Rylander Quarterly On-Line

Ry Cooder’s Elegant Indignation (from the New Yorker)

2012-01-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

by Alec Wilkinson

I can’t write briefly about Ry Cooder, the virtuoso guitarist who has a new record, “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down.” Admiration for his accomplishments, his singularity, and the longevity and diversity of his career intervene. For more than forty years, since Cooder released his first record, “Ry Cooder,” in 1970, he has been a musician other musicians have followed closely, and no popular musician has a broader or deeper catalog. He has played songs so simple that they are hardly songs, and songs so complex that they would tax, if not overwhelm, the capacities of most lauded guitarists. He had quit making rock ‘n’ roll records sixteen years before Rolling Stone, in 2003, named him the 8th greatest guitarist on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time (three of the seven ahead of him are dead guys). Even so, his influence has been felt more than his records have been heard, with perhaps one exception: the group of elderly Cuban musicians whom he assembled and recorded in 1997 and called the Buena Vista Social Club.

Cooder’s guitar playing is expressive, elegant, and rhythmically intricate. It frequently has a pressured attack that he has described as having the feel of “some kind of steam device gone out of control.” His sense of phrasing was partly imprinted in his childhood by a record of brass music made by a group of African-American men who found instruments in a field left by Civil War soldiers during a retreat, and played them according to their own inclinations. If you wonder what his sensibility sounds like when applied to rock ‘n’ roll—one version of it anyway—the most widely known example I can think of comes from the period when Cooder had been hired to augment the Rolling Stones during the recording of “Let It Bleed.” He was playing by himself in the studio, goofing around with some changes, when Mick Jagger danced over and said, How do you do that? You tune the E string down to D, place your fingers there, and pull them off quickly, that’s very good. Keith, perhaps you should see this. And before long, the Rolling Stones were collecting royalties for “Honky Tonk Women,” which sounds precisely like a Ry Cooder song and absolutely nothing like any other song ever produced by the Rolling Stones in more than forty years. According to Richards in his recent autobiography, Cooder showed him the open G tuning which became his mainstay and accounts for the full-bodied chordal declarations that characterize songs such as “Gimme Shelter,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Start Me Up,” and “Brown Sugar.” The most succinct way I can think of to describe the latticed style that Keith Richards says he has sought to achieve with Ron Wood is to say that for thirty-five years the Stones have been trying to do with four hands what Cooder can do with two.

Cooder might have been heard more widely except that he doesn’t like to perform. He doesn’t care for being watched so closely or having to entertain. “I couldn’t go out there anymore and say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, and especially you ladies,’” he says. The people who like the applause should have it, he feels, but he says he doesn’t care for it. After performing, he used to feel like a withered balloon under a chair on the day after a child’s birthday party. He grew up in recording studios and is more at home there, privately trying to capture something ephemeral and elusive—“the big note,” a friend of his has said, the one that makes all the other concerns fall away. In the last few years, he has toured briefly in Europe and Japan and Australia, with his son, Joachim, playing drums and Nick Lowe playing bass—but not in North America.

For most of Cooder’s career he arranged songs from other writers and various historical sources ranging from Depression era songs, to Bix Beiderbecke’s repertoire, to folk and drifter and cowboy songs, miner’s songs, work songs, surf songs, jukebox songs, calypsos, roadhouse and dance hall songs, protest songs, and songs from the registry of rhythm and blues—but in 2003 he began recording albums of his own material. (My own introductory list of highlights from Cooder’s earlier period: “Great Dreams from Heaven,” “How Can you Keep on Movin’,” “Get Rhythm,” which has a fantastic video, “In a Mist,” “Ditty Wah Ditty,” “Smack Dab in the Middle,” “Tattler,” “France Chance,” “Little Sister,” “Dark at the End of the Street,” “Maria Elena,” “I Think It’s Going to Work Out Fine,” “The Very Thing That Makes You Rich,” and I’ll stop, but I could keep going happily.) The recent records formed a kind of Los Angeles trilogy. The first, “Chavez Ravine.” was inspired by black-and-white photographs of the hill town community inhabited by Mexicans and destroyed to build Dodgers Stadium. The second, “My Name is Buddy,” concerned a red cat named Buddy and his adventures during the most virulent period of anti-workingman and anti-communist feeling. One of the songs he sings is “Red Cat Till I Die.” The third record, “I, Flathead,” is a desert narrative about salt-flat drag racers and an alien racer entangled in a complicated moral dilemma.

What “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down” shares with them is an indignation over the economic and ethical disparities of American life and the destructive and scoundrely meanness of the privileges given to the rich. “No Banker Left Behind,” ridicules the considerations extended to the prosperous men and women who grabbed everything not nailed down during the last few years. The norteño “El Corrido de Jesse James,” a lampoon of the notion of honor among thieves, has Jesse James, sitting around in heaven, wishing to have his forty-four returned in order to persuade the bankers to “put that bonus money back where it belongs.” In the sleek country rocker “Quicksand,” a Mexican man describes a border crossing during which the guide for his group leaves in the middle of the night, and the man who takes over dies the next day in the sun. “Then a Dodge Ram truck drove down on us / Said I’m your Arizona vigilante man / I’m here to say, You ain’t welcome in Yuma / I’m takin’ you out as hard as I can.”

“Dirty Chateau” is an exchange between a man with a big house and inconsiderate habits and his maid whose people were farm workers. In the reggae shaded “Humpty Dumpty World,” God deplores the insubstantiality of his creation, with its rabble-rousing politicians and craven television commentators. “I thought I had built upon a solid rock / but it’s just a Humpty Dumpty World,” he sings.

“Baby Joined the Army” is a haunting, mesmeric lament by a young man whose simple girlfriend signs up to become a solider. She’s tired of her town and was lured by the assurance that “If I get killed in battle, I still get paid.”

In the trancy moan, “Lord Tell Me Why” a baffled, older working man wonders why, “A white man ain’t worth nothing in this world no more.” And “John Lee Hooker for President” is a hallucinated description by John Lee Hooker of his Presidency, where all the Supreme Court Justices are “fine looking women,” and mealy-mouthed corruption is not tolerated. “I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democratic / Under John Lee Hooker everything’s going to be copastatic”

“I Want My Crown,” sounds cousin-like to some of Cooder’s earlier recordings, among them “Billy the Kid,” and “Money Honey” from “Into the Purple Valley,” released in 1972, in which unlikely ensembles of stringed instruments were invoked more or less the way horn parts usually are. “Republicans changed the lock on the heavenly door / keys to the kingdom don’t fit no more,” and “If there’s a god / I think he’s got to bottle up and go,” Cooder sings. In the twitchy guitar and mandolin crossfire, you can hear a kind of wild and snaky joy, a rarefied strut that seems to be the song’s throbbing heart.

August 30, 2011

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/08/ry-cooder-pull-up-some-dust-and-sit-down.html#ixzz1kPPJFL2c

Andy White at...the Pearl Company

2012-01-13T06:14:00.000-08:00

Masterpiece
She's a masterpiece
after all this time
she's gone...
He didn't sing it until about four songs into the second set, but when Andy White began "If I Catch You Crying" last night I watched his hands. I've been stuck on this song since I first heard it on Blackie & the Rodeo Kings BARK album. It's essentially C, F, G...with a "minor fall, and a major lift" but it's intoxicating!
When Andy last played The Pearl Company with Stephen Fearing, I was not able to see them as I had tickets for Jackson Browne at Hamilton Place. Sometimes you have to make these decisions. Remember that night when, in various venues around town, we had to choose from Bill Bourne, Selena Gomez and Tony Bird? Fortunately Andy White made this return engagement. Too bad the crowds that showed up for Valdy didn't appear last night. The twenty or thirty who did make it are glad they did.
Intimate? You bet.
White reminded me of Billy Bragg in his approach both musically and lyrically. One man and a guitar, singing about the politics of government and love. There was a bit of punk rock in the way Andy played that guitar, and a bit of the Guthrie-esque folksinger in the audience singalongs. One thing about the people who go to the Pearl...they're not afraid to sing!
White wore a military-style jacket over a "Where's Waldo" white and black striped shirt. The woman behind me said, "Oh, he's changed his clothes. I liked the scarf better. That shirt shows his tummy!" She'd been there early for the sound check, I think. He quickly covered his 'tummy' with his 12 string guitar, ramped up the echo and fingerpicked the intro for "Looking for James Joyce's Grave".
I recalled my visit to Ireland, sitting at Joyce's desk in his study, or having my photo taken next to the Joyce statue off O'Connell Street. As White sang four or five songs about Ireland it brought back memories of taking the train from Drogheda to Belfast, of martello towers, of the best fish & chips I've ever had, and the pubs. The dark, stained walls and heavy Guinness-soaked atmosphere of the pubs and the loud rock music provided by the local bands.
One complaint I had about last night was the audio mix, usually crisp and clean, it was hard to make out the words. It wasn't White brogue, but either I was sitting too close to the front, or Andy was leaning too far into the mic. My friend Frank remarked about the same thing. And maybe, just maybe, White could go a bit easier on the effects that he pushes his guitar through. While providing a fuller sound, it did tend to muddy things a touch. But these slight problems are nothing compared to the intimacy that is achieved at the Pearl.
White alternated stories with songs and, in fact, many of his songs are stories. "Italian Girls on Mopeds" is a perfect example. "When I Come Back" (from his most recent CD songwriter) touched me, as he sang about "hear[ing] the Beatles for the first time, a hard day's night in '64". I recall well the day I heard the Beatles for the first time, and then I remembered the Hard Day's Night coffeeshop in Ardee. All these memories from 40 or more years flooding together.
That's what songwriters do, they speak to you of shared moments in time and experience. Whether we come from the same geographical area or time zone, or era we share so much.
Music can reach deep into our souls. Had coffee with a guitarist friend who told me that she sold her most recent CD to a woman who played it for her autistic sons. She said it had an amazing impact, it's the only thing they'll listen to. It comes them down, relaxes them. She bought 20 more copies, to give to people at the Autism Society. The principal of their school is playing it over the PA every morning. "Music hath charms to sooth the savage breast". It can also raise our consciousness, bring us to tears, unite us to fight for a common cause...
That's why the Pearl Company, and all who sail in her, are so important.
Bravo!

The Pearl Company, again

2012-01-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

Friday night my wife and I had dinner at The Bread Bar (an 'earth to table' restaurant on Locke Street) and then went down to The Pearl Company to watch Valdy, a Canadian legend! I call him a legend, but earlier on Friday afternoon Ben Babchishin (a film-maker from out west) had told me the story of pitching a film to the people at Bravo TV. They liked his hour long portrait of Mae Moore and Lester Quitzau and thought it might be the start of a series. He said, "What about Valdy?" The Bravo woman said, "WHO?"

In fact when I told a friend that we were going to see Valdy he said, "Is he still around? He only had that one song didn't he?" "Play me a rock and roll song or don't play me no song at all..." is the song he was thinking of. All of us folksingers (and wannabe folksingers) knew and loved that one. Some of us did "stay home with a big case of beer" but Valdy soldiered on and released a string of successful songs, "Simple Life," "A Good Song," "Peter and Lou," and an album that got played more than any other (except maybe Raffi) in our household Valdy's Kids Record.

More recently he has released a couple of country flavoured CDs with Gary Fjellgaard, and a double disc entitled Viva Valdy! Live at Last. That's how he was on Friday...live at last! Just Valdy and his old Martin guitar playing most of the hits and a wide selection of tunes from his long career, including a handful from a new album not yet released!You could purchase a download card for $10 that allowed you to dump this new collection onto your iPod (more about that later) or you could buy the Viva Valdy set for $20. I think there were even CDs of that infamous kids' record available!

Valdy is an energetic performer, always moving, kinetic. His guitar playing is superlative alternately jazzy and folky, and that '60s Martin rings beautifully, but it's his voice that stands out, this guy can sing.

Someone once quipped that Valdy could sing the Muskoka phonebook and make it entertaining, and in some instances the other night that's essentiallt what he did, if he forgot a lyric he just kept right on going making things up, or continuing a narrative right through the chords. It was a fine example of the folk process in action. Just like Pete Seeger, who doesn't feel successful unless everybody's singing, Valdy led the room in some old folk songs, and in the choruses of his own classic tunes. He encouraged audience participation from the start by quoting Chilliwack's Bill Henderson "if there's no audience / there just ain't no show!" We even got to sing Christmas songs since it was Christmas Eve in the Orthodox calendar! Valdy's last chance to sing his Christmas repertoire 'til next year!

Between sets Valdy moved to the lobby/gallery/merch table, poured himself a cup of java and signed CDs and chatted for the whole break. After that brief respite he again took the stage to do it all over again.

After the show I rushed home to download the new album, only to find that the promised link was nowhere to be found. I looked around his website and located an e-mail address. I sent a short message, and within a few hours Valdy had replied directing me to another location. Not his manager, or his handler, but the man himself replied! The album? It's a goodun. Can't wait to see what the artwork looks like, but the music is just fine!

Tomorrow night...Andy White...at The Pearl Company!

Tom Waits Tribute / John Mayall / etc.

2011-12-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

OK, it's been a busy time. the last couple of weeks I've been to Hugh's Room for A Man Called Wrycraft's Tribute to Tom Waits, seen Harrison Kenedy and John Mayall at Brock, been to Pickering for a high school production of The Music Man and supported my friend who plays in the Dundas Concert Band. Whew! That's a lot of music, most of it good, some of it excellent.

Hugh's Room is a great venue, but I have to say...they need to fix the kitchen. The menu has been the same forever, and while I used to stick with the salmon one overcooked fish helped me decide to experiment a bit. Well, I tried the Sausage Penne this time and the penne was...not quite al dente, but rather hard! No, I didn't send it back because I had already waited an inordinate amount of time, and was hungry! And the show was starting! I don't like to eat during the show, especially when my seats are pressed up against the stage. Now admittedly these are great seats, right next to the action, but nobody wants to watch people eating pasta while they're trying to sing about strippers and junkies! Big Rude Jake opened and having Coco Framboise do a strip tease dance just took the show to great heights. How could anyone top that?

Elizabeth Shepherd took the challenge by just playing and singing beautifully. Then Ariana Gillis and Band (fresh from a major success in NYC) won over the crowd. Al Parrish, Kim Stockwood, Joe Nolan, and the 24th Street Wailers, everybody was ON tonight. It was wonderful. The songs were dandy too, made everyone go back and revisit Mr. Waits' catalogue when they got home. And the closing act? Matt Brubeck and Roberta Harrison, couldn't have been better. It all wrapped up with a rather sloppy, but appropriate "Ol' 55" by everyone, including the audience. Almost made me forget my pasta...well...the beer helped!

A week later it's Harrison Kennedy opening the show for John Mayall. Kennedy is an acquired taste, going for the authentic, untrained blues-singer thing. He only recently came to the guitar, and seems to have taken that lack of skill to new lows by adding banjko and mandola to the instruments he can't really play. He'd do better with a band, since he still possesses a dynamite voice. But when John Mayall came out the night improved. With Rocky Athas on guitar, Greg Rzab on bass, and drummer Jay Davenport Mayall new band is hot. Add the godfather of British Blues on keyboards and harmonicas and you've really got something. My friends who really didn't know what they were in for said, "Wow, I've never heard anything like that...all his songs are really long." That's because everybody gets to solo, and these guys know their instruments! A good night's entertainment (the food at Grill on the Hill was good too) topped off by a signing in the lobby!

My nephew Andrew Wright was the star of the show at Dunbarton High School's The Music Man. Singing Meredith Wilson's classic songs he was Professor Henry Hill in this high school presentation. The cast was enthusiastic, with a couple of standout performances, and the band was excellent. A surprisingly good production!

The Dundas Concert Band needs to cut their concerts by a third. Their annual Christmas Concert found them tiring after an hour. Some horn players somewhere up there were running out of wind. But the night began with energy and good feelings. Marry Christmas to all, and to all...a good night!

Hamilton Music Awards Weekend

2011-11-21T11:10:00.000-08:00

The Hamilton Music Awards 2011 had quite the build-up. Maybe I was just more aware of it (the celebration not the award) because I was involved in some of it. Singer-songwriter (and neighbour) Ian Thomas was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, and he told them (the organizing committee) that if they wanted any historical items they'd have to contact me since I had them all. Let me clarify that. I don't have them, but I know how to get them! I was involved in the negotiations that brought Ian's archives to McMaster University, and since I dealt with him the most regularly, he knew I could put Jean-Paul and his team in touch with the actual materials. JP even asked if I would be interviewed for a video celebrating Ian's career. Wow, was this to be my big break in show biz? Would I get my own listing on IMDB like my pal Les Harding? (Les has been playing drunks, ne'er-do-wells and priests in a variety of CBC productions filmed in Newfoundland.) More on this later.

The Awards run from Thursday to Sunday, with seminars, press meetings and a star concert before the awards gala on Sunday night. In the past I've seen related shows by people like Garth Hudson and Steve Strongman but this year the Saturday night concert featured Blackie & the Rodeo Kings.

I've seen BARK a few times before, and they're always an entertaining night out, filled with great music and a few laughs. The laughs come from wondering how early Tom Wilson will start swearing. This night he was pretty much under control, prowling around the right hand side of the stage like a wolf, with his low slung Gibson guitar. The one with all the autographs on it, Ralph Stanley, John Fogerty and Johnny Cash among them. It's interesting to note that of all the guitars on stage, this is the one that comes on and leaves with its owner. No stage stand for this baby. Colin Linden is on the left of the stage (stage right to you theater people) wearing his ever-present fedora, and clearly enjoying himself. He bounces up and down as if on a pogo stick contrasting Tom's hozizontal movements across the stage. In the middle is Stephen Fearing who basically stays put. The three Kings are backed by John Dymond on bass and this evening Tom Hambridge on drums. I have to put in a special word for Tom (award-winning producer of Buddy Guy), who did a tremendous job filling in for the usual drummer Gary Craig.

The band played a fine cross section of songs from their whole career. What started as a tribute band playing the songs of the late lamented songwriter Willie P. Bennett, has became one of the world's top roots bands. They have seven albums under the BARK name and each of the partners has his own body of work, where do they find the time?

From "Water or Gasoline" through "Stoned" and "49 Tons" with a brief look back to Willie's "White Line" and a generous sampling of the new (and critically acclaimed Kings and Queens they simply rocked the place. The stories included tales of how the songs were written, life growing up in Hamilton (Tom's a local boy) and dreams of Lucinda Williams recording their song. (BTW Lucinda Williams DID record the song!) Tom proclaimed "Hey Hamilton, you don't have to pay to see me, I LIVE HERE! In fact Monday morning at 11 o'clock I'll be at Fortino's doin' my grocery shopping!" I wonder who met him there to drive him home. There was probably a convoy.

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings? A fantastic night out. They were scrambling to find songs they all knew to keep the night going. Then after the show they came out to the lobby to sign and schmooze.

Sunday night Tom Wilson was the co-host (with Shelley Marshall) for the Awards. What do you wear to an Awards show? Well, there's no red carpet at the Hammies. It was jeans and hoodies for the most part, at least for the nominees who seemed to be all in the 19-25 range. Even younger if you include Brandon Pacheco 14 year old boy soprano. Look out Beibs!

The show got off to a slow start, and then almost fizzled out altogether. The awards (any awards) are meant for the families of the winners. Anyone who says "it's a privilege just to be nominated" must be on something. As Tom made clear...most of the people in the room are "losers". He lost a couple himself, winning Roots Recording for Kings and Queens but, well, let's not rub it in.
If you Google Hamilton Music Awards you can see all the names, but if you're not from The Hammer you might not recognize many of them. That's okay, I'm from here, and I'm quite involved in music around town and there were lots of unfamiliar names. The Riddim Riders played some reggae, Jeremy Fisher, the Dinner Belles, Monster Trucks and James Hoffman all made an impression. The show simply went on too long. After BARK played a song ("Another Free Woman Gets To Walk Away") with Johnny but without Tom, we left the theatre. Teenage Head's Gordie Lewis was roaming around the lobby with Mickie DeSadist in wackie regalia. Murray McLauchlan and Rik Emmett were around to support their old buddy Ian Thomas who performed his first big hit "Painted Ladies" and the Boomers' classic "Rise Above It". My interview portion was left on the cutting room floor, although the pictures Kevin Andrews and I took of some old Ian Thomas paraphernalia were obvious in the clip.

So I guess IMDB will have to wait. Les doesn't have his own music blog, after all. And who watches The Republic of Doyle anyway?

Next week it's off to Hugh's Room again for A Man Called Wrycraft's Tribute to Tom Waits, and then John Mayall! I'll let you know how that all turns out!

Bill Bourne at The Pearl Company

2011-10-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

It was a Saturday night, and I was home alone. The car accident I had been in the night before had left me a bit shaken. I only broke a fingernail, but I was having trouble settling. I thought about skipping out on the plans I had made to go to the Pearl Company to see Bill Bourne. It was starting to rain. Ah what the heck, I decided to go. A couple hours of live music could only help me feel better.
I made the right decision.
The Pearl Company is, just as it sounds, a gem in the middle of Hamilton. It's like a pearl, it doesn't sparkle diamondlike in the sun, but when the sun goes down the Pearl has an inner glow that warms the heart. Too bad more people don't take advantage of it.
While there are seats for almost 150 only a third of those were filled when Alberta's Bill Bourne took the stage Saturday night. He played an old blues on his battered Gibson. Then he called for the band, the Free Radio Band, to join him. Switching between the Gibson and a Martin (tuned to an open chord) he led the band through a career stretching journey. Moses and Brian on bass and drums comprised the solid rhythm section and Pa Joe (from Ghana by way of Toronto) played smooth jazzy guitar fills on his Stratocaster.

While the music was extraordinary, I really want to use this time to comment on the Pearl Company itself. As I walked up to the door Gary Santucci was on the street with a flashlight helping to park cars. Once inside Barbara Milne greeted me with, "Hi, David, it's been a long time!" How many venues provide this kind of personal service?
The merch table is right in front of you, with Bill Bourne sitting alongside playing his guitar warming up. A coffee pot brews on another table, which features tasty treats. Try the butter tarts! The walls are filled with art and photography. The performance area is behind a curtain. The seats are a collection of different chairs, a couple of couches, two banquettes...choose the most comfortable, the sightlines are all good, the sound is exquisite.
Barbara and Gary use the building for a variety of purposes. The first floor can be an art gallery, although Saturday night it looked like it was setup for a theatrical performance. The second floor is the concert hall. They live above that in a huge open space. It's called the Pearl Company because it used to be a factory where they made pearls. You can still see them ground into the wooden floors! But it will be the Pearl Company...the essential gem in Hamilton's treasure chest of entertainment. These people are committed to the arts, and to the city. If only the city was committed to them!
On Saturday night John Mellencamp was playing at Hamilton Place, Selena Gomez was at Copps Coliseum, Malawi singer guitarist Tony Bird was at Artword ArtBar, and the Pearl had Bill Bourne. Hamilton has a place in the cultural fabric of Southern Ontario, and The Pearl Company offers a gorgeous intimate venue that we should all use more often!
Here's the schedule for November!
November 4: Jazz w Andy Middleton Group
November 4: Art Bus
November 8: Jazz w Ernesto Cervini Quartet featuring Joel Frahm-
November 9: Emm Gryner & Colleen Brown
November 10: Rakish Angles
November 11: Art Bus
November 12: Kaleidoscope Brown: Brownman w Latin Jazz
November 17: Cam Penner
November 19: Ben Caplan w Charlotte Cornfield
November 22: Jenn Grant w Amelia Curran
November 24: Matthew Barber w Louise Burns
November 25: Jazz Connection Big Band w Paul Hoffert on Keyboards
November 26: Jon Brooks
November 27: Design Hope CD Launch

Q. and A.: Ry Cooder on Woody Guthrie, Politics and a New Album

2011-10-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Ry Cooder’s been called a lot of things: A “musician’s musician” and a “musical archeologist;” a virtuoso of rock and blues guitar; and an explorer of international styles. But no one has ever labeled Mr. Cooder, 64, a folksinger. No one has accused him of singing protest songs and serving up social commentaries in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs or Bob Dylan. Mr. Cooder’s most recent album, Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down (Nonesuch), may change that perception.
It is an overtly political work rooted in his anger over the country’s financial collapse, the bailout of America’s big banks and what Mr. Cooder feels are senseless wars. Employing everything from Mexican country music to rock licks, he has written a series of scathing protest songs aimed at Wall Street bankers, Republican politicians, former President George W. Bush, anti-immigrant vigilantes and war profiteers.
The first track, “No Banker Left Behind” — a stomping old-time, jug-band tune — paints an image of bankers fleeing the country after “they robbed the nation blind.” Then Mr. Cooder sings a Mexican waltz-time ballad about Jesse James, in which the Missouri outlaw asks God for his gun back so he return to earth from heaven and take revenge on the bankers. “You lined your pockets well but I’ll see you all in hell,” Jesse James says before opening fire. Other tracks are political satire: in one growling blues tune, the devil is working as a political consultant for the Republican Party.
Mr. Cooder spoke by telephone recently from his home in Santa Monica, Calif., about his new album and how it came about. Here are edited excerpts of the conversation:
Q.
Why do you think more musicians aren’t writing protest songs these days?
A.
I myself am not in touch with anybody, you know. I’m a hermit. I stay in my home pretty much you know and I sit in my chair and I do this because it’s what I like to do. There are a lot of people out there, playing instruments, more than ever before for sure, and they’ve got to be saying something. They must be. We may not get to hear them.
Q.
Is it risky for artists to take on such material?
A.
I don’t know what risk it would be honestly. Risk of what? They can’t keep you off the radio because you’re not on the radio. You’re not going to be on the radio.
Q.
This album plays with some themes you developed in Chavez Ravine and My Name Is Buddy. But those were concept albums about times past, and this one is about current events.
Q.
What changed?
A.
If you look at the Buddy record, the Buddy record could be about now. It was in the style of then, a more archaic style I suppose. Modest because it’s a cat speaking. We all know how cats think.
Q.
That album recalled the labor songs of the 1930s. Do you see parallels between the 1930s and today?
A.
Well, sure. It’s only obvious, isn’t it? You can’t find solidarity in this country anymore and that was the saddest thing. It was what I had in that mind when I made that record. Especially with this voting business, about how they want to restrict voting and go back to Jim Crow time. That’s the most appalling thing of all. What else can you do but respond to this? Otherwise they paint you in the corner, you get angry and it’s very bad for your mental health.
Q.
There has been a nod to social justice in your work, going back to your 1970 debut album, when you covered Guthrie’s “Do Re Mi.” Does this sort of music hold a special place in your heart?
A.
I always loved those songs. Woody Guthrie – I probably first heard him when I was 5. And those records and those photographs – the Farm Security Administration photographs – they made a big impact. I was intrigued by his voice. Of course, the guitar interested me. I was trying to learn them when I was a little kid. Somebody gave me a guitar. Gave me the Woody Guthrie records too. It was quite a package.
Q.
What do you hope people will take away from this album?
A.
I’ve always said I’m just a guitar player from Santa Monica. I really believe that’s true. But I think that music has a contribution to make and if you ever saw Pete Seeger take a whole room and transform it into a collective mind, you know, where he could produce solidarity by making people sing with him, in four minutes, and it was a tremendous thing to witness. If you want to say do I think this is going to make an impact? I have no idea. I just do this because I like to do it.

By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR. (originally published in Arts Beat, The New York Times)

Ry Cooder, Los Angeles Stories (City Lights Noir, 2011)

2011-10-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ry Cooder has written a book! Everybody’s go-to guy for bottleneck guitar has decided to write stories. He spent the first 20 years of his career navigating the history of American music. Then he worked for the movies. After that he helped the world rediscover Cuban music, he introduced us to the Okinawa sound, to the guitars of Timbuktu. More recently he wrote and performed a trilogy of albums about California. Chavez Ravine told the tragic tale of a community of Mexican-Americans, who were moved out of their neighbourhood to make room for Dodger Stadium. Then My Name Is Buddy presented us with a fable of a cat named Buddy in a Guthrie-esque odyssey through the Depression. This was followed by I, Flathead, which came packaged in a hardbound book which featured the lyrics to the songs, along with a novella to flesh out the stories. On a rare tour of Europe with son Joachim on drums and Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, the ‘merch counter’ offered t-shirts, posters and a hard cover book called Los Angeles Stories. The book came signed or unsigned. My copy was bought for me in Barcelona and mailed at great cost (the stamps covered the front of the envelope as well as the postage). Now two years later the book has been published in a popular trade paperback edition, by San Francisco’s City Lights Books.

There was certainly a sense of place and time in the tale of a door to door salesman who gets involved in a mystery by circumstance. It was a bit like a Raymond Chandler story. Maybe not as cleverly plotted, but rich in language, character and the essence of 1950's LA. Each tale has a title and a date, and early to mid-50s seems to be Cooder's oeuvre. Some of the stories echo each other as characters (or at least names) reappear. The links are tenuous except that they all take place in the City of Angels and all involve people involved in shadowy activities -- musicians, gun shop owners, pornographers, thieves, and all sorts of women.

Although it’s based on the kind of hard-boiled style of Chandler and the like, Cooder has his own voice, and if he had started writing sooner, might have made a bigger splash in the literary world. It might be too late for that. Bravo to City Lights for taking him on, and introducing him to a broader audience.
Who’s in that audience? Well, obviously, Ry Cooder fanatics will have to get a copy. Fans of hard-boiled fiction might want to give it a try, and anyone interested in the city itself, will find much to savour. The limited edition hardcover is all gone but the paperback edition is available anywhere books are sold.

This review has been updated from a review of the hardcover edition which appeared in Green Man Review.

The Beatles Tribute at Hugh's Room...

2011-09-08T06:39:00.001-07:00

It's a long drive from stately Rylander Manor to the Big Smoke, especially on a Friday evening, of a long weekend. Nonetheless my wife and I made the trek, and considering everything...it was a fairly simple journey. A Man Called Wrycraft had invited us to attend TWIST & SHOUT the second annual tribute to the Beatles. The poster is fantastic, using imagery from HELP! to advertise this homegrown show.

Walked into the room and there was Michael, who waved us over and in his booming voice said, "David...didn't you have a hat on the last time we met? Meet Gurf Morlix!" Two minutes in and I'd been introduced to Gurf Morlix...not bad. After a brief chat (and an autograph) we took our place at the next table and ordered dinner. Pasta and sausage for me, beef stroganoff for Milady. The food at Hugh's Room is not bad, but I think their menus could use an update.

The show started at 8:30 with the sound of the pipes from the bar. That's right...THE PIPES! Bagpipes, played by Grier Coppins, leading the Highland Brothers in a spirited version of George Harrison's sitar masterpiece, "Within You, Without You". Pipes, drum and sax marched to the stage, the tune melding into "Rain". Then the pipes and drum were laid down and replaced by guitars for "Hey Bulldog" and more. Then more pipes as the trio retreated to the bar. Michael introduced Aaron Jensen and the Omnium Gatherum who sang "In My Life" and "Got to Get You Into My Life" in guitar accompanied vocalese. Lovely. They were followed by a bluesy "Yesterday" and "Yer Blues" from Alfie Smith and Nicole Christian. Interesting, if a bit awkward. "Yesterday" doesn't really lend itself to blues scales. Next up, Toronto producer/guitarist Ray Montford who did weird things to "Girl" and almost redeemed himself with an instrumental "Come Together".

After a brief intermission the music began again with David Celia bravely tackling "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" and "A Day In The Life"! Awesome really! The Indo-African trio Sharbat was up next with long renditions of "Let It Be" and "Eleanor Rigby". World Music rules. Gurf Morlix, who had been watching and enjoying the show with the rest of us, then took the stage. He played "From Me To You" and Ringo's "Don't Pass Me By" as if they were Townes Van Zandt songs! I would've loved to hear a whole set by him...maybe next time.

That left Saidah Baba Talibah and Donna Gratis to finish the night. Saidah's voice and Donna's guitar were magical, adding soul to two tunes from Abbey Road. "You Never Give Me Your Money" and "I Want You/She's So Heavy" both sounded great. Then Michael called the whole cast back to the stage for a singalong on "Don't Let Me Down". It was fun! The whole audience got involved. In fact the audience was just dying to get involved and would have happy sung along at any point during the night.

Then it ended. We wandered into the night. Drove home and dreamed of John, Paul, Ringo and George. A great evening. Thanks Man Called Wrycraft, thanks a lot!

Reviews are in for Ry's show in SanFran...

2011-09-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

I've heard a lot of friends complain that living in San Francisco comes with a steep cover charge. While that is true, many notable artists have a particular affinity for the Bay Area's unique venues and personalities. With that high cost of living comes the opportunity to experience art and culture that can be found nowhere else in the world.

Such is the case with Ry Cooder's current stint at the Great American Music Hall. The shows are primarily intended to announce the release of his latest album, "Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down," but more than that he wanted to bring his San Francisco audience, who he applauds for their appreciation of the new and unexpected, something that in his words "they don't get to see every damn day." There will be no tour to follow this two-night run and on Wednesday fans came from as far away as Florida and Wisconsin.

The band brings together Cooder's past and present, featuring a rare appearance by accordionist Flaco Jimenez as well as singers Terry Evans and Arnold McCuller, all veterans of Cooder's touring bands from the '70s and '80s. The rhythm section represents the younger generation with son Joachim Cooder on drums and Los Angeles based-singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Robert Francis on bass. The core configuration is augmented by a ten-piece horn section including tuba and bass-saxophone, many of whom are positioned in the balconies on either side of the stage.

The Wednesday set spanned Cooder's career highlighted by a spirited version of Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi" featuring Jimenez's deft accordion work, a romping boogie-woogie rendition of Sam the Sham's "Wooly Bully," and a whole lot of down home blues and Mexican-tinged traditional songs.

Cooder's new material from "Pull Up Some Dust" was well received by the left-leaning San Francisco audience who seemed to particularly enjoy "El Corrido de Jesse James," a modern-day fable told as a conversation between the outlaw and God. Jesse James asks for his gun back so that he can return to Earth to shoot up Wall Street and "set things straight," naive to the reality that America's problems can no longer be solved with grit and bullets. "No Banker Left Behind" began a two-song encore again using satire to illustrate Cooder's concerns about American political and economic policy.

Time has been kind to Cooder's voice. His vocals have matured over the course of his career and he has learned how to use his singing to convey the spirit of his more recent work which is more lyrics-driven.

Joachim Cooder was solid with good feel and held down the rhythm effectively. The bond between father and son was evident and could be felt in the music, although at times Jim Keltner's wider breadth of expression and rhythmic mastery was missed. Francis' bass playing was enthusiastic and functional although there were moments when he seemed to be just hanging on and unsure where certain songs were going.

The horns were sonically magnificent and added a new dimension to the material but at times overpowered the band and were overwhelming, bordering on painfully loud, which Cooder seemed to enjoy tremendously.

Even with so much sound and so much to look at, the most transcendent moments were when slide hit steel. Cooder is a true master of the guitar and every time he took the lead the music was elevated to a higher level. Though firmly rooted in slide blues, his playing defies genre classification and can only be compared to a handful of other living masters who share his dedication to the eclectic. Guitarists Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny and Mark Ribot jump to mind.

San Pablo's Los Cenzontles (The Mockingbirds) opened the evening with a richly authentic and spirited set of traditional Mexican-influenced dance songs to the delight of the crowd.

Both shows are sold out, but a number of fans were looking for tickets at the door on Wednesday night and most seemed to find their way in. For the dedicated, it might be worth a trip downtown to see if you can get lucky on Thursday. You won't get many, if any, more chances to see this ensemble. Only in San Francisco.
(from SF Gate)

New interview with Ry Cooder...

2011-09-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

This appeared on CANOE today!

It feels like old times to Ry Cooder. And that's the problem.

Economic malaise, unfettered greed, spiralling unemployment, self-serving politicians, impotent media: Life in America hasn't been this depressing since ... well, the Great Depression, the veteran singer-guitarist and musicologist believes.

"It's only perfectly obvious," grumbles the ornery 64-year-old Cooder from his Santa Monica home. "I read history books. I know what this is all about. I'm not stupid. What we have now is a replica of those conditions. Politicians in general and corporations have manipulated and wrecked the country. As a nation, we've come full circle entirely."

Fittingly, so has he. Cooder's latest album Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down harkens back to his '70s heyday, when he specialized in unearthing and revamping Depression-era fare like "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?" and "The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor)". This time around, however, Cooder's timeless tracks -- a musical melting pot of folk, blues, country, Tex-Mex, gospel, soul and more -- are topped with his own topical lyrics about everyone from bankers and brokers to illegal aliens and John Lee Hooker. It may be the most personal and potent album of his career; no small feat for a guy whose resumé includes more than a dozen acclaimed solo albums, a slew of magnificent Hollywood soundtracks and collaborations with everyone from The Rolling Stones and Captain Beefheart to Buena Vista Social Club.

With Pull Up Some Dust now in stores, Cooder made some time to talk about creeping up on Woody, the kids and their texting, and how he soothes his jangled nerves.

Most artists go from angry young man to aging gracefully. You're getting feistier.

Ha! Not really. But I see what you mean. When you're surrounded by all these criminal acts and this terrible devolution of political life and social structure here in America -- I don't how it must seem up there, but down here, at my age, you can certainly trace this arc of collapse and chaos -- what are you going to do? It was either die of frustration and bitterness or make something out of it, you see. It's bad mental health to let that overtake you.

But you came up in the '70s during Watergate and Vietnam, and didn't write about them. What's different?

It took me a long time to get to where I had a handle on songwriting. You know, the old populist music of the '30s, which was invented and written by working-class people, was used to describe their lives and what they were going through, whether you were on strike at the cotton mill or westward-bound on the road. But since I didn't migrate west with the Dust Bowl guys like Woody Guthrie or see this first hand, I had to creep up on it more. It took time to absorb that kind of songwriting. It's taken me ... well, a lifetime.

Does it rankle you that protest music seems dead?

Well, here's the thing: In the '70s, you had one huge difference, and that was the record business. You had the three Rs: Radio, records and retail. You had a quick-response system. You could write a song and could go into a studio -- in those days, you still did that too -- and the record company could put it out as a single pretty quickly.

You could do that today on the Internet.

Oh, I don't think it's the same. The Internet is so vast and so diffuse. You can't compare that to the record business and the way it worked. And digital cyberspace doesn't provide a shared experience. I used to go see Pete Seeger, and within minutes he'd have an entire audience singing. When people sing together, they feel the same thing, they feel kinship. And by the end of the song, they've learned something and they can be moved forward. It's hard to have this kind of experience now; that feeling of solidarity.

Speaking of performing, you haven't done much lately. Why not?

It's hard. I'm a homebody. Travelling was not my favourite thing. And it's very difficult to do music out in the world. It's the most random, odd feeling. But I'm starting to think people are ready for this message. I don't know about the youth with their texting; they're hypnotized by their little screens. But they don't come see me anyway unless their grandparents bring 'em. But I think older people will respond to this. So if that means I go and play for 150 people -- which I think is an ideal audience -- to get this message across and give them the feeling I want them to have, I'm happy to do it. We're going to try a couple of shows this month. We'll see if I can pull it off. If it's motivating, maybe I'll find a friendly billionaire who will underwrite the whole thing.

I find it reassuring that your music has retained its own sound. You've never chased a trend.

Heaven forbid. I wouldn't even know a trend to chase.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Classical. It's very spacious and undemanding, especially the French guys. I like Ravel and all those cats. It's very soothing to my jangled nerves.

darryl.sterdan@sunmedia.ca

So, what have I been up to?

2011-07-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

I took a couple of weeks holiday. Played my guitar[s], read some books, watched a bit of TV. It was relaxing.
I read Jeffery Deaver's up-date on James Bond, Carte Blanche, and found it to be a satisfying, exciting story. Good settings, interesting characters, and a villain who was...disturbed to say the least. Better than some of the post- Ian Fleming Bonds. Then I read Joe Gores' Spade and Archer the prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. Gores had also written Hammett which saw the writer drawn in to a detective story not unlike his own work. Gores is a strong writer, and so his take on Sam Spade is respectful of the original and builds him into the detective that Hammett introduced. Of course, most people recognize Spade as Humphrey Bogart, and those folks won't be disappointed either. Another fun read.
Also got a look at Julian Dawson's biography of rock's sessionman extraordinaire. And on piano...Nicky Hopkins gets my full attention on Sleeping Hedgehog, but let me tell you, it's a dynamite tale.
I went to see Richard III at Stratford which featured Seana McKenna in the title role. It's been a tad controversial but I have to say she totally convinced me that she was a miaserable crippled king!
We also visited Toronto's Sound Academy to see Leon Russell. Paul James opened the show for some rocking blues and then Leon and his band really rocked the place with a career overview. See my full review on the Critics at Large blog!
New music? Blackie & the Rodeo Kings Kings & Queens, Gillian Welch's new one, and a bunch of Jack White produced 45s from Third Man Records. Vinyl? Yes, vinyl. I've been buying vinyl because, I can read the liner notes! See also Van Dyke Parks' new website, Bananastan, for subscription information. The music is beautiful, as is the presentation. Great artwork.
Friday night we celebrated Dr. Disc's 20th Anniversary by attending one of their free rooftop concerts. The Steve Strongman Band gave us forty-five minutes of blues in the Hammer. It was a gorgeous night...

New music, books, etc...

2011-06-29T05:34:00.000-07:00

I finally obtained a copy of Elvis Costello's Spectacle (Season 2). Bought it on Blu-ray since we were there at the taping of the episode where Mary Louise Parker interviewed Elvis himself. You can spot us sitting in the second row off to the right side of the stage. No closeups though! So I hurried home and popped the first disc into my Samsung Blu-ray player, which has been a fine machine, and it began to load. "Loading" it said on the screen. 5 minutes later, it was still loading. It would still be loading today if I hadn't decided to try another disc. Popped in True Grit and it began right away. So, it was something to do with Spectacle. I tried the other disc..."loading". David Byrne's new live disc played beautifully, as did the Neil Young Music-cares disc. I bought a DVD copy of Spectacle to watch, and it played with no trouble. Aha! There must be one of those firmware updates I remember reading about last Christmas when my son gave me the Blu-ray player. With a little help from my technical guru (the same son who provided the machine) I was able to download the upgrade to a USB drive and jam that into the port on the back of the player. The rest was simple, the player discovered the file on the USB and loaded it. Now Elvis and I are available in High-Def! Oh, and the shows themselves? Excellent. Jesse Winchester, Ron Sexsmith, Lyle Lovett, the Boss, Bono and the Edge, and Elvis himself...all great.
The David Byrne? Odd, geeky dancing and a hot band playing David's hits. Curiously engaging! The Neil Young? A fine tribute concert to someone who deserves it, and who has a vast catalogue so that the tribute songs don't have to sound like his greatest hits. True Grit? Well worth another viewing. I read the Charles Portis book after seeing this new version, and for all the fuss people made about how faithful the Coens were to the source material, I have to say...the John Wayne version wasn't that far off. Both films are pretty true to the original, and have chunks of dialogue lifted off the page. It seems to me, that Barry Pepper's Lucky Ned is really based on Robert Duval's interpretation of the outlaw in the first film.
J.D.Souther has a new CD. Called Natural History it is a collection of old songs (and new) redone in stripped down versions. Produced by Fred Mollin (who did a similar thing with Jimmy Webb on Ten Easy Pieces) it highlights Souther's songs and his warm voice. A bit sleepy perhaps, but just right for a quiet night at home. Eliza Gilkyson is one of my favourite songwriters and performers but I was disappointed with her new disc. The band is fine, and Eliza sings beautifully but I felt the material was a tad samey, and grew bored with the album. I'll give it another chance but I'm not hopeful.
Blackie & the Rodeo Kings' Kings & Queens finally found its way out of the starting gate. I ordered the limited edition signed version from the website, and it arrived on the last day before a postal strike stopped the mail from moving. The autographs look more like scribbles on the front cover, fortunately I have another set of signatures to compare them to, and can identify whose scribble is whose! The music though is tremendous. Each song is a duet featuring one of the Rodeo Kings with a Queen of choice. Lucinda Williams, Patti Scialfa, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Cassandra Wilson, the list goes on. A rootsy and gorgeous hour of song.
Paul McCartney re-issued his two solo albums in regular, deluxe and super deluxe packages. McCartney is one of my favourites, coming in 1970 and recorded during the breakup of his other band, it was light and fun and showed a man who wasn't afraid to take chances. McCartney II came after the drug bust in Japan and I found it hokey (although the songs were more complex) and sloppy. I've never understood the attraction Sir Paul has for "Coming Up". Maybe it's the kazoo solos! Anyway, my opinion of these albums hasn't changed. The remastered versions sound dandy, and the bonus tracks are...a bonus. But I'm not paying $70 each for a hardcover book and a DVD I'll only watch once!
My wife took me to see ex-Beach Boy Al Jardine for Father's Day. He was playing with his son Matt's band the Surf City All Stars, and it was a fun night of surf music and rock'n'roll. Just right for listening, singing along and a bit of dancing. We didn't stick around but I understand Al and the band did a meet and greet.
Apart from reading Tana French's Faithful Place (***) and starting to dig in to John Sayles' Moment in the Sun I've just been perusing magazines. I did pickup the new James Bond book though, and am taking a break from Sayles' 900 pages for a quick action tale. Carte Blanche updates (reboots?) 007 to today, and might just work...I'll let you know.

Paul Simon on TOUR!

2011-05-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

When I heard about Paul Simon's new tour I immediately e-mailed my wife. "Wanna go see Paul Simon?" "YES!" was her response, so I ordered the tickets. They were for the 2nd balcony, but dead centre at Massey Hall, and we all know there are no bad seats at Massey Hall. Well okay, there are a few obstructed view spots but generally everything is good. Well, I had an obstructed view, not because of the construction of the building but due instead to the giant bobblehead on the guy in front of me. I don't think I've ever seen anyone move his head quite so much as this guy, and what a head it was! And his girlfriend never stopped talking to him, or to her friend seated next to Bighead. Very distracting.
But to the music...it was exquisite. Simon led an 8-piece band in a career spanning two and one half hour show. It never stopped!
"Crazy Love, vol.2" started things off followed by "Dazzling Blue" (from the new album), then "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and the title track "So Beautiful or So What". And if you were looking for surprises, well how about Jimmy Cliff's "Vietnam" which was the inspiration for "Mother & Child Reunion" or a medley of "Mystery Train" and Chet Atkins' "Wheels" before the new tune "Rewrite". Virtually no part of his career was left untouched (well, to be fair he didn't do Tom & Jerry's "Hey Schoolgirl") as Simon included "The Only Living Boy In New York" and "The Sound of Silence" from the Garfunkel days.
He has a strangely gentle (almost girlish) presence on stage. His hands, when not wrapped around a guitar, flow hither and yon lending a Piaf-like air to his performance. His voice was a bit ragged, he's been suffering from a cold, but apart from marking a few high notes, he hit everything he aimed at! As J-Lo told the wannabes on American Idol "You're a professional, you don't have to hit those notes! You have a 2 hour show to give." And Paul Simon is a consumate professional.
The band was terrific, many of the players doubling on instruments, they reproduced the crystalline sound of his CDs beautifully.
A stunning night, that ended, after two encores, with a long ovation for a true American legend.

Ron Sexsmith at The Studio Theatre...

2011-04-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night Rich and I had front row seats for the best show in town. Sure, The Pixies were playing next door, but Ron Sexsmith was at the Studio Theatre, and what could be better than that?
The show started on time with an opening set from Ash Koley. They were better than expected, and apart from way too much "Gee golly, it's so cool to be on tour with such a wonderful guy as Ron Sexsmith..." they provided an entertaining opening. I mean, even if it's true (and it is) that Ron is a sweetheart, enough is enough.
Ron took the stage, in front of his touring band, wearing a new stage jacket with embroidered flowers. He looked every inch the professional. He has an open easy-going style, friendly and chatty with a touch of humour and cynicism. The band really cooked this time, Bover shone on lead guitar, and the addition of Dave Matthewson on piano was a good idea.
Ron did tunes from the new album interspersed with classics like "Strawberry Blonde," "Brandy Alexander" and "Hard Bargain". Working with Bob Rock helped. The new songs and the old came off as punchier, and more solid than in the past. They've never sounded bad, but this band owned them.
The merch counter had T-shirts, CDs, signed lithos and the new album on vinyl, but I'd pretty much gathered all that stuff up over the past month, so after an encore of "Michael and His Dad" and "Every time I Follow" we headed home, our heads full of Ron's beautiful music.

Crowbar, and other stuff...

2011-04-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to quite a bit of Crowbar these days. I have the vinyl albums, some 45s and some of the stuff on CD, but I would say that for a band as rockin' and (dare I say it) important to the Canadian scene as Crowbar...they are woefully under-served on CD. The Bad Manors album ranks up their with the first Moby Grape album as one of the all-time classic LPs. Heavy Duty and Larger Than Life are good ones. LTL is that live double that came with a poster listing everyone who attended the concert where it was recorded. The show was broadcast on CHUM-FM as it took place, I recall listening to it from Massey Hall to John's living room.

I saw Crowbar a couple times, in weird places. I can't even remember the names of them, but wherever I saw them...Kelly Jay and the boys put on a great show.
We shouldn't forget the Official Music LP, with King Biscuit Boy. Or the Epic album KE-32746 which was produced by Jack Douglas. I managed to find a download of this (sorry boys) and it is a good album.

You have to wonder what ever happened to Josef Chirowski! Rheal passed away, but Roly, John, Kelly and Sonny are still getting together once in awhile with a few friends to play the classics! I loaned John my 45s one time so they could study a couple arrangements!

This Live album appeared from nowhere, and it's not as good as LTL but it does capture the band in an American venue The Whiskey-A-Go-Go. Even in a foreign country you can feel the heat.
Crowbar I miss you! Thanks for the memories.

Jackson Browne...last night

2011-04-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

OK, it wasn't a million guitars, just 17 or 18. And a keyboard relicating a grand piano. And a couple of chairs. And any song he had ever written, plus a couple he didn't write. Jackson Browne brought his solo acoustic show to Hamilton Place last night, to a big crowd, not quite sold out, but very healthy. Surely the floor was sold out. And everyone brought their loudest voice to call, shout, scream for their favourites. Jackson had announced this as a "no setlist" show...which meant he would sing the songs you called for, as long as those were the songs he felt like singing.
They're all his songs after all. Kudos to him for remembering them so well. We just saw Lucinda Williams at Massey Hall with a songbook perched in front of her for the lyrics. Jackson just kept singing the verses over again til he recalled the next line. It was an interesting exercise. Should keep the Alzheimers at bay!
He sang a couple of Warren Zevon songs. Don't forget, Jackson produced Zevon's first Asylum record. He sang "Off Of Wonderland" and "Giving That Heaven Away" from 2008's Time the Conqueror and reached back as far as "Jamaica Say You Will" and "Rock Me On The Water" from the album known as Saturate Before Using from 1972. They were selling T-shirts with that album cover emblazoned on them at the merch counter.
Oh, they also had Time the Conqueror, the two solo acoustic CDs, and the Lindley/Browne live release Love Is Strange for sale, and buttons, and a DVD and a water bottle, and other T-shirts. It was a Jackson Browne marketplace in the lobby.
It was fun to see him wandering between piano stool and chair, deciding whether to play keyboard or guitar. It was fascinating to watch him choose the right guitar for the job...at least he didn't have to change tunings for each song! His voice is rougher than in the past, although having shaved off the beard he looks about the same from where I was sitting as he did back in 1973 when I saw him last.
An interesting night. Made me want to go home and listen to the originals. Maybe that's not such a bad thing!
Just one more thing...folks...leave your Blackberries and iPhones at home. We finally get rid of thsoe stupid concert wands, we're no longer getting hot metal from sparkers dropping on our neck, so turn off the @#$% phones! The picture quality stinks anyway, and it's OH SO ANNOYING to have those bright lights popping up all over the auditorium. Even for the performer. I know, I've done it...I've been scolded by Ramblin' Jack Elliott! But as Jackson Browne said, "If you're hoping for a performance that just might be...transcendent...don't do it!"

Jackson Browne...

2011-04-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

TONIGHT!

On Stage! Alone with a million guitars...

Jesse Winchester...

2011-03-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

Jesse Winchester dropped onto the music scene with considerable buzz. Was this Bob Dylan recording under an assumed name? He's a friend of the Band! Who is this guy?

