A Tale of Two Adams

We're back from vacation! It was a most excellent time, full of all the things I love - boat and beach action, good food, bargain shopping, "Dark Knight" at the drive-in, mountain storms and music.

Thanks to a former work associate and (still) good pal of Terry's, we scored primo seats to the Counting Crows/Maroon 5 show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, a great "shed" venue in upstate New York. I didn't have a photo pass, but the seats were close enough that, using Post-College Girl's new tiny digital camera, I still got a few shots.
Sara Bareilles opened the show with a short, sweet set after a gracious introduction by the Crows' Adam Duritz. Her catchy hit, "Love Song," got the biggest reaction, of course, but her other material made for a nice, low-key start to the night, and she included a throaty cover of the Beatles, "Oh, Darlin'" as well.
I'd heard that this CC/M5 show was a co-headline deal, so we weren't sure who would be up next. Turned out to be Maroon 5, whom I have seen before and knew would wear thin quickly. As catchy as the band's songs are, I have little patience for Adam Levine's posturings. The show was a study in rock star poses, laser lights and loud guitar solos, which the crowd lapped up, but I went wandering toward the end of the set, tired as I was of Levine's "Ain't I Great?" 'tude.

In contrast, Counting Crows let the music create the magic, with Duritz in compelling, compelled rare form. He started the show with a stunning version of "Round Here," a song I hear they rarely play anymore, and his impassioned vocals bordered on a breakdown - and I mean that in a good way. This guy doesn't hold back and, unlike the Adam onstage just before, the honesty of his delivery is almost painful and fully cathartic.

After about a half dozen songs, when the band tore into "Rain King," the hardcore fans in the show (like my older daughter) hit upon the realization that the band was performing its brilliant debut album, "August and Everything After" in order and in its entirety. Duritz made mention of Isaac Haye's recent death and said that he wanted to do a special show as a big fan of the soul legend. And such it was.

Though Duritz is, clearly, the driving force behind the songs, and a riveting frontman in his Sideshow Bob dreadlocks, you never lose sight (sound) of the fact that the band is there to cushion, support and sometimes hang on for dear life as they follow him on his emotional wanderings. It makes for a riveting show.

No Vacation from the Blog

Ah, life at the lake house....!
The two-week escape to update New York is underway and, having put in some real working class efforts for Apple over the last eight weeks, I am reveling in the ability to sleep late and start each day with a simple, "what do I feel like doing today?" The temptation to loll on the couch and sip cocktails while watching the Olympics is strong, but I do want to get caught up with the blog, and establish a more steady habit thereupon. And so, to begin, here are the most recent Washington Post previews:
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Black Crowes at Wolf Trap
What a hoot this gal is! A down-to-earth, straight-talking, fun-loving young woman who also happens to write fine songs and play them like a house a'fire. I had plans to see the show - and finally catch the infamous Crowes in person - but it was a crazy busy time shortly before leaving for vay-cay, so I stayed home instead and watched a DVD, of which I will tell you more anon.
The Section Quartet at IOTA Club
Darling Husband and I got out of the house to see this show two days before leaving town, and were most glad we did. TSQ play genuine rock and roll songs in a genuine classical string quartet style, which results in a greater appreciation of both. This night was billed as a night of Radiohead songs, but that was a bit of bait-and-switch.
The first half of the show lived up to the title, including great versions of "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police," but then the group veered off into songs mostly pulled from TSQ's recent CD, "Fuzzbox." I love the quartet's version of the Strokes' "Juicebox," and they are so totally proficient at their instruments that nearly everything they play sounds terrific, but I wanted more Radiohead (they'd done a previous tour of the entire "OK Computer" album, so I knew they had more songs in the catalog). Minor quibble, though, for a night of invigorating, unusual music.
And these were the two stories that appeared in the previous Post cycle:
Slapsticon film festival at Rosslyn Spectrum
Hoots & Hellmouth, Robinella at Jammin Java

As for the long-neglected O/CD Tally, I brought a bag of recent acquisitions with me, and will be dealing with them as the week progresses. For now, I have one recommendation:
1. SUPERGRASS – Diamond Hoo Ha (Astralwerks)
The spunky Brits join a new label but retain the same engaginly scruffy sound. Easy to take these guys for granted but you put on the album and start to smile. “Rough Knuckles” has a gotta-dance keyboard hook that would do Jerry Harrison proud.

And then, alas, there are those that left me disappointed:
2. WE ARE SCIENTISTS – Brain Thrust Mastery (Astralwerks)
Now positioned as a duo (didn't there used to be three?), WAS made a nice splash with their debut CD, but this new one flowed past me on a recent drive without one making a solid impression and a few driving me to push the FF button. Now I hear they're opening for Kings of Leon in the fall, and the track "After Hours" is getting radio airplay, so I may revisit. But first impression was dull.
3.LACH – The Calm Before (Fortified)
This CD is stickered with a PR note that says “RIYD [recommended if you dig] Paul Westerberg, Beck and Paul Weller.” Fine artists, all of them, but I don’t hear a lick of that high-quality creation in the music here.
4. The CAT EMPIRE – So Many Nights (Velour)
I loved the first Cat Empire so much, it made it to my Top Ten list for the year, which makes it hurt to say that this one is a true sophomore slumper. The lyrics are often cringe-worthy and the rhythms, so playful and seemingly spontaneous in the debut, feel forced. Guys,what happened?!
5. A NEW REVOLUTION – Rise (KOCH)
Simply not my bag, baby. Produced and mixed by a guy named Mudrock.

YTD Total:125

Remembering When with R.E.M.

Okay, so I've been really bad about keeping up with the blog. I could tell you about how I've been crazy busy working for Apple, but then Steve Jobs would have to kill me. So, let's just take a deep breath and dive in.
First order of delayed business is catching up with a set of shamefully old concert shots. You saw Modest Mouse pics a while back, and now here's R.E.M., who headlined that same show back in June.

I'll admit, despite being a fan of R.E.M.'s from the band's earliest days when I met and interviewed them for a story as "Murmur" was launched, I've had issues with the past few releases and was fairly bored by the concert I saw during the "Around the Sun" tour. Hubby has remained more (blindly?) loyal, but I needed to be re-convinced that the band still had its power, and its sense of humor. (Michael Stipe, dear boy as he is, had been coming across a bit stridently of late.)
Anyway, from the first moments in the photo pit, where I spotted the dinosaur display along the top of Peter Buck's amplifiers, I felt that things were looking up...

The band was in fine form and good humor, Master Stipe exuding just the right mix of Shiny Happy People-ness and rage against the political machine. When he's on - and without that distracting blue facepaint - he's still one of rock's most charismatic showmen.

The group tore threw a well-paced set list (I got a copy from the road manager!) of new tracks from the "Accelerate" CD, which has revived their reputation for hard-driving alt. rock, along with classics from the past.

Grace, who had come along mostly to see Modest Mouse, grew a little restless toward the end. Given my previously stated apprehensions about the last R.E.M. show I'd seen, I made the mistake of saying I might be willing to leave early. But I was swept up in the band's momentum, grateful to feel a rekindling of my admiration/affection for the guys, and we stayed until the end.

