But it was a lovely time, full of music and high-energy fun, Beard Papa cream puffs, street theatre and such pleasures that only my dear Big Apple has to offer.
Tuesday night, thanks to Chris@girlie, I was able to see Joan as Police Woman at the Bowery Ballroom.
I arrived toward the end of opening act Chris Garneau's set, which was just as well since his quiet-to-the-point-of-ponderous songs were easy on the ears but not exactly riveting. The instrumentation included two women who played cellos and did nifty finger-snaps on one tune.
While I was snapping pics, there was a huge crash right in front of me - one of the folding chairs (the Ballroom had actually arranged floor seating for the night) had collapsed, sending its male occupant smashing to the floor. He was okay, but the venue asked everyone to vacate the chairs during intermission and went back to standing room for Joan as Police Woman's set.
That was fine with me, offering a better chance to get stageside for JaPW's set. And it was a fine show, adding more muscle and power to the songs that sometimes float by on CD. Joan Wasser is an engaging woman full of sweet, easy smiles and a gracious demeanor, quivering with emotion during the bittersweet ballads that make up much of her catalog, feisty when it counts in the more driving numbers. I especially loved her anti-Bush comments and the great version of "Are You Not Furious?"
Her support band - a drummer who also provided the male vocal parts and a way cool, quietly sexy female bassist - was ace.
One final note - Joan has bitchin' shoes...
And back to our regularly scheduled O/CD tally...
I am way behind, so some of these are very old, and I need to lock myself in a room and do some serious catch-up listening.
PEP (Puffy Envelope Promo) Squad
1. The MISSION U.K. – God is a Bullet (Cooking Vinyl)
2. The BONGOS – Drums Along the Hudson (Cooking Vinyl)
Timely reissue of a favorite band from Back in the Day, Jersey boys who ruled the Hoboken scene for a while. "Numbers with Wings" is now on my Summer '07 mix.
3. DIGITALISM – Idealism (Astralwerks)
4. VARIOUS ARTISTS – We All Love Ella (Verve)
5. MR. SMOLIN - The Crumbling Empire of White People (Nomenclature Records)
6. PORCUPINE TREE – Fear of a Blank Planet (Roadrunner)
Coming to the State Theatre in October, I believe.
7. CHRIS LETCHER – Frieze (2Feet/Sheer)
South African songwriter/filmmaker
8. SCOTT MILLER and the COMMONWEALTH – Reconstruction (Sugar Hill)
9. PRIESTBIRD – In Your Time (Kemado Records)
10. CAROLE KING – Love Makes the World deluxe edition (Rockingale)
As much as I love the songs she wrote during the classic Brill Building period, and the music she made during the great singer/somgwriter era, the stuff she's doing now makes me feel old. A little too heavy on the nostalgia tip, with a side of hippy-dippy.
11. SHAKES – Sister Self Doubt EP (IAmSound)
A second copy of the disc.
12. TRUCKEE BROTHERS – Double Happiness (Populuxe)
13. TWO DOLLAR PISTOLS – Here Tomorrow Gone Today (???)
14. HAYSEED DIXIE – Weapons of Grass Destruction (Cooking Vinyl)
YTD Total: 651
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