When his first, eponymous album appeared with a green-grey photo of his unsmiling, bearded face, Jesse Winchester in plain black lettering across the top, and the same photo on the back, AND repeated twice on the inside of the gatefold...there wasn't much to go on. No lyric sheets. No posters. No extensive liner notes by Ralph Gleason. Just a list of the musicians involved; David Rea on guitar, a rhythm section featuring Levon Helm and production by Robbie Roberston. But to listen to this album was to be transformed. This was some serious stuff. A potent riff, a rocking beat, and:

"Let's go out on the town tonight,
my pockets are heavy with loot.
We'll get drunk and nasty,
and loud and agressive to boot!"

The album was filled with simple tunes, evoking the songwriter's home in Tennessee, and his longing for his home in the South. He was, after all, a draft evader...in exile in Montreal, the most European of Canadian cities. A stranger in a strange land.

This was over thirty years ago, and Jesse Winchester has continued to write from his home in Quebec. He took himself a Canadian wife, and lived the good life north of the border; becoming a Canadian citizen, and after the Jimmy Carter amnesty, finally returning to tour the US in 1977.

Todd Rundgren produced part of his second album, 1972's Third Down and 110 To Go. The title alludes to Canadian football, which has one fewer downs, and a longer field than its American counterpart. If it's "3rd & 110 to go"...you're in trouble babe! Rundgren's production set a standard for the next few albums. Where Robbie Robertson had provided a garage band sound, Rundgren went for an even further stripped-down approach. Winchester's three-chord tunes were presented almost in demo form. The simple melodies and homey lyrics take the forefront and the quality picking by local musicians, and the odd guest star just provide a foundation for Winchester's warm vocals. The album cover art tells a tale too. Far from the stern, almost scarey visage on the first album, Jesse looks happy on the cover of this one, life is settling down.

The next two albums continued this approach. Band members included the gifted Amos Garrett whose superlative melodic guitar stylings provide some memorable moments, and Russell Smith whose song "Third Rate Romance" (later a hit for his own band the Amazing Rhythm Aces) made its first appearance on Learn To Love It (1974). The cover art for this one shows an ecstatic dad holding up his first born!

In 1976 Let The Rough Side Drag was virtually a sequel to Learn to Love It. Winchester was writing minimalistic songs, little snapshots of life. He was enjoying his life and making quick to the point comments. It's a songwriting style that suits him, and his melodic gift is such that the tunes are memorable 25 years later.

With 1977's Nothing But A Breeze he upped the ante. Maybe after the amnesty the record company decided to spend a bit more money, but on this album the home-made quality started to slip away, and producers were brouight in to give Jesse a commercial "sound". Brian Ahern, who gave a glossy sheen to the early albums of Ann Murray and Emmylou Harris, tried his magic here. In fact both of those singers appear in backing roles. But apart from a pleasant but slow turn on "Bowling Green", and "Rhumba Man" -- soon to be a hit for Nicolette Larsen -- there's not much to recommend this album.

1978 saw another attempt to mainstream Mr. Winchester, this time by taking him to Nashville. Norbert Putnam led a galaxy of Nashville session men to produce A Touch on the Rainy Side. David Briggs and Kenny Buttrey were among the musicians hired to polish a rather forgettable batch of tunes. The most memorable song on the album is Tony Orlando's hit "Candida", a scary thought indeed!

Winchester returned south of the border for 1981's Talk Memphis, a slice of funky, Tennessee R & B produced by Willie Mitchell. While not completely successful, the grooves are appealing and Winchester relaxed vocals are well presented. "Say What" was a minor hit, and is representative of the album as a whole. Winchester took a break at this point. He wrote songs tunes that were recorded by other artists and gained a reputation for doing so. In 1988 WEA released a collection of his best songs from the Bearsville albums and came up with a good cross section that highlights his strengths. Warm, mellifluous vocals, and quirky little songs surrounded by nice picking and a decent groove. What more could you ask?

Winchester was picked up by Sugar Hill Records, and 1989 saw the release of Humour Me. He shows his Northern allegiance by choosing the Canadian spelling of the title. This is a listenable but not particularly ground-breaking album. There's no questioning the musicianship though. Winchester is surrounded by Sugar Hill staples Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush and Edgar Meyer.

It would be ten years before Jesse Winchester released another album. 1999 saw the release (again on Sugar Hill) of Gentleman of Leisure. This was a return to form, and a quite enjoyable record. I especially liked the sly reference to Steve Cropper, who then takes a rather nifty guitar solo! The title track is one of Jesse's novelty tunes, which he writes to break up the seriousness of his songs of life and love that populate his writing.

Winchester demos all his songs solo, playing all the instruments, and in 2001 he released Rough Ideas, the demos for Gentleman of Leisure. It is a novel idea, and worth a listen if you're interested in the creative process of songwriting and recording.

Over the years Winchester has released a succession of live albums which present him fronting his hot band of Montreal musos, playing his greatest songs. Live at the Bijou Cafe was a 1977 promo album later issued in Japan (and bootlegged in North america), and is a rocking little number, intimate and fun. 2001 saw the release of Live at the Trojan Horse, 1976 which is similar in feel and material, but available in North America. Live From Mountain Stage is a solo performance on Blue Plate Records close to what a perfomance from Jesse is like today. As a songwriter he is probably best represented in a marvelous double CD, Anthology on a British label called Castle. The 23 best songs from his whole ouevre are presented in chronological order on the first CD; and whoever chose the songs obviously feels as strongly about Winchester as I do. The second CD is the incredible first album in it entirety. It's as good today as it was when I firsty heard it! With liner notes by Colin Escott it's the perfect collection, if you can find it.

I have admired and listened to Jesse Winchester for 30 years. His songs of distance, and longing for his homeland moved me to tears; his songs of home and hearth warmed my soul. In looking at this collection of material I realize that he has been a spottier performer than I thought. The first album was a powerful introduction to a new songwriter, and the next three albums saw him develop a unique and cozy style. While the record labels' experiments with commercialization seem dated today, there are still a few gems from this era. And Winchester remains a powerful voice and a magnetic performer, perhaps best enjoyed in compilations.

On Saturday night Jesse Winchester played in concert at the Spectator Auditorium in Hamilton. The show was sold out, and a week ago the organizers added 20 seats which disappeared quickly. We arrived 35 minutes early and had to sit close to the back of the room. Winchester ambled out carrying his gut-string guitar, at exactly 8:00. He sat on a stool and launched into a gentle version of "Brand New Tennessee Waltz" which set the tone for the whole night. He sang songs from his whole career, including a selection or two from last year's Love Filling Station, in a light tenor, fingering funky chords on the guitar, and showing a flair for drama with his expressive hands. His stories of the South, of life in Montreal, of approaching 'geezerness' and a newfound appreciation for the Mercury Grand Marquis set the songs in context. The crowd in that hot auditorium, loved him. And a great time was had by all.

so what have I been listening to?

2011-03-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

Way back in January, I bought the CD+DVD edition of Jimi Hendrix's West Coast Seattle Boy and I downloaded the early tracks to add to it. I don't listen to Jimi a lot, but when I'm in the mood there's nothing like some Hendrix to make you realize "Hey, I'd better practice!"
I picked up Gregg Allman's Low Country Blues mainly due to the hype, and the fact that T Bone produced it, and I have to say that I've enjoyed it, although it has more recently slipped off the playlist in favour of a couple newer items.
Found an old Rick Holmstrom album too, called Lookout which is mainly instrumental. I love the guy's playing with Mavis Staples, but this album is pretty generic. Worth the $8 I paid though!
Wanda Jackson's newest came in the mail from Nonesuch, accompanied by a signed poster, which is cool. The album is pretty hot, produced as it is by Jack White. Great for crankin' it up on long car rides!
I ran across a vinyl copy of Legendary Grape the, well, legendary album made by a reformed Moby Grape. It reminds me just how good this band was, and what a shame that I missed seeing them live that evening at the CNE...
Campus Disc showed up at the University, and I bought a few used items including a Best of Gerry & the Pacemakers, Peter & Gordon, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, as well as a copy of Lou Reed's live Berlin. Wow, that's a depressing album, but the 60s stuff is uplifting fun. Oh, and a vinyl copy of Elvis Costello's Secret, Profane & Sugarcane for the bonus tracks.
A couple old Randy Bachman albums were next, Axe was a download, and Survivor came from Randy's mail order. Nice things to have, he's a fine guitarist and he knows how to write a riff!
The Majestic Silver Strings was hard to find. It's packaged to resemble a set of guitar strings, and with Bill Frisell, Greg Leisz and Marc Ribot joining Buddy Miller on a collection of old country tunes...that's a good image to have. The accompanying video is interesting too. These guys make magic.
Lucinda Williams released Blessed the same week I saw her live when she opened for Levon Helm at Massey Hall. Songs from the new album were featured at the
show, as Lucinda read lyrics from a music stand. I haven't warmed up to Blessed yet...give it time. Oh, the show was great, and Levon (singing raggedly due to a cold on top of the already shredded vocal cords) put on a show that was unforgetable!
Ron Sexsmith's long awaited Long Player, Late Bloomer was for me, the highlight of the year so far. I bought the special edition with a DVD of live performances and a signed litho. But even without all the extras, this is a beautiful album. Bob Rock's production is crisp and presents another set of fine songs from the pen of a master. Ron should be proud of this addition to his oeuvre, and get over the lack of confidence that seems to plague him.
Gary U.S. Bonds has a recent CD that you can buy from his web site, signed. It's a good little rocking number. Give it a try.
Levon Helm has asked Capitol Records to reissue the first three albums by The Band which are available in a boxed set, called Three of a Kind. No bonus tracks, all the remastering is gone, what's left...the first three albums just the way we heard them back in the day. Awesome!
Still looking for the newly re-issued Nick Lowe Labour of Lust CD, and awaiting delivery of Steve Martin's second bluegrass album. Maybe tonight, if the postman can get through the snow that surprisingly dropped on us overnight.
Upcoming? Robbie Robertson, Paul Simon, Steve Earle, and don't forget Record Store Day coming up April 16th. Support your local retailer!

autographs...

2011-03-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Autographs. Some people give 'em, some people collect 'em. And some people refuse to give 'em. I think it was American actor Keenan Wynn who refused to sign anything, but he would take time to pose for pictures with folks. So here are a few autographs I've collected over the years.

Ron Sexsmith, obtained this one after a concert in St.Catharines. He said, "I don't like using those gold pens," and pulled out a black sharpie. I said, "Please, can you use the gold?" Which he did, of course then it didn't dry for about ten minutes. Still, I think the gold looks good against the tones in the picture.

Bettye LaVette. Purchased this one from her web site. She managed to use one of those liquid silver pens without smearing.

This one came from Newbury Comics. They often have some excellent collectibles, most are available in Canada although sometimes the signed copies are only available to US customers. Glad to have been able to get this one.

Klaus Voormann, the artist who did the Beatles' Revolver and Anthology covers, was also a bass player, and one of the Fab Four's oldest friends from the Hamburg days. I bought one of his signed prints from his web site, and then when this career celebrating CD was released I ordered it as well. He signed in letters big enough for King George to read!

A week after seeing Levon perform at Massey Hall I bought this 3-disc set from his web-site. A bit pricey maybe, the discs have all the bonus tracks and remastered frills removed and sound just like the original albums I fell in love with so many years ago. Nice to have Levon's scrawl on the box.

I now have signatures from the three surviving Band-mates. Remind me to tell you the Garth Hudson story sometime!

a couple great shows...

2011-03-21T10:49:00.001-07:00

Bob Dylan and his band at Hamilton Place. Loud, rockin' fun...Bob played only the keyboard all night.

Lindsey Buckingham and his band also at Hamilton Place. One of the greatest shows I've ever seen, anywhere. To a small but appreciative crowd. Wonderful!

Surf music, and hot rods...

2011-03-21T10:20:00.001-07:00

1962 saw the release of the first Beach Boys album, but within a couple of years the wagon was gettin' pretty loaded up. Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher put out singles as Bruce and Terry, but they also called themselves The Rip Chords for this one. "Three Window Coupe" b/w "Hot Rod USA".

1964 also found Jan & Dean on the charts with "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" and "Ride the Wild Surf".

"Ride the Wild Surf" was backed with one of my favourite all-time titles. "The Anaheim, Azusa and Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review and Timing Association".

1965 found the Beach Boys recording "Help Me Rhonda" while Freddy Cannon had a hit with "Action".

"...Oh, baby come on!"

The ultimate Beach Boy tune is at the top of this article, but "Sloop John B" came out the same year as "Good Vibrations"...1966. I'll never forget seeing the Beach Boys live one stormy night in August, they started playing "Good Vibrations" and the clouds parted, the moon shone through and the night turned wamr and wonderful.

Johnny Rivers jumped on the bandwagon in 1975 with his version of "Help Me Rhonda" with help from Brian Wilson.

The Beach Boys tried all sorts of things to maintain their popularity, from this 'disco' version of "Here Comes the Night"(1979)...

to joining with Little Richard on this Bruce & Terry written track "Happy Endings"(1987)...

to the hit by committee "Kokomo" written by Mike Love (he probably provided the atlas for place names) Terry Melcher, John Phillips and Scott MacKenzie (1988).

While Brian Wilson went on his own bizarre path, creating marvelous music all along the way. 1987's "Love and Mercy" and...

from 1988 "Too Much Sugar" b/w "He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move" (written with Lindsey Buckingham!)

Beatles 12"ers...PAUL

2011-03-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

This series of 12" singles from Paul McCartney actually begins with a rare album. Thrillington is an orchestral take on the songs from Ram and is a 1977 release. It seems Paul McCartney just took on the persona of Percy "Thrills" Thrillington and hired Richard Hewson who created this LP. The artwork on the back shows a reflection of "Thrills" in the studio window, and he looks remarkable like Sir Paul! It's not bad, like many of Paul's ego-fueled projects, but not great.

Glad to have it in my collection though!

"Goodnight Tonight" and "Daytime Night time Suffering" the 1979 edition of Wings.

"This One" also contains "The First Stone" plus I Wanna Cry" and Fats Domino's "I'm In Love Again." 1980

"Take It Away" is backed with "Dress Me Up As A Robber" and "I'll Give You a Ring", from 1982

1982's "Ebony and Ivory" duet with Stevie Wonder is backed with "Ballroom Dancing" and "The Pound Is Sinking."

"We All Stand Together" is the song from Paul's animated cartoon of Rupert the Bear. The b-side is the same song, hummed. Hmmm. Not really a 12" as it has an unusual shape...kinda like the film. 1984

"No More Lonely Nights" from Paul's big film Give My Regards to Broad Street features an extended "Silly Love Songs" and the ballad version of "No More Lonely Nights" 1984

1986's Press To Play is the source for "Press" (and "It's Not True") backed with "Hang Glide" and "Press".

"Once Upon a Long Ago" and "Back On My Feet" b/w "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Kansas City" 1987

"Put It There", "Mama's Little Girl", and "Same Time Next Year" also featured a frameable litho of the cover drawing. Haven't framed it yet. 1990

"All My Trials" came from a live album, but the single included "C Moon" and "Mull of Kintyre" and "Put It There" on the flipside. 1990

Beatles 45s...PAUL ('80s)

2011-03-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

Coming Up / Coming Up [live in Glasgow] + Lunch Box/Odd Sox (McCartney, 1980)

Waterfalls / Check My Machine (McCartney, 1980)

Ebony and Ivory (McCartney) additional vocals by Stevie Wonder / Rainclouds (McCartney-Laine, 1982)

The Girl Is Mine (M.Jackson) duet Michael Jackson + Paul McCartney / Can't Get Outa the Rain (Jackson-Jones) 1982

Say Say Say (McCartney-Jackson) duet Paul McCartney + Michael Jackson / Ode to a Koala Bear (McCartney) 1983

Spies Like Us (McCartney) from the film Spies Like Us / My Carnival (McCartney) 1985

Only Love Remains (McCartney) / Tough On a Tightrope (McCartney-Stewart) 1986

Beatles 45s...PAUL ('70s)

2011-03-14T06:50:00.001-07:00

Another Day / Oh Woman, Oh Why (Mr. & Mrs. Paul McCartney, 1971)

Give Ireland Back to the Irish / Give Ireland Back to the Irish (version) (McCartney & McCartney, 1972)

Mary Had a Little Lamb / Little Woman Love (McCartney & McCartney, 1972)

Hi, Hi, Hi / C Moon (Paul & Linda McCartney, 1972)

Helen Wheels / Country Dreamer (McCartney, 1973)

Live and Let Die / I Lie Around (McMartney, 1973)

My Love / The Mess (McCartney, 1973)

Junior's Farm / Sally G (McCartney, 1974)

Mull of Kintyre (McCartney/Laine) / Girls' School (McCartney, 1977)

Seaside Woman / B-Side to Seaside (Linda McCartney, 1977) Suzy & the Red Stripes

Wonderful Christmastime (McCartney) / Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae (J. Marks) 1979

Beatles related...GEORGE

2011-03-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

George Harrison's solo career really began with the Indian influenced soundtrack to Wonderwall in 1968, and the electronic bipbop noodling of 1969's Electronic Sounds so when he released the massive 3-disc masterpiece All Things Must Pass in 1970 people we alternately stunned or ecstatic (that he had so much to say. Okay, it wasn't a 3-disc masterpiece, the Apple Jam stuff was essentially filler...but hey, it was a darn good album.
His links with the Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar made him aware of his first "cause" that of the plight of the people of East Pakistan or Bangla Desh. In 1971 he released the single "Bangla Desh" which carried the note "Contributions for the benefit of the homeless children of Bangla Desh can be sent to: THE GEORGE HARRISON-RAVI SHANKAR SPECIAL EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND c/o UNICEF..." He later, in the summer of '71, sponsored a concert to raise funds for this cause. The Concert for Bangla Desh was another 3-disc set of recordings from this show.

"Deep Blue" is flipside of the "Bangla Desh" single.

On the B-side of "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)", a #1 hit from 1973's Living In The Material World LP is a song called "Miss O'Dell". Chris O'Dell has since told her own story in a recent book. You heard it first on this 45.

George formed his own label Dark Horse Records with distribution on Warners. The label was named after a song, the title track to his 1974 album. This was the end of his association with Apple, EMI, Capitol, and he celebrated it with a plain white label. "I Don't Care Anymore" just about says it all.
He released a series of albums on Dark Horse, including Extra Texture in '75, 33 1/3 in '76, George Harrison in '79, Somewhere In England in '81, followed by Gone Troppo in '82 and then after a five year break Cloud Nine. With Cloud Nine he hit paydirt again with a hit single (and video) of a new rendition of Rudy Clark's "Got My Mind Set On You." "Zig Zag" was the B-side.

The second single from this album was a look back at the good old days "When We Was Fab" with "Lay My Head" on the reverse.

Other than 1992's recording of his Live in Japan tour with Eric Clapton it would be several years before another George Harrison album appeared. Brainwashed would be his swan song. We miss you George.

and Beatles related 45s...RINGO!

2011-03-10T10:24:00.001-08:00

Ringo's solo career began with a whimper, then managed a few interesting peaks, before it fizzled out all together. Sentimental Journey was an album of standards recorded in tribute to his Mother, then a trip to Nashville resulted in the country album we'd always known he wanted. Surrounded by Nashville's best pickers, and with Pete Drake as producer, the album still has legs. "Coochy Coochy" was the B-side of the title track "Beaucoups of Blues".

1971 saw the release of a couple of strong tracks, "It Don't Come Easy" and "Back Off Boogaloo". Maybe George helped write the songs, but they're darn good radio music. Of interest is the flip-side to "Boogaloo" called "Blindman". Ringo played a Mexican bandit chief in this weird Eastwoodesque pastiche.

"Photograph" came from Ringo's best album, simply called Ringo and produced by Richard Perry featuring a bevy of friends and sessionmen, the album is one of the best solo records made by any of the ex-Beatles. And the packaging was dynamite too!

There were other tunes released on Apple, but then Ringo moved to Atlantic, where he made a couple of decent, but limited albums. This single went nowhere even though it was produced by the great Arif Mardin. But perhaps the best Ringo single is "It Don't Come Easy" with the fascinating story of his take on the Beatles' breakup on the flipside..."Early 1970".

Beatles 45s...

2011-03-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Lets start with this one. The flipside of "HELP!" and one of the highlights of Beatles' 45s. My recollection of hearing this for the first time is that I couldn't believe the Beatles could rock that hard for nearly 2 minutes. It is still an amazing track filled with energy, brimmming with youthful enthusiasm. Paul's "Little Richard" tribute remains one of my all-time fave tracks. The live version from Shea Stadium is good too, as is the cover version Adrian Belew did later, but for my money it's all right here, 2 minutes and 30 seconds of rockin' beauty!

"Hey Jude" backed with "Revolution" is another of the greatest singles ever released by the best band ever. Sure "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" was great, but "Hey Jude" is a watermark among songs, and history making in its length (and the fact that it got played on commercial radio.) Nowadays with subscription radio you get spoiled, turn the dial and you can listen to anything you want. Name it, it's there. Back in the day...it was CKOC (The Busy Bee) spinnin' the hits. I bought "Hey Jude" the day of release. Took it home and played it. Then turned it over and played "Revolution", back over for "Hey Jude", and over again, and so on. Til Mom said, "Enough...time to go to school." We were on shifts at the time so I didn't have to go in til after lunch! This is still one of my favourite songs, and maybe my favourite 45.

"Get Back" b/w "Don't Let Me Down" comes a close second though. Mil and I played "Don't Let Me Down" at a school talent show, on acoustic guitars, emoting like crazy. That's why the song means so much to me, I guess. A fabulous single though.

the other sleeves...

2011-03-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

"Face Dances pt2"
composed by Pete Townshend
produced by Chris Thomas
recorded by Bill Price

"Man Watching"
composed by Pete Townshend
produced by Chris Thomas
recorded by Bill Price

"Dance It Away"
composed by Pete Townshend
produced by Chris Thomas
recorded by Bill Price

"Uniforms"
composed by Pete Townshend
produced by Chris Thomas
recorded by Bill Price

"Magic Bus"
performed by Pete Townshend and Dave Gilmour and Deep End
produced by Bill Price
recorded at The Academy, Brixton, November 3rd, 1995
on the Stones Mobile with Mike McKenna
arranged by Chucho Merchan and Kick Horns

"Give Blood" [edit]
composed by Pete Townshend
produced by Chris Thomas
from the Atco album White City

My box of music...

2011-03-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

Last night I was sitting at the computer when I noticed two cardboard boxes sort of wedged in between the desk and the wall. I knew they were there, but hadn't really paid any attention to them for quite a while. So...last night I pulled them out and went through them, and I thought I would share with my faithful reader[s] just what was there.
45s, piles of 45s. Remember them? They were the gold standard for music back in the day. You didn't need to buy everybody's albums (or LPs) when you could just get a 7" vinyl copy of the big hit (or best song) that often included an unreleased track on the B-side. Kinda like iTunes but you actually got a piece of vinyl and a nifty picture sleeve!
There were a lot of Beatles and Beatles related singles, which I'll share in a later blog. There was a big selection of Beach Boys and Brian Wilson material, some Canadian music, a few real obscurities, some Dylan, Donovan, Hollies, and more. I'll show them to you later, but right now let's look at Pete Townshend.
Just a handful but each one contains at least one song that never found official release in another format.
"Let My Love Open The Door" is taken from 1980's Empty Glass album, and has "Classified" and "Greyhound Girl" on the B-side. The sleeve notes "Two previously unreleased tracks found beneath the Eel Pie floorboards", but my favourite is the sticker on the front proclaiming "Don't pay more than 60p for this single", note...it cost me $3.49 well over 60p! But it was an import!
1982'2 All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes was the source for the next two. "Face Dances, part 2" is backed with "Man Watching" and features a sleeve showing a sad eyed Pete behind his double neck guitar on one side, and a series of Japanese faces on the other.
The picture disc was fairly pricey too. "Uniforms" on the A-side and the unreleased "Dance It Away" on the flip. Note the white socks!
"Give Blood" comes from the White City album and is backed by a live rendition of "Magic Bus" performed by Pete with Dave Gilmour and Deep End. It was recorded Nov.3rd, 1995 at The Academy in Brixton.
Just thought folks might enjoy seeing these things.
I'll be back soon with some more curios.

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

Another new year. Whew! I have a big birthday coming up in the summer...and I'm not sure I'm ready for it!
The Christmas season is over for another year, everyone is settling down back at work. Look around at all the new sweaters, scarves, watches, and other paraphernalia and wonder if the economy can really be as bad as we're led to believe.
No recent concerts to report on. A little bit of new music, and a couple books though.
I rediscovered the Roches Keep On Doing album during the Christmas rush. Probably due to the viral video of shoppers bursting into a (seemingly) spontaneous rendition of "The Hallelujah Chorus" at a Welland shopping centre. The Roche sisters covered Handel's classic way back when, produced by Robert Fripp and it's beautiful as is the whole album. This meant though, I had to play the vinyl version. Vinyl is really making a comeback and recently I've picked up 12 inchers of Elvis Costello's new album, Roky Erickson, Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban and an EP from Laurie Anderson. What goes around comes around.
The Boxing Day sales held very little interest for me this year. Gone are the days when record stores offered such incredible deals that you would go home with bagfuls of music for $20! Nowadays it's a handful of selected bestsellers for 30% off and catalog titles maybe at a 10% discount. I recall one Boxing Day when I bought 10 albums for thirty-nine cents each! Good stuff too.
I did pick up Featuring... by Norah Jones, Odditties by the McGarrigles, West Coast Seattle Boy by Jimi Hendrix, and Aaron Neville's new gospel album. This one features Greg Leisz and Allen Toussaint and is a great return to form for Neville. Gospel recordings are popping up all over the place this year, Tom Jones' Praise and Blame and Mavis Staples produced by Jeff Tweedy are two more recent classics.
Watched a few movies over the holidays. I admit to falling asleep in the first half hour of The American but when I woke up, I really enjoyed the rest of the film. Angelina Jolie taking on the CIA and FBI and the KGB was goofy but lots of fun in Salt. More brainless fun and plenty of action was there for the taking in Killers with Kucher and Heigl. I enjoyed it!
The King's Speech featured great acting, and a fascinating true story in a stately paced film. It had to be paced slowly to enable the king to f-f-f-finish his lines! The Coen Brothers' True Grit was also filled with great acting, and beautiful cinematography. As a fan of the Duke's Oscar winning performance I have to say that Jeff Bridges had big boots to fill, and he more than filled 'em.
I read Steve Martin's new novel An Object of Beauty which I recommend as both a cautionary tale and an overview of the art world in NYC. Of course Keith Richards' Life was on my reading list, but everyone has already told you how good that was. Listen to the audiobook read by Johnny Depp! A couple Bob Dylan books kept me busy, one by Sean Wilentz and another by Greil Marcus. Both worth pursuing. Next up...a new biography of T.E.Lawrence called Hero.
Tonight? Well, I'll drown my sorrows after Team Canada's collapse in the gold medal game and watch the 25th Anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concerts. Sound like fun to me!

