This Weeks Play List

The Soundtrack of our Lives – Origin Vol. 1 (2005) I love this CD. Is there something in the water that gives Swedish rock bands such a great sense of melody? Not that I’m an Abba fan, but when you add two and two… TSOOL has a great sound, with great melodies and solid arrangements. Abba they’re not. And thank God. I’m not sure if there is anyone in English speaking nations that is doing this better. Did I mention that I love this CD?

Maria McKee – Peddlin’ Dreams (2005) There are only moments on this CD where you recall the powerful singer who was supposed to lead rock into that dimension some people called “Cow Punk” (the synergy of punk rock and country music). Those days are long gone and this is a kinder gentler MM. It’s a simply produced CD that lets Maria’s softer singing take center stage.

Crowded House – Together Alone (1995) To call a Crowded House CD a classic is redundant. With songs like Private Universe and Distant Sun, it is hard to call it anything else though.

Toy Matinee – Toy Matinee Special Edition (1990/2001) Talk about great songwriting… I guess I have a theme going, excluding Maria McKee. Crowded House and Toy Matinee are two of the greatest songwriting groups of the last 15 years. And TSOOL isn’t far behind. Toy Matinee was the brainchild of the late Kevin Gilbert and Patrick Leonard. Kevin was the main songwriter behind Sheryl Crow’s first CD. He is one of the unknown greats in the business. The music moves from progressive pop, to just pure pop rock and roll. You have probably heard some of the hits from this CD and didn’t even know who they were. So, enjoy as I spin a few of these masterpieces for you.

Paul Thorn Live at Zoey's

What a stroke of luck. Maria asked me to help her son move into his new apartment in Santa Barbara on Saturday. And that evening Paul Thorn was playing in a little coffee shop in Ventura called Zoey’s. We had once again missed a chance to see Paul in Hollywood on Friday because of Wicked, so finally, after 2 or 3 years of missed opportunities, I wasn’t going to let this one go by: Even though we had driven to Hollywood and back on Friday and now Santa Barbara on Saturday. Even though we didn’t have reservations. Even though I had my daughter Jessie with me and the odds of hearing songs like “Viagra Falls” were good. I wasn’t gonna let Paul leave the Southland without seeing him.

Zoey’s is a very cool little place. If you ever find yourself in Ventura, on Main St. (the main strip), check it out. It is a very small coffee/food shop with seating in the very small courtyard. There is a stairwell at the end of the courtyard (when I say courtyard, think 200 square feet… barely a yard) and up the stairs is a small room that fits 50 people. It is so small that Paul was distracted when the bartender at the far end of the room made our lattes.

So we had dinner downstairs. The place is so casual that Paul stopped by our table and asked us if he could borrow our paper (his friends had deserted him and he wanted to keep busy). After a bit of a scare (“We’re sold out tonight”), we found out there were still a few seats left and after finishing our mini pizza’s (cooked on the bbq) up we went for the concert.

Paul is everything I thought he’d be. His Southern self-deprecating sense of humor is not only part of his music, it is a part of everything he says and does. Almost every song had a story and every story had us rolling off our seats. I love to describe him as a trailer park version of John Hiatt, and his “true” stories about trailer park life are so funny and sad at the same time that you’re almost crying while you’re laughing. People always talk about his wonderful songs, but his voice is soulful, his guitar playing is near perfect, and his verbal timing is absolutely perfect.

Paul did two 45 minute sets. The first focused on his classic “Ain’t Love Strange” CD; maybe one of the best unknown classics available at your local trailer part, oops, I mean record store. In both sets he did songs from throughout his career, including the title track from his first CD, “Hammer and Nail” (a song inspired by his ring battle with Roberto “no mass” Duran).

We all had a great time, with Jessie and Maria walking away with signed CDs.

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.