Escaping Into Sound

I’m back in upstate New York.
While the reason for the trip is a tough one (rest in peace, Muriel), there’s a sense of family love all around and a life well lived (95 years of adventure!) to take away the sting.

As is my wont, I turn to music for happy distraction and stopped in at the local F.Y.E. (it used to be a Coconuts) to lose myself in browsing. And what I found was:
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Working on a Dream (Columbia)
“Don’t you have a thing about Bruce Springsteen?” is a question I get from people I haven't seen in a while, especially when he has a new album or makes the news.
Yeah, there was a time when I followed the Boss religiously, had every album and single and remix and import, and wrote a paperback bio labor of love for Ballantine books. We had a serious thing going but around the time of “Ghost of Tom Joad,” we grew apart. I was in love with the fun-loving (but still so smart) gypsy rocker, not the somber Poet Laureate. I didn’t even buy “Magic” (the cover shot was so typical of downer Bruce) but simply copied a friend’s and even then after it had been out for months.
And now the new CD is getting mixed (at best) reviews and The New York Times reviewer said the Super Bowl halftime set was “unimaginative.”
WTF was he watching?! That was a great show, (even if Bruce dropped verses on some of the songs and the chorus was a bit of overkill) and I got some of those warm and fuzzy feelings back. He rocked the joint, and he looked damn fine doing it.
So, when I saw the deluxe edition of the new album for only $13.99 in the used section, (plus my 10% frequent buyer discount), I decided it was time to reconnect.
I had a chance to watch the DVD today and while it’s clear that Bruce still takes his work seriously, in the very first moments of the studio footage, he’s telling Max how he wants the drums to be sloppy, like they’re on the verge of falling apart. Is my shaggy Bruce back? During “Kingdom of Days,” he turns and gives the camera a sly smile like the guy I loved so well in the past.
I’m not a fan of the bandana headband or the little chin hair thing but it’s fun to watch Bruce direct the band and the song for Danny Federici features some footage of classic young Bruce. C’mon, Columbia. There have been so many live Springsteen DVD’s in these later years - let’s have one from the “Rosalita” era!

Also grabbed:
SEQUEL’S SIXTIES CHRISTMAS - Various Artists (Sequel Records)
This 30-track British holiday collection includes only a few names I recognize (Petula Clark, Morecambe & Wise) and tons I don’t (Wally Whyton?) but I couldn’t resist finding out what Joan Regan’s “Will Santa Come to My Shanty Town?” or Clinton Ford’s “Miss Hooligan’s Christmas Cake” sounds like. (About $2.50 with my discount.)

Gifties:
The WHO - Endless Wire (Universal Republic)
That same night, my brother, the super shopper, gave me the physical copy of this set which he got for an outrageously low 3 bucks online. The 3-disc set includes the titular (giggle) CD, with the mini-opera “Wire & Glass,” plus a bonus live CD and DVD recorded in Lyon, France in 2006.

Today (Saturday), was a day for exploring. We started with a visit to the Lake George Winter Carnival and got there just in time for the Outhouse Races, the kind of sophisticated entertainment that we don’t have enough of in the warmer climes down south.




After that, we had a coffee break at the non-chain java joint in the heart of the downtown Glens Falls, and then visited the book sale at the beautiful new Crandall Pubic Library. There wasn’t much to choose from in the CD collection - of the dozen or so on display, I was tempted by a Aaron Copeland compilation but it was scratched and in a blank, generic case and didn’t seem worth $2. (I did, however, get a beautiful illustrated copy of a Max Beerbohm novel and a DVD starring Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter).

Elsewhere, the library has a few racks of CDs for borrowing (we saw another big pile on the way out, so it seems they’ll be adding to the collection soon) and that’s always good for a browse. If I lived here, I could use my OCD for good by offering to help organize the collection - I found The Wedding Present’s “Bizarro” in the pop “B” section, and Elvis Costello split between the pop and rock areas (in the former case, it was the Bacharach collaboration, so I guess it could be argued for).
Having added the discs into my iTunes library, I’m counting these in the tally:
BRIAN ENO - Another Day on Earth (Opal)
I thought I had pretty much all the Eno albums of the early/mid era, but somehow I missed this one. When I popped it into the computer, iTunes listed it as “electronica” which seemed wrong at first, but the more I think about it, I can’t think of a better alternative.
JACKSON BROWNE - Saturate Before Using (Asylum)
I almost picked up Browne’s recent acoustic solo hits set, but then this one caught my eye. (I didn’t realize at the time that there was no limit to how many CDs you could borrow - “as many as you can carry” was what the librarian said when I asked). lt will be fun to revisit this album and having it in digital form, but l won’t ever give up my original burlap textured LP copy.
MICHAEL BUBLE & FRANK SINATRA - The Kings of Swing (DRG)
We borrowed this for my mom, who loves Buble, but I copied only the Sinatra songs. It seemed odd to have seven tracks by each artist, alternating on the same CD, so I looked up its origins online and discovered that DRG recorded Buble early in his career, but only had seven complete tracks in their vaults. So, since it appears they had rights to some Sinatra as well, they decided to do a different kind of mash-up.

And then we topped off the day with a return visit (for me, not Tom) to F.Y.E., who had kindly put a coupon for 40% off any used CD or DVD in the day’s mail. I immediately headed for the used box sets, and found:
MOODY BLUES - Time Traveller (Polydor)
Musical kismet! Earlier this week, I heard some MBs on the radio and was reminded of how much they meant to me back in the college dorm days (and that’s not enhanced perception talking). Here is pretty much all of the band’s best on five discs, with nice historical background, all for $18, thanks to the coupon and my frequent buyer’s card. Played a few tracks while hanging out with Mom - thought it would be something she wouldn’t mind hearing - and while the schmaltz is there, so are a lot of neat memories. When I return home, I will cross reference with all that old vinyl and lighten the load there.

and one more..
The BLACKJACKS - Midnight on the Floor (self-released)
I’ll toss this one in, since it gives me an excuse to post the Post preview for same.
I also wrote about the English Beat and Bad Manners show at the Birchmere but, for some reason, the Post’s online service never got around to putting it online where I could share it. That’s the first time it’s happened in over five years of writing for the paper, so you can image how it upsets my completist’s nature.

Year to Date O/CD Tally: 29

Digital Delights and Actual Discs

After the previous mentions of preferring actual to virtual albums, I gotta admit I was pleased to discover an email with an offer to download a zip file containing
PETE DOHERTY - Grace/Wastelands (emimusic)
In March, Britain's drug-fueled Peter Pan will turn thirty years old. And days later, will release his first solo album, after tabloid- and chart-topping adventures with the Libertines and Babyshambles. The record was produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur, Kaiser Chiefs), features Blur guitarist Graham Coxon on all songs except one, plus Scottish singer/songwriter Dot Allison sings on "Sheepskin Tearaway" and the other Babyshambles help out.
VAN MORRISON - Astral Weeks Live (emimusic)
This download came my way early in the new year, but the process hit some speedbumps and I couldn't get to the file right away (another reason I prefer real CDs).

