The Promise Live

Mary Fahl at The Hotel Cafe

2011-11-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

Mary Fahl, the former lead singer of October Project made a rare west coast appearance last night at Hollywood’s Hotel Cafe. In a gutsy move, she is going solo this time around, with just her voice and guitar playing to win the crowd over. Those familiar with October Project already know about the potential of that voice. A voice big enough to perform opera. She brought us two numbers in that genre that nearly made my wife cry. Yes, 15 plus years later the voice is still there. And though a bit nervous and at times a bit sloppy on guitar, she won the crowd over with her passion and honesty... and that voice.

They say, and I know I’ve repeated this a million times online, all great songs can be performed with just an acoustic instrument. And so Mary proved what most of us already knew: Julie and Emil wrote some amazing songs back in the 90’s. Covering 5 October Project songs, she brought life to each of them without the help of that full sound that OP did so well. Mary also did some unique covers, including a song from her tribute/remake of Dark Side of the Moon and a classic that Nina Simone performed, “Wild as the Wind”.
Over the years, though, Mary has become a fine songwriter. She sang a few new tunes, including one for her husband that, although it is highly recommended that “artists” don’t write love songs about their family, was gorgeous.
The Dark Side of the Moon cover is now available as a download (or a very expensive CD on EBay) and a new CD is due out in the next few months. I am looking forward to it.

David Bromberg - Use Me

2011-10-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

You could call it a return to form, but the truth is that David has just been busy with other parts of his life for quite a few years and really hasn’t released much. This CD called “Use Me”, named because he had his good friends write all of the songs and use him as the voice, is classic David Bromberg with his own version of electric blues, bluegrass and whatever else he can throw in. Greats like John Hiatt and Bill Withers contribute songs to this collection. If you were ever a fan, you should just buy this. If this is all new to you, check out one of the under appreciated talents in rock (especially on the left coast). Great guitar work, soulfully intellectual voice and it wouldn’t be a David Bromberg CD without some sad “you’re gone and good riddance” humor (check out “Tongue”). This CD makes me smile. What else could I ask for?

Dave Alvin - Eleven Eleven

2011-09-17T13:55:00.001-07:00

This CD has spent more time in my player than just about any other this year. From the rockin' "Harlan County Line" to the humorous "What's Up With Your Brother" (a duet with Phil), there isn't a bad song here. Great guitar playing, a solid band and Dave's deep vocals. What else could you ask for?

Across The Borderline - Lie To me

2011-09-17T13:37:00.001-07:00

Across The Borderline is a project featuring the amazing duet of BettySoo and Doug Cox. BettySoo, has a voice that goes way beyond her 5 foot frame and Doug is a very tasty guitar and Dobro player. Together they have created a cover CD that grabs you from the opening title track and doesn't really let up. These covers aren't standard fair. You've got a bit of country from Guy Clark's "Dublin Blues", but there is also the wonderful folk humor of Loudon Wainwright. And BettySoo's interpretation of Jane Siberry's "You Don't Need" is gorgeous. You can pick up this excellent CD at BettySoo's website.

Sam Phillips - Solid State

2011-09-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

How do you go about selecting a dozen (a baker's dozen actually) songs from Sam Phillips' Long Play project for a CD? Not only do I have no clue, but the odds are, if you ask a dozen of her fans to select the 13 songs, you will get about 20 different lists. There really wasn't a weak song in the 50 or so that were released for the project (You can still get full access to the project by going to http://samphillips.com ) so Sam could have easily just pulled the names out of a hat and we all would have been happy. And that is what Solid State is; not 13 of the best, but 13 that Sam wanted to share with the less die hard fans (or at least those fans that don't do digital download yet). I've talked about all of these songs in the past and I continue to love each and every one of them. You can buy this excellent collection at her website.

Clarence Clemons

2011-06-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

It was the mid 80's. The Golden Bear in Huntington Beach was still around. I had tickets for Clarence Clemons that night. He was doing a solo show and I was so looking forward to it. But by the time we got in there all of the good seats were gone. I asked someone who worked there for help, I must have offered a tip. Next thing I know, they seated us in the area they reserved for wheelchairs, right up against the stage. So, our feet are touching this 3 foot stage and Clarence comes out and stands right in front of us. Can you imagine? The didn't call him the Big Man for nothing. When we looked up from pretty much his feet, he looked huge! It was a great night. I'll never forget it. RIP Big Man. You'll be missed by so many.

Grant Lee Phillips and The Section Quartet at Largo

2011-06-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Going to Largo in L.A. is like going to a family reunion; without the stress. The artists are like family, they all know each other and perform with each other. And the crowd... it’s the usual suspects. So, I was only half surprised when Kristy Hanson, a local singer/songwriter who I’ve talked about over the last few years, calls out my name when we get into the open air lobby. After hugs and introductions (Maria hadn’t met Mike, her husband and bass player), we ended up talking for 40 minutes about everything from music (Kristy and Mike are collaborating on an EP) to Google (his new job) to English and reading (both Maria and Kristy have English degrees). Finally it was time to get to our seats. Now, I believe, although I may be wrong, that I met Kristty at either a Section show or a Sam Phillips show when we were seated next to each other. And sure enough, a few years later, the same thing happens. In a couple hundred seat auditorium, we were seated right next to each other. As I’ve said in the past, I love Largo.

The Section Quartet opened the show, doing what they do best, rocking out as a traditional string quartet. As usual, they covered Radiohead (twice), Tool, Queens of the Stone Age and Muse, to mention but a few. The first Radiohead cover was from the album The Bends, which they plan on playing in its entirety on September 23rd in Santa Monica. I understand they will have some guest vocalists, including Grant Lee. Don’t miss it, especially if you are a Radiohead fan.

I’ve never seen Grant Lee Phillips headlining a show and I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn’t really expecting it to be such a great rock and roll show. Grant has this beautiful, you might call it glam rock inspired, voice. His newer material is fairly mellow. But the older, especially the Grant Lee Buffalo songs, are rockin’. This evening, there was an equal mix of mellow and rocking songs. Eric Gorfain played violin occasionally and the entire Section Quartet came out for a few songs; at one point completely filling the room with sound. Grant stuck with an acoustic guitar throughout the show, but with a quick touch of a pedal he was playing some smoking electric leads. As I expected, Grant’s sense of humor kept us all laughing in between songs. Even at the beginning of the evening when the rules were being laid down to us (no cell phones, no texting, no taping), Grant was in the background miming the speaker. This was a perfectly paced show with all the right songs being played at just the right times. What a treat. I can’t wait to see him again. I understand he is planning to return to Largo on July 15th. I know I’m going to be there.

Elvis Costello and the Imposters at the Wiltern May 11, 2011

2011-05-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

I missed it 25 years ago and was not about to miss it again. Sure, this is just for fun. It isn’t going to be a great Elvis show. And the pacing... How was one of the best at pacing shows going to pace a show he had no complete control of? Now, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me back up a bit. 25 years ago, Elvis toured with his Song Wheel. On the huge wheel were 40 or so songs that audience members were brought up on stage to spin. So, the show was guaranteed to be a unique experience every night. What I didn’t realize was that Elvis had plans to do a bit of cheating.

There was no opening act on this night. As we sat down at our seats we could see the big wheel on one side of the stage and a portable bar with stools and go-go dancer cage on the other. The band came out rockin’, opening with “I Hope You’re Happy Now”, “Tear Off Your Own Head”, “Mystery Dance” and “Radio Radio”. Elvis then put on his top hat (literally) and the fun began. Audience members spun the wheel and we heard songs like, “Every Day I Write the Book” and “Brilliant Mistake”. There was a go-go dancer on some of the songs and the audience members got a drink and were able to sit at the bar for a song or two. But, there was an opening for Elvis. Whenever someone hit one of the purple spots on the wheel, it was a preplanned set for Elvis, the longest of which was a “Time” set in which he performed: “Clowntime is over”, “Strict Time”, “Next Time ‘Round”, “Out of Time” (the old Rolling Stones classic) and “Man Out of Time”. Sometimes he would ask contestants what they wanted to hear and a couple of them said, “I Want You”. After the second time, Elvis re-spun the wheel to make it happen. It was, as always, one of the highlights of the night; so angry and obsessive. In concert it becomes so dark and dirty. You feel like you need a shower when he is done.

As it turned out, Elvis was able to somewhat control the pacing with the extended sets. Two and a half hours in and on his fourth encore, Elvis and the band finished up with Nick Lowe’s “Peace Love and Understanding”. It was a fun evening with unique covers, Elvis clowning around and everyone pretty much having a grand old time. For a peak at the set list, you can go here: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/elvis-costello-and-the-imposters/2011/wiltern-theatre-los-angeles-ca-23d3e8cf.html

New Music April & May 2011

2011-05-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Lots of new music added to The Promise lately and not a lot of time to talk about it...

I’ve been playing Afferent Cue for... It seems like years. Their new EP is called “Drinking with Hemingway” and I’ve got to tell you, this is miles away from the demos they sent me so long ago. There isn’t a weak song among the four tracks, the production is excellent and... and... it just sounds great. If you close your eyes, you can hear a little Natalie Merchant, some Indigo Girls and maybe some Shelby Lynne. But Bill and Starr have their own style that transcends the “copy cat artist” label. Probably my favorite track is “Louisiana” a song about an aging parent. It is beautiful and sad and moving; everything you hope for from a song. You can find them on Facebook, Myspace and http://www.reverbnation.com/afferentcue .
Willie Nile’s latest, “The Innocent Ones” from 2010 may be his best. Another great piece of work from an under acknowledged performer.
Jesse Malin & the St. Marks Social have a 2011 release called “Love it to Life” and it is a rockin’ group of tunes. Highly recommended.
Fitz & the Tantrums, “Pickin’ up the Pieces” from last year is a classic. Had I heard it in 2010 it would have been in my top 5. A cross between blue eyed soul and 80’s pop. Great songs and loads of energy.
You are going to have to see Hamell on Trial in concert to get the “Best of” CD. It is hand made with no real packaging; and it doesn’t matter. Part humorist, part punk rocker with an acoustic guitar, Ed Hamell serves up a social piece of pie that will make you laugh and think.
The Civil Wars are another Boy/Girl band. And like so many others, they have pooled their talents and created a strong CD, “Barton Hollow”. Not really folk. Definetely not Country. It is just good music.
Abigail Washburn plays banjo, but “City of Refuge” isn’t a bluegrass album. It is a blend of many styles and the results are at times incredibly beautiful. If you love cross genre CDs, head over and pick this one up right now.
I’ve never seen Todd Snider Live and after hearing “Todd Snider Live - The Storyteller”, I cannot wait. He is funny and socially relevant, telling his tales of mushrooms and football and getting beat up in school. His in-between talks are as much fun as the songs themselves.
Baseball season is well underway and time for another batch of songs from “The Baseball Project”. This one, titled “Volume 2: High and Inside” continues with the tales, both touching and outlandish, about baseball. The band includes Peter Buck and Steve Wynn. If you love baseball songs, how can you not love this.
Each time I go to Austin I try and fit in a Matt the Electrician concert, and always fail to see him. Now that I have heard his “Is Alive” CD, I will try even harder next year. Wonderful songs with great players. Sort of a folky, banjo-y, Scrappy kind of album.
Drive-By Truckers have a new CD called “Go-Go Boots” and they continue to tell their small town stories. Another solid CD.
Joan Armatrading’s new CD, “Live at the Royal Albert Hall” is her best live CD in 30 years. Joan, for the first time, really shows us how good a guitar player she is. But this isn’t just a guitar album as most of the hits are included. Nicely recorded, with her best live arrangements since she stripped down the size of the band. Required for all Joan fans.

James McMurtry at McCabes April 30th

2011-05-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

I guess it is getting redundant when I apologize for running late updating this blog. So, I’ll stop apologizing. And with that being said...

Last weekend we had the pleasure of seeing James McMurtry and Sean Rowe at McCabe’s in Santa Monica. It was a sell out and I was excited because I’ve never seen James McMurtry without his band. Sean Rowe opened for him, doing a typical (for McCabe’s) short set of about 4 songs. He has the deep voice of a Greg Brown and some exceptional songwriting skills. I just started to listen to his latest CD and it sure sounds like it is going to be a favorite of mine. He had an interesting presence on stage. A bit crazy. A bit scary. And then he’d talk to us and was so mellow. But when he would play his guitar and sing, he put his entire body into it. I can’t wait to hear more from him.

James was as good solo as he is with his band. His songwriting is so good, you sometimes forget that he is an exceptional guitar player. He isn’t too talkative on stage, but he was a bit more so this night. Still he would apologize for talking to us while tuning. For all his talent, he comes off as a humble man. The night’s music was very much about the common man. Songs like “Ruby and Carlos” make you want to cry. “Can’t Make it Here Anymore” is fast becoming a classic. As always, one of the highlights was “Choctaw Bingo”. He appeared a bit disappointed that the crowd didn’t get up and dance. And of course, there were no Continental Club go go dancers to add to the fun. But man he just rocked the place with only an acoustic guitar. And then there is that guitar playing. He never spends a lot of time showing off. He just makes it seem so easy and it fits so well. He gave us over an hour and a half of music and we wanted so much more.

SXSW 2011 Wednesday 16th

2011-03-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has taken me over a week to start getting these posts out. But, the music came first, then sleep. So... Here is what happened on Wednesday...

Wednesday is the first official day of SXSW and I’m already tired. :-) Luckily, I wasn’t planning on getting up early, so after sleeping in I grabbed a shuttle to downtown (they run throughout the conference week). The shuttle drops you off on the East side and I was heading to Waterloo on the west side (about a mile and a quarter). As I walked down 6th Street, memories of my first visit to Austin 10 years ago started rushing back to me. 6th Street, which is closed, is filled with people young and old (mainly 20 somethings) and there is music coming from every direction. At about Guadalupe Street I realized that I would rather be walking across downtown during SXSW then across Zilker Park during ACL. The list of why I already love SXSW over ACL is growing by the hour.

Waterloo Records has converted their entire parking lot into a music venue for this week. Arriving just before 2pm, I had no problem getting fairly close to the stage. Within minutes, Wild Flag started playing. They are a girl band. Let me rephrase that... They are a hard rockin’ girl band. As hard as their music was, they also came across a lot sweeter than you’d expect. I think the Runaways set the tone years ago and if you’re an all girl band these days you are either a sweet pop band or a hard, angry rock band. Wild Flag rocked hard, but when they talked to the audience, they were like the girls next store. It was a nice contradiction as they won over the audience.

I moved up to the front of the stage for Fitz and the Tantrums. Even though they are a So Cal band, I hadn’t seen them yet, so this was one of my must see shows; and they didn’t disappoint. Filled with the energy of a dozen bands, Michael Fitzpatrick lead the band through a blue-eyed soul experience filtered through 80’s pop (and I don’t think that really describes it). Now take all of Michael’s energy and multiply it by two and that will give you Noelle Scaggs who sings backup, some lead vocals and works hard to energize the crowd. It is just one fun crazy show that never lets up. Do not miss them when they come to your town.

It was now late afternoon and I had a few hours to kill. I found a bar that served food and waited patiently while Shurman, an Austin band, played. By the end of their set, a waitress had not even considered talking to me, so I wandered around downtown, and found a restaurant that I had walked quickly past earlier. Exene had been playing on their porch at the time and it was packed. Now it was fairly open so I grabbed a quick burger and continued on.

It took a bit to find The Ginger Man. They were doing concerts on their back patio and it was like a big country picnic. I sat through a couple of interesting bands while awaiting The Latebirds from Finland. Marcus is their lead singer and I met him a few years ago waiting in the band will call line for tickets to the Springsteen shows at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. He was a really nice guy and from there I ended up getting a couple of his CDs which we play regularly here on The Promise. His voice has always reminded me of Al Stewart and the band’s arrangements are always full and exciting. They played a few new tunes along with a few from the CDs that I have, doing a great job of converting those nicely produced songs into live pieces that worked well.

Downtown was getting more crowded by the minute and by the time I hit the Red River District, the streets were jammed with people. I decided to go early to the Red Eyed Fly to catch Liam Finn (Neil’s boy) which meant sitting through a couple of bands while waiting. Again, it was a backyard patio, but it was covered with an attic above the stage (I know this because we watched a raccoon climb a wall and go up above the stage into the attic. There were plenty of problems during the two band’s sets, from losing their drummer because of visa issues to not being able to plug in the keyboard because it was designed for English plugs not American. Still, the two bands played well and the fans seemed to love them. I somehow found myself at the front of the stage by the time Liam hit and was blown away by the manic energy he delivered with his small but loud band. It was a great test for my video recorder, which I thought did pretty well. When he wants to, Liam can write great melodies. But, there is an anger in some of his music and if you aren’t ready for it, you may not be able to handle it. Imagine crossing Neil Finn with Nine Inch Nails. It is an interesting combination, and we got a nice half hour of it.

I slipped out a bit early to make sure I could get into Sharon Van Etten’s performance at the Swan Dive. Not having a wristband, both the Finn and Van Etten shows cost me $13 each (for 20 to 30 minutes). But they were well worth it. It also meant that I had to wait for all of the wristbanded people to go first. Luckily I got in and found a nice spot on a riser against the side wall. The stage was set up in the front of the bar with white drapes surrounding it and most of the lighting coming from the floor. This gave it a home concert feel which was perfect (if not for pictures) for the music. Sharon’s current EP is so good it is scary and her and her two piece band delivered it during their 20 minute set. Easily one of the highlights of a highlight filled day.

After the show, I walked back to the convention center and caught a shuttle back to the hotel. It seems that everyone in Austin has two jobs (Deborah told me she thought that the second job for most seemed to be a masseuse) and our shuttle driver was an urban farmer who teaches others how to set up farm coops. No, this isn’t Texas, it’s Austin.

SXSW 2011 - Tuesday

2011-03-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day in Austin. Okay, by the time I got out of bed, worked out and got dressed the day was half over. But, it was beautiful from that point on. The first stop was food. Usually, the 3 or 4 of us would head over to Chuy’s for some excellent Tex/Mex, but I’m alone for the first part of this trip so I just headed over there by myself. I do love the people of Austin and the bartender at Chuy’s was as nice as they come. I had a margarita for lunch (which is rare for me) to go with my Elvis Presley Memorial Combo (3 different enchiladas and a crispy taco... no wonder he died young). I then headed into downtown where I met up with Guy, a friend who was working the MTV special (I guess the Foo Fighters were going to be performing). He gave me tour a of the set and we caught up (I only see him once a year, if that). After that, it was a quick stop and a bunch of money spent at Waterloo Record Store (I won’t even mention the short stop at Amy’s Ice Cream next store). Since SXSW hadn’t officially started, I headed back to hotel, worked on the computer for a bit and then headed out for some music.

There always seems to be a good band playing at The Saxon Pub and with all of the choices this night, it was the combination of bands that led me there.

Up first: Bruce Hughes. I believe I saw Bruce last October. Many of his songs have this funky groove, which I love, but... It is the short 3 minute blasts of pop that come out occasionally that make you wonder why he isn’t bigger than this. He gave us both in a set that just flew by.

Up next was Kurt BoDean of the BoDeans. He has a new band called Wirefence and they are your typical Austin musicians: Really talented and very tight. The sound is very similar to a BoDeans sound, although maybe a bit more serious. Still he had the girls up front dancing. He kept the BoDeans songs to a minimum and concentrated on his newer material. All and all a very good show.

