Clip:Bluegrass Sprouts in Urban Landscape
Bluegrass Sprouts in Urban Landscape Cafe's open-mike night encourages novice players Sam Whiting, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, April 29, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/04/29/DD88506.DTLtype=music Early this evening, a bunch of urban hillbillies will bang their battered mandolin and guitar cases through the double doors into the Atlas Cafe. They'll tune up, then turn and fill the room with the twang of bluegrass and old-timey string music. This is open-mike bluegrass, which once a month turns this hipster cafe in the Mission into a broken-down palace for country boys and girls lost in the big city. Anybody can play, either onstage or out in the crowd, picking their mandolins and bowing their fiddles in what amounts to bluegrass surround-sound. "Some people don't want to come up and take a solo, face the spotlight, so they just play in their seats,'' says Pam Brandon, a regular. "It works really well.'' A house band opens with "Cripple Creek.'' JimBo Trout high-notes the vocal. "Yeehaw,'' yells a man who might be taken for a skateboard thrash punk. The floor starts moving with toe-tapping. Those who want to move some more get up and dance energetically in the aisle between the bar and the bathroom. After a few traditionals, Trout asks if anyone wants to sing. Three hands go up. David Ray, a bold first-timer from Mill Valley, introduces himself and pours his heart into the lyric "I'm shiftless, I'm homeless, I'm a total disgrace/ Cuz I spent all my money at the rye whiskey place.'' The melody hits a few spots lower than that lyric, but Ray is no disgrace at all. A dog barks on the back patio, but there are no catcalls among the humans. Ray sings a few songs, then plays guitar for a few more. Suddenly he's one of the boys in the band. "Some are professionals, some are not,'' says Ray, a software engineer. "You don't get favored if you are a professional. "Everybody gets the same shot, which is good because there are shy people who are good and bold people who aren't so good.'' Going into its second year, the Atlas bluegrass concept is simple: "Every month we just show up and hack,'' says Brandon, who hacked her way from London. She trades her accent for a slow drawl as she sings "I'm Just Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail.'' "Various people come with various instruments, and we trade off in a friendly way,'' says Trout, whose job is to subtly signal a player when his time is up. It is not always easy. When rookies get their first taste of audience appreciation, many don't want to give it up. "Some people have no idea what they are doing, and they get up there and these guys can make them play decent,'' says Kyle Smith, who came from Georgia with a mandolin and blues harp. Bluegrass is social music. The strings and voices need company to sound right. "In the city, there is no other place for people learning how to play bluegrass to get up there and sing and play,'' Smith says. A few months ago the Thursday- night rattle worked a tacked-up poster loose from the wall. It swung down, dangling from the bottom tack, and was left that way until someone got up off the couch and retacked it, upside down. The Atlas fits the loose ambience of bluegrass. Half of the Thursday crowd looks as if it just blew in from the Dust Bowl, and the other half looks as if it came directly from a Grateful Dead show. There are members of eight or 10 local bands. At the bar is a rockabilly bassist with ducktail hair, letter jacket and rolled-up jeans. In back talking on a cell phone is the bassist for Tribe 8, the lesbian punk band. "People have exhausted the blues scene and the rock scene and the punk scene,'' Smith says. "It's another form of music that people are getting turned on to.'' Trout says he gets a half-dozen new players every time. Novices sit at tables and mimic the fretwork. It isn't far from the back to the front, though en route a few stop to drink some courage, laying their mandolins across the bar. "You can not know more than three chords and get up and sit in,'' says Brandon, daughter of the editor of the U.K. Northwest Bluegrass News. A few months ago, a woman who must have been in her 80s pulled herself up off the couch to show these kids how to pluck a mandolin. By night's end, they are down to paper cups for the draft beer. People dance in line in front of the unisex bathroom, next to the band. Brandon is known to improvise the lyric "Somebody bring me a Sierra Nevada'' until somebody does. There might be 20 musicians, shoulder to shoulder. Tatsuya Suzuki, just in from Japan, knows little English, but he knows the language of a Scruggs- style five-string banjo. He's front and center all night, as if he'd reached the stage of the Grand Ol' Opry. "It's very good,'' he says of his one-night band. "Excellent.''
FYI: SF Bay Area Rockabilly/Country shows
WEDNESDAY APRIL 28 Jeff Bright the Sunshine Boys @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm Blue Bell Wranglers @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco 10pm $4 Cadillac Angels @ Henfling's Tavern, 9450 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond The Chop Tops @ The Catalyst (in atrium), 1011 Pacific, Santa Cruz 9pm The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz THURSDAY APRIL 29 Jim Campilongo 10 Gallon Cats @ Above Paradise, 11th St./Folsom, SF SUNDAY MAY 2 The Haywoods @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, San Francisco 930pm MONDAY MAY 3 The Bachelors @ Lou's Pier 47, 300 Jefferson, San Francisco 4pm The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm TUESDAY MAY 4 Cadillac Angels @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm Dallas Craft SF Barndance: Dallas Craft the Sofa Kings/Dave Thom Band/California Cowboys/Jim Campilongo/Larry Dunn @ DeMarco's 23 Club, 23 Visitacion, Brisbane 8pm WEDNESDAY MAY 5 Russell Scott his Red Hots @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, San José 10pm The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz THURSDAY MAY 6 Jim Campilongo 10 Gallon Cats @ Above Paradise, 11th St./Folsom, SF FRIDAY MAY 7 Mike Ness/Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Fonics @ 7th Note Showclub, 915 Columbus, San Francisco 9pm $20 SATURDAY MAY 8 Red Meat/Oakland Medicine Show @ Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck, Berkeley 945pm $5 The Bachelors @ 4 Dueces, 2319 Taraval, San Francisco 9pm MONDAY MAY 10 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm WEDNESDAY MAY 12 Real Sippin' Whiskeys/Ruby Deluxe @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF 10pm $4 The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz THURSDAY MAY 13 Link Wray @ Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, San Francisco 8pm $15 Jim Campilongo 10 Gallon Cats @ Above Paradise, 11th St./Folsom, SF SUNDAY MAY 16 Sean Kennedy the King Kats @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, SF 930pm MONDAY MAY 17 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm WEDNESDAY MAY 19 Buck Owens/Red Meat @ Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, SF 8pm $25 Rockin' Lloyd Tripp the Zipguns @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF 10pm $4 The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz THURSDAY MAY 20 Joe Goldmark w/ Jim Campilongo the 10 Gallon Cats @ Amoeba Records, 1855 Haight, San Francisco 6pm free Jim Campilongo 10 Gallon Cats @ AboveParadise, 11th St./Folsom, SF MONDAY MAY 24 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm WEDNESDAY MAY 26 The Rounders @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco 10pm $4 The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz THURSDAY MAY 27 Randy Beckett's Rebel Train @ Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck, Berkeley 930pm $4 The Bachelors @ Lou's Pier 47, 300 Jefferson, San Francisco 9pm Sean Kennedy King Kats @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz Jim Campilongo 10 Gallon Cats @ Above Paradise, 11th St./Folsom, SF FRIDAY MAY 28 Sean Kennedy the King Kats@ The Fog Bank, 211 Esplande, Capitola SATURDAY MAY 29 Asylum Street Spankers @ Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, SF SUNDAY MAY 30 Randy Beckett's Rebel Train @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, SF 930pm MONDAY MAY 31 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm WEDNESDAY JUNE 2 Sean Kennedy the King Kats @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, San José 10pm WEDNESDAY JUNE 16 Big Sandy his Fly-Rite Boys @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, San José 10pm SUNDAY JUNE 20 Asylum Street Spankers @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz 7 9pm $16.80 WEDNESDAY JUNE 23 Kim Lenz her Jaguars @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, San José 10pm Sorry for getting this out late. Had a probelm with my computer drive that took some time to fix. Steve Hathaway San Jose, California [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Bad Company quote, URL
Matt has been told bad things by bad people. I saw Bad Company (with Kansas opening) in the 70's and they rocked just fine. The drummer was a bit thuddy, if you know what I mean, but the rest of the band was competent. If you want a bad show, try crack-era David Crosby and Graham Nash. Or heroin-era Grateful Dead. Or Foghat any time. -Brad, back from a relaxing weekend playing for the skiers at Alpine Meadows-
Clip: Metallica and the SF Symphony (review for Jon)
Symphony Bends Under Weight of Metallica Orchestra plays second fiddle to rock band Neva Chonin, Chronicle Staff Critic Friday, April 23, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/04/23/DD17279.DTLtype=music Two antithetical genres mixed well at the concert pairing the hard rock band Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony. Maybe too well, in fact. The first of two highly anticipated shows was not, as fans from both sides of the musical divide had hoped, a dialogue between orchestra and band. Nor was it, as critics predicted, a dissonant clash of titans. Instead, Wednesday's two-hour-plus performance at the Berkeley Community Theater was simply a melting pot in which the nuances of more than 100 instruments -- violins, violas, cellos, oboes, trumpets, kettle drums, chimes and one unfortunate harp -- were largely reduced to a lush, not always audible musical backdrop for a very loud, very good Metallica concert. That was certainly no dire disappointment for the thousands of cheering Metallica fans packing the house. But it was a pity nonetheless, considering the time and toil conductor-composer Michael Kamen and the members of the band invested in this project. In preparation, they met in cities all over the world, retooling 18 Metallica classics and two new songs, ``No Leaf Clover'' and ``Human,'' for a symphonic orchestra. On Wednesday, those plans were sabotaged not by lack of style or enthusiasm but by volume. Try as it might, the orchestra simply could not make itself heard over the thunder of heavy rock instrumentation. The evening began promisingly with a luxuriant string intro to Metallica's 15-minute instrumental opus, ``Call of Ktulu.'' As each band member made his way onstage, the orchestra gradually built into a galloping rhythm that would have been right at home on an Ennio Morricone soundtrack. By the time guitarist Kirk Hammett slid into his first solo of the night, the orchestra's music stands were glowing a fluorescent white, liquid patterns were wriggling across the overhead screen and the sounds from the stage had built to a crescendo. After a pure metal version of ``Master of Puppets,'' Metallica singer-guitarist James Hetfield hailed the crowd. ``Ever hear the one about the heavy rock band that wanted to play with the symphony?'' he asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. ``You're f-- looking at it, man.'' After exhorting everyone to have a good time, he introduced the next song: ``We usually call this one `Of Wolf and Man,' but tonight we're calling it `Of Wolfgang and Man.' '' We'll never know what Mozart would have made of the ensuing duel of wailing guitars and horns, but the crowd loved it. The orchestra musicians looked bemused, particularly when the song veered into one of the evening's more spirited call-and- response chants, complete with wolfish howls. It was about this time that a number of those in the classical-music fan minority, including director Francis Ford Coppola, chose to head for the exit. Behavioral differences between the classical and rock schools weren't limited to the audience. The members of Metallica and the Symphony presented an amusing portrait in opposites: While the rock band demonstrated its love of live music in roars and whoops, the tiers of classical musicians retained their elegant poker faces. In the world of Beethoven and Handel, it's the music that's the star. Still, some among the orchestra couldn't help but be swept up in the friendly looniness. One wag in the brass section returned the crowd's two-fingered salutes with his own. Another pumped the air with his horn. The crowd cheered them on. Metallica members often wandered through the tiers as they played, getting into the orchestral groove. Bassist Jason Newsted even jammed beside the harpist. Kamen, with his unruly mane and sleek tuxedo, acted as much like a rock star as a classical conductor -- impressive, considering the monumental task of coordinating so many disparate elements. He gave band members the thumbs-up and punched the air with his fist when a section went well. But all the high spirits couldn't change the fact that the orchestra was largely reduced to atmospherics for the concert's stars. Of the 20- song repertoire, only a handful capi talized on the diversity of instruments and talent onstage. ``Hero of the Day'' featured beautiful interplay between Hetfield's voice and the string section; ``Devil Dance'' found the brass instruments rallying to nearly drown out Lars Ulrich's drums during the swaggering intro. ``The Memory Remains'' juxtaposed heavy rock with a series of nonelectric interludes, in which the orchestra lavishly mimicked the song's organ-grinder motif. But mostly the orchestra heaved and toiled to little discernible effect, particularly on hard-rocking songs such as ``Fuel'' and ``Enter Sandman'' and the
Re: Captain Beefheart (re:Welfare Music)
Sorry to disagree with Marie, but Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band rocked my little part of the world in their own peculiar way. One of the first CDs I bought was "Trout Mask Replica", mostly to replace the LP that had grown scratched and worn. I do agree that most of his later output was crap. His two classics were "Trout Mask Replica" and "Lick My Decals Off Baby". LMDOB unfortunately still isn't available on CD, or I'd have that too. You can get MP3s of the songs from LMDOB via the Captain Beefheart Radar Station (http://www.beefheart.com/filtered/filtered.htm). I just dug the humor behind his music. In 1969, when everybody else was singing about peace and/or drugs, the Captain was singing about Big Joan, whose hands were too small to go out in the daylight. His sound was dense, loud and cluttered, definitely not for everyone. Maybe it appealed to me because I grew up on Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (my first LP was "We're Only In It For the Money"; my second was "Sgt. Peppers". I thought the Beatles were doing a parody of the Mothers). Maybe it's just the vibrations he set off resonated my geeky side. Anyway, I thought he was tapped into something outside of himself. Through him I got into Albert Ayler and Howlin' Wolf. I got to see the Magic Band at the Whiskey A Go Go around 1981. It was a great show, one of the best I saw that year. Captain Beefheart was and is a unique character. np: Danny Gatton, Portraits
Hecklers, was: Wilco @ Pearl Street
My favorite "shut up" line was from Henry Rollins of Black Flag: "Lose the 'tude, dude."
Re: Der Bingle
According to the Bing Crosby Discography at http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/pennvalley/Biology/lewis/crosby/disco.htm Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby had a long professional relationship, starting in the 1936 with their recording "Pennies from Heaven" (listed as Frances Langford, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra) and continuing through 1960 (recordings with the Billy May Orchestra and Louis Armstrong). Who else can claim to have recorded with Paul Whiteman and David Bowie? The two tracks Crosby recorded with Grady Martin, "Just a Little Lovin' " and "Till the End of the World", can be found on AWAY BACK WEST AGAIN (Collector Series) 1939-up Volumes 20 and 87 by the American Gramophone Wireless Co. (see http://members.aol.com/AGW1886/cbackwest.htm for more details). -B "such a nerd, you wouldn't believe it" B-
Re: Ray's tenor harmony man....
http://www.pond.com/~vanallen/raynvan.html has a nice picture of Ray and Van together. np: Dobrology, Bop to Broadway on Slide Guitar, by Stephen Miller. Nice job of some unusual cover tunes by a Canadian resophonic guitarist.
Re: Ray's tenor harmony man....
According to the liner notes in Hillbilly Fever, volume 3: Legends of Nashville, the harmony vocal was sung by guitarist Van Howard on the song "Crazy Arms". He probably did many of the other harmony vocals as well.
Clip: Tom Waits from SF Gate web site
`Variations' On a Twisted Persona Tom Waits talks about his new album, rats' teeth and Yma Sumac's hairdresser James Sullivan, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, April 18, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/04/18/PK21006.DTLtype=music ``All life interests me,'' lisps Renfield, the feverish asylum inmate Tom Waits plays in Francis Ford Coppola's film ``Bram Stoker's Dracula.'' Then he eats a worm. That small scene might best capture the singer-actor's trademark affinity for life's strange beauty. Waits has cultivated an image that's slightly out of whack, and it has served him well. A cult phenomenon by the early 1980s, the scat-singing raconteur recast himself as rock 'n' roll's ingenious rag man with a masterful series of experimental yet deeply traditional albums. He took swatches of immigrant music -- secondhand tangos, pub ballads, Weimar- era cabaret songs -- and made them uniquely American, uniquely his own. Next week, Waits releases his 12th studio album. They came in bunches in the '70s, but this is his first, not including soundtracks, since 1992's Grammy-winning ``Bone Machine.'' Anticipation is high. His first release for the punk label Epitaph, ``Mule Variations'' will be Waits' most public project in ages. In recent years he has earned a reputation as a bit of a recluse, playing only the odd benefit concert while working on plays and soundtracks at his family's home in the Sonoma countryside. He's planning select live dates, as well as a concert taping for VH1, which recently named him one of the ``Most Influential Artists of All Time.'' Not that he buys it, exactly. ``I don't know what it is I do yet,'' Waits rasps on a recent afternoon, hunching over a plate of sweet-and-sour chicken at an old-fashioned, dark-paneled Chinese restaurant on Grant Avenue. ``I guess if you figure it out, you're kind of all done.'' -- True to form, Waits is dressed in rail-yard garb -- scuffed black boots, stiff jeans, a tight denim jacket buttoned up like a shirt. When he takes off his ever-present battered fedora, his kinky hair springs up like a wire garden. It's the same look he took onstage at one of his first concerts in years, in Austin, Texas, at the South by Southwest music conference last month. Waits is reluctant to do interviews and will do only a handful to promote his album, but he is less socially uneasy than simply preoccupied. One thing about Waits is certain: He's the sort of guy who will answer a question with a question. Asked about his long stretch be tween albums, he replies: ``Did you know a rat's teeth will grow through the roof of its mouth into its brain if it doesn't keep eating?'' There's a clear lesson to be learned from that zoological tidbit, Waits claims, suppressing a smile: ``Always keep snacks around.'' He cranes his neck for an imaginary waiter: ``Could we get a little something over here as a starter, really quick?'' he hollers. ``My teeth are growing.'' -- Waits has lived in rural Sonoma County for several years with his wife and longtime collaborator, Kathleen Brennan, and their three children. ``Mule Variations,'' he suggests, is his attempt to get back to the land. ``You know, Robert Johnson started writing about automobiles, and from then forward people stopped writing about animals.'' He says the title phrase of the slow-roasting blues ``Get Behind the Mule'' comes from something the late bluesman Johnson's father told his shiftless son: ``You gotta get behind the mule in the morning and plow.'' For years Waits lived out the gutter-trawling lifestyle of his characters. ``There have been plenty of days when I've gotten up too late in the morning and the mule is gone,'' he says. ``Or somebody else is behind the mule, and I have to get behind the guy who's behind the mule.'' The album, recorded last year, features contributions by Bay Area musicians including harmonica veteran Charlie Musselwhite, brass and woodwind player Nik Phelps of Clubfoot Orchestra, drummer Andrew Borger of the Beth Lisick Ordeal and guitarist Joe Gore and multi-instrumentalist Ralph Carney of the Oranj Symphonette. Primus serves as Waits' backing band on the rambunctious lead track, ``Big in Japan.'' It was Brennan, Waits says, who urged him back behind the mule. They met almost 20 years ago, while working at Coppola's Zoetrope Studios. Among her many songwriting credits with her husband, Brennan co-wrote Waits' music for ``Bunny,'' the short animated film that just won an Academy Award. In between words of devotion, Waits takes great joy in making up a past for his wife: He claims she's been an elevator operator and an anchorwoman, among other things. ``She was Yma Sumac's hairdresser for a very short period of time.'' His slate-colored eyes twinkle devilishly. ``They had to let her go -- too much overhead!'' Such
Clip: San Francisco honors Gram Parsons
SAN FRANCISCO HONORS GRAM PARSONS Plans for the Gram Parsons tribute continue to speed forward. An increasing number of books and tribute albums connected with the late country-rock pioneer are just a small indicator of his flourishing cult appeal. On Saturday, several bands from San Francisco -- including Mover, Dixie Star, the Blood Roses, Four Fathom Bank Robbers, the Tyde and the Decans -- will pay homage to Parsons at the first Sleepless Nights Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic benefit concert at Slim's. Also appearing will be out-of-towners Convoy, Sex 66 and Beachwood Sparks. Why are these young artists kneeling at the Parsons shrine, and why now? ``Because he brought together soul music, hillbilly music and outlaw music to create a sound that has influenced many great songwriters, from the Rolling Stones to Beck,'' explains Sleepless Nights organizer and Mover front man Eric Shea. ``He continues to move more people who discover his songs and his sound. He was from Waycross, Ga., but he put so much soul in California.'' Each band on the bill promises to play at least two Parsons covers, followed by one or two of their own songs that he inspired. At the end of the night Shea plans to show some rare film footage of Parsons, his protege Emmylou Harris and his band the Fallen Angels on the venue's big-screen video monitor. Oddly, Shea never had any grand designs for the concert. ``I really just wanted to play the Cosmic American Music Festival at Joshua Tree. The folks in charge of that never returned my calls, so I thought it would be fun to have one here,'' he says. ``If it goes well, I want to have an acoustic one at the Joshua Tree Inn on December 31.'' Shea has already reserved room No. 8, where Parsons overdosed 25 years ago. -- Aidin Vaziri
Clip: review of Alejandro Escovedo's new one
Just found a couple of things in the paper this morning (93rd anniversary of the Big Quake) and thought I'd share. = IT'S TIME TO DISCOVER ESCOVEDO'S `BLUES' 4 stars ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO Bourbonitis Blues Bloodshot, $12.98 Why Alejandro Escovedo remains a peripheral star is something of a mystery. The Austin- based singer and guitarist -- a former member of the Nuns and Rank File, leader of the True Believers and Buick MacKane -- has shared mikes with Willie Nelson and jammed with Charlie Sexton, yet he's rarely received more than a share of the spotlight. If there's any justice, ``Bourbonitis Blues'' will change that. Half originals, Escovedo's fifth solo CD illustrates his wide songwriting range. ``Sacramento Polk'' is a dark, driving tale of (local) obsession, carved with razor-sharp guitar swipes; ``I Was Drunk'' is a pretty acoustic- electric poem; ``Guilty'' reprises an old Esco favorite as a blues-soaked romp that evokes midcareer Rolling Stones. The disc's covers are even better, treating tunes by John Cale (``Amsterdam''), Ian Hunter (``Irene Wilde'') and even the Gun Club (``Sex Beat'') to fresh interpretations. A version of Lou Reed's ``Pale Blue Eyes,'' sung as a duet with Kelly Hogan, is lovely and perfectly placed. With appearances by the Mekons' Jon Langford and members of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, ``Bourbonitis'' should help Escovedo gain some fans. Critics have compared him to Springsteen, Leonard Cohen and Townes Van Zandt. Established fans are guarding the secret, but we're silently wondering: When will the general public ``discover'' this longtime star? -- Colin Berry
Criminally underappreciated
Red House Painters - Songs for a Blue Guitar - Something about this recording just grabbed me. I would never have heard about it had it not been for a coworker who loaned it to me one time. (She also loaned me Ani DiFranco, which I didn't like as much.)
