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)