The evening finished up with Curtis McMurtry. For those who don’t know... In the beginning there was Larry McMurtry. He begat The Last Picture Show, Lonesome Dove and James McMurtry (a great singer songwriter). James begat “We Can’t Make it Here Anymore” (look it up on Youtube, you won’t be sorry) and Curtis McMurtry. Curtis, still very young (almost everyone in the band had Xs on their hands because they weren’t old enough to drink), has a unique vision and isn’t afraid to go after it. Playing with a drummer and stand up bass (plastic) player, he also had two women flanking the stage. One played the trombone and did almost all of the soloing for the night. The other sang backup vocals, played clarinet and baritone tuba. It was an interesting sound; youthful and filled with energy. His lyrics, from what I could hear, were often funny or at least interesting. Those of us who hung around for the finish really enjoyed the set. He is someone worth keeping an eye on.

SXSW 2011 - Monday

2011-03-14T23:24:00.001-07:00

The music portion of South by Southwest hasn’t started yet, but that isn’t going to keep me from checking out the music here in Austin. My first stop for the week was at Whip In, a convenience store that sells Indian food and has a small stage for music. After circling around I-35 for 20 minutes, I met up with Deb and Linda. Tonight was all about the voices and the songwriting as Bettysoo and Jess Klein shared the stage.

This is really the first time I’ve gotten to hear Bettysoo live (small inside joke there) and it was well worth the wait. Looking at her, you do not expect the big voice that comes out. But it’s more than just volume; it is the nuances as well that define her sound. Sometimes there is a twang in her voice, but whatever style it takes, the passion and beauty are a thing to behold. I understand she has a new CD coming out in May and then will be touring with it. If she comes to your town, do not miss her.

I have never seen Jess Klein in concert, although I own some of her music. You can pretty much copy and paste the last paragraph. Jess has a gorgeous voice and her new songs sound fantastic. There is no date on a new CD, but I can hardly wait.

We chatted with both them after the show for close to an hour. It was a fun way to get the week started. I took some videos but was playing with the volume control and it didn’t come out well at all. I hope to get another shot at recording them later this week.

Sam Phillips - 2004

2011-03-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

Seven years ago I met Sam Phillips after a performance at the Getty in Los Angeles. It was the first of 10 shows and almost as many conversations over the next 12 months. It was an amazing time and I was more then infatuated with Sam, her music and her band. At the time I hadn't started writing my blog, but I posted the details of the shows and our conversations in the World Class Rock music group on Yahoo. During those days, it might have been a bit impolite to discuss Sam's divorce in a real public place like a blog. But, seven years later, I don't think I'm telling any stories that should be kept secret. What follows are the postings that I made during that year, along with posts from friends who commented on my posts. Although I've eliminated some of the comments because they weren't relevant to the story, I did not edit any of my posts (although it would be a much faster read) so that I had a more accurate document of that year. If you've got a few minutes to spare, sit back and enjoy. We start with the evening of March 12th, 2004. My first post was short but sweet...

Friday March 12:

I’m in heaven…

Saturday March 13:

I’ve got to take a bit of time to write the review and my daughter is waiting for me to take her and her friend to Main Place to see some of the Harry Potter cast (none of the big stars). So, this is the brief version:

Most important, Sam will be playing 3 nights at Largo’s, April 27-29. The 27^th is the day her new CD comes out. I haven’t called yet, but that is where I plan to be. I may want to go to the other shows too. I’ll end this email and start typing the review. If I finish before my daughter gets back, great, otherwise, you’ll get it tonight.

Later that night:

Okay, the Sam Phillips review in all its glory. :-)

So, we’ve all had those moments of anxiety where we are waiting for someone to perform and we’ve been waiting for 10 years or more. Will they be as good as we hope? Will they have a real personality and give us a great memory? Will the audience be perfect? Well two out of three wasn’t bad. The guy next to me had enough mucus to feed the world. He snorted and hacked every 15 or 20 seconds throughout the entire show. It was so annoying, and yet, he may have just been sick and wanted to see Sam. Or maybe he was just an annoying person who didn’t realize how loud he was. I never looked at him, never said a word to him. And maybe God (this is Sam, what is a Sam review without the mention of God) looked down on me and smiled (or was laughing at me). But I digress (not that I have anything to digress from yet)…

The Auditorium at the Getty is a beautiful hall and has excellent acoustics. Of course it helped that I was 3^rd row, dead center. Sam was singing just to me. I swear. (At this point I need to interrupt myself and apologize. I still haven’t come down from the evening and that means I’m going to be even wordier than usual. Okay, back to the review). So, the lady from the Getty introduces Sam and The Section Quartet and out come the strings. The SQ perform rock classics using 2 violins, a viola (extra points to those of you who know the difference) and a cello. These aren’t the usual hacks though. There combined discography includes: Wilco, Fiona Apple, Pink, Grant-Lee Phillips, Alejandro Escovedo, Better Than Ezra, Mariah Carey, Alison Krauss, The Bangles, Elton John, Smashing Pumpkins, Gillian Welch, Lowen & Navarro (That was nice of them to mention L&N), Britney Spears, Eve 6, Dishwalla, Clint Black, Trisha Yearwood, N-Sync and Destiny’s Child. Their 20 minute set was very enjoyable. They left the stage and without introduction Sam cautiously approached the microphone. She then said, “Ladies and Gentleman please welcome Sam Phillips”. That is her sense of humor and it carried on throughout the evening. Her band consisted of Patrick Warren (Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann, Liz Phair, and last years Melissa Etheridge tour) on keyboards and Jay Bellerose (Paula Cole, Beck, Aimee Mann, Solomon Burke and Duncan Sheik) on drum kit. And yes, all this info came from the program, although my friend Kim is a big fan of Jay and Patrick and recognized them immediately. They played for about 50 minutes with and without the strings, and Sam did a few songs without the band. All of the music before the encore was from the up coming CD and her last CD, Fan Dance. Her voice is still so beautiful, and her guitar playing was rough but honest (I have no idea what that means). Actually, she used the word wobbly. I like the new material. It seems to be similar to Fan Dance; simple arrangements with an almost European flair. Every so often, she would talk to the audience. The combination of her self deprecation and her very dry sense of humor made for some interesting (and some of us thought very funny) moments. She came back for an encore alone. Just her and her little micro recorder (the type used to record dictation). All the instrumentation was on the tape and she sang “Animals on Wheels”. Every so often, during the solos, she would shake the tape deck causing it to warble. It was a great effect and a very fun way to end the evening. But it wasn’t the end for me…

My friend Kim really wanted to go home so we started walking out. I then asked my daughter Jessie if she wanted a CD. She said yes, so we said goodbye to Kim and went back upstairs. A few minutes later, Sam walked out of the auditorium. I couldn’t believe it! I really didn’t expect her to come out. There weren’t that many people around. She talked to a couple of fans, and said goodbye to her daughter (around 6 and looks just like her) and then it was our turn. We chatted for hours, but it was probably only a couple of minutes. I asked if she was going to tour with this CD and she said yes. I asked about more local shows and she said she was going to be back at Largo in April (more on that later). I told her I’d be there. I invited her to Austin. She loves Austin and was going to look into playing the ACL festival (we’ll see). I asked her if she could play some old material and she said that they had worked up a version of “I need love”. I sighed (yes I did) and said that was the one song I would have loved to see her perform. She said that The Getty had a strict time limit and that she would play it at Largo for me. Let’s see, what else… She asked our opinions on hall sizes and I mentioned the Bruce Cockburn song that she inspired, and that my friend Deb saw her on tour with him many years ago. And, and… I floated away.

I guess I should explain… There are three women in rock that have a magical influence over me: Joni Mitchell (whom I’ve seen many times in concert but I really don’t want to meet because I know I’ll be disappointed), Kate Bush (who I’ll only be able to see if I fly to England) and Sam (who I had never seen before the other night). So I’m on cloud nine, seventh heaven and my feet haven’t touched the ground since Friday night. Oh and during the evening she said at the end of a story that she realized that she failed in love. Does that mean she is no longer with T-Bone Burnett? Another reason to be flying.

Okay, if you made it this far, you are a Sam fan hopefully. She is playing Largo April 27,28 and 29. I’ve called in and left a message asking for reservations for the 27^th (the day her CD goes on sale) and the 29^th. Anyone want to join me (if I get in)?

March 18:

Sam is playing at a restaurant/bar called Tangier, located just off of Los Feliz, this Wednesday the 24^th. I called the place and it only holds about 150. Doors open sometime after 8pm (apparently a very relaxed schedule there). Anyone interested in meeting up there?

March 25:

Okay, it’s a good time to take a programming break anyways…

First Tangier: A beautiful restaurant with excellent food. The club is behind the bar and is the size of a large living room (remember when homes used to have living rooms?). It can probably get 150 people in there. There are a few couches up front with small tables, and then 2 of the walls are lined with cushioned benches and a 3^rd wall has a long full service bar. I ended up leaning against a large wooden enclosed cabinet that was about 10 feet from Sam.

The opening act was a guy named John Gold. He is an excellent songwriter and had some very interesting arrangements which included a trombone. At one point there were 6 band members on a very small corner style stage. They seemed to be having fun, which I love seeing at shows.

Sam continues to be Sam. The show was very similar to her show at the Getty, without the strings. I stole a set list, so… here is what she was going to and probably did play:

Pilgram Traveler

Hot to Quit

I wanted to be Alone

Soul Eclipse

All Night

Taking Pictures

Red Silk Five

I Dreamed I stopped Dreaming

Infiltration

I Want To Be Your Man (Yes, the Beatles cover. Very funny coming from her)

Reflecting Light

If I Could Write

Say What You Mean

One Day Late

Animals on Wheels (encore)

With a speaker right over my head (or at least it felt like it) her lyrics came in crystal clear. The new songs seemed to always be somewhere between humor and heartbreak. And heartbreak seemed to be in her voice last night as she continued to talk about failing at love. After relating a Mr. Rogers song about not going down the drain to her predicament, she then wished everyone in the audience who was in the same boat to not go down the drain and maybe become a torch singer (which I think is the way she sees herself right now). At one point she asked Patrick (keyboards) to “take a letter” as she dictated a love letter to some male rock star (whose name I’ve already forgotten). “Of course”, she dictated, “it will never work since you require your lovers to have male parts and I have none”, and then later, “But maybe you have enough male parts for both of us”. That is when she sang, “I want to be your man”. I’ve said this before, but, I love her sense of humor. I never realized just how funny she is. Her music has always been so serious.

She called this performance (about 50 minutes) a rehearsal and hinted at another show real soon. So keep your eyes open. And there are still reservations available for the Largo shows in April.

Oh, and if she is still together with T-Bone Burnett, I'll eat my hat.

March 25 still...

I had a bit more to say about her performance that I forgot to mention
in the previous email so...

Her guitar playing seemed more at ease last night as compared to the
Getty show. She says that she will never be able to play a good guitar,
but you couldn't tell last night. And her voice, as always, could "melt
the frozen sea inside me". :-)

April 28th

From raw power (Beth Hart) to sublime beauty (Sam Phillips), it’s been a wonderful couple of days. So, first up the set list:

Foolin Myself

How to Quit

Fan Dance

000

I want to be your man

Taking Pictures

Animals on Wheels

Edge of the World

I dreamed I stopped Dreaming

Infiltration

Drawman

Reflecting Light

If I could write

Say What you mean

One Day Late

The show was about 70 minutes long and ended with an a cappella song that I didn’t know. The Section Quartet performed on about 5 of the songs. Also, from the set list, Red Silk 5 was not performed. Sam told me after the show that with the dry air, she was having trouble with the low notes, and so cut the song.

It’s hard to compare Sam shows. It is a combination of beauty, style, humor and passion. It almost doesn’t matter which songs she plays. It all comes out, and you walk away feeling wonderful. The big difference in the song selection this time (compared to the Getty and Tangiers shows), besides adding 000, was that she moved “Animals on Wheels” from the encore to the middle of the set. It added a bit more humor in the middle and let her finish with the moving a cappella number. She also dropped “I want to be alone” (which reminds me… fire the idiot who taped her video KCRW show. It is fun watching her sing that song, and he spent over ½ the song focusing on the other players! HELLO!!! Sorry.) which I love watching her perform.

Each show seems to be getting more personal (by the way, read below of info on her marital status). She added a new rap/story involving psychotherapy and selling her body for $10,000 a day. Each story is not only cute/funny, but cathartic for her I believe. She continues to tell the story about her failing at love and the very funny love story for the gay rock star (“I know you can never love me because I don’t have male parts, but you have enough male parts for both of us”) but at the end of the show tonight she also was trying to let everyone know how personal it really was. She was actually having trouble spitting out the words and then someone in the audience said, “Say what you mean” and she said, “Yes, exactly”. It almost looked like she was holding back tears (I was as close as anyone to the stage, and her eyes seemed to get a bit wet… hard to tell though). I’m not sure why this show was so much more personal for her, but there is no doubt she is laying it all out there. The stories add power and significance to the songs and it could have gotten real depressing if it weren’t for the humor behind almost everything.

Okay, now for the fun part. When she comes to your town, do not be afraid. She will not bite. She treats everyone as if they are a good friend and is willing to spend minutes not seconds talking to you after the show. This is your chance. Go up and talk to her. Our conversation bounced all over the place. For those of you who watched the KCRW show and got a giggle out of her pajama jokes, she didn’t realize until I told her that with the video there, people could see what they were wearing. She was very embarrassed. Mike, she failed the child name test, but she is coming to D.C. so call her people if you want her on your show. Lynne, sorry we got separated, and that you didn’t get a dinner table, but you did get to sit at the bar. I told her that her daughter looks just like her; with her short straight blonde hair. She said that she had it cut to be just like mommy’s. She loved my friend’s Beatle’s purse, and was excited to know that one of her songs influenced my daughter to paint a picture. Finally, I couldn’t hold out any longer. I had to ask. It may have been rude, but she was so personable it just felt right. Here is exactly how the conversation went:

Me: So, can I ask the question? (she smiled and nodded). Are you and T-Bone split up?

Sam: (she delayed for a second and then smiled) We are for now.

Me: For now? I guess that means you aren’t accepting applications for marriage proposals? (Sam bent over laughing)

Sam: Well, we did file, but I’m not sure where it is going from here.

She mentioned how she couldn’t imagine them not staying friends and co-workers. She also said that he is in the studio creating his own CD finally and that if I didn’t have his self titled CD/album I should go find it because it is amazing. We talked a bit about divorce and such and then wished each other well. And the evening was over. I know, I can’t believe I asked her. And I can’t believe I sort of proposed too. :-) But it was so much fun getting her to laugh that hard.

April 30

So, what will probably be my last view of Sam Phillips on this tour took a left turn tonight. It was a night of survival for her, and luckily the music was good enough to make it. Apparently, either last night or today, Sam was informed that Jay (the drummer) had bolted from the tour to join the Joe Henry tour in Europe. When you only have a 3 piece band and one piece leaves, there is usually a huge hole. So, there was Sam and Patrick for half of the night all by themselves. No percussion. The Section Quartet performed on about half of the songs, but losing the drummer really shook up Sam. She cut out two stories and several songs, and I believe the set was only about 45 minutes. She seemed very distracted when she talked to the audience. You could tell she was really trying to suck it up and make it through the show. “I’m not going to cry” she said early on, but you got the feeling she might.

Having said all that, she was marvelous. None of the songs suffered much, and it was nice hearing them even more stripped down. She did mess up once. Right near the end of “Help is coming”, she got lost on the lyrics and had to stop the song. She talked about it for a minute, made us all laugh, regrouped, figured out where she was, and finished the song.

It was a unique evening: Not her best. But Sam at her least is better than most.

May 5th

by Lynne Bronstein

Yes, I finally got to see and meet Sam. Bruce, I see why you love
her. She says to tell you to bring cookies next time you see her.

And then me:

Lynne,

Glad you were able to meet her. She is a wonderful person. And the
chatting with everyone is how she is. I always got several minutes with
her after the shows. She is just friendly and very appreciative of her
fans.

So, what's this "cookies" thing?

And then Lynne again:

Well-umm-"I can’t believe I asked her. And I can’t believe I sort of proposed too." That's what you wrote last week. I jokingly mentioned this to Sam-you'll kill me but my life is so messed up right now you might as well go ahead and kill me. So she said that if you brng her some cookies she might consider your proposal. Far be it from me to be the go-between in your little "romance" but she was so friendly I just blurted it out. I'm sorry.

Then Bill Chimed in:

Bruce,

Start making those cookies! Go for the traditional oatmeal & raisin, as well as the old stand-by chocolate chip. If someone else knows a sure fire cookie for Sam, chime in.

Cheers,

Bill

Then Susie:

I personally would go for the plain and simple sugar cookie, cut into cute shapes (hearts)

LOL….Bring a basket full Bruce.

And then back to me:

Lynne,

I’m sorry your life is “messed up” right now. Maybe you just gave yourself some good karma.

If it’s cookies she wants, it’s cookies she gets. :-) My sister bakes real good cookies. I’ll get her a nice variety. Thanks to you all for the cookie suggestions.

June 3^rd:

It was my fifth show of this pre-tour, and probably the best. First up, the set list (just as it was written):

Foolin’ Myself

How to Quit

All Night

I Wanted to be Alone

Open the World

Red Silk 5

I wanna Be Your Man

Taking Pictures

Animals on Wheels

Wasting Time

I dreamed I stopped Dreaming

Infiltration

Draw Man

When You’re Down

Reflecting Light

Fan Dance

If I Could Write

Say What you Mean

One Day Late

Pilgrim song (not sure of the title, it wasn’t listed on the set list)

This was the final show before Sam starts her tour, and it was, in my opinion her best show yet. You guys around the country are in for a treat. She is singing the new songs with lots of confidence now. She has pretty much settled on her stories and jokes and did a good job delivering them. Sam calls her self a torch singer on this tour, and by the end of the show you will agree. There is lots of pain, but the humor takes the edge off. They added several new songs to the set including “Red Silk 5”, which she had intended to perform last month, but because of the dry weather couldn’t because she was unable to hit the low notes. As it was, she struggled just a bit. Jay has re-joined the band at drums and the band continues to add just the right touch to augment Sam’s beautiful singing. It is a special show.

Okay, now, before I talk about my chat with Sam after the show, I should probably catch everyone up… So, for those who missed it, last month I asked Sam if she was split up with T-Bone. She had said, “For Now”, and I found myself proposing marriage to her. It was a fun moment that she didn’t just blow off, and I’ll always love her for that. :-) So a couple of weeks later, Lynne saw her perform at Borders and somehow she found a way to bring up my proposal. Sam told her something to the effect that I should bring cookies if I really want to win her over. So, I immediately called one of my favorite people in the world, my sister, who also happens to be an excellent baker. Could you? Would you?

So, tonight, after the show, armed with a basket of cookies and a note (which I will not go into) I approached Sam. “Someone told me to bring you cookies”. She appeared shocked, amazed and delighted all at once. When I started to tell her that it was a woman at Borders, the recognition clicked and you could add embarrassment to that list. I decided not to push the whole marriage thing. I was just so thrilled that she was so excited to get the cookies. By the way, a basket of cookies should pretty much guarantee a hug from her. We chatted a bit about T-Bone’s self titled LP, which she had recommended to me and which I just found on EBay. It is an excellent album if you can find it. I wished Sam well, and walked away smiling. I’m not sure anything will ever compare to these last few months of shows.

Those of you who are thinking of maybe seeing her in more than one city, I highly recommend you make your plans because you will be kicking yourself after the show. One show is just not enough. And please go up to her and talk to her. I really believe that she loves it. And bring her cookies. Wouldn’t that be a fun joke and a nice conversation starter? Think about it.