Re: Question: Lap Steel by Analogy
Blah blah fill in the blank is to the lap steel what Mississippi John Hurt is to fingerstyle guitar What little I know about playing fingerstyle guitar I learned from listening to Mississippi John Hurt's relatively simple, elegant work. Who should I be listening to to hear lap steel lovingly stripped to the bare essentials and well played. Well, I'd say Jerry Byrd except he's about as far from Mississippi John Hurt's style as you can get and still be an American. Suggested listening for lap steel guitarists: Jerry Byrd - the master of tone and touch, although maybe not the master of taste. Some of his recordings are pretty heavy on the schmaltz. David Lindley - is playing mostly acoustic Weissenborn guitars now. His lap steel work with Jackson Browne defined the use of lap steel in rock. Any of his solo CDs with Hani Naser or Wally Ingram on percussion gives you a good idea of what he's doing now and what's possible (see http://www.davidlindley.com for ordering). Jerry Douglas - although known more for his Dobro playing, he does some fine lap steel work on his latest CD "Restless on the Farm" Two excellent early examples of lap steel are Leon McAuliffe (with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys) and Don Helms (with Hank Williams and the Drifting Cowboys). More information available on my web site. ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Re: New Romantics?
http://home.sol.no/~knhongro/Geir/pop/History.htm has an interesting take on this: New Romantics Picture: Thompson TwinsIf you don't like synths you may as well skip this whole chapter, because the UK early 80s New Romantics craze definitely was about synths - synths, music video and image. But New Romantics also was about great melodic pop songs, and groups such as Spandau Ballet, Simple Minds, ABC, Culture Club, Japan, Thompson Twins(picture right) and even teenyboppers Duran Duran made some songs worth checking out. Even more interesting (again if you don't hate synths) were the plain synthpop groups. Human League made one of the best albums ever with "Dare", Depeche Mode and Yazoo followed to make Daniel Miller, the man behind indie label Mute, rich. Orchestral Manouvers In The Dark, Visage, Soft Cell, Ultravox and Human League-spinoffs Heaven 17 also made some great pop records. Vince Clarke, once a member of Depeche Mode and then Yazoo, later formed Erasure, a band that still exists and has had more success than Yazoo. There even was an American synthpop band, the slightly more musically eccentric Devo. After some time a more musically sophisticated, and not that entirely synth based, sort of synthpop was developing. Artists such as Talk Talk, Tears For Fears and Howard Jones represented this new trend. And there's this from http://www2.osk.3web.ne.jp/~buggle/lexicon.html#New Romantics New Romantics started in the Club scene and it popped out by combing electronic pop dance beat and showy fashion stemming glam rock via the visual media of MTV. It was alternatively called "Futurist" and there was a Futurist chart in Indies. Representative bands are Duran Duran, Kajagoogoo (such a silly name), Visage, the second period Ultravox, the early Talk Talk, Spandau Ballet. The only ones with the look above a certain level can be called as true New Romantics. -B "flock of haircuts" B-
RE: Warning: Bass Guitar question!
Blah blah Yeah, right, it's not of general interest, like vintage cereals g. I daresay more of us have tasted Quisp than played bass. Otherwise an excellent post, Jon.
Re: pedal steel player search
where do i look in the metro Washington DC area for a steel player? anyone out there know anybody? is there a list for steel players? Visit the Steel Guitar Forum at http://www.b0b.com/forum and place an advertisement in the "Bar Chatter" section (or whatever section appears appropriate). You have a very good chance of finding someone through this site. Good luck! ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Clip: Something to Crow about
Something to Crow about
By Jane Ganahl
OF THE EXAMINER STAFF
Tuesday, April 13, 1999
©1999 San Francisco Examiner
URL:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/hotnews/stories/13/Scrow.dtltype=music
A once lightweight singer digs in and earns some respect
I HAVE to hand it to Sheryl Crow.
After her first mega-hit, "All I Wanna Do (Is Have Some Fun)" hit the airwaves five
years ago to beat us senseless with its utter catchiness, I was ready to dismiss her.
She seemed to have just two things going for her: the ability to write monster hooks,
and sexy-girl-next-door looks. Negatives? A reed-thin, if lovely, voice, a jarringly
schizophrenic variety of styles - and completely silly lyrics that soon became scorned
by too-hip alt-rock DJ's. ("Oh, really, Sheryl? Is "every day a winding road?' That's
so deep!")
My own verdict? LIGHTWEIGHT. I figured she was either destined for a short career or -
perhaps worse - a huge, glossy career that would eventually find her in the diva
dustbin alongside Mariah and Whitney and Celine, cat-fighting for the spotlight on
those awful VH-1 specials, settling for complete musical irrelevance.
But something happened to change that course, sometime while she was recording "The
Globe Sessions" - not a great album (despite its winning a Grammy that said so), but
certainly a vast improvement. Her music got tauter, a bit edgier, and she seems to
have taken singing lessons to make better use of her modest vocal gifts. She cut her
sex-kitten hair in favor of a more serious look; dumped the leather minis and put on
hard jeans; took up causes (she's now on the board of Rock the Vote), and got some
respect.
She was even asked to perform recently at the prestigious benefit for Johnny Cash -
alongside country goddesses Emmylou Harris and Mary Chapin Carpenter - that also
starred Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Once dismissed, Crow's proving she's got the
chops, the staying power we assumed she lacked.
That doesn't mean her Monday night show at Oakland's Paramount Theater (she plays
again Tuesday) was the equivalent of an arm-wrestling takedown. But it did have some
great moments, and Crow turned in a solid star turn.
Before she even began, it seemed highly possible that Crow's opening act, the
Minneapolis power-pop trio Semisonic, could blow her off the stage. Always engaging to
the point of inciting riots, Semisonic began playing to near-empty house (damn those 8
p.m. start times!) but by the end of their hefty 50-minute set, had the swelling crowd
on its feet.
Frontman Dan Wilson, bass player John Munson and drummer Jacob Slichter - all gifted
musicians - play with the ferocity of a garage band, but with a joy and sense of humor
those groups lack. Their songs are acutely melodic, and loaded with creative metaphors
befitting the brainy Ivy Leaguers they are ("Shaking my mind like an Etch-A-Sketch
erasing").
Especially good were the euphoric "Singing in my Sleep," the sweet/sexy "D.N.D.," and
the screwball rocker "F.N.T." The bespectacled Wilson seems representative of the new
model of the Hot American Male - more brainy than brawny, sexual yet sensitive. The
girlish squeals in the audience every time Wilson moved a hip joint proved this
theory.
It was hard to imagine Crow topping Semisonic's take-no-prisoners set. But she did, at
least by sheer numbers - seven musicians on stage vs. three. And she more than matched
their infectious good mood. Relaxed to the point of being joyful, Crow exhorted the
crowd early on to "get up and shake your asses, because that's what I'll be doing!"
And she rocked. Tamely sometimes, with more abandon at others. Proving her splendid
musicianship, Crow led the large band like a grinning maestro, switching from bass to
acoustic to electric guitars, even strapping on a harmonica. Her voice was mostly
spot-on - potent and mostly staying clear of her annoying, little-girl coo.
During the 90-minute set, "My Favorite Mistake" was classic Crow, an undeniable guitar
hook swathed with funky rhythms, and she dug into it deeply, singing for every
dump-ee: "Did you see me walking by? Did it ever make you cry?" (OK, so her lyrics
haven't improved much, especially - strangely - on her biggest hits.)
"Leaving Las Vegas," from "Tuesday Night Music Club," was moody and good, as was the
sassy "A Change." Crow played pretty much all her hits, in fact - including "All I
Wanna Do," with a charming set of home movies displayed on screens behind her; and "If
It Makes You Happy," which proved she still has vocal limitations, fading out at high
volume in the upper registers.
But the delirious, sell-out crowd didn't notice - she gave them what they came to
hear: hits and glitz. (A pet peeve moment: can we please declare a moratorium on
elaborate, annoying light shows for folk-rock bands?)
Anyway, I was more impressed with Crow's non-hits. Those included "The Difficult Kind"
- one of
RE: SOTD
I don't have time to do it myself, but maybe one of you slackers can visit http://www.allmusic.com and count the references for each SOTD nominee. Personally I think David Lindley might be in the running as well.
RE: Jerry Byrd, was: Boudin Barndance
At 09:03 PM 4/9/99 -0400, you wrote: I have a cassette of some Hawaiian stuff by Byrd, called Byrd Of Paradise, but since it's on CBS Special Products I'm inclined to think this was stuff he was doing earlier than the CDs you mentioned, Brad. Actually, "Byrd of Paradise" is among his weaker Hawaiian material. And by all means stay away from "Paradise Suite", his ill-conceived concept album. Imagine Hawaiian guitar and marching band. (Shudder...) np: the theme to "Recess" on ABC's One Saturday Morning in the other room.
Re: Jerry Byrd, was: Boudin Barndance
And wasn't that 50s/60s country session guitarist, Garland (Hank or Wayne?), a jazz guitarist, too? -- Terry Smith It was Hank Garland. His "Jazz Winds From A New Direction" was the debut recording of vibraphonist Gary Burton, and was straightahead jazz. Quite good, too, if you like that sort of thing.
Jerry Byrd, was: Boudin Barndance
Jerry Byrd has a few of his Hawaiian CDs available through such excellent web sites as Auntie Maria's Hawaiian Music Island (http://www.mele.com). Particularly recommended is "Steel Guitar Hawaiian Style", Lehua SLCD 7023. This release is cited as the first Hawaiian steel/slack key duet to be issued, although there's some doubt in my mind as to that being true (I think the Sons of Hawaii were doing such things in the early 60's). I agree that a comprehensive overview of his contribution to country music is sadly lacking. I never see such classics as "Steelin the Blues" on compilations; what's wrong with Mercury's reissue department? Jerry Byrd was a notable session steel guitarist during much of the "classic country" period, appearing on releases by Chet Atkins, Hank Snow, Marty Robbins, Roy Clark, Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, Patti Page, Burl Ives, Jimmy Wakely, Red Foley and many others.
Re: Clip: MP3 in Nashville
Number 4 on the top 30 downloads at http://www.mp3.com is "James Alley Blues" by Roger McGuinn. He's really taken to this technology.
Re: Japanese hipsterism....
The most unpopular artist, but certainly the most famous, would have to be Yoko Ono. There's a good list of famous Japanese at this URL: http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/famous/nns.html np: Sukiyaki
Re: MC5 / roir
http://www.roir-usa.com/mc5.htm should give you as much information as you need about the MC5 compilation on ROIR.
Re: Television Live (and twangless)
Television isn't quite as twangless as you'd think, in my opinion. They are played a
different sort of twang than most of us are used to hearing. In my opinion, they
could have been one of the great bands of the 70s, had they not been sidetracked by
drug abuse. Tom Verlaine's vocals were an acquired taste, but one I certainly
acquired.
I'm sure I wasn't the only person who spent time trying to align a cassette recording
of both sides of the "Little Johnny Jewel" 45 so they played in sync. I later bought
the big EP version (which I still have somewhere).
More TV facts: Richard Lloyd also played with John Doe, on his CD "Meet John Doe".
And Billy Ficca was the drummer for the Waitresses ("I Know What Boys Like").
np in my head: "Prove It"
Re: Hong Kong Music
http://destinations.previewtravel.com/DestGuides/0,1208,WEB_98,00.html has a good overview of whazzup in the former colony. I don't think you'd like most of the Hong Kong popular music (based on what I hear here in San Francisco - not enough twang). You should be able to get incredible deals on (bootlegged) software and electronics of all kinds. When my relatives went to Hong Kong, they bought clothing. Just trying to be helpful.
Re: CD Length?
Anyone happen to know the maximun amount of music that can fit on a single CD? If you're using the industry standard 16 bit 44 kHz audio format, 74 minutes is the maximum amount you can cram onto a CD. Mission of Burma has a CD out on Rykodisc that featured about 80 minutes, but some of those songs sound like they're recorded at a lower rate. Of course, using MP3 compression (or one of the many similar compression schemes out there) you can fit considerably more music onto a CD. In this case, though, the music is treated more like computer data; it has to go through an additional decompression stage before being translated into something your stereo and speakers will understand. The story I've heard is that the 74 minute length was chosen because it could comfortably fit Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, a particular favorite of the person at Sony who made the decision. De nada, Brad
Re: tasteless epiphone elvis model guitar
http://www1.gibson.com/cgi-bin/epiphone/epi-inst.pl?ID=EAEP is the guitar Kip wants. Your local guitar outlet should be able to order one for you from Epiphone. Good luck, and remember - it can't be tasteless if it has Elvis on it.
Making laptop batteries more efficient
One in a series. http://www.compaq.com.au/dynamouse/productinfo.html?productID=dynaF1
Clip:Big business means discord for small bands
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/lmds503.htm
Big business means discord for small bands
By Bruce Haring, USA TODAY
Some of your favorite musicians may soon be looking for work.
Seagram-owned Universal Music Group, which became the largest record company in the
world late last year thanks to its $10 billion merger with PolyGram Entertainment, is
trimming its roster.
The goal: Sell more records by focusing marketing, promotion and publicity efforts on
fewer artists.
While such Universal Music superstars as Sheryl Crow, Shania Twain, Hole and U2 have
nothing to worry about, many lesser-known acts are sweating harder than the act
following the banjo player at the county fair. As many as 400 to 500 bands may face
the blade over the next few months, according to various estimates by industry
insiders.
Those most at risk: acts that are perceived to have either no real shot at developing
into multimillion-selling acts, the lifeblood of big record companies, or lack the hip
cachet that would attract new bands to the labels.
The winnowing process isn't being taken lightly. Universal executives on both coasts
have spent the last three months studying the artist rosters of the combined
companies, listening to music, going to live shows, and interviewing musicians and
managers.
As might be expected, the mood in the music industry is grim.
"Personally, I've never seen anything like this," says "Big" Jon Platt, a vice
president for EMI Music Publishing, a company not affected by the merger. "Usually, it
would be like, 'Oh, well,' in this business. This time, people were really affected by
it because I think they think next time it could be them."
Doug Morris, chairman of Universal Music Group, says any cuts are strictly up to the
tastes of his label heads, which include such industry heavies as Interscope's Jimmy
Iovine, a former engineer for Bruce Springsteen and U2 whose taste for cutting-edge
acts helped make the label one of the success stories of the 1990s.
"And I don't want it done in a cookie-cutter kind of way where (the labels) all look
the same," Morris says. "They're going to have their own shades and flavors and have
different philosophies about how to break records, about what kind of videos to make,
about how to market records."
So far, the upheavals have produced few surprises and little real action. U2 has been
shifted to Interscope Records from its longtime home at Island; Boyz II Men have left
Motown for Universal.
Most of the artists who have already been pink-slipped by Universal are little known
(MCA's Dance Hall Crashers is one example), with many having yet to release a record.
The most intriguing names on the potential drop list are churned by the rumor mill,
most of them failing to pan out: Lionel Richie (no, says a spokesperson, although
Richie has yet to meet his new bosses); South Park theme composers Primus (no, says
management, merely a rumor likely started by a Web site); popsters Weezer (no comment
from management); experimentalists Sonic Youth (no); mope-rocker Morrissey ("no
information at this time," says a spokesperson); and Paula Abdul (also "no information
at this time").
