![Why is this new t-shirt “only available through [their] online store?”
I wonder where else they could sell this shirt…..](http://13.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksphcmBmNI1qz7qdmo1_500.jpg)
Why is this new t-shirt “only available through [their] online store?”
I wonder where else they could sell this shirt…..
5thday ofNovemberin the year2009
the pawnbroker roared
For a couple of days a few weeks back, I listened repeatedly to two Bob Dylan songs: “I’ll Keep It With Mine” and “She’s Your Lover Now.” Because I was listening to these songs on an iPod machine and simply selecting them by song title, I did not realize, but was reminded today, that they appear back-to-back on Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series, Vol. 2. Those who do not own this CD or its digitized equivalent are doing yourselves a disservice; and if you plan to have kids someday and do not obtain this CD or its digitized equivalent prior to procreating, then you will be doing your offspring a disservice, as well. Vol. 2, which comes housed conveniently with Vols. 1 and 3, documents a solid decade of previously unreleased music: 1964 through 1974. While it is impossible to document this era in a single CD, this one has a solid go at it by including early takes of classics like “Like A Rolling Stone” (a solo piano waltz it was!) and “Tangled Up In Blue” alongside lesser known number such as…well, those two other songs I already mentioned, for starters.
Speaking of which, I have probably beaten this point into the ground in past blog posts (though I will leave it to you to scour the archives to find out if that is the case or if I am remembering my own unreleased blog outtakes to be released soon on the Bootblog Series, Vol. 1) but it is well worth noting that these two songs represent compositions that Bob not only chose not to release but never even recorded properly in their entirety. I have heard two recordings of “I’ll Keep It With Mine,” the other of which, a solo piano demo, appears on Biograph; there also exists a solo piano demo of “She’s Your Lover Now” which has not been released officially.
The Bootleg Series recordings, however, seem to represent some form of attempt committing the songs to tape. “I’ll Keep It With Mine” starts with piano again alone on piano, but he is joined quickly by that trademark mid-’60s organ. The producer cuts in to instruct Dylan, after which a clueless drummer joins the proceedings with a behind-the-beat shuffle played with brushes. At the 1:06 mark, someone (Dylan?) instructs the drummer of-mic to play it straight, after which the song locks in nicely. It soars through its remaining verses, with minimal electric guitar noodling and a solid bass adding more color to the palette, but for as beautiful as it is, it clearly is not a finished take.
“She’s Your Lover Now” starts off on the run before Dylan all but pauses to ask, “Alright, are you ready?” From there, the song is perfect for six solid minutes until, as the end approaches, it breaks down mysteriously. Even Dylan can’t figure out what’s going on, as he asks “What?” as in “What happened and why did everyone stop playing my song?” It goes unanswered and, unless a future Bootleg Series has a startling revelation to offer,the song never came any closer to completion and was abandoned. Who else could have written songs this good, given them a few goes, then decided “I don’t need them?”
3rdday ofNovemberin the year2009
quid pro quo
I was reading an interview (from this month’s Interview) with Wes Anderson this afternoon. In it, he discusses various directorial influences, including Hitchcock and Spielberg, but settles on Stanley Kubrick as “the director I think about in terms of just living my life.” Among the reasons he gives is one you might expect: “And he only did the movies he liked to do. He didn’t do one movie for the money, so he could do the next one because he liked it. He only did the ones he wanted to do.”
An artist praising, and perhaps pining for, another artist’s creative control is not uncommon; no artist wants to work on an undesirable project just to make some money. What caught my attention, though the concept is not new to me, is Anderson’s reference to making one movie for money so another movie, a “pet project,” would be produced in turn. This is an interesting concept for many reasons. In a world where artistic authenticity is sometimes questioned at length, is an artist justified in creating a work for purely financial reasons if that means that he can then produce a work without having to factor in the profitability of the project? Can an artist, in this case an auteur perhaps, infuse his own sensibility into a project meant solely to make money?
The filmmaker that sprang immediately to mind was Steven Soderbergh. Few directors have followed so idiosyncratic a path through their career. After grabbing the public’s attention at Sundance in 1989 with Sex, Lies, and Videotape, a definitively independent feature, he proceeded to what some might consider a career peak just over a decade later, directing back-to-back films, Erin Brockovich and Traffic, to Academy Award nominations for Best Picture. Next up, in 2001, came what might not be an out-of-the-ordinary project for a director coming off of two Academy Award nominations: Ocean’s Eleven, a summer blockbuster featuring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts (star of Erin Brockovich), and Matt Damon, among others. A sequel of sorts to Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Full Frontal, came next followed by Solaris, a remake of Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1972 Soviet film Solyaris starring George Clooney that many predicted would follow Erin Brockovich and Traffic to another Oscar nomination: instead, it alienated audiences and did little business. What came after Soderbergh’s sequel to his little seen but influential movie and a coldly received science fiction experiment? Ocean’s Twelve, which reunited the gang and threw in Catherine Zeta-Jones for good measure. As you probably know, Soderbergh et. al. went back to the well one last time in 2007 with Ocean’s Thirteen in what could be seen as money-grubbing at its finest. It seems that for Soderbergh, however, the three films acted as collateral so he could direct far less populist fare such as Bubble (a film made with nonprofessional actors and released in theaters and on DVD and On Demand simultaneously), The Good German (a black and white film set in postwar Germany and filmed using only technology and techniques available in 1945), Che (a 4 1/2-hour biopic of revolutionary Che Guavara’s life, divided in two halves for release), and The Girlfriend Experience (a film about a call girl played by an actress who had previously performed in X-rated films). This pattern seems to display, quintessentially, the Hollywood quid pro quo practice of producing a hit for the masses so a more personal project, almost guaranteed not to make money, can be pursued.