Those of you on the WCR list, thanks for indulging me on this. Mike understands, I know. By the way, Sam will be doing a live Loft Session on The Loft on XM radio sometime in the near future.

August 3rd

Thank you I think… I’ve gone from seeing Sam free at the Getty in February and chatting with her afterward to paying $100 a ticket to sit in the front row and then meet with her and Bruce after the show. Oh well. It is Sam. :-)

August 27

Tuesday night was Sam Phillips and Bruce Cockburn in Hermosa Beach.

Sam was wonderful as always. She played 50 minutes but got in 14 songs. Here is the song list:

Foolin' Myself
How to Quit
All Night
I wanted to be alone
Animals on Wheels
Was it all in my head
Infiltration
Incinerator
I dreamed I stopped dreaming
When you're down
Fan Dance
Say what you mean
Reflecting light
One day late

There was only one story this time (the Mr. Rogers story/song) but she did joke with the audience a bit: AND they got her and were actually laughing. Most of the time, she makes people a bit uncomfortable because they aren’t sure if it is a joke. It seems she likes creating that edge. I told her about the audience reaction and she was surprised. She said she didn’t hear it. The new songs (“Was it all in my head” and “When you’re down”) are very good and could easily have been on “A Boot and a Shoe”. She is working on more music and may have another CD out in record time (that would be less than 2 years). We, Jess and I, had front row in the corner. So I got to watch Jay play percussion. He is an amazing guy to watch, and his layer of sound and rhythm compliment Sam’s new music. For those wondering about the cookies… I didn’t bring any (a good thing too, because they served us cookies after the show). But Sam recognized me and gave me a big hug when we came up; saying something to the effect that she saw us earlier. That put a smile on my face.

Bruce Cockburn was his amazing self: Playing, picking and pretty much controlling his acoustic guitars while singing about the problems of the world. Bruce solo is just a great show. So… he’s introducing this song from his latest CD called “Postcards from Cambodia”. Do I need to tell you what it is about? He said it was the type of song his manager hated for him to record. It is dark and long. After the song and the thunderous applause, someone from the audience yelled, “Let’s see Buffett cover that one”. Bruce laughed and then said, “Jimmy Buffett has been very good to me. He has created several good covers of my songs. I don’t think he will be covering that one. Although, you never know”.

Okay, so I have to side track here… I was in a bar having lunch (don’t go there) and this old 60’s song comes on and I’m sort of moving around to it and someone says, “So, how many Jimmy Buffett concerts have you been to?” So, I can’t help it if he has good taste in what he decides to cover. How was I to know it was him? :-) And like the Dixie Chicks, who I’m not really a big fan of either, I can only thank him for helping to fill Bruce’s wallet and make him that much more independent of the record companies.

Back to the show. Bruce played about 1.75 hours and sang songs from all over his career. It was very similar to the last 2 shows I’ve seen.Can’t really complain about that. They have all been good shows.

December 6

Hope to see as many of you as possible at Sam Phillips tonight. It is at the Troubadour. I’m sure there are still tickets, but don’t take any chances. Get yours before it is too late. :-) This is Sam’s final show for awhile. She is going to start work on her next CD and won’t be touring for awhile. God, how will I get through 2005? Anyway, the Section Quartet will again be joining her. You’ve just gotta hear them play Tool and Radiohead in the same set. They are very cool.

December 7

It was a magical and bittersweet night for me. After 11 months of touring with her new CD, Sam was playing her final night of the tour at the Troubadour in L.A. For me, it was the last of 8 concerts seeing her as either the headliner, opening for Bruce Cockburn or as a participant with the Section Quartet. I had waited 15 plus years to see her and could not get enough this year. I feel very lucky to be living in Southern California and to have had this opportunity.

So, when I say that last night was magical and that this may have been the best performance of the lot, understand that I may be overstating things a bit. But it was. The band played wonderfully. Sam was in good voice, and her guitar playing was smooth and even powerful at times. I chatted with Jay after the show and asked him if it was me or did they take “When You’re Down” up 4 or 5 notches. He said, “absolutely”. For those of you who have heard it, you’ll be surprised when I tell you that Jay was pounding the drums like he was working for some young rocker, and Sam was cranking on the rhythm guitar. It was easily the most potent moment of all of the concerts I’ve seen from her this year. But, for me, every moment had its magic. Every time a violin crept into the sound I smiled. Every time, Jay would reach down below his drum kit and somehow come up with a new noise, I grinned. Every time Sam looked out at the audience, with that funny joking look, as she always does after the last verse in “I Wanted to be Alone”, I laughed. I can tend to drift a bit during concerts but I’ve never been so in the moment. It was wonderful. The set list was pretty similar to the other concerts I’ve seen, with the exception of adding “Is That Your Zebra?”. I don’t believe I had heard that one. At the end of the evening, Sam did the: “Okay, I’ll pretend to walk off and you pretend to give me an ovation and then I’ll do an encore”. The audience gave her a huge ovation. I think she was a bit overwhelmed and actually gave us a bow. After her fake encore, she left the stage, but the audience had not had enough. She came back to sing “Fooling Myself”, and the evening was over. Sam played about 70 minutes; a very typical length. Below you will find the set list. I wish someone had recorded that show. It was a special one.

For those of you in L.A. who would really like to catch at least a glimpse of Sam, she will be at The Echo in Echo Park, playing a couple of songs with The Section Quartet on Thursday the 27^th of January.

My favorite after concert moment came while I was talking to Daphne of the Section Quartet. I asked her how the benefit they played in Austin for Alejandro Escovedo went. She said, “we did our version of Crooked Frame”, and I interrupted her and said, “That’s the one you arranged, right?” She said “yea”, then “YEA”. She was surprised that I knew she arranged it. Generally Eric arranges the songs. I’m not sure I conveyed how cute this moment was. Her surprise and excitement that someone knew she arranged a piece of music was classic.

Another highlight to the show was that the Troubadour decided to put seats on the floor. So, we sat right up front the whole evening.

It was good seeing Lynne and Susie again, and my daughter and her two friends loved the show.

Below you will find the set list:

Edge of the World

Zero Zero Zero

How to Quit

All Night

Was It All In My Head

I Wanted to be Alone

Fandance

Animals On Wheels

When You’re Down

Is That Your Zebra?

I Dreamed I Stopped Dreaming

Taking Pictures

If I Could Write

Infiltration

Drawman

Reflecting Light

(fake encore)

Say What You Mean

One Day Late

(real encore)

Fooling Myself

January 28,2005

It was a wonderful finale for the Section Quartet's residency at The Echo. They again had over 300 people in attendance to see them and their guest stars.

The opening band, The Ditty Bops, were a wonderful sort of country swing band with some demented lyrics and two female lead singers. The women played guitar and mandolin and they were supported by a stand up bass, violin and keyboards. Lots of fun.

The Section came on and played a couple of songs, including my current favorite, "Grace" by Jeff Buckley. The first guest was a guy who's name I can never remember; something Maldinado or something like that. They joke that he channels Morrissey, and he does a great job on his music. I've seen him before with The Section. Then up came Sam Phillips. Now, the deal
was: Each performer would do one of their songs and one cover. Sam performed a beautiful, scary version of "Edge of the World" and then covered beautifully, "Green Grass" from Tom Waits latest CD.

Up next was Greg Dulli from the Afghan Whigs. He had enough attitude to fill a couple of rooms. He was also the crowd favorite based on the amount of yelling and applause that he garnered. I couldn't tell you what song of his he performed with The Section, but his cover song was an old UFO number. He spent most of that song sitting at a table that was put on the side of the stage (it looked like he was in a club watching the band... cute idea), drinking from a shot glass and smoking a cig.

Finally, Grant Lee Phillips came up; guitar in hand he sang one of his songs and then did a cover of Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes". That was it. Clocking in at just over an hour, it was short but very sweet.

That's about it. I chatted with Sam and Eric but don't really have anything to report. Oh wait, I do. I was chatting about all the Phillips around (I brought up Glen Phillips) and wondered aloud that they must all be related. Sam said, "We must be, but we're all afraid to find out". Very cute line.

I am heading into the most intense concert week that I have ever had. On February the 8th I will be seeing Jill Sobule at Largo. Then Deb comes out and we do 4 nights in a row from the 10th to the 13th. And then on the 16th is Sam at The Silverlake Lounge. That's six shows in 9 nights. I must be crazy.

February 17

This was my first trip to the Silverlake Lounge. It’s not a place I am looking forward to going back to. It’s not in the greatest neighborhood and there is NO parking. None. I parked several blocks away in a residential neighborhood and walking back to my car (hoping it was still there) at midnight was not a treat either. But more important, the stage is only about 2 feet high (and I’m being generous). Only a handful of the hundred or so who turned out actually got to see her perform. On the plus side, the sound was good; with only one feedback/hum issue during the evening.

So, Sam comes out and I can tell there is something wrong. I’m not sure if it was that the crowd pushed up close to her and her knowing that most people couldn’t see her, or if there was something personal going on. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sam wears her heart on her sleeve on stage and when things are wrong it tends to show up in different stories and some songs seeming to have a strong emotional impact on her. Right off the bat she mentions that there will be much music and much talking and hopefully we’ll be able to find “the show” in it. This reminded me a lot of her performance the night Jay had to fly off to Europe, leaving her without a drummer. This wasn’t as dramatic, but you could feel it. Sam hardly talked to the crowd after that, saving her new story for late in the show. New to the show was a cassette version of “Incinerator” but no shaking of the cassette for solo purposes. This of course meant that she would leave out “Animals on Wheels”.

The story was basically about a boss she had when she was young who believed that God talked to him. He told her that God told him that his wife was going to die and Sam was going to take her place. She asked the audience if anyone knew someone who said that God had talked to them. Someone from the audience yelled out “Bush” and Sam smiled. Now, I’m going to interpret what Sam’s point was, and excuse me if I’m a bit off, but she said something to the effect that she didn’t necessarily believe that God talked to him (and maybe anyone) but she did understand the passion that made him want to believe it. I think the reason she told the story was so that she could say that she believed in wanting to understand what can’t be understood. And I believe that led into “Sister Rosetta…”.

Only one new song this time; “Sister Rosetta Went Before Us”. Without totally ruining the song, I’ll paraphrase a bit of the lyrics which said something like: “I lost the love I never really had, but I can hear the music above my head”. Please, that is just an approximation, but you get the point. She played her two other new songs: “When You’re Down” and “Was it All in My Head”. All three will make an excellent foundation for the new CD. She also performed Tom Waits’ “Green Grass” which she did with the Section Quartet last month. I would love to see her cover it on her next CD. It really fits everything she is singing about these days.

After the show, I was chatting with her and I pulled out the set list and started saying, “What’s this? What’s this?”, poking at the sheet. She didn’t even have to look at what I was poking at. A year ago I started bugging her to play “I Need Love”. It was on the set list but was dropped. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. We were so close this time. Next time”. I’m holding her to that.

Sam played for about 1 hour. Okay, for those interested, here is the set list:

Foolin’ Myself
Zero Zero Zero
How To Quit
All Night
I Wanted to be Alone
Fan Dance
Incinerator
I Dreamed I Stopped Dreaming
Taking Pictures
Soul Eclipse
Was It All in My Head
Infiltration
When You’re Down
Green Grass
Sister Rosetta Went Before Us
Reflecting Light
Say What you Mean
One Day Late

No new concerts are scheduled, but she will be at the next Section Quartet show on March 3rd at Largo and they could get her on stage.

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If you made it this far, you must be one big Sam Phillips fan. I hope you enjoyed it. If you are new to Sam Phillips, check out her Long Play project before it goes away. The Long Play, http://samphillips.com , was easily my second favorite year spent listening to Sam.

New Music February 2011

2011-02-21T11:30:00.001-08:00

Sam Phillips - Cameras in the Sky (2011)
It is hard to believe that the year is over (actually a year and several months). Back in late 2009, Sam Phillips opened the Long Play, a music and art installation. After 45 songs, drum fills of the week, interviews, in-studio videos, blogs and hand made collages, the installation is complete.The final piece is this ten song digital LP, “Cameras in the Sky”. As always, there isn’t a weak song in the batch. While some of the songs fit nicely into her “A Boot and a Shoe” style, Sam continues to play with cranking up the guitar.

I got into my car today and the player was near the end of “Hide Space”, one of the more musically intense songs. It took me a few seconds before I remembered that this was Sam Phillips. I love this band she is playing with. As usual Eric Gorfain on almost everything (violin, guitar, piano, arranging strings), Jay Bellerose on percussion, The Section Quartet, Jennifer Condos on bass and of course Sam on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano and drums. Lyrically, I have to believe that the voyeuristic nature of the music industry coupled with the Internet had to have some influence on her lyrics this time around. Sam has always considered the creation process a private one. So this entire installation has had to balance her privacy with her fans desire to know as much as possible about it. Songs like “When I’m a Camera” and “Hide Space” seem to hint at that. She has done a brilliant job with the balancing act and when the site is finally pulled down (no exact date yet, but maybe only a few months away) I will miss visiting her; not unlike an old store that you love to go back to that is suddenly gone. If you are not a Long Play member, this is your last chance to download all of the songs. Go to http://samphillips.com and sign up before it is too late. Congratulations Sam on a wonderful work of art.
Jill Sobule and John Doe - A Day at the Pass (2011)
A couple of years ago Jill asked her fans to donate to the making of her CD. $80,000 later, she put together the excellent “California Years”. This time around, Jill got together with John Doe and invited her fans into the studio to watch a days worth of work. There was a steep price for a seat (I seem to remember it being $200, but I may be wrong). From that day came this joint CD. I’m calling it a joint CD because, according to Jill, it was supposed to be two separate EPs; one for Jill and one for John. Instead they combined them. Jill sings lead on 5 of the 9 songs and John sings lead on the rest. It is an enjoyable group of songs, with the highlights probably being Jill’s covers. I may be a bit biased but I loved “Never My Love”, but it may be just because I got to sing it onstage with her once several years ago. And her new version of “I Kissed a Girl” is rockin’. The whole album has a very loose feel to it. You can hear Jill call out “bridge” during “Shaky Hands” when the bridge of the song is coming up. Jill and John’s voices compliment each other very nicely and the band arrangements work. If you can’t wait, you can buy the digital copy at Jill’s website: http://jillsobule.com . Otherwise, it will be available at independent record stores soon.
The Decemberists - The King is Dead (2011)
When the Decemberists first signed up with Capital, instead of selling out, they created one of their best CDs (“The Crane Wife”) keeping their unique style but spending more money on production. Then, maybe just to make their point, they followed with a rock opera of sorts (“The Hazards of Love”). In the 70’s, The Who followed “Tommy” with the more straightforward collection on “Who’s Next”. “Tommy” may be the work of art, but most people remember the songs from “Who’s Next”. And like The Who, The Decemberists have created a pop masterpiece after the larger than life opera. If you want to hear how a pop band creates songs that you just have to sing a long with but still hangs on to its integrity, buy “The King is Dead”. Enlisting the help of Peter Buck, The Decemberists came out with a very R.E.M. sound. Still, the ballads are classic Decemberists and the lyrics could come from no other band (how many of you have used the word “panoply” lately?... Defined as: a wide-ranging and impressive array or display). This mainly acoustic CD, is as close to country as The Decemberists have ever gotten. Gillian Welch sings on 7 of the songs and there is plenty of violin and steel guitar. Still, you will not confuse this with Lady Antebellum let alone Taylor Swift. On fist listen I was in love with this collection. Now I’m bracing for the backlash, which will surely come. But, I have no doubt that they will be performing these songs for many years to come.

Eleanor Fye - Love Stays On (2010)
The music on this CD is hard to pigeonhole. There is a little pop, maybe a touch of country, a definite singer/songwriter style and even some jazzier moments. Eleanor has a beautiful voice and it works with all of the styles but seems to work best on the jazzier songs. Get more info at http://eleanorfye.com .

The Decemberists at the House of Blues San Diego

2011-02-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting for this show ever since hearing The Decemberists new CD, "The King is Dead". The album seems geared to be a sing-a-long CD and there may be no better crowd to sing along than a Decemberists crowd.

After a wonderful weekend at the Se hotel, we grabbed a quick dinner at the House of Blues and then got in line. Although I would have loved to be in the middle of the masses of kids singing along to the music, I decided that a balcony seat would do just fine this time. The House of Blues in San Diego has a small but intimate upstairs and we ended up in the front row. Perfect seats. Mountain Man was the opening act; a triplet of women who sang, mainly a cappella. Their music was very traditional folk and they were a lot of fun to watch.

At 9PM The Decemberists hit the stage running. Opening with The Infanta and then three songs from their new CD, they made it clear that they would continue to rely on new material in concert; something they have always done. In all, they sang 6 songs from “The King is Dead”. The rest of the songs came mainly from Picaresque, with a scattering of other selections. Colin Meloy is a perfect front man for all of this, cracking jokes with the band, teasing the audience and guiding us through their dark songs. And the audience eat it up, singing along whether they were asked to or not. Joining The Decemberists on tour this year is Sara Watkins. Her singing and violin playing (not to mention a few songs on guitar) fit so nicely into the arrangements.

The highlight of the evening was the return of “The Mariner’s Revenge Song”, which hasn’t been on their set list much over the last couple of years. To hear an audience sing along to an eight plus minute song that doesn’t even really have a chorus is impressive. And to hear a San Diego crowd pull it off was nothing short of amazing. They closed the evening with a beautiful ballad, “June Hymn”, from the new CD. 2 hours after they hit the stage, the evening was over. It was a perfect ending to a perfect evening.

2010 The Year in Review - Music

2010-12-31T16:10:00.000-08:00

Don’t let anybody tell you it wasn’t a good year for music. I know there were plenty of highlights for me...

Amy Correia started the year off with one of the best independently financed CDs of the year. “You go your way” is a long way from “The Bike” her classic song from 2000. Her voice is gutsier and more mature. Her band and producer were top notch. And her songwriting is still wonderful. I also got to see her live this year and without the band her songs were even more compelling.

This was also the year for the bulk of Sam Phillips “Long Play” project. “Magic for Everybody”, “Old Tin Pan” and “Days of One Night Stands” combined are among the best work she has done. I know that on this list next year I will be talking about the final installment of the project. It isn’t too late to grab all of the music. Just go to http://samphillips.com .

Maybe my favorite song of the year is “Where Are We Now” from the debut CD, “The Burned” from The Burned. Technically, it was released in December of ‘09, but that’s close enough for me. This dark song, with minor chord hooks just gets inside you and won’t let go. Think Pink Floyd or a darker Moody Blues with great guitar work. Or maybe my favorite is Richard Thompson's "If Love Whispers Your Name". Sad, moving and a blistering guitar solo to end this live song that ends the live CD, “Dream Attic”.

I had a couple of favorite concerts this year. On the serious side, The Swell Season played the 120 seat McCabe’s in Santa Monica. It was just the two of them and it doesn’t get any more personal than that. They both told stories and we got even more insight into these lovely people. And the music... As intense as when the whole band is there. On the crazy side, Steve Poltz turned 50 and celebrated with a new CD and a show at The Belly Up in Solana Beach. Everyone from A.J. Croce (Jim’s son and an amazing keyboard player) to Mojo Nixon (they don’t get much more crazy or obscene) showed up to wish Steve a happy birthday and perform. Even the Rugburns (Steve’s old band) reunited for the evening.

If there is a theme to this year, it would be "return to form". A whole bunch of artists have put out there best CD's in years. And a few of them are...