The acts being dropped by Universal are "the superstars of niche," according to
Alternative Distribution Alliance president Andy Allen, who heads the Time Warner
division that handles distribution for small projects and affiliated labels.
For example, Allen hypothetically cites "a metal band that might sell 100,000 to
150,000 units, which may not be enough to sustain their existence at a major, but is a
great band to have at an indie label."
In the wake of the cutbacks at Universal, many observers are predicting a renaissance
of small, niche-oriented independent labels, many of them eager to snap up the spoils.
Jonathan First, president of Edel America Records, a cash-rich European indie now
making inroads into the USA, is one potential customer. First says his company is
looking for "young talent."
"A lot of the acts that were developed at Geffen and AM haven't even had the chance
to come out yet, and some of them are quite good," First says.
"What we do is evaluate the credibility and quality of the music, and also think about
the marketing of the act. We have to really believe we can do something with it. We
don't sign many things here, but what we do sign, we really, really work."
Dan Beck, president of Richard Branson's V2 Records, says he's also shopping. "For us,
we'd be very excited about an act that had 10,000 or 20,000 units they had sold and
had started to establish something," Beck says. "It might be called a failure (at a
major label), but it could be just the first step toward success."
Despite the robust indie market, artists shouldn't dawdle about finding a new home,
industry observers say. The cost efficiencies achieved by lopping acts at Universal
are going to be watched very closely at other record companies owned by
FYI: SF Bay Area Rockabilly/Country schedule
FRIDAY APRIL 2 Jeff Bright the Sunshine Boys @ Ivy Room, 858 San Pablo/Solano, Albany 10pm Sean Kennedy King Kats @ Fog Bank, 211 Esplande, Capitola 8pm Cheseseballs/Chicken Coupe DeVille @ Slim's, 333 11th St./Folsom, San Francisco 9pm $12 SATURDAY APRIL 3 Jeff Bright the Sunshine Boys @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, San Francisco 10pm The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm MONDAY APRIL 5 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm WEDNESDAY APRIL 7 Wildfire Willie the Ramblers @ DeMarco's 23 Club, 23 Visitacion, Brisbane 9pm Lucky Diaz the High Rollers @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz FRIDAY APRIL 9 The Bachelors @ Pat O'Shea's Mad Hatter, 3848 Geary, SF 930pm SATURDAY APRIL 10 Sonny George Tennessee Sons/Rockin' Lloyd Tripp the Zipguns @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco The Bachelors @ 4 Dueces, 2319 Taraval, San Francisco 9pm SUNDAY APRIL 11 The Go-Getters @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 430pm Jesse the Moonshots @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, SF 930pm MONDAY APRIL 12 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm TUESDAY APRIL 13 Rockin' Billy his Wild Coyotes @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., SJ 9pm $3 WEDNESDAY APRIL 14 Deke Dickerson Ecco-Fonics @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm The Rounders @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz THURSDAY APRIL 15 The Chop Tops @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz FRIDAY APRIL 16 Big Sandy his Fly-Rite Boys/Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Fonics @ Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, San Francisco 9pm $13 Sean Kennedy King Kats @ Fog Bank, 211 Esplande, Capitola 8pm MONDAY APRIL 19 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm TUESDAY APRIL 20 The Hillbilly Hellcats @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm $3 WEDNESDAY APRIL 21 Jeff Bright Sunshine Boys @ Cafe DuNord, 2170 Market, SF 10pm The Hillbilly Hellcats @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz FRIDAY APRIL 23 Hootenanny Tour: Lee Rocker/Russell Scott Red Hots/Paladins/ Rattled Roosters/Chop Tops @ Palookaville, 1133 Pacific, Santa Cruz Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Phonics @ The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific, Santa Cruz SATURDAY APRIL 24 Jeff Bright Sunshine Boys @ DeMarco's, 23 Visitacion, Brisbane Lee Rocker @ Cocodrie, 1024 Kearney, San Francisco Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Phonics/Johnny Dilks the Visitacion Valley Boys @ Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck, Berkeley 945pm $6 SUNDAY APRIL 25 BR5-49 @ Slim's, 333 11th St./Folsom, San Francisco Randy Rich the Poor Boys @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, San Francisco 930pm MONDAY APRIL 26 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm TUESDAY APRIL 27 Randy Rich the Poor Boys @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., SJ 9pm $3 WEDNESDAY APRIL 28 Jeff Bright Sunshine Boys @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm Blue Bell Wranglers @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco Cadillac Angels @ Henfling's Tavern, 9450 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond The Chop Tops @ The Catalyst (in the atrium), 1011 Pacific, Santa Cruz MONDAY MAY 3 The Bachelors @ Lou's Pier 47, 300 Jefferson, San Francisco 4pm The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm TUESDAY MAY 4 Cadillac Angels @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm SATURDAY MAY 8 The Bachelors @ 4 Dueces, 2319 Taraval, San Francisco 9pm MONDAY MAY 10 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm MONDAY MAY 17 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm WEDNESDAY MAY 19 Buck Owens, Red Meat @ Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, San Francisco SATURDAY MAY 22 Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Phonics/Cadillac Angels/The Chop Tops @ The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific, Santa Cruz MONDAY MAY 24 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm THURSDAY MAY 27 The Bachelors @ Lou's Pier 47, 300 Jefferson, San Francisco 9pm MONDAY MAY 31 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco 930pm Steve Hathaway San Jose, California [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.vivid.com
Number two in a series: http://www.vivid.com
Re: http://www.vivid.com
My apologies for posting a fluffy URL to this list. I meant to send it to the Twangfest list but got confused for a second.
Clip: Mojo Nixon on MP3.com
http://www.mp3.com/news/205.html Mojo Nixon Sounds Off! By Mojo Nixon March 20, 1999 [Editor's Note: Mojo "Bring Me The Head Of David Geffen" Nixon stops by this week to let off some steam the only way he knows how (parental guidance suggested). For those of you not familiar with Mr. Nixon--first off, shame on you--he is a national treasure; one of rock's most profane and insane. As Rolling Stone wrote, "It's Nixon's crusading commitment to raw, stripped down rock'n'roll and his anger at all things that defile and dilute it that make such a bracing tonic in these bland and kingless times." Mojo and his new label Shanachie were kind enough to let us be the first to post "I Don't Want No Cybersex" (http://www.mp3.com/artists/14/mojo_nixon__the_toadliquors.html) from his outstanding new album, "The Real Sock Ray Blue" (due in stores March 23). If your MP3 collection don't have Mojo Nixon, then your MP3 collection needs some fixin'!] Mojo says: "A bunch of lyin,' cheatin' Record Company creatins are gonna start spewing a giant line of bullshit about how artists must be protected from MP3.com--about how the Internet is gonna ruin their criminal Spice/Hootie cash grab--about how there must be regulations and the Rio must be outlawed and that there must be "industry" consensus on how to keep ass-fucking the artists and keep those uppity cash cow kids in their place. People, don't believe The Big Lie from big brother NARAS, major record labels, the RIAA, etc.! The real question is not who the artist is going to get screwed by and how the artist is going to get screwed. It's is he/she gonna control their own their own exploitation or is some coke-snorting, L.A. shyster surrounded by scum lawyers gonna suck the talent dry from our best and brightest rock and rollers? I don't care what you make illegal--the future cannot be stopped. Not only is MP3 just the tip of the iceberg, but Internet radio, Rios, and even PC car radios are coming faster than Madonna. This ain't about piracy or bootlegs or artistic integrity. This is about monopolies, capitalism, and the man keeping us down. Fuck the man! Let freedom ring! Let 1,000 flowers bloom! I'm putting my song, "I Don't Want No Cybersex" on MP3.com for free to spread the word of the insanity that is me. Hell, you can still buy my CD if you want to or resurrect my former Web site Mojo World and become a Mojoholic or Mojonite. Alas, the guy who used to run it is currently residing in a state institution for the criminally insane. Anyway, you get the picture. Download my song, fight the power, cry havoc, and let rip the dogs of war as we proud, few nut jobs, begin to visualize armed insurrection."
Re: Ranchera?
http://www.mariachi.org has a number of fine links to many Mexican music sites. Vincente Fernandez, Juan Gabriel, Lola Beltran and Lydia Mendoza are among the names that pop up frequently while searching the net for "musica ranchera". Also check out http://www.elmariachi.com for some further exploration. I would agree that Arhoolie (http://www.arhoolie.com) has the finest selection of Mexican music for non-Mexicans, particularly when it comes to historic recordings. Their budget priced CD series has a particularly good compilation of Mexican music that's well worth picking up.
FYI:SF Bay Area RAB/Country Calendar
I've taken the liberty of adding a date in here. I'll be playing with a band called JelloHat (name created from the combination of two band members' names - Hatfield and Gelormini) at the Velvet Lounge in North Beach on Wednesday, March 31. We're not quite country - we have a saxophonist who's quite good - but it should be interesting. Unfortunately we're playing the same night as Hal Peters. Please GO to one of these shows if you're in the area. = From: Steve Hathaway ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Subject: SF Bay Area RAB/Country Calendar WEDNESDAY MARCH 24 The Chop Tops @ The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific, Santa Cruz 9pm (in the Atrium) The Haywoods @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco THURSDAY MARCH 25 Sean Kennedy the King Kats @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz 930pm CD release party FRIDAY MARCH 26 James Intveld/Red Meat/Bud E. Luv @ Transmission Theatre, 11th St./Folsom, San Francisco The Hepsters @ Murphy's Law, 135 S. Murphy, Sunnyvale SATURDAY MARCH 27 Bland Ol' Opry: Supersuckers/Gerald Collier/Wilson Gil the Willful Sinners @ Cocodrie, 1024 Kearney, San Francisco 9pm SUNDAY MARCH 28 Hot Dogs Hot Rods: The Stillmen/Rockin' Lloyd Tripp the Zipguns/ Gerard Landry the Lariats @ Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF noon $5 all you can eat BBQ Darrin Stout the Starlighters @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, SF 930pm MONDAY MARCH 29 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco TUESDAY MARCH 30 Hal Peters his String Dusters/Johnny Dilks the Visitacion Valley Boys @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave./Post, San José 9pm WEDNESDAY MARCH 31 Hal Peters his String Dusters/Johnny Dilks the Visitacion Valley Boys @ DeMarco's 23 Club, 23 Visitacion, Brisbane 9pm JelloHat at the Velvet Lounge, 443 Broadway, 9:30pm WEDNESDAY APRIL 7 Wildfire Willie the Ramblers @ DeMarco's 23 Club, 23 Visitacion, Brisbane 9pm Lucky Diaz the High Rollers @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, San José 10pm SATURDAY APRIL 10 Sonny George Tennessee Sons/Rockin' Lloyd Tripp the Zipguns @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco SUNDAY APRIL 11 Jesse the Moonshots @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, San Francisco 930pm TUESDAY APRIL 13 Rockin' Billy his Wild Coyotes @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., SJ 9pm $3 WEDNESDAY APRIL 14 Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Fonics @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm The Rounders @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco THURSDAY APRIL 14 The Chop Tops @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz FRIDAY APRIL 16 Big Sandy his Fly-Rite Boys/Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Fonics @ Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, San Francisco 9pm $13 TUESDAY APRIL 20 The Hillbilly Hellcats @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm $3 WEDNESDAY APRIL 21 The Hillbilly Hellcats @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco FRIDAY APRIL 23 Hootenanny Tour: Lee Rocker/Russell Scott Red Hots/Paladins/Rattled Roosters/The Chop Tops @ Palookaville, 1133 Pacific, Santa Cruz SATURDAY APRIL 24 BR5-49 @ Slim's, 333 11th St./Folsom, San Francisco Lee Rocker @ Cocodrie, 1024 Kearney, San Francisco Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Phonics/Johnny Dilks the Visitacion Valley Boys @ Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck, Berkeley 945pm $6 TUESDAY APRIL 27 Randy Rich the Poor Boys @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm $3 WEDNESDAY APRIL 28 Jeff Bright the Sunshine Boys @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm Blue Bell Wranglers @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco Cadillac Angels @ Henfling's Tavern, 9450 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond TUESDAY MAY 4 Cadillac Angels @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm WEDNESDAY MAY 19 Buck Owens @ Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, San Francisco SATURDAY MAY 22 Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Phonics/Cadillac Angels/The Chop Tops @ The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific, Santa Cruz Please come out and see Hal Peters the String Dusters with Johnny Dilks at Fuel next Tuesday. This is the bands first trip from Finland. They have a great late 40s western swing/honk tonk style, featuring killer steel guitar from Lester Peabody. Next week's calendar may be late due to my returning from Viva Las Vegas and job situation. Hope to see some of you at Fuel or Vegas, Steve Hathaway San Jose, California [EMAIL PROTECTED]
FYI: Tut Taylor Norman Blake live online
From Tut Taylor's excellent web site (now at http://www.tuttaylor.com): Tut Taylor and Norman Blake will get together for a LIVE! online concert "Pickin' in Earl's Kitchen" on Solid Gold Bluegrass (http://www.solidgoldbluegrass.com). The date for this first-of-its-kind event for Tut and Norman is March 25th at 8 p.m. EST. It has been a long time since Tut and Norman have done a show and they promise a fun time for all! It will be interactive too - email requests and they'll do their best! They may even have a chat line running. Join Tut and Norman for this new-fangled old time online radio show and hear some great music from two good old friends. Be 'round or be square! ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Interesting article on a new band from SF
This one's too long to clip, so I'm posting the current URL. The band is called Train and the article contains some interesting observations on a new band trying to make it big in today's musical business. http://www.sfweekly.com/1999/current/music1.html np: Tom Morrell and the Time Warp Tophands Go Uptown
Clip: Guitar Remains At the Heart of Texas Festival
Guitar Remains At the Heart of Texas Festival Beck, Waits, Williams at South by Southwest James Sullivan, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, March 19, 1999 URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/19/DD36403.DTLtype=music The guitar cases were the first items off the plane Wednesday in Austin, Texas, home of the annual South by Southwest music conference, which takes place this week. The music industry may be casting about for a new sound to flog, but the guitar still rules in Texas. On Wednesday night the veteran six-string dazzler Jeff Beck showcased his new album ``Who Else?'' at La Zona Rosa, tweaking his showy instrumentals with the anxious hubbub of electronica. No one danced, of course. It was still rock 'n' roll, catering to a predominantly male audience with a collective case of slack-jaw. ``Hot damn!'' hollered one observer. The festival organizers have been working to include a wider variety of music -- this year's lineup includes showcases for hip-hop and rock en Espanol -- but songwriting remains the prime focus at SXSW. Nouveau troubadours Beth Orton, Sparklehorse and the Old 97s are playing some of this year's most highly anticipated gigs. Tomorrow's rare performance by Tom Waits, Sonoma's master of the eccentric ballad, is the conference's most coveted ticket. Yesterday, Southern-drawlin' sweetheart Lucinda Williams delivered the keynote speech at the Austin Convention Center, the hub of SXSW. Proving that the stubborn rock 'n' roll lifestyle still appeals, Williams' ``Car Wheels on a Gravel Road'' recently beat out ``The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' for 1998's top album in the influential Village Voice critics' poll. Her simple message, nervously accompanied by acoustic versions of some of her best songs, called for recording artists to stick to their guns. ``The whole music business has become corporate, and that's the problem,'' she said. ``I don't think the major labels are working anymore.'' The record companies are wondering the same thing. This year's panel discussions include a debate about downloading music from the Internet, one about Wall Street and the music industry and another titled ``How Will Consolidation Affect the Indie Scene?'' Other panels weren't quite so business- minded. One yesterday, called ``I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love With You,'' celebrated the late Hank Williams' enduring influence; another, taking place today, looks at the long history of nonsense lyrics in rock 'n' roll. On the Sixth Street nightclub drag and in the outlying clubs, the atmosphere is anything but academic. On Wednesday, several Bay Area bands vied for attention from the talent buyers, artist-and-repertoire people and other industry reps on hand. Sacramento's Deathray, featuring two recently departed members of Cake, guitarist Greg Brown and bassist Victor Damiani, unveiled its Britpop fixation at the Steamboat, one of Sixth Street's more collegiate venues. Earlier in the day, the band mem bers made the rounds of Austin radio stations, playing a $5 Casio keyboard they picked up at a pawn shop ``straight from the airport,'' according to singer Dana Gumbiner. Another no-frills joint called the Buffalo Club featured two bands on Sacramento's Future Farmer record label, Jackpot and Joaquina. With a wry hillbilly attitude (they covered ``Highway to Hell'') and some impressive jazzy interplay among the band's three members, Jackpot reconfirmed itself as one of Northern California's better live bands. With little name recognition to speak of, however, its audience numbered in the dozens -- mostly University of Texas students, not Los Angeles talent scouts. A thousand bands will play in Austin before the weekend is over, many of them to crowds not much bigger than they're used to at home. ``Half of me feels happy to be here and the other half feels stupid,'' said Jackpot's bassist Sheldon Cooney, drinking a beer in a courtyard behind the club after his band's set. His outfit, a short-sleeve dress shirt and a striped thrift-shop tie, made him look like a traveling salesman. Highly appropriate, given the self-promotional frenzy of SXSW. Earlier in the evening, several blocks to the east of the commotion on Sixth Street, the San Francisco- based punky Latin soul band Los Mocosos headlined a relaxed community event on an outdoor soundstage next to a Little League game. Texas is treating Los Mocosos well right now, with Latino and alternative radio stations picking up on the band's new single, ``Brown and Proud.'' Perhaps flush with his group's mounting success, lead singer Piero el Malo (formerly with Los Angelitos) poked some good-natured fun at his hometown. San Franciscans think all Texans wear cowboy hats, he said. ``What do you expect from a bunch of tofu-eatin' hippies?''
