Wicked

I know, this has nothing to do with The Promise, but I thought I'd share...

The traffic in L.A. is getting ridiculous. I left before 5pm Friday night, picked up my daughter and then my niece, and got to the Pantages just minutes before the start of the show at 8pm. Hmmm, I think I’ve done this rant before. Nevermind.

I absolutely love Wicked. We saw it in New York last summer and I was ready to go back the next night. A year later, the play still has that effect on me. The cast was excellent. We didn’t see the original Glinda in New York, but the current one is easily as good. I thought the actress who played Elphaba wasn’t up to the original, but she did a fine job and hit the big numbers when called for. The head of the school was played by Carol Kane, who I love. She did a great job also.

When we saw the play in New York, we were in the 5^th row. Friday night we were in the second to last under the balcony. I think we may have been too close in New York because I don’t remember the lighting being so spectacular. The sound was also excellent. I was worried being under the balcony, but they found a way to get the sound to us with a minimum of echo. I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house for this show.

So, what is it that makes this play so special? Part of it is the main underlying themes about being different and misunderstood. If you grew up feeling that way, you can’t help but be moved by Wicked. But this isn’t just a serious play. There were plenty of laughs throughout with lots of references to the original Oz (when Elphaba shows up at her sister’s house, her sister asks her what she is doing there and Elphaba says, “There’s no place like home”). For those of you who have read the book, my niece Tracey said that it really didn’t follow it at all, but she loved the play nonetheless.

Wicked plays in L.A. through mid July and then returns to So. Cal at the Performing Arts Center in The OC next summer. I can’t recommend this play enough.

This Weeks Play List

The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan (2005) The critics are talking like this is a major leap for the band. All that is really going on is that they have replaced the guitar with a piano as the driving instrument in many of the songs. This isn’t anything amazing, but it is very interesting and they do pull it off. The sound hasn’t really changed otherwise. And don’t get me wrong, I really do like this CD.

Frank Carillo and the Bandoleros – Bad Out There (2004) That middle American rock done so well by people like John Mellencamp and Bob Seger, is alive and well here. The music will keep your foot taping and you’ll probably even find yourself humming along in no time. There isn’t a bad song on this CD. For more info, check out their web site at: http://www.frankcarillo.com .

Porcupine Tree Live at The Grove of Anaheim

Okay, this is a bit late, but… well, I’ve been busy.

I have only listened to the latest Porcupine Tree CD, Deadwing. So for me, much of the music was new. But that didn’t matter. In one of those rare evenings, I found that I loved everything they played. PT is where I believe rock was heading before bands got greedy and/or pretentious (greedy and pretentious at the same time… ouch), and then were deserted by both radio and the fans. In the 70’s this band would have been big. Not that this is a 70’s sound… hmmmm, well maybe. The concept (not the sound) is very similar to the first couple of Kansas CDs: Tight sound, great leads, good melodies, complex but assessable music. The sound is a little bit metal, a little bit rock and roll and a lot of… Ambrosia. Or maybe Toy Matinee. That’s the sound the vocals reminded me of. They weren’t the hard intense metal vocals. That combined with superior songwriting, made it easy to just love everything they played. Steven Wilson (lead singer and main lead guitar) is one talented guy. The rest of the members of the band are no slouches either; highlighted by the intense and tight drumming (perfect mic setup according to my audiophile friend Kim) which drove the band. They are coming back in October and I plan on being there.

There was a lot of joking going around during Robert Fripp’s show. This is because what he does best is create soundscapes. And, that is all he did that night. So, near the end of the first piece, some guy turns around and says to us, “this next part is great”. Of course no one has a clue what the next part is, but it isn’t much different from what he has been playing; at least on the surface (more on that in a minute). Finally Kim turns to the guy sitting next to us and said, “Well, what did you expect” and he said, “Exactly this”. But for those who really listened, each song had a feel and a mood. I was able to visualize possible movies that this would have been the soundtrack to. The first piece was dark and scary. It was like a scene where a person was walking through the house and the killer was behind one of the doors. The tension and anticipation could be heard in the music. Maybe not something to thrill fans with, but still very interesting. The other interesting aspect to his show was that he had apparently split his guitar pickups into two sections sending each to a different box, allowing him to create multiple types of sounds at the same time. When you then layer it using loops, it becomes very impressive. 40 minutes of that was quiet enough though.

I am playing a few songs from Porcupine Tree's, "Deadwing" on The Promise. Check it out.

This Weeks Play List

The Clarks – Between Now and Then (June 21, 2005) The Clarks have been recording for almost 15 years, and it shows. This retrospective, due out next week, is packed with solid rock and roll; full of hooks and great melodies. If I were to try and draw comparisons to another band, it would have to be the Greg Kihn Band. In the 70’s, before they hit it big, the Greg Kihn band was the toast of the San Francisco bay area. Their live shows were legend. You would listen to an album and say, “Why hasn’t this band made it”. That’s where the Clarks are right now. You can check them out at: www.clarksonline.com .

The Wallflowers – Rebel, Sweetheart (2005) Jakob continues to create powerful rock and roll. This CD sounds so comfortable; it is easy to take for granted. But as is the case with all great music, it is driven by good meaningful lyrics and a now very solid band.

Peter Himmelman – From Strength to Strength (1991) I guess this is family week, with Bob’s son and son-in-law added to the list. This is a classic; a very spiritual CD with great melodies.

This Weeks Play List

Before I list the new CDs added to the play list this week, I thought I'd direct you to my quicky review of The Mars Volta live performance at the Greek Theatre this week. Check it out here.

Okay, on with the new music...

Shelby Lynne – Suit Yourself (2005) Some 30 years ago Neil Young walked into the studio, got drunk, turned on the tape machine and recorded the brilliant “Tonight’s The Night”. It was raw, emotional and simply recorded. And ever since then, many an artist has decided that what they need to fill out their discography is to record an album that sounds like a first take in a studio. If I had any doubt that Shelby Lynne was recording one of those CDs, it just took a quick look at the CD, with what appears to be typed labels on both the cover and the actual CD. Okay, so we get the point. This is supposed to be a simple and raw CD. And it is. It’s a beautiful CD too. But then, it is hard with a voice like Shelby’s to go very far wrong. Because there is no big produced hook on this CD, you have to give it a few listens to really fall for it. It’s no “I Am Shelby Lynne” and for that matter it sure isn’t “Tonight’s The Night”, but neverheless,it is a good CD.

Shivaree – Who’s Got Trouble? (2005) Compared to 1999’s “I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in This Dump”, this CD is downright normal. Okay, I have to admit, I only brought up that CD because it is one of my all time favorite album/CD titles. But seriously, Shivaree may have moved closer to the mainstream with this CD, but they are still a unique band with one of the great unknown vocalists: Ambrosia Parsley. She’s part young girl, part sultry torch singer. For me, her cover of Brian Eno’s “Fat Lady of Limbourg” was worth the price of admission. Check them out at www.shivaree.com .

Spamalot – Original Broadway Cast Recording (2005) What can I say? I’ve been a Monty Python fan most of my life and for one of the boys to win a Tony for best musical… Well, we have to celebrate. They’re not dead yet!

Bonnie Raitt – Give it Up (1972) I have been way behind in getting Bonnie onto my stream. She is one of the great women in rock and roll. This album, her sophomore effort already displays the qualities that have made her famous: Her throaty vocals and classic slide guitar.

Tomorrow Tomorrow

Between the Mars Volta concert on Saturday and the Aids walk on Sunday, I had nothing left by the time it came to getting this weeks set out. But I promise... Tomorrow morning there will be a new set of music. Included in that set will be new music from Shelby Lynne and Shivaree and maybe a bit of Spamalot.

I enjoyed reading all of your comments on Sam Phillips' show. Please feel free to comment on any of my posts.

A Little Sam Phillips at Largo

Annie wrote me the other day and said, “I’m back online after a month.” She then began listing concerts that were coming up (Annie’s concert emails are a great source for live shows). And then she said, “And of course Sam Phillips is playing tomorrow.” WHAT! WHAT?

So I packed my daughter, Jessie, in the car and off we went to see Sam. Actually, it was a David Palmer performance (keyboardist for Joe Henry and others) and Sam was only going to sing a few songs. But with Sam in the studio and working on Gilmore Girls this year, I’m taking every opportunity to see her.