Pre-Christmas Rant

2010-12-07T06:49:00.001-08:00

Well here it is December 7th, and I haven't blogged anything since October. We're only a couple of weeks away from Christmas, in fact today is the first official celebration of the season (our Holiday Luncheon at work). I've planned to sing perhaps the most obscure "Christmas" song I could find...Arlo Guthrie's "The Pause of Mister Clause".
Over the past two months I've seen a couple of great shows, and heard some very interesting music. I'll tell you a little about what's been going on.
After Jimmy Webb at Hugh's Room the first album I heard was the 2-disc set from Keith Richards Wingless Angels. It's an acquired taste for sure, raw pre-reggae chants, but give it a little time and it grows on you.
Reading David Clayton-Thomas's autobiography gave me an urge to hear his new CD, Soul Ballads which is just what it says...DCT singing soul music, and it's not bad at all, the guy still has quite a presence. And the band is big and swingin'. Wish I could say the same for Phil Collins' Goin' Back. The original tracks are vastly better than Phil's take on them.
The new Clapton is a mellow but pleasant look to the past, as Eric settles in to a groove remembering songs he grew up with. David Gilmour's guitar is front and centre all over the electronica of The Orb's Metallic Spheres. Dhani Harrison is the best thing about Fistful of Mercy (his band with Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur)...and it's just because he reminds me so much of his father.
Went to see Steve Earle at Hamilton Place's Studio Theatre, and he did not disappoint (well...truth be told, I was disappointed not to get him to sign his book, but...) he played a broad selection of tunes from his whole career up to and including an unreleased song.
Read a couple good books, Bill Flanagan's Evening's Empire a novel about the management of a 60s rock band through good times and bad. It really captured the
era. Bob Dylan in America by Sean Wilentz was a tad academic for my taste, I shouldn't have been surprised, since Wilentz is a history professor. However there was enough fascinating detail to keep me plugging through it. Keith Richard's Life was probably the book of the season, and I've been listening to the e-book version read by Keith and Johnny Depp. Highly entertaining.
It's been a big season for Dylan with the release of The Witmark Demos, the mono versions of his first batch of albums in an expensive box set, the afore-mentioned Wilentz book and a collection of Dylan essays by Greil Marcus. Ooh, mama, can this really be the end?
Then I went to see Leon Redbone at the Studio Theatre. His shtick grew a tad tiresome, but he sure can play the guitar.
The last show I attended was Lunch at Allen's. Ian Thomas, Murray Maclachlan, Cindy Church and Marc Jordan, blending perfectly on old classics or new songs from their recent release More Lunch at Allen's. Beautiful.
The big news has nothing to do with music, film, literature, or any other such frivolity...My son came home from Afghanistan. Safe and sound. Whew, what a relief.
Then this week he and I both bought iPads...so it's been dueling apps ever since. I'll report further when I have more information.
(Oh, and here's a drawing I did of David Lindley)

How I spent the summer...

2010-10-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

WOW! I haven't blogged anything since June! I can hardly believe it. After seeing Jersey Boys I took some vacation time and worked on my Mom's front and back yards. We went to see Allen Toussaint and Mavis Staples in Toronto (June 30th) and they put on a marvelous show. Colin James joined Mavis for "I'll Take You There" but both Mavis's and Allen's band were fantastic.
On the 17th of July we had to take Chloe (our shih-tzu) to the vet for the last time. It was a sad day.
Some dandy CDs came along during the summer. Los Lobos Tin Can Trust, Jimmy webb's Just Across the River, Red Horse featuring Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky, and a surprise from Tom Jones! Praise and Blame has been on my playlist ever since it came out. Wow, that guy can sing! And with the minimal backing band it's a rebirth. Don't miss this one!
Friday night at the Festival of Friends was a lot of fun. First some homemade gumbo at Dave & Sylvia's (and a drink or two) then over to Gage Park for Richie Havens, Buckwheat Zydeco and then Dr. John. A splendid time was had by all!
August 11th was (as it alsways is) my birthday. Gloria and the boys got me a new guitar. Then on the 12th it was over to Hugh's Room with Rich for Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Jack didn't care for us snapping photos but he sure liked seeing the programme from the Mariposa Folk Festival circa 1970 that I brought with me. "Can I show this to my girlfriend?" he asked. "Sure, go ahead!" was my reply, and he signed it for me. Another great show.
Visited Michael Wrycraft in Toronto and Ian Thomas at his home studio, to ask about their archives for work. Read books by Ginger Baker, David Clayton-Thomas, Rosanne Cash and James Lee Burke. All in all a good summer.
Now it's fall, and it's dark outside, raining. They haven't turned off the chilled water in the buidling so it's only 18 degrees in the office.
But life goes on.
Saturday night we went back to Hugh's Room to see Jimmy Webb. He puts on a dandy intimate show. He is an extraordinary pianist and songwriter, and so what if Harry Nilsson is right about his voice. Harry told him (according to Jimmy's story) "Jimmy, there's only one thing wrong with your voice...it sucks!" Jimmy replied, "Well Harry...what's with 'I put the lime in the coconut? You call that songwriting?"
Hmmm.
Still lots of good music coming out. Robert Plant, Richard Thompson, Bachman-Turner, Bill Frisell, even a new CD of gospel music from legendary guitar slinger James Burton! Mavis Staples, produced by Jeff Tweedy, Neil Young produced by Daniel Lanois and Wingless Angels produced by Keith Richards! Who could ask for more?
That's about it for now. I'll be back sooner than three months from now.

Paul Quarrington

2010-06-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

Reading Paul Quarrington's memoir Cigar Box Banjo and I have to say, that considering Paul received the news about his lung cancer partway through the writing of this book, and then changed his approach, the finished product is funny, uplifting and a flat-out dandy read.
I've always liked Quarrington's books. From my first reading of Home Game, his first novel, through King Leary and The Life of Hope his books have grabbed me. And I can't begin to explain how I enjoyed Whale Music, maybe the best book ever written about Brian Wilson! Except it's about the Howl Brothers! Great film too.
After I read Home Game I sent a letter to Paul c/o his publisher, and he replied. We entered into a brief letter writing relationship. Then it was over. Didn't see him for a few years, until his band Pork Belly Futures appeared at the Scottish Rite, opening a reading by Ian Rankin. The band was fun, playing Paul's songs about Hemingway, and Michael Ondaatje, and they had a special guest guitarist. Danny Weis (who had played in Rhinoceros back in the day) was filling in. We (my wife and I) rode in the elevator with Danny. After the reading, I talked to Paul and reminded him of the letters. Who remembers letters from ten years ago? Well, since one of my letters included the suggestion that a character in Home Game should be portrayed by Gilda Radner...he remembered.
So, this is all to say that even though there's sadness in the pages of Cigar Box Banjo there's life too, and hope, and humour, and a lesson for us all. Keep livin' til you just can't live anymore. Enjoy every sandwich.

Jersey Boys

2010-06-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

Last night my wife and I attended a performance of Jersey Boys at the Toronto Centre for the Arts way up in North York. It was a special Media Event, which means that we truly were 'guests'. Now I must confess that I've never been much of a fan of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons based on their records playing in between songs of the British Invasion during the '60s. No, I was a definite Beatles fan, it was Gerry & the Pacemakers, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and so on for me. None of that show-biz glitz that Frankie and the boys put out. I should also say that I never owned a Four Seasons record. Not one. As best I can recall, not even a random song on a soundtrack album made it into my collection. Until last night that is.
Upon checking in at the theatre we received 2 CDs (The Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and Jersey Boys the soundtrack), more Valli than I ever imagined. Over pre-show drinks in the bar Alan Cross spoke about the importance of the Four Seasons in the on-going history of new music. While admitting that they were "a bit outside [his] normal area of expertise" he gave a potted history of their accomplishments that made them sound important to the younger journalists who had attended. We elders smiled and nodded.
As the show began (with a hip-hop rendition of "Oh, What a Night" entitled "Ces Soirees-la") my heart sank. I couldn't make out the rap, and the sound was loud and muddy. Then the actor playing Tommy DeVito appeared and commenced his story, and from that moment on, I was hooked. The production was marvelous. The story engaging. And the music, which I had never warmed up to in nearly 50 years, seemed perfect for this kind of presentation. I developed an appreciation for the compositional skills of Bob Gaudio (et al) and, well...I'm a sucker for good harmony singing anyway. The show had me. And it kept me too. Right to the end.
Just enough good humour, and historical accuracy to keep a music historian (even an amateur one) interested...and the music. I can't say enough about it. I left the theatre, like everyone else, humming or singing the songs.
"Oh, What a Night" indeed!

since April...

2010-06-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! Has it really been so long since I last blogged?
Just checking the diary to see where I've been and what I've been up to.
I read a couple of books, two about Van Morrison. Greil Marcus's When That Rough God Does Riding has been fairly controversial amongst rabid Van-fans, but it seems pretty clear to me that Marcus is as big a fan as any of us, but is not afraid to tell how disappointed he's been in long stretches of Morrison's output over the years. I agree with him. While I think that weak Morrison is better than a lot of the other stuff that's out there, when measured against himself...Van has had some dry periods. Hymns to the Silence by Peter Mills should please everybody. It's a decent read as well.
Bought the new Roky Erickson (with Okkervil River) album (yep, vinyl) on Record Store Day. And while I was never a big fan of Roky in his heyday, it sounds like he may be back to stay. I found a used copy of The Best of Allan Sherman and really enjoyed listening to those classic tunes. He's still a funny guy!
We went to the DVD release concert for Steve Strongman's Live at the Barn. The show was great, the band rocked the Studio Theatre. And the DVD is not bad either.
I've been talking with Michael Wrycraft (the graphic artist responsible for so many great CD packages and posters for Northern Blues and Borealis). I hope to be able to announce that McMaster has A Man Called Wrycraft's archives pretty soon.
Recently that most Southern Californian of all songwriters Jackson Browne released a double CD with that most polyester of guitar players David Lindley. Love Is Strange is a beautiful recording of a concert in Spain. Lovely stuff.
Then we spent a week in Saint John, New Brunswick for a conference (CNIE) and series of meetings (OUETDA). A day for touring built in let us visit St. Stephen's (Ganong Chocolate Factory), St. Andrew's by the Sea (too early for whale watching) and St. Martin's (world famous chowder, mmmm). Oh, and a visit or two to one of Canada's classic independent record stores...Backstreet Records. Great little shop.
Right now I'm reading Stieg Larsson's third Lisbeth Salander/Mikael Blomkvist book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Sad to say...there won't be any more.

Gordon Lightfoot...at Hamilton Place

2010-04-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

It's been 43 years since I last attended a concert by Gordon Lightfoot. Way back in 1967, at one of many celebrations for Canada's Centennial my brother Al and I saw him (along with Rich Little and The Big Town Boys) at Confederation Park. He was playing with Red Shea and John Stockfish, supporting the just released Did She Mention My Name. I went home, bought a couple albums and learned a bunch of his songs. And then essentially moved on. There was so much else to listen to. So many other songs to play. In 1999 I received the four CD set, Songbook for Christmas, and started listening again. Last night I had the opportunity to be reacquainted with this Canadian legend as he played at Hamilton Place.
We had seats in the 2nd balcony. The stage was set with enough equipment all on top of an Indian carpet, and when the band arrived a buzz ran through the audience. These people were there to sit in front of the man who has become the country's true poet laureate, and they gave him a standing ovation as he walked on-stage. He hadn't even picked up a guitar yet.
Nowadays the band is bigger. Lead guitar is handled by Terry Clements (who's been with Lightfoot since 1970), bass is Rick Haynes (he joined in 1969), Barry Keane has been Gord's drummer since 1976, and newcomer Mike Heffernan joined up in 1981. This unit has remained constant since '87. Wow! No wonder they play together so effortlessly. The sound through the night was beautifully clean, perfectly polished, and a bit quiet. You had to lean forward on your seat to hear from time to time. Of course, maybe it was the Gord wannabe sitting behind us, who sang along with every song, even if he didn't know the words. Or maybe it was the old gent in the next seat, sucking on candies wrapped in what seemed like endless cellophane. At least the girl in front of us was silent as she texted on her cell phone every five minutes!
Apart from all the distractions, Lightfoot did not disappoint. He played two 45 minute sets, separated by a half hour break during which he changed jackets from pink to blue. I said, "The other one must be all sweaty." My companion said, "From what?" And I had to admit, Lightfoot made it seem easy. The band was tight, Gord's guitars were mixed just right. His picking every bit as agile as ever. It was somewhere in the vocal levels that you noticed a difference. He's no longer got that powerful baritone, it has been reduced to a virtual whisper. So leaning forward to hear became more important.
Don't get me wrong, he still hits most (if not all) of the notes, but his halting phrasing is more exaggerated as if singing in bursts of exhalation. If it all wasn't mixed so gorgeously you could be distracted by, say...the guy behind you clapping about three lines in to each song as he realizes which of Gord's Gold is up next.
Lightfoot took us through a career of well known songs, like "Did She Mention My Name," "Let It Ride," "Carefree Highway," "Ribbon of Darkness," "Sundown," and more. He punctuated the classics with less well-known material, after all he has 44 years of tunes to draw from. He told a couple stories trying to connect with the audience. He quipped that "...reports of [his] death have been greatly exaggerated," echoing Mark Twain, in reference to a Twitter rumour from a few weeks ago. He asked "Who the hell would write a song about a loon in love," as he introduced "Ring-Necked Loon" and he alluded to some post-Mariposa shenanigans with Jerry Jeff Walker and Doug Kershaw back in the 60s.
The second set was similar to the first, starting off with "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and ending with "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" which bracketed "Baby Step Back" and "Home From the Forest" among others. The band left the stage for a few minutes, and then returned for a quick encore of "Blackberry Wine". The girl in front of me texted on her Blackberry, I whined!
It was over. The legend took a couple of bows and waved goodbye. Maybe in another 40 years or so...

More Marigolds...

2010-04-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went down to the Pearl Company again, to see the Marigolds. Now the Marigolds, you may recall, is a trio of solo singers joined together to create some heavenly harmonies. Suzie Vinnick, Gwen Swick and Caitlin Hanford (in reverse alphabetical order) each have solo CDs for sale at the show, but a Marigolds' show is a night for groupwork.
Gwen Swick plays bass and sings in a rich voice that seems able to shift into any range. Her enunciation is precise and crisp, and her lyrics are filled with images that are at once obvious and surprising. It's like, "How clever! Why didn't I think of that?" "Anyone Can Dream" is the perfect example as she sings of the raft that dreamt of being Noah's ark! Brilliant! She lives in Elora, ON with Randall Coryell, who is an associate Marigold, being the drummer of the group.
Coryell is a king of percussion, and uses everything at hand, from the regular kit, to a long bolt holding washers and nuts to get the right sound. L:egend has it he even used his daughter's head to percussive effect!
Caitlin Hanford hails from Washington State, and brings the country inflection to the group. She plays a big ol' Gibson guitar, and writes songs about trains, and walking along the highway. Listen to "Ramble Down the Line" or "When I'm Walking With You" to get an idea. She's the tallest Marigold. Sometimes she tells little stories, like how she saw a cardinal outside the window and "just knew that Jacvkie Washington's spirit" had inhabited that bird. "Yes, indeedy!"
That leaves Suzie Vinnick, who plays lead guitar (she's got some chops!), and sings anything from blues to jazz to old standards. She can rock too, as you'll see if you listen to her solo CD. She also seems to be the business head of the group, doing the ads for the merch table, and carrying the little bag of change. Her songs show a tremendous range of styles and subject matter. Flying is one concern of Suzie's as "Trip To the Moon" and "Sometimes I Think I Can Fly" exhibit. And when she sings, you'll be sure she can fly!
Now that's the group, individually, but when they perform together, they become a separate entity...the Marigolds. And there's nothing like Marigolds' music to brighten a day, or night. In the warm and comfortable setting of the Pearl Company the feeling is like a living room concert, with a group of friends. Oh, wait a minute, I had invited about 16 people, so in fact it was a group of friends. There were another 20 or so folks in the audience, and I have to say, it's a bit disappointing. The Pearl brings in these remarkable musicians and they play to a half empty room, and yet every performer I've seen here has given their all to the group who turned out.
The Marigolds sang tunes from both their CDs, to the obvious delight of all who attended. They came back for an encore of Jackie DeShannon's "Put a Little Love In Your Heart" and then said "goodnight"...and what a good night it was.
Thanks Barbara and Gary for keeping the Pearl Company rolling. Thanks Gwen, Caitlin and Suzie (and Randall) for a great Friday night!

Jon Anderson...

2010-04-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

at the Studio Theatre, Hamilton Place (April 3, 2010).

That's Jon Anderson, the lead singer from YES! That's right. In a theatre that holds, maybe 400. And, there was no-one else on stage either. Not Rick Wakeman, or Patrick Moraz, not Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, or any of the other dozen or so members of YES from the past 40 years. Just Jon Anderson, and a couple of acoustic instruments. Oh, and of course, his extraordinary voice!

After being close to death from acute respiratory failure only two years ago, Jon has come back to play these solo shows. He has released a double live CD, called Live From LaLa Land which is very similar to the show we saw the other night except you might even say that the show at the Studio Theatre was stripped down even further. No midi-guitar this time, just a nylon string guitar, and a 'strummer', and a trusty ukulele. And a piano, for the weirdest part of the night, but more about that later.

Starting with "Long Distance Runaround" and "Yours is No Disgrace" Anderson gave us a virtual history of YES, focused on the vocals and without the symphonic backing we're so used to. The melodies were all there, and Anderson's alto-tenor voice pure and clear, but a song that might take up the whole side of a record was reduced to only a couple of minutes as Anderson sang the chorus and verses, with no long solo spots.

It's a fascinating exercise, to reduce these classic tracks to their ultimate facets. Melody and lyric. That's it. All accompanied by Anderson's rather clumsy guitar strumming. No fine finger-picking for him, he picks a beat and stays with it. And I have to say, it works somehow. It's like Jon Anderson 'folk-singer' and I imagine it takes a lot of gumption to do it. He admits he came to guitar playing late, but my ears told me he meant only a year or two ago, he confesses that he began at age 22. Well, that's over 40 years ago. I'm pretty sure I've improved more than this over the same length of time! I hope so.

But I don't want to dwell on the guitar playing because it was the singing that was impressed me, that and his spirit. The man is filled with good vibes. He is contagious with them. And his fans were rabid to soak them up. We sat in the balcony, but those on the floor close to the edge of the stage, were sending back all the love he put forth. And his wife of 13 years sat right there too, in front of the stage, dead centre. He sang to her, on this their anniversary. It was lovely.

The piano songs? Odd, abstract bits of noodling with noodled lyrics too. My least favourite part of the night, but still he's a charming performer, and well worth a ticket.

Jean-Paul De Roover & City of Glass

2010-04-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

at The Pearl Company, Hamilton, ON, March 10, 2010

Do you remember as a child, playing with Lego? Building some imaginary thing with dozens, no hundreds of small plastic pieces and being amazed as it took shape before your eyes? My father spent his retirement years constructing beautiful models of houses out of popsicle sticks. He worked with an exacto knife and white glue, even cutting sheets of sandpaper into representations of shingles which he then glued to the roof. Hinges on the doors? Made from pins! An artist I know creates his sculptures by tirelessly welding thousands of rods together to create huge representational constructions. This desire to create a whole from many disparate pieces is what keeps Jean-Paul De Roover working on his music. Even when playing to empty rooms, he displays an excitement about the creative process that is contagious, even thrilling. The first time I saw him play was last fall on a Thursday night, the Pearl Company accommodates nearly 200 but there were only five of us there. Last night the numbers were more like twenty, and we were scattered around the room, on the most comfortable chairs. Did the small turnout bother J-P? Not so you'd notice. He bounced, and danced with his guitar, a Fender acoustic that he borrowed from his sister. He's an energetic performer, I don't think I noticed that the first time, but watching him last night left me exhausted.

Upon arrival at the Pearl Company, Hamilton's gem of a new performance space, J-P greeted me like an old friend. (I had written about the autumn show on my blog.) He looked at the small group of friends I'd brought, and said, "Well, you did your part! You've quadrupled the audience!" We laughed and shared stories about what we'd been doing since last we met. He is just starting a new, longer tour. And playing with opening acts. Tonight it's Vancouver's City of Glass.

City of Glass is a quartet made up of Michael Champion (guitar/vocals), David Phu (guitar/backing vocals), Georgia Korba (bass) and Alex Cumming (drums). They list New Order, Coldplay, Weezer and Deathcab for Cutie as their influences, but they play mainly original material. They joked about doing an AC/DC tune but when it came down to it the one cover version was a Radiohead cut. That's the kind of ambient rock they play, chilly almost spiky guitars, against solid rhythm from Alex and Georgia. Georgia plays a Fender Precision and it's bigger than she is, but she has mastered the beast. Their set was plagued by a few audio problems, the wrong mix in the monitors and a rented amp that gave up the ghost, but they weather the storm well, and their fifty minute set was well received. Then they repaired to the merch counter to flog their T-shirts, buttons and CDs. And they come back to watch De Roover. They opened for him the previous night in Toronto. They know what's coming.

Jean-Paul doesn't take too long to set up. His gear is all placed on a construction of red plastic tubes, not unlike a building toy from his youth. His whole thing is constructivism. Even the package his CD/DVD comes in is an art piece, it has no text, and unfolds to create a house. But on the red construction is a series of little boxes, looping gear, a drum pad, samplers, cables, buttons, pedals into which the guitar is plugged and a pair of microphones. He wears a set of headphones, and begins to build. Whether he starts with voice, "Ahahahahahahaaah!" maybe "Bada, baadaa, baaaaadip!" or a guitar part, he then adds harmony, rhythm, texture. Beats appear out of the ether. He sings the melody, and his melodies are strong, and then layers a harmony, and a third voice over top. He controls all of this by bending and twisting, stopping this track, starting that one, playing some rhythm guitar, he looks like he might fall, but catches himself, eats a bite of a butter tart, and all the while the audience is enrapt. They are singing along with songs they did not know three minutes ago. They spontaneously applaud. You can hear them whispering, "Wow! How does he do that?"

It's like this for over an hour. He plays his original songs. Most of them have one word titles like "Walk," "Lapse," "The Knife," "Fix." My favourite might be the new one, it's untitled so far. The chorus is "I love you," but J-P thinks that's too obvious a title, a bit too generic. I think of it as "Blue." It's a fine song. He wraps up with an audience participation tune, where he puts down his guitar and walks around the entire place shaking everyone's hand and thanking us for coming. It's a nice touch.

Jean-Paul is building his audience the same way he builds his music. He bonds an ever growing number of people together with the glue of his personality, his creativity and his imagination. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that he's just plain musical, too!

Thanks to Barbara and Gary at the Pearl Company for bringing outstanding new music like Jean-Paul De Roover and City of Glass to this city.

Pearl Company last night...

2010-03-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

Jean-Paul De Roover was back in town last night, at the marvelous Pearl Company. A group from Vancouver called City of Glass opened and did a Coldplay thing. Not bad, a pleasant hour, well, apart from the downer lyrics, and the failed amp. They said they were going to Long & McQuade today to throw the amp through the window. That'd be a sight to see.
J-P was excellent as he demonstrated what one guy with a lot of loops and effects, and unlimited imagination can do. The thing I like most about him is his sense of melody. It's not all abstract art...there's real structure to it.
I bought a copy of John "Drumbo" French's book Beefheart: Through the Eyes of Magic from the man himself, and it arrived in the mail yesterday. It's a honking big book filled with dense print and pictures galore. Memories from everyone who was there, and great stories. Over 800 pages means I won't be reading it at bedtime, it's too heavy to hold up! But I will spend quite a bit of time with it, the excerpts I've previewed are fascinating. And don't forget Mike Barnes' biography of the Captain; or Zoot Horn Rollo's Lunar Notes; or Kevin Courrier's Trout Mask Replica written in the 33 1/3 series.
I watched Paris, Texas the other day. The new Criterion Blu-Ray is a tremendous transfer, and includes a wealth of extra stuff. Even interviews with Ry Cooder.
The Patti Smith book, Just Kids is a good read, and the DVD Dream of Life makes a great complement to it. And you might as well go all out an pick up her compilation CD set Land and you'll gain a new appreciation for Patti!
Going home to listen to some new Jimi Hendrix music. I'll let you know what I think.
See you!

Happy New Year (belated)

2010-02-04T05:46:00.001-08:00

Wow! I can hardly believe it! I haven't blogged since a month before Christmas! And so much has happened.
I told you about Bruce Cockburn at Hamilton Place.
I picked up signed copies of Stephen Stills Manassas Pieces and Rosanne Cash's glorious The List. This is one of my favourite albums of 2009, excpet for the weird version of "Long Black Veil" it's perfect. Then I read Always Been There which tells the story of the list Johnny Cash gave to Rosanne and how it impacted the recording of that album. Lots of other new releases too, McCartney's Good Evening New York, Norah Jones, Fire In My Bones (a 3 disc set of African-American Gospel), a re-issue of Bob Carpenter's Silent Passage which features Lowell George! Tom Petty's bargain of the year, 4 discs of live material for under $20! Wow! Read the new McCartney bio, which tells the same old story. There was an interesting quote from Ringo the other day. Someone has asked him to write HIS autobiography, but they only want the Beatles years. He says he's done a lot more stuff, and I for one would be interested in that! We've read everything there is to read about Hamburg, and Pete Best...let's move on!
Still thinking about Billy Bragg. That was a remarkable show! Saw The Good Lovelies at The Pearl Company. And Randy Bachman at the Glenn Gould Theatre.
And here we are in February, 2010. FEBRUARY! Where does the time go?
Ry Cooder will be releasing a new album in a month or so, with the Chieftains. Looking forward to that one.
See you soon.