And today, after a training session and workshop at the Tyson's Apple store, I dropped the previously mentioned bag of misfit CDs at the CD Cellar. The guy didn’t want one third of the bunch at any price, but I got enough in credit to bring home the following (and a Looney Tunes DVD):

The LAST SHADOW PUPPETS - The Age of the Understatement (Domino)
In-store play works. As I was browsing the racks, searching in vain for the new Animal Collective and a band called Pilot Speed that Terry has wanted me to find ever since he heard them on a Starbucks compilation, I was hearing a fine sound from the store stereo. One track reminded of the kind of grand pop fun of a James Bond theme song, another had a Kinks-ian vibe. I checked the Now Playing display and found this 2008 release. It had been described well in the press, and I think Alex Turner is a talented cutie, so the tipping point had come. Listening in the car on the ride home, I think I’m gonna like it.
PHANTOM PLANET - S/T (Epic)
The girls like these guys, and I've always enjoyed when they pop up in the car rotation, so I grabbed this 2002 production by Tchad Blake and Mitchell Froom for a mere $1.99. And it's actually a double, with a bonus disc of unreleased tracks like "California" done live.
NSYNC - I Want You Back (RCA/BMG)
50 cents for a 4-track single that I might enjoy and might just sell off to an ebay Justin Timberlake fan. No risk.
RANDY NEWMAN - Harps and Angels (Nonesuch)
Just read an interview with the great Mr. N in a British magazine and wanted to hear the full, uncut version of “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country.” I played that track in the car but decided that listening in the car with the window open (I was sneaking a smoke) wouldn’t allow me to hear the lyrics with the clarity and attention they deserve.
MICHAEL BUBLE - S/T (Reprise)
Mom loves this guy, but has only one other album by him (the one I gave her for Christmas) so I chose this 2003 release based mostly on the appearance of an older song that I’ve always liked, “The Way You Look Tonight.” Mom was delighted and we put it on during dinner, but I wasn’t thrilled with the way he did the song. Fred Astaire still owns that one in my heart.

Oh, and after the in-store system played The Last Shadow Puppets, the counter dude played the new Killers. I liked the first song but that "are we human or are we dancer" one is truly annoying. I still have some love for the first CD, but it's been downhill ever since.

And we end the night with The Gaslight Anthem ripping it up on Letterman. I downloaded "The '59 Sound" from emusic late last year, based on a Rolling Stone Review and one track heard on WXPN during an NYC road trip. It was late in the game, but they came close to making the year's Top Ten. A good job, boys, but the sound mix was lousy. Even my mom asked, "does he have a microphone?"

O/CD Tally: 21

More on CDs vs. MP3s

I spent a large part of the day organizing the overflowing stacks and boxes of CDs that were blocking the area around my desk. It had gotten to the point that, after I'd trip and curse, I still couldn't find things I wanted to hear even though I knew there were in there somewhere and what's the point of that?

I tried to be ruthless in deciding what I really wanted to keep, and filled a grocery bag's worth of various discs - mostly from 2008 press mailings - to take to the trade-in store. Maybe half of them I had a chance to listen to, and I apologize to the rest. But I need to make space for the new year's bounty. As it is, I'm falling behind in tracking many fine new albums that have come in so far this year.

My facebook status for today: "Marianne has too many CDs (cry me a river)."

Yeah, it's a nice problem to have. And then there's all the downloads I've been pulling in, too. As I mentioned in the last post, the Village Voice didn't run my full comments about preferring physical CDs to zip files and audio streaming.

To which my delightful cousin-in-law posted (I'll repeat it so you don't need to refer to the comments area):
"Physical vs audio files debate. Hmmm, you get more quality in the plastic disc version until you scratch it. I always find it annoying that only a handful of CD's contain the encoding that has the track data on that. The great power of ripping them on the computer is the power to search, organize and cook up your own playlists. I'm such a picky person that I love the ability to download a single 99 cent song from an album from Amazon (with no DRM nonsense) rather than cough up $15 for an album. If they really wanted plastic to be competitive they would create encoded CD's that can play on multi-speaker arrangements (like concert DVD's today). Wait a minute, already have that with Netflix streaming in..."

Which gives me a great excuse to post what the Voice didn't use:

I miss CDs. In 2007, on my blog (I gave them the URL, hoping for some hits!), I tracked the number of CDs that I purchased or got in the mail from publicists or bands, plus a handful of full-lengths that I downloaded from press sites or bought through iTunes and emusic. The grand total was just over 1000.

In 2008, I stopped counting, but I know there were many fewer physical CDs sent - the preferred delivery system became zip files and streaming. That makes sense when time is of the essence for a story, but it doesn't when it's pushing a new band I know nothing about. I get a half-dozen emails a week asking me to download a new release to check it out.

I know...I'm complaining about being offered free mp3s (cue the world's smallest violin as I assume the martyr pose) but I miss liner notes and band photos and a better sense of who these new artists are - just the kind of thing I get from CDs. And I don't have the time, bandwidth or hard drive space to store dozens of albums that I may or may not want to reference. I honestly try to give everything that comes through the door a fair listen and it's easier when I can grab a few CDs as I head for the car or the office.

I know I’m a dinosaur in the digital world. And I still love me the vinyl, too.

--------
and that's where I'll leave it for now.

Look, Ma - I'm in the Village Voice!

Didn't realize that the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll went up this week, so today's easy-peasy post is a link to my ballot for same. Yes, I know I put this list up some time ago, but it looks so much better in its official form.

Part of the fun of the poll is to see which other critics chose the same albums or singles I did. And seeing those cases where I'm the only person to pick a particular title. This year, I was all alone in mentioning, on the full-length side, Johnny Flynn's "A Larum" and the Gabe Dixon Band's eponymous (always liked that word) debut.
As for singles, I stood solo in singling out Ben Folds and Regina Spektor doing "You Don't Know Me." (odd, I just noticed that the Voice misspelled Spektor!)

And though I wrote a longer piece about still preferring physical CDs over zip files and audio streams, the editors chose a shorter clip about my waning way of life.

And while I was pulling this together, I dropped into my emusic account and downloaded two new releases that, given the track record of the performers, have an excellent chance of getting on next year's list:

ANDREW BIRD - Noble Beast (Fat Possum)
BON IVER - Blood Bank (Jagjaguwar)

which brings us to the O/CD Tally: 14
(I have other CDs, both sent, purchased and found, that I will add on soon)

And, BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMMA!

Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part One

From Salon.com:

Change comes to inaugural concerts

On Sunday, a concert celebrating President-elect Barack Obama's upcoming inauguration featured -- as our own Joan Walsh, who was on the scene, has documented here -- quite a lineup. Bruce Springsteen was there; so were Beyonce, Bono, Pete Seeger, Garth Brooks, Jamie Foxx and many others. What a difference four years makes: The list of performers at a concert celebrating George W. Bush's re-election reads quite differently.

From Bush's remarks at the "America's Future Rocks" concert, as released by the White House:

Listen, I want to thank all the entertainers who were here today. How about Hilary Duff. She was fantastic. (Applause.) Thank you, Hilary. JoJo -- JoJo is here -- yeah. (Applause.) Rubin (sic) Studdard -- you talk about a success story. (Applause.) Ryan Cabrera, I appreciate Ryan being here. (Applause.) How about Three Doors Down? (Applause.) Pretty cool guys, right? Seem cool to me. (Applause.) Fuel -- I appreciate Fuel being here. (Applause.) Jason Sehorn -- I'm honored that my friend, Jason -- and I'm really proud and pleased that he brought his wife, Angie Harmon. (Applause.)

I want to thank Steve Baldwin for being with us today. I'm honored that Steve was here. Erika Harold, Miss America 2003 -- what a fine person Erika is. (Applause.) How about Kelly Purdue, the "apprentice." (Applause.) Next thing you know, the guy will be running for President. (Applause.) Nancy O'Dell -- I'm honored that Nancy is with us. I appreciate you all coming.

― Alex Koppelman

"Squish Squash Applesauce"

The impeccably dressed military woman on the Metro train heading into DC on Inauguration Day eve was explaining to her two charges - the 10-ish black boy (I believe he was her son) and the 12-ish white girl - that there would be "squish squash applesauce" when they left the train on the way to the Kids Inauguration Ball, where the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and others would be performing.
I thought of getting out at that station to see if I could score a ticket, but opted instead to walk the mall and feel the vibe there.

Having attended the Clinton Inauguration (even with tickets, I could barely make him out in the distance) - a great but retroactively "OMG-I'm-claustrophobic!" experience - I wanted to touch the hem of this great event and then enjoy the Big Day from the comfort of my basement TV zone.

It wasn't S-S-A on the mall this evening, but there was a happy buzz - smiling faces, street fair vendors ("Can a brother get a dollar for an Obama decal?") and TV crews filing live reports. (One lonely guy kept asking, "Anyone here from Philadelphia?" but got no takers while I was there.)

MSNBC had the biggest news presence, and I saw Chris Matthews broadcasting "Hardball" while I wandered past to get to the Capitol.

And on the way back, I watched "our Keith," as another stylish black* woman put it, walk from the NBC make-up trailer to the NBC potty-trailer and then into the broadcast booth. Would have loved to see Rachel, too.
(*I'm not Stephen Colbert; I see color, and I love seeing all the color coming together. That's why I bring it up.)

And then, on my way to walk past the White House ("nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye...") I met a nice guy who seemed to be enjoying the evening as well...

Waiting for a Lame Duck to Waddle Away

I am preparing a tally of a new batch of used CDs and the tale of a visit from one half of the late and lamented indie wonders Troubled Hubble, but right now I'm watching Saturday Night Live and marveling at how great Fleet Foxes sound, and how nervous they look (maybe this is really Frightened Rabbit?). And sloppy, too. It's not that I mind that guy bands wear jeans and don't comb their hair, but any woman who appears on a live musical stage has got to look sleek, polished, clean and great half-naked or she will not be allowed to get on that stage in the first place.

Sorry, I just had to get that out. And I still blame Madonna.

But generally, I'm in a fine mood, awaiting the new era. Here's a fun email invite I got recently:


No reason; I just dig the graphic.

"We are all going down..."

I couldn't help but think of Laurie Anderson, deadpanning the words of a calm pilot in the face of disaster, as I see TV clips of a commercial flight landing (safely!) on (in?) the Hudson River. Oh, New York City, you always have such amazing stories to tell!

As for me, it's been a day. Things got done, choices have been made (good ones, I think, though I won't go into detail here) and the momentum of the new year remains strong. And as we watch the lame duck waddle into the sunset, I say yea.

But we're here for the music, so I drop by briefly to add two new Post previews to the assembled archives:

Dave Ihmels (local singer/songwriter) at FireFlies

Bill Emerson and Sweet Dixie (bluegrass) at Holy Cross Lutheran Church.

I have an exit strategy - Say my piece and get out.

Tally Ho!

Let the Obsessive/CD counting begin!

Today I took a few bags of cast-off items to my local thrift store and, of course, spent time looking through the shelves of CDs, being sold for just $1.50 each! I talked myself out of some that were in less than ideal condition, plus a few that I may well already have at home (such doubts are an occupational hazard of the obsessive collector). Still, I got a dozen:

PRACTICALLY EINSTEIN - I Want To (Oddman Records)
This local NoVA band’s name pops up occasionally when I’m searching venues for shows to cover for the Post. Might as well have a copy of the disc on hand so I can consider them. Uh-oh. Just noticed - this is a 1998 recording!? I wonder if the band sounds anything at all like this anymore. It would probably be a bad sign if they did.

POISON - Poisons Greatest Hits 1986-1996 (Capitol)
Insert joke here about how this full-length should be an EP. My first thought was simply to get it as a joke for Birthday-Coming Girl (Jan. 24), with whom I wasted many hours watching the deliciously wretched “Rock Love” in a perversion of mother/daughter bonding. But then I saw the title “Unskinny Bop” and realized I actually want one of these songs! Also contains two previously unreleased tracks for which I hold out little hope.

U2 - War (Island)
No, it’s not one of the new deluxe reissues, but jeez, it was only a buck and a half! I wonder what my vinyl copy might fetch on amazon...?

CAN YOU SAY HOBOKEN? 6 - Various Artists (Brave Entertainment Group)
I wouldn’t have bothered with another compilation of obscure artists from the hipster enclave, but then I saw the name of an old pal, Chris Butler (late of the Waitresses) doing a song called “Keith Moon!” (love the exclamation point), so I had to check it out.

SWING AROUND THE WORLD - Various Artists (Putumayo World Music)
“A global swing dance party that’s fun for the entire family!” I recognize the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Oscar Peterson, but that’s not the point here. I want to be taken away to exotic lands where I don’t know the language but can still feel the beat. Anybody else remember when Putumayo had a store in Soho with funky, fun fashion?

