome country. While the more upbeat songs (California Zephyr, These Roads Don't Move) are sung by the more melodic voice of Ben Gibbard. There are exceptions to the rule, but this formula works very nicely to reflect the mood of the book. I'm definitely a Jay Farrar fan, but the one criticism that I've had of him is that his voice can sound a little monotonous after awhile. Having someone to break that up, lends well to the overall feel and pacing of the album.
A couple of the songs fall flat, "Final Horrors" and "The Void" are okay, but I could do without them. The first track and last track are probably my favorites. "California Zephyr" with its cross-country rail journey optimism and "San Francisco" with it's dark, dingy feel and mournful harmonica. "These Roads Don't Move" and "One Fast Move or I'm Gone" are also favorites.
Maybe I can't be objective about this album. The combination of Kerouac and Farrar speaks right to my tastes. At the same time, though, I did have heightened expectations, which I will say were mostly fulfilled. The acoustic songs are fairly simple in form, but they allow Kerouac's words and textures to sit front and center, which I think was the point. If you don't know "Big Sur" you should at the very least be a fan of Jay Farrar's work to appreciate this album, I think I can safely say that. Some Death Cab for Cutie fans may be disappointed, actually.
It's been forty years to the month since Jack Kerouac died as the result of his alcoholism. With this knowledge, the book can at times be a very hard read. The ironic thing, though, is that without his fast living, hard drinking, and need to live life with a voracious appetite for all things, his books would not have happened. And those works have inspired so many, from Farrar and Gibbard, to Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, and myself (not that I dare try to include myself with the likes of those great artists!). It's a strange world we live in, but I'd say a much better one for Jack Kerouac having been in it. I'll leave the last words to him:
"Something good will come out of all things yet--And it will be golden and eternal just like that--There's no need to say another word."
I'm a bit obsessed with the Jay Farrar/Benjamin Gibbard collaboration, "One Fast Move or I'm Gone." It could very well be due to the fact that I'm a Kerouac fan and a fan of the novel which it is based on, "Big Sur". It could be that I'm a fan of Jay Farrar and all of his projects (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt). Maybe I'm pleasantly surprised with Benjamin Gibbard, he of Death Cab for Cutie fame, a band that I don't really hold in too high regard. Maybe it really is a good album.
It's a Jay Farrar album, really. He "wrote" the songs. I put "wrote" as a quotation because many of the lyrics are direct quotes from Kerouac's novel. I guess you could say Farrar developed the musical score. It is actually the score to the film, "One Fast Move or I'm Gone", which is a fascinating look into how the novel came about and what Kerouac was going through at the time.
For those that don't know Kerouac's works, first of all, I'm sorry. Second of all, they are less works of fiction, than literary expositions on actual events that happened in Kerouac's life. It was his thought that all of his novels were just chapters in his overall life story, which he entitled, "The Duluoz Legend". This particular chapter, is probably one of the darkest, grittiest, horribly truthful chapters in that "Legend".
It is three years after the publication of "On the Road" and Kerouac has been constantly barraged by all that comes with being crowned "King of the Beats". Women want him. Men want to be him. Everyone wants to have a drink with him and Jack NEVER turns down a drink. In fact, he uses alcohol more than ever during this period. He very well may have been the first celebrity in our modern celebrity obsessed culture.
In an attempt to dry out and escape from the pressures of his new found fame, he takes the California Zephyr (a train I've taken many a time from Chicago all the way west to Galesburg, IL) west to San Francisco to spend some solitary time at Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Big Sur (Ferlinghetti is still alive and well and very much a part of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, which he founded. His first hand accounts add a ton to the film).
But upon reaching San Francisco, Jack goes on a drinking binge and all is not well. He eventually does make it to the cabin, and for a moment or two, enjoys the solitutde, but then finds himself bored, lonely, and surrounded by death and all that can be sinister and terrifying about nature. The story will bounce back between San Francisco and the cabin, which Kerouac returns to, this time with others, for more drinking. His old road buddy, Neal Cassady joins the cast of characters as well, though, Kerouac speaks with regret of all the time that has gone by between them.
The book is about alcoholism, madness, lonliness, the nature of human relationships, with a touch of optimism, as well, though. Where many of Kerouac's novels move quickly, filled with bop rhythm, bounding along like a Charlie Parker solo, this one plods a little more. I don't say that in a negative way. It just has to, considering the subject matter. There is plenty of trademark Kerouac free-flowing style, yes, but rather than being about the high of Saturday night, "Big Sur" is largely about the morning after.