2010 saw the return of Katell Keineg. After two amazing CDs back in the 90’s, support from everyone from Natalie Merchant to Vonda Shepard, she pretty much disappeared. She had released a few CDs (or EPs) but they were lucky to have a single song that was interesting. “At The Mermaid Parade” was a wonderful return to form. It is great to have such a unique artist back, bringing us music.

Allison Moorer's "Crows" was also a return to form. Although she hasn't had a bad CD, this CD is the type of work we expect from such a talented artist.

Maybe I was the only one that didn't like John Hiatt's last CD, but I'm in his corner with this years "The Open Road". Great lyrics, great tunes, great artist.

Joan Armatrading returned to form last year with her excellent blues based CD. This year she brought back her pop side with, “This Charming Life”. Her live show was as good as any of hers since the late 80's.

Any year there is a Kenny White CD, it is a good year. “Comfort in the Static” is another jem.

Alejandro Escovedo teamed up again with Chuck Prophet and Tony Visconti and hit another home run with “Street Songs of Life”; maybe his best CD ever.

2010 I will remember as the year I gave up on Austin's ACL Festival. We did see some good shows (Gogol Bordello was one of my favorites), but even the clubs seemed out of sync this year. When you can only find one good show to see in Austin on a given night, there's something wrong. 2011 will be the year I remember as my first visit to SXSW. Can't wait for March.

In the category of young new bands, Mumford & Sons' rookie release, “Sigh No More”, was one of my favorites as was Angus and Julia Stone’s second domestic release, “Down The Way”. Both featured unique but very accessible music.

Under the category of “They haven’t changed... but who cares”, The latest from The Innocence Mission, “My Room in the Trees” was beautiful and even though we’ve heard it all before, they always make it sound fresh.

And last but not least, there is no competition for the best box set. Bruce Springsteen’s “The Promise”, was just amazing from every angle: A good remastering of “Darkness on the Edge of Town”, packaging that will take weeks for me to browse through, some great concert videos and some great unreleased material from that era. One of the rare times when Bruce gave us so much more than we asked for.

There was plenty of good music this year and I tried to bring as much of it as possible to The Promise. A big thank you to all of my listeners. And for those of you who have written or told me in person how much you like my station... I do it all for you. Have a happy New Years everyone!

Final List of Muisc for 2010

2010-12-31T00:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have a shot at getting through all of the 2010 CDs that I have to review. This is a doable list. :-) It may take a few weeks to get them all loaded on my station, but now I’ll actually have a shot at listing some of my favorites of the year... As soon as I get through the following:

Robert Plant - Band of Joy (2010)
I really liked this CD. Whereas the Raising Sand CD was split between the two of them, this CD is really Robert exploring Americana with some excellent help from people like Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller. It is a rougher album and more exciting.
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (2010)
They continue to put out strong CDs with a message and a beat. Better than the last one. And if you have Chrome on your computer, you must check out this web site, http://thewildernessdowntown.com/ , that uses a song from the CD. Really amazing.
Gogol Bordello - Trans-Continental Hustle (2010)
This is such a fun band. Imagine Flogging Molly, but with a Russian gypsy sound. This new CD adds some Spanish influence with a message about immigration as seen from the side of the poor.
Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust (2010)
They just keep coming out with good CDs. Add this one to your collection.
Pete Yorn - Pete Yorn (2010)
I’ve always loved Pete’s music. It’s the lyrics that have been problematic for me. If you’re a fan, you will love this hard rockin’ CD. I enjoyed it... But it could be so much better.
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - III / IV (2010)
If you love the rockin’ Ryan Adams, you should like this double CD. But for me, there is something missing. I’m not sure exactly what it is though. In time I’ll figure it out. Still, the Ryan Adams with something missing is better than most CDs out there.
Elvis Costello - National Ransom (2010)
All over the musical map, this CD sounds good and works on some levels. In his heyday, Elvis had some great hooks, both musically and lyrically. This is no where near that, but it is enjoyable.
Paul Thorn - So Far So Good Live (2010)
Good live music from someone who deserves more attention. Check out any of my reviews from his previous CDs.
Richard Barone - Glow (2010)
This was so much better than I imagined. To me, on this CD he is the American version of Robyn Hitchcock; strange music with lethal hooks. It isn’t really strange, just slightly twisted. I highly recommend this.
Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues (2010)
Steve’s son gives us solid dose of Americana. Worth checking out.
KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 18 (2010)
Probably not the best in the series, but this is always a highlight of the fall season for me. Get one while you still can at http://www.waterloorecords.com .
Paul Vens & Friend - Words in Time (2010)
Mellow. Beautiful. New Age. These all describe Paul’s music. A very acoustic folk sound from Holland, Paul Vens’ music is hard to label, but very enjoyable. http://www.paulvens.com
Ben Folds/Nick Hornby - Lonely Avenue (2010)
What an interesting combination. Nick’s lyrics take Ben’s music on an unusual journey, but it feels like it is missing its soul. With each listen though, the songs seemed to grab me a bit more. It may be worth the effort to keep listening.
JP Chrissie & The Fairground Boys - Fidelity (2010)
What can I say that I haven’t already said about this band. The CD is an interesting concept about a couple who got together, broke up and then formed a band. The highlights happen whenever Chrissie Hynde opens her mouth and sings. The low lights are whenever she doesn’t. There is some good music here. If you can get it cheap...

2010 End of year Rap Up - Part 2

2010-12-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

I’ve been sitting on a pile of music from 2010 and it is probably impossible to get it all out by the end of the year, but I’m going to keep on trying.

Kim Richey - Wreck Your Wheels (2010)
I just love Kim’s sound and this CD does not disappoint. If you haven’t heard her before, do check her out (especially “Glimmer”). Otherwise, I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here.
Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses - Junky Star (2010)
It’s not Country and it’s not really folk and it certainly isn’t Crazy Heart. This Americana artist sings way beyond his years and is worth checking out.
Raul Malo - Sinners & Saints (2010)
Continuing to mix his musical influences, Raul creates another fine CD with one Spanish ballad, a few Country styled songs and some rockin’ Tex-Mex. I love the path he continues to follow since ending the Mavericks.
Richard Thompson - Dream Attic (2010)
This is a live album. That is, it is recorded live. Otherwise, it is unlike most other live albums. The songs are all new and there are no interactions with the audience. The idea was to capture the new songs in mid tour, while they are still alive and maybe not even fully matured. Although there are some out there who don’t think the songwriting is up to his best work, I loved the entire CD and highly recommend it; especially the closer, “If Love Whispers Your Name”, with its blistering guitar solos.
Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs - God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise (2010)
Okay, maybe I’m the last station to play this CD: It is only because I got behind. This is another strong one from Ray.
Black Dub - Black Dub (2010)
I was real excited when I heard the first single from this CD, but after two excellent songs, the CD turns south with some noodling from Daniel Lanois and then it moves off into a Gospel style and it just lost me. Still, the first two songs are really good.

2010 Year End Rap Up

2010-12-24T16:53:00.001-08:00

It is hard to believe 2010 is almost over. There is so much to say and so little time. Let’s see how much I can get in here:

We’ll start with a concert from a few weeks ago. Raul Malo played the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano for the second time this year. With each performance Raul seems to get better and better and it seems (at least in the OC) fewer and fewer people are wondering about a return of the Mavericks. With just a quartet behind him (the keyboardist played horns and vibes)

Raul and his band rocked the house with more then enough energy.

Opening for Raul was Austin blues/singer/songwriter Seth Walker. When I saw him in Austin earlier this year, he had bass and drums behind him, allowing him to play lots of acoustic leads on his guitar. This night he was alone (except for one song when he brought up Raul’s drummer). As a soloist, you really get a better feel for his songs and it is a much more intimate performance. I really enjoyed him this way. In the end, he had most of the audience singing along to “Days Like This”, which is a classic. At the end of the Raul’s show, Raul brought Seth back on stage and made the crowd sing “Days Like This” all over again. It was very funny and telling as to the respect that Raul has for Seth.

On to the music. Here are the lastest CDs being added to The Promise:
Seth Walker - Leap of Faith (2009)
I loved his show in Austin with two pieces behind him. Loved him even more in the OC as a solo show. And... Love him even more with a full band and Seth singing a light friendly but soulful blues. If you like Jack Johnson or Ray LaMontagne, you should check Seth out. http://sethwalker.com
Elton John/Leon Russell - The Union (2010)
If you love the early Elton and early Leon, you can’t help but like this CD. There are no big “hits” on it, but The Union is still a very enjoyable.
Amy Cook - Let The Light In (2010)
Produced by Alejandro Escovedo, Amy sounds a lot like a rougher Brandi Carlile. She’s got that big voice and some big music behind her in her latest release. http://amycook.com
Poul Finn Pedersen - Coveralls (2010)
The leader of local favorite Missiles of October, Poul leads us through a batch of covers (get it, Cover alls?) with a couple of self written songs just for good measure. These are wonderful interpretations and its a pretty interesting group featuring Steve Earle, Bob Dylan and Anders Osborne songs. I’m not sure how to get hold of this CD other than at concerts, but you can start at http://missilesofoctober.com .
Spottiswoode & His Enemies - Wild Goosechase Expedition (2010)
This is maybe the least strange and most accessible CD from Spottiswoode. That’s not to say it is commercial. Some of the songs are from a solo CD he released earlier and they all sound even better with the full arrangements. http://www.spottiswoode.com
Neil Young - Le Noise (2010)
By the end of my first listen to Neil’s latest, I wasn’t real excited about writing this review, let alone which songs I was going to pick to put on the stream. Now, as I listen to each one again and try to do the thumbs up and down, I can’t seem to pull the thumb down. One song at a time I really like this CD.
Elizabeth and the Catapult - The Other Side of Zero (2010)
More poppy than their previous efforts there is still a unique sound here that separates them from the rest of the pack. Zero is smart and a lot of fun.

There is so much more. But here is the first batch. Some how I need to get this done in the next few days.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T10:06:00.001-08:00

Arlo's Alice's Restaurant will be playing every couple of hours today, starting right now. Happy Turkey Day everyone!

The Promise on The Promise

2010-11-20T17:39:00.001-08:00

The Promise - Bruce Springsteen (2010)
Oh, where to start? :-)
A friend of mine emailed me the other day: “Saw Sunday Times, ad for Bruce S.
album coming out or is out called : THE PROMISE, What is UP with THAT!!!!!!!!!!????????????”. I explained to her that my station and blog’s name came from a Bruce Springsteen song that, at the time I started this station, had only been released on a compilation CD. I used the name because it represented so much of what my station was about. There has always been lots of Bruce on my station and The Promise could have easily been an alternative title to Darkness. I remember thinking, back in 2002, about the promise of radio and how it always ended up disappointing me (great stations never seem to last in Southern California). Most important though, it was a title that only a Springsteen fan would totally get. It was just rare enough to make it stand out. So much for that. Okay, on to the CD...
Let me start by saying that the box set is amazing. The whole thing is a replica of Bruce’s notebook from that time. I have just skimmed the DVD’s briefly, but a big fan of Bruce’s will want them. The remastering of Darkness on the Edge of Town is excellent. If you listen to music with a real sound system (you’re probably not going to notice on your IPod) you will notice the clarity and tightness of the sound over the original CD release.
So, let’s get to the meat of the package. There are two discs that are just titled “The Promise”. They are 21 of more than 60 songs that did not make the cut when Darkness was released. But these are not just outtakes. At the time Bruce was going for a certain sound for his LP and no matter how good the song was, if it didn’t fit, it was out. Great songs like “Because the Night” and “Fire” were given away to other artists (Patti Smith and Robert Gordon respectively). Bruce also loved to mix and match lyrics with melodies until he found the right fit. Songs like “Candy’s Boy” morphed into “Candy’s Room” and “Spanish Eyes” turned into “I’m on Fire”. There are other wonderful nuggets that just got lost over the years like, “Save My Love”.
Bruce could have called this set, “The River Prequel” because the style on most of these songs is much lighter than Darkness and they would have easily fit in on “The River”. But outside of the songs he gave away, the best of the rest ended up on “The River”. It is hard to complain, though, because this is the most exciting batch of music to come from Bruce in many many years. Even so, I love the piano only version of “The Promise” from the “Tracks” CD over this version. And “Racing in the Street (‘78)” is interesting, but doesn’t hold a candle to the Darkness version.
Should you buy this CD? It is really for the big Springsteen fans; a valentine in November. But there are so many good songs here, it is hard to believe that others won’t find this enjoyable; although they may want to just buy the CD and pass on the box set. Excuse me now. I’ve got to get back to watching the videos.

New Music November 2010

2010-11-08T07:52:00.001-08:00

Angus & Julia Stone - Down the Way (2010)
I love this brother/sister group. Both Angus and Julia are songwriters and each take their turns singing lead. Julia sounds a bit like Joanna Newsom except that she writes more accessible songs. I saw them at the ACL http://aclfestival.blogspot.com this year and bought the CD based on that performance. I was not disappointed. One of my favorite CDs of 2010.
Balmorhea - All is Wild, All is Silent (2010)
An instrumental based band out of Austin, Balmorhea has the musical skill and the talent to do most anything they want. Without vocals they are limiting themselves, but there is a future here.
Luke Powers - Hwy 100 (2010)
I’ve enjoyed all of Luke’s indie CDs so far and this one is no exception. As always, there are interesting stories song from Luke’s unique folk perspective. http://www.phoebeclaire.net
DC Cardwell - Some Hope (2010)
From down under, DC Cardwell helps to prove my theory that the closer you get to Antarctica, the happier your songs sound. Okay, maybe that is a bit out there, but everyone from Crowded House to Emily Maguire to Midnight Oil, seems to have a knack for sweet melodies; and DC is no exception. DC’s style is very American Folk, but the melodies and some nice arrangements give it a little something extra. “Some Hope” is his first full CD, and although independently produced, it is being released here in the states next month. Until then, you can pick up this CD directly from his web site http://dccardwell.com/ .
Sharon Van Etten - Epic (2010)
I was listening to The Loft on Sirius/XM when one of the songs from this short CD came on. I was immediately grabbed by the vocals (a bit of Kathleen Edwards but less Country). I wrote the name down and grabbed a copy as soon as I could. I still was not prepared for how good this CD is. Almost every song grabs you even though they each have a different feel to them. Just pick this up and check it out for yourself.

Cheryl Wheeler and Jill Sobule at McCabe’s

2010-11-06T19:24:00.001-07:00

A Cheryl Wheeler concert is always about Kenny White for me. I love Cheryl; her voice, her fun songs and especially her stories. But the stories haven’t changed much over the last few years. Although they are funny 3 or 4 times, I would much rather hear new stories. So, there was no Kenny this year and although Cheryl had the crowd in stitches throughout, it could be so much better. Cheryl is a naturally funny lady with great timing. Hopefully there will be new creative juices in the future for her.
Although I love full shows by Jill Sobule, I’m thinking that I may like her better when she is an opener. For the second time in a row I watched Jill open to a crowd that didn’t know her music. The first time, opening for J.D. Souther, she dropped the F bomb, grabbed the Coach House audience’s attention and never let it go. This time, she came out and sang her humorous songs from her latest CD, California Years. Knowing that this was a crowd looking for a laugh, Jill obliged them, performing “Where is Bobby Gentry”, “Palm Springs”, “San Francisco” and “A Good Life”, along with requests “Mexican Wrestler” and “Heroes”. It was a wonderfully executed 45 minute set with Dave Carpenter playing stand up bass (and backup vocals) on most of the songs.
Overall we (and I’m sure the crowd) had a great time and laughed more than you’d expect from a musical show. And, as always, the McCabe’s staff is friendly and professional. Can’t wait for the next concert there.

Live Music for October 2010

2010-10-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

It’s been a busy week or so, and there is plenty to talk about, so let’s start backwards with the Chirssie and JP show last Wednesday...

JP Chrissie and the Fairground Boys featuring Amy

Correia at the Anaheim HOB

Honestly, I was there to see Amy (the opening act) and she did not disappoint. Playing to a 2/3 full House of Blues, and with only a bass player to support her, Amy Correia captured many in the crowds attention by singing her way through much of her current CD, “You Go Your Way”. Without Jay Bellerose, John Brion and company, Amy relied heavily on her voice to push the energy of the songs out to an unsuspecting crowd. The songs were gutsier and more dramatic and many in the audience, at least those who weren’t busy taking pictures of themselves, could be seen bouncing along with the songs. This was my first time seeing her and I was so impressed. If I could have figured out a way to go see her the next night at the Belly Up I would have; especially after finally getting to hear, “The Bike” live. I would love to see her sing that to her own crowd. It is a natural sing-a-long. I can’t wait for her to come back some day. Do check out her CD. It is one of my favorites of the year.

The main reason I couldn’t find it in my heart to drive down to San Diego the next day was because I would then have to sit through JP Chrissie and the Fairground Boys again. It wasn’t that they were bad though (the tunes had nice beats and the lead guitarist was good and when Chrissie opens her mouth...). It is just that with one of the greatest singers in rock and roll history, who just came off of her best CD in years, and who has been linked to many great rock and rollers, it makes it hard to imagine how she ended up working with JP Jones. People like to talk about the 10,000 hours it takes to be good at something and it is evident when Chrissie is on stage that she has put in her time. She is relaxed and knows what she is doing up there. JP is at the beginning of his work arc and I’m not really sure how high it is going to go. His vocal range is limited, his guitar playing is basic and his lyrics were... at times creepy. Their whole CD is about their failed relationship and some of the things he says are a bit disturbing. Still we found ourselves enjoying the energy. But I wouldn’t go see them again.

David Bromberg at the Coach House

It has been at least 20 years since I’ve seen him and this could be the last time I see David Bromberg. It’s not because of anything he did, but because his audience, which was never large on the west coast, is even smaller today. Within seconds after stepping on stage, someone from the audience wanted to know why it has been so long since he has been here and that he needs to come back sooner. David looked around the 1/2 empty room and wondered aloud if he was going to be asked back. “Airplane tickets are pretty expensive these days”. With that he preceded to demonstrate how an artist can put together a set of diverse music (from bluegrass to electric blues, from country to 30’s folk). It was an amazing night of music. With his four piece band (guitar, bass, drums and violin) behind him, David played nothing I recognized and everything I loved. His fiddle player, all of 23 years old, was fantastic (“Stop applauding him, he is too young”), drums and bass were solid and his guitar player may have been a better guitarist than David (so said David who then waked off stage to give him his solo and said, “It better be F***ing great!” It was). David Bromberg with that northern soul voice, still sings about the follies of love. And when he does, you never seem to be too far from a humorous moment. The audience seem to love the bluegrass moments the most, but I loved the blues songs (when he picked up the electric guitar). I would love to hear more of that, but as I said, I still loved everything about the show. I sure hope he finds his way back here some day.

Judy Collins and Amy Speace at the Coach House

The truth is, I only went to the show to see Kenny White, who was on the original bill. It turns out that even before he was told (Kenny is on Judy’s label), they decided put Amy Speace on the bill. Although I missed all of Kenny’s shows out west, it was great to find a new artist to enjoy. Amy is a wonderful entertainer, making us laugh, and singing songs that immediately struck a chord with me. I can’t wait to delve more into her music.
I was surprised by Judy Collins.

At 71, she stood in high heals for most of the hour and a half show, playing guitar and backed by piano. Her voice is like that of a 30 year old’s. She treated the show much like a Broadway performance, telling her history in song, giving us lots of stories and performing many snippets of songs a cappella. It is one of the great voices in folk/rock history and along with the wonderful stories made me glad that I finally saw her in concert.

ACL 2010

2010-10-07T01:04:00.001-07:00

It's ACL time and I'm in Austin for the music. You can see the posts at my ACL Festival site.