R.E.M.. welcome back. All is forgiven.

Fleet of Fox, if Not of Feet

Last night, I heard the live online broadcast on NPR of The Fleet Foxes, playing some 25 miles away at the Black Cat in DC. So that reminds me...

1.FLEET FOXES - self-titled (Sub Pop)
I bought this CD last week, at a genuine old skool record store, Plan 9, in Richmond while Soon-To-Be-College Girl and I were in the city for a VCU orientation. I went into the store as if into a church, a quick visit to pay respects to the vanishing house of music worship, and to ask if they had the Johnny Flynn vinyl single that I’d heard was being serviced to independent stores as a teaser for his full-length debut.
The nice older guy (owner) and younger cashier chatted with me about what they had listed in the upcoming release charts, but the vinyl itself was nowhere to be seen, and then I caught sight of the Fleet Foxes CD, lined up in a row just above a set of My Morning Jacket CDs. That seemed fully appropriate as I find the Foxes tapping a similar vein of fiercely beautiful, near-choral indie rock, though the Foxes have a slightly more pastoral take that made me initially think they were British. As I paid for the album, the older gent remarked, "Album of the year!" and said he was driving to DC for the show.

The band members trace their music to that which their parents played: The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, The Zombies, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills and Nash. The Foxes’ harmonies harken particularly to the latter, and frontman Robin Pecknold was quoted on the NPR web site as explaining, "To me, the most enjoyable thing in the world is to sing harmony with people.” It shows.

Oh, and since we were talking about them, I’ll add to the tally my emusic purchase of:
2. MY MORNING JACKET – Evil Urges (ATO)
Have seen and enjoyed the band in the past, but this album is really sticking with me in a big way. On track as one of the best of the year.

Here's a shot from the band's appearance at the 930 Club in 2005. It's not so much a concert shot as a cool image I use as a desktop.


O/CD Year to Date Tally: 120

Happy Fourth of July!

We celebrate as we always do - with a screening of "1776," in which we lustily sing all the songs (Terry abstains, courteously), preceded by a short subject - the "Freedom" number from "Holiday Inn," in which Fred Astaire dances while tossing firecrackers.

As "dreamy" (Post-College Girl's word) Thomas Jefferson moves ever closer toward completing the Declaration of Independence, I share some of the remaining concert photos of recent vintage.
Here is Modest Mouse, who opened for R.E.M. at Merriweather Post last month...

As I stood in the photo pit, waiting for the show to begin, a guitar tech strummed Johnny Marr's guitar and it rang with that distinctive wah-wah sound that marked so many Smiths songs. I got chills. A fine performance, though as glad as I was to hear "Dashboard," I think I prefer the studio version.

Isaac Brock is an interesting character, an obvious musical talent with a slightly deranged air.
And Johnny Marr...? A wizard. A true star.

And while the Continental Congress continues to "piddle" (John Adams' word), I found and bought and downloaded a nifty collection from amazon.com. It's called
INDEPENDENTS DAY '08 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
A compilation of independent artists that's being sold only from July 4 to July 6. Tracks from artists like Ani Difranco, Frank Black, Atmosphere, Dr. Dog and some less savory (Slipknot). 25 songs for $2.99. Good deal.

Year to Date O/CD Tally: 118

One Off: Rick Wakeman's "Grumpy Old Picture Show" DVD

As I was catching up with some computer issues the past two nights, I popped in a recently acquired DVD. It was a random selection and I held no great hopes for it, but it turned out to be a pleasant diversion.
RICK WAKEMAN – Grumpy Old Picture Show DVD (MVD Visual)
My first serious college boyfriend had a huge mural painted on the hallway outside his dorm room – the inner gatefold painting from the “Tales of Topographic Ocean” LP. It was quite well done actually, and Yes music was constantly booming from his stereo (along with Fireside Theatre albums). So Yes has retained a soft spot in my heart, even though the former boyfriend doesn’t. As prog rock went, Yes did some of the best.

According to Wikipedia, and as initially announced on the official Yes website, Wakeman will not be joining Yes on their 40th Anniversary tour, but will instead be replaced by his son Oliver. The elder Wakeman has been touring with a solo show - an evening of biographical stories and music, captured here one night in Dunstable, England.

Wearing a coat that hits the ground when he sits down to the keyboard and a hefty paunch that falls over his belt as he walks around the stage, he tells bawdy jokes amid stories about growing up, getting sober and playing music, including some tales of his days with Yes and beyond. (Sample quote from a tale about porta-loos, and how he thought he had found a private alternative: “I had lovely wee and then I got a round of applause.”)

There are some hokey “very rare footage” sketches hosted by a BBC-style presenter and dropped in between the chats, like Wakeman portraying a bratty schoolchild in sex ed class (appropriately accompanied by rim shots). Musically, there’s a nice take on “Eleanor Rigby,” plus a few duets with his clear-voiced daughter and a few rather snoozy new agey instrumentals and prog rockers played with guest musicians who are dropped in via a video screen. The climactic version of “Starship Trooper” is a particularly nice choice gone particularfly bad (the singer sucks). Wakemen still excels in advanced synthesizer noodling, some of which sounds better now than it did Back in the Day of Wretched Excess.

Production wise, the DVD is no marvel of technology; just a straight-forward capture of a one-man show from a guy with a scruffy, genial and self-deprecating style – which, frankly, I never would have attributed to the Rick Wakeman of Yore. Much like Ray Davies’ 1996 one-man story-telling show, "20th Century Man," it’s a nice model for classic rockers looking for a new way to reconnect with old fans.

And so, because I count music DVDs, that ratchets up the
Year-to-Date O/CD Tally: 117

We Got Out (Pt. 2) - WWJJD?

Still catching up with recent concerts of note…

When I was working on a Post preview of the Celebrate Fairfax! event – a weekend county fair sans livestock – I was offered the opportunity to chat briefly with one of the featured performers, the wonderful Joan Jett. I try not to be jaded, but I don’t often get positively nervous/excited when I’m prepping to talk to musicians these days. But this was Joan Freakin’ Jett!

Glad to report that the woman is a pleasant, giving personality who chatted freely about a variety of subjects, including the reprehensible fact that she’s not yet been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She seems to harbor no grudge, finds it just another example of the way women are often overlooked in the world, and explained that her appearance at this past year’s R&RHoF ceremonies was not a sign of a bridge being built between her and the Powers That Be, but simply her honoring the request of a friend, the late Mike Smith of the Dave Clark Five, who passed away shortly before the event.

At the end of the brief conversation (she had squeezed me into a busy day filming an episode of “Law and Order”), Jett asked me if I intended to come to the show and invited me to meet her backstage.

Lots of musicians extend such invitations in the enforced friendliness of an interview, but I had an email confirmation of the meeting from her super-efficient PR people within minutes of hanging up the phone.

And I was nervous/excited again, driving to the Fairfax Government Center to make the date a week later. First I met Kenny Laguna, Jett’s longtime manager, musical collaborator and protector of sorts, the guy who handles all the petty details so that she’s free to rock. Another writer (who appeared to know Jett and Laguna personally) and I were the only two people allowed in her trailer before a crush of Meet-and-Greeters, and the other guy did most of the talking. But I was able to shake the iconic female rocker’s hand, get a few autographs on some photos I’d taken at her Warped Tour appearance a few years back and got permission to shoot the concert.