The opening act was Mark Goldenberg, who did some wonderful unaccompanied jazz guitar playing. Then David came on and played some amazing songs; covering a wide range of styles, from Elliot Smith to Sonny Rollins. After about 4 songs, he invited Sam to come up and sing. With just his brilliant improvisational piano behind Sam, we got to see a very different Sam Phillips. Sam likes to call herself a torch singer these days, and who can argue with her. But her band has its own unique sound. With David, Sam had a torch piano player behind her. It gave her songs that real jazz torch singer sound: A sound that she’s only flirted with so far. It was stunning. Okay, Sam is always stunning (especially in Black, which she loves to wear onstage), but this was special. It was the jazz side of Sam, and although they are the same songs she plays with the band, they felt so different.

During the performance, Sam would look back strangely at David. I thought it was because of his improvising of her songs, but actually it was because he was humming with the songs; and not the tune of the song. Sam was surprised by it, but seemed to really love it.

Below is her set list. A highlight continues to be Tom Waits’ “Green Grass” from his latest CD. She owns that song now, as far as I’m concerned. She is talking about possibly recording it. I hope so. It really fits the music she is writing.

1. Say What You Mean
2. Edge of the World
3. Green Grass (written by Tom Waits)
4. Reflecting Light

After Sam left the stage, Eric Gorfain (the lead violin for the Section Quartet) joined David, a drummer and a bongo player and proceeded to perform some classic 60’s/70’s styled improvisational jazz. It was really good. It brought back memories of people like Jean Luc Ponty and Chick Corea, who I used to enjoy in the 70’s. David created these wonderful soundscapes that allowed Eric to soar on top of. I can only imagine how good it would have been if they actually had a sound check.

Okay Sam news. The goal for the next CD is fall, but no guarantees. T-Bone’s new CD has been pushed back because of production assignments, so look for it next year. T-Bone’s live tour will be something you’ll tell your grandkids about. Don’t miss it. Gilmore Girls has been picked up for at least one more, maybe two more years. So Sam has a steady job for now.

This Weeks Play List

Gabrielle – Wide (6/14/2005) Gabrielle is part of the New York scene that includes artists like October Project and Sylvia Tosun (both played here on The Promise). And this new CD, to be released in June includes ex-New Yorkers like Julian Coryell. They want us to believe that she carries the spirit of Joni Mitchell and Peter Gabriel in her music. I’m not sure about Joni, but I do hear Tori Amos and Kate Bush. Some of the music on this CD is wonderfully produced with a “world beat” sound. Other songs are just straight singer/songwriter pieces. It makes for a very interesting experience. Just as you’re getting into this moody Middle Eastern thing, she switches to a life in the biz song. It takes a lot of confidence to go into these two very distinct areas, and Gabrielle pulls it off. Her web site is www.mudmusic.com and you should check out her artwork while you’re there. She is a very talented woman.

pinkeye d’gekko – Dry Clothes for the Drowning (2004) PDG, as they like to shorten the name, plays a lively roots rock and roll. I’m sure their live shows are a blast and you can even invite mom and dad. For touring info and such, go to: www.pdgrocks.com .

John Prine – Fair & Square (2005) One of the great American songwriters puts out his first CD since surviving cancer. His voice may not be what it used to, but the talent is still there.

Keren Ann – Nolita (2005) I saw Keren earlier this year at the Hotel Café and fell in love with her music. This is her new CD which continues her European styled vocalist approach to music. Going back and forth between French and English, I close my eyes and think: Claudine Longet wasn’t this good. Keren can be found at www.kerenann.com .

This Weeks Play List

Cowboy Junkies –Early 21^st Century Blues (2005) I remember the first time I heard the Cowboy Junkies: It was their amazing cover of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane”. So it was no surprise to me that I would enjoy this CD of covers. Highlights for me include the two Springsteen covers, “Brothers Under The Bridge” and “You’re Missing”. Other than John Lennon’s “I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier”, which is given a rap section, this is all very Cowboy Junkies music. If you’re a fan, you will love this side excursion.

Loudon Wainwright III – Here Come The Choppers! (2005) What a fun CD this is. Where do I start? There is a fantastic song called “Make Your Mother Mad” about how daughters will side with their fathers in a divorce just to piss off mom. Has anyone ever covered this before? I loved it. “Half Fist” is a wonderful tale about Loudon Wainwright the first. I haven’t quite figured out what the idea behind visiting Hank Williams grave the day Mr. Rogers died in “Hank & Fred”, but it makes for fun discussion. And I laughed and related to “My Biggest Fan”, which is self explanatory. The title track is a surreal image that most of us who have lived in Los Angeles can easily picture. If you’ve been down the Miracle Mile, you will love this song. I love this CD. Great home spun songs. He is a superior writer showing off his craft.

Myshkin’s Ruby Warblers – Corvidae (2004) This is strange and wonderful CD. It’s bluesy and yet not at all predictable. It’s an indie release that deserves some attention. You can find them at http://www.myshkinsrubywarblers.com .

Dave Potts – One Night In The South (2003) His voice reminds me of Marc Douglas Berardo, an indie favorite here at The Promise. His folkish songs about the south are engrossing and grabbed me immediately. You can find out more about Dave at http://www.davepotts.com

Martyn Joseph – Whoever it was that brought me here will have to take me home (2004) This CD, actually released in 2003, continues his tradition of great songwriting. It is maybe the best written CD of this week’s additions. It’s that good. Find out more at http://www.appleseedrec.com .

Aimee Mann – The Forgotten Arm (2005) This is a theme CD about addicts and alcoholism and all the pain that follows them and the people around them. It is not a happy CD and is one that asks to be taken seriously. Nevertheless, it is classic Aimee Mann: The departure is only in the constant theme. You’ve got to give credit to Aimee, who is a borderline indie artist, to release a risky CD like this. It will pay off for those who listen to it.

Porcupine Tree – Deadwing (2005) Okay, so once in awhile I need to slip a progressive rock CD in here. There are a couple of songs that fit into The Promise’s play list. If you are into prog rock, this is a not miss CD.

Lene Lovich – Lucky Number The Best of (2004) There used to be a story I loved to tell that described me. It was many many years ago and I was in a record store (no CDs yet) returning a Lene Lovich album. I had gotten it as a gift and asked the clerk if I could return it and get something else. He smiled and said, “Sure, you don’t look like a Lene Lovich fan anyway”. And I said, “Well, actually, I already have it”. I loved the idea that people couldn’t read me: That they couldn’t see that I loved this hip/strange music coming from England. Today, listening to this best of CD it seems so much tamer than 25 years ago. And me? I wish people understood me just a bit better.

Not This Week

Some of you may have noticed that the play list went down over the weekend. Well, that was part of a bigger problem that I spent Sunday night on. We moved our web/mail server to a data center because of a problem with SBC. That coupled with the fact that I'm headed out to St. Louis this morning means that there will be no new set this week. The good news is that there will be lots of new old stuff to listen to. I always overbuild my play list for times like this. This extra section is always filled with lots of older sets that you may not have heard. So, please stay tuned.

Next week, I promise (a little pun there), lots of new music including: Aimee Mann's latest, "The Forgotten Arm", last years release of Martyn Joseph's "Whoever it was that brought me here will have to take me home", maybe a bit of Porcupine Tree, plus indie artists Dave Potts and Myshkin's Ruby Warblers (gotta love that name). And then there is the stuff I haven't even listened to yet!

Shawn Colvin Live at the Coach House

“I hope you like women with guitars” said Brook Ramel part way through her set last night. Luckily we do, ‘cause that is what we got. Brook, along with Brandi Carlisle gave excellent performances; but the night belonged to Shawn, who hasn’t been to Southern California in a few years. “When was I last here?” Shawn asked. “A couple of years ago. You went to Disneyland”, I said (notice I didn’t say yelled? You don’t need to yell when you are within speaking distance ::::big grin:::: ). “I went to Disneyland? Oh yeah I did. Well my daughter is 7 now and…”. And that led to a story about her daughter farting in a Chinese restaurant. The good old Shawn is back, telling wonderfully new stories and singing her songs with a love that hasn’t been there for the last few years.

But Shawn was a bit distracted. You could tell when she first came out and hadn’t even decided what her first song was going to be. Shawn is one of the few artists with the talent and guts to go on stage without a set list. But usually she at least knows what she wants to start with. After a couple of songs she was sort of fumbling around and I said, “Tell us a story”. “Okay. I wasn’t going to tell you this one but…” And then she proceeded to tell us the story of her accident that she had that day. It was her little Ford rental going full force into a Korean woman’s Volvo. Shawn lost, with airbags exploding and, well… She had us in stitches, which luckily for her she wasn’t in. But you could see that some pain was starting to settle in. This may have been the reason for her sitting on a stool throughout the show. And that is all I really need to say about this show. The beauty of a Shawn Colvin concert is that you never know what songs she is going to play (because she doesn’t) and she’s always got great stories to tell you. Her voice is always so beautiful and she is such a good guitar player; even if she denies it (“Please turn down the monitors for my guitar, I don’t want to hear all of my mistakes”).

