Saturday, February 28, 2009

Dedicated To You...

…was the title given to a special performance by Kurt Elling from NYC w/the Laurence Hobgood Trio, and special guest star Ernie Watts. The third of four presentations in the Lobero Theater Jazz Series this season tore a page from the ATP/Don’t Look Back series of presenting classic albums, and in this case, the spotlight was on 1962’s ‘John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman’. Watts, the protean tenor session man from LA, was the absolute business. His resume stretches from the Tonight Show band to Stones sessions to a place of honor in Charlie Haden’s Quartet West. Elling made a point of mentioning the lift that they get out of working with Watts, and it was evident at every entrance he made into the proceedings.

Elling was a great host, and the whole unit did a great job of using the Coltrane/Hartman set as a jumping off point, and further explored Hartman’s catalogue, and left room to showcase the player’s own interpretations, while remaining true to the spirit of the night. Hobgood used the piano to anchor the night, and provide the fulcrum upon which all rotated. He kept the pacing between the players and vocalist on an even keel, and sparkled in his turns in the spotlight.

Highlights of the night were 'Autumn Serenade', and Billy Strayhorn’s ‘Lush Life’, given a beautifully modulated reading, and while the lyrics might be slightly dated, that melancholy mood is eternally universal. The interplay between Elling and Watts caught the nature of the record, which is a testament to the power of conversation between two voices.

The rhythm section did a stellar job all evening, (their names being lost to posterity, however), with special note being made of the drummer, who was supportive and eloquent, whether with sticks or brushes. The bass man was done wrong by the sound mix; I strained to hear his solos, both of which were inventive and concise, that rarest of things. (This could very well have been my seats-I’ll keep an ear out for that in the future…)

All in all, a stellar night of jazz, and a great setup for the finale: Mr. Ron Carter will be appearing at the end March to bring another season to a close.

"DEDICATED TO YOU"
KURT ELLING
featuring ERNIE WATTS
& the LAURENCE HOBGOOD TRIO
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Lobero Theatre
Santa Barbara, CA

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

time to go to school;)

Alright, today is just about fun...
takin' it back to the old school!





This is so righteous...many thanks go to the local, Boo Boo Records!
Also, in the mighty month of April, please don't forget Record Store Day!!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Live: Jessica Lea Mayfield

Friday, 20 February, 2009 @ Muddy Waters, Haley St, Santa Barbara, CA...

Jessica Lea Mayfield and her band returned to Santa Barbara to rock the tiny Haley St. venue known as Muddy Waters, courtesy of the good folks at Club Mercy. They made the most of the middle of the bill, between 'What Laura Says' and 'The Annuals', forcing me to throw a caveat on my assessment of her record in the previous post concerning best records of '08. Yes, the record is a quiet, moody gem from a forthright young lady, but when it comes to the live situation, she came to rock.
The band, featuring her brother David on bass, guitarist Richie Kirkpatrick, and drummer Anne Lillis, hailing mostly from the Akron/Kent area, add depth & balls to the songs, without sacrificing any of the emotion & longing...
Footage below is dim, (we're not talking light show here...), but terribly up close & personal, i.e. dig the bro next to me enjoying his beer...Hopefully this captures the spirit of the proceedings.

My 'cliff notes' example would be the very first time I saw Lucinda Williams live, expecting some blues country numbers, and having my doors blown off; she tapped her inner Keith Richards...Miss Mayfield is not quite in the same ballpark w/Lu, but I'm on board for wherever she's headed next...




They kicked off with 'We've Never Lied', with the unforgettable chorus of "I'll talk to whoever i goddamn want to..." perking up the attendant ears, and setting the tone for what followed, including, (above), 'I'm Not Lonely Anymore'.



The place started packing in good, and, (above), 'Bible Days', (a line from which furnished the album with it's title), got a feature spot, and a nice sonic goose from the band. She's missing in the pictures, but look for the perky drummer Anne Lillis, taking care of business in the back, (far left).

Towards the end of the set, they tossed in a heartfelt cover of Buddy Holly's 'Words of Love', then brought it home with the highlight of the night, 'I Can't Lie To You, Love', (below), transforming the slinky number; when cheering begins at the false ending, they bludgeon home the rest of the song, totally transcending the album version, and blowing the crowd away.



They finished off the night with a strong take on 'For Today', making their point, and living to fight another day...the week saw them play the Casbah in San Diego, and the Troubador in LA, before this stop...After the show they'd be driving all night to San Francisco for a gig at Slim's on Saturday. I have a feeling they'll be headlining the next time I see them...

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

'and now for something completely different...'