In fact, before downloading this album, I listened to some samples and read some customer reviews. One of the main criticisms seemed to be that Kerouac is known as a jazz author. How can one take a mid-tempo, at times alt-country-ish album, to seriously be a reflection of any Kerouac writing?
I think the people who made those comments probably have yet to pick up "Big Sur". And I'm not saying you have to know the novel to appreciate the album, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.
The album, like the book itself, is a mixture of hope and despair. Appropriately enough, most of the despair fueled songs (Breathe Our Iodine, San Francisco) are sung by Jay Farrar, who has the deeper, slightly gravelly voice, suited to lonesome country. While the more upbeat songs (California Zephyr, These Roads Don't Move) are sung by the more melodic voice of Ben Gibbard. There are exceptions to the rule, but this formula works very nicely to reflect the mood of the book. I'm definitely a Jay Farrar fan, but the one criticism that I've had of him is that his voice can sound a little monotonous after awhile. Having someone to break that up, lends well to the overall feel and pacing of the album.
A couple of the songs fall flat, "Final Horrors" and "The Void" are okay, but I could do without them. The first track and last track are probably my favorites. "California Zephyr" with its cross-country rail journey optimism and "San Francisco" with it's dark, dingy feel and mournful harmonica. "These Roads Don't Move" and "One Fast Move or I'm Gone" are also favorites.
Maybe I can't be objective about this album. The combination of Kerouac and Farrar speaks right to my tastes. At the same time, though, I did have heightened expectations, which I will say were mostly fulfilled. The acoustic songs are fairly simple in form, but they allow Kerouac's words and textures to sit front and center, which I think was the point. If you don't know "Big Sur" you should at the very least be a fan of Jay Farrar's work to appreciate this album, I think I can safely say that. Some Death Cab for Cutie fans may be disappointed, actually.
It's been forty years to the month since Jack Kerouac died as the result of his alcoholism. With this knowledge, the book can at times be a very hard read. The ironic thing, though, is that without his fast living, hard drinking, and need to live life with a voracious appetite for all things, his books would not have happened. And those works have inspired so many, from Farrar and Gibbard, to Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, and myself (not that I dare try to include myself with the likes of those great artists!). It's a strange world we live in, but I'd say a much better one for Jack Kerouac having been in it. I'll leave the last words to him:
"Something good will come out of all things yet--And it will be golden and eternal just like that--There's no need to say another word."
Friday, October 16, 2009
Concert Review: Dignan, The Rocketboys, So Long Forgotten, Warehouse City
Martyr's--Chicago, IL, 10-15-09
Let me set the scene for you for a moment. It is October in Chicago, but at the time of the concert feels like November/December with the cold bite in the air. The rain is light, but of late, it's felt like what I imagine London feels like (never been there, but I've seen movies): rainy, blustery, kind of dark most of the time. Here it is a week and a day later and we'd been visited by temps in the 60s and 70s and actually a sunny day or two. Rainy again now, though. This weather'll mess with you. That's Chicago for you, a giver of generous little moments, yet unafraid to smack you in the face with cold, cold reality.
But going to see live music on a Thursday night at Martyr's has a way to make one forget about the weather conditions. It's particularly exciting when several bands are on the bill, and I'm only familiar with one. The potential for discovery is as prevalent in the air as the chance for all sorts of precipitation and/or weather calamities. Nothing surprises me anymore in these parts.
The show actually starts nearly on time, which is a rarity for rock shows of any size. The first band that comes on is So Long Forgotten from Champaign, IL. I'm sure it must be weird to be first on a four band bill. I'm one of a handful of people in the club, which is a decent place to see a show. It's basically one large rectangle of a room. A pillar partially obscures my view, but that's because I'm at a table by the window. The tables on the floor and the bar have unobscured views, unlike some places where no matter where you're at, you have something blocking you. At past shows I've seen here, the sound hasn't been great, and I think that tends to be true if the band playing is generally loud. So Long Forgotten is pretty loud. Screaming hard rock type of band. Has the feel of a band that could have fit in with the late '90s hard rock scene: Korn, Tool, Deftones, etc. Not bad, but not really my type of music anymore. They have a couple of good songs, but once again, the volume thing is an issue. It was strangely quiet between songs and I could tell the lead singer was a little nervous with "between songs banter". Part of that probably had to do with the fact that there was probably no more than 15 people in the club at the time, 10 of whom were probably in the other bands.