Clip: Another view of SXSW from San Francisco
Music-Industry Merger Casts Shadow on South by Southwest James Sullivan, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, March 17, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/17/DD31646.DTLtype=music Live music, free-flowing beer and smoking grills as far as the eye can see: The annual South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas, is the record industry's version of March Madness. This year, however, a certain sobriety threatens to dampen the festivities, which begin today and run through Sunday. Seagram's recent purchase of Polygram has resulted in the dilution of some of the industry's most highly regarded labels -- AM, Geffen, Island. At least a few hundred bands and as many as 3,000 employees have received pink slips in recent weeks. While nearly 30 Bay Area bands are heading to Austin for the conference, including Imperial Teen, the Hi-Fives, Los Mocosos, Jackpot, the Mother Hips and Neurosis, few of them expect to bring back much more than hangovers. ``I think there's a general feeling of disillusionment in the music industry,'' says Hans Dobbratz, lead singer of Dura-Delinquent. Having missed the deadline to apply for a spot in the official showcases, the bratty San Francisco band plans to perform around Austin on a rented flatbed truck. The group's kamikaze appearances will be a kind of protest, Dobbratz says. ``All we really want to do is have fun and play rock 'n' roll. We want to give it to the people pure and free and unadulterated -- no middleman or business weirdness.'' Weirdness has been the first order of business this year in the industry. In addition to the merger, record companies are fretting over the new MP3 technology, a way of downloading music from the Internet that promises to radically alter the distribution of recorded music. But doomsday predictions are wildly premature, says Bonnie Simmons, Cake's manager and a founder of the music convention SFO in recent years. ``I've never seen the record industry get to this point, but I've certainly lived through three or four major purges. They seem to happen every five years or so.'' Simmons goes to South by Southwest (SXSW) every year with a coterie of San Franciscans, including staffers from Slim's and the Great American Music Hall. This year she's escorting her latest client, the highly touted (and unsigned) songwriter Etienne DeRocher. She says the industry's uneasiness won't keep her from enjoying herself. ``I don't feel like I'm going to a wake,'' she laughs. Actually, the shakeup might be just the thing for the big-money gathering, says Adam Cohen, former front man of the Geffen signee the Mommyheads. In recent years, SXSW began moving away from its original function as a showcase for unsigned bands, as record labels lobbied for appearances by established acts plugging their new records. ``Maybe this will bring them back to square one,'' says Cohen. With the majors unwilling to spend as lavishly as they have in recent years, unsigned acts might find better venues to play than ``an ice cream parlor five miles out of town.'' With the Mommyheads broken up after being dropped by Geffen, Cohen's new band Adam Elk -- featuring members of the Kinetics and Mumblin Jim, two other groups affected by the industry turmoil -- has been enjoying an early surge of local interest. He's not going to SXSW, concentrating instead on promoting his band's forthcoming independent release, ``Labello,'' here in town; there's a record-release party March 25 at Slim's. In hindsight, he says, this might have been as good a year as any to go to SXSW. ``I might've missed my one year, when the integrity's back,'' he says. Simmons points out that getting signed is just one of many productive connections people make at SXSW. When Cake was in its infancy, the band played Austin and attracted the attention of talent buyers from clubs around the country, laying the groundwork for Cake's first successful tours outside California. ``I think we sometimes give people the idea that these conventions are a peculiar, rigid star search,'' she says. Record company representatives ``don't just stumble into a nightclub, accidentally see a band and take a contract out of their pocket.'' Whatever the industry climate, she says, Austin's relaxed attitude will take the edge off. ``It's the only convention where I don't feel people are shaking my hand and looking over my shoulder for the next person to accost,'' Simmons says. ``It's just comfortable.''
FYI: Shot Jackson's Sho-Bro for Sale
From the Steel Guitar Forum by Terry Miller (http://www.b0b.com/forum/Forum3/HTML/001377.html): I am posting this on behalf of Donna Jackson. Donna wants to sell Shot's black 7 string Sho-Bro. This was his own guitar. Take it from me, it is a great sounding guitar. I used it on volume 2 of "Pickin on Shot: a Tribute to Shot Jackson". It would be a great collectors item as well as a great guitar. You can contact Donna at: Donna Jackson 3030 Hobson Pike Antioch TN 37013 ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Fwd: San Francisco Bay Area RAB/Country Calendar
SATURDAY MARCH 20 Cigar Store Indians @ Cafe DuNord, 2170 Market, San Francisco 10pm $7 Kountry K's @ El Rio, 3158 Mission, San Francisco SUNDAY MARCH 21 Rockin' Lloyd Tripp Zipguns @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, SF 930pm The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz MONDAY MARCH 22 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco WEDNESDAY MARCH 24 The Chop Tops @ The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific, Santa Cruz 9pm (in the Atrium) The Haywoods @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco record release party THURSDAY MARCH 25 Sean Kennedy the King Kats @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz 930pm CD release party FRIDAY MARCH 26 James Intveld/Red Meat/Bud E. Luv @ Transmission Theatre, 11th St./Folsom, San Francisco The Hepsters @ Murphy's Law, 135 S. Murphy, Sunnyvale SUNDAY MARCH 28 Hot Dogs Hot Rods: The Stillmen/Rockin' Lloyd Tripp the Zipguns/ Gerard Landry and the Lariats @ Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF noon $5 all you can eat BBQ Darrin Stout the Starlighters @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, SF 930pm MONDAY MARCH 29 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco TUESDAY MARCH 30 Hal Peters his String Dusters/Johnny Dilks the Visitacion Valley Boys @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San Jose 9pm WEDNESDAY MARCH 31 Hal Peters his String Dusters/Johnny Dilks the Visitacion Valley Boys @ DeMarco's 23 Club, 23 Visitacion, Brisbane 9pm WEDNESDAY APRIL 7 Wildfire Willie the Ramblers @ DeMarco's 23 Club, 23 Visitacion, Brisbane 9pm Lucky Diaz the High Rollers @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, San Jose 10pm SATURDAY APRIL 10 Sonny George Tennessee Sons/Rockin' Lloyd Tripp the Zipguns @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco SUNDAY APRIL 11 Jesse the Moonshots @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, San Francisco 930pm TUESDAY APRIL 13 Rockin' Billy his Wild Coyotes @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., SJ 9pm $3 WEDNESDAY APRIL 14 Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Fonics @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm The Rounders @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco FRIDAY APRIL 16 Big Sandy his Fly-Rite Boys/Deke Dickerson the Ecco-Fonics @ Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, San Francisco 9pm $13 TUESDAY APRIL 20 The Hillbilly Hellcats @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San Jose 9pm $3 WEDNESDAY APRIL 21 The Hillbilly Hellcats @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco THURSDAY APRIL 22 Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Phonics/Cadillac Angels/The Chop Tops @ The Catalyst, 1011 Pacific, Santa Cruz FRIDAY APRIL 23 Hootenanny Tour: Lee Rocker/Russell Scott his Red Hots/The Paladins/The Chop Tops @ Palookaville, 1133 Pacific, Santa Cruz SATURDAY APRIL 24 Lee Rocker @ Cocodrie, 1024 Kearney, San Francisco TUESDAY APRIL 27 Randy Rich the Poor Boys @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San Jose 9pm $3 WEDNESDAY APRIL 28 Jeff Bright the Sunshine Boys @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm Blue Bell Wranglers @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco Cadillac Angels @ Henfling's Tavern, 9450 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond TUESDAY MAY 4 Cadillac Angels @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San Jose 9pm That's it this week. Urge everyone who likes late 40s style country to see the shows at end of month with Hal Peters the Stringdusters (Finland).With Johnny Dilks on bill it should be hillbilly heaven. Dilks, by the way, has just finished recording first CD. It is to come out on Hightone by summer. One of Europe's best rockabilly band's, Wildfire Willie the Ramblers (Sweden) comes to town early April. Look also for the Go-Getters (Sweden) in early April. Steve Hathaway San Jose, California [EMAIL PROTECTED]
FYI: alt.music.no-depression now available
As seen on my news server... From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.Smith) Newsgroups: alt.music.no-depression Subject: New Group Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 23:25:19 GMT Organization: WWWeb World Lines: 12 Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.5/32.452 Xref: news.macromedia.com alt.music.no-depression:3 Status: N This is a new Usenet group that has been created for the discussion of "No Depression" bands, as well as roots/revival bands and their influences. Have patience, since it will take a few weeks for this group to eventually make it's way around to all the news servers out there. Glad to see this new group come about. SS
A couple of shows in SF
March 24, The Gourds and Jon Dee Graham at Slim's March 24, Nashville Pussy at the Edge, Palo Alto April 2, Sebadoh, Richard Buckner, lowercase at Bimbo's 365 Club April 18, Jeff Beck at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland May 8, Volunteer Jam Tour '99, featuring Charlie Daniels Band, Marshall Tucker Band, Molly Hatchet, at Concord Pavilion Just a couple of interesting shows on the agenda. More once I recover from last night. I played the cocktail hour at the Spinsters Society ball. Imagine 500 college educated, unmarried women between 25 and 35, dressed to kill (black tie formal, some stunning gowns) with gourmet nibbles, free drinks, and casino gaming, all to benefit a summer camp for children with cancer. One of those GOOD gigs...even if you don't get paid. ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Clip: Another interview with Jeff Tweedy
You'd think he was pimping a new CD or something... Q A With Wilco's Jeff Tweedy Aidin Vaziri Sunday, March 14, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/14/PK98714.DTL It's the morning after the Grammy Awards, and Jeff Tweedy, the soft-spoken front man for Wilco, is recovering in his Los Angeles hotel room. He is not exactly the type you would expect to find frequenting industry affairs; last night was the exception. Wilco was contending for the best contemporary folk album prize for its critically acclaimed collaboration with Billy Bragg on last year's ``Mermaid Avenue,'' an interpretation of lost Woody Guthrie songs. The prize went to Lucinda Williams, but Tweedy, 31, is still marveling at the recognition. As a former member of the acclaimed roots-rock band Uncle Tupelo, the singer-songwriter has been on the brink of success for so long he almost forgot the potential was still there. Wilco's latest album, ``Summer Teeth,'' a dark and emotional epic, may change all that. It is already being heralded in some circles as a clincher for album of the year. Q: Are you mad you didn't win the Grammy? A: No. We were pretty much expecting to lose. The thought crossed my mind that it would be pretty terrifying to make a speech. Whenever you're up for anything, part of you wants to win, but we pretty much knew from the moment the category was announced that Lucinda Williams was going to win. Q: Pretend that you did win and you're at the podium right now. Let's hear your speech. A: No, thanks. I escaped that -- why would you make me do it? Q: Just preparing you for next year when ``Summer Teeth'' sweeps. What prompted such a vulnerable record? A: I think lyrically, ``Being There'' was the same. Musically, we are very self-confident, but I don't know many people that maintain a self-assured mind-set all the time. They're just songs. I don't psychoanalyze them that much. Just because they're first-person doesn't mean there's any grand scheme behind them. I guess it takes a certain amount of self-assuredness to be vulnerable, but I don't know if that was the goal. Q: You illustrate a lot of your songs with violence. What would it take for you to become violent in real life? A: Probably someone in the service industry. Maybe if someone was trying to hurt my son? I don't know. I don't like to think about violence, but just because I don't think about it doesn't mean that it's not in me. I'm sure those lines are going to be misunderstood. You can't expect anything that you write to be read in the right way, but I don't think that should inhibit you. They're not really violent to me. They're more about passion. Q: Do you ever beat the other band members on the head with your guitar? A: Not on purpose. Actually, we get along pretty well. Q: Does this record accurately depict you as a downhearted person? A: Ideally, the record starts in one place and ends somewhere more hopeful. I don't think it has an overall mood. We just wanted to make a record that was interesting to listen to from song to song. Maybe something you could listen to in its entirety. As an overall feeling or mood to the record, I can't say. People either tell me it's happier or really sad. I think it's good that it's open-ended. Q: Is Wilco on the VH1 track of success, excess and tragedy? A: Well, we have to get to the first one first. Maybe we did it the other way around. I don't know. I barely know what you're talking about. Q: Are you going to freak out if this album becomes successful? A: The potential is always there. Every time you put out a record you have some high hopes that it will do good, not necessarily sales-wise, but that it will be received well. It's a pretty vague thing. I'm not any more apprehensive about success than I would be failure. I don't know exactly what would define it for me. I feel satisfied creatively. As long I have an outlet for creativity and to make records, that's about all I could hope for. If it became some huge record, then that's just what I'll have to deal with. That's just the next challenge. Maybe I've been in training. I've had the experience. The carrot has been dangled in front of my face for a long time, not just with Wilco but Uncle Tupelo. I'm used to it being there, and I'm used to it disappearing. Q: Are people still mad Uncle Tupelo broke up? A: I don't know if they're mad. A lot of people ask if we're going to get back together or if I'm still in contact with Jay Farrar. I'll say this, though. It's a lot easier to deal with now than it was five years ago. Q: Do you fall asleep when you listen to your former band mate's new group, Son Volt? A: Only at their shows. Q: Who do you think gets more girls? A: That is the important question, and I don't really know. I'd have to say that we do. We're a lot cuter and that's all that matters. Let's
Opinions on Trace Elliot Velocette amp?
I'm looking for a good small amp for lap steel guitar use. By "good" I mean small and inexpensive with decent tone. One that's been recommended to me is the Trace Elliot Velocette. Unfortunately it seems to have been discontinued. Does anyone know about these amps (particularly where I can get one)? I've read the reviews at Harmony Central (http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data) and they're pretty positive. Thanks in advance.
Clip: Geek alert: Microsoft's challenge to MP3 format
http://www.mp3.com/news/197.html Exclusive: Microsoft Prepares Breakthrough MS Audio 4.0! By Doug Reece March 11, 1999 Sources say that Microsoft will release MS Audio 4.0--a new file format that compresses audio files to half the size of an average MP3 file while improving sound quality--sometime in April. The company also plans to distribute free encoders for the ASF (advanced streaming format) audio. "It's a high-priority over there with 'The Owner,'" says one source. Sources say the format will have a security feature built in, but reports are mixed as to MS Audio 4.0's e-commerce capability. Some believe the format will launch with commerce functions built in; others say it's not clear how far along Microsoft is with commercial applications. According to another source in the music industry, Microsoft has been approaching the major record labels over the last few weeks to discuss the new format. Some labels have also been solicited for music content, which Microsoft plans on including on a demo CD that contains 10 hours of music in the MS Audio 4.0 format. Initially, MS Audio 4.0 can only play on Windows Media Player, which raises questions about Microsoft's strategic position. It will also play on Windows CE devices (hand held PCs). "They're not trying to squeeze out anybody," says yet another source. "They don't fancy this as another Liquid Audio and they're not looking at this as a means to extend their world domination. They're just providing you with another alternative." The launch of MS Audio 4.0, if true, also brings into clearer picture Microsoft's recent investment in Reciprocal Inc. (formerly the Rights Exchange, Inc.). According to a press release from Redmond, the equity stake in the digital rights management company is "the first step in a relationship in which the companies will work together to build the emerging digital content distribution and commerce industry." It's expected that Microsoft will tout the format at its Got ASF? web site (http://www.microsoft.com/sbnmember/osig/gotasf.asp).
RIP Yehudi Menuhin
Speaking of famous violinists...Lord Menuhin was known for an open approach to music of all types. His collaboration with sitar master Ravi Shankar was one of the first cross-cultural experiments I ever heard. I don't know if he ever played fiddle, but he probably could have kicked ass. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_295000/295657.stm Violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin dies World leaders have been paying tribute to violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who has died in Berlin of heart failure aged 82. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said Lord Menuhin's "unique talent" brought joy to millions. He will be remembered the world over as one of the greatest musicians of his age," he said. German President Roman Herzog and French President Jacques Chirac called Yehudi Menuhin one of the most brilliant musicians of the century. "With him, a light has gone out, the light of genius and also the light of the heart," said Mr Chirac. Lord Menuhin died in a Berlin hospital on Friday morning, after arriving in the city on Tuesday for a concert that night. He was taken to hospital during the week suffering from bronchitis, and died after a "very brief illness". Died in a Berlin hospitalLord Menuhin lived in central London with his second wife, the ballerina Diana Gould, with whom he had two sons. He was a renowned interpreter of classical and modern music, and also famous for establishing the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey, which trained other stars such as punk violinist Nigel Kennedy. 'He wanted to share' The headmaster of the Surrey school, Nicolas Chisholm, said: "I've told the children and they are heartbroken. "He was inspirational and we're going to miss that inspiration dreadfully." Kennedy once said: ""He had this box of chocolates he wanted to share with people - that was his attitude." Just before Christmas, Lord Menuhin was promoting music teaching in British schools. He believed music could play a vital role in civilising society. "Art reflects the refinement of a civilisation," he said. "Music goes both ways. You make yourself heard and listen to others." Naturalised Briton Lord Menuhin was born in New York of Russian immigrant parents, but became a naturalised Briton in 1985 and was knighted two years later. He was made a life peer in 1993. He gave up public performances in his 70s, when his hearing become impaired, but continued conducting at his school at least once a month. Former head of music for BBC television Humphrey Burton, who is writing a biography of Lord Menuhin, described him as "the world's greatest violinist". He went on: "Musicians loved working with him. We are going to miss him greatly." "The last thing he did was dictate letters from his hospital bed on Tuesday," he said, "and the last was to Gordon Brown congratulating him on his Budget."
Clip: John Mellencamp Son Volt on tour
http://www.sonicnet.com/news John Mellencamp Powering Up 'Rural Electrification' Tour Heartland rocker will perform in 40 cities over two months, starting May 5 in Woodlands, Texas. Senior Writer Gil Kaufman reports: Heartland rocker John Mellencamp will launch his first major concert tour in more than two years May 5 with a show at the Woodlands Pavilion in Woodlands, Texas. Mellencamp has scheduled 40 dates at various outdoor amphitheaters and arenas in support of his self-titled 1998 album, which features the song "Your Life is Now" (RealAudio excerpt). The two-month string of shows, dubbed the "Rural Electrification" tour, will bring the singer/songwriter to California in early May, then he'll trek across the Midwest, up the East Coast and back through Texas. The tour will wind up July 16 at the Coca-Cola Starplex Amphitheatre in Dallas. Roots-rockers Son Volt are set as the opening act. According to Indiana native Mellencamp, the name of the tour is derived from his eagerness to bring the music from his most recent album to his fans. "In the '30s, rural electrification brought electricity to farmers and other rural dwellers for the first time in their lives," Mellencamp stated in a press release announcing the tour. "And along with that electricity came radios and record players: Music! "We're lucky enough that, for the last 20 years, we've had the opportunity to play our own small part in bringing music to people; to entertain them and have a lot of fun in the process." John Mellencamp Tour Dates: May 5; Woodlands, Texas; Woodlands Pavilion May 7; Phoenix, Ariz.; Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion May 8; Los Angeles, Calif.; Hollywood Bowl May 9; Chula Vista, Calif.; Coors Amphitheater May 11; Mountain View, Calif.; Shoreline Amphitheater May 12; Concord, Calif.; Concord Pavilion May 14; George, Wash.; The Gorge May 17; West Valley, Utah; E Center May 19; Morrison, Colo.; Red Rocks Amphitheater May 21; Bonner Springs, Mo.; Sandstone May 22; Maryland Heights, Mo.; Riverport Amphitheater May 23; Antioch, Tenn.; First American Music Center May 26; Minneapolis, Minn.; Target Center May 27; Madison, Wis.; Kohl Center May 28; Tinley Park, Ill.; The New World Music Theatre June 11; Hartford, Conn.; The Meadows Amphitheater June 12; Mansfield, Mass.; Great Woods Center June 13; Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Saratoga Performing Arts Center June 15; Hershey, Pa.; Star Pavilion June 16; Holmdel, N.J.; PNC Bank/Garden State Arts Center June 19; Philadelphia, Pa.; First Union Center June 20; Burgettstown, Pa.; Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheater June 22; Cincinnati, Ohio; Riverbend Music Center June 23; Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; Blossom Music Center, Stadium June 29; Columbus, Ohio; Polaris Amphitheater June 30; Detroit, Mich.; Pine Knob Music Theatre July 2; Milwaukee, Wis.; Milwaukee Summerfest July 3-4; Indianapolis, Ind.; Deer Creek Music Center July 6; Vienna, Va.; Barns At Wolf Trap July 7; Raleigh, N.C.; Walnut Creek July 9; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Coral Sky Amphitheater July 11; Atlanta, Ga.; Chastain Park Amphitheater July 13; Charlotte, N.C.; Blockbuster Pavilion July 14; Louisville, Ky.; Freedom Hall July 16; Dallas, Texas; Coca-Cola Starplex Amphitheater
Re: twanglife after 50, 60, 70 ...