There were actually very few covers last night. She opened with a Chris Whitley song and did a few other standards: The best of which was probably Merle Haggard’s “White Line Fever”. She seems much happier with herself and her music these days. We only got one new song from the album she is working on though. It sounded good and it will be so nice to have new Colvin material to listen to, someday.

This Weeks Play List

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals – Cold Roses (2005) A return to brilliance for Ryan as he delivers a short double CD that is his best work since Gold. The most prolific writer on the scene since Elvis Costello, hurry and enjoy this now, ‘cause he’s got another one coming in the fall.

Ben Folds – Songs for Silverman (2005) If you are a fan of Ben’s music, you will love this CD. Otherwise, it may take a couple of listens to allow this complex mix of piano based rock and personal lyrics to grab you. With so few piano rockers out there, it is well worth the wait.

Bruce Sprinsteen Live at the Pantages

Rule #1: When deciding which Springsteen show to go to in L.A., never pick opening night. For some reason industry people always end up at that show, and Bruce must know it. The crowd isn’t as alive and the set list is usually pretty straightforward. Although Monday night wasn’t a typical opener for The Boss (there were 4 tour premiers), Tuesday night was one of those special nights. And this wasn’t a “reserved” crowd like Monday night’s, giving him big ovations several times throughout the night. Probably the largest ovation came after a stunning version of “The River” with Bruce on piano. The second biggest ovation was probably for… Nils. Yep, Nils Lofgrin showed up near the end of the show to play acoustic lead on “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day”.

This is the kind of tour that Springsteen fans dream of. He is adding and dropping songs like crazy so far. At least six songs from Tuesday’s show were not on Monday’s set list. He dropped Black Cowboys (one of my favorites on the new CD) but brought back “Racing in the Streets” (he has done this a few times on the tour). Instead of opening with to Reason to Believe (which was moved to the number 2 slot) he sat down at a pump organ and played My Beautiful Reward. It was a less dramatic opening, but was a nice lead-in to the intense Reason to Believe.

Reason to Believe was done with just voice and harmonica with a bullet mic and Bruce stomping on a board that had a microphone attached. The voice and harmonica were processed through a filter that distorted the hell out of it, making him sound like an old blues singer. The screens went to black and white adding to the effect. I think he may have gotten a bit too excited while singing it though. The pounding on the board caused not only the water on his piano to fall (someone spent some time under the piano cleaning up the mess) but the lamp on the piano fell also and broke (“Patti’s gonna kill me”… it was okay though. He got Nils to take the blame). He used the same filter on his voice for Johnny 99 near the end of the show. I think once was probably enough for that effect.

Bruce has been really getting into that falsetto/Roy Orbison thing lately, and he is doing it really well. Several songs ended with sections of him hitting really high notes (for him) as he hummed/yodeled. I gotta say though, his need to do that twang to his voice on some songs continues to be a little annoying. It isn’t him and it only distracts from the song.

Maybe the best parts of these shows are the stories. During Jesus was an Only Son, he would stop and a la VH1 Storytellers, would describe the next section of the song. He did it so naturally though; it felt like it was part of the song. He did 2 boarder crossing songs, The Line and Matamoras Banks. During the later he made his most political speech, asking for a humane immigration law. Matamoras Banks is sung in reverse chronological order, starting with the floating body in the river that never made it across the boarder. The only real shot he took at president Bush was his public unwillingness to agree that evolution happened. During these moments the crowd would try and applaud his words and he would stop them. “Nope, Nope, stop… don’t want to be preaching to choir” (something like that). He then went on to talk about the hate mail he received after the last set of shows; which he enjoyed receiving. His favorite was a box of his records and a dead chicken. He liked that one.

The sound at the Pantages was fantastic. His voice came through crystal clear. You could understand all of his stories without straining and it was actually easier to understand the lyrics on the new songs than when listening to the CD. What a fantastic evening.

The set list, courtesy of brucespringsteen.net (I believe the all cap songs are tour premiers):

1. MY BEAUTIFUL REWARD (on pump organ)
2. Reason to Believe
3. Devils and Dust
4. Youngstown
5. EMPTY SKY
6. Long Time Comin'
7. Silver Palomino
8. THE RIVER (on piano)
9. TOUGHER THAN THE REST (on piano)
10. Part Man, Part Monkey
11. ALL THE WAY HOME
12. THE LINE
13. Reno
14. Racing in the Street (on piano)
15. The Rising
16. Further On (Up the Road)
17. Jesus Was an Only Son (on piano)
18. Leah
19. The Hitter
20. Matamoras Banks

encore:
21. Johnny 99
22. If I Should Fall Behind (on guitar)
23. Waitin' on a Sunny Day (w/ Nils)
24. The Promised Land

This Weeks Play List

Fergus McCormick – Jumping The Gun (2005) There is a lady named Ariel who sends me CDs from the artists that she represents; and boy can she pick ‘em. This is one of the best indie releases I’ve heard this year: Great melodies, good storytelling and well produced and arranged. His bio lists lots of artists who he may remind you of and I can’t argue with it. Check out this singer/songwriter yourself at www.fergusmccormick.org . You won’t be sorry.

And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead – Worlds Apart (2005) This alternative band is wonderfully unique and yet so accessible. There is a sense of humor to go along with the loud guitars and powerful rhythms throughout this CD.

Jorane – the You and the Now (2005) Not too long ago my Google alert for Kate Bush came up with an interview with a French Canadian singer/cellist who goes by the name Jorane. Having the cello as the main instrument was intriguing, but to also have her sound remind the writer of Kate Bush was enough to get me to check her out. What a beautiful unique CD this is. As you might guess, the bass line is the focus of this music. It is soft and moody and although she doesn’t “sound” like Kate Bush, her use of her voice as an instrument does remind you of how Kate works. This CD has been doing a good job of battling for CD player time with Bruce’s new one.

Bruce Springsteen – Devils and Dust (2005) After all the hype what really surprised me about this CD was how well arranged and produced it was: Not that Brendan O’Brien isn’t a good producer. It’s just that with all the comparisons to Tom Joad and Nebraska, I expected a more stripped down record. Most of the arrangements fill the room nicely without distracting from the power of his messages. Listening to this CD got me thinking: What if Bruce had worked with Brendan back in the early 90’s when he did those two solo CDs. Can you imagine how much better they might have been? Anyway, this will not disappoint Springsteen fans and those who don’t follow his music but love Americana singers might love this one also. And with some of the explicate lyrics, Bruce may finally be able to get some of his hero worshipers to see him as more human.

Glenn Tilbrook - Transatlantic Ping Pong (2004) Glenn, for those who don’t know, is half of the songwriting team that makes up Squeeze. He is the half with the Paul McCartney voice. The songs that he just sings purely; they soar. There are several on this, his latest CD. There are also a couple fun songs, including what someday may be a country classic: “Genitalia of a Fool”. If you are a Squeeze fan, you will enjoy this CD.

Maia Sharp – Fine Upstanding Citizen (2005) I saw Maia open for Bob Schneider a few years back and really enjoyed her set. This is the first CD of her’s that I’ve listened to and I really enjoyed it. There is great songwriting going on here with good melodies to carry the songs. The title track is a weird way to end this CD (and actually an interesting choice to name the CD after) but it is very funny and sad.

Los Lobos – How Will The Wolf Survive? (1984) The Wolf (Los Lobos) has survived very nicely, thank you. And so has this, their first major release, 20 plus years later. T-Bone Burnett produced this CD which stands to remind us that the L.A./Southern California sound was and is bilingual. What a great album.

This Weeks Play List

Aqualung – Strange and Beautiful (2005) Matt Hales has created a beautifully produced CD. Like Beth Orton’s “Central Reservation”, the production draws you in but the song writing keeps you there.

Rilo Kiley – More Adventurous (2004) This was a fun CD to listen to. Some of the songs are radio friendly. Many of them take on serious subjects like death and suicide, but from a young prospective. I really enjoyed this a lot.

Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska (1982) This is on sale right now at Tower.com and other places. If you haven’t upgraded your vinyl, this is a good time to do it. 23 years later it still rings true.

Aimee Mann – Batchelor No. 2 (1999) It’s Aimee. She doesn’t put out a bad CD.

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Couldn’t Stand The Weather (1984) How can I be playing all this music from Austin and not put some Stevie in there. Every year when we go to the ACL festival in Austin, we always walk past Stevie’s statue along the way and stop and say hi. What a huge loss it was to the music world when he died.

Surf Report – Supersonic Salvation (2002) If you liked the songs I played from Charlie Can Surf, you’re gonna love this CD. I’m not a surf music aficionado, but this stuff really gets my feet tapping. It also takes me back to my childhood and listening to great bands like The Ventures. The surf’s always up at www.surfreportwebsite.com .

Nuggets – Disk 2 (1998) More music from my childhood. Rhino took an excellent 2 LP set of music from the psychedelic era and turned it into a 4 CD set that is amazing.

Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman (1970) I must be regressing this week. Sorry. For those of you who listen to The Promise for the new music, trust me, there is plenty of new music this week. But as always I try and leave some room for reminiscing. And what a great album this was.

This Weeks Play List

Missy Higgins – The Sound of White (2004/2005) A singer out of Austrialia, with a voice like Fiona Apple, Missy seems destined for stardom. WB appears to be putting some muscle behind this CD so expect to hear way too much of it in the near future; if you aren’t already hearing it. That isn’t to say that it is bad. If you like female singer/songwriters, you are going to like Missy Higgins. This is good songwriting with catching tunes (I’ll leave off the most catching for terrestrial radio stations). You can see more Missy at www.missyhiggins.com .

Jellyfish – Bellybutton (1990) I probably wasn’t ready for this band 15 years ago, but I am now. What a great power pop band this was. Third billed in the band is Jason Falkner (I recently added him to the play list) and that tells you a lot about how much talent is here. It is very easy to compare them to Crowded House. But you can decide for yourself.

Limbeck – Hi, Everything’s Good (2002) I saw them open for the Drive By Truckers and said at that time that I couldn’t hear the lyrics but liked their Americana power pop. The one thing I did notice was that they talked a lot about the cities they traveled to. And so after listening to the CD, everything I heard was correct. They really do like talking about the off beat cities that they’ve been to. The lyrics are at times conversational (which you may or may not like) but they are good enough to raise this band above the ordinary. I even like the packaging of the CD which includes a mini booklet. Each page in the book looks like a postcard with a stamp and a picture and the lyrics to a song. Very cute. And a fun band to listen to. For more info, go to http://www.limbeck.net/ .

Joe Henry – Scar (2001) His name has been around forever, but he’s another artist that has not gotten the attention he’s deserved. Scar is my first real intro to him and I like it a lot. This CD, which I don’t believe is like any of his others is very jazz based with people like Ornette Coleman on sax. I fell for this CD immediately. It is dark with rich textures; my favorite combination. And Joe’s site is: http://www.joehenrylovesyoumadly.com/ .

Patti Witten – Land of Souvenirs (1999) Patti is one of my favorite indie artists (yes, I do have favorites, but I love you all). She is a very talented writer with a wonderful voice that carries her songs about life in the not so big cites along the east coast. This is an older CD that I finally got around to. Please check out Patti at http://www.pattiwitten.com/ and if you like this CD you will love “Sycamore Tryst”.

Drive By Truckers – Alabama Ass Whuppin’ (2002) What can I say that I haven’t already said ( http://thepromiselive.blogspot.com/2005/04/drive-by-truckers-and-limbeck-live-at.html ) . These guys are something to see in concert, and this live CD gives you a taste of that.

Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes – I Don’t Want To Go Home (1976) How could any station that plays as much Bruce Springsteen as I do, not have any Southside in the rotation? Well I don’t know how it happened, but I am correcting it this week. If you listen to The Promise, you are most likely a Springsteen fan and therefore I really don’t need to explain Southside to you. So I won’t. I’ll just say that this is a great album produced by Miami Steve. You know the rest.

This Weeks Play List

Bruce Springsteen - Devils and Dust (2005) We've got the single and I can't wait for the rest of what should be another excellent CD from The Boss.

Jamie Anderson - A Promise of Light (2005) Jamie knows what she is doing, both artistically and promotion wise. She loves to promote that she is a parking lot attendant. Gotta love that. And her promo material attempts to break down where her songs fit in a broadcaster's format. I'm sure her work as a DJ influenced that idea. The bulk of her CD is folk based with much of it being social without being preachy. I think you will enjoy this fun indie artist. Jamie's web site is http://www.jamieanderson.com .

Drive By Truckers and Limbeck live at the Coach House

The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano is a wonderful place to see a concert, except for the sound. They have good equipment and generally do a good job at mixing. But, if you are near the front of the stage and it is at all loud, you will never hear the vocals. The speakers are above the stage and the sound pretty much goes over your head. What ends up happening are that the amps on stage end up blasting the front tables; therefore no vocals. That being said, Limbeck, the opening band, sounded really good. They are, if I have to label them, an Americana Power Pop Band. How’s that for a label? A more rockin’ John Mellencamp would make a good comparison I suppose. With a band like this though, the lyrics will make or break them. I have no clue. They do have a tendency to write about places; and not classic places either. Minneapolis, Virginia, Ohio, and Orange (okay they are a local band) give you an idea of where these guys travel. On a positive note, they have an EP that is acoustic versions of songs from their CD, “Hi, Everything’s Great”. Any band that is willing to re-record their songs in an acoustic setting must have something to say; right? Otherwise, we enjoyed their show and I look forward to listening more closely to their CD.

I have never seen the Drive By Truckers before and have only heard their latest CD which I really like. Deb, if you’re reading this, I think they played ACL last year and we didn’t see them. BIG MISTAKE. These guys (and gal) had the half filled Coach House, rockin’, performing music you just aren’t gonna hear anywhere else. This is a three guitar (plus bass and drums) army and when they are in sync, they blow through you like (oh I better not do that metaphor) radiation from an atomic blast (okay that may be overstating it a bit). But this isn’t just another loud band. These guys are mainly from Alabama and actually have something to say. They are as much Southern as they are dark. So we were all bouncing around to dark tunes about hurricanes destroying towns and people dying of cancer because they can’t afford chemo and of course those “pieces of sh*t” politicians. Unlike some political/social rockers who make happy music and sing about serious subjects (“Born in the USA”, need I say more?), there is nothing happy about most of these songs. They are loud and dark and, and, and irresistible. But what impressed me most about DBT last night was that they also know how to pace a show. They came out blasting with songs from their latest CD, “The Dirty South”. About 3 or 4 songs into the show, they slowly started slowing it down. By the third song in this section they had reached a very mellow point (really, three electric guitars and it was still mellow). They then started slowly building it back up until the finale where they just kicked the doors out of the place. The encore was a mixed bag of music that was interrupted 3 times by a waitress delivering shots to the band (did I mention that they were all swigging on a bottle of Jack throughout night?). They were at least smart enough to know that 2 was their limit on shots and left the last round for after the show I assume. With all the drinking going though, on this is still a no nonsense band. They didn’t talk to the audience much, but there was lots of eye contact and at one point all three guitars and the bass were out on the tables playing their guitars TO the crowd. This was one hot show. If you are anywhere near the El Ray tonight (Friday) GO SEE THEM. They will be up at the Fillmore on Saturday.

This Weeks Play List

Lots of new music this week…

Holly Palmer – I Confess (2004) If you haven’t read my review of her show with Kenny White, start here: http://thepromiselive.blogspot.com/2005/03/kenny-white-and-holly-palmer-live-at.html . I really like this CD. It’s pop enough to lure in the casual listener, but her lyrics are well beyond the typical pop pulp. And what she does with her voice; how she plays with phrasing… it’s just a pleasure to listen to. You can find her music and her sexy photos at www.hollypalmer.com .

Young Dubliners – Real World (2005) I’ve been a Young Dubliners fan for years. They have always been known for their live shows (Mosh pits with 30 year olds floating is a thing to behold). Their CDs never lived up to these shows until their live one a few years back. And with each succeeding CD they have continued to improve. This may be the best yet. A little U2? Lots of Ireland and plenty of rock and roll.

Jon Dee Graham – The Great Battle (2004) My friend Deb saw Jon open for Alejandro Escodevo in Chicago this year and loved him. After listening to his latest CD I can understand why: Good melodies, strong songwriting and a voice that makes you want to clear your throat throughout (okay, that is either a plus or a minus. I love it).

The Devlins – Waves (2005) Another good CD from The Devlins. I know, I just added an old Devlins CD to the play list. Isn’t that always the way. Anyway, this is an excellent CD. 2005 is turning into a good year musically.

Charlie Does Surf – A Tribute To The Clash (2004) Living in Southern California you can’t really go too far without running into something that has to do surfing. And here in the OC we are the home of surf music. But it took a some guys down in San Diego to put together this wonderful grouping of surf bands playing their favorite Clash tunes. The best songs on this CD aren’t the biggest hits. But check it out for yourself. You can get more info at www.rickshawrecords.com .

Joni Mitchell – Hejira (1976). When I was a teen, back in the very early 70’s, Russ Shaw, a friend of the family’s, handed me the Warner Brothers catalog and said, “Pick out all the albums you want”. This was around 1971 or so. What a great time for music that was. I picked around 20 albums. Stuff from Van Morrison, James Taylor, The Grateful Dead, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Joni. So began my love affair with probably the greatest woman in folk and rock. I think I love Hejira today more than when it came out. Joni was moving away from the accessible pop and closer to her jazz future. The music on this album is still powerful, almost 30 years later.

John Fogerty – Premonition (1998) It’s John Fogerty Live, playing not only his solo music, but CCR classics as well (finally). What else needs to be said?

Bruce Springsteen – Live in New York City (2001) The live album we always wanted. As close to a full set from The Boss as we will ever get… legally.

Kenny White and Holly Palmer Live at Genghis Cohen

What is it with L.A. traffic? Last week it took 2.5 hours to get into Hollywood. Tonight it took less than an hour. Luckily, I had a plan. With some time to kill, I went to Amoeba Records and picked up Jellyfish’s “Bellybutton” and the Young Dubliners’ “Real World”. It was the first time I’ve ever walked out of there for under $25. Actually, it was the first time I’ve ever walked out of there for under $100 I believe.

Genghis Cohen’s is a cool little restaurant, just down the street from Largo on Melrose and Fairfax. The food smells good. Someday I’ll actually give it a try. The room off to the side where the music’s at is a bit like a church with benches (sort of like pews) and small tables in front of them. You can actually order from the menu and they will bring your food to you. I’d guess the room holds all of 60 people; and it was pretty packed tonight. This was in sharp contrast to Kenny’s last visit. On that night he picked not only the night of the season finale of the Soprano’s but it also a Laker playoff night (that probably won’t happen again any time soon). I was one of 9 people who showed up for that show.

Kenny did about 50 minutes playing songs mainly from his current CD, Symphony in 16 Bars, with a couple from his first CD and one or two unreleased songs. Most of the songs were performed on piano, with Kenny moving over to acoustic guitar for a few before finishing off big on piano with a couple of songs including “My Recurring Dream”, a crowd favorite. I know I’ve said this a million times but… When you go to a Kenny White show, what you get is great piano playing, good songwriting and lyrics so good they remind me of Elvis Costello at his best. Hmmm, this is the first time I’ve made that comparison. I think I like it. Elvis has lots of great one-liners in his songs and so does Kenny. But Kenny’s are more personal, more confessional. There is less anger and more insight. Therapy has been good to him and his songwriting.

There seems to be this movement of singer/songwriters doing folk/jazz based music. Julian Coryell has been moving into it but Kenny has been doing it for several years. If Kenny White is the Torchbearer of this style of music (I know, I’m being a bit over dramatic here), then Holly Palmer is the torch. What you really notice about Holly is her need to take risks. Every song is an adventure. In fact, Kenny told me after the show that this was the first time the two of them have played together as just a duo (Kenny on keyboards and Holly on electric guitar). You could tell they were really playing off of each other; sometimes they missed and everyone laughed. This appears to be something that you might expect at one of her concerts. Holly has no problem finding ways to make you laugh. Sometimes it is as simple (and daring) as the willful withholding of a note. Other times she uses gestures and her eyes to get you to laugh. And you never know what is going to come out of her mouth. At times she is almost talking and then she is singing in someone else’s voice and then this beautiful powerful note seems to come from nowhere and takes over the room. It was amazing watching her walk that tightrope.

One of the signs of a great artist is their ability to sing someone else’s music and make it there own. Holly did that every time. Her version of “Crazy” showed off her vocal abilities without coming off like a Patsy Cline wannabe. As you can see, I was really impressed with her. Listening to her CD “I Confess” on the way home, I could hear how she changed and played with so many of the songs. The CD doesn’t begin to explain just how good she is in concert, but it is a good start.

Holly can be found at www.hollypalmer.com and Kenny can be found at www.kennywhite.net.

This Weeks Play List

Blue Merle – Burning in the Sun (2005) As I have stated before on this site, I came across these guys because Island Records sent me a link to a live performance. The studio CD sounds just as good, if not better.

Michele Albano – I know nothing about this woman, other than from an email requesting that I play her music. If I find out more, I will pass it on. The first song out the door reminds me a bit of Fiona Apple. Hope you enjoy it.

Mark Geary – Ghosts (2005) There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of singer songwriters these days. That is a good thing. My friend Mike pushed this one on me. This may be competing for CD of the year, but it is way too early to tell.

Jason Falkner – Bliss Descending (2004) It’s only 5 songs, but so worth the 10 bucks I paid for it. Everyone I know was recommending this one it seemed. I’m sure all of this CD will make it onto the play list within the next 2 months.

Howie Day – Australia (2000) I love his latest CD, so I had to go back and check out his debut. This is a good CD, but not quite up there with “Stop All the World Now”.

World Party – Egyptology (1997) This is a great CD. How did it get overlooked by EVERYONE. And the song, “She’s the One”… That was a song of the year. What? You don’t own this? Go straight to amazon.com and buy it: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004YS2M/qid=1112002261/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl15/104-7586264-9295968?v=glance&s=music&n=507846

KGSR – Broadcasts Vol. 6 (1998) What a great collection of CDs from Austin. Volume 6 isn’t the best of the 12, but there are some great moments, including excellent songs by Shawn Colvin, Neil Finn, and John Hiatt.

Bruce Springsteen – In Concert and Blood Brothers. More music from the early/mid 90’s from Bruce.

Kathleen Edwards Live at the Knitting Factory Hollywood

A little rain and suddenly the freeways are a parking lot? It took 2.5 hours to get to Hollywood last night (it should take about an hour with traffic). Luckily I had no doubts about seeing a good show. The only issue was whether we were going to see a show at all. Since I’ve never been to the Knitting Factory I had no idea what their version of 8pm meant. Luckily for us, it meant 9:40. We missed the opening act, but at least didn’t have to wait long for the show since we stepped into KF at 9:20.

The Knitting Factory is a very unique place in Hollywood. There are 3 stages and all three were going on at once last night. As long as the music doesn’t get too quiet and no one goes through one of the back doors (I believe only staff can go through those) during a song, life is good. The soundproofing is impressive. As for the sound quality, I was very impressed. Not perfectly clean, but clean enough for rock and roll. The acoustics are very good also. I actually traded a few words back and forth with Kathleen during the show and I was a good 20 feet from the stage. Normally, even 5 feet away doesn’t guarantee they will hear you. The only negative, besides very few seats, is a low stage and a short performer. It’s maybe 3 feet high. Another 2 feet would have been great. From 20 feet back we were straining just to see her face. And of course, the tallest guy in the audience is right up front and right in the middle. Oh well.

So, the last time we saw Kathleen Edwards was Easter weekend 2 years ago. Kathleen reminisced about that show late in her show; remembering that there were only about 30 people in the audience and some fell asleep. The reality was that it was a midnight show and she played till well after 1am, there were close to a hundred people there, and only one person fell asleep. It was a very vocal crowd that night, with Kathleen trading barbs with a drunken woman and even recommending a change in sexual preference to her. It was all very relaxed and fun. And then she would kick into one of her songs and it all got very serious. It was one of my favorite performances of the year.

Last night was a more focused Kathleen, with her only briefly talking to the crowd until late in the show. Of course, she’s got that great “I’ve been hanging in pool halls/cowboy bars/ for ever” attitude, so when she does say something, its pretty funny and right to the point. She has no problem telling anyone where the f*ck to go.

Okay, back to the music. The show focused heavily on her new CD with only about 3 songs from “Failer” being played. This meant a more rockin’ affair. Many of the songs end with Kathleen pounding on her acoustic guitar while her guitar player is playing classic lead or slide lead guitar. With this jangling distorted rock it was fitting that she closed the night with a Neil Young song, “Unknown Legend”. But there were also a few moments of soft anguish (especially at the end as she sang with just her guitar and someone opened a door from one of the other stages… Oh, that look could kill). She covered a Gram Parsons song about half way through the set (the one that didn’t make it onto the tribute DVD which I understand was released this week) that was so beautiful. I suppose a beautiful Gram Parsons song is a redundant term. Overall, Kathleen Edwards continues to impress in concert. Whether she is rocking hard, or making you want to cry, as my friend Blair said 2 years ago, “She’s the real thing”. Below is the song list, based on her set list (It doesn’t include the encore or Gram’s Song).