Neil Finn at Largo

2010-09-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

This was our makeup show. Neil, the gentleman that he is, put us on the list for Sunday night’s show after the problems we had at the Crowded House concert in San Diego. And what a great way to say I’m sorry. Both shows (Saturday and Sunday) were sold out and with the room only seating about 220 people you can imagine how tough it was to get a ticket.
I have seen Neil with a band, with his brother Tim and with Crowded House. This was my first solo (although he wasn’t alone all night) show. What a treat it was to just see him. But, Neil is Neil. If you’ve seen him perform, you know, it really doesn’t matter who is around him. He is up there putting on a show and having lots of fun. The first hour or so of the set was dedicated to rarities; songs he hasn’t sung in years. Not owning everything Neil, I’m not sure I recognized a single song. But it didn’t matter. He is such a talented songwriter, all of the songs were instantly enjoyable.
The show kicked into a higher gear when he brought out Jon Brion to accompany him. Jon is himself pretty amazing. Bouncing between piano and guitar he played some fantastic licks throughout the evening. Taking it up a notch, Neil brought out Grant-Lee Phillips. I’m not sure which was the bigger highlight for me, Grant-Lee singing harmonies on “Only Talking Sense” or trading lead vocals on “Four Seasons in One Day”. Neil also brought out Sebastian Steinberg on upright bass and a drummer who’s name I missed.
Maybe the biggest surprise that evening was the computer. Given that Largo is so anti electronics (phones/cameras/etc.) I was shocked that they actually had an Internet connection. Next thing we know, Neil is calling Tim on Skype and after chatting for awhile, Tim and friends in NZ were performing with Neil and friends in L.A. It was pretty amazing and worked really well.
The evening pretty much ended with covers. First the Talking Heads classic, “Road to Nowhere” and coming back for their encore with David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream”.
And I can't end this without talking about some of the funny moments. The sound guy, Jesse, had to come down from the balcony to adjust the microphone so that Neil wasn’t playing his mandolin, uhmmm, between his legs (that turned into a very funny moment as I’m sure you can imagine). Grant-Lee bopped onto stage and when asked if he knew the song they were about to play, said, “No” and then bopped off again. He also showed his willingness to serve Neil, dropping to his knees to sing into the guitar mic when it appeared there wasn’t a microphone for him. It was that kind of evening. One I’ll remember for a long time.

New Music for September 2010

2010-09-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I’m a big Sam Phillips fan. I’ve seen her over a dozen

times during the last 6 years and had many conversations with her and her band members. When it comes to talking about her music on this blog it definitely overshadows the other reviews. For those of you who don’t think that’s right, I’m sorry. I just love talking about Sam. And so, first up, Sam.

Sam Phillips - Days of the One Night Stands (2010)
This is the last EP in Sam’s Long Play Project (there is a final digital CD coming in October or November). It is hard to believe a year has passed since Sam announced this at her show in Santa Monica. The output of music this year is by far the most we have ever seen from Sam. This final EP is a group of covers. She opens with a “late night” version of the Monkees (actually Boyce and Hart wrote this) “...Stepping Stone” with a cool guitar solo from Eric. “Lying” is a Sam Phillips cover (yes she covers herself twice on this CD) with maybe the most vibrant, rock and roll solo on a SP song since the 90’s. Eric’s blistering violin solo takes this beautiful version of “Lying” to new heights. I have been waiting for a recorded version of “Green Grass”, a song originally written and recorded by Tom Waits, for five years now. Sam’s version is breathtaking, and the studio version is even better than the live versions I’ve seen over the years. Sam donated “Where is Love Now” to Jimmy Dale Gilmore and has finally done her own version of it. This version so overwhelms Jimmy’s I’m considering deleting his mp3 from my collection (just joking, but it is that good). And finally, Sam covers an old 30’s song, “Undecided”, from Django Reinhardt, turning it into a Sam Phillips song. What a wonderful collection of songs. And as this project rolls to an end, one can’t help think how Sam seems to have covered all of the areas that we have been craving over the years. She did this without compromise; one of the few true artists recording today. Thank you Sam for everything. If you haven’t signed up for The Long Play, you still can.

Last month I added a bunch of music to the station and didn’t have time to write, so briefly...

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Mojo (2010)
This is a live in the studio type CD and although on first listen you might now find the “hit”, just keep listening. It is worth the wait.
Squeeze - Spot the Difference (2010)
This is a money thing, but we all get the benefit. Squeeze has gotten back together to re-record their hits so that they will get performance royalties when they are used for movies. You can’t blame them in this time of lower incomes for performers. They decided to make the songs spot on the same as the originals, even digging up old equipment to get the right sound (hence the title “Spot the Difference”). It is always fun to listen to Squeeze, so... enjoy.
The Innocence Mission - My Room in the Trees (2010)
They have barely changed over the last 15 years or so, and that’s a good thing. There are some surprises in this CD, but mostly it is Karen’s beautiful voice with the flowing innocence of the mission backing it up. Pure beauty.
Crowded House - Intriguer (2010)
They have yet to release a bad CD. The highlight here is a wonderful song called “Amsterdam”; worth the price of admission. It may not be their best, but it is better than almost everything else out there.
Flogging Molly - Live at the Greek (2010)
From a show recorded last year at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, this IS Flogging Molly. No studio CD can capture the raw craziness of their live shows. These are two CDs that will make you want to order a glass of Guinness.
Walt Cronin - California - I Gotta Run (2010)
On his third release Walt continues his folk/Americana singing/songwriting. A storyteller like Kris Kristoffersen, this is an album about being on the road and pursuing dreams. Nice job. http://www.thegousters.com/
Handful of Luvin’ - Life Inbetween (2010)
I really am having trouble describing this band. Is it modern rock? Or is it country? Is that a violin player or a fiddle player (there is a difference)? Whatever it is, it works and they have delivered one of the more original CDs of the year. Do check them out at http://www.handfulofluvin.com/fr_introduction.cfm .
Gaslight Anthem - American Slang (2010)
Think a rocking Jesse Malin and you have a good idea what this excellent CD sounds a bit like. Worth checking out, especially since it has The Boss’ seal of approval on it. :-)
John Mellencamp - No Better Than This (2010)
Using a tape recorder, a single mic and the brilliance of T-Bone Burnett, John channels his inner John Prine (or is it Bob Dylan as many like to say). This CD is not for everyone, but if you like your singers with good words and light production, with a low-res feel and an Americana spirit, then this CD is for you.
Peter Case - Wig (2010)
Peter Case is rockin’ again and this quickly recorded roots rock/Americana CD shows why Peter Case has been an important part of the musical landscape since he first appeared 30 plus years ago. This is a Yep Roc records release; always a good sign that you’re going to hear some great music.
Pernice Brothers - goodbye, killer (2010)
Do you know who the Pernice Brothers are? You should. One of the finest pop rock bands around, they combine great lyrics with catchy tunes. Isn’t that why we love rock and roll?

Crowded House at Humphrey’s by the Bay in San Diego

2010-08-22T23:36:00.001-07:00

It wasn’t a good night for us tonight. In fact, the review of the 2 hour plus Crowded House show will not really be a review... Just a story.
We came down to San Diego to celebrate our anniversary. We both love Crowded House and Humphrey’s is a wonderful place to see a concert. The venue is small, the sound is good and... If you buy a hotel room you get dinner and front row seats. It is a bit of an expense, but you are staying in San Diego during peak season so it is reasonable.
Now Maria recently had shoulder surgery. Her shoulder continues to cause her pain and just touching it will send her into tears. With a seated show, and in the front row, we thought we were safe. Neil and company hit the stage and for the first hour we were having a great time. Granted there were a few fans in the front who had too much to drink, but they rarely got in our way. There was this one girl who kept coming up to the front of the stage from her seat a few rows back. Security kept sending her back until Neil interceded. Once she was allowed up front, everyone rushed the stage. Maria couldn’t stand because getting her shoulder bumped would have caused her excruciating pain. And I needed to stay in my chair to protect her as best as I could. And so, for the next hour, the band played on. We could hear them but could no longer see them. We couldn’t even leave because there was no way she could walk through the crowd without someone hitting her shoulder.
I don’t blame Neil. It is part of rock and roll. But, it was still his fault.
I’m sure I’ll see Crowded House again, but I’ll always have this bad taste in my mouth from a ruined evening.

John Hiatt at the Coach House 2010

2010-08-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I saw John Hiatt for the umpteenth time and it never gets old. He always gives his best. He always puts on a great show. He always mixes old and new music. He throws in a few jokes and makes us laugh. And... he sings with the spirit of one who has lived his life. I never realized how good a singer he was until I heard some back to back songs with John and then a cover version. The emotion coming from within just can’t be beat.
Still, there are subtle differences from tour to tour. There was no keyboard on stage for the first time that I can remember (although I may have missed the last tour). Normally he would move to the keyboards to sing his ballads. Instead he didn’t do many and when he did, they were done on his acoustic guitar. Backed by a solid three piece band featuring Doug Lancio on guitar (has worked a lot with Patty Griffin), this version of John Hiatt rocked the house. I haven’t seen John rock this hard in some time. And the crowd loved it.
Speaking of crowds, we love going to the Coach House. For the Hiatt show, we were seated across from a couple who had seen John many times. We started trading stories of many of the bands we both loved and how we were probably at some of the same shows. Suddenly this Irish woman (Bernie) to the left of me, taps me on the shoulder and the next thing I know we (her husband Peter has now joined in) are talking about even more bands and definitely seeing the same shows (they were at Shawn Colvin the week before). In fact, we plan on seeing them on Sunday since we are both not only seeing Crowded House in San Diego, but we are both in the front section and we are both having dinner at the Humphrey's restaurant. Did I mention that I love going to the Coach House?
Over the 2 hours, John performed many of our favorites and several songs from his new CD, “The Open Road”; one of his best CDs in years. The live versions of these songs were even more rockin then on the CD and blended nicely with his classic rockers.
Overall we had a great time and after being disappointed with “Same Old Man”, I am once again a rabid John Hiatt fan. Don’t miss him when he comes to your town.

Joan Armatrading in Long Beach

2010-08-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

The last of three nights of music (or 5 out of 10 nights) came to an end last night with a bang. Saturday night I watched one of the great female acoustic guitar players in Shawn Colvin. Tonight we got to watch one of the best female electric guitar players. Over the last few years Joan Armatrading has decided to take on all of the electric guitar parts, including the solos, and she has proved that she knows how to handle an axe. This is probably why she has resurrected “Tall in the Saddle” in her live shows. With the potent guitar solo during the slow part of the song, which she nailed, it fit well with her more current offerings. Joan played plenty of songs from her current CD, “This Charming Life” (her most pop CD since the early 80’s) and her blues CD from a year ago, “Into the Blues”. Both CDs feature plenty of electric guitar solos and Joan handled them like she’s been a guitar God for years. So there are three sides to Joan at her shows: the early years with songs like “Love and Affection”, the early 80’s with songs like “Me Myself I” and now the new stuff with lots of guitar (these songs are actually similar to the early years material). Missing, of course, are the late 80s and 90s which is fine with me. The first two areas receive long and often standing ovations after almost every song. The newer songs are applauded but not with the enthusiasm of her older material. The middle section of the show, which contained most of her newer work, with extended guitar solos, seemed to slow the pace of the show. But then she would throw in a nugget and the place would explode. This isn’t to say that her newer material isn’t good, just maybe not as emotionally relevant to the crowd as that older material.
Joan did turn one new song into an immediate classic. On her new CD is a song called “Best Dress On”. She has started a contest to see how long the audience can repeat the chorus (“Hey hey, look at you now. Look at you now with your best dress on”) after the song ends. The crowd sings it twice, then the band joins in then leaves it to the crowd (and back and forth until it somehow ends). I don’t think the audience got it at first because when the song ended, it ended with no one singing. So, Joan told us we weren’t even in the top 10. Suddenly a group of people in the audience started singing it and before we knew it we had defeated Denver (the current leader). Of course, this whole thing is set up to allow the last show on the tour be the winner. But they are going to have to work pretty darn hard because the count is up to 22 times right now and there are another 5 shows on the tour. The show ended with her classics, “Willow” and “Drop the Pilot”. It was a perfect evening with one of the truly great performers in rock. Too bad only about half of the Terrace Theater was filled for this amazing woman and her band.

A Great Triple Header at the Coach House

2010-08-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

I’ve been to the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano many many many... many times. Last night may have been one of the best all round shows I’ve seen there. All three acts put on great shows and I came home with a bunch of CDs to listen to. What was truly amazing was that the audience was there to listen. I’ve never seen a crowd at the Coach House so respectful for all three acts. It was almost like they were all headliners. Shawn Colvin was the real headliner, but we will start at the beginning.
Tracy Niles is a young energetic local talent who has that certain flair onstage. She is having fun and you could see she was enjoying the evening as much as we were. Her style is very singer/songwriter, but there is a certain jazz sensibility that shows up in her songwriting and singing style. And then, in mid song, as she sings about smoke, you hear the chords to “Smoke on the Water” and you know this girl is well rounded musically. Accompanied by her bass player, she wowed the audience and received the type of applause normally reserved for the main act. I can’t wait to hear more from her. You can check her out at tracyniles.com .
Sasha Evens was next on the bill and sitting behind a keyboard, accompanied by a violinist, Sasha seemed to be having even more fun than Tracy. Her songs were... Hmmm... Think Juno soundtrack.. or maybe Jenny Lewis. The overall feel was a young Natalie Merchant (although she is already a better keyboard player and has a much lighter approach to music). The songs are very personal but can be humorous. In one song, she sings a cappella about the guy who wants back in, “‘cause your number 36 on the list and I’m calling number 12 next”. (check out the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5yDM0TRUzc ) For someone who hasn’t been playing long and who may have been performing her first live show in front of a paying audience, she was fairly confident and relaxed on stage. The interplay between her and her violinist was beautiful. I see a big future for this young lady. There are some videos of her here: http://www.thebellalifeblog.com/2010/07/29/sasha-evans/ and you can go directly to her here: http://www.myspace.com/sashamoon
You never know what Shawn Colvin will be like on any given night, and that is part of the fun in seeing her live. She is easily the finest female guitar player in the singer/songwriter category and honestly, I’ve only seen a handful of men who can compete. Her ear is so good, she can, and often does, tune her guitar mid song, without missing a note. She has a beautiful voice and has, over the years, written some great songs. Sometimes her shows can be a bit sloppy. Again, that is part of the fun. She is honest about it and will not think twice about playing a song she may not remember and has no problem stopping and asking help from the audience. That was the show we got last night. Pulling out “I Want it Back”, something she hasn’t done in years, she had to stop several times because she couldn’t remember the lyrics. But it is always a lot of fun when this happens. In fact, right off the bat she forgot her capo and someone from the Coach House lent her one. Then she found hers but played with the borrowed one saying, “If I “F” it up it will be this borrowed capo’s fault”. (Uhmm, yeah, she said the whole word by the way). Shawn brought out Kate Markowitz to sing harmony on a handful of songs. I believe she has done this before. Their voices sound so good together. As for her storytelling, we got an old story that I had never heard, about her being the grand prize in a Gallo Wine contest. She had us in stitches, as always. Her encore included two Beatles songs, during which one of the funnier moments of the night occurred. As she was playing “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”. Someone yelled out, “Not in California”. Very funny and timely. Overall it was a fun show by one of the most talented women performing today.

Kristy Hanson in Noho

2010-08-06T11:06:00.001-07:00

The Valley is not dead. A cool thing is happening in Noho (the arts district of North Hollywood). The first Thursday of the month is “Hear Noho” and several galleries and performance spots are opening their doors to up and coming artists. You purchase a ticket from any of the locations and then can go see any of the seven or eight shows that are going on that night.
I was there to see Kristy Hanson doing a rare acoustic set and was not disappointed. I’ve said many times that the true test of the quality of a song is to strip it down. If it survives, you’ve got a good song. When I first heard about this gig, Kristy seemed a bit apprehensive. She’s been working with a full band for awhile now and, at least online, seemed worried that we would not like her music without... all the guys behind her. Well, Kristy had nothing to worry about. With just Timothy Young backing her with a variety of banjos and guitars, Kristy performed a strong 45 minute set. In fact, stripping away the band seemed to help emphasize her beautiful voice and original melodies. The lyrics also seemed to stand out more. In fact, she seemed even more confident in front of the crowd than the last time I saw her (at the Hotel Cafe). I hope Kristy continues to perform acoustic shows. She is playing to her strength.

New Music and Taking Requests

2010-08-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Before I get to a small list of new music I’ve recently added to the the play list, I wanted to let you all know that I’m spinning the records (digital files actually... and I suppose and they don’t spin) live this week from about noon Pacific till I run out of time (somewhere between 2 and 3 PM). If you want to make requests, simply go to the station page, http://live365.com/stations/thepromiseradio , and at the bottom of the page where it says “Shout Out”, put your request in. Today was a battle with a horrible echo, but I’ve solved most of the echoing issue and look forward to talking music with you all.

Alejandro Escovedo - Street Songs of Love (2010)
Al has once again hooked up with Chuck Prophet to write the CD and allowed Tony Visconti to produce it and give it the big rock and roll sound. This may be better than his last and possibly as good, song for song, as anything he has done. Bruce Springsteen once again appears on one song, although it (“Faith”) isn’t the “single”. These are great songs with big hooks and even bigger guitars. If you love rock and roll, there is no reason to not have this in your collection.
Jimmy Webb - Just Across The River (2010)
One of the great American songwriters, Jimmy goes through a great catalog of standards that... well... that he wrote. It is always nice to hear the artist interpret his own songs. Jimmy has plenty of help, with everyone from Lucinda Williams to Billy Joel adding harmonies and singing duets. If you love the songs, you’ll love his take on them.
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (2010)
I heard one song on Siruis/XM’s The Loft and I was hooked. I can’t even remember which one because there are so many good songs on this CD. It is rootsy Americana funneled through the sensibilities of a group of guys from the other side of the pond. The big single right now is “Little Lion Man”, but listen to it all: I know you’ll like it. This should end up on my year end favorites.
Cyndi Lauper - Memphis Blues (2010)
Okay, this will be the last time I say or write this. If you don’t know by now, Cyndi has a big voice and can sing way way beyond her goofy hits of the 80’s. So, I wasn’t surprised when I saw this CD in the mail. She does a nice job of singing these blues standards with a tight band behind her. If you enjoy the blues you might want to give this a shot.

Paul Thorn and Missiles of October at The Coach House 2010

2010-07-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

I’m not sure what else I can say about Paul Thorn. This is the fourth time I’ve seen him in about 5 years and as I looked back on the previous reviews, things started to sound a bit redundant. Maybe that’s a good thing. Paul puts on a great show, whether he is solo or with his band. He always has funny stories to tell (not quiet as many this time around), usually gets around to most of his fans favorites (with a heavy dose of songs from “Ain’t Love Strange”, his breakthrough CD that never broke through for some unknown reason), and always brings us the best of his new material. And honestly, I can’t figure out what else I could ask for. Sure he skipped over some favorites, like “Fabio and Librace” and “Sister Ruby’s House of Prayer”, but overall he rocked the house, with his tight rockin’ band punching most songs up a couple of notches. It was a great show. I’m already looking forward to his next visit. With a house about two thirds filled, he should be coming back her in the OC some time in the future. Can’t wait.

The last time I saw Paul with his band at the Coach House, Missiles of October opened for him and did a solid job. Once again, they came out and played like a headliner, not just an opening band, and had the whole place bouncing around to their catchy tunes and smart covers. I picked up Poul’s new solo CD “Coveralls”, which I’m sure I’ll be talking about soon. I understand they play in Laguna Beach every Sunday night. If you are in So Cal, I’m sure it is worth a visit.