IMMORTAL BELOVED - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (SONY Classical)
I almost passed up this CD when I noticed that the contents read “excerpts from...” a list of Ludwig’s best-known numbers. Then I realized I need Beethoven for Dummies.

MADELEINE PEYROUX - Careless Love (Rounder)
I know I have a Peyroux CD somewhere in the house. And I know I like her voice. But is this the title I already have? Oh, heck, it’s still sealed, so I can probably get my money back at the trade-in store if it’s a dupe.

The BLACK CROWES - Greatest Hits 1990-1999 (American)
Back in the summer, I interviewed Grace Potter, who was opening a show for the Crowes at Wolf Trap, for the Post. I really wanted to go to the show, and bought this CD at Best Buy to psyche myself up for the show. But I never broke the shrink-wrap and didn’t get to the show and wound up returning the CD for credit. So now we come full circle.

JOHN MAYER - Room for Squares (Aware/Columbia)
I have a copy of the album with a different cover and, I believe, a few different tracks. That one is, I believe, an earlier (collectible?) release and this is the one that made him a huge star. Want to make a comparison.

BARENAKED LADIES - Everything to Everyone (Reprise)
Slowly but surely (and relatively cheaply), I am working towards the full catalog of this fine, funny band, whose charms I discovered rather late in their career (‘round “Stunt”).

OUTKAST - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (Arista)
Remember how huge this album was? “Hey-Ya”? “The Way You Move”? “Roses”? At the time, a teenage neighbor burned me a copy, but I like to have the real deal, especially for an album with such a lasting pedigree. Funny/sad note re this once invincible act - even the used CD store wasn’t interested in a copy of “Idlewild” last time I was there. And BTW, while the Korean cashier in the back of the thrift store examines every CD to count the discs, the younger woman at the front cashier doesn’t, so buy your 2-CD sets from her!

American Eagle: AN ESSENTIAL MIX - Various Artists (Warner Bros.)
Except for PM Dawn, Olive and Muse, I don’t recognize the artists on this 10-track compilation, but the latter is a favorite of College Girl’s ex, a nice guy who she’ll hopefully stay friends with, and I’ll pass this one to him. Of the eight tracks I’ve heard so far, only one’s a keeper - “Sunbeam” (as in “Jesus wants me for a...”) by Submarine. I haven’t gotten to the Muse track yet, but I’m not sure ex is gonna want it. Everything here is totally jacked up with hyper dance beats, to numbing effect.

And so, the first O/CD Tally of the New Year: 12

Tonight: Camper Van Beethoven at the State Theatre.
Tomorrow: photos of same (I hope)

Thinking 'Bout the Best of '08

Midnight tonight is the deadline for the Village Voice's 2008 Pazz & Jop Poll. I finished my ballot about 9 pm, so I felt good about being so early. (Last year, I was pushing the 'send' button as the minute hand was slowly ticking to the day's end).

It's always hard to settle on the final 10 albums/singles and there are always a few late acquisitions that are hard to judge in context against those that have had months to make their mark or fade from attention.

For instance, I've had TV ON THE RADIO CD's “Dear Science” for just the last two weeks and am very much liking it. It’s a little late in the game to consider it for the year’s best, but it slipped past me before and the publicist was kind enough to send it along. Sometimes, the best criteria I have for what makes the list is which albums I would like to run away with and explore fully. This is one of them.

Anyway my Top Ten CDs for 2008, starting with the runaway winner for Best Album of the Year:
Elbow - Seldom Seen Kid (Geffen)
and a close runner-up:
Vampire Weekend - S/T (XL)
The rest are in somewhat descending order:
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
Johnny Flynn - A Larum (Lost Highway)
TV on the Radio - Dear Science (Interscope/4AD)
Flight Of The Conchords - S/T (Sub Pop)
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (ATO)
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs (Atlantic)
Gabe Dixon Band - S/T (Fantasy)
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)

and my Top Ten Singles (in alphabetical order, by artist):
Coldplay -Viva La Vida (Capitol)
Duffy - Mercy (Mercury)
Ben Folds & Regina Spector - You Don’t Know Me (Epic)
Flobots - Handlebars (Universal/Repubic)
Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire (RCA)
M.I.A. - Paper Planes (XL/Interscope)
Pretenders - Boots of Chinese Plastic (Shangri-La)
Thao and The Get Down Stay Down - Bag of Hammers (Kill Rock Stars)
Ting Tings - That’s Not My Name (Columbia)
Will.i.am - Yes We Can (streaming video)

Comments?

I leave you with a freebie:
Filter magazine online is offering a gratis mp3 from the forthcoming Bell X1 CD, Blue Lights on the Runway, which comes out March 3rd. (That’s the same day the new U2 is supposed to arrive, too, pitting two Irish faves against each other.) Click here for ”How Your Heart is Wired.”
Ooooh, says here that the band has done some “reshuffling” and is now a trio. Last fall, when Bell X1 was promoting its “Flock” CD, I had drinks in a DC Irish bar with lead singer Paul Noonan (mentioned in the Filter note) and Dominic Philips and Brian Crosby. I just went off to Wikipedia and they say that Brian is gone. Awwww....

And Thus, We Begin Again

So here we are once more, facing the blank pages of a new datebook and hoping to fill in the days of 2009 with fun events, fine music and happy thoughts.

And my resolution is to blog better and more often, so hold me to it. (A few comments would be nice, so stop lurking and let's get interactive!)

The morning began in a nice New Year's way with the morning papers and late breakfast. And there, in the Washington Post, were two new regional section previews:
1. Camper Van Beethoven at the State Theatre
2. and a local band of veteran blues players,
The Deacons at Cowboy Café.

In pulling those pieces up, I saw that the last pair of previews was never posted here, so I'll add them, too:
The Lee Boys at the State Theatre
Levine School of Music Holiday Concert

While I did such bookkeeping, I watched a new DVD from one of my longtime favorite bands
FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE: No Better Place – Live in Chicago DVD (Shout! Factory)
To be released on February 24.

The concert was recorded for a Chicago TV show called "Soundstage," in a beautiful old theatre that gave the band a big stage area and some nifty video screens upon which to project images that related, however tangentially, to the songs.

I have been to a handful of FoW concerts and have always had a great time being in the audience to hear the band’s catchy, clever songs played well. But as much as I love this band, no one’s going to mistake these guys for Aerosmith in terms of presenting a riveting live show. These are not showy people; there’s no rock star attitude, no posturing or long solo indulgences. And in this particular show, shot in 2005, there’s no material from 2007’s wonderful “Traffic and Weather”album.