Blah blah the lives of famous or historical people looked like at later key ages, particularly after 50 (examples include: Frank Lloyd Wright, Sidney Greenstreet - even Philip Glass, who apparently was a plumber until he hit 40). Musical suggestions would be appreciated (interesting non-musical examples too, for that matter). Twang example: Don Walser Clarification needed. Are you talking about folks who hit it big in a later key age (such as Don Walser) or someone who hit it big early, but have continued to make vital contributions to their area of expertise (such as Bill Monroe)?
Clip: Allman Brothers at the Beacon Theater, NYC
Southern Rock Enshrined, but Still Raucous Allman Brothers at the Beacon Theater ANN POWERS 03/09/99 When a rock band signs up to do 18 concerts in one place in one month, it had better be able to show off more than one personality. The Allman Brothers, repeating last year's residency at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan, manage that trick with ease. Here are a few things the Allmans are in 1999. The Allman Brothers are legends. The group remained elegantly absorbed in its playing throughout Friday's long performance. The guitarist Dickey Betts, in a cowboy hat and multiple tattoos, rogueishly embodied Southern rock. The heft of middle age made Gregg Allman seem more soulful as he played Hammond organ and sang his rough blues. Behind these icons, mementos spanning the band's career flashed on a big screen: concert posters, album covers, portraits of the group's deceased members, Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. These Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame inductees had brought along their own museum. The Allman Brothers are also a cult band. Friday's show included rarely performed chestnuts like "Revival" and the group's version of "Stormy Monday." Fans screamed in delight at these treats as the most devoted scribbled down set lists. Many were college-age followers of the recent generation of jam bands, pleased to see the new Allman Brothers bassist, Oteil Burbridge, who also plays with the popular Aquarium Rescue Unit. The group attracts these young acolytes because they emphasize improvisation. Songs stretched elastically as members took protracted solos. A new tune by Mr. Betts, "J. J.'s Alley," shifted from a be-bop-inspired beginning to Santana-style rock to Texas blues. The drummers Jai Johanny Johanson and Butch Trucks got their chance to jam on the instrumental "Les Brers in A Minor," which had Mr. Trucks pounding two bass drums in double time. But the Allman Brothers are a well-oiled machine, too. The Southern boogie the group invented, which mixes blues with jazz and soul, relies on a fast, danceable beat. The way most songs circled back to almost irritatingly catchy riffs got a bit tedious in Friday's third hour, but the band's stamina barely flagged. Some would say the Allman Brothers are the soul of classic rock: music men unswayed by trends who have perfected a fusion of the genre's main ingredients. Traditionalist innovators and liberal good old boys, they are multifarious and contradictory. So is classic rock. In that way, the band is true to form. The Allman Brothers are to play at the Beacon through March 27.
Re: instrumentally speaking
Another problem with instrumentals in the alt.country field is that the lack of voices almost automatically pushes the music into either the alt. or country side of things. Without those Freakwatery voices, most bands are going to sound a lot less country. A notable exception would be Jim Campilongo and the Ten Gallon Cats (featuring Jim Campilongo, guitar and Joe Goldmark, pedal steel). Their first album especially showed off instrumental cowboy jazz with a bit more edge to the guitar tone than used by most people working in this vein. A Greg Ginn-influenced Western Swing band? Dude, I'm there. I'd prefer a Robert Fripp influence. The real question is why hasn't there been more of a push towards that combination of sounds. Blood on the Saddle was probably as close as I've heard.
RIP Joe Dimaggio
Joe DiMaggio, the flawless center fielder for the New York Yankees who, along with Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, symbolized the team's dynastic greatness across the 20th century and whose 56-game hitting streak in 1941 made him an instant and indelible American folk hero, died Monday in his home in Hollywood, Fla. He was 84. In a country that has idolized and even immortalized its 20th-century heroes, from Charles A. Lindbergh to Elvis Presley, no one embodied the American dream of fame and fortune or created a more enduring legend than Joe DiMaggio. He became a figure of unequaled romance and integrity in the national mind because of his consistent professionalism on the baseball field, his marriage to the Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe, his devotion to her after her death, and the pride and courtliness with which he carried himself throughout his life. DiMaggio burst onto the baseball scene from San Francisco in the 1930's and grew into the game's most gallant and graceful center fielder. He wore No. 5 and became the successor to Babe Ruth (No. 3) and Lou Gehrig (No. 4) in the team's pantheon. DiMaggio was the team's superstar for 13 seasons, beginning in 1936 and ending in 1951, and appeared in 11 All-Star Games and 10 World Series. He was, as Roy Blount Jr. once observed, "the class of the Yankees in times when the Yankees outclassed everybody else." He was called the Yankee Clipper and was acclaimed at baseball's centennial in 1969 as "the greatest living ballplayer," the man who in 1,736 games with the Yankees had a career batting average of .325 and hit 361 home runs while striking out only 369 times, one of baseball's most amazing statistics. (By way of comparison, Mickey Mantle had 536 homers and struck out 1,710 times; Reggie Jackson slugged 563 homers and struck out 2,597 times.) But DiMaggio's game was so complete and elegant that it transcended statistics; as The New York Times said in an editorial when he retired, "The combination of proficiency and exquisite grace which Joe DiMaggio brought to the art of playing center field was something no baseball averages can measure and that must be seen to be believed and appreciated." Grace on the Field, Sensitivity Off It DiMaggio glided across the vast expanse of center field at Yankee Stadium with such incomparable grace that long after he stopped playing, the memory of him in full stride remains evergreen. He disdained theatrical flourishes and exaggerated moves, never climbing walls to make catches and rarely diving headlong. He got to the ball just as it fell into his glove, making the catch seem inevitable, almost preordained. The writer Wilfred Sheed wrote, "In dreams I can still see him gliding after fly balls as if he were skimming the surface of the moon." His batting stance was as graceful as his outfield stride. He stood flat-footed at the plate with his feet spread well apart, his bat held still just off his right shoulder. When he swung, his left, or front, foot moved only slightly foward. His swing was pure and flowing with an incredible follow-through; Casey Stengel said, "He made the rest of them look like plumbers." At his peak, he was serenaded as "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" by Les Brown and saluted as "the great DiMaggio" by Ernest Hemingway in "The Old Man and the Sea." He was mentioned in dozens of films and Broadway shows; the sailors in "South Pacific" sing that Bloody Mary's skin is "tender as DiMaggio's glove." Years later, he was remembered by Paul Simon, who wondered with everybody else: "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you." Sensitive to anything written, spoken or sung about him, he confessed that he was puzzled by Simon's lyrics and sought an answer when he met Simon in a restaurant in New York. "I asked Paul what the song meant, whether it was derogatory," DiMaggio recalled. "He explained it to me." When injuries eroded his skills and he could no longer perform to his own standard, he turned his back on his $100,000 salary -- he and his rival Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox then drew the largest paychecks in sports -- and retired in 1951 with the dignity that remained his hallmark. His stormy marriage to Marilyn Monroe lasted less than a year, but they remained one of America's ultimate romantic fantasies: the tall, dark and handsome baseball hero wooing and winning the woman who epitomized Hollywood beauty, glamour and sexuality. He was private and remote. Even Monroe, at their divorce proceedings, said he was given to black moods and would tell her, "Leave me alone." He once said, with disdain, that he kept track of all the books written about his storied life without his consent, and by the late 1990's knew that the count had passed 33. Yet he could be proud, reclusive and vain in such a composed, almost studied way that his
Clip: Tom Petty/Lucinda Williams at the Fillmore
Sorry, I got in late today. It was a really fun time last night. Lucinda kicked ass; she definitely won over some converts. Petty seemed to be stoned, but having a lot of fun. Bonnie Raitt was up in the balcony next to the stage, dancing to the noise. We all thought she was going to come down and join in, but she never did. Still, a dynamite show! = Tom Petty rocks on By Philip Elwood EXAMINER MUSIC CRITIC Monday, March 8, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Examiner URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/hotnews/stories/08/Spetty.dtltype=music Sold-out Fillmore shows leave ticketless fans heartbroken TOM PETTY, his Heartbreakers and the night's guest, Lucinda Williams, stomped off his seven night series of performances (spread over a couple of weeks) at the Fillmore on Sunday night with a definitive performance of good ol' rock 'n' roll, the likes of which we've not heard since his few nights of similar appearances a couple of years ago. Petty's music over the years has shown an integrity virtually unmatched on the rock scene. His band, with him for more than two decades, is the best in the business of traditional, hard-core rock, in large measure because they've stayed together and thus play (magnificently) together. When Petty kicked off "Reelin' and Rockin," Chuck Berry's 1958 classic, the Fillmore crowd, jam-packed into the historic hall where Berry himself often played in the late '60s, waved their arms, moved their bodies, reveling in a song that all of them know but few have ever heard played as well as by the Heartbreakers. Petty's rock and rollin' jamboree kept up Berry's pace as the concert moved to the midnight hour, with tunes old and new tossed into the mix. From JJ Cale's "They Call Me The Breeze" to Bo Diddley's "Diddy Wah Wah"; from "Telstar" to "Homecoming Queen," with "I Won't Back Down," "You Don't Know How It Feels," "Runnin' Down The Road," "Don't Do Me Like That" played along the way. This was not just an evening of grand, exhilarating rock 'n' roll, it was a tribute to Petty's contribution to the popular music of this era and to his perseverance. Through thick and thin -- and he's endured it all -- Petty has sung, played and led his band like a rock 'n' roll crusader. Often entangled in disputes with record companies, sometimes pushed aside as heavy metal and other new varieties of rock music came to popularity, then often vanishing, Petty has continued to play the stuff of which the most enduring rock 'n' roll traditions are made. On Sunday there were frequent stylistic references to Bob Dylan, and many to The Band. The Heartbreakers remain Mike Campbell on guitar, Benmont Tench, keyboards; Howie Epstein, bass and Steve Ferrone, drums, with some additional keyboard and guitar help. Each gets solo space (especially Campbell), but overall this is an ensemble effort. Often overlooked is Petty's own remarkably sensitive and commanding guitar work, around which most renditions are centered. Opening Sunday's show was a performance by Williams and her fine band. Petty and Williams recorded "Change The Locks" together in 1996 (she did it, solo, on Sunday) and her folk-country-rock style and material fitted perfectly into the pattern of Petty's subsequent set. Williams' band arrangements worked behind her voice beautifully -- especially on "Right In Time," a wonderful number. The mood of Petty's shows at the Fillmore brings back memories of bygone years, when rock 'n' roll was more personal, and more fun; when the crowd felt like family and accepted the performers (who were usually very close to their age) as close friends. The deep impression that Petty's music makes on his Fillmore listeners is also an aspect of the feeling that the old hall itself creates. Williams looked around the auditorium, then at the crowd as its cheers subsided, and said, "I can tell you're not a folk music audience, you're a rock 'n' roll crowd." Petty merely said, "There's something very special for me and the Heartbreakers to play in this famous place." On Monday night, Petty's guests will be the group "War." His rock 'n' roll jamboree series, long since sold out, continues on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of this week and on Monday and Tuesday, March 15 and 16.
Little Roy Wiggins in hospital
As reported by Stoney Stonecipher on the Steel Guitar Forum (http://www.b0.com/forum): Besides the bad news about George Jones, I got more bad news yesterday. Faye Wiggins called me yesterday, and Roy ["Little" Roy Wiggins, steel guitarist for Eddy Arnold] has been in intensive care for the last two weeks, due to kidney failure. He is now on dialysis. I was able to speak to Roy this morning for just a second by telephone, and he is very, very weak, with very little hope for much improvement. So, along with George and Nancy Jones, say a little prayer for Little Roy, an icon of the Steel Guitar world. Roy is in the Baptist Hospital in Knoxville, TN 37920. ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Clip: Review of Wilco's new CD, from SFGate
4 stars WILCO Summer Teeth Reprise, $16.99 ``It's our beginning,'' sings Wilco vocalist Jeff Tweedy on the opening track of ``Summer Teeth.'' It's an appropriate introduction to the insurgent country band's third, most stylistically diverse album yet, in stores Tuesday. Expanding on the pop overtures of 1996's ``Being There,'' the new CD works both as a study in stylistic departure and a narrative of emotional and professional endurance. ``Summer Teeth'' marks the end of a four-year coming of age for Wilco. Since rising from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo with its 1995 debut ``A.M.,'' Wilco -- Tweedy, guitarist Jay Bennett, bassist John Stirrat, drummer Ken Coomer and fiddler- steel guitarist-multi-instrumentalist Max Johnson, who has since been replaced by Bob Egan -- has toiled to transcend its parent band's legacy. With ``Summer Teeth,'' the group proves that it can cast its own shadow. Recorded in Austin, Chicago and Champaign, Ill., the album that Tweedy has termed ``weird'' finds Wilco splashing its luxuriant, morose sensibilities onto a bright pop canvas, celebrating emotional trauma through euphoric melodies and wry (and frequently funny) narratives of woe and longing. A sense of rootless morbidity, propelled by hooky little choruses, permeates the album's 15 songs. In ``Via Chicago,'' a narrator dreams of death and freedom and finally of a homecoming; in the next track, ``ELT,'' he starts all over again, at once wishing his lover dead and bemoaning his loneliness ``so far from home.'' Against a backdrop of effervescent '60s pop, babbling water and twittering birds, the title track sinks into a reverie on isolation and suicide. And while it's hard to top a line like ``She's a jar with a heavy lid/ My pop-quiz kid'' (``She's a Jar'') for lilting insouciance, the glee is tempered by a swooning synthesized string section and images of ``skeletons with wings.'' In toto, the result is a sweet, doleful weave in which keyboards, acoustic guitars and choppy distortion merge in sonic symbiosis, from the Velvet Underground guitar riffs and nasal organ of ``I'm Always in Love'' to the British invasion-era harmonies of ``Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again).'' ``Pieholden Suite'' boasts a swanky brass section, and there's even a glimmer of lounge jazz -- brushed cymbals and all -- in the jaunty ``When You Wake Up Feeling Old.'' ``In a Future Age'' closes the album with the bittersweet and slightly maudlin observation that ``some trees will bend/ And some will fall/ But then again/ So will we all.'' Paired with the album's initial lines, it offers a fitting bookend for a record that counters droll fatalism with the restless spirit of a veteran group rediscovering the joy of taking baby steps into the sonic unknown. Like every other ``alternative'' music form these days, the No Depression genre is so entrenched in tradition that its wheels are spinning. Whether alt-country fans will greet Wilco's new album as a betrayal of roots or a welcome infusion of new energy remains to be seen. The band has made its choice, and like its album's many narrators, it's already on the move. -- Neva Chonin = POP CDs IN BRIEF 4 stars JOE HENRY, Fuse, Mammoth, $15.98 Joe Henry is best known to scene-makers as Madonna's brother- in-law, a fact that shouldn't be held against him. He's a quirky, world- weary singer and a songwriter with a flair for appealingly disjointed lyrics and strong (if slightly dissonant) melodies. ``Fuse'' boasts a stellar lineup, including Daniel Lanois and Jakob Dylan and his fellow Wallflowers Rami Jaffee and Greg Richling, all adding their own atmospheric touches to Henry's rueful pop miniatures. There are traces of the blues, '60s spy-movie soundtracks, hip-hoppy modern rock, Tin Pan Alley and lounge guitar. Still, Henry has put his own stamp on the proceedings, fleshing out his tales of perplexed lovers with brilliant musical and lyrical flashes that bring to mind some mutant blending of Hoagy Carmichael and Tom Waits. -- j. poet = 2 stars EMINEM, The Slim Shady LP, Aftermath/Interscope, $16.98 ``God sent me to piss the world off,'' suggests the new hottest-rapper-on-the-planet on the first track of his major-label debut. And he'll probably do just that. The latest find from Dr. Dre, Detroit-bred Eminem (real name: Marshall Mathers) is a facile freestyler who, in the guise of the title character Slim Shady, dishes a profane, violent and irreverent world view that offers hard times as a justification for his ``Just Don't Give a F--'' attitude. Some of ``Slim Shady's'' warped utterances are truly funny in a dark, ``South Park''- ``There's Something About Mary'' kind of way, but the album's length results in enough thematic repetition to blunt the attack. -- Gary Graff (personally, I thought the video was hilarious)
Clip: George Jones remains critical
George Jones remains critical after car crash March 7, 1999 Web posted at: 2:15 p.m. EST (1915 GMT) NASHVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- Country music legend George Jones remained in critical condition Sunday, one day after he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a bridge abutment. Jones suffered a collapsed lung, blood in his chest and a ruptured liver in the accident, said Dr. John Morris of Vanderbilt University Hospital, where Jones is in the trauma unit. Morris said Saturday evening he expected the singer to remain in critical condition "for at least 24 to 48 hours." "The liver injury is what we're most concerned about," he said. "He's already received some blood. If he requires much in the way of additional blood, we'll have to reconsider our current approach." Jones has been unconscious, under general anesthesia, since he arrived at the hospital, Morris said. "The body responds to this kind of injury much better if we can control the pain," he explained. Jones was driving east Saturday on Highway 96 near his home south of Nashville when he lost control of his Lexus sport utility vehicle and hit a bridge abutment, according to Tennessee Department of Safety spokeswoman Dana Keeton. At the time of the crash, Jones was talking to his stepdaughter, Adina Estes, on a cellular phone, said Evelyn Shriver, head of Asylum Records, Jones' record label. Shriver talked to Estes after the accident "He was calling to say he's almost home, and she heard the crash and everything," Shriver said. It took two hours for rescuers to free him from the vehicle. A helicopter airlifted him about 20 miles from the site of the one-car accident to the hospital.
