Scott Kempner
Great quote Dave. This reminds me, has any of that Little Kings stuff ever been made available for public consumption? I wanna know too - the only thing I do know is that on the Dion solo compilation that came out a few years ago The Little Kings play on the two (maybe three) new songs on it - but it's Dion all the way (aint nothin' wrong with that!). -ldk Also, I ahven;t gotten the new Neil Young tribute that came out, but on the Miles of Music description it says the Del-Lords play on it, but I think it's not - it's only Eric Ambel (again, nothing too wrong with that). Is Kempner on it too?
Dead Reckoning/Tammy Rogers/Dull Records/Joe Henry
Anyone know why Dead Reckoning has become so dull recently? The last Kieran Kane record was boring as was the disappointing live record and now Tammy Rogers new one The Speed of Love. She doesn't even play her fiddle much on it and almost all the songs are real trite and ho-hum. There's a couple of twangy songs on it, but when she has a lyric that goes "If women are from Venus, then men must be from Mars" you have to cringe. I enjoyed older Dead Reckoning records including Tammy Roger's first record on the label, but I've given up on them. The new Joe Henry record suffers fromt he same problems as these Dead Reckoning records. It sounds nice - wonderfully produced, but the songs themselves are just so darn boring. I kind of like what he's doing with percussion and mixing up alot of instruments, but he's got to write better songs too. Oh well - a few good pickups recently - aling with Tom Russell's new one I really do like the new Terry Allen record alot - that has both great music proudction AND wonderful songwriting. I also love the new Paul K (he hasn't put out a bad record I don't think), and I love the new Beth Orton too. With these 4 records alone we have a good quarter so far. keep dancing, -ldk * * There is nothing so cruel in this world as* * the desolation of having nothing to hope for. * * - Haruki Murakami * *
Re: Television (Richard Lloyd)
All this fun talk about Television and Richard Lloyd made me notice that there's a new record by someone named Bibi Farber which features Richard lloyd on guitar. I know nothing about this record - just a description I saw at www.notlame.com... anyone know about it? -ldk
Re: Television Live (and Butch Hancock)
Additional twang: Richard Lloyd backed up Butch Hancock at the Mercury Lounge a couple of years ago, and I still consider it one of the best shows I've ever seen. lloyd's solo on "Bluebird" brought tears to my eyes. I saw Butch Hancock when The Health and Happiness Show served as his backup band (of which Richard Lloyd was the lead guitarist at the time) and it gave a chance to hear Butch rock. On the rafting trip I took with Butch as guide - he mentioned how much fun that was - he loves to rock with a band like that I think, but it takes some effort (and money) to make that happen. But that show did rock - Lloyd's good on his own, but he's great backing up good songwriters. keep dancing, -ldk
Re: Wilco's summerteeth (fans drifting away)
The thread, to me, comes down to, how far can a band drift from its original sound before it just starts to drive those original fans away? Wilco's a great example and timely enough to be worth discussing. As I said in that penultimate sentence quoted above, if some fans like the experimentation, they're ahead of the game. I'll put in my unformed thoughts on the subject. Wilco is a good example of moving to different directions, not only because of the change in musical style, but Tweedy openly talks about how he's not alt-country. I think that in the alt.country camp there's plenty of curmudgeons (nice curmudgeons) who won't like the change in styles, but there's plenty who just like all sorts of music and will be drawn to Summer Teeth or other musical chameleons who venture a little outside the niche. That being said, in Wilco's case, I don't know how much of a chameleon he's being. How radically different is Summer Teeth from Being There or even some Uncle Tupelo. There may not be straight country tunes on it, but I think he's always been a simple chord midtempo rocker who writes heartfelt, sometimes downer lyrics that are occasionally cryptic (though nowhere nearly as cryptic as Son Volt or Bobby D or others). With Summer Teeth he's spent alot more time on production and arrangements and he's growing (in his mind at least) as a musician. But there's some simple riffs and simple vocals that sound like everything else he's done. I like Wilco, particularly live. I like Summer Teeth a little, but I'm not that enamored by it because while he's being more poppy, perhaps more accessible to sell more records (Wilco may sell alot for an "alt-country" band, but they don't sell that many records in the giant picture), he's not that great at doing the pop arrangement thing. There's quite a few smalltime poppy bands I enjoy more (bands like Cotton Mather, Richard Heyman, and other "power pop" folks), but it IS interesting how Wilco combines this pop with some bleak moods - something alot of power pop doesn't do