Peter Bradley Adams at the Hotel Cafe

2010-07-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Close your eyes. It is nighttime somewhere in middle America. There is a soft drizzle of rain. In the distance you can hear the sound of a train whistle which sounds suspiciously like a pedal steel guitar. Through the mist you start to hear a voice. There is no twang, no harshness. It is soft and reassuring. It is sad and yet hopeful. That is the sound of Peter Bradley Adams. And that is what we got for nearly an hour last night at the Hotel Cafe. Peter, backed by a solid three piece band (Josh Grange on guitar and pedal steel guitar, JImmy Paxson on drums and Ian Walker on bass) and backing vocalist (the beautiful and very talented Priya Darshini), created the atmosphere that makes his CDs such a joy to listen to. Actually, solid doesn’t really do these guys justice. They all are accomplished musicians with great credentials.

Peter sang songs from his latest CDs as well as a couple of brand new songs (he intro-ed one song by saying this is the name, “so far”). The highlight of the evening was a song that opened with a Raaga, a style of music from India, sung by Priya, and then segued it into “Angeles”. It was a gorgeous arrangement.

Peter has a very relaxed, humble and happy style onstage. It helped create a very appreciative crowd. In fact, he got a real encore. There was no plan to return to the stage, but, and this is so unusual for L.A., the crowd would not stop clapping. And so, he returned, re-plugged in the guitars and sang a great version of “Keep Us”.

This is the first of 5 or 6 upcoming concerts for me and it was a great start.

Peter's CD is available here: http://tinyurl.com/itunesPBATraces

Just a quick Update...

2010-07-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

It has been a slow summer concert season here so far, but that is all about to change. Paul Thorn is coming

to town later this month and Joan Armatrading, Shawn Colvin and Crowded House will be here in August.

Up first though is Peter Bradley Adams.

The biggest perk you get when running any type of radio station these days are the emails from fans and friends. I always love talking music with people. Somewhere down the list of perks, but still a great perk, are the occasional free shows that you get invited to. And once in awhile, they are shows you’re looking forward to. Such is the case this month as Peter Bradley Adams will be at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood on July 28th. I’ve been a fan of Peter’s ever since eastmountainsouth was first played on XM’s The Loft several years ago. Peter has since released three solo CDs and has a fourth one coming out soon. In a small room like the Hotel Cafe, his quiet and lushes sound should make for a very special evening. Peter is hitting the west coast this month, including stops in Porland, Seattle and San Francisco. For more info you can go to Peter’s web site: http://www.peterbradleyadams.com

And of course, if you listen to the Promise, you’ll hear plenty of Peter along with lots of other great artists.

New Music for May 2010

2010-05-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sam Phillips - Old Tin Pan (2010)
"Old Tin Pan" is the latest EP from Sam's Long Play project. This EP is a treat for us die hard fans (that was a pun I suppose), because it is comprised of the songs Sam had written for her last CD, "Don't Do Anything", but pulled out by her so that she could rework the entire album. It seems pretty obvious, after the fact I suppose, that she made the right choices back then. Although these songs are good, they would have changed "Don't Do Anything" quite a bit. The other big news for us long time fans is that finally, what may be the oldest unreleased (but played live) song from Sam has finally been officially released. I've been waiting years to hear a studio version of "When You're Down". It's funny too, because just the other day on XM's The Loft, they played a live version of it from Sam's performance in their studios back in 2004. I love the full quartet driving this version of the song. And the Section Quartet is all over this EP along with Jay Bellerose on percussion, with some nice piano from Sam. It is more somber than the last EP, "Magic for Everybody", but overall very satisfying. Again, if you haven't signed up for the Long Play it isn't too late. 4 of the 5 EPs have now been released and there is still a digital CD to be released later this year. There has never been a better year to be a Sam Phillips fan.

Sparks - Hello Young Lovers (2006)

I usually don't review older CDs here, but I just couldn't resist. I really love this CD. It isn't for everyone. But for those of you who like to take risks in your music, who love a good hook but still need it to find its way to you in a unique setting, for those of you ready to rock, this is worth the listen. A blending of Phillip Glass, metal, country, glorious harmonies and hooks straight from the 70s, and almost anything else you can throw into the blender, this is your album. None of this is haphazard though. Strangeness is everywhere you look; especially in the lyrics. I was hooked with "Dick Around" and was totally won over by "Perfume". This is just a fun yet complex CD that deserves more attention.

Joan Armatrading - This Charming Life (2010)
This is her most pop, most accessible CD in many many years. Joan plays all of the instruments (except drums) on this rock and roll album. As always there are stories about interesting people in and out of love. And there are hooks all over the place. She is touring America this summer. Don't miss her. http://joanarmatrading.com

Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back (2010)

A lot has been said about this in the press. I'll just say that the arrangements of these covers are unique and beautiful. The tone is similar throughout the CD and some people might find that boring, but I really enjoyed letting Peter just take me on this trip with him.

Drive By Truckers - The Big To-Do (2010)

DBT continues to be one of my favorite southern rock bands, singing about common people and so many problems in life, then driving it home with jangling guitars and a power and sound not unlike the Stones of the 60s. Love these guys... and girl.
The Watson Twins - Talking To You, Talking To Me (2010)
A little more focused than previous releases and strong arrangements make this their best outing yet. The sisters have moved away from dueting every song without losing any of the beauty that their voices bring to the record. A beautiful CD. http://thewatsontwins.com

Melissa Etheridge - Fearless Love (2010)
Melissa rocks harder than most men, and with this release it is a bigger, 70's rock sound. The female Bruce Springsteen continues to deliver solid rock and roll.
Pete Kilpatrick Band - Hope In Our Hearts (2008)

Their PR says they sound like The Fray. If they remind me of anyone, it would Five For Fighting. And that's a good thing. Catchy pop tunes with a solid modern rock sound. http://www.myspace.com/petekilpatrick

Anne McCue - Broken Promise Land (2010)

Women sure have figured out how to rock and roll over the years. Over the last year or two I've been enjoying artists like Grace Potter and Carolyn Wonderland, not to mention Nicole Atkins and of course Melissa Etheridge. Joining those rockers is Anne McCue, who's new CD is grittier and more alive than what is being released by most male rockers these days. I love the arrangements, which often start off with a standard bar band rock sound, and then in come the horns and you're moved to a different place. This is a tough world she lives in on the CD (it appears tough on the outside too, where she had to sell her steel guitar to get this CD made) and those lyrics add to the gritty and real feel that this album brings to you. The back of the CD says it all: PLAY LOUD. http://annemccue.com

Chris Wolf - Better Be Scared! (2006)

What a fun CD to listen to. Chris is a classic folk singer with some unusual stories to tell. I was smiling throughout this 14 song CD and can't wait to hear his next one (due out this summer). You can check out this CD at CDBaby.

Sam Phillips at the Hotel Cafe

2010-04-29T21:18:00.001-07:00

If you follow the music biz at all, you know that the entire industry is going through a rebirth, with everyone trying to figure out just were they belong and how they are going to get there. If you're a music publisher, the days of sitting back and waiting for the royalties to roll in are long gone. So what do you do? You become more aggressive. And that is what the owners of Notable Music (a music publishing company) are doing. This afternoon they booked the Hotel Cafe for lunch, bringing in pizza and an open bar and inviting industry types and the press to see just why Sam Phillips fans love Sam Phillips. Sam, of course, did her part, playing a 30 minute set of new and almost new music. Backed by Eric Gorfain on violin and guitar, Jay Bellerose on drum kit and Jennifer Condos on bass, Sam appeared to be in mid tour form. Later she told me how strange it was, they had rehearsed and rehearsed and now the show was over, and there was no tour bus to get on.

Although there were a lot of familiar faces, I'm sure there were some people there who really didn't know Sam's music. This is probably why she opened with "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" (a song from the "Raising Sand" CD that was so popular a couple of years ago). She slipped in a couple of songs from her "Magic for Everybody" EP ("Lever Pulled Down" and "Magic For Everybody"), another from "Don't Do anything" ("Shake it Down") and "Was it all in My Head" a single from her Long Play project. It was at the end of "Shake it Down" that Sam pulled out what looked like a metal bread bowl and started hitting it to add to Jay's percussion. One too many slaps caused the bowl to fly off the stage and land at my feet. Sam apologized after the song, saying it was not intentional and was done with affection. I told her I knew that. She finished off the short set with a crowd favorite "Reflecting Light" and then "One Day Late" (which she dedicated jokingly to the Dodgers... who could use some help right now). What can I say about this band that I already haven't mentioned here before. Jay is one of the most interesting drummers alive; creating sounds like no one else. I have never been disappointed in any of the projects he has worked on in the past. I can't even imagine what Sam sounds like without Eric these days. His violin (and now guitar) have been a big part of Sam's sound for the last 5 or so years. Jen is the newest kid in the band, but she has been backing some pretty big names over the years. The four of them worked so smoothly together, you would have to think that they were, as I said, in the middle of a tour. This show makes me hungry for more live Sam Phillips. Hopefully, when the Long Play project is over, she will do some live gigs. But this will have to do for now.

After the show, I chatted with Jay (until Randy Lewis snuck in there). He's got some interesting projects coming up, including being on tour with Ray LaMontagne. There is no new news about Section Quartet shows. I think Sam is keeping Eric pretty busy. And nothing new to report about Sam. I believe an new EP is coming soon. What a wonderful afternoon. If felt like 2004 all over again.

Bruce Cockburn at the Coach House

2010-04-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

It is almost always a fun time when we go to the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. The crowds are almost always polite and they seat you for dinner next to total strangers who often become your best friends (at least for the evening). So it was Friday night, where we met a friendly couple from San Diego who were not only seeing Bruce for the first time, but where at the Coach House for the first time. I explained their dining choices (beef okay, chicken dry, ranch dressing is the only choice - although they now have Caesar) and we then spend the next hour and half talking music. A very familiar story, as was much of Bruce Cockburn's show. But not as familiar as you might think.

The stage was flanked by two huge wind chime like devices that we later found out Bruce could control with his foot. Actually, control isn't a good work, since he just pumped his foot and the metal clanger (or whatever it was called) seemed to hit the bars randomly. There was no opening act and Bruce came out and started right in on some of the crowd's favorites. After about a half hour, he switched gears and started playing new music. Some of the new songs were instrumentals (this is where he used the chimes) on guitar or Charango in one case. There was a wonderfully weird song about Richard Nixon (sort of) and a few others that I can't remember now. But I enjoyed them all. His first set lasted about an hour. After the break, he came back and continued to mix old with new songs. I have always enjoyed the solo Bruce over the band Bruce because of his amazing guitar playing. Although I liked his instrumentals, I felt that they take away from the pace and the power of the show. Bruce Cockburn has lots to say about this world, and he can't really say it with an instrumental. Still, the two plus hours he played were excellent and we had a great time.

Patty Griffin at the Wiltern

2010-04-11T17:15:00.001-07:00

There is something special about a Patty Griffin concert in L.A. It has nothing directly to do with Patty's performance and everything to do with her music. We always seem to meet people who are seeing Patty for the first time and yesterday was no exception. Hanging next to us as we leaned against the stage was a group of 3 or 4 who had flown in from Hawaii for their first ever show. But nothing could compare to the bubbling energy that was Jocelyn, a 21 year old on her own who hung out with us for the entire 5 plus hours (2 hours in line). This was her first Patty Griffin show and she was so excited. I have been there many times and it was easy to relate to her. We had a great time telling each other stories and talking about music. What made this all humorous was that she is also Jewish. So, here are three Jews, front and center, waiting for Patty Griffin to come out and sing songs from her new Gospel CD.

But first... Buddy Miller came on stage and sang with only an acoustic guitar. After just one song, he brought his band out on stage, which included backup singer, Patty Griffin. She sang backup the entire set (except for the closing number which was again an acoustic solo). And what a potent 45 minutes it was. Singing classics like, "I Worry Too Much" along with a few songs from his latest collaboration with his wife Julie, "Written in Chalk", he had the entire audience bouncing around and loving every minute of it.

After a 20 minute break, Patty came out, with the same band (plus an extra guitarist and keyboards) and Buddy sang backup and played guitar. As expected, Patty focused on her latest CD, "Downtown Church", playing very few other songs from her catalog ("Stay on the Ride", "Heavenly Day", "Up To The Mountain") and only one song from the previous millennium ("Mary"). I may have missed one, but that is my recollection. About half way through her set, she did a solo acoustic set, introducing us to a sexy new song about her grandparents that was so cute. Early in her career Patty proved what a great songwriter she was. Now she is showing us her vocal talents; and they continue to amaze. I will never get tired of listening to her sing. This night was obviously about other people's music, so it was not a surprise when she finished the night with a cover; a rockin' version of the Fabulous Thunderbirds "Why Get Up". It was another great Patty Griffin at the Wiltern show. I can't wait for the next one.

On a side note, my Emitt Rhodes t-shirt continues to get noticed at concerts. I had a few minute conversation with a long time fan about Emitt. It has now surpassed my Alejandro Escovedo shirt, which got lots of comments when Springsteen was last in town. I think I'll wear it to the Peter Himmelman show at McCabes on the 25th.

New Music April 2010

2010-04-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

Katell Keineg - At the Mermaid Parade (2010)
It has been over a dozen years since Katell has put out a completely satisfying CD, but the wait is over. From start to finish, Katell has crafted an poetic CD that has her trademark vocals leading well designed melodies into another world. It is only available via download in the U.S. right now. You can purchase it at ITunes or CDBaby.
Kristy Hanson - Into The Quiet (2010)
A nice leap forward for Kristy, who's second CD builds on her first with stronger production, stronger songs and well... It's just a stronger CD. In the days when radio mattered, I could see several songs getting airplay on AAA and maybe even pop rock stations. You can pick up this solid independent CD at CDBaby.
Kenny White - Comfort in the Static (2010)
Kenny's CDs don't come out often enough so I always feel like I'm waiting for the next one. "Comfort in the Static" is well worth the wait. His humor and passion remain intact and the songwriting shows no signs of aging. Kenny continues to document his attempt to navigate through this strange but wonderful world we live in. As one of those who relate to getting older, you can't help but listen and nod, "Yep, I've been there". This man is so talented and it sure would be nice to see him have a bigger fan base. So, please, go to Amazon and purchase this excellent CD.
Allison Moorer - Crows (2010)
It's been 6 years since Allison Moorer has blown us away. "Crows" is s stunning piece of work from Allison and easily her best output since "The Duel". This isn't as loud and fuzz guitar driven as that previous CD, but it is filled with great songs; as good as anything she has written.
John Hiatt - The Open Road (2010)
I don't review music I don't like. It keeps this blog positive (It is so easy to go negative in this day and age). So, when John Hiatt released his last CD (And I've been a huge fan for years), I just didn't get it and decided to play a couple of songs on The Promise, but not blog about the CD. I have no problems talking about "The Open Road" though. This is John's best CD in some time and I love how the songs are all tied into the road, travelling and life on the run. The music rocks, the melodies sparkle and, and, I just love this CD.
Jude Johnstone - Blue Light (2007)
It is sometimes a fine line between singer/songwriter and jazz singer. The more time I spend with great singer/songwriter vocalists, the more I find myself attracted to jazz vocalists. On a small label, Jude Johnstone has a voice that at times reminds me of Shawn Colvin. So, it only seems fair that I share some of this music with you. You can hear more at Jude's website.
Steve Poltz - Dreamhouse (2010)
Steve's "Chinese Vacation" may have some of the funniest songs I've heard in years, but Dreamhouse is a mature work by a talented singer/songwriter. It is a mellower Poltz who has humor and irony drifting in and out of his songs. Lots of good stories/songs here to enjoy.
k.d. lang - recollection (2010)
This is a cool box set with lots of unique and unreleased songs. If you are a big fan you should pick this up. If you've never purchased any of her CDs (like me), this is a great way to start. There are plenty of good songs including 2 versions of Hallelujah.

The Swell Season at McCabe's

2010-04-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

I can't believe nearly a month has gone by and I haven't written about this. In what may turn out to be one of the best club shows of the year for me, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova performed for a small group of fans (under 150) at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. For nearly 2 hours they sang songs, told stories, made us laugh and thoroughly entertained us all. That they are talented and have written some beautiful songs goes without saying. If you haven't seen them before, the extra piece that makes them so special is their humble and down to earth attitude. When Glen begs you to sing along, he really wants you to be a part of the show. His stories are always touching and funny. In one of them, he gives Bono all of the credit for the Swell Season getting to the Academy Awards (something that changed their lives). Marketa, who is just as humble on stage, was supporting a new hairdo giving her an extra bit of sophistication. Although this is really Glen's band, he always leaves a nice chunk of the set open for Marketa to lead. Sending this show over the top was the inclusion of Javier Mas for several songs near the end of the show. Javier is a guitar player from Spain who was also one of the highlights from Leonard Cohen's recent tour. The pure joy he displays while playing incredible leads on his acoustic guitar was a perfect compliment to the Swell Season. For those of you in So Cal who missed the show, the full band will be playing the Hollywood Bowl this summer. Don't miss them.

Raul Malo - Solo at The Coach House

2010-02-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

Upon entering the Coach House last night, the first thing I noticed was that there were no drums on the stage. This made me a bit nervous. When Raul focuses on ballads it can sometimes get a little less interesting. I love his high energy songs. What were we in for tonight? After the opening act left the stage, they took away everything and I realized we were getting a true solo show. No band, just Raul Malo on guitar and, of course, vocals. Would Raul be able to engage the audience? Would he be able to bring the energy? The answers to these questions is an emphatic yes!

Raul has a wonderful and sometimes sarcastic sense of humor. He made no bones about the fact that he didn't really care what we wanted because he was going to deliver us a show that we would love. When he stated that a song was an old Maverick number, he got cheers and replied, "Thanks. That's better than: When are you getting back together". Later he made joking references about not really playing requests. After singing a song with some Spanish lyrics in the middle, he got some yelling in Spanish from the crowd and responded with, "Cubans are in the house tonight", but in a here they are AGAIN manner. Still, it was all in good fun and he had us laughing throughout the night. When he said he wrote a song for the Mills Brothers he followed with, "They're all dead though... So I recorded it".

But, it is all about the music with Raul, isn't it. And he delivered. With his Elvis meets Roy Orbison voice, it is hard to miss. Some of the faster songs were slowed down as he played with tempos to fit his set. He had the women swooning when he covered Mexican standards like Volver and sent shivers at the end when he sang the Roy Orbison song, "Crying". Near the end of the set he really picked up the pace with some Mavericks classics and had us all singing along. If there is anyone who can bridge the gap between the gringo and Latino music worlds, it is Raul Malo. He has been doing it for years and the best part is, he does both sides so well. He has a CD of new music coming out in August and is also working on a Spanish language CD. Hopefully he will be back this way in the Fall. Can't wait!

New Music February 2010

2010-02-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

Somehow I just couldn't get through all of the 2009 releases and here we are in 2010 already. So, up first are all the latest 2010 CDs that are now playing on The Promise, including music from Amy Correia, Sam Phillips, Patty Griffin, The Burned, Jon Dee Graham, Tina Dico and Spoon. For you indie artists that have sent me CDs and are waiting to hear your music, it's coming. I promise.

Amy Correia - You Go Your Way (Spring 2010)
It opens with a piano/percussion driven song, the title track, "You Go Your Way", and I am hooked. It doesn't let up there though. The beautiful "Love Changes Everything" follows and then the funny/sad "Powder Blue Trans Am". Most CDs are lucky to have 3 winners, let alone lead off with 3 unique, powerful, and fun songs. All of Amy's original songwriting is wrapped up in Paul Bryan's solid production and Jay Bellerose's always amazing percussion. It's early in the year, but it is going to take a hell of a lot for an indie release to beat this CD in 2010. The CD is only available on Amy's website right now, but will be available everywhere soon. You can listen and buy it here: http://amycorreia.com/ .
Sam Phillips - Magic for Everybody (2010)

And speaking of Jay Bellerose, he makes a return to recording with Sam Phillips on her latest EP, part of The Long Play project. The EP opens with "Always Merry and Bright", a look at the sadness behind the smile. Interestingly, the strings, arranged by Eric Gorfain, I believe, have a very traditional sound (not what we've grown to expect from Eric). This just adds to the sadness the song seems to bring out. That is not to say that Magic is a downer of a CD. Sam always seems to find the silver lining and the title track, "Magic for Everybody" which follows is so hopeful, she obviously placed it in that order to bring you back up. The 5 song EP ends with a remake of her Gilmore Girls song "Tell Her What She Wants to Know". It is slower and more... more... Sam. This may be my favorite of the EPs released so far and with this collection, we have easily gotten our money's worth. Check out the project at http://samphillips.com

Patty Griffin - Downtown Church (2010)

That I am listening to a "Gospel" album is a testament to the respect I have for both Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller. To Patty's credit, this CD is inspirational, but not overly in your face with the religion. As she has stated in interviews, she was working her way through her own faith as she recorded this. Most of the songs are covers of religious tunes that come in many forms; from country to Mexican traditional to soul. This is a very entertaining CD and Patty's voice shines throughout.

The Burned - The Burned (2010)

Just got this one the other day (thanks Mike) and it has "wow" written all over it. Moody, electric, bluesy, fascinating, wow. You must check these guys out! I hear they have a great live show too.

Jon Dee Graham - Its Not As Bad Aa It Looks (2010)
With a strong rocking band, The Fighting Cocks, behind him, Jon Dee continues to put out good music that gets ignored by the mainstream media. Many of the songs continue to dig into his life and his world, all of which is interesting, sad and beautiful. Check out this wonderful CD at http://jondeegraham.com .
Spottiswoode - Piano 45 (2010)

All good songwriters should be able to strip down their songs to piano or guitar and voice and you should be able to see the beauty of it all. On this solo CD from Jonathan Spottiswoode, the theatrics and strange but exciting arrangements are gone and it is all about the songs themselves. It may not be a starting point for new listeners, but if you are a Spottiswoode fan, you will find this batch of 15 songs a wonderful diversion from his other music. But judge for yourself. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. You'll find more info here: http://www.spottiswoode.com/

Tina Dico - The Road To Gavle (2010)
Another great CD from Tina. Her wonderfully personal songs are only eclipsed by her beautiful voice. Why don't you own any Tina Dico? http://www.tinadico.com/
Spoon - Transference (2010)

Spoon continues to knock out great music. This CD is a bit more experimental, maybe even a bit Wilco like in that way. Still, you find yourself loving these quirky songs and their strange moments.

Happy Birthday Steve Poltz

2010-02-20T12:32:00.001-08:00

On a rainy night in North County San Diego, Steve Poltz, the somewhat crazy, friend to everyone, singer/songwriter, and co-writer of Jewel's hit "You were meant for me", turned 50 with hundreds of his closest friends and family there to help him celebrate. The Belly Up Tavern was packed for their local hero who put together a show that hardly stopped from 9pm till well past midnight.

Steve, sporting a pink cast on his left arm came out and introduced Lisa Sanders, who played guitar and sang along with a backup singer. She has a beautiful voice, although it was often lost because of the crowd noise. This is San Diego, and having lived there for over 4 years I can say without a doubt that they are the worst audiences I've ever had to share clubs with. I love the Belly Up, but most people in San Diego seem to go to shows for the scene, not the music. It has been that way since the 70's and hasn't appeared to change any. But I digress.

Juan asked me if all the bands were going to sound alike. Well, it was obvious right away that this wasn't going to be one of those nights. As the beautiful sounds of Lisa Sanders were replaced by Mojo Nixon. If you don't know who Mojo Nixon is, this will give you an idea of what the next half hour or so were like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojo_Nixon . He opened with a new song called, "Steve Poltz is an old MF". If I need to explain what MF is, you're not old enough to be reading this. Anyways, this was a sweet ballad compared to where he was headed last night. And... And... I just don't think I can go there in this blog. Let's just say it was obscenely over the top with Mojo performing some of his biggest hits. Well, maybe not hits, but they were some of his most notorious songs. Okay, pretty much everything he sings is notorious. He didn't do the Don Henley song though. "Elvis is Everywhere" may have been the show's highlight. Throughout his performance, he kept coming back to the Steve Poltz song, and we sang as loud as we could. I feel lucky that I finally got to see this legend. Uhmmm, but I really felt like I needed a shower afterwards.

Mojo worked the crowd to a near frenzy, and now it was time for Steve Poltz to perform for us. Unfortunately this caused a short disruption in the pace of the show since this was also Steve's CD release party for "Dreamhouse" and much of the CD is quiet (at least quiet compared to Mojo). But Poltz mixed up old songs and new ones with ease. His band, the Cynics really rocked. He brought out guests to perform solo and with him. It started with Anya Marina, a singer/songwriter who has had a bunch of songs on TV shows. Her solo singing was totally drowned out by the crowd although they gave her a nice round of applause. Gregory Page, from the Rugburns sang a few songs. I love his voice. A.J. Croce (yes, that is Jim's son) sang a few songs also, and man, can he play piano. He did a ragtime number that was out of this world. Each artist would join the band, then sing a song or two by themselves (or with Steve) and then the band would come back and they might stay for another number or two. Cindy Lee Berryhill (who I haven't seen in over 20 years) came out and sang backup to a song. Meanwhile, Steve's set rocked the house. With his broken hand putting his guitar playing out of commission, he bounced around the stage non stop, not really knowing what to do with himself. He was almost manic. He brought up his physician who helped with the broken hand, and a couple who danced to one of his songs at their wedding (they danced on stage). He even wished his sister a happy birthday (they were born 2 years apart on the same day). When he finally got to the classic "You were meant for me" (which, as usual, included the David Cassidy rap), he shared the guitar with his guitarist in a cozy funny way.

The evening ended for us with the Rugburns reuniting on stage for an absurdly rocking set. We had to leave early, but I can't imagine any more craziness could have happened that night. Of course, it was a Steve Poltz show, so anything was possible.

Shawn Colvin at The Coach House

2010-02-15T23:07:00.000-08:00

Without a doubt, Shawn Colvin is one of my favorite live performers. She mixes her excellent catalog of songs with brilliant covers and then usually throws in some great stories and fun audience banter. She is easily one of the best guitarists in the singer/songwriter category and her performances always seem effortless. We were up front and center for Saturday night's show at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. She has played there many times before and comes back because of the great audiences, good sound and mediocre food (just a joke there... at least the food is consistent). We got everything we came for, except the stories. She seems to be out of stories at the moment and that is fine because I've heard her tell old stories before, and it always seems disappointing when I already know where it is going. If you doubt that the whole crowd is waiting for stories, it was obvious early on when someone yelled out, "Tell us a story" and you could almost here the rest of the crowd go, "yeah, tell us one Shawn". She did talk briefly about the Grammy's and her daughter saying the "S" word when Steve Earle beat her out for the award.

When my seats are up front, they always seem to be on the right and I never get a good look at Shawn's guitar work. But on this night, we were right there and watching her play is almost as exciting as actually listening to the songs. As for the songs, she pretty much skipped over her last CD and played most of the favorites we came to hear. She took requests, in her own way and time of course. The highlight for me though was finally getting to hear the long version of Polaroids. For those who haven't heard it, after completing the song, she starts playing cover songs that have the same beat and sound. There is a KSCA live session, for those of you who recorded these things, that has it and which I've lived off of for 15 years. I'm guessing many of the people hadn't heard that version and when I yelled out, in the middle of it "Ebony and Ivory" and then she started playing it, well, they thought she was actually listening to me. The reality was, I think she was about to go there anyway. But everyone around me gave me this WTF look. It was great.

We met a lot of nice people, including another big Sam Phillips fan. It is one of the reasons I love going to the Coach House: Always cool people to meet. And as always, we left just short of two hours later very satisfied and looking forward to Shawn's next visit.

Lots on our music schedule this month. Friday we are headed down to Solana Beach to see Steve Poltz's CD release party at The Belly Up. And the Friday after that is Raul Malo back at the Coach House.

Sam Phillips

2010-01-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

This coming week, Sam Phillips celebrates another birthday (I'm going to be polite and not mention the year, you can look it up if you must). To celebrate I thought it would be nice to remind everyone just how much good music Sam has created over the last 20 or so years. So, starting now and going on into next weekend, The Promise will be playing lots and lots of Sam Phillips. Pretty much every hour, 24/7, there will be songs from all of her CDs, including music from her last CD as Leslie, "The Turning" and of course, music from her current Long Player project.

And... just thought of this... If you'd like to wish Sam a happy birthday, make an mp3 (under 20 seconds) of your message and email it to me at thepromise at gdrmusic dot com. I'll throw it into the rotation.

Happy Birthday Sam!

Rufus Wainwright in Long Beach

2010-01-18T20:46:00.001-08:00

Where does the time go. Has it really been 2 weeks since this event? :-(

So... The Terrace Theater in Long Beach is a beautiful place to hold a concert. Rufus stole Leonard Cohen's backup singers, The Webb Sisters, to open for him. It was a wonderful choice. They gave us a short but lovely set featuring their unique harmonies. Their standard instrumentation of acoustic guitar and portable harp (with a bit of electric guitar in the background) made it even more fun. I picked up their EP after the show, which features their version of Cohen's "If it be your will". If you enjoy acoustic harmonies with an English folk edge, you should check them out.

There are two Rufus'. The big band Rufus and the solo Rufus. Tonight we got the latter. There's nothing wrong with that, although I'll take the full band if I have a choice. Rufus is very laid back; maybe a bit too much. He screwed up a few times, stopping and starting (making us all laugh along with him). This was similar to his House of Blues show last year. His full band show at the Wiltern a few years back was near perfect. So I have to believe that he is just more focused with the full band. Still, we are there for the voice and the songwriting, both in top form. His new songs were exciting and the oldies were powerful. Rufus is a wonderful entertainer and worth seeing, mistakes and all.

More Music December 2009

2009-12-27T12:43:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm going to try and get through as many CDs as possible before year end. Here we go...

James Maddock - Sunrise on Avenue C (2009)

James Maddock's return (has it really been 10 years?) may very well be the very best CD of the year. It starts with the lyrics. The songs about relationships desired and lost have insight that is rarely seen in pop music. There are wonderful hooks throughout and the production is beautiful without being overly done. There is not a weak song among the dozen here. If you're going to buy one more CD before the end of the year, this is it.

Luke Powers - Running to Paradise (2009)

This new CD from Luke brings us 16 more stories/songs sung by a man who someday will be a folk legend. The term "folk" may be too limiting for the style of his music which seems to capture the best of the Texas and Tennessee scenes. His CDs always dip into our collective past, and this one not only goes back to the 60's for "The Real Elenor Rigby", but also the 70's for "Johnny Rotten Come to Jesus". Always a favorite indie release of mine. Get more info at http://www.phoebeclaire.net or you can purchase it at CD Baby.

Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11 (2009)

If you love guitar, how you can't love this duo is beyond me. Armed with acoustic guitars and no real limits as to where they can go, the music is exciting, amazing and filled with the kind of joy that so few artists project.

The Swell Season - Strict Joy (deluxe edition) (2009)

The deluxe set of this follow up CD from the duo that made "Once" one of the best musical movies a year or so ago, is a must have. Disc 1 is the new music. It feels like more time and money were allowed for this CD and you hear some beautiful arrangements; especially the standout "Low Rising". Disc 2 is a live performance, which demonstrates their ability to not only convert their studio recordings into live pieces, but gives you a hint on just how good they can be in concert. Backed by The Frames, this alone is worth purchasing the CD. Disc 3 is a DVD (I'll get around to that some day).

Angela McCluskey - You Could Start a Fight in an Empty House (2009)

Right off the bat you have one of my favorite album titles of the year. But seriously, Angela and her friends have put together what is now my favorite post Wild Colonials CD. With Shark and Paul busy making soundtracks among other things, Angela has created a wonderful CD. A couple of the songs have a bit of the techno sound that Angela has been dabbling in, but generally this CD is all about Angela; her voice, her lyrics and her friends (like Joseph Arthur for example). Angela McCluskey is in a league with Lucinda Williams when it comes to letting you hear the pain in her voice. So when she slows it down and tells you a sad story, you really feel it. A couple of the later Wild Colonial songs are included here which just adds to the enjoyment. This is an excellent CD and it will easily hold us over until the gang gets back together again.

Ellsworth - Bright Red Road (2009)

As with his last CD, it is hard to label Ellsworth's music. It is less Americana this time and more... I don't know... Troubadour like? Ellsworth has focused his lyrics on the world and so many of it's problems. This is very much a social commentary CD, yet it never gets too heavy. Although you I might be tempted to call it folk, it is very modern folk with full arrangements and solid production. This CD is going to get plenty of play on The Promise. For more info, you can go to http://www.ellsworthsongs.com

New Music December 2009

2009-12-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

I've got lots of new music on the way. Here are a few of new CDs you will hear on The Promise...

Kevin Gilbert - "Nuts" and "Bolts" (2009)

Kevin, the man behind Toy Matinee and one of the key songwriters in the Tuesday Night Music Club, has been gone over a dozen years, but he hasn't been forgotten. His estate has finally released some material that has been sitting in the vaults. These aren't half recorded, not quite ready pieces of music, but fully produced (and let's face it, when Kevin produced something it was FULLY PRODUCED) ready for release songs. In fact most of the first CD, "Nuts" is typical of the heavily produced songs from Toy Matinee (The last few songs are simpler productions though). "Bolts" is much more personal with Kevin mainly accompanied by either guitar or piano/keyboard with maybe some light percussion. Throughout the two CDs, the songs focus on life and relationships; which is probably why the people who are releasing these CDs consider them singer/songwriter CDs. The sound is very 80s, but the quality is there, both in the production and the writing. If you loved Kevin before, you will love these new/old CDs. Warning, if you only buy "Nuts", you will be mislead (on purpose) by the liner notes and you WILL buy "Bolts" just to see what she as talking about. You can find out more and buy the CDs here: http://kevingilbert.com/

James McMurtry - Live in Europe (2009)

The studio CDs don't begin to show you the power of his live shows. The problem with this CD is that some of the classics were saved for the DVD that comes with it (if you haven't seen him do "Choctaw Bingo" live...). So, at 8 songs, the CD is a bit short. The 6 songs on the DVD make up for it, if you like to watch your music. Still, it is hard to put down anything live by James. This was a nice addition to my JM collection.

Tinted Windows - Tinted Windows (2009)

There hasn't been a power pop band like this since... maybe The Knack. If that sounds horrible to you, then you will want to pass on this CD. But, if you love to hear that sweet vocal with the power chords and big drumming, then this is the CD for you. The surprise here is that this is actually a super band featuring Taylor Hanson from Hanson, James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins, Adam Schlesinger from Fortunes of Wayne and on drums Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick. This could be the next big band.

Sam Phillips - Cold Dark Night (2009)

Part of her Long Play project, there are a half dozen Christmas songs here. Now, I'm not one for Christmas songs, but Sam can make anything sound special to me and these songs prove that. The highlight is easily "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" which she originally recorded for the movie, "A Midnight Clear". This new arrangement is just as gorgeous.

Lazy Preacher - 4th and Independent (2009)

They are Orange County's little secret, and that's too bad. You might be tempted to call their music psychedelic folk, but putting labels on Lazy Preacher isn't easy. Let's see... I'd put them somewhere between Beck and The Moody Blues. How is that for a wide label. This new CD is more focused than "Fall Asleep When Awaking" and has a more consistent sound; nice acoustic guitar with good melodies and just enough strangeness to keep you on edge. One of my favorite indie CDs of 2009. You can find out more here: http://www.lazypreacher.com

Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard - One Fast Move Or I'm Gone - Music from Kerouac's Big Sur (2009)

Big fans of Jack Kerouac, Jay (Son Volt) and Ben (Death Cab for Cutie) take Jack's words and create a brilliant folky/Americana CD. For me, the highlight is hearing songs that sound like Son Volt but have Benjamin singing (and vise versa). If you like either of these artists (especially Jay Farrar) check out this beautiful and touching tribute to the King of the Beats.

Matt Stansberry - Self Portrait EP (2009)

Some great hooks from this indie artist. "Love Struck" has hit written all over it. His people like to compare him to John Mayer, and... well, it seems to fit. Some really nice pop music. Find out more at http://mattstansberry.com

Mike Doughty - Sad Man Happy Man (2009)

I just love his style. This acoustic rock always seems on the verge of exploding. He can write, he can sing, he brings the melodies and he brings the energy. What else can rock and roll ask for? It is maybe a touch below "Golden Delicious", but them maybe I just need to listen to it some more, 'cause every time I do it keeps getting better. http://mikedoughty.com

The Section Quartet Holiday Show at Largo

2009-12-03T10:17:00.001-08:00

If you know me, you know I'm not one for holiday shows. Still, how could I not resist the lineup, and with Eric Gorfain arranging the evening (not to mention the actual material), I knew it would be fun. The band opened with Silent Night, a rare (for this show) traditional song. But as a warning of things to come, I suppose, they took it in a new direction with Daphne Chen playing the melody on her theremin (think "Good Vibrations" or almost any old horror movie). It gave the song a bit of a spooky feel. It is always amazing to watch Daphne perform on the theremin; pulling sounds literally out of thin air.

The biggest surprise of the night and one of my favorite moments came a couple of songs later. Sarah Silverman sang "Give The Jew Girl Toys". If you haven't heard this hysterically funny song, you should check it out on Youtube. Be warned though, it is standard Sarah material (it will offend those who are easily offended).

Before each singer appeared, David "Gruber" Allen would introduce one of the Section players along with himself and then introduce the guest artist. They were going for a bad Oscars feel where the offstage Gruber mimicked the offstage announcers at the awards shows and then the two of them would tell bad jokes while introducing the next artist. Those of us who got it, loved it. David has great timing and is generally just a very funny guy. His rap in the middle of Silver Bells had us rolling in the aisles.

The band and singers moved away from the traditional songs, singing more modern favorites. The Section Quartet did a lovely version of "Christmas Time is Here" (the Vince Guaraldi classic from "A Charlie Brown Christmas"). Joe Henry did "Blue Christmas". Vivian Campbell (Yes, that heavy metal giant) did "Merry Christmas Everybody" (originally sung by Slade). And Mike Viola (Candy Butchers along with plenty of solo stuff) did "Father Christmas". The most traditional song was performed by Sam Phillips, singing "Away in a Manager". It was easily the most beautiful moment of the evening. Sam took this traditional song and gave it the warmth and passion that so few singers can do these days. The song appears on her new EP "Cold Dark Night", by the way.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, Addi, the balloon guy, brought out his bass balloon and played the bass line to The Dreidel song. You just have to see him play that balloon to really get how cool the whole thing is. Daphne did the arrangement for this traditional song, changing the style a few times mid song. It was a the most unique and maybe my favorite version ever of this song that I've been singing since I was a child. Also appearing was Jim Hodgson who played his concept video of "Jolly Filter". I'm not going to try and explain this. Just go to Youtube (this version doesn't have the sound... there may be a better version somewhere, but you'll get the idea).