Studio Theatre, Hamilton Place

2009-11-24T06:16:00.000-08:00

The Studio Theatre in Hamilton Place is an intimate venue, just right for a singer-songwriter (Stephen Fearing), but also very suitable for some blues (Steve Strongman), or the music of The Rankin Sisters, or even the intricate keyboard noodlings of Garth Hudson. In the last week I've been there twice. A week ago Friday for Bruce Cockburn and last Wednesday for Billy Bragg. Both singer-songwriters, I suppose, but both with very political agendas. They were great!
I'm not a big Burce Cockburn fan. I don't know what it is. He plays the kind of music that I usually go for. Guitar based, folky, with a touch of blues, and I generally agree with his message...so what is it about him that I don't like? Maybe I only had room in my ears for Richard Thompson doing that stuff. Anyway, last Friday I went along with my good friend Frank (who is also not a Cockburn fan) and we sat in the front row, just to the right of centre. This is not a good place to sit, when seeing Bruce. Right of centre is definitely not the place to be! But that's where the seats Ann and Emmitt had saved for us happened to be.
Bruce came out dressed in a baggy outfit, dark pants and an oversized jacket, and picked up one of the two green-topped 6-string guitars and began to roll through his songbook. Tunes from the 70s, 80s, 90s and new songs. Not too many "old songs" mainly "middle-aged songs". And a couple of new ones. "Slow Down Fast," "This is Bagdad," mixed with "Wondering Where the Lions Are," "Waiting For a Miracle," and "Lovers in a Dangerous Time." It was good to have so many familiar songs, because some of the others sounded similar, like riffs just designed to carry the words. There's no doubt that Bruce is an extraordinary guitarist, but there was a sameness to much of what he played. The virtuosity lifted these moments. I was touched, personally, by the new song written after visiting his brother (an army doctor in Afghanistan). My own son is training to go there, and Bruce's lament brought me to tears. Cockburn answered three curtain calls and on his last encore claimed he "[didn't] know what to play." He satisfied the rabid fans, and he satisfied us hangers-on too. All in all a fine night.
Wednesday's show with Billy Bragg was also a dandy night of music, and politics. This time our seats (again, saved by Ann and Emmitt) were in the front row, but appropriately well left of centre! Where else would you want to be for the author of "Power in the Union," and "All You Fascists"!!
After an intriguing set by Toronto's Ron Hawkins (check that guy out!) Billy took the stage. He had played for 2 hours the night previous at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, and his tour manager wanted to keep this one to 90 minutes. But once Billy got rolling there was no stoppping him. Playing an electric guitar turned up loud, he rocked the joint with songs of love and justice! He sipped from a mug of tea (he called it Throat Coat) and sang in his London drawl, songs from his long career. He called Woody Guthrie "my boss" as he introduced the songs he had completed (with Wilco) for Woody's daughter Norah, for 2 albums. He sang a classic Guthrie children's song about wetting the bed, and Woody's "Ain't Got No Home". He spoke about oxyomorons like "military intelligence" and "american football". The English call it "runny, runny, catchy" since it has very little to do with the pure "footie" they play in the rest of the world. He expressed his displeasure over France "cheating their way to victory over Ireland" referring to Thierry Henry's handball the night before. He played a few tunes on an acoustic guitar, with STRUMMER emblazoned on the front. He went well beyond his 90 minutes, much to the chagrin of the manager. And then he came out for a meet and greet during which he spoke personally to each person who waited. He heard their stories, and answered their questions, signed their scarves, and LPs, CDs, tickets, and shirts. He gave everyone their money's worth. Long live Billy Bragg!

Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Elvis Costello

2009-11-03T07:51:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I received an e-mail from the Elvis Costello fan site (which I hadn't even remembered joining). It said that the first 50 people to reply would receive 2 free passes to the taping of the final episode of Season Two of Spectacle with Elvis Costello. Well, who could resist an offer like that? Especially since it was going to take place in Toronto! I replied within 3 minutes, and waited. Later that night I received another message. It said !!CONGRATULATIONS!! You've won! and laid out the rules for picking up tickets. Monday my wife and I headed out early to find parking and a place to have dinner. Parking, no problem, right across the street and only $15. Dinner, two blocks down at le Pain Quotidien, zucchini soup, fresh bread, and smoked salmon salad. Good coffee too! It began to rain, a steady drizzle. We arrived at the Masonic Hall on Yonge Street at about 6:15, a lineup had begun. At 6:30 they checked our photo ID and gave us wristbands. Then they checked our coats, searched my wife's purse, and showed us to our seats. The theatre is beautiful, very art deco. The set featured chandeliers, a 1000 lightbulbs showing the Spectacle logo behind a drum kit, and amps and guitars. We sat in the front row. The front three rows were reserved for the Fan Club winners! Here's someone who knows how to treat his fans.
The place was alive with a buzz. "Who's the guest?" "I hear it's Paul McCartney!" "It's McCartney for sure! I got the word!" People from as far away as Rhode Island were there.
It was 8:00 before the show began, and the air conditioning was blowing on us all the time. "Oh, it'll get hot in here once the lights go on!" But it never got that hot, by the end we were frozen (more of that later).
Elvis came out, followed by The Imposters, did his usual Spectacle rap, picked up his Fender Jaguar and launched into "Accidents Will Happen". It was fantastic. After another tune ("Chelsea") he explained that Elton John was to have been the interviewer and he, Elvis, was the guest tonight. Elton was sick (as the newspapers had told us all weekend) so they looked for a "rock journalist" do perform the task of raking Elvis over the coals. Since they couldn't find a presentable rock journalist...they got Mary Louise Parker (she of Fried Green Tomatoes fame). She came out dressed in black. She looked very slim, and quite lovely, although her interviewing techniques were adequate at best. It was clear that she was a bigger fan, more in awe of her idol than most of the rest of us in attendance. When she closed her eyes and swayed to Elvis's crooning, I thought she might fall off the chair! Nevertheless Elvis was charming and forthcoming with information about how he wrote and recorded, and his life in general. Marriage and fatherhood has agreed with him, and not drinking!
For over 2 hours he shared stories, and songs, some solo on acoustic guitart, others backed by Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher. I saw Elvis on his first tour of North America. He played about 14 songs and was done in 35 minutes start to finish! Wow! He explained that the Attractions were using "speed up drugs" and that later when he listened to My Aim Is True to relearn it for a tour, he "couldn't believe how slow the songs were"!
He spoke about writing with McCartney, Bacharach and trying to co-write with Sammy Cahn (it didn't work out) and played songs from each era. "Almost Blue," "Brilliant Mistake," "So Like Candy," "I Still Have That Other Girl," "Bedlam," "I Hope You're Happy Now," all done beautifully whether accompanied by himself on the Gibson, or with the band.
After the show, he came out to re-take the first two songs. "Accidents..." and "...Chelsea". Then he sang a couple more, a couple after that, and more, giving us a 40 minute concert to end the night. At 11:00 he said "Goodnight" and bowed, and walked off. It was tremendous. The audience had been standing through the final few songs. It was rock'n'roll!
On the way out everyone received a copy of the new CD. It was a night to remember. And I can't wait to watch Season Two.

Stuff...

2009-10-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Went to Kingston earlier this week, on assignment from work. Learned how to "Lead Change". Basically...communicate! While there I picked up the new Leonard Cohen CD+DVD Live at the Isle of Wight 1970. The video portion is fascinating. Even if you're not a Cohen fan. The story is great. A bunch of middle-class English hippies tried to crash the Isle of Wight Festival because "music should be free, man!" So the promoters tried to build a wall around the area. Kris Kristofferson got booed off the stage. Jimi Hendrix played and somebody set fire to the stage. Cohen had to follow THAT! Hendrix and a fire! His piano and organ had been damaged in the fire and he told them he wasn't going on without a piano and an organ! The crowd of 500,000 waited! The promoter provided keyboards. Lenny wandered on-stage and sang his songs of loss and love to them and they listened! It's a beautiful film.
Also picked up a brief book about Pete Seeger called The Protest Singer. It's subtitled an intimate portrait and...that's what it is. Pete asked for a book that could be read in one sitting and Alec Wilkinson provided a sensitive and compelling look at this legend!
I read Dave Eggers' novelization of The Wild Things on the train. Not a bad way to spend the five hour (there and back) journey.
Downloaded my first music from iTunes while I was there. J.D.Souther's first live album was just issued (for download only) and while it took over a week for it to become available for the Canadian iTunes fan...it's definitely worth it. He's in good voice and supported (most of the time) by a crack band! A short album but it covers his whole career.
Have you heard Dylan's Christmas album? It's pretty much exactly what you might think...good or bad? Listen and decide for yourself. New Lyle Lovett, Natural Forces is excellent. Wilco the album is growing on me, as is the Avett Brothers I and Love and You.
David Byrne's book Bicycle Diaries has inspired me to buy myself a new bike next spring.
My brother and his wife are coming from Alberta for a visit next week. I'm looking forward to seeing them!

Even more Pearl Company...

2009-10-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

It was a quiet Thursday, and my wife was having some friends over. I had received an e-mail about a last minute concert at The Pearl Company, but with such short notice I couldn't find anyone to go with me. Rich couldn't make it, Ralph wasn't home, Jesse was away, and so on. I had to go out to allow the ladies space, but did I want to go to a concert alone? I could just go to Chapters, have a coffee, browse for a couple of hours. Ah, what the heck, it's five bucks, and maybe it'll be good, after all the review on-line compared this guy to Robert Fripp.

I managed to find a parking spot right in front of the building. Wow! That's a first. Up the stairs, to the second floor where the performance space is, and there's Gary Santucci and Barbara Milne, the owners and hosts, and a young guy, tall, slim, short hair, long sideburns, glasses. Gary introduces us, and he happens to be Jean-Paul De Roover...the star of the show. We have a long chat about his gear, the relative merits of looping, his familiarity with Fripp, and other loopers. He doesn't know Jacob Moon, but the name Bill Frisell rings a bell. At this point you'd expect the audience to be drifting in. After all, it's almost 8:00. A woman arrives, she's a friend of Barbara's, and she drops her $5 on the table. That makes two of us. We introduce ourselves. Garbielle and I sit in the front row of chairs and couches that make up the comfy seating of The Pearl Company. Gary sits behind me. He says something like, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Pearl Co., tonight our guest is Jean-Paul De Roover." And from then on it's J-P's show.

I sympathize. I did a reading of my unpublished novel one night, and it snowed like crazy, three people came into the shop out of the storm. I read to them. They drank the free coffee and ate the free buttertarts, then they left. I know the feeling. Nevertheless J-P takes off. He's playing a Fender acoustic guitar that he says he borrowed from his sister. His web site shows him with a couple different axes, not this one, but by the end of the night you know why he took his sister's guitar on tour. He beats the crap out of it! Not fretting and picking, but beating it...like a drum. J-P plays loops, which means he creates a full band sound all by himself. Whether he begins with a riff, a beat, a bassline, even a vocal he then adds the missing pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle until finally the whole is revealed.

He works behind a red framework built from plastic pipe. His gear is on shelves, or on the floor, a plethora of pedals laid out before him. He knows where everything is. And he has done this enough to move smoothly between each piece of equipment and maintain the music, and the connection with the audience. He plays the songs from his recently released CD, Windows and Doors. The CD comes with a DVD which contains a brief documentary on the making of the album, a series of live performances and a couple of videos suitable for MTV (or Much Music here in Canada). He is a sensitive singer with a flexible voice, he lays down harmonies and background sounds (including percussive noises) with an ease and facility that is amazing to watch/hear. He reminds me at various times of Brian Wilson, or Lindsey Buckingham. His guitar playing is not really like Robert Fripp except perhaps on the experimental "Catharsis" which builds to a thrilling climax as loop after loop is layered onto the mix.

Because of the intimacy of the evening we feel free to take part, to clap, to sing along, to ask questions. J-P is happy for this, and answers honestly. He talks about the songwriting process and how he is less interested in lyrics than melody. He begins with melodic ideas, even when constructing the abstract experimental pieces. He add words as an afterthought, and yet the words he adds are filled with ideas, he is a thinker, having just completed his Master's in Sociology. Sociology? That's right, and it's a perfect fit for his songs about life, death, love, loss and all that.

Partway through the night, early on I think, two other people arrive. They are as overcome by the music as Gabrielle, Gary and I. And after the show we hang around for a while, talking to J-P, looking at the original artwork for his CD. It's a beautiful package, Windows and Doors is available from his Web site. We are all familiar with going through doors, but some of us take the less obvious route, through the window. Jean-Paul is inside that window, breaking through. Even his CD package breaks through! It folds out to become a little house. Buy one and see for yourself. Keep your eyes out for De Roover appearing near you. He's definitely making a return appearance at The Pearl Co. and I'm getting the word out early!

More Pearl Company

2009-10-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

A week later and we were back at the Pearl Company to see, and hear, The Marigolds. As you'll see (and hear) by following that link, The Marigolds is a trio comprised of Suzie Vinnick, Caitlin Hanford and Gwen Swick, but after but after seeing them on Saturday night, I assure you...they're a band!
With the addition of percussionist Randall Coryell, Gwen playing bass, Caitlin on rhythm guitar and Suzie adding some hot lead guitar...they can flat out rock! But they don't rock all the time. Sometimes it's Sons of the Pioneersy old-time country like on "A Little Bit of Heaven" and sometimes there's a touch of jazz as on the title track of their new CD That's the State I'm In.
They came to play, and the small but very appreciative crowd came to listen. The night began with a little tuning up, and then Suzie kicked things off with the first track of the new CD. This song lists the things she might do "For Your Love" and it boils down to "anything I can think of..." Suzie's voice is a bluesy and potent instrument, Caitlin brings a clear Appalachian soprano, and Gwen provides the rich alto, but together they create something dreamlike, other-worldly. Harmony singing is one of my weaknesses, and I was completely smitten Saturday night!
The songs have inherent strength in their writing. These are well constructed, melodic tunes, and the lyrics are memorable too. Swick's "Anyone Can Dream" reminds us that "there's a statue that longs to be a national treasure...a sapling that looks high into the trees...a pebble that would die to lie in the Rockies...and anyone can dream." Caitlin's "When I'm Walking With You" is a song she wrote (with Gwen) about the joys of walking with a friend. They share writing duties, Suzie providing songs like "Sometimes I Think I Can Fly" (written with Dan Kershaw) and assisting with all the Marigolds on "Why Baby" or "For Your Love".
These are songs from the new CD, but as I listen to the carefully produced (by Steve Dawson) album, I think I liked the rawness of the live versions better. There was just something about the group interaction, and their obvious affection for each other, and the fire in Suzie's guitar solos, that when added to the bliss of the vocal blend created a separate entity of Marigold-mania, or something. Whatever you want to call it, we were transported to a land of harmony and melody. Aaah!
And of course, thanks to Gary and Barbara our hosts at the Pearl Company, which is quickly becoming my favourite venue anywhere!

The Pearl Company...

2009-09-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went to see Joe Clark and Randal Hill perform a mandolin extravaganza at The Pearl Company. Now the Pearl Co. is an old warehouse, at one time home to the Evel Casket Co., then the space was occupied by the Canadian Pearl Co. who made, as you might expect, pearls. Plastic pearls, remnants of which can be found ground into the wooden floor. Parking is at a premium in this neighbourhood, and although they have an arragnement with a local pharmacist, if you don't put the handy little note on your dashboard you might be in for an expensive surprise after the show.
Barbara Milne and her partner Gary Santucci are the hosts, and they live on the third floor in a beautiful open concept space, which they graciously showed off to us during the intermission.
A bunch of Hamilton musicians were there, all to see Joe Clark and Randal Hill play their mandolins. Although the crowd was small, Randal and Joe gave it their all. These guys are amazing. Fingers flew on the little fretboards, and yet it wasn't all flash. There was a wonderful musicality to it all, whether playing bluegrass classics from Bill Monroe, or Duke Ellington's "Caravan," or even the theme from "Never On Sunday" the melodies were strong, and the improvisations always led back to the main themes. Both Joe and Randal doubled on guitar, and sang. They sang those high, lonesome harmonies that mark bluegrass music. Clark grew up in the same area as The Stanley Brothers. His stories are peppered with tales of meeting Dr. Ralph, or Bill Monroe, John Hartford, and other legendary characters. Hill has stories about others, his career reaches back to the Humber River Valley Boys.
The Pearl Co. offers coffee, tea and some baked goods, and comfortable seating in an intimate room. The sound is warm, perfect for this acoustic music. There's an art gallery downstairs, with crafts and jewelry for sale. But the main event Friday night was the music...and it was extraordinary.

Me & the Devil Blues

2009-08-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Just picked up this giant manga 500 page graphic novel called Me & the Devil Blues. Now, since I wrote a novella with the same title, I was immediately drawn to the 1 1/4" brick on a high shelf in the back room of a local bookstore. I haven't read it yet, but it looks beautifully done. All black and white illustrations, plenty of representations of Robert Johnson and the denizens of 1920s Mississippi. Have a look for it. Only problem is reading from back to front, but for a southpaw it shouldn't be too big an issue!

Video

2009-08-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Apparently Blues Hamilton has posted a video of my tune from the Festival. Here it is. Go figure!

Festival of Friends

2009-08-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it! I sang at the Festival of Friends. I've attended many, many Festivals down in Gage Park, I even used to bring my guitar to play the open stage, or sit under a tree with some friends to sing "Mr. Tambourine Man" or "Catch the Wind." But this time I was actually part of the programme! Under the direction of Margaret Stowe, I took part in the Memories of Jackie Washington tribute.
I wasn't sure I wanted to do it. It was a bit stressful, imagining myself up on stage flanked by professional musicians who do this for a living, but I did it. Accompanied by my good friend Sylvia we arrived at the stage a few minutes early. There was some confusion about which stage we would be at, but when Marg Stowe arrived, and then Cathy Powell, we knew we had founf the right one. Marg set up guitars and mics, and the other performers started arriving. Hamilton poet James Strecker, who read from his biography of Jackie; local bluesman Alfie Smith; Toronto bluesman Brian Blain; songster Paul Langille and more all came to pay tribute to Jackie.
I brought along some lyrics of songs that Jack had recorded over the years, for volunteers to read. I set the bar by doing Bert Williams "Nobody". A couple of others took up the challenge. Some folk from the audience told stories of their experiences with Dr. Washington. The 'band' played on!
Cathy Powell told her story of the man who had been her friend for almost a lifetime. Then I was called back to sing Colin Linden's tune "Jackie Washington". After that it was a reading of "We'll Meet Again" and the tribute came to an end.
The day was humid, with only a slight breeze to cool us off. But the feeling was warm and mellow, and so filled with love that nobody cared about the weather.
A splendid time was had by all.

Rufus, Nathan, and Jackie

2009-08-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

I discovered that the date for Rufus Wainwright was the same as the date for Nathan's wedding. As Nathan's family has been good friends for many years I had to decline the Rufus show. Jeff was going to go with someone else. They were both looking forward to it, and I was curious to hear how it went. Nathan's wedding (okay, sure, it's Katelyn's wedding too...but she got all the attention at the event) ummm...Nate & Kate's wedding was a lovely occasion. I am pretty much "weddinged out" but this was a good one.
Came in Monday to ask Jeff how Rufus was, and he said, "We didn't go...one of the dogs got sick!" So, anyone who attended Rufus at the Winery, let us know.
This weekend is the annual Festival of Friends down at Gage Park. It's the biggest free festival in the known universe I think. I like to call it Festival of Frenzy just because it is a frenzy trying to find a place to park, or a seat for the mainstage acts. Last year it was Steve Earle and Alison Moorer...Canned Heat and John Sebastian played on the Sunday during heavy rain. We've had enough heavy rain in the past week or two so we should be clear...but HOT! I'm playing a tune at the Tribute to Jackie Washington session. Organized by Margaret Stowe, it promises to be an interesting 2 hours. I haven't played in a setting like this for...a LOOONNNGGG time.
I'm getting a bit nervous.
Wish me luck...or tell me to break a leg...or something!

The last month...

2009-07-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Jackie Washington passed away. A couple of weeks after the delightful celebration of his life and work at McMaster, he went into hospital and after a week of fighting it, finally slipped away. He was in his ninetieth year.
On Monday, July 6th his friends organized a Memorial Evening at the Jackie Washington Park. It was attended by a large crowd of friends and family, and featured performances by Ken Whiteley, Mose Scarlett, Tony Quarrington, Paul Langille, and others. Poems were read by Holmes Hooke and James Strecker, reminiscences shared by Bill Powell, it was hosted by Bob Bratina and all put together by Margaret Stowe. I've left out lots of names ofd folks who were instrumental in making this happen...but you know who you are! Thank you! Jackie...we miss you!
A couple of days after that, Rich and I travelled to Toronto to visit Susan (Java Mama) who we'd met at Hugh's Room. We had a well brewed coffee and a chocolate brownie and listened to more stories about Richie Havens. Thanks Susan!
Then vacation time. Away to Scotland with my wife and our friends Kevin & Fran. Two weeks touring around, from Glasgow to Skye, from Skye to Inverness, Inverness to Pitlochry, to Edinburgh (Rebus-land!) and then down to Catlowdy (actually in England). From there we attended the Elliot Clan Gathering, drove to Hadrian's Wall, and had sufficient single malt or lager and surprisingly wonderful Scottish grub until we drove back to Glasgow for our flight home! A splendid time was had by all.
I picked up the new Ray Davies CD, The Kinks Choral Collection which is perhaps the most interesting idea for a "hits" album I've ever heard. I wish Ray sang on more of the songs, but the Choir is excellent, and their interpretation of "You Really Got Me" needs to be heard to be believed! Found Ian Rankin's QuickRead A Cool Head which is unavailable on this side of the pond. As promised I finished it in a day but it is a fine little story, as was Some People Are Crazy: the John Martyn Story. I've never been able to get into Martyn, but I'm going to give him another try after reading this biography.
Arrived home to find a signed copy of Los Angeles Stories waiting for me. Paul Martin (another Rylander) picked it up for me in Barcelona! It's Ry Cooder's first book! Self-published and only available during the European Tour it turns out to be a well written collection of short stories all set in Los Angeles through the last few decades. Character development and a sense of place are excellent! Thanks Paul!
I have my tickets for Bruce Cockburn, and for Billy Bragg, both coming to the Studio Theatre at Hamilton Place, a week apart in November. Looking forward to that! Supposed to be seeing Rufus Wainwright this weekend. More as that develops!

Richie Havens

2009-06-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

I first saw Richie Havens on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. I loved him then. Open tuning, fretted with his thumb, cool. I tried it. My guitar didn't like being tuned to an open E, and my thumb hurt like crazy! Besides my voice isn't as rich as his...so it didn't sound the same anyway, and just how did he play minor chords? I bought a copy of his first album in NYC on a trip there with Lester Bilbo. Same trip where we saw Performance and discovered Ry Cooder.
Then Richie became a star with his featured role at Woodstock (the festival and the film). The next year he played at the Burlington Arena! Lester's mom drove us to the show, and Richie was right there, to talk to. We listened in on a conversation, got an autograph, and then watched the concert. I remember best a long rendition of "Rocky Raccoon" where he left the stage still playing, circum-navigated the arena and found his way back to the stage...well he was not so lively this week at Hugh's Room in Toronto. He's 68 now, and he's slowed down. When we spoke he seemed frail, and tired. His concert this night was only a little over an hour long, and featured at least one long, rambling narration about stickball, Superman, and "truth, justice and 'the American way[?]'" We could've done with another song instead of that. And yet, there we were in the presence of an icon. He still plays a big Guild guitar, tuned to open E, he still frets with his thumb, and goes through a pick in two songs! He is a rhythmic guitarist, doesn't need a drummer (although he used to travel with at least one percussionist). Now it's just Richie and Walter Parks (the lead guitarist) and a bunch of new songs Richie is writing about peace and love and goodness. Sure, he still does a couple of the favourites. "Here Comes the Sun" and "Freedom" but many others have been lost along the way. No "Just Like a Woman" this time, although everyone called for it. His guitar playing has got a bit sloppy, he missed the 5 chord once or twice, and he seemed to get lost with the lyrics of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" but everybody had a good time.
We met Susan, an old friend of Richie's, and she introduced us to him. He was gracious and charming and posed for a photo or two. Again...a wonderful night. And when I got home...the newly released 40th Anniversary edition of Woodstock was waiting for me.

Jackie Washington

2009-06-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night McMaster University celebrated the life and music of Jackie Washington. Months of preparation had gone into this evening, and it paid off because a spledid time was had by all.
Jackie received an honorary doctorate from "Mac", and has donated his archives to the University. Those archives include copies of all his albums, an old 45rpm vinyl record which features King Biscuit Boy on harp, the infamous Jackie Washington songbooks (which are essentially a storehouse of the popular music of the last century). Over 1200 songs, lyrics and guitar chords, all the songs Jack has sung over the last eight and a half decades. That's right...he's been performing since he was FIVE years old! His mother bought a guitar from Eatons for his brother to play so the boys would sound more like the Mills Brothers, but it was Jackie who took to the fretboard (he also plays piano) like a duck to water. Oh, and there's more...photos, posters, diaries (with some very interesting entries), and some delicate pen and ink drawings of trains. Jackie loves trains, he worked as a porter for Canadian Pacific back in the day.
The night began with a bit of a scare. Mose Scarlett and Ken Whiteley were tuning up, when a phone call came in. Jennie was driving Jack to the event and she was worried...the man of the hour was having trouble breathing. Should she drive him to Emergency? I ran downstairs to meet the car, and found a very wheezy Jack, and a pretty nervous Jannie. But Jack started breathing a bit better and agreed to go ahead with the night. By the time he got upstairs, and he was surrounded by well-wishers, he was beaming, and he just got better as the night went on.
Chief Librarian Jeff Trzeciak welcomed all the guests and introduced the event, President Peter George (who six years ago had presented Jackie with his Doctorate) spoke about Jack's achievements, and then yours truly Rylander Dave himself got to speak. I talked a bit about the importance of music and the active scene that has existed in Hamilton for as long as I could remember, and then introduced Ken and Mose for a set of good old fashioned toe-tappin' music. They played songs they've been playing with Jackie for the past 20 years, and finally invited the guest of honour to join them. Jack had said he wasn't going to sing, but he loves an auidience and couldn't resist. He sang along with a couple, and then did a risque recital of a Woody Herman tune and thanked everyone for such a great night. And it was a great night. Tom Wilson, Brent & Liam Titcomb, Eve Goldberg, Marg Stowe, Michelle Josef, Festival of Friends founder Bill Powell, members of the Friends of Jackie Washington Committee, McMaster's Provost, Donors, folkies, rockers, little kids, they all came to pay tribute to Jack.
Thanks to everyone who played a part in this event. Thanks especially to Anne (you know who you are) for all your hard work. Thanks Doctor Jackie! For the healing power of music...and love!