very often. My simple conclusion in all this is that Wilco will lose some fans, gain some fans, and have some fans angry at them for moving away from a particular niche, a niche that isn't that well defined anyway, but they're just a rock band - doing the simple, emotional rock stuff whther you like it or not. I'm in the middle. And Wilco doesn't care what their core fans think (why should they - they do what they want - and that's how it should be - although they probably cater a bit to their label no matter what they may say in interviews (I don't know if they're saying anything in interviews actually)) and if a bunch of fans don't like it, then don't listen to or buy the stuff. Not many bought Dylan's gospel stuff (though I'm a fan of Saved). Not many bought Neil Young's Trans - Neil is a good guy to look at - he's alt-country... and grunge... and occasionally techno... and just a plain old folkie... he's a rock musician that's all. And he hasn't lost too many fans it seems. So there's a few thoughts. Wilco can do what they want for whomever will listen - even if the end result (I feel) with Summer Teeth is a so-so pop record that's gonna be on alot of top 10 lists which will make me shake my head as I play Cotton Mather's Kon Tiki and The Orange Humble Band's Assorted Cremes (This record sounds ALOT like Summer Teeth to me, but it's much better I think) more than I do Summer Teeth. keep dancing, -ldk
Re: SF Bay Area RAB/Country Calendar (addendum/Andre Williams)
This Friday, March 19th at Bottom of the Hill: Andre Williams! He plays raunchy RB, he has a wonderful song about a black man listening to country music, he has some stuff on Bloodshot or coming out soon on Bloodshot, he's so alternative country that he's punk! He put out my number one choice for record of the year of 1998 with Silky (I don't think any postcard2 folks had him i their lists other than my vote). He simply kicks ass. keep dancing, -ldk
New album proves Dylan is in Jewish phase (and country)(fwd)
Got this from the Dylan newsgroup and thought it funny in a way that postcard2 folks may find funny too... keep dancing, -ldk -- Forwarded message -- Advanced word from Sony Records proves Dylan is not only reasserting his Jewish heirtage but is also reclaiming the traditions handed down by one of his favorite singer/songwriters Hank Williams Sr. His soon-to-be released country-flavored album, appropriately titled "Gotta Shalom Somebody," contains the following tracks: 1. "I Was One of the Chosen People (Til She Chose Somebody Else)" 2. "Honky Tonk Nights on the Golan Heights" 3. "I've Got My Foot on the Glass, Where Are You?" 4. "My Rowdy Friend Elijah's Coming Over Tonight" 5. "New Bottle of Whiskey, Same Old Testament" 6. "Stand by Your Mensch" 7. "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Latkes" 8. "I Balanced Your Books, but You're Breakin' My Heart" 9. "My Darlin's a Schmendrick and I'm All Verklempt" 10. "That Shiksa Done Made off With My Heart Like a Goniff" 11. "The Second Time She Said 'Shalom,' I Knew It Meant Goodbye" 12. "You're the Lox My Bagel's Been Missin" 13. "You've Been Talkin' Hebrew in Your Sleep Since that Rabbi Came to Town" 14. "Mamas Don't Let Your Ungrateful Sons Grow Up to Be Cowboys (When They Could Very Easily Have Just Taken Over the Family Hardware Business that My Own Grandfather Broke His Back to Start and My Father Built Up Over Years of Effort Which Apparently Doesn't Mean Anything Now That You're Turning Your Back on Such a Gift)"
Wilco Review: Power Pop perspective
http://www.twomp.com/amplifier/summer_t.htm I haven't gotten it yet so I have no opinions. About anything. keep dancing, -ldk
Re: New Lou Ann Barton (sorta)
What label is this on? It sounds like a bootleg to me. I understand that Lou Ann has a new record coming out on Antone's later this year. I don't think this is it. And YES! the woman can SING! Jim, smilin' It's a boot. Somebody has done it and my Stevie/Lou Ann sessions too. Bastards. It very well may be a boot - the label is called MIG or something like that. BUT it says on the cd "woth permission from Home Cookin records" (I think it's home cookin -I don't have the cd handy today). Also, it seems to be getting decent distrbution - not like something you find in the "import" section of some stpres. Amazon or cdnow has it for sale too. So while it may be a boot, it has a little bit of legitimacy to it (so acts like it does). But it's cheaply packaged like a boot and the sesions are often bootlegged (having explored a Stevie Ray Vaughn site about it). lookin forward to a new cd from hers on Antones in any case. keep dancing, -ldk
Re: Tom Russell's new one
Didn't someone refer to this as the best album ever, or some such
hyperbole? After one listen, I'd give it an award for one of the more
sleep-inducing albums I've heard in quite awhile, but that's about it. A
coupla songs stand out from the monotonous morass ("Chickasaw County Jail"
and Iris singing "Acres of Corn"), but most of it's too damn stately and
antiseptic for its own good. I bet even Kinnamon balks at this.--don
Gosh - a TR backlash on his concept record.