Tis a small world after all, as today the email brought me greetings from my friends Marion & Andy in Germany. Most every year they come over to visit, and base in California to do crazy road trips...Always a good time. What shines through, despite different administrations and our standing in the world, is their love for this great beast of America, and that makes me proud. Then we sporadically maintain communications through the rest of the year, as do we all, fitfully, as life permits...





Today's fun was that her email contained a wonderful link, which I must share. Seems they took part in a German music video, Willi Herren's "Mir sin de Stross eraf jejange". She is very visible in the front at :27, (second from the left of the guitarist), and at :30, Andy shows up all the way on the right...then continually throughout. They're rocking out at the winter carnival in Koln. Such an amazing surprise, and a nice reminder of just how cool this internet thing can be. So often, I for one feel threatened, bossed, exacerbated, and just plain beat down by the WWW, but all it takes is a few little things to bring back the Joy and the Wonder...



Lest i descend permanently to the Hallmarkian, let me close on a high note by sharing another little found gem that must be seen to be believed...



and to all, a good night...

Monday, February 16, 2009

Putting the P in Presidents' Day!

For a weeks & weeks now, I've been obsessed with a record(s), (go figure), and it took this actual day to deadline me & force action, and quite frankly, come to grips with this monster. I have been working my way through a magnificent mess of a box set entitled: 'Of Great & Mortal Men: 43 Songs About 43 Presidents'.

The brainchild of Christian Keefer, Matthew Gerkin, and Jefferson Pitcher, (featuring many special guests), it comes off like a hellish combination of Sufjan Stevens', (no relation to Eric), Indie Baroque tunesmithery and Sarah Vowell's offbeat historical eye, perhaps the record she always dreamed of making. What it reminded me of on first listen was an overlooked Neil Young song from the mid 70's, "Campaigner".

I was won over from the snarky sensibility of the first song, (Mr. Washington, of course), and the perspective of him looking back over his achievements and sighing ruefully the line "And those dumb.asses believed me". A more fitting comment on the haphazard founding of this nation I cannot conceive. As a taste, check out Erik Werner's incredible video for this track...



The tone varies throughout, and it's fascinating to match up the nuggets we've retained from school with more in.depth research. I came to grips with the more recent presidents first, then worked into the ones I knew tidbits about, and finally have just immersed myself in the whole bleeding thing.

Highlights so far: believe it or not, the Ronald Reagan & LBJ songs really humanize their subjects, the guitar solo at the end of Nixon shreds, James Madison is hilarious, Hoover & Andrew Jackson (w/an assist from Califone) are heartbreaking, Zachary Taylor could be a great lost Wilco song, and i keep going back to Eisenhower, my dark horse favorite so far. For those of us who can't travel to every Presidential library, and for those presidents who don't yet have libraries...let this be a beginning.

Burning question one: Does Grover Cleveland really merit two tunes? Too bad, deal with it.
Burning question two: What about the newest member of the club?

Bottom line time: any record that can get you to walk around singing about the Sherman Antitrust Act is indeed a record to be reckoned with...

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

moon over my grammys...

Having sworn off easy targets, I’ll just keep it to some drive.by observations…the relevance of the Grammies is currently under debate, as Neil Portnow has made some heroic efforts to broaden the nominated categories, but somehow, the house always wins…

There is perhaps, the makings of a seperate screed on Jay.Z & Lil' Wayne's moves towards rock stardom, now that they've 'conquered' their field, & not to get all Gallagher about it, but i'll stick w/Rakim, and I don't have the brain power to cope with it at this point. As for Coldplay...sigh. Should i trust any band that actively campaigns for the highest office in the land?

The beauty of the show is always the personal moments, (Paul Simon’s ’76 acceptance speech thanking Stevie Wonder for not making a record that year being the runaway classic), and the performances (Outkast joined by the USC marching band is something you just don’t anticipate seeing on live TV anymore, and copied by Radiohead this year…if it’s hip, I believe they call it an homage)
The Grammy police have kept a tight grip on this clip; it disappears every time I see it posted, but I did manage to catch it once before it got pulled, thanks to the good folks @ KEXP, and it really works…
My favorite quote was from Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson from the Roots, pulled from his Twitter adventures as a guest, and I quote ‘They won’t allow me to Twit from rehearsals, but let me say that Radiohead is about to murder…”. Indeed.

It seemed like the performances/set pieces weigh outweighed the awards, and ratings were way up…coincidence?

Blink-182…I love the audience non.reaction at the ‘big reunion announcement’. Ouch! But do you think that will stop them...

Best compilation soundtrack to Juno! No matter what you thought of the movie, That was a soundtrack...

And please note the triumph of They Might Be Giants in the Childrens category w/’Here Come the 1…2…3’s’. Yes, it’s the sequel to ‘Here Come the A…B…C’s’. Consider this a tip to all my peers who should be getting that hard earned sleep instead of reading this...