Clip: Lucinda Williams at the Fillmore
A Joyride with Lucinda Williams Grammy-winner radiates star power at intimate Fillmore show Neva Chonin, Chronicle Staff Critic Saturday, March 6, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/06/DD105451.DTLtype=music Lucinda Williams is a diplomat of cool. Thursday night at the Fillmore, a front-row fan presented her with a sincere but problematic gift -- a bootleg CD of one of her own shows. The unruffled star laughed it off. ``Wouldn't you know it? I come to San Francisco and somebody hands me a bootleg,'' she cracked. ``This is Bootleg City. It's OK. I don't mind.'' Williams has good reason to feel indulgent. Last week her fifth album, ``Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,'' was voted best album of 1998 in the Village Voice's authoritative ``Pazz Jop'' poll, besting the nearly invincible Lauryn Hill by a hair. Last week Williams won a Grammy -- her second -- for best contemporary folk album. Fans, critics and musicians have been doting on the 45-year-old Louisiana-born singer-songwriter for decades. Her songs have been covered by everyone from Tom Petty to Emmylou Harris. What's different is that at long last the masses are starting to dote, too. Thursday the Fillmore was packed tight as a tin of sardines for the first of Williams' three San Francisco concerts, which conclude tonight, at the Warfield. Lucky fans who managed to get near the stage shared their space diplomatically. Young cowboy lesbians in tattoos and dreadlocks boogied; older country folk swung their partners. Many simply stood bobbing their heads in bliss. Williams, in a sensible mini-dress, black tights and biker boots, played acoustic guitar and kicked off with the Southern gothic ``Pineola'' from 1992's ``Sweet Old World'' before barreling into the present with ``Metal Firecracker.'' ``Car Wheels on a Gravel Road'' naturally ruled the night, with standouts like the title track and ``2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten.'' But in the course of her 100-minute set, Williams also took care to include earlier material for her veteran fans, who roared with recognition at the opening notes of favorites such as ``Side of the Road,'' ``Passionate Kisses'' and ``Something About What Happens When We Talk.'' The warm, interactive chemistry between Williams and her audience stood in balmy contrast to the current state-of-siege atmosphere of most rock (and that would include country rock -- new country, No Depression or otherwise) and hip- hop concerts. There just aren't many Grammy-winning musicians who let fans drape themselves over the front of their stage. This easy attitude and lack of bouncers doesn't translate into a lack of star presence. Williams is as mesmeric delivering a melancholy song such as ``Jackson'' as she is jamming out a steamy cover of Howlin' Wolf's ``Come to Me Baby.'' In performance, her expressive vocals are much like the woman herself -- beautiful, a little ragged and exquisitely, poetically possessed. The members of Williams' backup band shone in their own right. Rhythm guitarist Kenny Vaughan, looking like a cross between Buddy Holly and one of Herman's nerdier Hermits, twitched and twisted with aplomb. Lead guitarist John Jackson, formerly a Bob Dylan sideman, played suave and subtle lead guitar. Bassist Richard ``Hombre'' Price and drummer Fran Breen ably held down the fort while organist-accordionist Randy Leago supplied melodic atmosphere. Opening act Patty Griffin, who won over the audience with a delivery as lushly stylized as her tendriled red hair, joined Williams to supply counter-harmonies on ``Greenville.'' Every concert has its epiphany, and Thursday's came with the final pre-encore number. After dedicating songs to late friends and heroes such as Dusty Springfield (``Still I Long for Your Kiss'') and Williams' longtime drummer, Donald Lindley, who recently died of lung cancer, the singer paused to fiddle with her guitar strings and ponder. Then, with a shrug, she simply offered, ``I guess all we can do is rock on.'' Which she did, in a rousing, extended jam session capping one of her newer songs, fittingly titled ``Joy.''
Clip: Plastic People of the Universe
Plastic People Power Czech band that helped spawn revolution comes to San Francisco Dan Ouellette Sunday, March 7, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/07/PK80634.DTLtype=music Thirty years ago a group of young Czechoslovakian musicians formed a rock band. An innocent act by American standards, it was profoundly subversive in a country held hostage by the Soviet Union. Named after a Frank Zappa tune they smuggled behind the Iron Curtain, the Plastic People of the Universe proved to be much more than a bunch of upstarts out for a rowdy time. With their propulsive beat and dour- comic-sardonic lyrics, the group not only became a provocateur but, ultimately, a catalyst for the Czech revolution. ``Yes, we're still very famous back in Czechoslovakia,'' says Plastic People alto saxophonist Vratislav Brabenec by telephone from New York City. The band's first-ever U.S. tour stops at San Francisco's Bottom of the Hill this Friday. ``The band continues to be seen as a symbol of the fight against communist oppression.'' Speaking with a heavy accent, Brabenec says he sometimes feels as if the band's role in the fight against Soviet oppression has been overblown. After all, the tunes themselves weren't blatant calls to revolution. But the Plastics vigorously bucked the status quo by delivering thought-provoking lyrics wrapped in power-packed rock. Brabenec notes that the band's biggest contribution to the uprising was its refusal to make concessions. ``We did not compromise, which was rare at that time,'' he says. ``It really is a miracle that we survived. The Communists did not like us. They wanted us to emigrate, but we held out. ``That's why today it's very important for a lot of young people that the Plastic People exist.'' RESPONSE TO SOVIET TANKS In 1968 in the United States, rock 'n' roll provided the soundtrack for the protest against the Vietnam War. In Czechoslovakia, music became a response to Soviet tanks rolling through the streets of Prague -- the outward sign of sociopolitical clampdown. Born a few months after the invasion, the Plastic People started out as a cover band, drawing material from the Doors, the Fugs and the Velvet Underground. They gradually integrated their own material into the psychedelic mix, inspired by the likes of Captain Beefheart and Zappa's Mothers of Invention. ``We were playing music that was influenced by the feeling of freedom that was in the air at the time,'' Brabenec says. ``It was the same everywhere, but because of the Communists we had a harder time expressing it.'' In 1973, the Czech government revoked the Plastic People's license to perform, which forced the band underground. It played unannounced concerts in abandoned buildings and countryside venues and in 1974 secretly recorded its first album. Titled ``Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned'' in an obvious allusion to the Beatles' ``Sgt. Pepper,'' it was a hard-driving collection of crass poems about such topics as constipation and toxic chemicals. Two years later, the secret police raided one of the group's concerts and arrested the band for ``organized disturbance of the peace.'' The raid sparked a response by Czech dissidents, including future President Vaclav Havel, who published the human rights manifesto Charter 77 (which paved the way for the Velvet Revolution in 1989). After a public trial, the band's manager and artistic director Ivan Jirous and Brabenec were jailed -- the former for nine years, the latter for eight months. ``I still don't know why I was the only musician in the band to be imprisoned,'' Brabenec says. ``One of the theories is that they singled out people who had a university education and were considered intellectuals.'' The Plastic People kept performing and recording secretly, and the government con tinued to harass the band. A landscape architect by profession, Brabenec couldn't find work after he was released from jail and eventually was forced to move to Canada in 1982. The rest of the band finally called it quits in 1987, with three members forming the post- punk groove group Pulnoc. The Plastics didn't re-form until January 1997, when at the request of President Havel they played at the Czech Republic's 20th anniversary celebration of Charter 77. Pleased by the response, the band began to perform sporadically, playing concerts in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and last July staging a show in New York. The most recent Plastics recording is ``1997,'' a live show performed in Prague and released on the Globus International imprint. Available here as an import, the CD captures the band playing its old material from the 1970s and '80s. The tunes are hard-edged, crunching rockers with a metallic throb and pile-driving beat. The numbers are also characterized by a jamming vibe, with young guitarist Joe Kararfiat (a new
Clip: Tom Petty finds inspiration in San Francisco
Check out the bottom of this article for opening acts. = Petty Finds Inspiration in San Francisco Rocker returns to Fillmore before launching tour, CD James Sullivan, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, March 5, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/05/DD77323.DTLtype=music Tom Petty remembers how giddy he was on the last night of the Heartbreakers' historic 20-show run two years ago at the Fillmore. The final show stretched to four hours. ``We just caught a wave, and we were gonna ride it to the beach.'' The adrenaline, he says, carried over into the recording for ``Echo,'' the band's new album, due next month. To jump-start a summer tour, the Heartbreakers begin another Fillmore engagement Sunday; they'll play seven sold-out shows. Before the last time, Petty says, he'd never even been inside the Fillmore. ``I just showed up uninitiated,'' he says. Still, it was his idea. ``The history had a lot to do with it. I wanted to put the band in a residency setting, to play just for the sake of playing. ``We weren't promoting anything. We didn't have any agenda. And it was a very successful experiment for us. I think we enjoyed it more than anything we've ever done with the Heartbreakers.'' One of rock 'n' roll's most consistent performers since his breakthrough more than 20 years ago, the 48-year-old Petty has outlasted punk, New Wave and spandex metal with a straight-ahead style rooted in the British Invasion, pop psychedelia and other radio staples of his Florida childhood. ``We've been very blessed with a loyal audience,'' he says. ``We've just tried to stay honest with them, and that gives us longevity. We've never particularly tried to get into a suit of clothes. ``I knock wood. It's just wonderful that people still want to hear it.'' One bit of proof: Petty's ``Greatest Hits'' is still on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, six years after its release. After Petty issued a few albums billed to himself without the Heartbreakers -- guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, bassist Howie Epstein and drummer Steve Ferrone -- the 1997 Fillmore stay reconfirmed the group's confidence. ``We have a damn good rock 'n' roll band,'' says Petty in his casual drawl. The Fillmore shows ``really played a huge part in inspiring us -- not just to do the record, but to carry on.'' Judging by the first single ``Free Girl Now,'' ``Echo'' finds the Heartbreakers even more direct than usual. Not that the band best known for its buzzing, unfussy rock songs -- ``American Girl,'' ``I Need to Know,'' ``Jammin' Me'' -- has ever been accused of self-indulgence. ``It's a very simple record, very unadorned,'' Petty says. ``People are telling me it's much more of a rock 'n' roll record, in the sense of faster tempos and louder guitars, than what we've done in a while. ``I'm very pleased with it -- more so than I usually am.'' The one medium in which Petty can be considered avant-garde is videos. When his self-titled debut got its first break in England, he became one of the first American artists to make film shorts for his songs. ``In England, it was not that abnormal to make a little promo clip you could send to the TV shows. ``When I was given (MTV's) Video Vanguard award, I said, `All this because we didn't want to go on `Merv Griffin,' '' he says, punctuating the thought with a familiar ``heh-heh.'' Rest assured he won't be mailing in his Fillmore performances. ``No two shows will be the same,'' Petty promises. Confirmed opening acts include Lucinda Williams and War. Two years ago, of special guests included John Lee Hooker and the late Carl Perkins. ``I've been very fortunate. I've developed a lot of friendships with people I admire musically.'' Last time, he says, the Bay Area proved itself the ideal place for the residency ``experiment.'' ``I've always felt that San Francisco has a very open-minded audience. I thought they'd be more open to us performing as a house band, rather than doing a medley of our hits. ``I think I was right.'' CONCERTS TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: The band's seven Fillmore shows are sold out.
Re: Recordable CD Players
If you own a Mac, I'd recommend getting a copy of Adaptec Toast (version 3.5.6 is the most current). If you own a PC, Adaptec's Easy CD Creator does the job. Either will burn audio CDs; if you're doing multimedia development, you can make your own presentations and have them automatically play when the CD is inserted into your PC. http://www.adaptec.com can give you more information about their software. I'm using a Sony doublespeed recorder from 1995 that has worked flawlessly ever since we bought it. I've done this more times than I'd care to admit. If you own a Macromedia product, chances are it came from this CD burner. Further details available privately to those who really need to know. np: Buena Vista Social Club
Re:RIP Dusty Springfield
What a terrible loss. Dusty Springfield was one of the few white soul singers of her generation who could legitimately stand up to the great black singers. According to the BBC web site (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_67000/67646.stm), she had just been awarded the Order of the British Empire this year. Thanks to the discussion on this list, I picked up a copy of "Dusty In Memphis" last year. It's a hell of a fine album, worth owning no matter what. np: Son of a Preacher Man
Dusty Springfield covers
This may seem weird, but there's a gay rock band here who does a completely non-ironic cover of "Son of a Preacher Man". Works really well in their situation. -B "tying two threads together" B-
Jimmy Day Benefit March 28th in Nashville
According to postings on the Steel Guitar Forum, there will be a benefit concert to help try to pay off some of the hospital bills the late Jimmy Day accumulated during his battle with cancer. It will be held at the Nashville Nitelife nightclub on Music Valley drive, starting at 2:00 on March 28th. Buddy Emmons will be featured on steel guitar, Tommy Alsup and Pete Wade on guitars, Willie Rainsford on piano, Hoot Hester on fiddle, etc. Jimmy Dickens, Lee Ann Womack, Wade Hayes, Toby Keith, Jeannie Sealy, Craig Dillingham, Bill Russell, and others have agreed to perform, according to this post. For more information, visit the Steel Guitar Forum (http://www.b0b.com/forum) or write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: questions
At 09:15 AM 3/2/99 -0600, you wrote: Has anyone heard of any of these bands? What kind of music do they play? Just as a guess, I'd say you're looking at some sort of traditional jazz festival. These are the bands of which I have heard, and my simple generalization about their music: Cats N Jammers - hot string jazz Zydeco Flames - zydeco Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - 20's and 30's jazz with sultry vocals Dynatones - white guys playing blues
Wanna see Tom Petty at the Fillmore?
Due to a misunderstanding, I have a couple of extra tickets to see Tom Petty this Sunday evening, March 7. If anyone on this list would like them, let me know privately. Thanks. ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Clip: Jeff Tweedy - Don't Fence Him In
Don't fence him in
By Jane Ganahl
OF THE EXAMINER STAFF
Sunday, February 28, 1999
©1999 San Francisco Examiner
URL:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/hotnews/stories/27/Stweedy28.dtltype=music
Jeff Tweedy isn't country, or punk, or folk -- except on the days that he is
Jeff Tweedy is a tough man to pigeonhole. Insurgent country crooner, punk rocker,
musicologist, folk hero, poet, guitarist.
Ever since his days as the teen star of the seminal, now defunct "alt-country" outfit
Uncle Tupelo ('90s rock meets hick tunes), the 31-year-old Midwesterner has shifted
genres like a master.
It all depends on what music he's making that day.
Last year alone, the hyperactive Tweedy recorded albums with his current band, Wilco
("Summer Teeth," due out March 9); and his just-for-fun side project Golden Smog, an
underground supergroup that sold out Slim's last month, comprising members of other
Chicago-area bands like Soul Asylum and The Jayhawks.
And he promoted the release of a third album: the Grammy-nominated, much-heralded
"Mermaid Avenue" -- a collaboration between Wilco, English political folksinger Billy
Bragg and the late Woody Guthrie, whose long-lost lyrics were resurrected with music
composed by Tweedy and Bragg.
Tweedy's dexterity -- an effortless ability to hop-scotch between projects that always
seem to turn out fabulously -- has led the music media to dub him a "visionary." But
the gravel-voiced, prickly Tweedy, in town recently with Golden Smog, is the first to
say nah, he's "just f---ing around."
Q: Do you ever sit down and rest? I saw you last year with Billy Bragg, Golden Smog
AND Wilco.
A: I stay busy. I have to. I get better by staying at it. And I do sit down a lot more
than people think. This year we didn't tour that much, compared to recent years.
Q: Is your son Spencer one reason?
A: He's 3 now, and he's amazing -- talking, saying everything. But it wasn't because
of him that we didn't tour as much. "Mermaid Avenue" just didn't lend itself well to a
full-blown tour. It was too hard to get everyone together. But we did play several
songs from it during our Wilco shows.
Q: It was nominated for a Contemporary Folk Album Grammy ...
Q: Yeah, as proud as we are of it, we were pretty shocked it was nominated. It's
exciting and kind of surreal. But I think Lucinda Williams will win it. (She did.) If
we did win, I figure Billy will accept and probably give a really long speech.
(laughs)
Q: "Mermaid Avenue" made a lot of top 10 lists, but how did it sell?
A: It's not the best-selling Wilco album, but it might be the biggest selling Billy
Bragg record ever in the States. In fact, I saw an ad in a British magazine saying,
"Buy the record that is breaking Billy Bragg in the States!" I wonder if Wilco had
anything to do with that?! Sorry, a little ego happening here.
Q: Did ego get in the way during its creation?
A: (hesitates) Well, it's all about perspective. We knew we came into it much later
than Billy, but we also had our own vision of it. Billy was really gracious at first
in accepting that a certain amount of his vision would not be intact at the end of the
day. But it reached a point where he became sort of territorial. That's
understandable, and I can't argue with how it turned out, but there's a part of me
that thinks it could have been better.
Q: When we spoke before of "Summer Teeth," you said it would have no twang at all, and
it doesn't. What do you call your style now?
A: I would say ... postmodern bubble-gum? (laughs) I have no idea.
Q: You're gonna be asked this a lot, since "Summer Teeth" sounds so different from
your other work.
A: But I don't have to answer. It's just what Wilco sounds like NOW. It's just how our
vision has progressed, for musical reasons.
Q: And personal reasons? This record has a much darker feel. I listen to lines like "I
dreamed about killing you last night" and want to ask if everything is OK at home?
A: Yeah things are fine. Look, these are stories. I know some songs will be
misinterpreted. I just look for things that seem honest and direct and hard to sing.
Q: Because you want to challenge yourself?
A: Because I want to FEEL something. And these days, it takes a pretty extreme lyric
-- whether it's rooted in something that happened to me or not -- to make me feel. The
less something sounds like ME, the more compelled I am to explore it. Like visiting
two sides of an argument.
Q: Okay. I'll write this: "News Flash -- Jeff Tweedy does not want to kill his wife."
A: (laughs) I'm not saying that either. I DO want to kill my wife! But seriously,
these are the things that provoke images of passion. I'm always interested in those
things.
Q: You've been called visionary. Do you aim to push the envelope or just go on
instinct?
A: The seed of "Being There" (Wilco's most recent album) was a certain amount of anger
over being cornered, pigeonholed, by
Re: Reno?? Tahoe? Carson City? March 12-15
Reno? http://www.tahoe.com/action/reno.html shows the following during the timeframe March 12-15: John Ascuaga's NUGGET CELEBRITY SHOWROOM: Righteous Brother Bill Medley (March 4-17) [just missed Barbara Mandrell] On the South Shore, CAESARS TAHOE CIRCUS MAXIMUS: George Carlin (March 12-13) Wynonna (March 19-20) [just missed the Moody Blues and Willie Nelson] March 1-31 -- Carson Valley Museum Cultural Center: National Women in History month. Info: 782-2555. ELEVATION in North Shore has the following: Super Diamond [great Neil Diamond tribute band] (March 12-13) Abyssinians (March 14) More will be available as you get closer to the date. http://www.tahoe.com/skitahoe/sierralife/index.html has more suggestions. Don't ask me about the time I inadvertantly saw the Further Festival at the Reno Hilton. Deadheads gambling...uhhh
Re: Robert Johnson
At 09:12 AM 2/26/99 +, you wrote: A longshot, this, but I really need a link to a site that has a collection of Robert Johnson lyrics if at all possible. Not a long shot at all. http://miavx1.acs.muohio.edu/~flannetd/rjlyrics.htm http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/5942/rjohnsonlyrics.html http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/2541/blrjohns.htm
Grammyszzzzzzzzz....