LeE HARVeY OSMoND

2009-05-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

So, Friday night we go to see Lee Harvey Osmond at the Casbah. Not the place where the Beatles were born but not unlike that little club. The tickets say the show begins at 9pm, so we arrive a bit early to get a good seat...however there are very few seats at all, and they've been claimed by others who arrived even earlier. We post ourselves next to...well...a post, so we can lean against it. We're not as young as we used to be, and both of us have back issues. The first band comes on just after 9pm. Tom Wilson and Brent Titcomb are here, we see them wandering around all night, but this is not Tom Wilson who takes the stage, it's a buxom young lass in a red dress with a couple of associates who perform one of the least professional acts I've seen in a long time. She holds a Seagull acoustic guitar and strums it from time to time, her partner on electric guitar seems content to show off his psychedelic jazz guitar licks throughout the song, playing things that are irrelevant but flashy. The bass player and drummer are...forgettable and suit the songs well. It's a long first set. I wish I drank more!
After she's done and her personal fan club has congratulated her Tom and Brent and a few other Osmonds appear. But the band that takes the stage is Rattlesnake Choir. It's now after 10pm. I know I'm going to be turning into a pumpkin. People around me are yawning. It's contagious. Rattlesnake Choir are a sort of weird country-Celtic band with a hot redheaded fiddler and a percussionist who plays the Slinky, and musical saw! Normally I would think this was cool, but I find myself sliding down the post which is the only thing holding me up. I'd like to see this band under different circumstances. I'm glad that my boss declined our invitation now!
Finally, some time after 11pm Lee Harvey Osmond comes on, Tom Wilson swears and comments that he's glad they arrived at 6 o'clock for a sound check, since the on-stage monitor isn't working. He speaks sharply to the soundman. Am I the only person who remembers that Rattlesnake Choir asked for that monitor to be turned off? By song 3 the monitor is turned back on.
At least the sound that we're hearing is better for LHO than for the openers. This is a great band. They play through the new CD, and add some Wilson solo material, a song by Brent Titcomb, one or two from the guys from Huron and just in general rock the joint. The day is done, I am sinking even lower against this post. We go home and miss the end of the night.
Never one for the bar scene, I am still embarassed to admit that I left before the end of the show. I'd go see them again though, any time...hopefully with an earlier start!

Tom Wilson Live

2009-04-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we went out to dinner at LaLuna for tabbouleh and shawarmas, a glass of beer and some fine conversation. Then over to the Downtown Arts Centre for the latest Freewheelin' Folk Concert! Jim Marino hosts a local radio show (on CFMU 99.3) and he (with a couple of friends) have organized a series of live shows. This one was a sell out. Tom Wilson, from Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, and Junkhouse, and the Florida Razors, and his newest project LeE HARVeY OsMOND was the headliner in a rare (these days) solo appearance. And everybody from the arts community in Hamilton seemed to be there.
The show opened with Lori Yates singing from her new release The Book of Minerva. Backed by local guitarist Brian Griffith (who could've used one more run through of the songs, in my opinion) Lori put on a dandy show. She chatted with friends in the audience, and it was just a relaxed and comfortable set of new country tunes somewhat reminiscent of Emmylou Harris.
After a 20 minute break Jim Merino introduced Tom Wilson who came out to make an announcement...he introduced his son's band who played a rootsy mini-set.
Then it was time for the main event.
Tom Wilson dressed in a thousand dollar suit holding an acoustic guitar which was plugged into an amp he decorated himself, played his unique brand of folk music. He calls it acid folk...think loud...very loud...and very good.
He misses the stunning lead flourishes of Colin Linden, and the harmonies of Stephen Fearing, but Wilson sure holds your attention. He owns the stage. No doubt about it, he's in charge. His full baritone is a delight after years of wheezy tenors. His rocking tunes filled with observations of this...our hometown...are welcome. Local boy makes good!
A great show!
And...home by 11:30!

Steve Strongman CD release...

2009-03-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we attended the release party for Steve Strongman's new album, Blues In Colour and it was a great night. If you've been reading my exploits here, you know that my wife is a big fan of Steve Strongman, so we've seen him live about four times in the last 12 months. And the Studio Theatre at Hamilton Place is the way to go! It's an intimate venue, if you buy your tickets early you get a table in the middle of the room, a place to keep your beverage, and a small lamp so you can read the upcoming events brochure. We were at table 9, on the stage right side of the room, second row of stations. Close with a great sightline. The couple we shared the space with were not chatters, so we didn't find out much about them. It was clear that they were fans though...and they enjoyed Coors Lite!
The show started with Harrison Kennedy, playing the country blues on an old Stella. Very authentic, although Harrison still needs a bit of work on his guitar playing, but compared to what he was doing a couple years ago he's coming along. His voice is powerful and pure, just like when he sang "Give Me Just a Little More Time" with the Chairmen of the Board. He closed with that one...acapella! Nice touch. He has a new CD coming along very soon.
Then a ten or fifteen minute break, for everyone to pick up a couple more brews, or to check out the merch counter and it was the Steve Strongman Band. Just a trio, they make enough noise although I do miss Jesse O'Brien tickling the ivories! This time the trio was Alec Fraser on bass, and Dave King on drums. Oh, and of course, Steve Strongman on lead guitar and vocals. Dave King produced this latest album and if the live versions of the songs are any indication, this album is a keeper.
Steve usually puts on a great show, and this weekend he didn't disappoint. Of course, when everybody in the audience is either family or friend it's not hard to feel comfortable.
The crowd sure loved him. And he loved 'em back. Although...asking after every song "Is everybody having a good time?" did get a little tired after a while...I would've thought it was obvious...everybody was having a great time. Especially those girls at the back!
I am not going to spend a lot of time describing the show, just to say whether on electric or acoustic, or harmonica, Steve Strongman is a bluesman to be reckoned with. Grab yourself a copy of Blues in Colour or Honey slip it into the car CD player, and crank the volume up. Roll down the windows. Get out on the open road. And have a ball! Oh! And if Steve and band come anywhere close...make sure you're there!

SETH (the cartoonist)

2009-03-02T09:39:00.001-08:00

Friday night I went to the Dundas Town Hall (now unused since we've been amalgamated with Hamilton) to witness a conversation with SETH. Seth is the artist and writer responsible for such classic examples of comic book art as Wimbledon Green, It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken and Clyde Fans Book 1. Oh, and Palookaville, his self published irregular comic wherein these books had their beginnings. He was appearing in Dundas, in this glorious old building, to speak about a project of his. In the basement of his home in Guelph, he's been building a city. If you've read any of the books you'll know the City of Dominion. It's a sort of typical Ontario city, of a certain age and size. Seth sees it as having grown to about 300,000 population, but he knows the history from its origin since...he created it. He created the businesses, and schools, the shops and factories, even the water tower. And he made them out of corrugated cardboard, house paint and ink. Lots of glue and a huge amount of imagination!
Seth is an odd fellow, he dresses as if he's an insurance salesman in the mid-1950s, right down to the fedora. But then in his jacket pocket he carries a handful of pencils. His hair is slicked back, and he sits bolt upright in his chair. When he speaks it is with a quiet yet assured voice. He knows why he does the things he does. He traces his own position in the history of cartooning, linking back to Thoreau MacDonald, Windsor McKay, the Katzenjammer Kids, right through to Chris Ware and Art Spiegelman.
This evening he is interviewed by Andrew Hunter whose interview style is a bit reminiscent of Brian Linehan. Okay you did the research, but we really want to hear Seth speak...not you!
He describes the development of the city of Dominion, which he has built, and it seems to exist comfortably next to a project of my own. Well, my wife's really. Together we are walking the streets of the city of Hamilton, until we cover each one. We don't expect to finish this year, or next. We park the car somewhere and then spend an hour zigzagging back and forth through a block of the city. When we're not walking my wife researches the area, and as we walk she tells me of the history...when this building went up, what used to occupy that empty space, and so on. Seth knows all these details of Dominion. He has them written down in his notebooks. He knows when this building was built, by whom, how the Toboggan Factory fared, everything a civic historian would know.
The cardboards buildings are also on display at the Dundas Museum, and it's a fascinating collection. From the portrait of the first mayor on the wall (flanked by the Ontario ensign and Union Jack) to the carefully constructed models laid out throughout the room, in grids, it's like a big boy's train set.
I'll post a photo or two to give you the sense of the scale of the project. Or you can look at and search for Dominion Dundas to download a little booklet with pictures of some of the buildings.
Capped off with a viewing of Milk with its powerhouse performance by Sean Penn...and no e-mails (I made a pact) this was an altogether enjoyable weekend!

Remember Muddy!

2009-02-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Last night I was driving to a practice, guitar in the back seat, thinking how tired I was and how I hoped this practice wouldn't go on too long, when I decided I'd had enough of the radio so I pushed the CD button to see what my wife had been listening to. She drives the car most of the time, so the music is her choice, mainly blues. There was the new Buddy Guy, Honey by Steve Strongman, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and then...the one that I listened to...Jimmy Rogers. Not the Singing Brakeman he spelled his name Jimmie Rodgers. This guy was from Muddy Waters band, he played rhythm guitar alongside Little Walter (harp) and Otis Spann (piano) to make one of the most potent blues lineups ever. Second only, and arguably, to Howlin' Wolf with Hubert Sumlin. This band was responsible for classic blues like "Blow Wind, Blow," "Hoochie Coochie Man," and "I'm Ready."
Jimmy passed away just before Christmas in 1997, but before he died he finished recording a dandy album with guests Keith & Mick, Jeff Healey, Stephen Stills, Eric Clapton and while it didn't come out til 1999 it's a total classic. Blues Blues Blues is the name, and on it he does some of Muddy's big songs. Look for it, it's dynamite!
Anyway, it made me think of the night I saw Muddy himself at Hamilton Place and was able to snap a couple of pictures which I'll try to post. We had great seats about ten rows back. John Hammond opened the show with a brief set on Robert Johnson songs and then Muddy's band blew the roof off the place. Within a couple of years he would be gone, but that night...he owned the place. I'm just glad I was able to see some of these originators before they passed away. I saw Count Basie, Elizabeth Cotton, Doc Watson, and others live and in person! And there's nothing like live music...whatever they tell you. I found this 35mm slide in a box of slides I had almost forgotten about, along with some family pix, and Ed scanned a few of them for me (Thanks Ed!) so I thought I'd share this one here on Rylander! Enjoy!

Bluegrass in the city...

2009-01-20T06:12:00.000-08:00

The sky was clear, a quarter moon shining on the snow below. The stars of Orion glistened from above. The air was beyond crisp, it froze your breath as soon as you exhaled. The Grant Avenue Studio is in the centre of town, on a quiet residential street. The street is narrow, and residents use any available parking spot. I ended up in a grocery store lot two blocks away, which explains my familiarity with the weather. I wasn't sure what to expect. This was the recording studio that Daniel Lanois started. U2, Eno, Yoko Ono, John Cage, Raffi, Gordon Lightfoot had all recorded here. But tonight it was home to an intimate bluegrass concert. Only fifteen guests on a cold dark night.

Inside the door the hostess greeted us with a kiss and checked our names on the guestlist. We were a bit early and toured the facility. The performers were sequestered in a room upstairs that houses the studio's vast instrument collection. You could hear them pickin'. The walls were lined with framed CDs, even LPs, and posters from the artists who had recorded in these rooms. There was a sense that something extraordinary was about to take place. And sure enough it did.

There were a few stools and chairs, a piano bench or two, set out for guests to sit on, and one microphone standing in the middle of the room. A music stand held two pages marked in an almost indecipherable script "set 1" and "set 2". The songs were listed, and if you tried really hard you could recognize a title or two. Joe Clark's mandolin case was over in the corner. I recognized it, having seen it before. It is covered with stickers from a career's worth of bluegrass festivals, and tours. Don Rigsby's instrument was perched in its case on top of the grand piano. And on the floor in its case was Joe's poor old guitar, victim of a house fire, sound hole enlarged by a a Dremel tool. Instruments look so lonely sitting unused. But when Don and Joe entered the room, and picked up the guitar and mandolin, and started to play, the instruments sprang to life.

What a concert! Two 50 minute sets which wandered through the whole history of bluegrass. Joe and Don traded lead vocals, they harmonized with that high lonesome sound that identifies bluegrass. Then they traded solos. Don on mandolin, then Joe on guitar, maybe Don would take two verses, or Joe would, but somehow, magically they ended together with a flourish. Whether singing new songs steeped in the tradition, or paying tribute to the Stanley Brothers, or Tex Ritter, or Clarence White, or the master of them all Bill Monroe, they played beautifully. Fingers flying over the fretboards, their mouths moving, feet tapping, and the audience gasping at the precision of it all.

They traded instruments, Don played guitar and Joe mandolin; then Don played fiddle while Joe brought out the banjo. They brought tears to the eyes of a couple of the ladies with a gorgeous version of "Kentucky Waltz". They brought laughs when they had to start "Cannonball Blues" three times, once when Joe broke a string, then again when Don missed a chord. "Missin' a note is one thang, but missin' a whole chord..." "Well...it happens to the best of us!"

Intimate. Cozy. It was like listening to live music in somebody's living room. And the sound was fantastic. They're playing a couple of house concerts, a club gig and a theatre show on the weekend. But none of them will be as special as this night. Recorded for posterity, and a radio show, I can't wait to hear it again. These fellas are masters of their craft. I feel honoured to have been there!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-06T05:57:00.001-08:00

It's 2009! Can you imagine? I just reviewed a book about CSN called (of all things) Crosby, Stills & Nash: the 40th Anniversary Edition and for me that was a rude awakening. FORTY years of CSN! I bought the first CSN album on the same day as Poco's Pickin' Up the Pieces because I was a big Buffalo Springfield fan and here was Stills on one hand, and Richie Furay on the other. In fact, while I admired the harmonies of CSN I liked the sound of Poco better. Sure "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" was one of the best songs ever, but I played the bejeebers outa that Poco album.
But here it is 2009. I'll be 58 this year! I can hardly believe it! When my grandmother told me she was fifty, I cried! I thought she was not long for this world, and now I'm on from that! Still listening to good music though, still rockin' & rollin' in my way!
The next big thing coming is the new Bruce Springsteen CD due at the end of the month. If it's as good as Magic I'll be thrilled. I went off the Boss for a while, but lately he seems to have got back to where I like him.
I finished the John Lennon bio by Philip Norman, and apart from a couple of small points of interpretation (where I disagreed with Norman's take on something) I found it to be a well balanced look at Lennon's life and work. Started to read Mick Wall's bio of Led Zeppelin which is quite interesting. His comments about Jeff Beck are starting to raise my hackles...but it just makes reading fun!

Christmas...

2008-12-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

Ho! Ho! Ho! Well, another Christmas has come and gone, with lots of music and books left in its wake. Just before the big day I picked up copies of the deluxe Electric Ladyland CD + DVD and Brad Paisley's Play both of which tell you plenty about the Fender guitar! Wow! Can those guys play! My brother sent me Steve Winwood's new disc which is his best album in a long time. I heard some recordings of his New York show with Eric Clapton, and have to say that they haven't lost their touch!
Reading the Philip Norman biography of John Lennon I've found quite a few new details to the story that has been told over and over again. Add to that Pete Best's memories (captured on the Best of the Beatles DVD and it makes another Beatles' Christmas, just like when I was a youngster!
Revolutions in Sound is a celebration of 50 years of music at Warner Brothers-Seven Arts Records, and it's a beauty. Large scale, colour pictures, and reminiscences from all the usual (and unusual) suspects it tells the history of how the label went from Frank Sinatra and soundtracks to Neil Young, Alice Cooper and Frank Zappa! Fascinating.
My brother Steve and his girlfriend gave me a gift card which I spent on a couple of DVDs. Pete Seeger Power in Song which is a great way to spend 2 hours, interviews with Arlo, Dylan, Baez, the Boss and more all celebrating nearly 90 years of Seeger's career. Lots of concert footage and bonus homemade films from Pete and Toshi make this a fine piece!
The other DVD is Orson Welles's Touch of Evil, a film from the beginning of Charlton Heston's career and the end of Marlene Dietrich's! Spooky, creepy, film noir...not to be missed!
Went to see The Spirit last night, and while Frank Miller really turned Will Eisner's Spirit into Frank Miller's Spirit...he did manage to pay tribute to the humour and style of Eisner's classic creation. Sure it looks a lot like Sin City but that was one of the most stylish films I had seen in a long time...so is The Spirit!
Well...Happy New Year everyone...see you in 2009!

Pattie Boyd

2008-12-16T05:52:00.000-08:00

Went to see the Pattie Boyd photography exhibition last Friday. That's right! It's HER photographs. Now I'll bet you didn't know that she had studied with photographers like David Bailey! It's true! And her pictures are a delight. Not just the polaroids of Eric and George and Ronnie and Keith and all the others...but the new photos of Africa are stunning! I understand the show is moving across the country to Calgary, then Vancouver and back to Montreal. Curator Peter Miniaci held court with Rich and I for a good half hour sharing stories and laughs. Don't miss Through the eyes of a muse if it comes to a gallery near you! And...this shot of George is one of my faves!

now what?

2008-12-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

I've bought a few new CDs this past week and a half, and although I haven't really settled in with them, I do have an opinion. What a shock!
The Blackie & the Rodeo Kings best of collection (Swinging From the Chains of Love) is still getting lots of play. Nickel Creek's best of (Reasons Why) is a knock out! A beautiful sounding, wonderfully played selection of material. And it has a DVD of videos too. A signed copy of the David Byrne & Brian Eno album arrived from Newbury Comics. OK it's only signed by Byrne, but the album is excellent, and considerably "poppier" than I expected. A neat package, I might add!
Speaking of neat packages...The Fireman's electric arguments is the best of their three albums, and will actually get played again. The Fireman is Youth and Paul McCartney, and their previous 2 ambient dance thingys did nothing for me. But this one, is Macca's most interesting work in a long time. He should take chances like this more often! JD Souther's first album in 20-something years is a new direction. No more Eaglesish country rock, JD gives us melodic tunes, great singing but in a jazzier context. Kudos to the horn players on here!
And then there's Neil Young's latest archive project, as we get ready for the mega-release next year, Sugar Mountain. It's a CD+DVD set of a very early club date after Neil left Buffalo Springfield. All acoustic, just Neil and his Martin. He sounds impossibly young. His stories are innocent, even naive. A fascinating document. I haven't watched the DVD yet, because it won't play on my computer. Not sure what the issue is...but tonight I'll try it in the DVD player.
Lots of books to read. I have to finish The Grapes of Wrath, then the new John Lennon bio, Ian Thomas's new novel The Lost Chord and then Mick Wall's biography of Led Zeppelin When Giants Walked the Earth. I'm glad Christmas is coming, I'll have some time to read!
Last night I read the cover story on Britney Spears in the new Rolling Stone...ahhh, poor baby!

just grumpy, I guess...

2008-11-27T06:08:00.000-08:00

Well, obviously the answer to yesterday's question is...the Neil Young has been pushed back a week, and the Fireman just didn't get ordered. No big conspiracy...just an annoyance for CD shoppers that's all.
The new Best of disc from Blackie and the Rodeo Kings arrived last night in the mail. It's an advance review copy so...no art. And I love those great album covers A Man Called Wrycraft does for B&RK! This time it's an adaptation of the poster that hangs in my office. The lettering has been changed to reflect the songs chosen to populate this "greatest hits" collection. It's called Swinging From the Chains of Love and it really does feature some of my favourite B&RK tunes. From the early Willie P. Bennett songs to the newer self written tunes this disc has it all. Including an unreleased track with Richard Bell "Caves of Jericho" and the obscure B&RK tribute to Johnny Cash "Folsom Prison Blues".
Also listening to Jeff Beck's performing this week which just reiterates why I love Jeff Beck...the most amazing melodic guitarist.
Trying to complete a collection of Ry Cooder session tracks I dug up some stuff from soundtracks My Blueberry Nights, tribute CDs, Our New Orleans and Enjoy Every Sandwich, albums by Hello Stranger, Robert Francis, James Taylor, Steve Vai, Ersi Arvizu, and Aaron Neville and the African musicians Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate disc on which Ry plays Kawai piano and Ripley guitar! Hmm.

HEY! Where's that new Neil Young release?

2008-11-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

So after supper last night, I washed the dishes and then drove out to Best Buy to pick up the new Neil Young CD Sugar Mountain. There was something else I wanted too. The Fireman Electric Arguments by Paul McCartney and Youth. When I got there, and it's a good half hour away, no Neil Young, no Fireman, just G&R Chinese Democracy and the new Kanye West. They showed up on the website browse I did earlier in the day. The sale prices looked good, better than any place else. But the discs were simply not there! How many times has this happened to you?
I received a couple of invitations by e-mail from Macca to buy his new CD which would be released on November 25th. And yet, they didn't manage to get 'em into the stores. Neil? Well, we've been waiting for the major Archives project for years...so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The material is old though...real old. Shouldn't be a big problem getting that done. One thing though...Did you realize Neil was filming his shows WAY back in the day? What a planner!
I hope that this stuff will show up soon, I'm leaving time in my schedule to listen. I have space on my iPod too!
Still trying to get a copy of the new JD Souther. They didn't have much faith in it I guess, maybe it was a name recognition issue..."who'll remember him?" Until then I'm listening to Border Town his best of collection. I scooped it as a torrent. No stores carried it. Hey! Record companies! Get your stuff in the stores and people will buy it! There's still lots of folks like me, who want to hold something tangible as they listen to new music.

Yank Rachell...

2008-11-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

"Yank" Rachell came from Brownsville, Tennessee. He was born in 1910, and legend has it that he was eight years old when he was out with the pigs, and met a man who had a mandolin. He came home one pig short, and carrying a mandolin! He was perhaps best known as the accompanist to Sleepy John Estes. I know that's where I first heard of him, from an early Ry Cooder record. Cooder talked about Estes and Rachell in interviews, and Ry also played a mean blues mandolin, so it gave us northerners a broader context for the blues than the British bands at the time were giving us. There was more to the blues than just Chicago blues recycled through England. There was real, original blues music being created by real, original blues musicians. I recall buying a Skip James LP, some Mississippi John Hurt and some Bukka White all on vinyl for the ridiculously low price of 39 cents! I still have those albums, and lots more.
Yesterday a CD came in the mail from Yanksville Records. It's called A Tribute to the Legendary Blues Mandolin Man James "Yank" Rachell, 1910-1997. That's quite a mouthful, but it's pretty much exactly what you get. Twenty-one tracks by artists like John Sebastian, Mike Seeger, David Grisman, Stanley Smith, Peter Rowan, Rich Del Grosso, and others who donated their time and effort to this project. And it's a goodun!
Mainly blues, as you might expect, and mainly focused on the mandolin, as you might also expect. But it's not some show-offy tribute disc like the standard thing we've seen lately. This is authentic music played honestly in tribute to a master. Production was overseen by Mike Butler with Al Smith, and engineered by Steve Creech
(with Brian Hanson and Shae Saylors). It sounds brilliant!
Yank's grand-daughter Sheena turns in a bravura performance on "Lake Michigan Blues" backed by Mike Butler on mandolin, Jim Lynch on slide guitar, Craig Smith on drums, Al Stone on bass and Guy Vreeman on Hammond B-3. But it's hard tob single out any one performance, they're all good. Karen Irwin's "My Mind Got Bad", Jim Richter et al, on "Brownsville Blues", Sebastian and Grisman doing "Tappin' That Thing"...I love it!
The monies raised will help out the Rachell family...so buy your own copy! It's well worth it! The website is here.

another day, another disc...

2008-11-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Spent a couple of days on business in Toronto last week, and I had a bit of time to do some CD shopping. Still wasn't able to locate the new JD Souther album but I did get the LIVE EP from Mudcrutch, which comes in a double wallet cardboard sleeve just like vinyl records used to! Only four songs but good stuff. I found the new Charlie Haden disc called Rambling Boy which finds the jazz bassist paying tribute to the music of his youth...bluegrass! With special guests Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill, Pat Metheny, Ricky Skaggs, Dan Tyminski, Bruce Hornsby, most of the extended Haden family, and some Nashville session guys, it's a dandy album. Beautifully recorded and played. And the songs are like a history lesson only taught by one of those really interesting teachers who loves his subject! I recommend it!
Another jazz player was on my shopping list...McCoy Tyner...who calls his new album Guitars. What? Isn't he a piano player? Indeed, but this is an album of duets with guitarists, Marc Ribot, John Scofield, Bill Frisell and Derek Trucks...and Bela Fleck on banjo! It's the surprise album of the month. And it's extraordinary. Tyner is a monster, and so are his guests!
That's about it for this edition. I'm looking forward to the new anthology from Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, the new Richie Havens (bought on eBay) and the tin box DVDs of Dr. Syn with Patrick McGoohan! Maybe it'll be under the Christmas tree for me. Can I wait that long? Hmmm.

some thoughts after reading an editorial in Performing Songwriter...

2008-11-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

In the November issue of Performing Songwriter magazine, the one with Hall & Oates on the cover, there's a note from the editor about the loss of her iPod, and her reaction to that event. She didn't really care. It was unfortunate, she says, and she certainly wasn't happy about the loss of the value of the iPod...but she goes on to talk about how music has been changed by the invention of these ubiquitous items. She talks about how new albums, remember those, would come out and you'd rush top the store to buy this big slab of vinyl packaged in a 12" square of cardboard...inside there'd be pictures, lyrics and liner notes in a font that you could actually read and maybe more. Then all your friends would come over because they'd heard you had the new Beatles' album, or Stones album, or (I think she talks about Carole King and Heart) whoever...and you'd sit in the basement, or the living room, or maybe even your bedroom and crank the volume up, listen to the WHOLE album front to back...BOTH sides! That was an experience! A shared experience that made the music into a tangible thing. I recall buying, not an album but, a 45! A single...remember those. The first single released on the Beatles' new label, Apple. The green apple on one side held the words, "Hey Jude" and the sliced apple on the other side (the B-side) said "Revolution". We were on shifts at our high school, and I didn't have to go in until the afternoon. So in the morning, at 9:30 when the store opened, I rushed over to Hal Wagonner's Melody Lane (an independent record store) and bought the 45, hot off the press. I came home with a couple hours to spare and called two friends. "Don't play it til we get there!" they begged. The suspense was killing me. The 7" black vinyl disc was elegantly packaged in a black glossy sleeve with script that said "Apple Records". I flipped it back and forth to admire the label, Apple, half an Apple...so clever, so simple. Finally they arrived, these friends, and we hunkered down to experience the new Beatles' record. Over seven minutes long...we played it over an over, then we flipped it over and played "Revolution" over and over, just soaking in the music. Of course we had seen the short films they had made for the David Frost Show...so we knew what to expect, but the music just flowed over us and through us, until my Mom called down the stairs, "You boys'd better get a move on!"
That's the kind of experience that you don't get any more. You root around the iTunes site, and download a song for a buck. Then you plunk it on your iPod and you go about your business. When it comes up in the roatation you're just about to climb on a bus. The driver says, "Step to the back please!" There's no focus on the song, there's no shared response, there's no fun. OK, maybe there's no scratchiness from the flawed vinyl, but there's no elegant sleeve either. No foldout lyric sheet. When I load music onto my iPod it's usually from CDs I already have, that I want to spend more time with. I want to listen to them alone...so there's definitely a place for the handy-dandy listening device...but if you've never rushed to the local independent to pick up the latest release from a much loved singer, or band you just can't know hopw much of the listening experience you're missing!