Not only permission, but a full access pass that put me on the side of the stage or in the pit for the whole damn show.


Jett’s a tireless performer, with energy to burn, anthemic tunes that are perfect for a summer outdoor show, and a smile that’s made all the more special for its rare, spontaneous wattage.

When the main set ended, Jett came to the side of the stage and nearly collapsed. She seemed to deflate into a rag doll heap, leaning against the stairs as if she were too exhausted to play. And yet, after being enclosed in a circle of affection and support by Laguna and her fellow Blackhearts, she roused herself for a full-on encore. A rock legend. A class act.

Side note: that night marked the debut of Jett’s new signature Gibson guitar, designed to her own specifications by the instrument giant. Laguna called me a few days later to say that the company was excited to hear that a photographer was on hand, and askd that I send pics of Jett playing her new axe. Haven’t heard back from anyone on the Jett or Gibson side (I assume I would if they were using any of the photos) but if you see a Gibson ad that looks like any of the photos here, let me know!


While we’re at it, let’s add to the O/CD Tally with the album that Laguna was nice enough to give me at the show.
1. JOAN JETT and the BLACKHEARTS – Sinner (Blackheart Records)

and I’ll tag on a bunch of albums that came to me in conjunction with other past Post previews, along with the links to the original articles, for archive sake.

2. JON DEE GRAHAM – Swept Away (Freedom)
The CD soundtrack for the documentary film about one of Austin’s local heroes.
3. JON DEE GRAHAM – Swept Away DVD
show with the Squirrel Nut Zippers

4. TAB BENOIT and LOUISIANA’S LEROUX – Last Train to Nashville (Telarc)
show at the State Theatre

5. PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND – Made in New Orleans (Preservation Hall)
OMG! The nice folks at Shore Fire sent me the deluxe edition of this CD/DVD set, the one that comes in the Every-One-Truly-Unique packaging, with a Polaroid photo taken by PHJB director Ben Jaffe and collectors’ items like original press releases, photos, even receipts from band expenses, like the bill from a BBQ dinner! Way cool.
show at the Wolf Trap Barns

6. MACEO PARKER – Roots & Grooves (Heads Up Recording)
show at the State Theatre

7. and 8. MATT KEATING – Quixotic (Kealon Records)
show at St. Elmo’s Coffee Shop
I got two copies of this one – a generic cardboard advance before I interviewed Keating, and the commercial release, with a truly stunning photo on the cover – a windfarm under a gorgeous blue shy (unretouched, he swore to me).

9. EAST VILLAGE OPERA COMPANY – EPK/DVD (Brick Wall Mgmt.)
10. EAST VILLAGE OPERA COMPANY – La Donna e Mobile (Brick Wall Mgmt.)
Music video single
11. EAST VILLAGE OPERA COMPANY – Habanera Redux (Carmen) at Irving Plaza (Brick Wall Mgmt.)
12. EAST VILLAGE OPERA COMPANY – S/T(Decca)
show at Reston Center Stage

13. RICARDO LEMVO – Shall We Salsa (Trilogy Records)
An emusic download that I made for myself.
show at the Rosslyn Spectrum

14. SAW DOCTORS – That Takes the Biscuit (Shamtown)
show at the Birchmere
And here’s a pic from that wild Irish romp of a night.


Year-to-Date O/CD Tally: 116

We Got Out - and We're Still Catching Up

I have been a very bad girl (that phrase will get me some new Internet hits). I have been to three shows in the past two weeks and haven’t posted pics or reviews. I still have a bit of a time and procrastination problem, so tonight I’ll just mention one – those nice boys from Ireland, Bell X-1.
When we last saw the guys, it was at a pub in DC where the stalwart Sally and I were invited to have a few drinks with the band at an intimate press party (recapped in the blog entry for January 23).

Hugely popular in the homeland, Bell X-1 released its American debut, Flock, in February and started making the radio/TV rounds, including a spot on “Letterman.” After having hung out with them, and seeing what polite, soft-spoken guys they were, it was a hoot to see them on my TV full of rock swagger and sharp music.

Of course, Sally and I had to make it to their concert at the 930 club at the start of this month. I’d heard that the band’s NYC dates were SRO, but this was an instance in which DC’s most modern venue pushed its mobile stage forward to make the club look smaller, and even then it wasn’t very crowded.

At first, the band seemed a bit bummed by the quantity of the crowd, but its quality warmed them up. This was an audience that roared its approval, called out titles and sang along with songs that one could never have expected them to know. The band got looser and smiled more, dropped cool Talking Heads references into two songs, and lead singer Paul Noonan offered an acoustic Depeche Mode cover during the encore. Well done, boys.

Trivia note: frontman and primary songwriter Noonan was originally the band’s drummer but original vocalist Damien Rice left to pursue a solo career, so Noonan came forward to take the spotlight. Suffice to say he’s a natural.

And that leads to a new title to add to the O/CD Tally:
BELL X-1 - Flock (Yep Roc)
This was an official copy of the commercial release.
I got a generic advance late last year, in advance of the pub meeting.
Year-to-Date: 102

We Get Out: Kate Walsh

I don’t always get to attend the shows I write about, nor do I always want to, but when I wrote a Post preview about the 3-act all female Amoeba Music tour, sponsored by the hip west coast retailer, I was anxious to make it happen.
It wasn’t Brandi Shearer’s bluesy rock, nor Quincy Coleman’s jazzy, quirky arrangements that called to me, but the sheer simple beauty of Kate Walsh’s new CD.
1. KATE WALSH – Tim’s House (Verve)
The CD is a quiet joy, as was the show. Though the crowd was sparse (30 people would be a most generous guess), it was a fiercely devoted one, many choosing to sit on the floor and all in rapt attention. Which meant a lot, as Walsh’s sweet, often sad material is the fragile sort that wouldn’t hold up well to lots of crowd murmuring and glass clanking. You could have heard the proverbial pin drop as she sang of love found, and generally lost. And though she chatted amiably between numbers, the melancholy vibe led one of our friends, after the set, to say that he wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything would be OK.

I chatted briefly with Walsh shortly thereafter, told her honestly that “Your Song” kills me (it’s the heartbreakingly poignant lead track on the CD) and said we all hoped she was happy. She laughed and said she’s been in a great mood recently – and hasn’t written much as a result! I hope she stays happy and finds inspiration to match it.

2. QUINCY COLEMAN – Come Closer (self-released)
The bad news was, we missed Coleman’s opening set (I thought she was going on second in the bill). The good news was, when hubby and I got to the club, we ran into friends of ours and spent time sitting on the back deck, chatting, drinking and catching up.

My other Post preview last week was for Louisiana swamp stomper
Tab Benoit

While I’m on the subject of live shows, I’ll O/CD tally up a few CDs based on who’s coming to town…
3. HOLLY COLE – S/T (KOCH Records)
The album was released in January and Cole was set to tour at that time, but the date here in Virginia was cancelled. She’s now set to perform at the Birchmere on June 1st. I can’t say that the CD appeals to me – it’s so smooth and pretty as to feel sterile.
4. The GIBSON BROTHERS - Iron & Diamonds (Sugar Hill)
At IOTA on June 1
5. JULIE OCEAN – Long Gone and Nearly There (Transit of Venus)
Bright and shiny power pop that puts me in mind of Fountains of Wayne and Weezer.
At the IOTA Club on June 6th.
6. REM – Accelerate CD/DVD set (Warner Bros.)
Here’s one I spent my own cash money on. I didn’t intend to get the deluxe package, since Hubby said he didn’t care about the DVD extra, but when I went to Target to pick it up, encouraged by the tunes I’d heard on radio and the Colbert Report (hysterical interview), there were no regular versions left. And the packaging – including a thick, cheap paperback insert marked “This book will fall apart” looks pretty nifty - so I didn’t mind shelling out the $17.
Yes, it appears on first few listens that the band has redeemed itself and thank god it’s true, since Hubby now has the CD in heavy kitchen rotation (I made him a “sloppy copy”). We watched the DVD, too, which divides into fine live footage, fairly illuminating interview bits and some of that insufferable B&W shaky camera crap that passes for Art Film.
We have tickets to see the band at Merriweather Post on June 11th, with a faboo triple bill including the National and Modest Mouse.
And that reminds me, in anticipation of the new R.E.M. hubby purchased:
7. R.E.M. – And I Feel Fine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years (I.R.S./EMI)
8. GEORGE MICHAEL – Twenty-Five (SONY)
29 songs over two CDs, including duets with Paul McCartney (when did that one slip by?) and Mary J. Blige, plus solo and Wham! Hits.
I’m going to edit this down to a killer, single disc compilation.
Playing July 29th at Verizon Center

And a few from shows I missed:
9. The MYRIAD – With Arrows, With Poise (KOCH Entertainment)
10. The B-52s – Funplex (Astralwerks)
Is it just happy coincidence that the B-52s have returned (with their first studio album in 16 years!) within weeks of the new R.E.M. CD? The bands function as a yin/yang team of the original indie rock scene, both Athens, GA-based bands who made it big by playing against the type of “southern rawk,” both quirky and danceable but the B’s choosing a goofy, party vibe while R.E.M. hinted at Big Thoughts. I’ve always had a warm spot for both bands, though I doubt Michael Stipe would ever deign to attend a dance club party dressed in a gorilla suit, as Fred Schneider once did, god bless him. The band sounds as good as ever, with the knowing wink of elder statesmen toward those who’ve followed in their grooves (such as The Rapture, Scissor Sisters and Daft Punk, whose very name is a description of the B’s sound). Producer Steve Osborne has worked with Happy Mondays, Doves, Kt Tunstall and New Order, all of whom, in some way, can also pay psychic royalties to the B-52s. So nice to have old friends back.

And now, in an effort to begin catching up to the scads of scattered CDs still to be tallied, I resort to the Goldilocks method, meaning I will simply say…
This music is too soft:
11. THOMAS & FRIENDS – Thomas’ Train Yard Friends (KOCH)
12. THOMAS & FRIENDS – Thomas’ Songs & Roundhouse Rhythms (KOCH)
13. The WIGGLES – Pop Go the Wiggles (KOCH)
No, not pop tunes, but nursery rhymes.
14. DEBORAH HIGHTOWER – Her Name is Deborah (Highest High Records)

This music is too rough:
15. ARCHITECTS – Vice (Anodyne Records)
16. GREELEY ESTATES – Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East (Science)
Post hardcore is not my thing, but I’ll give the band credit for a few choice song titles like“If We’re Going Out, Let’s Go Out in Style” and, my choice for title of the month, “Desperate Times Call for Desperate Housewives.”
17. COIN OPERA – What Went Wrong with the Right? (Umbrella Etiquette)
Comes out June 15th.
18. WHITE LION – Return of the Pride (Airline Records LLC)
A 12-track collection, two of them live. And yet, just when I was about to dismiss the entire package as second rate Big Hair/Sorta-Hard Rock, I get snagged on the hook of “Finally See the Light,” and have to admit that this arena guitar god posing can still offer some fun - and great riffs to sing in mock-parody with Matt Nathanson,

And this music is just right:
13. BON IVER – For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
Bon Iver, A.K.A. Justin Vernon, has created a lovely, intimate album that creeps up softly, whispers in your ear and makes you smile and sigh.
14. LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO – Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu (Heads Up International)
Tha harmonies are as good as they ever were back in the “Graceland” days.
15. BILLY BRAGG – Mr. Love & Justice (Anti-)
A class act, still classy.

Year to Date O/CD Tally: 101

Treasure Hunting in NYC

My Own Cash Money - and worth every penny!

The family drove up to NYC to celebrate College Girl's graduation. And, as she noted, it may be time to give her another name. Post-Grad Girl? Smarty Pants? (She graduated with honors, boasted the proud mommy.)

Anyhoo, half the family had to return to Virginia for work/school obligations but, as all I had to deal with was a pair of Post previews, I stayed to enjoy a few extra days of Big Apple playtime and attend the second grad ceremony - in Yankee Stadium! (NYU does everything, including charge tuition, on a grand scale.)

The trip’s fine musical adventure began when I walked into the Strand bookstore, Fulton Street annex, to pick up a carry bag for CG, who wanted to replace one that was worn out from its long service. Meandering through the store, I glanced at a table of jumbled CDs to see what kind of stuff was offered. At first, I was unimpressed; it seemed to be cast-offs from in-store play, some in rather funky condition, and some promo singles. But since I saw a few recent, if relatively obscure, releases and every disc was only $4.oo, I kept sifting through the shoddy display.

1. GENE KRUPA - Big Band CD 10 (NA)
This was the first disc I put in my keeper pile. A single disc in a generic cardboard jacket, it looks to be part of some larger set. Since I don’t have any Krupa in the collection, this was a good chance to start things up.

And then magic started to happen!
2. JOHNNY FLYNN – A Larum (Lost Highway)
If anyone had been watching me at the point I discovered the generic black slimline case holding this CD, they would have thought I’d found some Holy Grail. And in a way, it was. Ever since returning from England, (Post)College Girl has been singing the praises of said Johnny Flynn, a young Brit who also acts in an all-male Shakespearean troupe called Propeller. She’s seen the theatre group about eight times and Flynn in concert once. She’s collected all his tunes from his myspace page (there are two free downloads there now) and had me order beautifully designed 7’ vinyl singles from ebay. A multi-instrumentalist with a singing style that puts me in mind of Richard Thompson, Flynn tills the rich earth of British folk tradition, writing original songs that sound like obscure classics from dusty songbooks of times past. Drinking songs and wenches abound.

Anyway, I have been hearing about this guy for over a year now and was put on warning that his debut American CD is due this summer. Finding two advance copies of his CD in the Strand pile was the musical equivalent of panning for gold and getting a nugget the size of your fist. I got a huge, happy reaction from (P)CG, and from a fellow student who’s also a big fan and got the dupe. The album is out in the UK on March 26.

So now, like a fish who had been half-heartedly nibbling at a worm, I was hooked! What other cool stuff was buried in these racks? I paid particular attention to those slimline and cardboard cases, and was paid off with…
3.AIMEE MANN - @#%&! Smilers (SuperEgo)
Still-sealed in its cardboard cover, it will make a pleasant surprise for the huge Mann fans who fed the tortoise while we were away.
4. STEVE REICH – Three Tales (Nonesuch)
A CD/DVD advance, the latter being a video by Beryl Korot, for which Reich did the music, plus an audio-only version.

I also found some new/recent releases for the bargain 4 buck price:
5. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
Just before leaving Virginia, I heard a track from this on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” and found it intriguing in the same way I did Battles’ “Atlas.” In the latter case, the full CD didn’t live up to the promise of that lead track, but again, it’s just a few bucks to take the chance. BTW, the table had both an advance and a commercial copy of the CD, but I took the formal edition, with enhanced content.
6. PUNCH BROTHERS – Punch (Nonesuch)
Brand-new, still-sealed commercial copy of the latest from bluegrass wizard Chris Thile, for whom I’ve harbored a little thing every since I saw him cover Nirvana in a musical documentary.

And then some miscellaneous fun:
7. VARIOUS ARTISTS - Live at KEXP Volume Three (KEXP)
Also still sealed, this benefit CD carries a sticker declaring that all proceeds from its sale will go to the deserving Seattle-based alternative station. I doubt that the station is getting any money from this particular sale, so I’m sorry ‘bout that, but I am delighted to get rare songs by the likes of Ghostland Observatory, The Long Winters, Cloud Cult, Grizzly Bear and more.
8. LITTLE ANNIE & Paul Wallfisch – When Good Things Happen to Bad Pianos (Southern Records)
I almost didn’t get this, knowing absolutely nothing about the act, the songs or the label, but the cover, the title and the track listing – “Private Dancer,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “All I Want for Christmas” and more for an odd mix of rock and pop favorites - leads me to believe/hope that these are cover tunes played by hideously out-of-tune pianos. The idea tickled me one grande latte with almond’s worth. And I’ll let you know how that works out.
9. VARIOUS ARTISTS – The Other Side: London: Damian Lazarus (TimeOut)
A sealed, double sided CD and DVD from the hipster travel company, this one offering a set of audio tracks including folktronica from Gruff Rhys,electronics from Nathan Fake, and tracks from the Magic Numbers and Yazoo amongst others. The interactive DVD gives insider tips on edgy shops, bars, restaurants and such. The booklet includes listings and a map of the city, so I can pass the set on to College Girl after I’ve checked it out (she’s off to England in the fall as a prelude to graduate school).

Year to Date O/CD Tally: 86

Coincidentally, just as I was working on this post, my desktop picture changed to a shot of the Raconteurs onstage at L.A.'s Amoeba Records. And just to remind us all of what a pleasure a well-stocked music shop can be, I place it here.

elbow triumphant! (my Guy...!)

It was a little over a week ago when Hubby and I had a most delightful evening out with the Manchester UK band known as elbow. He had seen them open for Doves (I was sick that night) and said they “blew Doves off the stage.” I had seen the band do a short set at the CMJ daystage and watched another truncated show on a video screen later that night when the club they were playing was overcrowded.

This band has been around for many years, but has had a different label for nearly every one of its previous albums – Asleep in the Back, Cast of Thousands, Leaders of the Free World – and never got the traction it needed to break the American market.
Now, finally, the band has released an album, The Seldom Seen Kid, on a US major (Geffen) that appears willing and able to support a proper tour, and we were thoroughly psyched to see elbow do a full headliner set and to see it together. (This is a very romantic band.)

The show was a triumph on all counts. The venue – the Historic Sixth and I Synagogue – is a jewel. The audience sits in the pews of the sanctuary under a gorgeous domed roof while the musicians perform on the raised….altar? (I was rasied Catholic, so I don’t know if that’s the proper word). And any concerns we had about the sound were knocked out by the first number. We heard it all just fine.

The opening act was Jessca Hoop, a woman with that little bit of quirky edge that raises her above the usual singer/songwriter crowd. I knew one song from exposure on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” show (available via Internet stream every weekday from noon-3 EST) so I was pleased to get a chance to hear the rest.


Hoop wore an old-fashioned long print dress, the new hip matron look, and was barefoot. Her patter with the audience was a tad arch, but with a sense of humor to it, too. Her guitar playing stumbled some, but her voice and songs were intriguing and strong. Her set was maybe a half-dozen songs, and the audience was respectful-to-enthusiastic. She lingered in the small lobby during intermission and we were going to buy her CD (she and elbow were selling all their albums for a kind $10 each) but hers sold out before we got to the table.

And then came the main event. In trying to think of a single word to describe it, I decided on “majestic.”

Instead of simply walking onto the stage, the band strode down the center aisle, leader Guy Garvey being one of a few members carrying horns. Taking the stage, they opened with the beautiful blare of “Starlings” from the new CD. The audience’s ovation reflected hubby and my own sincere joy in finally getting to hear the band. The applause after every song was sustained and loud, as if we were trying to convey to the group our congratulations that they might finally break through and our delight in tasting victory with them.

Garvey – a burly, bearded man with the stature of a melancholy literature professor (the kind all the graduate student girls fall in love with and want to save) was in fine form. His voice soared to choirboy Kyrie heights with a rough vulnerability that resonates at the midpoint between Bono and The Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan. And he seemed as happy to be with us as we were to be with him, frequently commenting on the beauty of the venue and the strength of the audience’s response. He taught us all the anthemic chorus of “One Day Like This” and sang the repeating coda of “Newborn” with an intensity that brought the audience cheers to a new decibel, and generally endeared himself all around with amusing asides and little stories between songs.

We left with big smiles and full hearts. A great night out.

As I type, with 92% of the vote in, Indiana is still too close to call. Unbelievable!

We Get Out: Justin Currie (ex-Del Amitri)

Another fine night at Jammin' Java, last Thursday, to see a solo set by a guy whose name may not right a bell but whose former band, Del Amtri, was a bright spot on the fringes of the '90s pop/rock scene.

I'm not sure why I had the impression that Justin Currie was a tough cookie (I dimly recall a friend talking about a disappointing concert experience with the band), but I wasn't prepared for the chatty, funny Scottsman who took the stage and joked about his former band and the vagueries of the pop life.



Naturally, he played a goodly number of songs from his recent CD, "What Is Love For," opening with the sobering title track, but he was also great about dipping into the Del Amitri songbook - playfully doing "Not Where It's At," in faux lounge-singer style...


and "Roll to Me" as a tongue-in-cheek romp with ukelele. When an audience member expressed surprise that he did the song at all (it was the band's biggest hit, but more poppy by half than any of Del Amitri's generally bittersweet material), he explained matter-of-factly that "I owe that song about a million and a half dollars," adding that much of it was gone. "Tell Her This" was stripped-down, straight and still lovely, and he even did "Be My Downfall," a personal favorite.

Throughout the show, Currie was beautifully supported by multi-instrumentalist Peter Adams and an old LP cover of Sylvia, which became a running joke after the musical partners found it in the greenroom.



At the end of the show, I went to the merch booth to lend my support. The PR team at his label had already sent:
1.JUSTIN CURRIE - What is Love For? (Ryko)
So I bought the only other CD he had on sale:
2.JUSTIN CURRIE - No, Surrender (Ryko)
Eight dollars for a 5-track EP is not my idea of a deal, especially when three of the tracks are the same song, in Part One, Part Two and demo versions, but I got in for free (thanks to the lovely Jammin Java team, who treat me so nicely), so I consider it artist payback.
Anyway, note the telling punctuation. The song presents, in a torrent of near rap-like lyrics, tales of rampant materialism and the soullessness of modern life and asks whether to fight back. No, surrender. Take away the comma and you've got a Springsteen anthem. Leave it there and you can feel the defeated sigh. Good thing Currie has a sense of humor onstage or we'd all be out in the venue parking lot with our mouths wrapped around the tailpipes.


I didn't see much of the opening act, Michigan-based singer/songwriter Angie Mattson, but when I first arrived at the show, I scanned the merch booth, as I usually do, and chatted with the guy manning it, who turned out to be her brother. When I came back to get the Currie disc, he was still on duty, alone - and she was sitting right there, too, so how could I not buy something of hers, too? Luckily, she had an EP on sale, too - 7 songs for only $5 - and I chatted with her as she signed it.
3. ANGIE MATTSON - Monarch EP (self-released)
She will be returning to town to open for Uh Huh Her at the 930 Club on May 14th.

While I was at the club, I also picked up a CD by a local singer whom I will be covering in an upcoming Post preview:
4. CHELSEA LEE - S/T (self-released)
Six tracks, written and performed by the 16-year-old Northern Virginia native with area stalwarts Daniel Brindley and Todd Wright. My interview/preview will be here next week, so I'll finish off with a pic of Lee back when she stood in for a few songs at the club months ago with The Kin.


Year-to-Date O/CD Tally: 78

Another One Bites the Dust

High School Girl required my driving services this evening so, after I dropped her off at a far-flung high school musical (not the Disney one; "The Music Man"), I decided to fill the down time by visiting a nearby indie record store whose business card I'd been carrying in my car for a long time - Strange Land, in Annandale. But when I got there, and climbed the wrought iron steps to the shop on the second floor, I found a padlocked door and a pile of wet and yellowed mail on the doorstep.

Just looked it up online and found that the store closed last month. Sigh. Even today, as I was browsing in a FYE store at Fair Oaks Mall, I was mourning the empty space I drove past where Tower Records used to be. There are so few places left to shop for music!

Sounds like a good time for another edition of (drum roll....)
MY OWN CASH MONEY.

Took a bulging bag of CD rejects to the trade-in store last week and most of them were dismissed as too lame. But, with the $23 in credit from those that made the cut, I scored thusly:
From the $1.99 clearance section:
1.BIG DIPPER – Supercluster: The Sampler (Merge)
This 9-track single CD pulled from the 3-CD box set that came out last month may be all the Big Dipper I need for the moment. A chance to play catch-up.
2. STEPHANIE’S ID – Grus Americanus (Nine Mile Records)
I mentioned this band in passing in an old Post preview and liked what I heard about them doing the research. They’re playing a DC Artomatic show next month, so a 2-buck investment seemed in order.
3.PSYCH OUT! – Various Artists (MOJO magazine)
“15 nuggets from the scene that spawned Pink Floyd.” Donovan, Small faces, The Troggs, The Zombies and such.

In the growing vinyl section (I eagerly await my USB-turntable, coming next week), I found:
4. SWEET EMMA and the PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND (Preservation Hall)
This amazing find was just staring at me from the front of one of the rows; I wasn't even searching those bins (with all the vinyl I have at home, buying more seems madness - until that turntable arrives!). Having just seen the PHJB perform recently, I had to spend the mere $3 to own this lovely disc. Just looking at the cover makes me smile.

5. COUNTING CROWS – Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings (DGC)
A yellow sticker means ever-so-lightly scratched (and I’ve never had a problem), so this was only $7. Why do the critics delight so in bashing Adam Duritz? One review of this album was titled “Saturday’s Trite and Sunday’s Boring,” and that’s just mean (albeit clever). So he sometimes whines about his life. Don't we all? At least he's got the sense - and sensitivity - to explore his feelings. When the band is on, it creates a sound that I once tried to convince my brother-in-law has the classic Americana rock beauty of The Band. He never replied.
6. PAUL WELLER – Bonus Tracks (V2)
Not sure why this six track bonus disc from 2004, was $3 but it includes interesting takes by the ex-Jam/Style Council’s leader on Sly Stone’s “Family Affair,” John Sebastian’s “Coconut Grove,” “Let it Be Me” and more.
7.STEP RIGHT UP: The SONGS OF TOM WAITS – Various Artists (Manifesto)
Violent Femmes, Frente!, Magnapop, Tim Buckley - and no Scarlett Johansson! $3.99

Other recent purchases...
8. NOW HEAR THIS – Various Artists (Word magazine)
15 tunes in line with the British magazine, including B-52’s, Supergrass, k.d. lang and some new blood.
9. FLIGHT of the CONCHORDS – S/T (SubPop)
HSG and I have tickets to see our New Zealand heroes at the Lisner Auditorium in two weeks! The tickets are single seats in different sections (best I could do) but I see on StubHub that tix in pairs are going for $300 and up each!
10. ELBOW – The Seldom Seen Kid (Geffen)
More live excitement - Hubby and I will see this wonderful band tomorrow night - the first time we'll get to see them together (he saw them open for the Doves; I saw two truncated sets at a CMJ years ago.) We are thoroughly psyched, and the new CD has an even more ambitious, epic quality than the previous ones. Let’s hope that this wonderful, intelligent, intense Manchester band finally gets the American break it deserves.
11. DEMETRI MARTIN – These Are Jokes (Comedy Central Records)
A CD and a DVD for $12, which is great since his charts are such a key part of the act. Comedy acts seem to be doing the paired audio/video thing more and more, and at good prices. Musicians, take note!

O/CD Year-to-Date Tally:74

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

And the concert joy just keeps coming! On Wednesday night, the intrepid Sally and I headed off to the Barns at Wolf Trap, where the Preservation Hall Jazz Band was performing. I had spoken with the band's musical director, Ben Jaffe (hey, along with the guy from Honeyhoney, that makes two Ben Jaffes in just over one week!) for a Post preview. And, if I can say so myself, it's one of my favorite articles in a long while, so I'll give you the link again.

I've been to New Orleans only once, years before the hurricane horribleness. Hearing this joyful noise, played by a mix of old-timers and young turks who obviously love each other and what they're doing with near-religious (in the best way) fervor, I vow to get back there again soon.

(press photo)

The band's manager graciously invited us backstage during intermission to meet Jaffe and some of the band, which was a kick. We talked about Polaroid film, set lists, and a great character in N'awlins who prefers to do his sets after he cooks BBQ for the audience.

The second half kicked it up to a level of celebration worthy of Mardi Gras, with sing-alongs, great solos and a band stroll through the crowd which resulted in a bunch of us creating a second line that went up onto the stage. Sally and I stood right behind/between the drummer and the piano player, looking out over the on-their-feet dancing crowd and "shaking our things." Fun, fun stuff.