Props to Al Green for rolling in as a sub w/no notice, and, well, being Al Green.

Adele bested Duffy in the battle of the UK, (a.k.a. Best New Artist) Not bad…anyone who knocks down the Jonas Bros has something going on, although one of the best pure songs I heard all year was the title track of Duffy’s ‘Rockferry’, an amazing retro blast of Dusty Springfield love…

On to the important stuff: Over the years, for some reason, one of the first categories I dig after the majors is…(drumroll please) Best Polka! Yes, once again Jimmy Sturr, (the Eagles of polka music...) outlasted Walter Ostenak, (picking up the Susan Lucci role from Ed Blazonczyk. Which is to say aesthetically that it’s the pitched battle between the Pennsylvania ‘oompah’ sound, and the more hard driving ‘Chicago’ sound.
Jak Szie Masz to my old friend Gene Martin, Mr. Polka!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

'08 cleanup-II (best albums)

Capturing a mood seems to be the only common thread in this year’s list…in some cases a zeitgeist, in others a creepy 'locked in my room’ vibe…These were the records that, no matter what name brand release momentarily occupied the spotlight, fought their way back into my heart and on my sound system…On that basis alone, they are the survivors…

The booby prize goes to RADIOHEAD’S In Rainbows, which was released in January on CD, but was already old news thanks to their ‘October Surprise’ digital release strategy, and was considered an ’07 release in my humble heart…the deluxe version came w/a second disc of very strong outtakes, 2-3 of which equal most things on the record. Worth finding the extras...

Honourable mention goes to: Kaki King, Los Campesinos!, Kills, Frida Hyvonen, M.I.A., Amanda Palmer, Beck, Gnarls Barkley, Fleet Foxes, and No Age for their latest releases, all records worth checking out…Cap of the year for producer could only be Danger Mouse, who helmed the Beck, Black Keys, and Gnarls records, and probably one or two i'm forgetting.

Enjoy the Grammies tonight, I doubt there will be much intersection w/this column...


10) AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB: The Golden Age
After a few years hiatus, Mark Eitzel reconvened the American Music Club a few years back in the wake of 9/11 to deliver the righteously angry ‘Patriot Songs’…Golden Age is no less incisive, but turns back to Eitzel’s signature portraits of the citizenry of this land, in all their glory…



9) OKKERVIL RIVER: The Stand Ins
Will Scheff is carving out a niche that back in the day would have earned him the weighty sobriquet of ‘new dylan’ and an avalanche of unwanted expectations…might still for that matter, but now he can dwell in the hype machine of cyber.space and fight off the 21st century equivilant. 'The Stand Ins' is more songs from the sessions that gave us 2007’s majestic 'The Stage Names'...it's not leftovers, it's not a sequel...it's another piece of the puzzles, as the artistically linked covers attest to. My favorite kind of record, the one you can keep going back to and get lost in...

8/8) (tie) BURIAL: Untrue/FLYING LOTUS: Los Angeles
Two sides of a coin...in the endless driving miles I’ve racked up this year, these two records hit it like chocolate & peanut butter…the rarest cases of sountracks for movies not yet made and worthy successors in the 'moody abstract beats' department to DJ Shadow’s ‘Endtroducing…’

7) ABE VIGODA; Skeleton:
Just when one thought that nothing further could be squeezed from the basic punk template, here comes the beautifully named Abe Vigoda a loud, quirky northern CA band that has relocated to LA, and reminds me of At The Drive In in their salad days…relentless. They find themselves part of a group of LA bands along with Mika Miko & No Age that could conceivably be the finest trifecta that city has provided since the X/Blasters/Los Lobos outburst of the '80's. Time will tell.


6) SONS & DAUGHTERS: This Gift
Caustic, aggressive, and unjustly overlooked…this is the record where it all came together for them. Past records split the vocals male/female, but this time the focus is on Adele Bethel, and the band’s attack is vicious & melodic. Some say the band is too one.track, but like the Ramones, what a track!




5) JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD: With Blasphemy So Heartfelt
Simple songs that feel classic from the first notes, a punk Patsy Cline w/an assist from Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys, who helped create a great non.intrusive instrumental pastiche for her to work off of. All the attention on new female vocalists this year seemed to center on the UK brigade of Adele, Duffy, etc, but this young lady stole my ears and heart.



4) DIPLO: Top Ranking Santogold, A Diplo Dub
Yes, it’s a mixtape, but what a blast. Against all hope, (could he possibly top his MIA blast ‘piracy funds terrorism’?), indeed…the grooves are deep & hard w/the usual suspects throwin’ down on an airtight base of deep dub sides…He finds room for Aretha, Sir Mix.A.Lot, and the B'52's, as well as the featured Santogold, leavens it w/a cheeky sense of humor and doesn't drop a beat…a jam from start to finish.