But you can’t take away from the music that is here – “Radiation Vibe” still makes me smile after all these years. And things lift off to an almost Real Rock Show rousing degree with a fine rendition of “Bright Future in Sales” but they censor a word in the line, “I gotta get my shit together.”

If all you know about Fountains of Wayne is “Stacy’s Mom,” you’re missing out on one of pop’s true pleasures. This DVD can serve as a souvenir for hardcore fans, a pleasant live almost-best-of for newbies, but you can enjoy the music as an audio experience without needing to stay glued to the screen.

According to the Shout! Factory web site, the DVD also features an “all new, never-before seen acoustic mini-set filmed live in the recording studio.” But that wasn’t on my promo advance. ;-(

Two more side notes:
1) FoW's Adam Schlesinger (who has earned Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe nominations for his film, television and theater work outside the band) recently joined with David Javerbaum, executive producer of “The Daily Show,” to write some of the original songs for "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All."

2) Fountains of Wayne is coming to the Birchmere next month for a rare full-band acoustic set, during which I hope Adam and Chris will open up a bit and talk about their songwriting partnership – and not mumble (the little moments of stage patter on the DVD are barely audible). That will be way better than any video concert.

And that’s all for this first day of the new year. Cheers!

Cool Free Music

In keeping with my (almost) new year's resolution to blog more often, even it it's just a quick hit, here's a nice freebie from amazon.com, a sampler of free tracks from the Yep Roc label, home of some great artists like Nick Lowe, Bell X-1 and Robyn Hitchcock. It's called, This is How I Roc

You're welcome!

CPF Wishes You a (Belated) Cool Yule

Hey there, CPFs.

I've been on Santa's naughty list, not doing the blog thing in a long time. Thankfully, he cut me some slack, and I had a great holiday, full of fun and nifty gifties.

As for the blog, I'm rethinking it and making plans to start the New Year with a change in format. (Feel free to let me know what you enjoy most and/or need less of.) Details as they develop, film at 11.

This year's Cool Yule compilation was finished about 4 pm on Christmas Eve, right after I filed my last Post stories for this year (actually, the stories will appear in the January 1st regional editions, so they are both the last stories of 2008 and the first of 2009). Anyway, so here's this year's Cool Yule deal...

Rather than distribute discs, I'm going the digital delivery route (and even so, I'm late!). The songs have been posted on my MobileMe site (another Apple perk) and can be downloaded by any and all who know the URL and password. So, send a comment, give me your email eddress and I will let you know how to grab it.

And in the further spirit of giving, with immediate gratification, here's a nice song, called "Rabbit Ears", by the band Pompeii, courtesy of the band's label, Eyeball Records.

A little background: Pompeii's sophomore release, "Nothing Happens for a Reason," was released in October 2008 and produced by CJ Eiriksson (Jack's Mannequin).

One of the ingredients of the new CPF Blog will be more free music!

So, that's all for now.
Happy, Happy, Merry, Merry.

see you again before 2009.

Who Gives a ^$#@ about an Oxford Comma?

The delightful Vampire Weekend asked the musical question last night at the 930 Club at their second show in two nights. In answer to that particular question - I generally avoid such punctuation (it's also known as the serial comma, the one that follows a word in a series, right before the word "and," as in "apples, peaches, and pumpkin pie." I don't see the need for that comma)
The bigger question for those of us gathered in the sold-out club was whether the band, whose album blasted onto the scene earlier this year as one of the best and brightest new acts in long memory - and still continues to charm - could bring the sound home live. So glad to report that they did, in spades. Played the whole album, plus a few new songs that bode extremely well for the next release, and still came in at just about one hour on stage.

But none of us felt cheated. The drummer kicked everything up another notch - the usual wonky DC crowd actually kinda sorta danced a bit - and the lead singer radiated cute.
Also helping to make the night a full event of fun was opener, The Teenagers, whose lead singer drips irony in a way that would be positively annoying if it weren't so utterly amusing. The sound is herky-jerky rhythms that stood up well as a companion to Vampire Weekend (of course, the Talking Heads songs we heard in the break showed where all these rivers run back to) topped by deadpan monolog lyrics that occasionally bordered on the profane and yet didn't piss me off.
I downloaded
The TEENAGERS - Reality Check
the day of the show so I could get a taste of what was to come. Enjoying it again today (shocked to hear that "Homecoming" really said what I thought it did last night) , though it's still the lead singer's arch charisma that really brings it home.

Anyway, Ferguson is a repeat, so I'm off to bed.

Dug 'em/Dumped 'em

I’ve been keeping an eye out - and an ear (actually both of both) - for Sparky’s Flaw, a regional band that first caught my ear on a mix CD played in the car during a road trip with then-High School, now College Girl.
The band has a melodic, smart pop style, sometimes compared to that of Maroon 5 and The Fray, but I see the group more in the mold of The Format (which, alas, I’ve heard has broken up!) and Jack’s Mannequin.

1. SPARKY’S FLAW – EP
I’ve listed this CD before, but I gave away my last copy to an editor at the Post, in hopes of getting him psyched to do a story on the band when they release their major label debut next spring. So, the nice press contact sent me a handful of copies to keep spreading the love. If you want one, send a comment - I’m not above bribery to discover who’s out there!

Also on the bill that night - headlining, in fact - was Brendan James, a sensitive, keyboard playing, singer/songwriter type more in the style of James Taylor and early Elton John (before the ghost of Liberace possessed him).

James has gotten the support of MTV for his new national tour, with the network sending a videographer out with him to catch moments on the road to be shared with fans in a series of online clips.

Much as I love James’ voice, and the guy was thoroughly charming when I chatted with him after the show, there’s a bit of ponderousness that takes hold in his set as he goes from one strongly emotive song to another. He’s obviously got a great smile and a sense of humor between songs. Would love to hear some of that in the material as well.
2. BRENDAN JAMES – The Day Is Brave (Decca/Velour)
You can read more about both acts in a preview story I wrote for the Washington Post.

And that's a good reminder to list the latest articles from that part of my working life, some of which also add to the O/CD Tally:
Warren Zevon Tribute at the Barns of Wolf Trap
3. WARREN ZEVON – S/T (Rhino)
Those ever-wonderful archivists at the world’s most fun record label have remastered, repackaged – with a bonus disc of alternate takes – and reissued Zevon’s masterful debut album.

Ingrid Michaelson at the Birchmere
4. INGRID MICHAELSON – Be OK
This one came in the form of a digital download zip file, complete with a wealth of PDFs of articles about the charming singer/songwriter. I miss actual discs, but the ease of delivery, especially when I’m on a tight deadline, is really handy-dandy.
Jane Franklin Dance at Community Center
Hanson at the State Theatre

5. HANSON – The Walk (3CG)
I was very impressed with young (but not as young as he used to be!) Zac Hanson, who spoke to me for the Post preview. For a guy who’s been doing the media thing since he was a preteen, he seemed remarkably grounded, poised and never went into Interview Auto Pilot, always stopping to consider his answers and talking as if each new topic was worth putting his attention to.

The concert was equally impressive. These guys can truly write it and play it and perform it. And Taylor is still quite the Cougar Bait he was back in the day when it was my kids who were smitten and I gladly tagged along.

Bio Ritmo
6. BIO RITMO – Bionico (locutor Records)

The O/CD Tally Lightning Round:
Gone (to trade-in) and Possibly Forgotten
Just to clarify - being on this list doesn’t necessarily mean that an album is bad. I’ve just gotten to a point that the pile of promotional discs sent to me, however much I love getting them, is threatening to overwhelm me. I try to listen to everything at least once, and even that is, admittedly, hardly fair to the hard work and good intentions that went into making them.
But sometimes you just have to declare New Release Amnesty and move on to the stuff that’s coming in next, And yes, there have been plenty of times that I’ve gone looking for a disc that I’ve a new reason to check out and saying, “damn, I traded that it!”
7. WHITEY MORGAN and the 78s – Honky Tonks and Cheap Motels (Small Stone Records)
8. EMMANUEL JAHL – Warchild (Sonic 360)
9. HOOTS &HELLMOUTH – S/T (MAD/Ryko)
10. STATE RADIO – Year of the Crow (Ruff/Shod)
11. HOLLY GOLIGHTLY and the BROKEOFFS – Dirt Don’t Hurt (Transdreamer)
Funny, when I put this CD in the disc drive to rip the songs “Getting’ High For Jesus” and “I Wanna Hug Ya, Kiss Ya, Squeeze Ya,” the disc appeared as “Dirty Don’t Hurt,” which puts a whole new twist on the title.
12. KATE CAMPBELL – Save the Day (Large River Music)
Sometimes even guest appearances by John Prine, Nanci Griffith and Mac McAnally, a lovely, organic-feel package design, and a soft, sweet sound aren’t enough. But I know deep in my heart that all that fine pedigree won’t pull me back to listen to it again. I’m not saying granola isn’t good for you; it’s just not my taste.
13. The CRUXSHADOWS – Immortal (Dancing Ferret Discs)
14. ROBBY HECHT – Late Last Night (self-released)
15. FERRAS – Aliens & Rainbows (Capitol)
16. STEVEN ALVARADO – Let It Go (Mott St. Records)
17. LOVE PSYCHEDELICO – This Is…(HackTone Records)
I was more impressed with the cover design – bright red embossed logo – and free clingie – than I was with the music.
18. SOL Y CANTO – Cada Dia Un Regalo (MusicAmador)
I like world music, but this one has too much of a soft jazz vibe, too sweet, not enough sour.
19. ANDREW HELLER – My Beloved: Music to Fall In Love With…(Diamondisc Recordings)
20. ANDREW HELLER – Broadway Love (Diamondisc Recordings)
When the press material proclaims the artist as “Singer, Scientist, Entrepreneur,” there’s a fear that what you’ve got here is a vanity project. And while another area of the material claims that,
“his vocal talent has been compared to the legendary singers such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, or Perry Como. Combine the legends into one voice, fast forward…and you have Andrew Heller,” you need to read the fine print to see that such effusive praise is coming from the publisher of Power Source magazine. (Anyone heard about that mag?) The tenor, formerly an employee with IBM who worked on advanced technology systems, is probably a huge hit at family weddings, and might even make the first round of some kind of Cleveland’s Got Talent cable series, but there’s nothing here to make me put away my Frankie, Dino or Perry.
21. STEVE TYRELL – Back to Bacharach (KOCH)
Okay, so I read the liner notes and learned that Tyrell worked with Bacharach early in both their careers, and had a great time watching as many of the original versions of these songs were being recorded. And I am truly sorry that his wife of 25 years died during the recording. Still, the only track I might ever want to hear again is a version of “What the World Needs Now” featuring Bacharach, James Taylor, Rod Stewart, Dionne Warwick and Martina McBride. It suffers from the same tepid MOR arrangements as the rest of the CD, but at least the interplay of the various voices gives it that happy, “we’re doing a nice thing together here” feeling.
22. The WILDERS – Someone’s Got to Pay (Free Dirt Records)
A fine example, I guess, of a type of music – midtempo country rock – in which I have very little interest.
23. The RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS – Don’t You Fake It (Virgin)
24. SHAWN MULLINS – Honeydew (Vanguard)
25. RED HURLEY – Based on Songs and Stories: The Concert (SONY/BMG)
26. IFIHADAHIFI – Fame by Proxy (Latest Flame)
27. SUBTLE – Exiting Arm (Lex Records)
28. WAYMAN TISDALE – Rebound (Rendezvous Entertainment)
29. LEMURIA – Get Better (Asian Man Records)

And yet, as if it were pardoned by the governor on the way to execution (how’s that for overstatement?), I popped the following disc in the car stereo on the way to the trade-in store, and liked what I heard well enough to hold it back for further exploration.
30. ROOKIE of the YEAR – Presents Sweet Attention (One Eleven)
A bright sharp-edge pop sound that I want to share with New College Girl to see what she thinks.

And that brings us to…
Year To Date O/CD Tally: 197

The (Wonderful) Week That Was

Looking back from the quiet contentment of a late Saturday night/Sunday morning...

Tuesday, we all made history, with the help of President-Elect Barack Oabama (maybe that’ll get old sometime, but it still leaves me smiling).

Wednesday, Post-College Girl left for her sixth-month stay in England (which was wonderful for her, a bit wistful for the dad and me).

Thursday, hubby and I had a real date, down to the ever-lovely Jammin' Java for dinner (they make great chili) and a concert by longtime favorite David Mead, a singer with a gorgeous voice/a songwriter well deserving of the attention of fans of literate, well-crafted material, a la Paul Simon or James Taylor.

The opening act was The Grey Race, a Brooklyn-based band led by a New Zealand ex-pat, singer/songwriter Jon Darling.


Drummer Ethan Eubanks provided some deadpan commentary throughout the set, and warned that a band compatriot would be working the crowd between sets to sell copies of the band's CD. Sure enough, I returned from the ladies room to find that he had come up to Hubby's and my table to seal the deal.
So, we add to the tally:
The GREY RACE - Give it Love (Unfiltered Records)

The band's publicist had sent me a link to an online download of the album last week, but my computer was being repaired and I didn't get a chance to download it.
The publicist also sent an mp3 for sharing, and it happens to be the song that I found most catchy in the band’s fine set. So, enjoy "On The Chin"

Eubanks and bassist Jeff Hill also work as session musicians, playing and recording with the likes of Robert Randolph, Trey Anastasio, Juliana Hatfield and The Scissor Sisters. With the addition of a keyboard player (whose first name I believe, is Andrew), the trio also served as David Mead’s backing band on this night, which made for some great renditions of his material.