JD Souther...

2008-11-17T06:10:00.000-08:00

Last night at Hugh's Room in Toronto, the semi-legendary JD Souther appeared. He looks older, still ruggedly handsome, the beginnings of a beard on his chin. His voice still rings out high and clear on songs like "Faithless Love", "The Best of My Love", "Silver Blue", "White Rhythm and Blues" and a selection of new tunes form his just released album If the World Was You. He carries three guitars, all Gibsons (L-1s?), two sunburst and one blonde. The blonde is in G-tuning and is used for only the couple of songs. The middle guitar, is standard tuning, used for virtually everything else. There seems to be a problem with the installed pickup and it gives off this buzz, that drives JD crazy. I couldn't really identify any electronic buzz, because the buzzes from JD's rather clumsy fingering was much more noticeable. Of course, he did make a comment about "someone of [his] skill level" so I guess he's well aware of his limitations. It just came as a bit of a surprise to me. But then, if you've always had the best musicians in LA playing on your records...so what!
It's his songs and his voice we came to hear anyway, not his prowess on the six-string. The songs are still classic and the voice is still clear and high, a beautiful thing really.
He's not a big man, but he takes the stage with confidence and personality. He was more personable than I'd expected him to be. Funny, charming, a bit sarcastic, but I agreed with him, "Why sit so close to the stage if you're going to talk?" he inquired of a couple. (Our table was next to the stage too, so I worked very hard not making comments.)
He played through his whole archive. Songs made famous by Linda Ronstadt, or the Eagles, were done JD style. Sloppy guitar intro, then fingerpicked or strummed accompaniment to his Orbisonesque tenor. The guitars sounded dandy loud and clean. Oh, the 3rd one? It was used for one song only late in the show.
The new songs blended seemlessly with the classics, so I went back to the merch table to pick up a copy of If the World Was You and they were all gone. Sold Out! Even the vinyl, which JD said would make vinyl lovers "go ape-@#$%". He had to borrow someone's copy of the 2 disc vinyl in the middle of the show, so he could read the words to one of the new songs. He could only remember the third verse! He laid the lyric sheet on top of the piano, pulled his readers from the inside pocket of his jacket, and proceeded to play the tune. Relaxed and fun. Who would have thought JD Souther would be fun? Check him out at JD Souther.net.
Oh, a young New Jersey girl opened the show. April Smith, who had plenty of merch, played a Taylor guitar that was bigger than she was...she has a powerful voice and writes intelligent and witty songs, but she doesn't make full use of the tone contained within that big musical box! Listen to a song here

James Hill...

2008-11-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

Went to see James Hill last night. He plays the ukulele. He's Canadian from B.C., but he now lives in Nova Scotia. That's almost as far away from B.C. as you can get (except for Newfoundland, but then you might bump in to Lester Bilbo)! James Hill. Remember that name. When people talk about certain musicians...like...Les Paul...you just know what instrument he plays. Don't you? Or Bela Fleck. Or David Grisman. Or Jimi Hendrix. Say the name and you've identified the Gibson guitar, the banjo, the mandolin, the Stratocaster. Well, James Hill is in that category. He and a small handful of others (like Jake Shimabukuro) virtually define the ukulele.
The ukulele (pronounced oo-koo-lay-lay) was brought to Hawaii by Portuguese cowboys. The Hawaiians thought that to sound it made was like dancing fleas, so they called it uku (flea) + lele (jumping) and they started laying it like crazy. The best ukes in the world are still made in Hawaii. And some of the best players still come from there (like Jake Shimabukuro) but not all! Nosirree! James Hill is one of the best, and he proved it last night at the Legion in Waterdown!
As I pulled into the parking lot, I thought, "Wow, there's a lot of people here." I had to park all the way 'round the back. There were generations of people from 8 to 80, and beyond. My ticket number was 290, and from the looks of things...there were maybe 100 more! The crowd was filled with anticipation. Most of them were uke players and students. Most of them carried their uke with them. About a hundred kids sat on the floor around the stage. We sat in the very back row. They were the only seats left!
James came on as promised at 7:00. He's tall, lanky, with long dark hair, and a beard which accents his fine features. He stepped over the kids, took the stage and took control of the audience by playing "Skipping Stone", an original piece which simulates the joys of skipping stones on the lake. This was followed by Antonio Carlos Jobim's "One Note Samba" which Hill has turned into a showcase of all the sounds a uke can make, melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, percussive. He did it all. Look for that one on YouTube! It's amazing.
There was never a dull moment. Whether telling stories about the history of the uke, or his life delivering pianos on the East Coast, he was charming and entertaining. And the music was stunning. Relaxing, exciting, melodic, dischordant, even awe inspiring at times. And by 8:20 it was all over. An hour and a quarter, but the best $15 I've spent in a long time.
After the show I talked to James for a minute or two, I've been reviewing this guy's musical output since he was the star pupil of the Langley School...but we'd never met until last night. He was as warm and charming face to face as he was on-stage.
James Hill...don't forget that name.
Oh, afterwards we retired to the bar downstairs for a pint or two, and lo and behold...a guitar circle. The Skyway Bluegrass Club was holding its weekly guitar pull. We stayed for the whole repertoire. Another southpaw actually loaned me his Morgan guitar for one tune. Thanks mate! James Hill and his coterie arrived just in time for the last couple of songs and a couple of ukes joined the guitar/banjo/mandolin/standup bass mix. All in all, a splendid time was had by all.

Used music?

2008-11-12T06:53:00.000-08:00

Isn't music meant to be used? Of course it is. That's what we put it out there for. First the creator uses it, all the notes and chords and beats and everything that makes up music in the first place. Then the producer uses that raw material to shape it into his vision of what the performer meant. And if you don't think that's true...read an interview with a producer some time...any producer. Sure they try to be sensitive to the performer and present her in an honest and sympathetic way...but too many times will you read about major artists having songs changed by their producers. It's probably a good thing. Well, back to the argument at hand...then the record company uses the music, as a sales tool. Everybody wants to sell their music...that's why they make it. OK, people without record deals, who only play in their basdement, maybe they don't want to sell it...but they wish they could! Then the listener, or consumer comes along and "consumes" the music. They buy the CD, or mp3s or they might even steal them from bit-torrent sites, they learn how to get FLAC files to play, you know the drill. They use songs to dance to, to sing along with, they use them for exercise, for special celebrations like weddings and birthdays. Music is used to create moods in movies and on TV. Even reality TV has music. Alfred Hitchcock asked Bernard Hermann (who was scoring Hitch's film Lifeboat) "Where does the music come from in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?" And Hermann replied, "Same place the camera does!" Hitch allowed the music!
Doctors use music in surgery, kids use music as they play, we use music at funerals.
Music is meant to be used...so...buying used music...only makes sense right?
After all...somebody paid for the album once, so the license was paid.
I just traded a bunch of CDs that I wasn't listening to anymore for a bunch of CDs that I'm going to listen to for a while. Things I had missed, or ignored in order to buy the things I was now tired of...things I had 'used up'!
When Neil Young first released On the Beach in 1974 I bought it on the day it came out. Rushed home, put it on the stereo. Thought that the packaging was a bit odd (little did I know what Neil's packaging would look like in the future) and then the music...Yikes! I couldn't stand it, it seemed so raw, unfinished, sloppy. I had followed his career with interest from Buffalo Springfield on. I even knew about the Mynah Birds! I saw them in the audience at the Merv Griffin Show one night. But this? After the classic albums Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Goldrush, Harvest this was too much to take. I felt like I was being used. Tonight's the Night restored my faith but then came a long stretch of duds as far as I was concerned. Zuma, Long May You Run, American Stars & Bars, I just lost interest. It wasn't 'til the last couple of years that I really got back into Neil's music. The Archive material has covered my favourite years...so that's been great. And suddenly I found myself starting to appreciate these lost years. The raw guitar solos, the "sound". So when I chose On the Beach as one of my trades...it was a calculated gamble. Wow! It's got some great stuff on it. How did I miss it? I don't know. Maybe I was using other music, and didn't have time for Neil. But now he fits in to my framework again. A great lost album. Don't tell me I have to find a copy of American Stars & Bars now! Not Trans though...please!
Also found a couple of Daniel Lanois discs, shine and here is what is just to complete the collection and the deluxe 2 disc set of U2's Boy. This was the first U2 album, and I loved it from the moment I first heard "I Will Follow" being played in a record store in 1980! The Joe Strummer DVD The Future Is Unwritten was also there...and what a film it is! Don't miss it!

Warren Zevon's first album (reissued)

2008-11-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know, it's not his first album. But it's really the first one that counts. I have a copy of the real first album on vinyl, that I bought in a department store for 99 cents! But this one is his first album on Asylum Records. Produced by Jackson Browne and featuring some of LA's elite as backup singers, and musicians. It introduced Zevon's peculiar brand of songwriting to the world in a big way. And even more than 30 years later it sounds bright and different than all the other country-rock stuff that was pouring out of LA in those days.
Rhino has put together a 2-disc deluxe set, with the original album on the first disc, and a second disc of demos and alternate takes that serve to flesh out the original album and show us just how fully formed these songs were when Warren and Jackson went into the studio. The demos include "Frank and Jesse James" which was even more fascinating since I had just watched Brad Pitt in the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford in the past week. Other demos? "The French Inhaler", "Hasten Down the Wind" (in a full band version), "Carmelita", and others. Some solo piano, others with backup (alternate takes) and even a live version of "Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded" from a radio show.
The historical value of these tracks overtakes the limited audio quality of some of the early demos. The warmth of Zevon's voice, the comfortable piano work, gives a hint of the man behind the myth.
Have you read I'll Sleep When I'm Dead? An amazing biography by Warren's ex-wife, it left me wondering what people saw in this virtually irredeemable drunken bully. But there's always real humanity in the lyrics and melodies. He didn't write songs like all those other Rodeo Drive cowboys. There are no werewolves or mercenaries on this album...but the citizens of Zevon's world are us, and our neighbors. "He agrees, he thinks she needs to be free, then she says she'd rather be free..." life is confusing and Zevon captures all that confusion, and gives the listener a sense that...there's somebody out there who understands.
Read the book about Warren's parents, and then listen to "Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded". You'll see what I'm talking about.
The demos were beautifully translated by Jackson Browne's sensitive production to create what has to be one of the 70's classic albums. Phil Everly, a couple of Eagles, some Fleetwood Mac, a Beach Boy and Bonnie Raitt join some of LA's choice session guys (David Lindley, Bob Glaub, Bobby Keys et al) are all here, but this is Warren Zevon's show, his songs, his voice, his vision. And I for one, am glad to have this deluxe package to enjoy.

The Ry Cooder Anthology

2008-10-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of talk on the Rylanders discussion group about this new anthology from Rhino Records. Ry Cooder has already had 2 different "best of" collections Why Don't You Try Me and River Rescue (and the movie music set Music By...) and the hungry Cooder collector has been dying for a collection that presented rare and hard to get tracks. Rhino had a project in the works a few years ago called Slide Ruler, which was to be a double disc which included obscure session work and more. So when The UFO Has Landed was announced people looked at the tracklist and said, "got it, got it, got it..." and then "ONE NEW TRACK! I'm s'posed to shell out for ONE NEW TRACK!" Well folks, today's release day, and last night my review copy came in the mail. I immediately slapped it onto my iPod and gave it a listen, and I have to say..."Yep! Shell out, because this is a fine album!"

Part of my reason for saying this is that the songs sound so good! But there are other reasons too. I received a link to a 40 minute interview Joachim Cooder did on KPFK's Global Village last week. In this interview Joachim explained his choices, his approach, and gave some back story to the whole project. In this context the album makes sense. Joachim's memory of his father's work really starts with 1982's The Slide Area (an album Joachim loves, but which many Rylanders found to be Ry's weakest). So what is it about this album that rocks Joachim's socks? It's the sound, the feel, the vibe. And when you listen to the tracks he's included here you get that.

The first disc starts with "Get Rhythm" the title track from Ry's 1987 album. This Johnny Cash tune just plain rocks out. If you think Cooder is just a guitar player, you are missing out on his vision of rhythm, his arranging skills, his ideas of harmony. That's right vocals! Maybe Ry is no Pavarotti but he surrounds himself with tip-top singers and the vocals tracks become as deep as the guitar tracks. And that's what Joachim was looking for. Music that was deep and greasy, with a groove. This anthology is full of just that. Even the thinner recordings done on acoustic guitar, Ry's bottleneck floating over the strings, seem heavier and more intense on this album. One of the things I always loved about Cooder's playing was that you could hear his fingers on the strings, you could hear the glass rub against the windings on the strings. It just sounded real. Years ago, maybe 30, I played an album for a guitar playing friend who said, "Oh, that's Ry Cooder...I can't stand him his records sound so sloppy. You don't need to have all that extraneous noise!" What one man's noise is another man's music, I guess.

"Available Space," "On a Monday," Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi," and more tracks from early albums find themselves juxtaposed with soundtrack music like "Smells Like Money" from the film Johnny Handsome. And that rolls into the new track "Let's Work Together" recorded with Buckwheat Zydeco. And it all just works. Cooder's obsession with cars and girls reappears over and over, "Crazy 'bout an Automobile" leads into "Drive Like I Never Been Hurt (from this year's I, Flathead) .

There are 34 tracks (17 per disc), and if it was up to me, this would have been a four disc set, with session tracks and obscurities, but as it stands...it's a darn good cross section of work. Instrumentals, blues, rock, lots of guitar, some mandolin, great drumming from Keltner (and others) and those dandy vocals from Terry Evans, Bobby King and associates. All wrapped up in a nifty package. The cover design is a bit goofy to be sure. It's a cartoon done by an unknown artist (take a look, maybe you can identify who drew it) but inside there a hefty booklet with photos by Susan Titelman from early days on. My favourite? The picture on the roof of Sound City Studios, Ry and guitar in front of an Airstream trailer (just like on the first album) that seems imprisoned behind barbed wire!

An introductory essay by Canadian poet and novelist Michael Ondaatje, and notes on each track by Cooder himself fleshes out the package. I recommend the set, not just for newcomers but for anyone who calls himself (or herself) a Rylander!

Arlo Guthrie...

2008-10-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

Last night The Who played at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. Or, what's left of The Who. Roger & Pete and their assocciates put on what was described in today's paper as an energetic, classic Who show. So...why wasn't I there? Big fan of The Who that I've been ever since my brother swiped a copy of the "I Can't Explain" 45 and gave it to me as something he 'thought I'd like'. He was right. I wasn't there because I drove to Brock University to see Arlo Guthrie in his Lost World Tour. That's right...Arlo Guthrie! And you know what...he was great!

He walked out on-stage at 7:30, followed by his band (guitar, bass, drums and his son Abe on keyboard), he sat on a stool centre-stage and picked up a shiny blue 12-string guitar (MacPherson?) and proceeded to play one of my favourite songs from his first album..."Chilling of the Evening". It's the first song on his 2005 Live In Sydney set too. And who could argue with it, it's a fine song. He followed that with a silly tune based on "The Shade of the Old Apple Tree". And it was that way for most of the night, a serious song, a silly song, prefaced by a story from his past. And the great thing is...it's a past we share. Bob Dylan, the Vietnam War, Woodstock, Woody...I was there, through all of it, and so was Arlo. After a couple of songs he brought out the Burns Sisters, three siblings from Ithaca, NY who added background vocals, and flipped their long hair around. They were woefully underused, but it's early in the tour and maybe Arlo will give them a solo spot later on.

The band started to rock out a bit when Arlo kicked off "The Motorcycle Song" but they kept it short, and disappointed people who were just starting to get warmed up. Then a little later when Abe seemed ready to let fly with a long organ solo, the guitarist jumped in, and stepped on his toes. But that was about the only miscue all night. A selection of old classics and songs from a forthcoming album were mixed with a few tributes to Dad Woody making for a great cross section of tunes. And Arlo's philosophizin' just gets better and better. I especially enjoyed the quick version of Joseph and the fancy coat, and the moral he drew! Fabulous!

OK, I hear The Who were really good, but Arlo told his own Woodstock tale. After all...he played there too!

Some new music, and stuff...

2008-10-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

The new Jackson Browne CD, Time the Conqueror has been on my playlist for a week now, and I can't get enough. The band is very good, especially Mark Goldenberg on guitar. I saw them on Leno and they were excellent. Searching Jackson Browne on eBay led me to the discovery of a very cool blog, Addicted to Vinyl. Check it out at addictedtovinyl.com/blog/.

I've had two Albert Lee CDs on order at the local used shop for over 2 years. Finally last week I got notice that one had arrived. Road Runner. I drove up to grab it after work. Paid, got in the car and took the disc out to play it, and what do you know? The insert was signed by Albert Lee! Maybe the previous owner forgot, or maybe he just wasn't much of a fan...but let's just say, it was worth the wait, to get a signed CD by this guitar master! Oh, and the music's good too! I picked up the new Buena Vista Social Club Live at Carnegie Hall set too, and while Ry Cooder might complain about the sound quality, the performance is great. Nice packaging too. Someone sent me a programme from this show just after it took place...so I have audio and visual souvenirs now! Lucinda Williams Little Honey is a beautiful sounding album too. I love the quality of her voice, the directness of her songs, and she always has a hot band. This time is no exception. And she covers AC/DC!

I also bought myself an 8gig iPod Nano on the weekend, and jammed it with a bunch of these new CDs. I love shuffling through the album covers, shaking it for a new shuffle. And it just feels so substantial. And the white earphones are cool!

Sad news this week as Frankie Venom, lead singer of Hamilton's own Teenage Head passed away. Only 52 years old. Their newest CD recorded with Marky Ramone is a delight. That's the way Frankie would want to be remembered. Playing loud and fast rock'n'roll!

Lindsey Buckingham

2008-10-09T06:37:00.001-07:00

For the beginner Lindsey Buckingham was the guitar player for Fleetwood Mac, who replaced Bob Welch, who had replaced Dave Walker & Bob Weston, who had replaced Danny Kirwan, who was a replacement for Jeremy Spencer, who had filled in for Peter Green. Oh, I think that's everybody, except that Lindsey left the band for a while and was replaced by Rick Vito and Billy Burnette, but then the band broke up and when they reformed Lindsey replaced the guys who had taken his place...got all that? It doesn't matter. For the purposes of this article Lindsey Buckingham is the solo artist who created such wonderful pop masterpieces as "Go Insane", "Trouble", and the recently released Gift of Screws.

He and his band played at Hamilton Place on Tuesday night and from my seat in the third row, it was one of the absolute best shows I've ever seen/heard. No fancy stage setup, just four guys and their instruments, and some lighting fixtures. When they started the audio wash was brilliant, clear, loud, and melodic. Loud? Yep! Painful? Nope!

The first two songs were from the new album, and the group played beautifully. I looked around and thought, "Where's the bass?" Three guitarists played guitars! Add the drummer, and where was the bass coming from. Supplemented by tracks which featured sound effects, bass lines, and maybe some additional harmonies (although that was hard to decide) the sound was full and rich. They ran through a history of Buckingham's songs, including "Trouble", "Go Insane", the Mac years were represented with "Tusk", "Never Going Back Again", "Big Love", "World Turning" and more. The new album received its fair share of attention too.

Buckingham's acoustic side was featured in a short unplugged set. Well, not quite unplugged! Using Renaissance guitars built by Rick Turner the guitarist was able to replicate even nylon string sounds electrically. The guitars sounded fabulous.

The major disappointment of the night was the lack of an audience. Only about 800 fans in a hall that holds 2200 left lots of empty seats, but Buckingham played as if the room was full. Flailing his guitar, sometimes hunched over it, he seemed like a man possessed. Passion? It was there in buckets! What a show! Right down to the encore, more Mac, more solo, more news stuff! What a performer!

NEW CDs? Lindsey Buckingham's Gift of Screws, Dion DiMucci's Heroes (a tribute to old time guitar rock that rocks), James Taylor's Covers (Taylorized oldies, excellent), and David Gilmour's Live in Gdansk (beautifully played and recorded, and even presented, but I think it's time for some new material Dave! After all, how many versions of the On An Island album do we really need?)

David Lindley...

2008-09-23T12:41:00.001-07:00

Well...I went off to Hugh's Room a couple of weeks ago to see Mr. Dave. Rich and I had a great table right in front of the stage, and for dinner we had the salmon. It wasn't as good as the salmon I make (a little dijon, some horse radish, wrap 'em in foil and barbecue them gently, opening only to finish them off...don't overcook!) but it was certainly better than the hard slab of fish I ate in Minneapolis last week! But I digress. Mr. Dave and his tech arrived about the same time we did, and stacked the stage with seven or so instruments of different sizes and shapes. Bouzouki, Weisenborns, and Lindley's prize electric oud! Amazing. Dave disappeared and the tech tuned, and the waiter waited, and so did the audience. Before too long Mr. Dave arrived decked out in typical polyester garb and he played through most of his new CD (although not in the same order) and in long jam versions. The guy can play. I knew that going in, but Rich was amazed, moreso with each tune. Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road," Warren Zevon's "Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse" or one of Dave's own weird almost surreal classics...like "Cat Food Sandwiches" whatever he played...he sure played the beejeebers out of it. The Weisenborns sounded full as Dave's fingerpicks flashed and his steel slid up and down the strings. The bouzoukis added a touch of Europe and the oud? Well the oud took us all to a place somewhere else. Somewhere weird.

After the second set, and no requests...(play "Mercury Blues"..."No!") Dave moved out to the lobby to sign CDs and pose for pictures. That's the 2 Mr. Dave's together at last!

Look for a 30 page feature on Lindley in the new Fretboard Journal coming soon to a quality bookseller near you!

mandolin...

2008-08-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the mandolin deal is done. I am the proud owner of a Morgan Monroe mandolin. It's a beautiful little thing. Sounds great. Now, if I could only play it!

I managed to squeeze some melodious sounds out of it last night, and I am looking forward to spending a long time tonight with it.

Really enjoying the new BB King CD one kind favor, old-time sounds produced by T-Bone Burnett. Glen Campbell does a bit of a Johnny Cash by covering new songs in his old style on Meet Glen Campbell. Not a bad album.

That's it for today!

Kijiji...

2008-08-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

What's a "kijiji"?

I don't really know, except my wife told me she advertised our couch on there. So, I was looking around this on-line community to see the ad, when I thought, "Hmmm, why don't I see if anyone's selling a left-handed mandolin?" Sure enough, somebody was! But his ad said "$250...firm" and that was the top limit of my cash so I signed off.

Next day I thought I'd have a 2nd look just for fun. Check out the model number and so on. He had changed his ad to $200 and added the following note, "Will trade for lap-steel guitar." Well, I have a lap-steel guitar I rarely play. Gloria gave it to me for Christmas after Bob Moody found it in the attic of his store when he was cleaning up! It's a Gibson, circa 1958! And, it's in decent shape, although it has no case. So I offered it up, and lo and behold, it's a deal. So I will be trying to learn to play the mandolin this time next week, and right now I'm saying good-bye to my lap-steel.

Just thought that was an interesting little tale.

Oh, and the couch?

It's still for sale...make us an offer!

Bob Dylan...

2008-08-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last night marked the first time I have ever seen Bob Dylan live! After more than 40 years of buying Bob Dylan records, books, CDs, and playing his songs myself...I finally went to catch a live show. And how was it?

When I was in university I used to go with a couple of friends to stand in the parking lot behind the downtown YMCA to listen to the band on Friday nights. They had some great bands, Whiskey Howl, Flapping, Luke & the Apostles, even John Lee Hooker one night! But there was a cover charge, and I was the only one of the three of us who was working (part-time at a large Canadian dept. store) so we would pick up a bottle of muscatel, and stand by the ventilation unit, drinking from a paper bag, and dancing to the sounds of music that came from the room downstairs!No...really!

The sound was echoey, deep, raw, primitive. I haven't heard sound like that for years. Modern sound systems have improved audio to the point where Steely Dan or the Eagles can play live and sound exactly like they do on record! Well, last night I heard that sound again. The raw, primitive, rockin' sound of a hot band...Tony Garnier on bass, George Recile on drums, guitarists Stu Kimball (rhythm), Denny Freeman (lead) and Donnie Herron (pedal steel, lap steel, banjo, fiddle) and the man himself on keyboards and harp. They sounded fine. Loud, but warm. Maybe a little harsh on the first tune, but they managed to sort that out by the end of "Cat's In the Well" except for Dylan's vocals. Bob's voice has gone through a lot of changes over the years. First a young Minnesotan's take on Woody Guthrie, then a warm country croon, it has grown into an elder bluesman's growl. Is it shot? I don't think so. He plays new games with his phrasing, and once in a while slips back into the Woody-sound for a line or two. Or a syllable here and a syllable there. The lyrics are broken up like free verse. The band chugs along like there's no tomorrow, and people expecting to hear the classics delivered just the way they appeared on the original albums are in for a disappoinment. But you should know that going in. Take a listen to 1979's Live at Budokan, he's been reworking the classics for years!

On the news at 11 last night the reviewer complained that he didn't do any old songs. Even a quick look at the set list proves that this joker just isn't familiar with Bob's material.