A strange scene has also been building at the window directly behind me. A crowd of probably about eight younger looking people bundled in blankets are pressed up against the window watching. They clap at the end of songs and seem to be trying to enjoy the show despite being stuck in the elements. At first I thought they were smokers (oh how I'm grateful of the city wide smoking ban!), but it becomes clear, and this was confirmed to me later, that they are underage fans of one of the bands. I feel slightly guilty sitting probably no more than four feet in front of them, in the warmth of the building, drinking a beer. But I will say, that's dedication. Hopefully whatever band they were there to see rewards them well for their loyalty. In the end, extreme loyalty like this is what the 21st century rock act needs more than anything.
So Long Forgotten ends and as Dignan (who is the band I specifically came to see) sets up, a friendly young guy starts chatting me up. I probably should have known from his indie rock haircut and clothes that he was in one of the bands, but it wasn't until he revealed he was from Austin that it became clear. Sure enough, Justin is in the band The Rocketboys, who would be playing after Dignan. And either he knows instinctively or through being in a touring band for awhile, that making connections with people is what music is all about. Friendliness to new faces is what every band should strive for, second in importance in my opinion, only to making sure you put forth quality music. We chatted about Austin, one of my favorite topics, and South By Southwest (or South-by as insiders like to call it), about Dignan, who happens to be their tourmates.
Justin reminded me of the guys from the band The Shackeltons, who are a band from Pennsylvania who I met at SXSW one year and had the chance to feature on a podcast. Friendly, enthusiastic, unpretentious, and just seeming to enjoy the life of a touring musician. Guys like this get a kick out of talking to fans and talking about what they do. For a minute they can kind of feel like big shots, which is mostly pretty uncommon considering the amount of bands out there now that they have to compete for attention with. So it was nice to meet the guy and at the very least, whether he knew it or not, it achieved the goal of piquing my curiosity about his band. I have considered leaving after Dignan, but now I wanted to see what The Rocketboys were about too. Personal connections go a long way.
Dignan came on, and from the beginning of their set, it was clear that this is the type of band that fits this venue: one that uses dynamics rather than playing one very loud volume. Dignan is a band that creates a mood with its music. It is filled with texture and layers. Definitely elements of Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear at work, but to leave it at that would be doing an injustice to them. There's a certain originality I can't quite put my finger on, as well. They have a guy who plays accordian for god's sake! He also picked up a trumpet and played some xylophone as well. It's "landscape" type music--painting a rich pastoral scene, rather than right to the point music, which has its place and purpose, but looks to thrash you directly in the head. Also got a chance to talk to a couple of members of this band, who seemed really tired, but also very humble and appreciative that I'm a fan of their music. In fact, they genuinely seemed surprised that I came for them. "How did you hear about us again?" is what one of the members asked be, in a state of genuine puzzlement.
The Rocketboys were up next and they turn out to be of a similar vein as Dignan. Working dynamics, xylophone usage, hell a couple of their members even LOOK like they could be in Fleet Foxes. With six members, there are a lot of these Rocketboys, but they use their numbers well. The only criticism I really have for them and for Dignan is that the lyrics aren't quite on par with the music. And maybe that's just something that will develop, as both of these bands seem REALLY young. But this is the type of music that one doesn't have to know a single lyric to appreciate. I've always thought that Radiohead is much the same. In fact it is quite difficult to understand Mr. Yorke at times. Difference is, though, that when you do get around to hearing Radiohead's lyrics, you realize, "Wow! These are good too!" Radiohead's been around for slightly longer than these guys, though. I'm not saying either will ever be on par, but with time, who knows.
I do like the general direction that indie rock has been going in during the past couple of years. As I said before, there is definitely a time and place for loud rock and roll, but the richness and texture of Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, and those in the same vein, such as the two aforementioned bands that played at Martyr's, makes for an interesting, multiple times listenable experience.
The last band of the night was a band called Warehouse City. I guess they're local to Chicago, but the other bands on the bill hadn't heard of them. Pretty much straight ahead rock and roll, with a touch of blues and Jack White sounding guitar solos. It was good, but didn't really fit with the other bands of the night. They said it was their last show ever, but who knows, maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. Rock bands are known to say things that aren't exactly true. The high point of their set was a cover of Sam Cooke's Your Love Keeps Liftin' Me Higher. Energetic, bar band rock and roll at its finest. But still, the bookends of this evening were a little out of place compared to the middle two.
There you go! That review took me over a week to complete. Life kind of piles up and you put things on the backburner and, oh well! It's my blog, I don't have to explain anything! If you're still with me here at the end here's what's (hopefully) in store for this blog:
Excited to take a listen to the Jay Farrar/Ben Gibbard collaboration, "One Fast Move or I'm Gone." which is a musical interpretation of Jack Kerouac's darkest novel, "Big Sur". I'm a big Jay Farrar fan and Kerouac is my favorite writer, so I'm intrigued by this. Especially intriguing is the collaboration with Death Cab's Ben Gibbard. I am no fan of Death Cab for Cutie, let me just say that right here. but I've previewed a little of this album and I've liked what I've heard thus far. Next blog will probably be a review.
Also, podcast collaborator Joao Morlett has expressed eagerness to get to work on a new podcast. He apparently has a lot to say about a dear departed musical icon who apparently made a tape while talking to his rabbi (what???). Anyway, I'll see if I can coordinate the schedules of Joao and the supremely popular Phillip Groves, whose talents far surpass this humble blog/podcast, but hopefully he'll grace us with his presence. Maybe we'll add a couple more to the mix too. And maybe a second microphone to the mix. And a mixer to the mix. Look for, conservatively speaking, a December release date for that.
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Let me set the scene for you for a moment. It is October in Chicago, but at the time of the concert feels like November/December with the cold bite in the air. The rain is light, but of late, it's felt like what I imagine London feels like (never been there, but I've seen movies): rainy, blustery, kind of dark most of the time. Here it is a week and a day later and we'd been visited by temps in the 60s and 70s and actually a sunny day or two. Rainy again now, though. This weather'll mess with you. That's Chicago for you, a giver of generous little moments, yet unafraid to smack you in the face with cold, cold reality.
But going to see live music on a Thursday night at Martyr's has a way to make one forget about the weather conditions. It's particularly exciting when several bands are on the bill, and I'm only familiar with one. The potential for discovery is as prevalent in the air as the chance for all sorts of precipitation and/or weather calamities. Nothing surprises me anymore in these parts.
The show actually starts nearly on time, which is a rarity for rock shows of any size. The first band that comes on is So Long Forgotten from Champaign, IL. I'm sure it must be weird to be first on a four band bill. I'm one of a handful of people in the club, which is a decent place to see a show. It's basically one large rectangle of a room. A pillar partially obscures my view, but that's because I'm at a table by the window. The tables on the floor and the bar have unobscured views, unlike some places where no matter where you're at, you have something blocking you. At past shows I've seen here, the sound hasn't been great, and I think that tends to be true if the band playing is generally loud. So Long Forgotten is pretty loud. Screaming hard rock type of band. Has the feel of a band that could have fit in with the late '90s hard rock scene: Korn, Tool, Deftones, etc. Not bad, but not really my type of music anymore. They have a couple of good songs, but once again, the volume thing is an issue. It was strangely quiet between songs and I could tell the lead singer was a little nervous with "between songs banter". Part of that probably had to do with the fact that there was probably no more than 15 people in the club at the time, 10 of whom were probably in the other bands.
A strange scene has also been building at the window directly behind me. A crowd of probably about eight younger looking people bundled in blankets are pressed up against the window watching. They clap at the end of songs and seem to be trying to enjoy the show despite being stuck in the elements. At first I thought they were smokers (oh how I'm grateful of the city wide smoking ban!), but it becomes clear, and this was confirmed to me later, that they are underage fans of one of the bands. I feel slightly guilty sitting probably no more than four feet in front of them, in the warmth of the building, drinking a beer. But I will say, that's dedication. Hopefully whatever band they were there to see rewards them well for their loyalty. In the end, extreme loyalty like this is what the 21st century rock act needs more than anything.
So Long Forgotten ends and as Dignan (who is the band I specifically came to see) sets up, a friendly young guy starts chatting me up. I probably should have known from his indie rock haircut and clothes that he was in one of the bands, but it wasn't until he revealed he was from Austin that it became clear. Sure enough, Justin is in the band The Rocketboys, who would be playing after Dignan. And either he knows instinctively or through being in a touring band for awhile, that making connections with people is what music is all about. Friendliness to new faces is what every band should strive for, second in importance in my opinion, only to making sure you put forth quality music. We chatted about Austin, one of my favorite topics, and South By Southwest (or South-by as insiders like to call it), about Dignan, who happens to be their tourmates.
Justin reminded me of the guys from the band The Shackeltons, who are a band from Pennsylvania who I met at SXSW one year and had the chance to feature on a podcast. Friendly, enthusiastic, unpretentious, and just seeming to enjoy the life of a touring musician. Guys like this get a kick out of talking to fans and talking about what they do. For a minute they can kind of feel like big shots, which is mostly pretty uncommon considering the amount of bands out there now that they have to compete for attention with. So it was nice to meet the guy and at the very least, whether he knew it or not, it achieved the goal of piquing my curiosity about his band. I have considered leaving after Dignan, but now I wanted to see what The Rocketboys were about too. Personal connections go a long way.
Dignan came on, and from the beginning of their set, it was clear that this is the type of band that fits this venue: one that uses dynamics rather than playing one very loud volume. Dignan is a band that creates a mood with its music. It is filled with texture and layers. Definitely elements of Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear at work, but to leave it at that would be doing an injustice to them. There's a certain originality I can't quite put my finger on, as well. They have a guy who plays accordian for god's sake! He also picked up a trumpet and played some xylophone as well. It's "landscape" type music--painting a rich pastoral scene, rather than right to the point music, which has its place and purpose, but looks to thrash you directly in the head. Also got a chance to talk to a couple of members of this band, who seemed really tired, but also very humble and appreciative that I'm a fan of their music. In fact, they genuinely seemed surprised that I came for them. "How did you hear about us again?" is what one of the members asked be, in a state of genuine puzzlement.
The Rocketboys were up next and they turn out to be of a similar vein as Dignan. Working dynamics, xylophone usage, hell a couple of their members even LOOK like they could be in Fleet Foxes. With six members, there are a lot of these Rocketboys, but they use their numbers well. The only criticism I really have for them and for Dignan is that the lyrics aren't quite on par with the music. And maybe that's just something that will develop, as both of these bands seem REALLY young. But this is the type of music that one doesn't have to know a single lyric to appreciate. I've always thought that Radiohead is much the same. In fact it is quite difficult to understand Mr. Yorke at times. Difference is, though, that when you do get around to hearing Radiohead's lyrics, you realize, "Wow! These are good too!" Radiohead's been around for slightly longer than these guys, though. I'm not saying either will ever be on par, but with time, who knows.
I do like the general direction that indie rock has been going in during the past couple of years. As I said before, there is definitely a time and place for loud rock and roll, but the richness and texture of Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, and those in the same vein, such as the two aforementioned bands that played at Martyr's, makes for an interesting, multiple times listenable experience.
The last band of the night was a band called Warehouse City. I guess they're local to Chicago, but the other bands on the bill hadn't heard of them. Pretty much straight ahead rock and roll, with a touch of blues and Jack White sounding guitar solos. It was good, but didn't really fit with the other bands of the night. They said it was their last show ever, but who knows, maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. Rock bands are known to say things that aren't exactly true. The high point of their set was a cover of Sam Cooke's Your Love Keeps Liftin' Me Higher. Energetic, bar band rock and roll at its finest. But still, the bookends of this evening were a little out of place compared to the middle two.
There you go! That review took me over a week to complete. Life kind of piles up and you put things on the backburner and, oh well! It's my blog, I don't have to explain anything! If you're still with me here at the end here's what's (hopefully) in store for this blog:
Excited to take a listen to the Jay Farrar/Ben Gibbard collaboration, "One Fast Move or I'm Gone." which is a musical interpretation of Jack Kerouac's darkest novel, "Big Sur". I'm a big Jay Farrar fan and Kerouac is my favorite writer, so I'm intrigued by this. Especially intriguing is the collaboration with Death Cab's Ben Gibbard. I am no fan of Death Cab for Cutie, let me just say that right here. but I've previewed a little of this album and I've liked what I've heard thus far. Next blog will probably be a review.
Also, podcast collaborator Joao Morlett has expressed eagerness to get to work on a new podcast. He apparently has a lot to say about a dear departed musical icon who apparently made a tape while talking to his rabbi (what???). Anyway, I'll see if I can coordinate the schedules of Joao and the supremely popular Phillip Groves, whose talents far surpass this humble blog/podcast, but hopefully he'll grace us with his presence. Maybe we'll add a couple more to the mix too. And maybe a second microphone to the mix. And a mixer to the mix. Look for, conservatively speaking, a December release date for that.
Support live music and find us on Facebook!
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