Well, I found it inventive and exhilerating and a piece of patriotic
songwriting that moves my spine that I truly can compare with Woodie Guthrie.
Maybe folks out there get tired of verse after verse of So Long It's Been
Good to Know ya, but I don't. Maybe the wonderful display of Irish ,
Norwegian, and Cowboyish folk tunes aint twangy enough for y'all, but I'm
enthralled.
But I guess everyone's into disposable music that can prick up your ears
at a moment's notice and then be thrown away until the next record with a
good riff comes out.
To each his or her own.
Keep Dancing,
-ldk
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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*It makes no difference without passion...*
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Re: best so far
I'm new here, so I hope it works this way (if not I'm sorry); anyway, I write a bi-monthly newsletter, and I need some names for the cream of the crop in new releases in alt. country, etc., this year so far. I am looking for indie bands in particular, but any suggestions will be appreciated. My favorite alt-country record so far is Tom Russell's new record "The Man From Nowhere" - my love for this record is immense and it's hard for me to see a record topping it - I think it's the most ambitious folk record I've ever heard - a potpourri of styles - cowboy, Irish, Norwegian, and then some. Even a little sample from Walt Whitman! Not It's a gem (coming out in the states next month on hightone). The other fave so far is Mojave 3's new one Out of Tune. I don't know much about their arlier work, but this one sounds like early Neil Young strumming and nick Drake a bit, but like Neil can be, it's a bit country. Very simple, pretty record. keep dancing, -ldk
Re: More new shows in San Francisco
Also, I think on February 9th at The Freight and Salvage in Berkeley - Fred Eaglesmith returns! keep dancing, -ldk
RE: Upcoming San Francisco shows of interest
Plus, another plug for : Lullaby for the Working Class and Edith Frost at the Bottom of the Hill, S.F. Tuesday, February 2nd. Is Varnaline playing with Lullaby for the Working Class as well? I thought I read that somewhere. If so, what a triple header, eh folks? -ldk PS SF PowerPop fans - Poptopia for SF is going on from 2/1 through 2/8 the same time the LA Pop fest is going on. I don't knw the lineup completely, but it should be fun - check the Paradise, Cocodrie and Bottom of the Hill that week and see what's going on!
Bingo - Hom
This record has become a fave recent acquisition and just curious if anyone else thinks highly of this record. It consists of members of Golden Delicious and Fernando - good bands from Portland. If a record can be defined as "aternative" country - this qualifies. It's got some country like songs, but done i a different style - some of it Indian - raga style. I think fans of the Flaming Lips, Nirvana, and Wilco would find this recor dappealing. There's some good distortion ala Nirvana, great straight songwriting in the rock vein of Wilco, and sound experimenting the way the Lips perform. But throughoput there's this asian sitar/tabla like drumming going on - including a real rock and roll raga. Best of all, to me, is the onderful mood of the whole record. This record has wonderful atmosphere - I throw out more band names as a comparison - Lambchop or Lullaby for the Workign Class. Yeah, alot of styles. Anyway, I'm always turned on by bands that think outside the box, and these are few and far between - but this one does it. I guess there's Holy Modal influences here since they cover a Michael Hurley song (I think the main guy - Kevin Richey has a connection with them). Pete Krebs is on here too! ldk sez check 'em out! keep dancing, -ldk
