Band of Horses, Infinite Arms (Columbia, 2010)
Posted by Gabriel Barrio in Album Reviews, New Releases, Reviews, Song Reviews
Dreary eyed, and melancholy muses, getting used to bad news, and exaggerated critical acclaims, another hour of rhythms and string strums, light drums and vocal hums. The world is turning slowly, madness ensures on every corner of the globe, forest fires, recalled food products, natural disasters, wars, discord, sorrow, famine and failure, it is all around us. Some look to the sky, some run to their holy books, their holy places, some run straight into the belly of hedonism, others excess and vice. However, on this starry night I look no further than the notes and melodies divine, in each devotional note I find, peace and solitude. Read the rest of this entry »
read comments (1)HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL WITH ALAN PARSONS AT LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
Posted by Jeff Boule in Concert Reviews, Editorials, Honoring Lives, Musician Reviews, News, Opinion Posts, Reviews
How often does one of your favorite artists play a concert in your backyard? Never, right? Oh sure there are those contests where you can win and have the band play in your yard. How many times do people in apartment buildings win and can’t have it happen? How many times does the band set up in the backyard and the old neighbors call the cops after one song and they break it up before the band can play five songs? How many of these contests are bogus and no one really knows who wins if anyone?
A pipe-dream, right?
FALL INTO A CORNUCOPIA OF DIVERSE ACTS AT WORLD CAFÉ LIVE, PHILADELPHIA
Posted by Jeff Boule in Concert Reviews, Editorials, News, Opinion Posts, Reviews, What's New
I know after at least one of my previous posts, I ended by saying “It never stops”. Someone even commented on it. But at the World Café Live, it literally can never stop.
And they don’t.
The Hold Steady
Posted by Butler Bad in Musician Reviews
The Hold Steady is the Brooklyn based bar band that formed in 2003. Their musical styling is more narrative and conceptual than most current bands. Lyrically intense, crunchy, riffing guitars paired with cigarette and whiskey vocals are the calling cards of The Hold Steady. Read the rest of this entry »
ISN’T IT TIME YOU HAD SOME FUNKY KNIGHTS?
Posted by Jeff Boule in Album Reviews, Editorials, Indie Release Highlights, Musician Reviews, New Releases, Opinion Posts, Reviews, Song Reviews, What's New
Every once in a while you gotta take a leap of faith. Just give something a listen to that may not be up your alley. For me, that leap of faith was The Funky Knights. I have some R&B appreciation in my background. One of the slickest produced artists I remember (and just plain old liked) was the late Luther Vandross. His albums were always clean, tight and had that smooth sheen.
I have to say, The Funky Knights come awfully close. At least when it comes to the instrument production.
Joseph Arthur is the singing /songwriting protégée of former Genesis front man and current world music guru Peter Gabriel. Arthur was the first American recording artist singed to Gabriel’s Real World Records. His 2000 release Come to Where I Am and the opening slot on tours with Ben Harper and Gomez helped Arthur attain a larger fan base. He also briefly toured Europe with R.E.M. in 2004. Read the rest of this entry »
Brett Dennen is something of a pop/folk artist. Brett’s impressive inflections are the focal point of his music. His voice has a youthful timbre but is deceptively soulful. His debut album is a bit more bright and playful than the rest of his work. Through poetic lyrics he addresses numerous sociopolitical issues such as poverty, child labor, war, disasters, and the dark side of politics. The thought provoking lyrics are gently delivered through his warm, dulcet vocals. Read the rest of this entry »
A Perfect Circle is the ever changing heavy metal/hard/alternative rock group that was formed in 1999 by Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and guitar tech to the rock stars Billy Howerdel. Howerdel’s resume includes bands such as Faith No More, Fishbone, Guns N’ Roses, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, and most fortuitously Tool. It is through his work with Tool that he approached Keenan with his music and Keenan offered up his vocals in the event that Howerdel ever formed a band. Read the rest of this entry »
No, no fancy pictures, but there are links you should follow. Only if you want to walk away from a show saying to your cohorts, “Wow, that was one un-friggin’-believable show, they actually pulled that off!” I’ve barked up this tree before, but I have received some disturbing news! Now no one is more aware of the failing economy than I am. Both I and my best-thing-to-ever-happen-to-me are living on the government dole. But we still pay to go to these shows that I report on. I don’t take freebies (Kasim Sulton offered, I have yet to take him up on them) so my reviews are objective. I haven’t flinched when my favorite artists screw-up a lyric, a part, or makes a mistake live, I have notated it. It’s those flaws I tend to zero in on. That’s what makes the live performance a true pearl.
The humanity.
Anderson and violin set the stage for some democracy in action. Photo by Lynn Vala
If you attended or read about the Adrian Belew Painting With Guitar show at the World Café Live July 1st, you saw or heard about posters for the Laurie Anderson Another Day In America show. This show was only advertised at the Belew concert, World Café Live was banking on the fact that they could draw from Belew’s audience to help fill the room for Anderson. Belew had worked with Anderson on some projects so the logic was sound.
Anderson didn’t need the help.
They even set the seating up to accommodate a more attentive, mature and dare I say it, refined crowd. There was less open space, three rows of seats, a couple of rows of tables, and then the remaining usual seating around the bar and in the upper mezzanine. I managed to get some front row seats and a photo pass for this show, so get ready, with my trusty photographer and my abysmal narrative, I will take you through…
Another Day In America.
Gonna be a killer show.
Mayor of MacDougal Street Was King of Village
Posted by Bob Bembridge in Honoring Lives, Literary / Publication Reviews, Musician Reviews, Opinion Posts, Reviews
He was an early mentor to Bob Dylan and a pioneer of modern acoustic blues, but his music is seldom heard today.