Pink Emerson Radio
In State
Independent Thief
Summer long
Mercury
Copied Keys
Hockey Skates
Six O’Clock News
What Are You Waiting For?
Good Things
Back To Me

There were at least 4 other songs not on the set list. She played for about an hour and twenty minutes. Her web site for anyone who is interested is: http://www.kathleenedwards.com .

This Weeks Play List

Kevin Posey - Posey MFG (????) I met Kevin at a Jill Sobule concert where he put on an outrageous set. But behind the theater, is a voice that is soft and sensual and very dangerous. His people sent me a couple of mp3s and I'm gonna play them for you over the next 2 weeks.

Brainpool - Junk - A Rock Opera (2004) This Swedish band has gone against the grain and created a rock opera. The music is all over the map; from 80's pop to 70's progressive. There were a bunch of songs that I really liked on Junk, and you'll be hearing them on The Promise. You can find out more about them at http://www.brainpool.nu .

The Devlins - Drift (1993) I first heard them at the end of the first episode of Six Feet Under. "Waiting" was an amazing song, but true to form, (HBO creators have good taste in music and record companies don't) the album was out of print. So I picked up Drift. This is one of those bands that never got the attention they deserved.

Elvis Costello - Brutal Youth (1994) Speaking of lack of attention, this is an excellent CD that never got the respect from radio that it deserved. Powerful and controversial and worth every penny you will pay for it.

Counting Crows - Across A Wire - Live in New York City (1998) The Crows are one of the favorites on The Promise. Adam and company work really hard in concert, so you are sure to enjoy many of these songs.

Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA (1984) It's a great CD, and even though it was so overplayed, you can't help but enjoy these classics when they come around.

Bruce Springsteen - Human Touch (1992) So many of these songs (that includes Lucky Town) have been left behind. We won't do that.

If you are in L.A. this week, check out Kathleen Edwards at the Knitting Factory. If not, watch for her tour. She is something else in concert.

This Weeks Play List

Here we go again... :-)

Tori Amos - The Beekeeper (2005) This is a beautiful CD with its only fault being a lack of power. There are plenty of good songs here, but there is nothing that really blows me away. Still I am enjoying it a lot and if you are a Tori fan, you will like it.

Blue-Eyed Son - West of Lincoln (2004?) I was in the bathroom at the Hotel Cafe and saw a stack of these EPs. So, what the hell, I grabbed one. The Hotel Cafe has a reputation for putting on consistently good music and this band was playing there in a week or two. Fortunately for them, and I suppose for whoever is reading this, I can't make any toilet jokes about this. It is good. I may have to check out their full length CD.

Hamilton Pool - Return To Zero (1995) I had purchased another KGSR CD the other day on Ebay and to my surprise when I opened the package, there were two CDs. The second CD was from this band who I had never heard of, but were based in Austin. What a pleasant surprise to find this laid back folkishly countryish band. I know, pretty lame description. So, just listen in and enjoy the beautiful harmonies and excellent production.

Crowded House - I feel Possessed (1989) This is the most expensive used CD I have ever purchased in a store (at least per song). There are 4 songs on the EP, 3 are covers and performed with Roger McGuinn. Buy all of CH's music before buying this. It's good, but not as good as their originals.

Bruce Springsteen Lucky Town and The Ghost of Tom Joad (Do I really need to tell you the dates?) I continue to catch up on Springsteen CDs. Both have never gotten the airplay they have deserved. Enough said.

Various Artists - Nuggets Disk 3 Every so often I've got to throw in a real oldie. This is the kind of stuff that Little Steven likes, so I guess that is as good an excuse as any to play it, right? I've already been playing Disk 1. Disks 2 and 4 will show up somewhere down the line.

And finally, I found myself on Itunes the other day. There has been so much talk about The Futureheads version of Kate Bush's "Hounds of Love", I just had to hear for myself. And if you haven't heard it, listen in. Also picked up some throw away Lou Reed from the Rock and Roll Animal performances.

Live at the Hotel Cafe

So, have you ever gone to a concert not knowing who the opening act was, only to find it is a great band that you love? Actually that is a possible thread if anyone wants to comment. Anyway, what a surprise to find out that Minibar was the opening act last night. I was supposed to see them perform a year ago at an Italian restaurant in Long Beach only to find out that they had cancelled because they had a gig in Austin.

Minibar is a 4 man band consisting of up to 4 vocals with an acoustic guitar, bass, drums and a pedal steel guitar. When they are all singing it is like country rock heaven. Think early Eagles. They aren’t exactly country rock: It is more like mellow modern rock. But with the steel guitar wailing and those harmonies, well it is easy to get confused. And when they kick it into gear, it isn’t all that mellow either. They played for about 45 minutes. I would love to see a full set by them. It was nice to finally to see them live.

I saw Gary Jules a few weeks ago and this set was very similar to the last (although he was missing his pregnant backing singer). The album he is working on is going to be very good; probably better than his first two. Highlights so far include Pocahontas and Little Greenie (although song titles may change as he has already changed at least one of the names in the last few weeks). Pocahontas appears to be about a woman living in L.A. who “believes in radio”. Obviously this is a fictitious character. Another excellent song is called “Wichita”. You can buy a version of this song on the Live at the Hotel Café compilation. I asked Gary why he doesn’t promote this when playing the song and he said that he makes no money on the live CD and “Wichita” will be on the new CD. You’d think he wasn’t happy about the live CD, but when I asked if there was another live CD coming from the Hotel Café he was genuinely enthusiastic, mentioning that they were working on another one. Gary will be back at the Hotel Café next Tuesday and will be with Minibar at the Viper Room on the 20^th. Go see him.

And then Julian came out. When I saw Julian Coryell a couple of weeks ago, it was just him and a stand up bass. This time he had his full band, which, along with the bass included keyboards and drums. And like Gary, his new material may be his best ever. The best way to describe the new material would be to imagine a John Mayer type, but with a jazz base. These are interesting songs (“this song is an argument between someone who believes in God and someone who doesn’t”) with good melodies and then these great jazz and sometimes rock solos. Julian is a great guitar player and he really gets to shine when he has a band behind him (first time I’ve seen him with a band). His upcoming CD is third on my anticipation list (Bruce and Kate fill up the first two slots… which reminds me, they say Kate Bush is just months away from releasing a CD). This was a great set and way to short (45 minutes). Julian will be on tour playing in Aimee Mann’s band this weekend. I’m not sure how many shows that is.

A side note… The Hotel Café seems to have a very unique way of presenting bands. The first show is just after 8 and is usually 45 minutes. The main attraction is then at 9 and goes for anywhere from 45 minutes (A Girl Called Eddy) to an hour and a half (Gary Jules). Then, the closing band plays at around 1030 or 11 for 45 minutes. It is an interesting format.

This Weeks Play List

Lots of music added this week...

Kathleen Edwards - Back To Me (2005) Kathleen's first CD, "Failer" was one of my favorites of the year. So anticipation for this one was very high. And generally I haven't been disappointed. This time out she has turned up the electric guitars and made more of a rocker. So far I love it. For more info, you can go to Kathleen's site at http://www.kathleenedwards.com.

Deena Goodman - Hard to Get To (2004) An indie artist with a voice. Check her out at http://www.deenagoodman.com.

Amy Correia - Lakeville (2004) Amy was vocally all over the map in her 2000 release "Carnival Love". This time out she is sticking with her sultry blues vocal style making this a much more consistent CD. I love them both though.

Patty Griffin - Living with Ghosts (1995) Her first and still one of my all time favorites. Just Patty and her guitar. If you don't have this, go out and buy it; especially if you're feeling depressed.

The Innocence Mission - The Innocence Mission (1989) They were so friendly to us when we met them so many years ago. Maybe it was this hope of good people behind the music that has lead me to meet many artists over the years. "Innocence Mission" is a perfect name for these wonderful artists.

Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya (2000) I'm still missing a couple of his CDs. One of the great American songwriters. Everyone should have plenty of Zevon in their collection.

Tom Waits - Small Change (1976) I saw the tour for this CD way back when and it is still one of the best club performances I've ever seen. This is a great CD and I'm only sorry it has taken this long to get it onto the stream.

Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (2002) Honestly, I had this whole CD on the stream a couple of years ago. Then I made some changes to the stream and it dropped off. I'm getting it all back in though.

Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (1973) So, I went through all of my Springsteen CDs and realized that there were a bunch that still haven't made it on the stream. So there will be plenty of different stuff over the next several weeks as I catch up.

A Girl Called Eddy Continued

Artists have off nights. Writers are influenced by their moods. All sorts of things can happen. And I hate to leave something negative up when there is a chance that it was just one of those nights. So...

My friend Deb saw A Girl Called Eddy tonight in Chicago. Her opinion, which I respect more than just about anyone I know, was that Erin/Eddy put on a great show with plenty of personality. Maybe we just got an off night. There is no doubt that she has the talent. So, if anyone goes to see her during her current tour, please let me know what you thought of the show.

The Section Quartet Live at Largo

It was another night of rock ‘n strings as the Section Quartet rocked Largo. Up first was Sierra Swan who not only has a voice, but a lot of chutzpah too. Her opening number was a very personal song that had as one of its central themes the loss of virginity. Did I mention she has a voice? It is powerful, throaty and capable of expressing some strong emotions. Sierra also sang a song from her upcoming CD with the Section Quartet (they play on her new CD).

And then it was time for hour of “Name that Tune” as the Section Quartet ran through some of their standard choices along with some new selections. There were several highlights for the evening: a couple of David Bowie classics, another great Led Zeppelin cover, 2 really good songs from The Muse and an amazing arrangement of Berlin’s “The Metro”. What these guys do best is find songs that lend themselves to a string quartet and then they create these amazing arrangements. They are playing on campus at USC next week and then 2 nights at the Mercury Lounge in New York. Check them out if you can.

This Weeks Play List

Here is what was added to the play list this week:

Keren Ann - Not Going Anywhere (2004) What a beautiful CD this is. We walked away from the Girl Called Eddy show talking about Keren.

Lili Haydn - Light Blue Sun (2003) Well, if Lili was trying to get rid of her goth followers, this CD would do it. She has so much talent. I hope she takes on another direction next time. But what can I say; she's a woman with a violin. :-)

Blue Merle - Live I know next to nothing about these guys. Island Records sent me a link to their web site, there was a live performance available for download, it sounded pretty good, and I put one of their songs into the rotation.

Bette Midler - Bette Midler (1973) The old stuff is still the best, and I can't resist throwing a few of these into the mix.

A Girl Called Eddy Live at The Hotel Cafe

We traveled 30 plus years to The Hotel Café Thursday night to see Erin Moran, otherwise known as A Girl Called Eddy. Her self titled CD on Anti records has drawn comparisons to Dusty Springfield and Burt Bacharach. And if there was any doubt we were in another era, the show opened with Erin putting the needle down on a portable turntable. Underneath the scratches were droning keyboards that Erin sang on top of. After that opening number, her two-man and one computer (she couldn’t afford to bring her drummer) band kicked in, playing her beautiful sad music. The only song that really got a different treatment was “The Long Goodbye”, which replaced the power chords from the CD with a more personal slide guitar. I enjoyed the difference, although I really love the hooks from the power chords on the CD. So, this was a great concert, right? Well, not really. Her set was short; under 40 minutes. And there just didn’t seem to be much personality coming from her. Maybe this live stuff is just new to her, but we weren’t really drawn in to her world. Maybe with time she will get more interesting. She is an excellent songwriter and has a beautiful voice. I look forward to next time.

Opening for A Girl Called Eddy was Israeli born, French raised, Keren Ann. I had never heard her music before this night and, well, I bought her current CD when it was over. She has a soft whispery voice, and my first thought was Claudine Longet. Keren doesn’t really have the accent, but she does have that European attitude and style. Her music grabbed us and drew us in. I found her shy sense of humor interesting since she has apparently been around, at least in Europe for 4 or 5 years. About a third of her songs were in French and I fell in love with a French blues number (don’t remember the name). She was accompanied by a keyboardist while she played a very proficient self assured acoustic guitar. I understand she has a new CD coming out next month. I will be picking it up and while you’re waiting, pick up “Not Going Anywhere”, her first English language release. And if I needed confirmation about how much I liked her, I heard her today on The Loft on XM. How long has Mike been keeping her a secret from us?

Misc Stuff: Kathleen Edwards and October Project

Just a bit of news and info...

Kathleen Edwards new CD, "Back to Me" comes out March 1st. I've been listening to it for about a day now and love it. I'm not sure if it is as good as her first, but it is still too early to tell. Kathleen will be touring the U.S. and will be making a stop at the Knitting Factory in L.A. on March 23rd. If you love her music, she is even better live. Don't miss her this time out.

I'm a big October Project fan and I am so happy that they are playing live again and working on a new full length CD. For those of you on the West Coast, you've got one chance this year to see them live. They will be playing in Seattle at Benaroya Hall on April 30th. Tickets go on sale March 5th via the box office or Ticketmaster. Hope to see you there.

This Weeks Play List

Lots of music added this week...

Mara Levi - Life's a Ball (2003) This weeks Indie artist. Check her out at http://maralevi.com

A Girl Called Eddy - A Girl Called Eddy (2004) I am in love with this CD. Is it Dusty Springfield? Did Burt Bacharach write the music? Who cares!

Peter Wolf - Sleepless (2002) - Thanks to Jenn and Larry who kept pushing for me to listen to this. An excellent CD worth checking out.

KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 7 (1999) - Thank you Ebay. :-)

Jill Sobule - I Never Learned to Swim (2001) - Thank you Amoeba. This is out of print for no good reason at all. Lots of great songs here.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Welcome to the Infant Freebase (1998/2002) An import that Jen recommended. These guys from Sweden (I believe) have a very unique sound, derived from lots of American/British influences. I really am enjoying this one.

Providence (2002) - I'm a sucker for any song Shawn Colvin wants to cover.

Sam Phillips at the Silverlake Lounge

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.

Julian Coryell and Gary Jules at The Hotel Cafe

One of the rarest things that can happen in a concert setting is to hear all new music and really enjoy it. To date only one performer has ever pulled it off completely in my presence; John Hiatt. I saw him on the day that “Perfectly Good Guitar” was released and I didn’t have a chance to listen to the CD before the show. John played almost the entire CD and song after song I was blown away. No one has ever come close to doing that to me before or since. Last night may be the closest I’ll get for awhile though as Julian Coryell and Gary Jules previewed new music at the Hotel Café in Hollywood.

This was my first visit to the Hotel Café. It is a small room with very friendly staff. It is a long rectangle with only a few good tables up front, so if you are planning on seeing a concert there, get there early. The stage is all of 10 by 10 feet, if that.

Julian, accompanied by a stand up bass player performed for about a half hour playing all new material. If you’ve been following his career, you will be excited to know that he continues to grow as an artist. Playing an old Gibson guitar plugged into an even older amp (he said it was from the 40’s) Julian’s new style is more jazz confessional now. He has merged his jazz days with a new personal approach to writing, creating a sophisticated sound that is emotionally powerful while being “cool” at the same time. I had wanted to chat with him before the show about seeing him 9 years ago, but he was about to start and said afterward he would love to hear my story. After the show he was busy with someone he was with and I didn’t want to interrupt, so I went to the bathroom and when I got out they were gone. I figured it wasn’t meant to be. But as I walked down the street to my car, he was walking back toward me, and called out my name (I’m always impressed when an artist actually listens when you tell them your name). We had a great chat, talking about October Project and his dad (Larry Coryell a famous jazz guitar player). It was a wonderful way to end the evening. But I’ve gotten ahead of myself…

After Julian’s amazing set, Gary Jules came out and packed the stage. Joining Gary on stage were a piano player (he had both an electric piano and an upright piano on stage), a stand up bass player, drums, and a backup female vocalist. Now if you know Gary, you may ask, what about the slide guitar? Well, he was offstage, sitting closer to me than to Gary, and moving back and forth between his lap guitars, an electric guitar and a standing slide guitar. It was great being that close to a slide guitar player and getting to watch him at work. Gary played almost all new music also. The combination of slide guitar and the quiet waves of electronic sounds coming from the keyboardist make for a beautiful and hard to describe backdrop for Gary’s songs. The new music seemed very complete, even though he said that they were just trying them out. The next album is going to be even better than the first two I believe. Gary is a very intelligent and quick witted guy, so if we weren’t enjoying the music we were being entertained by his funny remarks, not to mention his new baby picture, which was adorable. The Godfather of the Hotel Café finished his set with a couple of classics, “Barstool” a long time fan favorite and “Mad World” his cover that made him famous. He actually hasn’t played MW in about 6 months and played electric piano (a new instrument for him) while his drummer moved over to the upright piano. It was just the two of them and it was as haunting as the version he recorded. Gary is appearing every Tuesday this month and is worth checking out.

Four Concerts in Four Nights – Act 4

Sunday morning Deb, Maria and I traveled down to San Diego once again. And again we were going to see Ani Difranco. The concert was at the Copley Symphony Theater and to say that the acoustics were not designed for amplified music is an understatement. I think Ani said it best: “This place is so beautiful, but the sound sucks”. Ani somehow was able to avoid being too distracted with the echo and put on another good show, changing out almost half the songs on the set list from the other night. It was actually a mellower show, which may have been because of the sound problems. We dropped Deb off at the hotel after the show and left her with a beautiful view of the harbor and a thousand or so amateur baseball playing lesbians (you had to be there I suppose). That Deb then got stuck in an elevator at 4:30 in the morning with some amateur baseball players and had a flight cancelled and spent a dozen hours trying to get home is really a story for her to tell.

Four Concerts in Four Nights - Act 3

Saturday Lunch
The sun came out! I can’t believe it. Deb and I headed into Beverly Hills for lunch with Lynne. My friend Janet actually came by for awhile too. The bakery/restaurant, Michele Richard, was very good. Thanks for the recommendation Lynne. This time I avoided the yummy desert, but Deb and Lynne split a mousse. And then on to Amoeba, where 3 hours and you don’t want to know how many CDs later, we dragged ourselves out of the store and on our way to the Wiltern.

Ani Difranco
Act 3 of this 4 act play took us to The Wiltern in L.A. where Ani Difranco was playing. Opening for Ani was Andrew Bird. Although I had heard good things about him, neither Deb nor myself enjoyed his set at all… and I love violin in rock! He expended so much energy working his tape loops that… well maybe that didn’t even matter. We just didn’t like the songs (although the lyrics sounded interesting).

So this was my first Ani show and I was impressed. She came flying out on stage full of fire. I think her newer music seems to dull that fire, but over all she puts on a great show. She played several songs from the new CD but also played a handful of classics from different parts of her career. Late in the show, Andrew Bird showed up to play violin and whistle on a few songs (the whistling I could do without). His playing, which I thought was very good, added more textures to a sound that had only included Ani’s acoustic guitar and her stand up bass player. But when she wants to, she doesn’t let a thing like an acoustic guitar and no band stop her from exploding on stage. And those moments are worth waiting for. We see Ani tomorrow, with Maria joining us this time, to finish off our long weekend.

Four Concerts in Four Nights - Act 2

Friday Lunch
It was another fun gathering of the WCR group for a Friday lunch. Even if you have/had no desire to meet anyone here, eating at Zov’s in Tustin makes it all worthwhile. Joining Deb, Maria and I were Jill, Steve and Jane. Somehow, the cameras never came out. Sorry. You’ll just have to trust us that we had a lot of fun. And yummm, the Key Lime Tart was soooooo good.


The Finn Brothers
Act 2 of the 4 nights of rock and roll once again sent us south to the Belly Up in Solana Beach. Deb, who has been in So Cal. for 36 hours now and has yet to see a sunny sky, as the rain continues. Luckily, Maria, the only smart one in the group, brought a huge umbrella which the 3 of us easily fit under. We arrived at 5pm and were just able to be first in line. What that means at the Belly Up is that you can get a seat right next to the stage on the side: A perfect seat. Tonight’s performance was a stripped down Finn Brothers with just Neil, Tim and a bass player. Tim, along with playing his guitar, had a bass drum and snare drum with a foot pedal. The three of them sat in chairs throughout most of the show, which gave it a very informal feel. And when you consider how informal the Finn’s are to begin with, you can probably imagine how crazy it got when they asked for requests. After playing a couple, not to mention sort of covering a Thompson Twins song, Tim yells, “Whoever can think of the most obscure Split Enz song wins”. We’re not sure what they would have won though because they gave up trying to hear everyone and just continued from their set list. Like their show this last summer with the full band, Neil and Tim played music from all over their career with only 2 albums getting a lot of attention: The Crowded House classic, Woodface and the current CD “Everyone is Here”. This concert was a reminder of just how good “Everyone is Here” is. It fits in perfectly with all the great Crowded House and Split Enz songs. The boys from New Zealand played for about 2 hours and we left very happy.

Four Concerts in Four Nights - Act 1

So, this was the first of four nights of concerts and man what a night…

I remember seeing Allison Moorer a couple of years ago in Austin and really liking her. So, I bought her CD, which was good also. But as she released new CDs, first her live CD and then “The Duel”, the music moved more toward a style I really loved, with ragged distorted guitars playing off her beautiful voice. So, I was a bit disappointed when I realized that it was just going to be Allison without the band. But just the opposite, I was blown away. It almost feels like she holds back a bit with the bands, or maybe they overshadow her, ‘cause when it is just her and her guitar, she soars. Sometimes, as Deb said, you can hear her sister Shelby in her voice and sometimes you can’t. But it is always ringing true with what she is singing. Her half hour set was just way too short.

It was a year ago that I saw Steve Earle for the first time; again in Austin. I only knew 2 of his songs (one was based on a cover that someone else did) back then and his hour long set was pretty friggin good. A year or so later I knew most of his music and was still not prepared for what a full Steve Earle show is like. In rock there are only a handful of artists who not only perform great music but also know how to build and pace a show: Springsteen and Costello are the two best IMHO. Well, I’ve got to put Steve Earle right up there. His set was so well constructed without being polished or pretentious, that you could literally feel the rhythm of the set.

In a classic move, the pre-recorded music coming over the sound system was Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution will not be Televised”. The band came out to that music and then ripped through the title track of his new CD, “The Revolution Starts Now”. The entire first section of the show was political as Steve sang about revolution and people being left behind. In an interesting pacing move, Steve rarely said a word during this entire section; letting the music speak for itself. There were no slow ballads here, just hard driving rock and politics. After that first section, he slowed the pace, going to some acoustic guitars and mandolins and it then started making some speeches to go along with the music. It was a great move. We caught our breath as he talked about everything from unions to the draft. But we lost our breath every time Allison came out to sing with him. Her beautiful voice soaring with his rough but passionate vocals made for a potent combination. He picked up the pace slowly until he was back in full gear with songs like “Cooperhead Road”. The concert had a circular feel to it at the end as he covered the Beatles’ “Revolution” and then played the other version of “The Revolution Starts Now” (for those of you who don’t have the CD, it is the first and last track). It was such a well designed show, I was in complete awe. The two encores were lots of fun (the Stones’ “Sweet Virginia” was great) but he was determined to leave the club on point and so he finished with The Chambers Brothers, “Time Has Come Today”.

What an amazing show, and a great way to start our 4 concerts in 4 nights. Maria joined Deb and I for this show and we all agreed that The Finn Brothers are gonna have to really work hard to top this.

This Weeks Play List

Nothing new to add this week, but a bunch of old stuff got added...

Robbie Robertson - Robbie Robertson (1987)
Holly Cole - Dark Dear Heart (1987)
Lone Justice - Lone Justice (1985)
Nick Drake - Way to Blue - An Introduction to Nick Drake
Bruce Cockburn - Humans (1980)

The Promise

The Promise is a radio stream on Live365 that I created back in August of 2002. My goal was to bring my vision of the AAA and World Class Rock radio formats to the Internet airwaves. The station plays plenty of singer/songwriters, some classic rock, some modern rock and lots of really deep cuts from CDs. I also try and put as many independent artists on the air as possible. There are a few artists that are displayed prominently on the station:

1. Bruce Springsteen - The name of the station comes from a song of his. Barely an hour or two goes by without a song of his showing up.
   
2. Sam Phillips - The only artist I've ever asked to marry me (she didn't say no :-) )
3. Bob Schneider (includes the Scabs and the Ugly Americans) - Few people have blown me away in concert like he did the first time.
4. Patty Griffin
   
5. Ryan Adams
6. John Hiatt
7. Alejandro Escovedo
8. Warren Zevon
9. Jill Sobule - I can't believe I sang with her on stage (I'm not one to sing in front of people). Hell I can't believe she kissed me.
10. Elvis Costello
    

The list of Independent artists and the current songs being played can be viewed at http://www.gdrmusic.com/thepromise .

The purpose of this blog is to give me more space to discuss music. I look forward to any and all comments (a brave statement early on... I may change my mind) about the music I play, the concerts I see, and anything else that fits this music "forum".

Thanks for dropping by,

bruce