Cat's in the Well (from 1990's Under a Blood Red Sky); It Ain't Me Babe (Another Side of Bob Dylan '64); Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again (Blonde on Blonde '66); Girl From the North Country (The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan '63 & Nashville Skyline '69); High Water (for Charlie Patton) (Love and Theft 2001); Just Like a Woman (Blonde on Blonde '66); Rollin' and Tumblin' (Modern Times 2006); Tryin' to Get to Heaven (Time Out of Mind '97); Highway 61 Revisited (from Highway 61 Revisited '65); Moonlight (again from Love and Theft '01); It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (Bringing It All Back Home '65); When the Deal Goes Down and Thunder on the Mountain and Keep Talkin' (all from Modern Times '06); and as an encore Highway 61's Like a Rolling Stone and from John Wesley Harding (1967) All Along the Watchtower.

Some clown wrote into Dylan's website that he couldn't even recognize Blowin' in the Wind!Well...that's because HE DIDN'T PLAY IT! The only arrangement I didn't get right off was High Water. The rest were dandy rockin' versions of great songs. The band was perfectly loose and strategically tight. At times they reminded me of The Band, except for the distinct lack of rootsy harmonies. I had the best view in the place, off to the side of the stage, but directly in Dylan's line of sight as he was setup at an angle behind the keyboard. Lighting was a problem since he kept his wide-brimmed hat on for the whole show.

After an hour and fifty minutes of this, he was gone. From my vantage point I could see him exit the arena. And still people applauded til they turned on the houselights. Assessments from people I overheard ranged from 'fabulous' to'who told him he could sing' but for me...it was exactly what I expected. Now I can exclaim, "Bob Dylan...been there...got the T-shirt!" and wear it with pride!

Festival of Friends...

2008-08-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Friday night I went down to Gage Park for the 33rd annual Festival of Friends. They changed it from an all-Canadian festival a couple years back, and this time the headliners were Allison Moorer and Steve Earle. Now Steve has produced one of my choices for album of the year with his washington square serenade, and Allison has a hot new album called Mockingbird produced by Buddy Miller, so I had been looking forward to this for some time. It has been raining, and thunderstorming almost every day for a few weeks and sure enough, on Friday at suppertime it seemed like the Festival was doomed, but by the time 7pm rolled around the sun was shining and I decided to risk it. Drove down, found a good free parking spot on Gage Ave. and went to the bandshell. This bandshell was substantially expanded, with a big, covered stage attached to the front of it. I used to come over on Sunday afternoons and play in the bandshell with Mil, singing our folksongs for the fun of it. But Friday it was all-pro! Danny Michel was finishing his set playing a shiny red Gibson 335 and looping solos over his rhythm work. Then it was time for Allison Moorer. Just Allison and a small bodied Martin with lots of sound. She ran through some of the cover versions from Mockingbird, and a few of her own oldies too. She has a great voice, plays adequate rhythm guitar (if a bit samey) and is "not hard on the eyes" as the guy sitting next to me noticed. Husband Steve Earle came out to join her for a moving version of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" which they promised to keep singing til the war is over! Steve left the stage and Allison finished her set. Quite impressive for the 2,000 or so folks who watched.

Then a 20 minute wait for the closer and 8,000 people came out of nowhere. Steve Earle did not disappoint. But some of those 8,000 people must have been drinking through the earlier music. As Steve came on stage they started shouting immediately for "Copperhead Road". "Do you think I'm not gonna sing that song?" Steve queried, "When I sing that one, I head for the #$%^' bus!" And still they called for it, again and again. I was reminded of an earlier show, back in 1969 when some drunk yelled out at The Band, "PLAY 'CRIPPLE CREEK'!" after every tune. And when they did eventually play it, he yelled, "PLAY IT AGAIN!" Anyway, Steve played a lot of songs from his long career, switching from acoustic guitar to banjo ("I play banjo just well enough to scare sheep!"), bouzouki, mandolin, and Dobro. And then it was time for the songs from the new album, accompanied by a DJ who provided rhythms, and harmony, Earle did almost the whole album. It was superb. When Allison came out to add harmony to a few, it was even better. By then the losers in the mosh pit were drunk enough to be fighting with one another. A girl with her hip-huggers riding low had her tongue down the throat of a couple different guys, and that led to fisticuffs. Steve asked them to cool it a couple of times. Somebody threw a lit joint up on-stage and hit Steve in the shoulder. Steve finished the song, and picked up the butt, tossed it away and casually gave the culprit the finger. You know which finger. Then I turned away for a second, and heard Earle call someone "#$%^&*!" The guy next to me told me, "Somebody threw a water bottle at him!" Did the audience forget where they were? Canada's oldest free festival? Three days of peace, love and music, well...friendship anyway! It seemed like the Festival of Friends has turned into the Festival of Frenzy. I walked to the car past a couple more fights, some people swearing at each other, and I heard tell that the screaming and arguing went on through the night. At half past midnight a friend of mine who lives across from the park was awakened to the sound of arguing and screaming.

It rained again Saturday night. A set by Air Supply was all but rained out. They played to only a handful of fans. Woodstock night was a washout too. Country Joe, John Sebastian and Canned Heat played as the thunder rolled and lightning flashed and the rain came down in buckets. But Friday night could've been beautiful. If only...

The Dark Knight

2008-08-05T07:10:00.001-07:00

I went to see The Dark Knight on Thursday evening. Got held up at work, rushed home, cleaned the carpet on the stairs, ate dinner, returned the carpet cleaner to the store, and still made it to the theatre before the trailers began. The film was good, not great. I prefered Iron Man actually. But Dark Knight was an exciting, well made film, and Heath Ledger's performance was certainly creepy, if not Oscar worthy. Tell me honestly...would he be receiving so much acclaim if he was still around? When someone takes on the role for The Dark Knight Returns will they be forced to do the same lip-licking schtick? Ya gotta wonder. And why kill off Harvey Dent? Sure, he went crazy way too fast...but he had the beginnings of a good villain, and the FX were amazing. Who can match the combined creepiness of Joker and Two-Face? Penguin and Riddler? I think not. Unless the next film is a comedy. Danny DeVito managed to capture the evil inherent in the Penguin...but who would do it now?

Music? Fred Eaglesmith's new Tinderbox gives fundamentalist Christians a hard time but it's a beautifully written and played record, for fans of earthy, Americana (except...it's Canadiana!) The new Buddy Guy is probably Buddy's best album. Good songs, great performances, and even with all the guests, Buddy still owns the show. Janis Ian? Haven't thought much about her for a long time...well...since I read a touching article she wrote in Performing Songwriter magazine about her mother's struggle with MS. But she has just released a new autobiography and accompanying 2 CD set of The Best of. And...after a long career...she's has plenty to offer. The book is called Society's Child, the CDs The Autobiography Collection. Don't miss 'em.

Bought a book on Laurie Anderson on eBay. The shipping cost more than the book. I guess those padded envelopes are REALLY expensive south of the border. And I'm reading With by a Southern writer named Donald Harington, it begins with the abuse of a dog, and quickly moves into creepier territory from there. But wonderfully written.

I, Flathead

2008-07-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

Well, the new album is out. I, Flathead has received rave reviews. What do I think? Well, it is a rockin' good time. Do I like it as well as Chavez Ravine, or My Name Is Buddy? Not yet, but it has been slowly growing on me as it seeps into my consciousness. I play it in the car, and I have to say it makes for some fine driving music. A little John Hiatt, a little Eric Clapton, and then I, Flathead cranked up loud with the sunroof open. I love the sound, open and raw. Ry's guitar work is so beautiful. Maybe I would wish for a bit more slide, but I like his rhythm playing too, and the way so much is going on, but it sounds so...simple. More as it develops...

Just read the new Janis Ian biography, Society's Child and I can't believe what a compelling read it was. She's had quite a life, filled with tragedy, and yet she comes across as positive, hopeful and joyous. It arrived with a 2-disc best of called The Autobiography Collection which is arranged in the order of the chapters in the book (each chapter is named after a song) and taken together with the book it gave me a new appreciation for her body of work.

I saw Jakob Dylan on the Jay Leno show and got a copy of his new solo album. He's not his father but there's definitely something there. Another Rick Rubin stripped-down affair, but the songs hold up for the most part, and I've kept going back to it, so...that's a plus. Then there's the 2-disc retrospective of the career of Arthur Brown...that's right...the God of Hell-Fire! That first album was his peak...but he's done some interesting things since, and by condensing them all down to 2-discs you get the best. Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue has been re-issued on CD, in a deluxe package with out-takes and a 2nd disc featuring the unreleased followup album Bambu. When POB first came out Dennis signed copies of it at the CNE. My wife took a few pictures and if I can find one or two I'll post them. One of the great lost albums, it's tremendous to have it available...even though I had managed to supplement my vinyl copy with the first CD release a few years ago...having the expanded edition is great. Who would've thought that Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis would blend so well together? Two Men With the Blues is a joy from start to finish. Don't miss it! Biggest disappointment of the summer? Ron Sexsmith's Exit Strategy of the Soul. What a yawner! Too much piano, not enough guitar, and the horns??? Come on Ron!

I read James Lee Burke's Swan Peak and I always enjoy the adventures of Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell. There's a real sense of place about them. This time they're in Montana, away from Louisiana, and the new geography adds a different flavour to the story. Some of Burke's tales are better than others, but this one's a dandy.

That's it for now. Two more Rylanders almost ready for printing. Gotta see The Dark Knight this week. And I'm looking forward to The Watchmen...due in March!

after a long absence...

2008-07-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! I know Lester Bilbo will be happy to see that I'm making an appearance. Things have been crazy around here. I presented at CNIE conf. 2008 in Banff that last week of April. Then a couple of days meeting at the U.of Calgary with OUETD. A short holiday in Red Deer with my brother and his wife. Saw Drumheller, and the hoodoos, and a lot of other stuff. Back home in time for my wife to have bilateral knee replacements. Now 8 weeks later she's doing very well. Walking without a cane, straight legs! Fantastic! And then a trip to Las Vegas for infoComm '08! Cirque du Soleil's KA was spellbinding! In the meantime a ton of great music has been released. While in Calgary I got a copy of Tom Phillips Downtown Cowboy, Albertan country singer; Tom Petty's Mudcrutch (the resurrection of his old band) which is lots of fun. Found a copy of Ersi Arvizu's Friend For Life produced by Ry Cooder (not as immediately great as Mavis Staples, but an excellent album nonetheless), and Elvis Costello's Momofuku (which hasn't grown on me yet.) T Bone Burnett's Tooth of Crime is just too weird for me, I think I'm finished testing his solo records...while his productions just get better and better! Bill Frisell's history, mystery was a disappointment too, not enough guitar on it, too much band for my taste. Not that it's bad...on the contrary...but it wasn't the Frisell album I was hoping for. Other purchases? Tony Joe White (who played at HCI one Friday night when I was in grade 13), John Hiatt, Sonny Landreth, Bette Midler's greatest hits (excellent), Eliza Gilkyson's Beautiful World (she's fantastic), Paul Weller, Walter Becker, Solomon Burke, and Ry Cooder's I, Flathead (the deluxe edition). By the time I finish listening to all this...it'll be August. Saw Steely Dan on the weekend at Casino Rama. They were precise, and tight, and their guitarist is fantastic. Great show.

Monday again...

2008-04-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

Listening to Allison Moorer's fine new CD, Mockingbird, I'm reminded that Buddy Miller (who produced Mockingbird) hasn't put out any music under his own name for a while.
I've been watching the entire Prime Suspect series on DVD. Helen Mirren is an extraordinary actress, and beautiful too!

New Ry Cooder content...a couple tracks on the soundtrack to My Blueberry Nights.
Good stuff included...worth a look.

I'm reviewing the collected Willie & Joe cartoons of Bill Mauldin for Green Man Review. A dandy collection. Maybe some of the 'jokes' are too obscure this long after WW2 but...it's a more enjoyable way to read war history than any other I've seen.

where've ya been?

2008-03-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Life goes on, and as it does, it deals us some surprises. Look out the window and there's a pile of snow that dropped on us over the past few days. The roads were slippery, visibility poor, but music continues to pile up. Mark and I practiced a couple of new tunes to play in a week or two; we both have Garageband now and this may lead to some recording of our combined sound.
Lots of new blues CDs for review. Albert Collins Live at Montreux 1992, Samuel James, Moreland & Arbuckle, Eric Bibb, it just keeps coming. I'll be reviewing these for GMR, but
believe me when I say...they're all worthwhile. We're going to see Bibb in a month at the
intimate theatre at Brock University. I'll tell you how that goes. Last month we saw John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett at Massey Hall. The drive was interminable (more than 2 hours to go the 40 miles to Toronto) but dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe was tasty, and the show was even tastier!
Sitting on chairs and using only acoustic guitars these two showed the reason for their success many times during the evening. They alternated songs, first Hiatt, then Lovett, back and forth pausing only for a bit of humourous patter. Sometimes John played a lead behind Lyle, sometimes Lyle added a harmony. Lyle Lovett was headlined first but it was John Hiatt people were talking about when it was all over. All in all...a splendid evening. I bought the new CD (+DVD) from Arlen Roth. Called Toolin' Around Woodstock it features guest
appearances from Levon Helm, Bill Kirchen and Sonny Landreth.  It's really a guitar
album with some fantastic songs.  "Sweet Little Sixteen", Joe South's "Games People
Play", a fiery take on Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man".  The DVD shows the recording
sessions, and is fun to watch, but it's the CD you'll be playing over and over.
Jackson Browne fans will be glad of Volume 2 in the solo acoustic series.
Live versions of songs from his long career, it's a beautifully recorded collection from shows from all over.

just a Tuesday afternoon...

2008-02-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

As Buddy Miller sings "With God on Our Side" I'm thinking about the meaning behind this Dylan classic. "If God's on our side, He'll stop the next war."
God gets a lot of stuff dumped on His doorstep, dontcha think.
We get mad at our neighbor, knock his fence down, and kick his cat...and when he retaliates it somehow God's fault.
You're kidding yourself if you don't think the neighbor figures God is on his side too.
He's wondering how come God allowed you to kick his cat.
Why can't we all just get along?
Cuz we're not built that way I guess.
We haven't been gettin' along with our neighbors (or even our brothers) since Cain & Abel.

the winter of our disconnect...

2008-02-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been nearly a month since last I blogged. So you'd think that I'd have plenty to say. Well, I've been so distracted by real life that the virtual stuff has taken a back seat. Has anyone out there checked out 2nd Life? We're working on a project on 2nd Life at the university. We'll see. I know I didn't have much luck navigating the orientation pages, and when I tried out a different virtual world (Videoranch) I was quickly bored. I'm just not of the 'gamer' school. Maybe an evening of euchre or cribbage, or even Trivial Pursuit.
Music-wise, things were pretty slow after Christmas, but they're starting to pick up now. Ringo Starr's Liverpool 8 is...another Ringo Starr album. With help from Dave Stewart and Mark Hudson it's musical, but still features Ringo's vocals. I saw his first All-Starr Band, and had a great time...but can't say I spend much time listening to their live album.
Been listening to some Richard Hawley, and find him mesmerizing. How'd I miss him for so long?
Coles Corner and Lady's Bridge, riveting.
Torrent sites have been keeping me busy. I've been able to download a pile of things that never came out on CD, or at least, were very hard to find. The complete Richie Furay collection, JD Souther, Carl Wilson's two albums, all items I bought on vinyl...but never saw on CD.
Then there's unreleased material like Dennis Wilson's Bamboo (the followup to Pacific Ocean Blue), Brian Wilson's Sweet Insanity, live Paul McCartney from the Amoeba show, and on and on it goes.
They have movies too, you can download new films just out in theatres!
Like Sweeney Todd and Persepolis.
Looking for something to read?  Try Ronnie Wood's autobio Ronnie,
it's best to read it while you're sipping a Guinness...just for ambiance!

A new year...

2008-01-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years. We're all back to work, out of holiday mode and with our noses to the grindstone.
Before Christmas I went to see Sweeney Todd with my sons. Excellent adaptation of the play, and I have to say that cutting out a couple of the songs and streamlining it didn't hurt the story. Good performances all 'round and the wonderfully murky cinematography just added to my delight. I've seen three or four different productions of Sweeney Todd, not counting a couple of other versions of the story (by Dibdin Pitt, for one) but I did enjoy Johnny Depp!
Also saw Walk Hard, and thoroughly enjoyed that too. Sorry to hear it's not finding its audience but I laughed and laughed.
I bought the Amazing Journey DVD, that tells the Who story. Excellent. Finally Roger has his say! The Rolling Stone cover to cover DVD-rom is loads of fun to browse through. Every RS magazine for 40 years! Wow!
Can't wait to read Ronnie Wood's autobiography Ronnie. I also scored a copy of his 2-CD Anthology which has one disc of solo material and one of the bands he's been with, the Birds, Creation, Jeff Beck, Faces, Stones, some pretty good bands.
Lots of McCartney around these days. Another special edition of memory almost full this time with a live DVD, a download of Paul's secret concert at Amoeba Records, an A&E TV special from the Olympia. And next...Ringo's new album comes out today...it's a Beatles spectacular.
A new Fretboard Journal with John Scofield on the cover made me go back to listen to John's tribute to Ray Charles CD. Wow! And there's also a big article on Norman and Nancy Blake.
Still listening to Steve Earle's washington square serenade which may be the album of the year for me. Well, not counting Ry's My Name is Buddy. But the two of them have been on my playlist since they came out! Steve also had a TV special on Canada's Bravo which was a raw solo performance of much of the wss album.
Saw a couple interesting videos...Breaking and Entering and Perfume. Slow moving but quite interesting nonetheless. And one last recommendation...read Roddy Doyle's The Deportees, a set of short stories all dealing with immigrants in Ireland. One story is a sequel to The Commitments. See ya!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

...to all!

and a...

2007-12-24T07:20:00.000-08:00

...very Merry Christmas to all!

"for unto us is born this day a child who is Christ the Lord..."

Lucky Peterson...

2007-12-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

So they tell me I missed a great show when I didn't go to see Lucky Peterson at the Slye Fox last week.
Dave said this, "Great night, if not a little loud. He was tired but put on a hell of a show. That's my beer he drank..."
And Rich (sitting at the next table) said, "I'm sorry you couldn't make it out, you missed an amazing show. Lucky was having a blast and it showed. For the second set he was joined on stage by a local 14yr prodigy guitar player who blew everyone's minds. Good time had by all."
This is likely the same kid who sizzled on Buddy Guy's axe when I saw him at Hamilton Place.
Where do these kids get the chops?
Practice, practice, practice!

December...

2007-12-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Good morning, faithful reader[s]!
Howdy to Lester.
The newest RYLANDER went out today in the mail. It's the Mavis Staples issue. While I was in Toronto last week I bought the album she did with Lucky Peterson. A tribute to Mahalia Jackson it features Lucky on either piano or organ and Mavis singing spirituals and/or gospel songs. It may not be for everyone but it's a good collection.
Lucky Peterson himself was in town last night, but I missed him. Haven't heard any reports back but a couple of my amigos were there.
The new Levon Helm CD (Dirt Farmer) is earthy and raw, with Levon sounding almost as good as ever, and Larry Campbell playing guitar. The version of Steve Earle's "The Mountain" sounds very Band-like! Amy Helm's backing vocals throughout are lovely.
I found a copy of Yusuf's Cafe Session on DVD, and (although I haven't watched the whole thing) it's a beautifully shot intimate concert of Cat Stevens' favourites and some newer material. Yusuf sounds reinvigorated, and I love his guitar!
It's been very cold here in Ryland the last few days. We had some snow, then rain, then cold, and fortunately the plows got the sewers cleared in time for the freeze or else we'd have been skating down the road.
See you soon!

Christmas shopping...

2007-11-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

Picked up the new 3-DVD set The McCartney Years, which features all Macca's videos for 30 years of singles, plus some live material drawn from out-of-print videos. For the Macca-fan it's a goldmine. For anyone who doesn't care about the ex-Beatle it's a waste of money and time. So you have to decide which camp you fall into and then decide if the $30 price tag is worth it. I like having this material, but music videos wear out quickly. And Sir Paul has a look about him that is increasingly growing tiresome. He's too old to have that gormless smirk on his face, and his eyebrows (which form the front cover design) are taking on a life of their own. He's just so precious...there, I've said it. That said...he remains one of the world's greatest melody writers!
Better viewing appears on Eric Clapton's 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival. Two discs boasting some amazing guitar pyrotechnics. Doyle Bramhall, John Mayer (great guitar, vocal mannerisms annoying), Vince Gill, Robbie Robertson (sizzling on "Who Do You Love"), Albert Lee (can anybody play that fast...and accurately?), Sheryl Crow, Bill Murray (playing "Gloria"!) and more. Not a dull minute. And at a dandy price!
We're just mourning the passing of another national record store. Remember when they were called that? Music World is closing its doors, following Sam the Record Man into the history books. Where am I going to shop when I get to Toronto now? HMV I guess!

mid-November...brrrr!

2007-11-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

Here it is in the 2nd half of November. The Grey Cup is only a week away. Winnipeg & Saskatchewan? Hmmm. We've seen the first of the snow, but certainly not the last of it! Took a trip up to St.Jacob's on the weekend, bought another hand-made broom (you can't beat 'em!). Went to see the Steve Strongman Band a week or so ago. Excellent show. Sure he looks like the guy from ScoobyDoo but man he makes that guitar smoke!
New music from Ray Davies! They were giving the new CD (Working Man's Cafe) away with the newspaper over 'ome, and a friend sent me one. Good stuff. I remember seeing the Kinks one night at Maple Leaf Gardens Concert Bowl. We had seats up in the greys! So everything was way small! Except the volume! Rockin'!
Then last week the Beatles' second movie HELP! was issued on DVD. The sales clerk at Future Shop said, "What's that?" I said, "It's the Beatles' 2nd movie." "Oh, I didn't know the Beatles made movies." Well...I took it home and watched the documentaries, because I knew what would happen if I watched the feature! And sure enough...after about a hlaf hour I dozed off, woke up in time to catch the exciting conclusion, but...it's no A Hard Day's Night that's for sure.
James Taylor released a CD/DVD package on Starbuck's Hear-Music label (like Joni Mitchell and Paul McCartney). It's called One Man Band and features stripped down versions of his classic tunes. The movie is watchable, kind of fun, with James's folksy ways, and his odd sense of humour. As always...great playing.
I bought a copy of Bernie Leadon's most recent album. Mirror comes in two editions, regular, and limited. I bought the limited, signed edition. Bernie was an Eagle way back when, but here he sounds almost Nick Lowe-ish. Good guitar playing, some intriguing songs and vocals from Emmylou Harris. Ken Whiteley's One World Dance is a dandy collection of blues and folk. Led Zeppelin's 2 disc best of is called Mothership, and is all the Zep anybody really needs. The Bob Dylan film footage from three Newport Folk Festivals has been edited together to make a fascinating study of the early Bob from shy folksinger to radical rocker. Don't miss the Other Side of the Mirror.
I just re-read the first Rebus novel by Ian Rankin. Knots & Crosses has been re-issued in an anniversary edition, and it's a cracking good tale, but long time Rebus fans will notice how much our lad has changed from then to now. Well, haven't we all!

news...

2007-11-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

The Eagles. It's called Long Road Out of Eden, and comes in a cardboard sleeve, not unlike a double vinyl package. Two CDs and a lyric booklet (which is seriously hard to read). Why do people print song lyrics in long square formats with designs as line breaks? Why do they do it? OK...it reduces the carbon footprint by using less paper (I guess) but what's the point? Who's going to take the time to read these lyrics? They're not numbered, so you're listening to the album and you think, "Hmmm, what was that line?" then you have to check the CD player for what number the track is, look on the back cover for the title that goes with that number, then look in the booklet for the correct lyric. You can't just say, "it's the 2nd verse" because the lyrics are printed in this full page block! So...what's the point? And...obviously, Henley and Frey want us to read the lyrics because they've made so many political comments.
Why is this CD only available at WalMart? You know, when WalMart came to Canada, they used a lot of leverage to stop other department stores from being built in the neighborhood, they paid their employees low wages, etc. You've heard it all before.
Ah well...back to the album. The photos are all from out of Eden...deserts, dunes, clear cut logs, and the four Eagles. The songs? Well, they sound just like the Eagles. It's been 28 years or so since the last time they put out an album...but all the solo stuff and changes in the music world over those three decades have had no impact on the Eagles at all. In fact, it sounds like a Greatest Hits album...with songs you don't quite remember. So...I guess the point is...if you liked 'em then...you'll like 'em now. And $10.88 for a double CD is pretty good...even if you have to go to WalMart to buy it!

where've you been?

2007-10-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

I've been right here...but busy. Sorry for the delay in getting back to blogging. Sure, it seems simple, every day you just write down what's been happening...but did you ever stop to think...if something's happening...you're too busy to write about it!
Hmmm.
Anyway...I'm listening to Neil Young's Chrome Dreams II right now. "Ordinary People" is the track, and Neil is jamming the beejeebers out of that note again! Nu-nu-nu-nu,nu,nu,nu-nu-nu-nuuuuuu!!! Gotta love that. Just received my free copy of Ray Davies' Working Man's Cafe, which was given away in the Sunday Times last weekend. My friend and fellow Rylander Jerry managed to score me a copy. (Thanks Jerry) It's a good album, ten songs by the former Kink, which show that Ray still has what it takes and we've always loved his voice (admit it!) The recent DYLAN box is a decent collection, especially for people who want to start a Dylan collection. Not one rare or unreleased track (ok, "Blind Willie McTell" might rate as hard tofind...but it's been available on an official Dylan album before this) but altogether a satisfying bunch of Bob's songs. And I got the special deluxe box (for a great price at Indigo!). Whether or not these are actually Bob's greatest songs...well...that's not for me to say. Many of his best songs are included.
Reading Paul Myers' It Ain't Easy, the biography of Long John Baldry. And it's a good read. Baldry was one of those guys whose music was pretty much in the background but his impact on the scene was more through the success of band members like Rod Stewart & Elton John. Nevertheless...he made some enjoyable records, and...he lived in Dundas for a while, just up the road. Last time I saw him...he opened for the Beach Boys, and sang a duet with Kathi MacDonald.
Clapton's autobiography is a bit like a chat with an old friend. Quite a pleasant way to hear about drug and alcohol abuse. Patti Boyd's book covers much of the same ground. The most unpleasant biography I've read recently is Billy Joel by Mark Bego. I'm really not sure how Mark Bego gets these book deals, the guy can hardly put together a coherent sentence. And Billy Joel comes across like a complete jerk.
The Eagles new CD comes out today, only at Walmart. An exclusive deal! They said on the radio that it's because Walmart impressed Henley and Frey with their devotion to "leaving a smaller carbon footprint"...uh-huh! No comment.