Time to get cracking on the O/CD Tally, so here are a bunch of discs that came to me as potential concert previews, but didn’t make the cut:
1. The BIG SLEEP – Sleep Forever (Frenchkiss Records)
2. ROBBIE FULKS – Revenge! (Yep Roc)
3. HAALE – No Ceiling (Channel A Music)
Pronounced as in “halle-lujah or jale-peno," this Iranian-American singer/songwriter is going for a Persian mystic vibe, but the near-dour tone gets kinda drone-y.
4. SECONDHAND SERENADE – A Twist in My Story (Glassnote/East West)
For those who need another Dashboard Confessional (one’s enough for me), singer/Songwriter John Vesely of Menlo Park, CA became MySpace's #1 unsigned artist for 7 months at the end of 2006 and sold over 20,000 copies of his self-produced, debut album before making a record deal. But I feel like I've heard it all before, and better.
5. AUKTYON – Girls Sing (Geometriya)
John Medeski and Marc Ribot are two of the hot players in this “Russian bohemian-rock band.”
6. HOT CHIP - Made In The Dark (Astralwerks /DFA Records)
Unlike a lot of electro-dance traxx, this album was informed by two years of touring, so the music is meant to be performed live and has a beating human heart (metaphorically speaking) audible in the mix.
7. CHATHAM COUNTY LINE – IV (Yep Roc)
Produced by Chris Stamey, of Yo La Tengo, Alex Chilton and dBs fame.
8. JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE – The Good Life (Bloodshot)
Justin Townes (named after Van Zandt) is the son of Steve Earle, and a chip off the smart block. Fired from his own dad’s band for what his press kit calls “some very bad habits,” he’s cleaned up his act and upped his songwriting game, citing influences as varied as Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Reed, Ray Charles and the Pogues in narrative tales that reflect shades of acoustic blues and country-tinged folk.
9. WINK KEZIAH & DELUX MOTEL – Working Songs for the Drinking Class (Great South Records)
10. KEVIN DEVINE – Put Your Ghost to Rest (Capitol)
Devine is no longer with the label, but he's got a voice like Ben Gibbard's, a writing style akin to Josh Ritter, and a bright, smart sound, so it's their loss.

YTD O/CD Tally: 63

Add to your own tally -
Tomorrow (Saturday, April 19th) is Record Store Day - go to a real music store and buy some real music!

We Get Out: Matt, Colin and honeyhoney

This entry will be a combo platter of recent concerts seen and CDs obtained in relation to same.

Sunday night found Sally (stalwart musical companion and neighbor) at the 930 Club for a solo set by The Decemberists' Colin Meloy. In preparation for the event, I purchased his new CD:
1.COLIN MELOY – Sings Live! (Kill Rock Stars)
direct from the KRS website, and the nice people at the label sent it with all sorts of cool extras – a Meloy bookmark, tour poster and postcard and even a bonus CD by a band I know nothing about:
2. COMET GAIN – City Fallen Leaves (Kill Rock Stars)

The show was all I hope it would be. Meloy seemed in fine spirits, joking with the crowd, encouraging a camp fire sing-along vibe and - oh, happy day - performing the two songs I had on my Please Play list - "The Bagman's Gambit" (You Tube has an epic version performed with a symphony at the Hollywood Bowl) and "Red Right Ankle," the latter a tune I have always loved and never heard live. The fact that Meloy fumbled on the last, most poignant verse, didn't so much take away from the moment as make it more ephemeral.


I had no photo pass and was using an old camera that I hadn't played with in ages, the controls so foreign to me that I had no idea what I was doing (even more so than usual). I got only the one previous shot that came even close to being clear and a whole bunch that I kinda like as studies for color abstract paintings.

We caught only a few songs by opener Laura Gibson and that was fine by me. Though she appeared to have a lovely rapport with the crowd, the songs I heard were simple to the point of simplistic. Her talents were better shown as she came out to sing harmony with Meloy on "Cupid," one of the tracks on the merch table CD, which I purchased that night:
3. COLIN MELOY – Sings Sam Cooke (tour only CD)
Five tracks for $10 (the package deal was $20 for this and the "Sings Live!" set) - a nice compliment to the "Sings Morrissey" set I got at the last solo gig I saw, at IOTA. (There's also "Sings Shirley Collins," but I missed that tour.)

Earlier this month, the label behind the new duo Honeyhoney reached out to promote the band's 930 Club show opening for Lifehouse (yawn) and Matt Nathanson (a young god in our household), so High School Girl and I went to the show. I had a photo pass, and a little better luck with my camera.

Honeyhoney's Ben Jaffe


Honeyhoney's Suzanne Santos


The rep had sent the CD a few days before the show:
4.HONEYHONEY - Loose Boots (Ironworks Music)
This 5-track EP is the fourth release from Jude Cole and Kiefer Sutherland’s O&O indie label.It's a bright, poppy set with dark undercurrents, apparent immediately in the catchy and slightly creepy (in a good way) opener, "Little Toy Gun." And "Thursday Night," is an upbeat number about screwing that if sung in another language, you could play for your mom and she’d tap her foot and say, “that’s catchy.”
Live, it's clear that this isn't one of those He Does The Musical Heavy Lifting While She Just Sings couples. Santos plays a mean fiddle.
From the duo’s self-penned press bio: “if you buy/illegally download one EP this year, let it be ours.” (Cue the sound of record company reps fainting.)

HSG, who has no vested interest, said she also liked them, but to be perfectly honest, we were there for the inimitable Matt Nathanson, whose recorded works to date (except for the "At the Point" live set) can't begin to express his impish potty-mouth humor and sweet charm.

He seemed genuinely surprised and pleased at the number of people who made it clear they had come for him, not Lifehouse, and won over many of the others with his intensity and goofball penchant for dropping fun covers ("Jesse's Girl," "Kids In America") into his own material. Can't wait for him to come around again soon - as headliner.

I would have stayed for a few Lifehouse songs (three-song rule) just to see if they were any more interesting than I remember them from an HFS Nutcracker show long ago, but HSG was tired, so we split. I was also a little wary of the Lifehouse crowd - an older crowd than I would have expected, with more artificially enhanced boobage than I've seen in ages.

I'll finish off with one more 930 memory, from some weeks ago. HSG and I caught OK Go, again thanks to the opening act, a horn-driven band called Bonerama, at a benefit for New Orleans relief. I don't have any of my Bonerama shots handy, though here's one when a few of the guys from the band came out to play with OK Go:


At the show, I picked up:
5. OK GO – Oh No Deluxe Edition (Capitol)
I’ve wanted this for a long time, since the second disc has all the videos, including the glorious treadmill dance for "Here It Goes Again." And, at $15, it was a good deal for concert pricing.


I also recently purchased a signed (by Damian Kulash) copy of the book, "Lessons I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me" from the OK Go web site, and picked up another CD on the way:
6. OK GO – Pink EP (Okgo.net)
This 3-track CD includes “Hello, My Treacherous Friends,” “What to Do” and – the reason I bought it – “Antmusic.” Nifty letterpress cardboard sleeve, too.
The puffy envelope it came in had the return address "OK Go Loves You." Ahhhh....