The evening ended with most everyone on stage singing "Happy Christmas (War is Over)", the Lennon classic. It was a touching end to a very fun evening. Below is the full set list:

Silent Night - TSQ

Do They Know it is Christmas - TSQ

Give the Jew Girl Toys - Sarah Silverman

Christmastime is here - TSQ

Blue Christmas - Joe Henry

Wonderful Christmas - TSQ

Away in a Manger - Sam Phillips

Jolly Filter Film - Jim Hodgson

Silver Bells - Dave "Gruber" Allen

Dreidel Song - Addi

Last Christmas - TSQ

Merry Christmas Everybody - Vivian Campbell

Father Christmas - Mike Viola

Happy Christmas (War is Over) - Almost everyone

The Swell Season and Josh Ritter at The Wiltern

2009-11-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

A week ago we were privileged to see one of the best shows I've seen all year. Last month I bought the tickets, opting for the first balcony at the Wiltern since it was standing room only on the floor. The Wiltern is just small enough where the early rows of the loge are perfect for a sit down show; especially if you are dead center like we were.

We arrived just before the show started. I was so focused on the Swell Season, I had forgotten that Josh Ritter was the opening act. He was on my short list of bands I really wanted to see live, so when he walked out on stage I was thrilled. And... I was not disappointed. He put on a lively set of rockin' tunes that made you smile and tap your feet throughout. His interaction with the audience was natural and usually very funny. He told a wandering story that really didn't have much of a point, and it didn't matter. I can't wait to see him do a full set some day.

After a short delay, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the duo that makes up The Swell Season came out, sat on the floor and did a cute song together. We were hooked immediately. They were then joined by The Frames, Glen's band for many years. The stage, with beautiful lighting and set designs, was laid out like an arc, with the Frames making up most of the curve and Marketa and her piano finishing it off. It was as if to say, we are The Swell Season and the Frames are over here helping. Although Marketa sang lead on a couple of songs, this is all really about Glen Hansard. In the middle of the night, everyone left, except for Glen, and he performed several songs solo. On one song he actually unplugged his guitar (the one with the big hole in it), walked out to the front of the stage and did it completely acoustic. Pretty impressive for a theater that big. It is Glen and Marketa's personalities that really win you over though. She is so humble and sweet. He is just as humble; a down to earth guy who, when he asks you sing along, is completely sincere about it and is just trying to make better music with you singing the harmonies. Their songs about lost love and unrequited love are as uplifting as they are sad. Before you can really feel sad though, Glen is joking about something or other and you find yourself laughing and having a grand old time. To accentuate the humor in their show, during the encore, they brought out Jason Segel to sing a song he had written. Jason, who is best known for his acting (and that nude scene), was hysterical, singing about finding someone at the Wiltern to come home with him that night. Marketa, who gave up her piano for him, walked across the stage with a sign that had his phone number (well, it was the phone number he gave in the song) on it. As the nearly 2 hour show (which actually ran over time) came to an end, they brought out Josh to sing with them, closing the circle of a perfect musical evening.

New Music for November 2009

2009-11-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

Black Joe Lewis - Tell 'Em What Your Name Is! (2009)
This is high energy funk/rock/soul and is a blast to listen to. I saw them in Austin and they can bring it. The CD won't disappoint.
Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 - White Lies for Dark Times (2009)
Another Ben Harper CD and another solid one for him. Doesn't seem to matter who he plays with, the music works.
Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson - Break Up (2009)
Talk about digging deep for inspiration... Pete channels Serge Gainsbourg's recording with Brigitte Bardot from the 60's, recording a break up CD with his muse I suppose The original was the actual breakup couple. I'm not anything beats how Fleetwood Mac did it. But, I'm getting off track. This is a nice CD from Pete and Scarlett (who is much better off not covering the great artists of our time) and if you're a fan of Pete's, you should enjoy it.
Sam Phillips - The Long Play (continued)
Finally, there is an official release of "When You're Down". Sam wrote this years ago, and it just hasn't been able to make it onto a CD. Glad to finally see it here.
Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring! (2009)
More of a straight ahead rocker then his previous release, this is still pure Prophet. With his unique singing style and knack for catchy melodies it is so easy to love his music. The lyrics are a mix of social commentary and personal loss but with an uplifting spirit. Another great CD from CP.

Linda Ronstadt Y Mariachi Los Camperos

2009-10-27T22:25:00.001-07:00

I wasn't going to write about this show at the Gibson/Universal Amphitheater last Sunday because this isn't music I really know about: But I just had to. We went because a) Linda Ronstadt, at 63, still has that power in her voice and b) Maria, being from Colombia, loves this music. And so there I was, knowing that I wouldn't really know any lyrics (although on the real mushy ones, Maria would translate to me... very lovingly) and having to focus on the music. For those of you who think those trios at your local Mexican restaurant (yes, they are not actually mariachis, but trios usually) is what I was in for, are greatly mistaken. The band, which consisted of 5 violin players, 2 trumpeters, a full sized (although light apparently) harp and a 3 guitar rhythm section (and maybe I'm missing one or two) was amazing. The melodies are not as simple as you might expect. There are time changes in the middle of songs and the melodies go well beyond the sweet and sappy stuff you may hear from that local trio. It was just fascinating to listen to these men perform. The band played on their own for about a half hour or more and then introduced Linda. She sang solo and also shared vocals with three of the violin players who were also excellent singers. The entire evening fell a little short of 2 hours. Watching near perfection in every aspect of the show made it go by so much faster than I ever realized. I think I will do this again some day. As for Linda, wow, that voice can sing in any language. And unlike her show of classics a year or so ago, you could just see the joy and passion in her face as she sang songs derived from all over Mexico. You don't need to understand the words to see it.

Joan Osborne, The Holmes Brothers and Paul Thorn

2009-10-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

I was in Glendale last Friday for a concert. I know, that just sounds weird. Glendale CA isn't known for rock and roll. Never the less, there we were at the Alex Theater to see Joan Osborne and Paul Thorn. And what a wonderful night it was.

Paul opened the show with a 30 minute set (way too short for him) and had us all laughing from the opening song. His down home southern humor is infectious and he easily won over plenty of people (many of whom stood in line after his set to buy his latest live CD/DVD).

The Holmes Brothers then came out and presented us with a diverse set of rock and soul. It wasn't nearly as engaging as Paul Thorn, but for a trio of grey haired rockers they did a great job.

After an intermission, Joan came out with her keyboardist and a percussionist and did a wonderful job on "St. Theresa". The percussionist was then replaced by The Holmes Brothers, who, along with her keyboard player, backed her for the rest of the set. Joan did a few songs from Relish, a couple of new songs and did some great covers; pretty much tearing up the place with her powerful voice. She is as sexy today as she was when we first discovered her back in the mid 90's. It isn't just the body, it is her attitude and singing style that drives men, and plenty of women in the audience, wild. It is still amazing to me that a women with this much talent leaves so many seats empty. She was only out there for about an hour, but it was worth every penny we spent to see an artist who truly loves singing, doing what she does best. You'll find a couple of poorly shot videos of the show at www.youtube.com/infomas or click on the pictures down below.

New Music October 2009

2009-10-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

I know. I know. These always start with, "I've been so busy" and "There is so much to catch up on". No excuses. We'll just get right in to it.

Bob Schneider - Lovely Creatures (2009)

This is Bob's best CD in years. Maybe his best since "Lonelyland". It is filled with hooks, has an optimistic up beat to it and yet somehow I love it. Seriously, it's a great sounding CD, closer to Lonelyland then the last few CDs, yet not at all like it. He decided to remake a couple of Scabs songs, and they are fine. But the treasures here are the new songs. I'm very happy knowing that I will be spinning most of this CD on The Promise. It has been way too long Bob. http://www.bobschneidermusic.com/

Suzanna Choffel - Shudders & Rings (2006)

While we're in Austin... If you read my blog post at ACL this year http://aclfestival.blogspot.com , you know that I fell for Suzanna's music live. And I am happy to report that the CD is really good also. There are some different players on this CD but the overall jazz/singer/songwriter sound is still intact. Suzanna sings like a sultry jazz singer. Her songs are sophisticated, surprising and yet familiar. This is a beautiful CD. It deserves your attention. http://www.suzannachoffel.com/

Sam Phillips - Hypnotists in Paris (2009)

For the first portion of Sam's "The Long Play" project we have 5 wonderful songs, including the brilliant revisiting of "I Don't Want To Fall In Love" from Sam's "Indescribable Wow". The project, a year long releasing of music, first on her web site and later on ITunes/Amazon/etc, should keep us Sam Phillips fans quite satisfied for some time to come. One of the 5 highlights (yes, I love every song on this EP), is Sam's love song to her daughter, "So Glad You're Here". Although there is a full band (Section Quartet) version of the song, she decided to release the piano version, which is so much more personal. For $52, you get 5 digital EP's and a digital CD over the next year (along with other fun stuff on her website). I highly recommend checking it out. http://samphillips.com/thelongplay/

Various Artists - The Best Is Yet To Come - The Songs of Cy Coleman (2009)

And speaking of Sam Phillips, she makes an appearance on this compilation of classics done in a modern style. The songs each have their singer's stamp on them, yet they remain true to the original versions. Besides Sam, there are excellent performances by Patty Griffin, Jill Sobule, Missy Higgins, Ambrosia Parsley, Madeleine Peyroux, Julianna Raye, Peria Batala, Sara Watkins, Nikka Costa, Sarabeth Tucek and two beautiful songs from Fiona Apple.

John Lefebvre - Psalngs (2009)

This would be really easy to dismiss, if it wasn't so darn interesting. John, who is awaiting trial in L.A. on gambling charges (he wrote payment programs for a gambling site), wrote a bunch of songs and then hired some of the best players in L.A. to create this CD. Actually, it is beyond a CD. It is all available for free download at http://www.psalngs.com/. The songs are actually pretty good. The singing is a little raw, but he has an interesting voice; one that you could get addicted to. The playing is top notch and this adds to the confusion. Did a great backup band make this more enjoyable or is it really the creation of a new exciting singer/songwriter. I'll leave it to you to decide. I will be playing a few of the songs on The Promise, so check him out.

Charlie Faye - Wilson St.

I saw Charlie Faye as an opening act at The Mint a couple of months ago. I didn't really hear any of it because of the crowd noise, but I heard enough to know there was something good going on here. I picked up her CD that night and have really enjoyed it. This CD can best be described as classic country rock with a solid rock edge and Charlie's sweet voice, making is as easy to swallow as a cold sweet tea on a hot Texas day. Songs like "Runaround" and "Jersey Pride" sound like they belong in another era. Actually, "Jersey Pride" reminds me a bit of Natalie Merchant. The songs will take you back without sounding old and dated. http://www.charliefaye.com

Mary Kastle - Another Swing (2008) / Fresh Air (2006)

These pair of EPs continue to show off the female/jazz/singer/songwriter in music today. It is an exciting area to watch as women such as Mary, with exciting voices and interesting arrangements challenge our rock and roll ideas. Songs like "Down the Wire", with the piano up front and a funky guitar in the background, make me glad I have the opportunity to get to share this music with you. Find out more about Mary Kastle at http://www.marykastle.com

More coming soon...

The Decemberists at Royce Hall

2009-10-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

It all became clear to me, last night, as I heard the sonar come from the speakers about 20 minutes before the show. There is only one song that starts that way, Pink Floyd's "Echoes". Even if I wasn't aware that The Decemberists have covered it before, it was an easy call. And as the song ended, I turned to my daughter and said, "And the house lights go down". And sure enough, the lights went out. Colin's love of everything rock and roll, even prog rock, became even clearer to me now. Their new CD, "Hazards of Love", is a suite of songs, not unlike things Pink Floyd has done. They've added female vocalists for this tour, not unlike what Pink Floyd did with "Dark Side of the Moon". They added an extra dimension to the show by having four animators create video for the new CD, similar to things Pink Floyd has done over the years. And then they came out and gave us the entire piece, non stop, just like The Wall.

I saw this performance in Austin a few weeks ago. But now, seated closer to the stage with no mud in site, and with the fascinating animation on a large screen behind the band, the first hour of the show flew by. Most of the animation did not represent the lyrics of the CD as much as the mood of the music. There were some very cool effects and other stuff that was just strange. Overall it was great way to watch the show. The only portion that seemed to echo the lyrics was during "The Rake", with skeletons and death all around. The band played with enthusiasm and it was just a fun ride. After playing "Hazards", they took a fifteen minute break then came back and played a more standard set that ran another seventy five minutes. They played their fan favorites, did a classic rock cover (Heart's "Crazy on You"), goofed around, had a weird guitar duel, did some strange dancing and played musical chairs with their instruments. Just another Decemberists set. We all walked out completely satisfied.

Kristy Hanson at the Hotel Cafe

2009-10-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

About a week ago my wife and I visited the Hotel Cafe to see indie artist Kristy Hanson perform. I have been playing music from her last CD for some time, but had not had the opportunity to see her live yet. The Hotel Cafe is a small room that seats a handful and expects everyone else to stand. Getting there early, we had no problem grabbing a table at the front. I've run into Kristy several time over the last year or so; usually at Sam Phillips concerts. So when she saw me, she came over and we chatted for awhile. What I've always enjoyed about her when chatting is her sweet, almost innocent, small town aura. And it translates wonderfully on the stage. Kristy put on a 45 minute set singing lots of songs from her upcoming release, chatting about her songs and, of course, performing music from her last CD. So often, when you finally hear a singer live, the voice just isn't as good as the record. But Kristy's singing sounded just as good, if not better. I really enjoyed the new songs, which, on first listen, sound even better than the last batch. The highlight of the evening for me though, was a cover of Joni Mitchell's "The Last Time I saw Richard". I've seen seasoned performers like Natalie Merchant not be able to do justice to Joni's music. A powerful and sad song like this is always a risk (especially because you have the potential to bring the house way down), but Kristy pulled it off. Half way through the song I had that stupid grin on my face; the one I get when great music moves me. Thanks Kristy.

ACL Festival 2009

2009-09-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

It is ACL time again and I am blogging, posting pictures and streaming videos. This year, pictures will be split between my blog at http://aclfestival.blogspot.com and Facebook. You are welcome to friend me there if you'd like. See the link below. First music posts will probably be Thursday morning.

--
http://thepromiselive.blogspot.com/
http://www.live365.com/stations/thepromiseradio
http://www.gdrgroup.com
http://www.facebook.com/bruce.greenberg
http://www.twitter.com/brucegreenberg
http://www.youtube.com/infomas

Sam Phillips and The Section Quartet in Santa Monica

2009-09-14T12:50:00.001-07:00

The clouds hovered over So. Cal. Saturday night, making for a cool (finally) evening with some really cool music. Sam Phillips crossed the 405 into Santa Monica and performed with The Section Quartet at The Edye Theater. It is a 99 seat room, with the seats on three sides and Sam pretty much standing in the middle of the room. She entered the room dressed in a sparkling black outfit. Daphne from the Section Quartet followed her out and took her place behind the theremin. For those of you who do not know what a theremin is, think, the synthesized sound from the Beach Boy's "Good Vibrations". But Daphne has taken it to a level I've never seen before. She plays the air around it with the perfection of a classically trained musician, which of course she is. You have to see it to believe it. I was just blown away. After a few strange sounding noises, to get her hands into position, Sam and Daphne kicked off the show with "I wanted to be alone". It was gorgeous, spooky and funny all at the same time. The rest of the Section Quartet then joined Sam on stage and gave us a beautiful version of Sister Rosetta. Throughout the 75 or so minute set, Sam was backed by the quartet, or at times just Eric Gorfain (on guitar, violin and Stroh violin).

Sam was in a great mood, joking with the crowd and keeping it light, even if they were all in black and we didn't get the formal dress code notice. :-) At one point, just as a song started, someone dropped their keys. Sam, who had already started and stopped the song, stopped it again. Walked over to the person and picked up their keys for them. We were laughing so hard, but only until the song finally started up and then it was an "Oh Wow" moment. Sam dug out "I Don't Want To Fall in Love" from the archives; something she probably hasn't played live since the 90's. Eric's arrangement was fantastic. If you don't see this on one of the upcoming EP's, I'd be very surprised. And speaking of Eric, he was really the co-star of the show. There were plenty of new arrangements, since many of the songs were written for a more standard band (you know, drums, bass, keyboards... stuff like that). All of the arrangements added new textures to the songs, without venturing too far from the original feel. Still, we were all there to see Sam, and she did a brilliant job on old and new songs. Most of the 20 song set was from her last 3 releases. There were some new songs including, "So Glad You're Here", "Memory Slope" and "When You're Down" (okay this song is actually several years old, just unreleased... another strong candidate for the EP's). Her last song before the encore is one of my all time favorites, "I Need Love" (this version is available now on Sam's site... more on that in a moment). Even as an all acoustic number, it still has the magic it had 15 years ago (can you believe it has been 15 years?!).

After the show we all got a chance to chat with Sam, as she signed posters and chatted with everyone who was willing to wait in line. She spent a good hour chatting with whoever came before her. And we all had the chance to chat with each other too. It was great finally meeting Jill and it was good seeing Tom again and meeting his wife (they all came from central/northern CA for the show).

Below is the set list for the show. But before I get to that, if you haven't signed up for The Long Play, go to http://samphillips.com/thelongplay and for $52 you will get early releases of Sam's next 5 digital EP's and digital CD (all of which will be coming out over the next year). From what I understand, the plan is to release 40 or more songs over the next 12 months. What an interesting idea/experiment. The first mp3 is already available. As I mentioned above, the new version of "I Need Love (2009)" is on the site and waiting for you.

Okay, here is the set list:

I wanted to Be Alone

Sister Rosetta

What it All Means

Edge of the World

I Dreamed I Stopped Dreaming

Taking Pictures

Signal

Animals on Wheels (accompanied by her tape player)

Fan Dance

Little Plastic Life

Can't Come Down

I Don't Want To Fall In Love

Memory Slope

Say What You Mean

So Glad You're Here

When You're Down

If I Could Write

One Day Late

I Need Love (2009)

--- Encore ---

Zero Zero Zero

Cheryl Wheeler and Kenny White at McCabe's

2009-09-14T09:17:00.001-07:00

Friday night we headed out to Santa Monica to see Maria's favorite folk singer and my favorite piano man. In another era, Kenny White would have already made it. He is not only an accomplished pianist, but also a fine singer, songwriter and producer. His music is filled with humor and thought provoking ideas. Friday night he played songs from an upcoming CD and even though it has been some time since his last full CD release, the songs sound just as good as his previous efforts. I can't wait to hear the final produced versions. Kenny played for about 40 minutes and although he finished with his standard closer, "In My Recurring Dream", the rest of the set was filled with unexpected turns. What is so interesting is that this is exactly opposite of what Cheryl brings to the table.

I've seen Cheryl Wheeler 4 or 5 times now. It is an interesting show because she tells many of the same jokes year in and year out, and yet you still end up laughing. Somehow, there is still a spontaneity to her delivery and it sure is hard to put her down for that. Most of the songs are part of a small group of songs that she plays every year. Still, they are fun songs and I don't hear them often so again, hard to quibble with her choices. She has actually recorded a few new songs this year and played some for us. There were also new stories to go along with those songs. So, over all, this was the best Cheryl Wheeler show I've seen since the first time I saw her. I don't mean to put her down. I will probably see her on her next tour out west and the next after that. She is such a warm and funny person on stage, you can't help but have a good time.