3) SIGUR ROS: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
One of a kind, sharpening their sound while continuing to defy all expectations in this post.rock world. They continue to conjure beautiful dreams…also, ‘Heima’ a documentary of their musical journey through rural Iceland is enchanting, heartfelt, and quite unexpectedly, one of the most engaging rock documentaries made…



2) PORTISHEAD: Third
Sound of the times, defining what is now a bygone era, (before ‘hope’), this most unlikely of comebacks, from a band that never went away, just stopped….Moving aggressively away from the sampling frenzy of their 90’s triumphs to a cold hard edgy groove, overlayed with Beth Gibbons’ inimitable vocalizings, it thoroughly captures the disconnectedness & overt dread of the last eight years, and I have a feeling that years from now, if the man’s name is so much as uttered, it will be a song from this record that creeps into my consciousness…

1) SUN KIL MOON: April
Pastoral acoustic laments and ominous thunderclouds of electric guitar woven together over Kozelek’s reveries of friends and love, lost and found. In every sense, the soundtrack to my year. The magic here is the way Kozelek takes all the disparate threads, musically and lyrically, that he's been playing with through the years under the names: Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon, and his own, and finds a place for them to coalesce. Constant movement, running from and running to are recurrent themes, and it's truly the journey, and not the destination.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

'08 cleanup, pt I: best shows...

Akkk, it’s already February, and I still haven’t cleaned up last year…Live shows started out on the down, having to miss Coachella for the first time in five years, but after a quiet summer (dodging fires), I made up for it with a vengeance in the fall…
In order, the best shows I saw last year:




#3) RADIOHEAD, Santa Barbara County Bowl, August
Finishing off a two stage US tour at the smallest venue right in my backyard, what’s to complain about? Most years this would have been THE show, hands down, and it speaks to the others that it wasn’t. Tour sharpened, and obviously smelling the finish line, Yorke & co. rocked with a vengeance, surpassing their previous two night stand here years ago…fun trivia, NPR offers a podcast of this show free, so hear for yourself…



#2) NICK CAVE & BAD SEEDS, Hollywood Bowl, September
Crisp fall night at the granddaddy of them all with a bill that didn’t stint on value for the dollar: opening w/Cat Power followed by Spiritualized, making way for the big man himself…the Bad Seeds were razor sharp, and the setlist spanned his whole career…highlights included a vicious reading of ‘The Mercy Seat” from ‘Tender Prey’.
But the spotlight was on the man himself…when the book is written on stage presence, he will have his own little chapter, all to himself. Absolutely galvanizing…by the second song I just started laughing, it was so ridiculous.
The vision that came to mind was not music, but Samuel L. Jackson, in the scene near the end of 'Pulp Fiction' where he reclaims his wallet from Tim Roth's character...("it's the one that says bad ass m@#$@$r")...a man in such complete control of his craft.
As fate would have it, not long after this show, Mick Harvey, Cave's right hand man of 25 years, decided to retire from the band...his fiery counterpoints throughout the night now take on the patina of epitah...



#1) MY BLOODY VALENTINE, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, October
What do you do when your dreams come true? More than I ever could have hoped, (and had given up hoping for), My Bloody Valentine returned to the states for the first time in 15 years, and picked up right where they left off, in a hazy narcotic swirl of harmonies and feedback. Noise, glorious noise.
The story to date: in the early nineties, MBV solidified their lineup, dribbled out a few EP’s, one album, then unleashed ‘Loveless’, their masterpiece…then promptly disappeared for a decade and a half. Guitarist Kevin Shields made some guest appearances, did some soundtrack work (Lost In Translation), and signed to Island, only to record & scrap a record, slave to his perfectionist tendencies…
Then, an appearance was announced at ATP in NY, and fortunately, before I could buy a plane ticket, a short tour was booked, ending in LA.
And, so, one would say, it ended on a high note…
The set drew heavily on ‘Loveless’, with a smattering of ‘Isn’t Anything’…Belinda Butcher was captivating, and Shields stayed out of the spots, letting his guitar communicate…
And what has now passed into legend, the climactic ‘You Made Me Realize’, a couple of quick choruses, then into a 17 minute lockdown feedback frenzy, that chased the weak and earplugless from the floor, reduced the rest into grinning idiots, and even from the seats at the top of the auditorium grew into a vibrating shimmering thing that you could feel.
My only description to those not there would be to imagine laying down on a runway at LAX & having a plane take off over you;)))
…then back into a triumphant chorus, and goodnight & goodbye America…