Archive for the 'Musician Reviews' Category
HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL WITH ALAN PARSONS AT LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
Author: Jeff Boule
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?
read comments (1)The Hold Steady
Author: Butler Bad
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?
Author: Jeff Boule
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
Author: Butler Bad
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
Author: Butler Bad
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
Author: Butler Bad
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
Author: Bob Bembridge
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
Author: Butler Bad
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 »
Wade Bowen
Author: Butler Bad
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)
Author: Gabriel Barrio
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.
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.
Blue is the new red for THIS year's energy dome. Let's hope there will be more NEW Devo albums like Something For Everybody! Cover reprinted with permission.
De-evolution is real! De-evolution is the condition under which a society returns to its roots. When individuals devolve, the basic human instinct kicks in and makes us want to drag our knuckles on the ground, carry a thigh bone of some sun bleached carcass, and appear disgruntled in Geico commercials.
When music devolves, its top performers appear in their underwear flipping the bird at a major league baseball game. (To Lady “MessMess”, I am a Mets fan, I hope every Mets fan that sees you in concert, on the street, with your parents, flips YOU the bird. The Mets will be around long after your 15 minutes of nudity are over!)
It’s time for common sense, it’s time for transparency in the music business, we are long overdue for some good music, and it is most definitely time, once again, for Devo…
Belew motions for you all to come out to one of his shows and see his music. Photo courtesy Coming Age
In case you readers in the South East region of Pennsylvania don’t know about it, there is a wonderful multi-level music club/eatery/radio station near the 30thStreet Train Station called World Café Live. I have been there several times and even blogged about a couple of those experiences. It is a really nice venue for artists who don’t require the impersonality of a stadium. It is an intimate performance space capable of handling the loudest metal band to the most introspective and demure acts.
I’m positive Adrian Belew will plunk us somewhere right in between those two extremes.
Elvis Schmaltz Obscures Role as Music Pioneer
Author: Bob Bembridge
Surprise quiz.
Who was a bigger influence on popular music, Elvis Presley or the Beatles? Read the rest of this entry »
Patterson Hood and his solo stylings!
Author: Butler Bad
Patterson Hood is the son of David Hood, bass player of the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and one of the leaders/singers/songwriters of Drive-By Truckers. He has released two solo albums that are more intimate than his work with the band. While still relying heavily on the exploration of southern history and its roots, his solo albums seem to be a bit more personal and deal more with emotions and the people surrounding them. Read the rest of this entry »
Amos Lee
Author: Butler Bad
Amos Lee is a Philadelphia born singer/songwriter with a soulfully smooth voice. His self titled debut album was released in 2005 and since then, he has opened for such acts as Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, B.B. King, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, John Prine, and an extended tour with Norah Jones. Not a bad start for this relative new comer. Read the rest of this entry »
Tony Dancy (l), Craig Fairchild (c) and Lanny Hale (r) are the Tygers in human form.
In my course of searching for that ever-elusive new music, sometimes you come across something unique, different, and if you’re lucky, sometimes you come across something with a gimmick to latch onto.
Never mind two!