Mead explained/joked that he was able to bring the band along since they worked for free, but it was clearly a mutual admiration society that created beautiful harmonies and deft arrangements of the intelligent songs.

Among the between-song intros, Mead revealed that there is a new CD (“Almost and Always”) imminent, but it hadn’t made it back from manufacturing in time for his current road trip. He also said that, though he wasn’t going to get political, he was very happy with the way the election turned out, which gave us all a chance to clap and yell and celebrate our Blue Victory again. And then he did a tender version of “Figure of Eight.”

I took a bunch of photos, but never left my comfy seat, so they’re all pretty much the same angles. To vary the fare after the fact, I played around with the settings, so here’s something with a bit of color fun...

Yes We Did

savoring the moment.
more anon.

photo by emma "data entry queen" poltrack

thanks for voting!

The Time is Now?

A quick clarification on the last entry...

The way Blogger works, the date and time of a posting is set when you/I/whoever starts writing. And so, the previous entry is dated Friday even though I mentioned watching Saturday Night Live (and it was live; I don't have a time machine. If I did, a lot of things would be different!)

I thought of going back to delete the post and redo it, but then I would have a date after the correct one. So, as I hope we've all learned in the recent political past, don't believe everything you read.

I'll admit, I have let the blog go. But I have a good reason - I have bigger fish to fry. There are five days left to go before the election and when I'm not working, I'm trying to do my small part by volunteering at the local Obama office.

There will be plenty of time to blog next week, and I hope to do so with a happy heart, under a new administration of hope, change and unity. (I shudder to consider my mood if things go the other way.)



VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE OBAMA.

I'm Close Personal Friend and I approve this message.

Not Much.

Just some links.

Is it me, or is Chris Martin's voice shot? I'm watching Saturday Night Live while I prepare this post and he seems to be having trouble projecting much at all, let alone hitting the high notes. Coldplay is set to play DC on Halloween night, but these performances don't bode well for that show.

So, to bizniz - I'm gonna be lame and simply toss up some recent Washington Post links to prove that I'm still alive. And, where applicable (fun word, that), add the accompanying CDs to the Tally.
BTW, those Mushroom and Swiss commercials are such a blatant rip-off of Flight of the
Conchords; When will our delightful New Zealand folkies return?

David Davis and the Warrior River Boys at Holy Cross Church

Lucy Kaplansky, Allegheny Uprising at Church of the Resurrection
1.LUCY KAPLANSKY - Over The Hills (Red House)

Amy Rigby & Wreckless Eric at Jammin’ Java
2.AMY RIGBY & WRECKLESS ERIC - self-titled (Stiff)

Alternate Routes at IOTA Club and Cafe
3.The ALTERNATE ROUTES - The Watershed EP (Vanguard)

Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit at the Birchmere

In thinking ahead to the show, I picked up
4.LAURA MARLING – S/T (Astralwerks)
and, at the show, I bought Post College Girl the beautifully designed
5., 6.JOHNNY FLYNN – A Larum (Lost Highway)
12" vinyl LP version, presented in cool deluxe gatefold style ($17).
I'm counting this title twice, as I also received a CD of the commercially released CD. Add in the advance CD and a few 7" vinyl singles that PCG ordered from overseas, and we've got a freakin' lot of Flynn! (And I still haven't figured out if anyone wlll reimburse me for the $100+ phone call to England to do the interview with him for the story.)

Hmmmm...Chris Martin must have heard me talking about him...Coldplay's third (!) song on SNL was a pretty strong version of "Yellow."


Music Builds: Jars of Clay, Switchfoot et al. at Nissan Pavilion
The Motels at The State Theatre

O/CD Tally Year-to-Date: 166

Let Me Tell You ‘Bout the Bird and the Bee

Greetings from Philadelphia! In “1776,” the singing John Adams decried, “foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadelphia!” Maybe it was back in the day when the founding fathers were hammering out the Declaration of Independence, but I’m certainly enjoying my visit here, having only had one brief day trip here some years ago.

And I must now tell the citizens of this city to cherish its superb venue, World Café Live, where I spent a most lovely first night in town. Located in a beautiful building that also houses the offices and studios of WXPN radio, there are actually two venues – a smaller upstairs space that had a jazz band playing (what I heard wandering the halls was pretty good), and the bigger, two level downstairs theatre that hosted The Bird and The Bee, the act I came to see.

As befits a venue created and served by a radio station, the sound was impeccable. And it was worth hearing every note played by this band which, I confess, I had little prior knowledge of (yes, I’m ending a sentence with a preposition. Sue me.) I just bought the iTunes version of the duo’s debut CD the night before leaving Virginia (see O/CD Tally, below) and what I heard on the drive was impressive – bright electropop with an artsy/indie spirit, marked by distinctive female vocals. Frankly, I was worried that the act would have trouble replicating the sophisticated sound live.

And yet, with just the two players on stage, the sound was rich, supplemented by careful use of tapes. But the real highlight was watching vocalist and (frequently) bassist Inara George, daughter of the late Little Feat leader, Lowell George. Dressed in a simple white dress that flared dramatically, George was, in a word, adorable. Her voice was clear and unaffected, her banter charming and her charisma undeniable. She reminded me of the great Jane Siberry in her earlier, poppier years, with a touch of Bjork (without the sometimes off-putting insistence on always being avant-garde).

I missed the opening set by Willoughby, but the trio came out to help on a few mid-set songs. I chatted with the band afterward and wound up buying a limited edition copy of the self-titled CD, party out of curiosity and party because I didn’t feel I could walk away from the merch booth without contributing.)


The Bird and The Bee is (are?) releasing a new CD early next year, and played a few of the new songs in this show, including a poptastic Japanese-tinged number that I think could be a huge hit in a Gwen Stefani mode. There were also two covers that took cheesy oldies and breathed fresh air into them – a playful take on Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” and a wistful, affecting “How Deep Is Your Love” (used in the “Sex and the City” movie) which reminds me that the BeeGees deserve their props.

The Bird and The Bee, plus Willoughby, will be playing at Jammin’ Java in Vienna (VA) on Friday night. Highly, highly recommended, If I were going to be home, I’d be sorely tempted to go right back again for more.

So, let’s add:
1. The BIRD and The BEE – S/T (Blue Note)
2. WILLOUGHBY – I Know What You're Up To (self-released)

Year to Date O/CD Tally: 160

My Own Cash Money (Cheapo Edition)

I’ve purchased a lot of music in the last few days, most of it at bargain basement prices!

On Wednesday, I took a bag of trade-ins to the wonderful CD Cellar in Falls Church and, even with $35 credit, wound up spending almost an equal amount of my own cash money (it was the deluxe anniversary of “Nightmare Before Christmas” for Post-College Girl that tipped the scales).
I came home with:
1. BEN FOLDS – Sunny 16 (Epic)
I was actually on the prowl for the new CD, after Hubby told me that he’d heard a great advance track featuring Regina Spektor, but that isn’t due, I now realize, until the end of the month. This 6-track EP opens strong with “There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You,” and has one seemingly obligatory song riddled with curse words. ($6)
2. LONG TIME GONE: 15 All-New American Music Classics (UNCUT)
I have finally broken the habit of buying each and every monthly British magazine that comes with a free CD sampler, but I can’t resist getting the music for a mere two bucks, as they’re great in the car. This one offers Fleet Foxes, Joan as Police Woman, Silver Jews, and the usual newcomers that might lead to happy discoveries. ($2)
3. ASTRALWERKS: Sampler 2001 Vol. 1 (Astralwerks)
A brief hop back in the time machine to hear what the fine dancey/alternative label was betting on seven years ago. I know Air, Beta Band, Doves and Basement Jaxx made a good impression, but can’t say why the likes of Neu!, Scanty Sandwich, Uberzone and a few others never made the grade. Monday Morning A&R Quarterbacking, here I come. ($2)
4. TODD RUNDGREN – Re-Mixes (Brilliant)
I’m a little nervous about The Runt redoing his classic tunes, but it’ll kill some time on the ride to work. ($2)
5. The KLF –The White Room/Justified & Ancient (Arista)
A 2-disc set in a generic (advance?) case, one of which is the full album, the other a 5-track EP of “Justified…” More backwards time-tripping. ($2)
6. DAPTONE RECORDS REMXIXED
A 2-disc set, one of original material and one of remixes, with plenty of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings on hand. ($2)
7. YES – In a Word (Elektra/Rhino)
A 5-disc box set from the always-skillful archivists at Rhino. An excuse to relive college memories (my boyfriend of the time was a huge fan, with a “Tale of Topographic Oceans” mural painted in the hallway of his dorm room) and maybe to clear out some of the old vinyl. I may never get past disc three, since I lost patience around the time of “Owner of a Lonely Heart” – and that’s here on disc four! Still, I can’t resist “I’ve Seen All Good People.” ($10)
8. SIGUR ROS – Heima (XL Recordings)
A 2-disc DVD set that I’ve read brilliant things about.


And Thursday, I was at the local Thrift Store, for these finds:
9. EDDIE FROM OHIO – Actually Not (Virginia Soul)
1993 release, marked as a promotional copy; one of about a half dozen copies from the popular local outfit. Who is clearing out their closet?
10. NIRVANA – In Utero (DGC)
If I ever get a good price on my clear vinyl LP copy (not that I’m sure I’ll ever want to part with it), I’ll have the CD ready.
11. RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS – Best Of…(CURB)
Generic slim-line case, with no liner notes, but it is the actual CD. Good for making oldies compilations for the older family members.
12. JACK JOHNSON – Brushfire Fairytales (Enjoy/Universal)
One of those CDs that I might already own but, at these prices, I won’t risk missing out. It’s in excellent condition, so I can always sell it off again later.
13. DAVID BOWIE – Earthling (Virgin)
A cheap chance to catch up with a well-respected artist whose always interesting, even if it turns out to be one of his lesser works. Includes “I’m Afraid of Americans,” more true now that when he first recorded it in 1997.
14. FRANK SINATRA – Christmas Cabaret (KRB/Passport)
Geez, I guess it’s getting on that time of year when the holiday records are promoted (Enya just announced one, and Reliet K has a reissue on the schedule), so I’ll begin long-range planning for the 2008 “Cool Yule” mix. This one is a mixed bag of tracks from the Chairman and friends – Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, and Enzo Stuarti and Lou Monte (who are those last two guys?!).
15. TORI AMOS – To Venus and Back (Atlantic)
I was hoping that the regular cashier at the back of the store wouldn’t notice that this is a 2-disc set, and I might get away with it for $1.50, but she’s a sharp one, and charged the whole (!) $3. I might have hesitated had I known, not being a major Amos fan, but hey, it’s still less than the tall chai latte I bought on the way home.

Year to Date O/CD Tally: 158

After a Long (Shameful?) Absence...

I'm going to take charge and get this mofo back in gear!
Or maybe I'll just try to be better at signing in more often.

Anyhoo, let's recap a few recent Washington Post previews:
Music Builds Tour featuring Switchfoot, Jars of Clay and Third Day
Johnny Flynn, Post College Girl's British discovery, whom we'll be seeing later this week at the Birchmere
Planet Arlington World Music Festival with Solas, Ricardo Lemvo and others

The Motels, featuring Martha Davis
Melody Gardot
The Wiggles And yes, I interviewed the Blue Wiggle!

Some of these shows involved CDs, so I'll add them to the O/CD Tally:
1.JARS OF CLAY - Closer EP (Gray Matters)
2.SOLAS - For Love and Laughter (Compass Records)
3.MELODY GARDOT - Worrisome Heart (Verve)
4.THIRD DAY - Revelation (Sony)

And, while I'm at it, I'll toss a bunch of other albums in that haven't made a strong impression, but might as well be mentioned so I can move on. I declare New Release Amnesty!
5.The FUTUREHEADS – This Is Not the World (Nul Records)
6.LUKE DOUCET and the WHITE FALCON – Blood’s Too Rich (Six Shooter Records)
7.The SLACKERS – Self Medication (Indication Records)
8.CAROLINE HERRING – Lantana (Signature Sounds)
9.TIM LEE 3 – Good2b3 (The Paisley Pop Label)
10. SUBTLE – ExitingARM (Lex Records)
11.PORCUPINE TREE – Lightbulb Sun (Kscope)
12.RACHEL SAGE – Chandelier (Mpress Records)
13.FRIGHTENED RABBIT – The Midnight Organ Fight (FatCat)
14.The INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS – S/T (Sugar Hill Records)
15.BEAT UNION – Disconnected (Science)
16.MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK – Even If It Calls Me (Epitaph)
17.The M’S – Real Close Ones (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
18.The SUBMARINES – Honeysuckle (Nettwerk)

which brings us to
YTD O/CD Tally: 143

As Post-Collge Girl said to me, "You'd better get to it, if you're gonna reach 1,000"

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