Year to Date O/CD Tally: 53

We Get Out: Be Good to Your Traveling Band

You may just drop in to grab a drink and sample some sounds, but chances are the band on stage has traveled over many hours in a small van to bring you some amusement. Pay them back.

Last year, I had hoped to see Barcelona at CMJ, but circumstances got in the way, as often happens during that crazy week. I got a chance to catch them at Jammin’ Java but this time, too, I was partially thwarted, and only caught a few songs. I hope to get another chance some day, as I liked what I did see. The album is great in a melodic, Keane-y, Coldplay-y kind of way, which gets kicked up a notch live.

I spoke briefly to lead singer Brian Fennell after the show and had him sign my CD (“This was better than CMJ” he wrote) and also bought some stickers and buttons which he didn’t want me to pay for. “I’m buying you a gallon of gas,” I said, passing along $4 and his grateful smile was worth it. Poor guys were a long way from home (Seattle).
Sad to say that there was only a small crowd in the club that rainy Tuesday night and the number decreased during the set change so that there were only about a dozenpeople in the joint – including the staff! - when the next band - The Everyday Visuals - went on.

I’ll give any band three songs while I decide whether to stay, and these guys won me over right away. I bought a CD and some buttons from them, too (a few gallons of gas in this case) and asked them to keep in touch in case I might be able to write about them in future. Charismatic singer Christopher Pappas (who also plays guitar, keyboards) seemed genuinely pleased that someone cared after what must have been a dispiriting turnout.

1. EVERYDAY VISUALS – Things Will Look Up (self-released)
This group has a melodic sound, too, with bits of noisy experimentation and some alt-country leanings that made me think of Wilco. Originally from New Hampshire, they were named Best Band in the state by 92.5 the River, and their first record "Media Crush," was named the "Best Record of 2005" by local magazine The Hippo Press. The group moved to Boston and repeated the feat, earning another best band award there and praise for the CD. There's a lot of care evident in these tracks and I'm enjoying it in steady rotation.


and while I'm tallying CDs with shows:
2. ROONEY – Calling the World (Geffen)
This California quintet opened for the Jonas Brothers at the Patriot Center last month (I scored not-unreasonable tix for High School Girl and pal thanks to Craig's List). The group took no chances in winning the crowed over, beginning their set with “When Did Your Heart Go Missing?” as if to reassure the squealing mass that it would be a distracting wait, at least, for the main event. Out on the smoker’s patio, I met a fatherly escort who’d I befriended earlier on the way into the arena. I told him that Rooney had a good rep and made real music (something you can never take for granted at these arena pop shows.) He told me, “yeah, those guys were pretty good.” And when HSG heard me playing this CD the week before the Really Big Show, she paid it her ultimate compliment “Can I steal that?” This deluxe edition contains free ringtones – if I ever figure out how to load them.
I like to blog my own photos, but since I didn't shoot them live, here's a press shot:


And here's one of the Jonas Brothers that I did take myself, once I realized that my little digital camera could handle it:



FREE COOL MUSIC!
Those sweet SPOON boys are giving away a free mps of a countrified demo for Cherry Bomb. Though I still prefer the horn-y version, it’s fun to hear how the track evolved.



O/CD Tally: 47
ye gawds, it's been weeks since I've tallied any new CDs, and they are piling up, but more anon.

And the WInners are...

Last night, while we drove home from the honeyhoney/Matt Nathanson show (more to come soon), we conducted our highly scientific selection of winners for the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" DVDs.
High School Girl wrote down the names of everyone who sent in a Chipmunk Memory, each on a separate high-quality post-it. She meticulously folded each one and scientifically dumped the bunch in her lap. Then, in a studiously random manner, she tossed away all but these three winners:
atrischitta (an intriguing name!)
Mark
John Weber
and let's not forget Sally, who won by getting her comment in first.

The winners are now officially invited to get their squeak on by sending me a mailing address. (just post in the comments; I won't publish them)

Congratulations to y'all (as we say here in ole Virginny) and thanks (and condolences) to everyone who didn't achieve the thrill of victory. Blame HSG.

CPF Chipmunk Giveaway - it's all over but the sorting!

So, somebbody DOES read this thing!
Thanks to all who submitted a Chipmunk Memory.
We now have more comments than there are DVDs to give away, so I will close the goodie bag - for now. (Hopefully, we can do something like this again soon.)
With the use an independent selection service (probably High School Girl pulling names out of a hat) we'll pick the winners and contact them to get correct mailing addresses.
Again, thanks for playing!

You've been Munk’d! Alvin & The Chipmunks DVD Giveaway

When the nice people at FOX (there’s a phrase I never thought I’d write) offered CPF some free copies of the brand new (out today, in fact) “Alvin and the Chipmunks” DVD, I said, sure. And why not? I know there are CPF readers who have kids, and I especially like the readers who don’t mind acting childishly. (Meet ya at the playground!) So let’s do this thing!

First, I’ll tell you why you might actually care. This is not a kid’s movie that spends a lot of time doing nudge-winks at parents with over-a-kid’s-head jokes (David Seville does have some pretty smart books on his end table, though). It’s straight-on CGI chipmunk mayhem and, but for an unfortunate “raisin” joke, there's little beyond safe Saturday morning cartoon style fun. If there’s any hipster quotient, it’s in the casting of eternal nice guy Jason Lee as struggling songwriter Dave Seville and eternal smartass David Cross as the (can you guess?) greedy record producer who exploits our singing chipmunk heroes. (Justin Long and Jesse McCartney provide character voices, but who can tell with the sped-up vocals?)



But even through the film has family-friendly, comfortably numb intentions, it becomes a rather spot-on indictment of the record industry despite itself. Seeing the wildlife trio decked out in track suits, performing “Witch Doctor” with headset mics, booty-shaking dancers and a rapping DJ, while their images are projected on stageside monitors to a rapt downtown crowd, you realize that Alvin, Theodore and Simon might as well be Britney, Ashlee and Milli Vanilli – although in this film, as in “Singing in The Rain,” the exposure of lip-sync cheating leads to a happy ending.



The subtle-as-a-sledgehammer moral of the film is Family Beats Fame. But there’s a subversive dismissal of the bland mass marketplace tucked in underneath. Combine that with a bonus feature focusing on the hard-working musicians behind the scenes, desperately trying to convince themselves that it’s not selling out if you really try to do your best, even if it’s selling sugar pop to kids. And believe me, as one who has toiled in the fields of children’s media (from working with the Muppets to Barbie magazine), I don’t begrudge them that fantasy at all. It's mine, too.

And who's to say who's delusional? I still have intensely fond memories of wrapping Christmas presents as a child with my family, hot cocoa and fresh cookies at my side, the ‘munks wonderful “Christmas Song” playing in the background. I doubt that “Alvin and the Chipmunks” is destined to become a kid classic, but it’s more fun than listening to Sonic Youth.

WANT A FREE COPY OF THIS DVD?

It’s simple. Tell Close Personal Friend a Chipmunk Memory – a moment where you enjoyed a Chipmunk song, TV show or even this recent film. Leave it in the comments section below. At the end of a yet-to-determined time period, if there are more comments than there are copies to give away, I will arbitrarily pick my favorites.