Dave Van Ronk was the Grand Poobah of the early Sixties Greenwich Village folk music scene. Second only to Woody Guthrie in his influence on Dylan, Van Ronk never achieved the commercial success enjoyed by fellow folkies Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Peter, Paul, and Mary. Yet it was Van Ronk’s bluesy growl that set the bar for Greenwich Village folk performers in the 1960s. Read the rest of this entry »
Lucinda Williams
Posted by Butler Bad in Musician Reviews
Lucinda William’s is everyone’s collaborating darling who released her first album Ramblin’ in 1978. In her thirty plus years in the music business, she has released nine studio albums. Some might consider her a bit methodical or even a perfectionist based on span of years between album releases. She started out in the country genre that was occasionally tinged with the blues. Read the rest of this entry »
An important album from an important artist. Cover reprinted with permission of Nonesuch records.
You’re reading a review.
About someone you’ve never heard of.
But…
You should know her.
You should know her work.
You should know her work is.
You should know her work is for… YOU!
She is a performance artist, music, dance, theater, comedy, drama, love, hate, technology… She is a political activist. But I don’t go near politics and I don’t go near music artists when they sit between their wives and ex-wives.
Wade Bowen is a Waco, Texas born singer/songwriter who has become a staple of the Texas music scene. He self released his debut album “Try Not To Listen” in 2002. Early on, he was tearing up the road playing over 250 shows per year. In 2006, he released “Live at the Blue Light” and his studio follow up “Lost Hotel” both of which helped him expand his audience outside of Texas. In 2008, Bowen released “If We Ever Make It Home” and in 2009 he recorded his 2nd live album at the famous Fort Worth, Texas honky tonk Billy Bob’s Texas. It is scheduled to be released in early 2010. Read the rest of this entry »
Alela Diane (Rough Trade 2009)
Posted by Gabriel Barrio in Musician Reviews, Record Hunting, Reviews, Song Reviews, bands to watch
The air rushes through the leaves, they dance and sway in the wind, the trees stand solid. Water brushes down the muddy banks of the river, and the stones are awash in freshwater as they stand still. Wild grasses grow and lean into the breezes direction, sun shining still and strong. Somewhere in the distance you can hear a voice carried amongst the thick of the forest, and soft strings playing through the cool climate of the pacific northwest. A zen like folk song conjuring up images from which the voice originates. This sound native of Nevada City, California now carried up through my earphones sending me through memories and images of peace. This sound can only come from such a beauty of a voice and a gorgeous landscape of our fair country.
"Fabulous babe" Julie Slick bids adieu to the hometown crowd at World Cafe Live. Photo by Lynn Vala
Her last track, which I missed the name of, is another manic track. With eerie synths, this time the track is louder than the bass, even with the harmonizer on the bass. Even a fake-out stop can’t break her concentration; she counts it off, comes right in on time and wails to the end.
Ever shoeless, the thanks us and exits the stage having conquered it. During the intermission she disappears into the crowd.
After a brief change over to remove Slick’s equipment for the most part, Daniel Rowland comes out and starts the show with a midi-generated track, but no Belew???
One guy, a ton of equipment, and an even bigger sound. Photo by Lynn Vala
Belew then announces that his album e will be performed by an orchestra in Amsterdam. He then attempts to play “d” from his e album. After two times he gets his loop right. After that, flawless.
He seemed pleased with it.
Adrian Belew brings his art and music together in one place, The World Cafe Live. Photo by Lynn Vala
Philadelphia PA – I had seen the warnings on the suburban Philadelphia news channels. But no one told me JUST how bad the highway construction was going to be getting down to Philadelphia. I had seen multiple automobile accidents, right from the time I left my house before I even got on a highway, a few blocks from home was a triple-car rear ender. I knew the show was going to be worth the delays, I hoped it would be worth the apparent danger.
We were basically dodging bullets to get there.
Maniacal bassist and, as Dave Letterman used to say, "one fabulous babe," Julie Slick. Photo by Lynn Vala
Apparently my fears were not founded, or perhaps Belew has advised her that I have found evidence to support his claim that, he too, was on the outside of the truth about King Crimson’s demise, as she was very friendly, personable, even after letting her know that I was NOT the person she thought was connected to the Paul Green School Of Rock. A very nice woman, I only hope she continues to allow me to call her Birdwoman as it is a term of endearment and not derogatory (Robin, bird, Birdwoman, I couldn’t call her birdgirl as the producers of Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law would have my head) but I rarely refer to people by their names if they frequent my blog, I prefer to maintain privacy for people. If she has a complaint about it, she has my contact card and can stop me if she wishes. She’s so nice, I would for her.
AUGUST INDEE HEAT WAVE BRINGS MAJOR NAMES TO PHILLY’S WORLD CAFE LIVE
Posted by Jeff Boule in Editorials, News, Opinion Posts
Who brings you to the hottest, latest breaking news on your favorite artists? Everybody BUT me, I know I know… But this time I am going to let you find something for yourself that you like. Check out the various acts coming to the hippest Philly nightclub (don’t care where you live, this place is worth the drive, two different stages, a club with a killer restaurant and radio station all in one!).
Be forewarned, with two of my next three posts coming from the World Cafe Live, you might get sick of hearing about it. I highly doubt it, I have been to this place coming up on double digits and there is always something new, something appetizing, and I ALWAYS seem to bump into the artists themselves there.
This place is laid back with top names coming in all the time. If you’re passing through, you must check it out: