Upstate Vinyl

Alison and I spent a few days before New Year’s at a converted barn near Ellenville, New York–across Monhonk    Mountain from where I grew up in New Paltz.  The barn was a great space with two bedrooms, an open sleeping loft, and an open kitchen-living room with a large fireplace downstairs.  One of the great features of the barn, in addition to the “read one, leave one” book collection and well-equipped kitchen, was the large vinyl collection.  Though it was heavy on 80s pop there were a number of rock and folk gems that we enjoyed while sipping wine in front of a well-stoked fire.  Below is fairly complete list of what we listened to.

We started off with “Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore” by Phil Ochs.  I hadn’t known I was familiar with his stuff and enjoyed what turned out to be some familiar tunes.

I hadn’t listened to Janis Joplin’s Pearl in ages and it was one of my parents’ vinyl albums I listened to regularly.  They really don’t get much better than this.

Next came One Day At a Time by Joan Baez.

Home Free by Dan Fogelberg.

Breakfast on our first morning was cooked to Beggars Banquet.  It was nice to hear the album in full, contextualize the hits with the songs I didn’t know and hear the album the way it was first heard.

Linda Ronstadt’s Heart Like a Wheel was on very heavy rotation and was the great discovery in the collection.  The album leads off with “Your No Good,” moves on to a stirring version of “Dark End of the Street,” and peaks with the one-two punch of the tight harmonies on “When Will I Be Loved” and the what might be the best version of Little Feat’s “Willin’” out there.  It would have been worth driving to and from Ellenville only to discover this album.

Alarm Clock by Richie Havens came next.  I knew my dad was a fan but hadn’t heard much of Richie Havens.  I enjoyed alarm clock and we bought tickets to his show with John Gorka at Joe’s Pub once we got back to Brooklyn.

We also listened to Linda Ronstadt’s Different Drum.  It was good but it’s no Heart Like a Wheel.

I couldn’t resist listening to Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell though it did break the folky mood some.  All I can say is that this album really comes through well on vinyl.  The guitar solos just had a little something extra and the Scooter’s voice never sounded better.

John Denver’s Spirit.

We closed it out with Heart Like a Wheel, but before that we listened to Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here.  It made me want to relisten to all of their albums on vinyl.  It was just fantastic–deep and warm.

My Word Cloud Year in Music

Bruce and the Second Education

My friend Emma brings to my attention an editorial in today’s New York Times where David Brooks muses on the music of Bruce Springsteen as a cornerstone of his second, emotional rather than school-based, education.   Two paragraphs really resonated with me:

What mattered most, as with any artist, were the assumptions behind the stories. His tales take place in a distinct universe, a distinct map of reality. In Springsteen’s universe, life’s “losers” always retain their dignity. Their choices have immense moral consequences, and are seen on an epic and anthemic scale.

And:

Last week, my kids attended their first Springsteen concert in Baltimore. At one point, I looked over at my 15-year-old daughter. She had her hands clapped to her cheeks and a look of slack-jawed, joyous astonishment on her face. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing — 10,000 people in a state of utter abandon, with Springsteen surrendering himself to them in the center of the arena.

It begins again.

I appreciate the first paragraph as a genuine and thoughtful interpretation of Bruce’s music–though one not completely in line with my own thoughts.   The second paragraph, however, is great simply by virtue of the fact that it captures the both the experience one has for the first time seeing the Boss and seeing others see him for the first time.  What was great though, was that with the last sentence it becomes clear that all the joy Brooks is expressing in the piece is really the joy in his belief that his daughter is now going to experience some version of his interactions with Bruce’s music.  Is it sometimes wrong for parents to want their children to follow in their footsteps?  Maybe, but not here.

Anthony Da Costa Residency at the Living Room – August 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th 2009

Anthony Da Costa’s recent “first four Mondays” August residency at the Living Room in Manhattan was excellent.  It included a number of guests appearances, most notably Anthony’s longtime collaborator Abbie Gardner (nights 2 and 4) and singer-songwriter A. J. Roach (night 2) as well as a fiddler on the first night who’s name I cannot recall and Oliver Hill (?), an undergraduate at Yale, who played viola on night 4.  Anthony, who’s most recent album, “Not Afraid of Nothing,” was released just before the series started closed each evening with a sing-a-long including “Just Like a Woman” on night 3 and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” on night 4.  The nights were a mix of ADC classics like “Upstate Living” and “Devil’s Won” and well selected covers by A.J. Roach, Johnny Cash (Long Black Vail on night 3 was full of wonderful harmonies), and others.

However, what made the series so memorable was that it was confirmation that Anthony has entered into a new stage in his career and his development.  Gone from his songs are what I used to think of as the “young moments” that would sometimes crack through the well-developed lyrics and song structures that have men past mid-life calling Anthony “an old soul.”  Anthony’s lyrics still have moments that give me a jolt, but now it’s because his leap forward seems to have allowed him to access a set of images and feelings that are moments suggestive of reflection and experience that most adults probably never have.  They add a raw touch to Anthony’s songs that, for a moment, pull you out of the aesthetic he has created and remind you that he is exercising solid control over his songs and audiences.  All of this has me excited for the New York chapter of Anthony’s career which will begin in a few weeks when he begins at Columbia.  After he and Abbie debut Denmark.

Dangerous at Bowery Ballroom – August 1st, 2009

Making Dangerous Happen

On Saturday Matt and Sarah and I headed from the most excellent XO in Chinatown to the Bowery Ballroom for the all metal tribute to Michael Jackson which is Dangerous.  After seeing Satanicide a few months ago I was pretty sure we were in for an irreverent but energetic evening.  At the same time there was a little bit of trepidation as well.  Satanicide wasn’t exactly gentle when it came to its ironic commentary on metal so I was a little nervous about the type of humor that was sure to be in the show.  As it turned out some gags definitely pushed the envelope, some were clever, and some made me cringe.

The entire band was in costume and the crowd favorite might have been keytar player and multi-instrumentalist “Neverland Raunch” who wore leather chaps and not much else.  The night was filled with special guests including an Axl Rose (not of Mr. Brownstone, the GNR tribute band), Tammy Fay Starlight, Vixen Neal of Girls! Girls! Girls, the Motley Crue tribute band, Slash (perhaps of Mr. Brownstone), and several others including one female vocalist who did a killer version of Smooth Criminal.  The show ended with We Are the World done in true ensemble style with the crowd eventually on the stage.

Set list below:

• Thriller
• Rock with You
• Off the Wall (?)
• Don’t Stop till you Get Enough
• Billie Jean – w/ Vixen Neil of Girls! Girls! Girls!
• Black and White
• Smooth Criminal – Amazing guest vocalist on this one.  Don’t know who she was
• I’ll be There (with a nice foray into Night Ranger’s ‘Sister Christian’)
• Bad
• Beat It – The guitar soloist on Beat It, we were told was the guy that did all the guitar shredding on Beavis and Butthead and his solo made my jaw drop.
• Encore: We are the World

The Body of an Irish Band

I went to see the Pogues in DC several months ago.  I was so excited for the show that I spent over 10 hours on a bus for fewer than 24 in the city for the show.  I’m not sure I’ve every been so disappointed.  At least when I paid an arm and a leg for Jerry Lee Lewis to play for only 30 minutes he had these moments that were just wild and, frankly, it was a thrill to be in the same room as one of the originators of Rock and Roll.  I had forgotten about the slurring McGowan and underwhelming performance until Matt of The Sound of Blackbirds sent along this tidbit from No Depression which reflects a similar experience.  In referring to their 1987 album If I Should Fall From Grace with God, notes that “[t]hey had never been this good before — and, alas, they would never be again.”  It’s sad to know that their declining performances don’t seem to have rebounded in twenty years.

NJ-Z

While the first day of All Points West sounded like a muddy mess, I would’t have minded being there for Jay-Z’s cover of “No Sleep to Brooklyn” as an homage to the act he replaced as the day’s headliner.

(HT Brooklyn Vegan)

Garage Banjo

AltOhio recently interviewed Andy Bean of the Two Man Gentlemen Band.  I particularly liked this question and answer since I find the TMGB project to be quite deliberately conceived.  It speaks to the power of evolution, a strong base off of which to work, and perseverance.

AltOhio – I wanted to ask, obviously with the act you’ve put together in terms of sound and look, you’ve almost put together a method band. Obviously you weren’t just two kids in a garage with a guitar, obviously there was much more of a thought process to this.

Andy Bean – Not really. We were the two kids in a garage with a guitar, years ago that was us, and then we wanted to do it more on our terms. So, we started street performing around New York City about four years ago. We figured if we dressed up we’d make a little bit more money. Then, of course, (laughing) we got a little more into it. To answer your question, though, not too much thought in the beginning. The act really developed pretty slowly, we started out more country/rockabilly at first, and then we got into old time jazz.

You can access the full interview here.

Run Amok, Go Nuts

My good friend Adam, a.k.a. Domer has just recently put together a great video for the track “Run Amok” by DJ SmutVillian featuring Kats & Domer with illspokinn.  Check it out below and keep an eye out for the parties Kats and Domer have been throwing at the Bushwick Country Club (see freeicecream.net).  I went to an early incarnation when the events were at Huckleberry Bar and it was excellent.

Two Man Music Making Employment Strong in Weak Economy!

Matt at The Sound of Blackbirds reminds me that I have been remiss in reporting on our favorite makers of two man music, The Two Man Gentlemen Band.  Matt reports via the Gentlemen’s Blog and Email Letter:

The Two Man Gentlemen Band have just announced that they will be part of The Bob Dylan Show for three dates this summer. This Friday, they play at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio, and then on Saturday at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio. And then on the last day of July, Bob and the Gentlemen will be playing at the Amphitheater at the Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama.

All of the shows feature Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp in addition to Bob Dylan and the Gents. The Gentlemen will be playing as a quartet.

I know that Andy Bean likes his minor league ballparks, so I bet that Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp are only part of the thrill. And I bet that Willie would love to guest on a slightly slowed-down version of “When Your Lips are Playing My Kazoo.” [TSOB]

I’ll be up in Vermont for the eponymously named Brewers’ Festival that weekend.  Word is that we’ll also be catching theDylan/Nelson/Mellencamp tour with the Wiyos opening.  Sadly this means that I’ll be missing the Gentlemen.  In a dastardly twist of fate The Gents will be in Vermont on the 17th, but I will be at the aforementioned Dylan/Nelson show.  The next night is the Gentlemen’s only show in New York City on July 18th at Public Assembly in Brooklyn but I will be celebrating brewers.