Sheryl Crow did a fine job. I appreciated the fact that she paid tribute to the people at AM who were responsible for her success by allowing her to grow as an artist. Shania Twain HAD to perform with her legs spread apart like that. If she closed her legs, her outfit would have fallen to the floor. Her costume and the costumes her band wore seemed the least natural of all the many variations of clothing I saw that night. She still sounded like new country to me, even with the smoke bombs and spandex. Must have been the steel guitar... Lauryn Hill's reading of Psalm 40 was one of the best things anyone did, especially the way she emphasized "He lifted me out of the slimy pit". np: Grammy winner for best contemporary folk album
RE: Merle question
Blah blah Merle Haggard blah blah Boston blah blah wondering if he is worth going to see blah blah worth going to see if he isn't doing anything but scratching his ass blah blah fine show. I'd second what Jon says about him - he's an American treasure. Watching Merle Haggard in concert should be a required step for high school graduation, in my opinion. -B "or at least extra credit" B-
Clip: Penelope Houston
Interesting photo of Ms. Houston here:
http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/pictures/1999/02/23/penelope23.jpg
Penelope Houston Lets Out Her Punk
Ex-Avengers leader releases new and old tunes
Neva Chonin, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 23, 1999
©1999 San Francisco Chronicle
URL:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/02/23/DD83308.DTLtype=music
Like a skilled sonic chef, Penelope Houston has perfected the art of fusion. Sporting
blue hair and sensible shoes, the striking 41- year-old singer-songwriter looks like a
cross between her latter-day incarnation as an acoustic chanteuse and her historic
identity as leader of the legendary late '70s punk band, the Avengers.
Houston's personal aesthetic reflects where she's at professionally. Last week
Lookout! Records released "The Avengers Died for Your Sins,'' a collection of live,
studio and rehearsal recordings from the lauded San Francisco band whose ferocity as
an opening act blew the Sex Pistols off the stage at Winterland in 1978.
The album's release will be celebrated tonight at the Great American Music Hall and
Friday at Berkeley's 924 Gilman Street with concerts by Houston and a band billed as
the ScAvengers. If that's not enough to get the old punk blood pumping, on March 24,
Houston will break with her neo- folk persona and release "Tongue,'' the first album
in her 11-year solo career that rocks more than it strums. "It's pretty exciting that
these albums are coming out at the same time -- one with my earliest music and one
with my latest,'' says Houston over a plate of grilled veggies at a San Francisco
cafe. "I knew I could do it after a recording session with Billie Joe Armstrong (of
Green Day) and (local producer) Kevin Army.
"They kept saying, 'We want you to scream like you did when you were in the Avengers!'
So I finally let loose, trying to relive those moments of punk fury, and it felt
really good. I thought, 'I can do this.' ''
Armstrong, who co-wrote the song "New Day'' on "Tongue,'' introduced Houston to her
future ScAvengers rhythm section, bassist Joel Reader from the Mr. T Experience and
drummer Danny Panic, formerly of Screeching Weasel. (Original Avengers guitarist Greg
Ingraham completes the lineup.)
"I think Joel Reader was 6 months old when I played my first show,'' says Houston with
a wry smile. "But when we started rehearsing, it blew my mind. We sounded so much like
the Avengers.''
Houston's return to her roots started two years ago when, during a European tour to
promote her previous album, "Cut You,'' she found herself longing to rock out during
her acoustic set.
After returning home, Houston parted company with her backup band and began
collaborating with local singer-songwriters Pat Johnson and Chuck Prophet and ex-Go
Go's Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey. The result was "Tongue,'' an infectious blend
of sly, vitriolic vocals (the first single, "Scum''), rambunctious pop hooks ("Grand
Prix'') and distorted indie-rock guitars (the title track).
At the same time she was recording her new album, Houston was scouring the Internet,
looking for tape traders with vintage recordings to include in Lookout's Avengers
collection.
It was a long historical trek. Houston was only 19 when she moved from Seattle in 1977
to attend the San Francisco Art Institute. Already a veteran of the Northwest punk
scene, it wasn't long before she co-founded the Avengers with three other renegade
artists. Though the band lasted only two years, it won its place in the punk hall of
fame thanks to its artful garbage-bag attire and one album of scathing, passionately
political songs.
Though Houston's days as a revolutionary punk rocker have passed
--she's happily married to art director Patrick Roques and settled in a funky old
house in Oakland -- at heart she figures she'll always be an iconoclast.
"When they were interviewing me for the 'Tongue' bio, they asked what lyric sums up
what I want to tell the world,'' she says. "I thought about it and realized it was a
lyric I wrote when I was 19 -- 'I believe in me.'
"I'm still the same person I was then. I still feel strongly about people finding
their way through life and being true to who they are.''
CONCERT
THE ScAVENGERS play at 9 p.m. tonight at the Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell
St., San Francisco, with the Hi-Fives and Pansy Division. Tickets are $10. Call (415)
885-0750. The band also plays Friday at 924 Gilman Street, Berkeley. Tickets $5-$7.
Call (510) 525-9926.
Danny Gatton/Lenny Breau/Buddy Emmons?
There's supposedly a video and/or audio tape going around that has guitarists Danny Gatton and Lenny Breau and steel guitarist Buddy Emmons jamming together. If anyone knows of this tape or how to obtain it, please let me know.
Lulubelle Dies
Reply-To: "Bluegrass music discussion." ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Lulubelle Dies
Myrtle Eleanor Cooper, whom WLS National Barndance producer John ("Renfro Valley")
Lair nicknamed "Lulubelle" when he first teamed her with Red Foley, died last week in
North Carolina. She was 85, and became both a musical partner and very quickly the
wife of Skyland Scotty Wiseman.
Lulubelle Scotty were the top stars of the WLS National Barndance and remained with
the Chicago-based show until they retired in 1958. They sang both comic songs and
ballads; Scott on the clawhammer banjo and Lulubelle the guitar. Lulubelle's smiling,
witty personality almost stole the act in spite of the gentle Scott trying to leash
her in. In fact, she would sometimes hone in on other Barndance acts, sometimes to the
chagrin of its other performers, most notably Jethro Burns of "Homer Jethro" fame.
In 1936, "Radio Guide" readers voted Lulubelle "National Radio Queen," the most
popular woman in radio. She later served two terms in the North Carolina Legislature
after she and Scotty retired to Ingalls, NC.
Scott, author of the team's signature song "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You"
and co-author ("revisor") of Bascomb Lamar Lunsford's "Mountain Dew," died in 1981.
Lulubelle then remarried a family friend from North Carolina, Ernest Stamey.
Scotty also wrote "Brown Mountain Light," "Far Beyond the Starry Sky," "Remember Me
When The Candle Lights Are Burning" and many other ballads and novelties he sang in
duets with Lulubelle. He was heavily influenced by fellow WLS pioneer and early
country recording artist Bradley Kincaid.
In the early 60s the Wisemans came out of retirement to record LPs for Starday;
Lulubelle (who in later years insisted on being called "Lula Belle") recorded
"Snickers Tender Memories" for Old Homestead in 1986 which is still available on
cassette.
Lulubelle Scotty also broadcast on WSM's Grand Ole Opry in 1948, 1950 and 1952. They
made seven Hollywood films including the apparently lost Paramount "National
Barndance," and starred in the films with Roy Acuff and Roy Rodgers among others. The
duo recorded 78s for Columbia, Bluebird, Vogue (picture records), Conqueror,
Brunswick, London, Mercury and Vocalion. They also were members of TV's "Ozark
Jubilee" and performed from 1949 thru 1957 on WNBQ-TV, Chicago.
On personal appearances Lulubelle Scotty shared the stage with the likes of Gene
Autry, Fibber McGee Molly, George Gobel (then "Little Georgie Goebel"), Lum Abner,
Burl Ives and Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Lulubelle was born in Boone, NC, 40 miles from Scotty's birthplace in Ingalls altho
they didn't meet until their tenure began on the WLS Barndance. Lulubelle leaves a son
and a daughter.
BILL KNOWLTON: "BLUEGRASS RAMBLE," WCNY-FM: Syracuse, Utica, Watertown NY
(since 1973)
...my research, by the way, tells me they were, for a time on WLW. Anybody know
anything about that?!
Neener neener
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the Fillmore sold out in ten minutes. They'll be playing March 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 16. I got tickets for the first night. Should be good... Thank you, http://www.basstickets.com, but damn your eyes for a 27.50 surcharge "convenience fee" for four tickets. np: Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits
Upcoming SF Bay Area RAB/country shows
MONDAY FEBRUARY 22 Tav Falco The Panther Burns @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23 Big Guitar Show Live - Benefit for Big Myke Destiny: Cadillac Angels/The Chop Tops/Chicken Coupe DeVille/The Haywoods/Sean Kennedy the King Kats/Frank Novicki + other suprise guests @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25 Cadillac Angels/Chop Tops @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial, Santa Cruz $3 SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27 The Chop Tops @ Henfling's, 9450 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond The Hepsters @ Murphy's Law, 135 S. Murphy, Sunnyvale SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28 Mac Stevens @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, San Francisco 930pm MONDAY MARCH 1 The Bachelors @ The Saloon, 1232 Grant, San Francisco TUESDAY MARCH 2 Mac Stevens @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm FRIDAY MARCH 12 The Haywoods @ Henfling's, 9450 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond SATURDAY MARCH 13 Jeff Bright the Sunshine Boys @ DeMarco's 23 Club, 23 Visitacion, Brisbane 9pm SUNDAY MARCH 14 Jeff Bright the Sunshine Boys @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, SF 930pm WEDNESDAY MARCH 24 The Hepsters @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz WEDNESDAY MARCH 24 The Haywoods @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco FRIDAY MARCH 26 The Hepsters @ Murphy's Law, 135 S. Murphy, Sunnyvale TUESDAY MARCH 30 Hal Peters his String Dusters @ Fuel, 44 Almaden Ave., San José 9pm WEDNESDAY MARCH 31 Hal Peters his String Dusters @ DeMarco's 23 Club, 23 Visitacion, Brisbane 9pm Steve Hathaway San Jose, California [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Clip: Interesting interview with Julian Lennon
Should I be scared that Julian is now 35 years old? Should he? = Q A With Julian Lennon Aidin Vaziri Sunday, February 21, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/02/21/PK86643.DTLtype=music After a seven-year sabbatical, Julian Lennon returns to the record racks on February 23 with his fifth album, ``Photograph Smile.'' Released on his own independent label, the disc is an autobiographical work from the 35-year-old son of the late John Lennon. Introspective songs such as ``Day After Day'' and ``I Should Have Known'' meditate on his tumultuous experience with the music business, beginning with the 1984 release of his debut album, ``Valotte.'' Judging by the new material, the young Lennon did not come out unscathed. Meanwhile, on ``I Don't Wanna Know,'' he finally concedes his rock 'n' roll lineage, paying homage to the mid-'60s-era Beatles. We spoke with the singer-songwriter from his home in London. Q: Was there a lot of channel surfing going on during your time away from the limelight? A: Sometimes. It was bliss. There was a lot of re-evaluation. I felt there were many things I needed to resolve, not only personally but professionally. One of the most important things is I have found balance and peace in my life to a serious degree, which there never was before. Music was 100 percent of my life every day for over 10 years. It felt good to finally put into perspective that music is important, but there are other things that are just as important. Q: What drew you back to making music -- the money? A: No. The only reason I started writing again was a purely natural process. I was not writing for an album or a contract. It was just for the sake of writing. It was the first time I had an opportunity to sit down and enjoy what I was doing without anyone knocking at the door saying, ``It's not commercial enough,'' or whatever. Q: Did you fall for all the traps when you first became successful? A: Absolutely. I was young and naive, so I signed my life away. Unfortunately, the first album will quite possibly never be mine, which sickens me to death. But when you're vying for your first album deal, you'd just about give up your mother. Q: How much did drugs affect you? A: They didn't, really. There was never a time when I lost sight of what I wanted to do and what I wanted to achieve. I feel that it was the people I was working with that were on their own agenda. Q: Is it boring being straight? A: Not at all. The most enjoyable part of this is the writing process. It's an art form, and it takes time to nurture. Part of those seven years off was following other creative endeavors, which I just put to the side for 10 years. I was just trying to catch up with painting and photography. I feel it's important to set aside that time because it's an important part of me that makes me happy. I want to experience the whole gamut. Q: You're 35 now. Do you buy into the belief that we all eventually become our fathers? A: Don't even say that. All I heard from my mum was, once you hit 35, that's when your life begins and when you start understanding who the f-- you are. I wouldn't and couldn't become like my dad. I have made a clear and conscious decision not to do that. Otherwise I would have divorced somebody, had a kid I didn't pay attention to and would have done all sorts of other things. On a personal level, he taught me what not to do as a father. On an inspirational level, he taught me a great deal. Q: No plans to marry a shrieking Japanese performance artist? A: Not in the near future. I'm not going to say anything on that, except if I wanted my mother to have a heart attack, all I would have to do is bring home a Japanese girl. Not that I have a problem with that, but I think once in her lifetime is enough. Q: Are you friendly with your brother Sean? A: Yeah, sure. Sean is in the middle. I have no problem with him. I love him to death. He's blood to me. He's a good kid. Q: Were you bummed he released his record the same day as yours in England? A: It was not only England, it was many other countries. I don't think it was his responsibility, to tell you the truth. I think there was a master plan at work by, should I say, the greater mother ship that was overseeing a lot of what happened to him. I know for sure that Yoko had a great deal of influence in not only a lot of the articles that came out, but the timing, what was written, what was said and how it was said. I think it would be nice if she left him to his own. She's already screwed one Lennon's life up, as far as I'm concerned. She should get on with her own life and let Sean get on with his. Q: So there's no bad blood between you and Sean? A: It was nothing to do with him. From his point of view, it was a coincidence. But I have fact and documentation contrary to that. I didn't want to spill
Clip: Bo Grumpus
History lessons from Bo By Philip Elwood EXAMINER MUSIC CRITIC Saturday, February 20, 1999 ©1999 San Francisco Examiner URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/hotnews/stories/20/Sdiscs.dtltype=music Bo Grumpus trio specializes in Ragtime Era music Bo Grumpus, "The Graveyard Blues." Miss Anne Thrope CD. Terry Waldo and Bo Grumpus, "Kinky and Sweet." Stomp Off CD. According to sheet music publication figures, popular music in the United States in the years after the Civil War consisted of sentimental ballads in the Stephen Foster mode, a considerable number of leftover wartime tunes, and, from the 1870s on, novelty folk tunes and country-dance ditties. "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze," "Little Brown Jug," "Frankie and Johnny," "Strawberry Roan," "Home on the Range," "Silver Threads Among the Gold," "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen," "In the Gloaming," "(Oh Dem) Golden Slippers," "The Farmer in the Dell," "There Is a Tavern in the Town," "Love's Old Sweet Song," "Oh Promise Me," and many more songs still familiar to some Americans were products of the pre-1890s. By the 1890s, however, the U.S. was geared up for urban expansion; transportation and communications breakthroughs were drawing us together. The music of isolated communities (often immigrants with a common cultural background) was blending into the increasingly urban American community. John Philip Sousa's marches were popular everywhere, outdoors and in, and often used as dance music. Cabaret and theater music, folk songs and Sousa, music and dances from the African American community were combined. In 1892, the song "After the Ball" by Charles Harris sold $5 million worth of sheet music, and Emile Berliner inaugurated his gramophone disc production-- Sousa began recording two years later. Other trends were developing, too. Pop songs in the mid-'90s included "Sidewalks of New York," "My Pearl's a Bowery Girl," "Elsie From Chelsea," and so forth. New York's musical comedies toured the country, and vaudeville wasn't far behind. Many of the marching bands specialized in "ragging the beat," or syncopating a tune's rhythm. Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1898, though written for piano, was structured like a march -- and highly syncopated. Although Joplin's was not the first rag published, it certainly began a musical craze that, combined with new dance steps, led into the 1920s and the Jazz Era. The Bay Area's Bo Grumpus trio specializes in music from between the Spanish-American War and World War I. This Ragtime Era is the most misunderstood and neglected of American popular music periods. Ragtime to most people means Joplin's piano music, which he never recorded. Few pianists, pop or classical, made solo records before 1912-14, although many, including Joplin, occasionally cut piano rolls. The "Ragtime" title, like "jazz," covered music, dances, literature, dress and so forth. "Blaze Away," a march, became a ragtime band hit; "High Society" was recorded as a ragtime march by a concert band in 1906. In 1923, "High Society Rag" became a classic jazz rendition when recorded by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band; the disc's famous clarinet solo, presumably improvised, is identical to the piccolo solo on the concert band version from 17 years earlier. The brilliant guitarist, sometime vocalist, Craig Ventresco of Bo Grumpus is not only the trio's principal instrumentalist, he's also an outstanding musicologists of ragtime, in all its manifestations. On washboard and other percussion is Pete Devine; string bassist Marty Eggers, also a fine ragtime-trad jazz pianist, is the group's nominal leader. The newest number on the "Graveyard Blues" disc is "I Never Knew," from 1920; among the other 15 tracks are "Bunch o' Blackberries" from 1899, "Frisco Dan" from 1914, "Circus Day in Dixie," 1915, and the rare "Ragged William," an 1899 tune by Frank P. Banta, father of the famous Frank E. Banta, outstanding keyboard wizard in the 1920s. Whether playing "Ben Hur Chariot Race March" (1894) or Pietro Frosini's popular "Operatic Rag," from 1910, Ventresco is a magnificent guitarist -- amazing technique, wonderful melodic tone, imaginative and inspired improviser. And it's tough to improvise to a ragtime beat. On the "Kinky and Sweet" CD, Bo Grumpus joins pianist-vocalist Terry Waldo and alto sax and clarinetist Dan Levinson. Waldo's has been a ragtime life. He studied with Eubie Blake, produced the "This Is Ragtime" series for NPR in the 1970s, has written a couple of books, produced ragtime-vaudeville, and led ragtime era groups all around New York and the country for nearly 30 years. I last saw him in 1997 at a JVC Jazz-sponsored Ragtime Evening -- which is where he and Bo Grumpus got together. Waldo is something of a kook, which explains in part why this disc contains such zany numbers as "I Like Bananas Because They Have No Bones," "Don't Give Me
Re: Bookstore Gig -- peanuts, PA
Well, now that I know what you people will work for, can anyone steer me to a good wholesale source for peanuts? http://www.moundcity.com/ seems pretty good, but they're in St. Louis, MO. In the Central Valley, try Buchanan Hollow Nut Company, 800-532-1500, in LeGrand, CA. Which reminds me. We do not as yet *have* any kind of P.A. What should we get? How much money do you want to spend? There are a number of good small systems available right now. Check out the units by Fender/Sunn, Peavey, Yamaha or JBL - all are decent for small venues and inexpensive. Personally, I'd hold off on the PA until this venture proves itself. If worse comes to worse, you can run a Shure SM58 through a guitar amp. See http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/4241/ for some suggestions and a tutorial.
Re: Bookstore gig question
Cheryl, You might want to call up Amoeba Records in San Francisco and chat with Joe Goldmark, or whoever it is at the Amoeba Records who handles booking in-store appearances. They have showcased just in this month acts ranging from the Bad Livers to Phranc (The All-American Jewish Lesbian Folksinger) to Huun-Huur-Tu to Paula Frazer of Tarnation. (415) 831-1200 or http://www.amoebarecords.com/ - and congratulations on the new venture! -B "not quite a personal message to the list" B-
Karl May
Well, you know after all this talk about Karl May, I'd find something like this: http://karlmay.uni-bielefeld.de/kmg/sprachen/englisch/index.htm If you want the German version, try this: http://karlmay.uni-bielefeld.de/kmg.htm Among untold others, Albert Einstein, Albert Schweitzer and Hermann Hesse professed their unbridled appreciation of Karl May's work and their profound respect towards his achievements. Even so, and even with his sales - including translations into most European languages - over the years superseding those of any other German author, Karl May was surprisingly neglected as an object of study by scholars. Isolated instances of scholarly research - such as the German Heinz Stolte's doctoral thesis in 1936 on Karl May's merits as an author satisfying deep-seated popular needs in an exemplary manner or the Austrian Viktor Böhm's doctoral thesis in 1955 which probed into May's writings from an angle of narrative power - were of no avail. It was not until the early 1970's that Karl May's name and books began invading German and non-German universities - a direct result of the founding of the KARL-MAY-GESELLSCHAFT (Karl May Society, abbreviated KMG), in March 1969, by Professor Dr. Claus Roxin, internationally renowned authority on Penal Law, and Professor Dr. Heinz Stolte, then a highly esteemed leading figure at the Hamburg, Germany, university, and a group of other earnest Karl May devotees. The Karl-May-Gesellschaft aims at a thorough, wide-ranged and deep-probing analysis of the author's life and works. As a matter of fact, during the past 25 years (1969 thru 1994) he has stirred students' interests far more than have the established classical poets. With close to 2000 members, in 20 different countries, the KMG ranks among the most widely spread and most prominent literary societies. In return of annual dues of (currently) 50 (fifty) Deutsche Marks, members receive a new 'Jahrbuch' (Yearbook) every year (clothbound; 350-400 pp.), containing the latest scholarly reports and essays, plus quarterly 'Mitteilungen' and 'Nachrichten' (bulletin and newsletter; 60-80 pp.). Research is based strictly on May's original texts as authorized by him during his lifetime, not on post-war over-simplified editions aimed predominantly at juveniles. (Adaptations and abridged versions may be legitimately tolerated in our present-day reading world, as appealing to readers for pure entertainment, along with action-packed motion-picture adaptations of Karl May stories - featuring, for example, Stewart Granger, Lex Barker, Herbert Lom, Elke Sommer - or exciting open-air stage presentations; but all these naturally offer subjects of studies on their specific grounds only, and are not to be confused with genuine Karl May matter.)
RE: Shot My Baby Down
Over You - Aaron Neville Cocaine - Johnny Cash (I don't remember the name of this song, but it's the one about taking a line of cocaine, shooting my baby down, etc.) My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama - Frank Zappa Pardon Me (I've Got Someone To Kill) - Johnny Paycheck
Re: Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
I have to admit some curiosity. One of the reasons Sony's MiniDisc has been met with disdain is that it uses a lossy format. MP3 doesn't strike me as all that different, and I do wonder why many people seem to feel so differently about the two. (I'm not implying you have, Brad, just taking off on your comments.) The MP3 file format is different from the Sony MiniDisc delivery format, just as an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file is different from a lined sheet of accounting paper. Both can be used for the same purpose, but in different ways. I couldn't see buying a MiniDisc player unless I were doing a lot of recording. I could see buying an additional hard drive (or a Jaz drive) to store MP3 files on my computer, if I were into that sort of thing, which I'm not. I would expect that bands will end up doing a lot of recording to hard disk in whatever format they see fit, but I wouldn't be surprised to see MP3 being the delivery format for a while. The Diamond Rio MP3 player is actually pretty cool (see http://www.diamondmm.com/rio). I don't see an MP3 recorder anywhere in the near future. You have to record in AIFF or WAV format, then translate to MP3 format. np: Nine Pound Hammer, by the Robby Robot Band (http://www.mp3.com/music/folk/7023.html) - featuring Stacy Phillips on Dobro, Tony Trischka on banjo.
RE: Hankdogs?
Matt sez: Why don't you start one an "alt-country band name generator..." So I sez: http://rrnet.com/~wbeecher/random/randomframe.html does this for rock bands. http://thejam.com/interactive/country_generator.html does this for country bands. http://www.mandolincafe.com/bandnames/bandname.html does this for bluegrass bands. So there.
Neil Young solo shows in SF Bay area
Friday March 19: Neil Young, solo, Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, 8 p.m. Saturday March 20: Neil Young, solo, Paramount Theatre, Oakland, 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Sunday at 10 a.m.
Clip: Flipper
http://www.sfweekly.com/1999/current/music1.html Flipper Redux A half-decade after his bands demise, Steve DePace is trying to write and close the book on Flipper By Mark Athitakis As documents of old punk rock bands go, Flippers Live: 1983 is more interesting than most. Part of the reason is because, well, as old punk rock bands go, Flipper was better than most. Released last November on local label Dog Patch Records, the video chronicles the San Francisco foursome in its prime, tearing apart tradition in the studio of a public access cable station. In a time when most punk bands played fast, guitarist Ted Falconi had mastered the slow, noisy, and confrontational anti-groove that grunge bands would make a million bucks from 10 years later. And while the punk rock bassist was often an afterthought, Flipper had two: Bruce Lose (né Calderwood, later Loose) and the late Will Shatter both pounded out a heavy, droning murk over which they shouted manifestoes that were once angry and self-aware. The crucial Flipper lyric -- which showed up in nearly every one of Shatters obituaries after he died of a heroin overdose in 1987 -- came from Life: Life! Life! Life is the only thing worth living for! But the crucial Flipper song was Sex Bomb, where in 10 toiling minutes and seven words (complete lyrics: Shes a sex bomb/ My baby, yeah) the band unlocked the simplicity and power of punk rock while finding the epic reach of great music in general; its punks Stairway to Heaven. None of which made Flipper the most famous band to rise from San Franciscos vibrant punk scene of the late 70s and early 80s, but the group was easily the most influential. All the Dead Kennedys inspired was a mess of punk bands who today play political joke-punk thats twice as fast with lyrics half as funny. Flipper, however, got around: Among others, Concrete Blonde, the Melvins, and Sebadoh have covered Flipper songs, and thats a homemade Flipper T-shirt Kurt Cobains wearing on the liner sleeve of Nirvanas In Utero album. R.E.M. covered Sex Bomb for its Christmas fan-only single in 1994, while Mudhoneys Mark Arm wrote the liner notes to the 1995 reissue of the bands odds-and-sods collection Sex Bomb Baby. But that album, like everything Flippers done, is currently out of print. Well, sort of. If you want to get a copy of the bands debut masterpiece Album -- Generic Flipper, the looser and more ambitious Gone Fishin, or the double live album Public Flipper Ltd., youll need to get a turntable and send a check to Steve Tupper at Subterranean Records. Those recordings are lying around Subterraneans offices in the Mission District, collecting dust. Tuppers right to sell the vinyl versions of Flipper material was the fallout of a 1992 lawsuit (later dismissed) in which the band sued Tupper for the right to put its material on CD. Tupper says his business is more focused on distribution these days, and admits that he hasnt done much to let people know that the bands work is still available. But he also doesnt see the point. Theres nobody left who gives a shit about them, frankly, he says. Steve DePace gives a shit, but of course he would: He played drums with the band, after all, helped manage the groups tours and finances, and tried to keep his nose clean as Flipper descended into massive and tragic drug abuse. It was kind of like Spinal Tap, except the bass player keeps dying, as Bruce Lose put it. The Flipper heroin death toll stopped at three: Shatter in December of 1987. John Dougherty, who took Shatters place for an ill-advised reunion tour and embarrassingly mediocre comeback album, American Grafishy -- heroin too, on Halloween 1997. And Ricky Williams in 1991, who was in an early version of the band and actually named the group. (Williams had a menagerie of pets in his apartment and, strung out as he was, named them all Flipper so he could remember what to call them.) DePace is trying to get the entire story down on paper -- the riot of music, drugs, and San Francisco punk scene-making -- for the Flipper memoir hes currently writing. Now living in Los Angeles, he began writing the book (working title: Generic Flipper) three years ago but set it aside. Recently, though, hes picked it up again and has started shopping around what he calls the whole adventure of Flipper; Henry Rollins 2.13.61 imprint has expressed some interest. In the meantime, DePace is also working to get Flipper onto CD: The bands debut and Sex Bomb Baby are scheduled for rerelease by American Records this year. ROIR Records will reissue the cassette-only 1983 live album Blown Chunks, and a rerelease of We Dont Play, We Riot, a 1979 EP by Negative Trend featuring a pre-Flipper DePace and Shatter, is also planned. And the Live: 1983 video is a reissue as well; an earlier
Eddie Arnold/Little Roy Wiggins CD suggestion?
Does anyone know of a good CD featuring Little Roy Wiggins' lap steel playing with Eddie Arnold? There seem to be a few different Arnold compilations, but I'm looking for one featuring his earlier work. Thanks, Brad ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Re: Fairport Convention/Airplane (was Re: Vital Rock of the 60's - you had to be there man!!)
"White Rabbit" 45. And, lest we forget, there was Homer's brilliant reference to the Airplane, Starship, and Alan Parsons Project, which I would love to see get quoted here by another Simpsons obsessive. "Now Grand Funk Railroad paved the way for Jefferson Airplane, which cleared the way for Jefferson Starship. The stage was now set for the Alan Parsons Project, which I believe was some sort of hovercraft. " -Homer J. Simpson, from the episode "Homerpalooza" Happy to help out. _ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A gog among med, but really just a lap steel guitar geek
RIP Donald (not David) Lindley
Just wanted to point out that the person who passed away was Donald Lindley, the excellent drummer who played with Rosie Flores, Buddy Miller , Jim Lauderdale, Dave Alvin, Lucinda Williams, etc. It was not David Lindley, the multi-instrumentalist known for his lap steel and fiddle playing with Jackson Browne and about a million other people. This is how rumors get started. ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Re: Bye, Bye American Pie...
And it's my 45th birthday. -B "halfway to 90" B-
Beach Boys
What Beach Boys albums are you particularly fond of that aren't named Pet Sounds?? Either "Beach Boys Today!" or "Summer Days" would be good if you didn't want "Pet Sounds". Personally I'd just get the greatest hits package, "Endless Summer". http://www.petsounds.com is a pretty good Brian Wilson/Beach Boys web site, by the way. np: Red House Painters, Songs for a Blue Guitar
Triumvirat
I remember Triumvirat. They were sort of Sweden's answer to Focus. I saw them open for Fleetwood Mac (the middle period Bob Welch version, not the Stevie Nicks behemoth) and was unimpressed.
Re: Hank Snow's toupee
You mean I can BUY hair like that??? Whoo-hoo! I'm a movin' on!
RIP Bill Givens
From the Hillbilly list: From: Cary Ginell [EMAIL PROTECTED] Bill Givens, founder of the Origin Jazz Library label, one of the first to reissue vintage blues recordings on LP in the early 1960s, died of a sudden heart attack on the morning of January 23. He was 68. Bill had been a close friend of mine since 1981, when he asked me to annotate two LPs of western swing 78s by Ocie Stockard his Wanderers and Roy Newman his Boys. We eventually shared a condo for about a year. He helped me find my place in this wacky business by advising me to continue my schooling at UCLA in DK Wilgus' master's program. Bill continued to be my mentor, counselor, and teacher for the next 18 years. In addition to OJL, Givens took over the Texas Rose label from Alan Roberts, producing the 5-CD box set on Milton Brown the Musical Brownies, which I annotated. We were in the process of planning another series of western swing releases. Apparently, Bill and Alan had just completed a trip to the CD pressing plant to pick up completed copies of Volume 2 of the long-awaited Bix Restored series, in which ALL recordings in which Bix Beiderbecke made an appearance at were carefully and lovingly transferred and restored by John R.T. Davies and Mike Kieffer. Bill was so excited at getting the set done that he overexerted himself loading the boxes. Despite warnings from Alan to take a break, Bill refused. The next morning, he called 911 and an ambulance delivered him to nearby Santa Monica UCLA hospital. He was in full cardiac arrest upon arrival and could not be revived. Other than Bill's 96-year old mother, Alice, who is in a rest home nearby, he leaves no survivors. Alan and I spent the day trying to find out details about Bill's last hours as well as to sort out his estate. To anyone who has placed an order for either Bix vol. 1 2, Milton Brown sets, or any other product on Sunbeam or Texas Rose, these probably will not get filled until an heir or an executor can be determined. (We don't know if Bill had a will.) Until then, Bill's apartment and storage facility have been sealed. Bill Givens began Origin Jazz Library around 1959. His intention was to reissue rare country blues 78s from the '20s and '30s on LP. In addition to anthologies of Delta blues, piano solos, women performers, and jug bands, were two LPs of music by the legendary Mississippi Delta singer, Charlie Patton (A Givens original sketch of Patton was included on the cover.) Givens was also a charter member of "The Saturday Crowd," a group of 78 collectors who gathered at The Jazzman Record Shop in Santa Monica, California for weekly 78 spinning, arguing, beer swilling, and other such comraderie. Funeral services are pending. If anyone wishes to convey condolences or reminiscences about Bill, please post them on this list and I will make sure that they are read at the service, if and when it happens. If there is not a service, I will organize a memorial. Anyone in the L.A. will be welcome to attend. Cary Ginell Sound Thinking Music Research [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: HNC
Blah blah categorizing things blah blah drawing boundaries blah blah muddying the waters blah blah exact criteria by which the players are placed in column A or column B. Column A(=bands w/fiddle and/or steel) Column B (bands w/o fiddle and/or steel) mainstream country acts, alt.country acts, e.g., Garth Brooks e.g., Bottlerockets Blah blah there is the occasional steel-carrying alt.country act, and there are some mainstream acts that don't carry one, but all in all that's a reasonably accurate map. Interesting you should say this, Jon, as it seems to me that some alt.country acts exist within this description precisely because they have the fiddle and/or steel that makes them "country rock". For example Richard Buckner wouldn't sound quite so alt.country if he didn't have Lloyd Maines on steel all over his recordings.
FYI:SF Bay Area RAB/Country Calendar
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 27 Big Sandy the Fly Rite Boys @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm THURSDAY JANUARY 28 Big Sandy the Fly Rite Boys @ Powerhouse Brewing Co., Sebastopol Hot Club of Cowtown @ Morgan's Coffee Tea, Monterey FRIDAY JANUARY 29 Hot Club of Cowtown/Andrea Hurley her Very Attractive Band @ Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck, Berkeley 945pm $6 Big Sandy the Fly Rite Boys @ Rancho Nicasio, Town Sq., Nicasio 830pm SATURDAY JANUARY 30 Hot Club of Cowtown @ Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight, SF 2pm free in-store Hot Club of Cowtown/Kuntry K's @ Cafe DuNord, 2170 Market, SF 10pm $7 Red Meat/86 @ Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck, Berkeley 945pm $5 TUESDAY FEBRUARY 2 Sean Kennedy the King Kats @ Fuel, 44 Alamden Ave., San José 9pm WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 3 The Haywoods @ Agenda Lounge, 399 S. 1st, SJ 10pm record release party The Stillmen @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 Red Meat/Jeff Bright Sunshine Boys @ El Rio, 3158 Mission, SF 9pm SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 Naugahyde w/ Kate Shepard @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, SF 930pm WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 10 The Rounders @ Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, San Francisco THURSDAY FEBRUARY 11 Cadillac Angels @ Pat O'Shea's Mad Hatter, 3848 Geary, San Francisco 9pm SATURDAY FEBRUARY 13 Red Meat/The Hollisters @ Club Deluxe, 1509-11 Haight, San Francisco SUNDAY FEBRUARY 14 Blue Bell Wranglers @ Club DeLuxe, 1509-11 Haight, San Francisco 930pm TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23 Big Guitar Show Live - Benefit for Big Myke Destiny: Cadillac Angels/The Chop Tops/Chicken Coupe DeVille/The Haywoods/Sean Kennedy the King Kats @ Fuel, 44 Alamden Ave., San José 9pm THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25 Cadillac Angels @ Moe's Alley, 1535 Commercial, Santa Cruz THURSDAY MARCH 12 The Haywoods @ Henfling's, 9450 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond Steve Hathaway, San Jose, California
Re: I can't help it...McHale's Navy TV-Rock Fluff
Obviously it was an outtake they did in an odd (very odd!) moment... And if ANYONE here knows where I can get my hands on a copy of this, please share this information. http://www.moviesunlimited.com/blooper.htm claims to have a whole bunch of such stuff, including: Boob Tube Blunders A delirious double feature of uncensored bloopers from days gone by. First, see flubs and goofs from "McHale's Navy," "Ben Casey," "Ozzie and Harriet" and more '60s faves, followed by Ruth Warrick, Susan Lucci and other daytime stars in the wildest miscues and practical jokes from the world of soap operas. 90 min. 62-1356 Only $19.99 I have seen this McHale outtake, and it is a classic. A friend of mine used to have a tape of outtakes from "Mork and Mindy" that were some of the funniest TV I've ever seen.
His Gig Is Up
As posted on the Steel Guitar Forum: Well my gig with LeAnn Rimes is up! The band and crew got the word she was letting us all go while we were in Hawaii this weekend. She has decided to pursue an acting career and cut her singing career back to just a few shows this year. SoI'm available and a free agent you might say!!! If anyone knows of a good road gig please let me know, at least before my banker finds out that I'm not working grin. Junior Knight [EMAIL PROTECTED] 903.425.4844 ___ Brad's Page of Steel: http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html A web site devoted to acoustic and electric lap steel guitars
Mendo Bistro in Fort Bragg, CA
Changed the title to reflect the good news. http://www.fortbragg.com gives a bit more about this lovely town. Definitely worth checking out when you're passing through - I know I'll stop by the next time I'm in the area. Twang content: Due to a family emergency, I didn't get to attend the Lambchop/Calexico soiree at the Great American Music Hall. Did anybody on this list attend? Reviews?