Soderbergh is one of the most respected filmmakers in the business, so this practice clearly has not hurt his reputation. I wonder, though, how someone is such a situation can so confidently promise a hit product. If the artist knows just how to manipulate his work to fit public tastes, how can we trust that the rest of his work is sincere, and not subject to manipulations of different kinds? Would it matter if it was manipulated in different ways? Is all art manipulated to suit some audience in some way to some extent?
And, is there an equivalent in music?
30thday ofOctoberin the year2009
stuff to stuff your stockings
One day left in October means less than two months until Christmas, which means that minus one day less of Christmas shopping. So unless you’re Juliana Hatfield, it’s time to start thinking up some gift ideas. If you’re in the market for music, here are a few to consider.
Hank Williams: Revealed - This box set marks the second installment of previously lost Hank Williams radio recordings, following last year’s The Unreleased Recordings, which won a Grammy for Most Creatively Titled Archive Release. That set had a more revelatory tracklist, with rare performances of songs like “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” and “On Top Of Old Smoky” among many others, but this one still has plenty to offer. And even if it had nothing but tried and true Hank tunes, what’s wrong with that?
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: The Live Anthology - This four-disc, 47-song set has been culled from the Heartbreaker’s entire touring career and includes classics, previously unreleased originals, and covers such as the Grateful Dead’s “Friend Of The Devil” and Them’s “Mystic Eyes” chosen from among 170 concerts consisting of 3,509 performances of 400 different songs. Not enough? There will be a deluxe edition that includes a fifth disc with another 14 songs as well as two DVDs featuring a complete 1978 concert and a documentary film of the 1995 Wildflowers tour.
Dave Rawlings Machine: Friend of a Friend - The Machine finally makes its recorded debut. Dave’s originals, as performed over the summer on the Big Surprise Tour, are just as haunting and beautiful and hauntingly beautiful as those he as composed with Gillian Welch. This is probably the record I’m looking forward to the most this fall.
Bob Dylan: Christmas In The Heart - This collection has already hit stores, and it’s the first worthwhile addition to the Christmas canon in a long time. If you’re looking for another brilliant addition to Bob’s late career revival, for get it. This is just a good time.
Elvis Costello: Live at the El Mocambo - This is an archival release in what is slated to become a series of live CDs a la Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series. This show came on the heels of Elvis’s second record, This Year’s Model, and features the cream of the crop from that record and its predecessor, My Aim Is True. The performances are fast and tight; Elvis wants the crowd to stand up; and you’ll wish you were there to follow his instructions.
Roseanne Cash: The List - You’re 18, you’re contemplating a career in music, and your Dad gives you a list of essential songs in your field that you must know before you even think about putting yourself out there. A cool concept in and of itself, but imagine that you’re thinking of going into country music and the one giving you the list of classic songs is Johnny Cash. That’s the back story behind Roseanne’s new album, on which she has chosen twelve of those songs to make her own. Along the way, she receives some help from the aforementioned Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. And when I say “classics,” we’re talking “Silver Wings,” “Long Black Veil,” “Miss The Mississippi And You” level classics.
Kris Kristofferson: Closer To The Bone - Hot on the heels of 2006’s This Old Road comes another batch of stripped down songs resulting from a collaboration with producer Don Was. If you don’t know what to expect from Kris at this point, then you haven’t heard him. This will be good.
Thao Nguyen: Know Better Learn Faster - Thao and her band the Get Down Stay Down drew comparisons to Cat Power and Beth Orton after her 2008 release We Brave Bee Stings and All, but I don’t hear it. In fact, I don’t know who she sounds like. I don’t much care either, except I’d like to be told if there’s more music out there like hers because that would be worth tracking down. This follow-up draws from Thao’s breakup so the lyrics, from all accounts, are a bit darker but no one’s accused her of losing her touch.
The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! - One more live archival release, this one from the Rolling Stones. For some reason, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! was always the CD I picked up, contemplated, then put down while browsing the stacks at Circuit City each week when I was a teenager. Don’t know why. Maybe I’ll pick up this 40th anniversary edition which includes bonus tracks as well as recordings of the opening sets by B.B. King and Ike and Tine Turner as well as a DVD featuring backstage footage shot by Albert Maysles.
Of course, there is one other recently released CD that would make a fine gift to all your loved ones.
29thday ofOctoberin the year2009
wrap-ups
I’ve been lucky enough to be part of two dynamite lineups in the span of five days. The first was over at Firehouse 13 on Friday night. The show opened with the Pavao Family Band, featuring Steve Pavao and his sons Victor and Aidan. Steve, who put this whole show together in the first place, has raised himself a pair of crack musicians: Victor switched ably from brass to keys, spending most of the night on pump organ, while Aidan did more than just keep time behind the drum kit. Steve led the way through their set of originals on vocal and acoustic guitar and generously shared the stage with two guests: Matt Borrello and me. Matt and the trio played a blues tune of his, and I was proud and pleased to join the band for a performance of “Occasionally When It Rained” from Torn Up Routes. It’s rare that I get to perform with other musicians, and it was a treat to play with three who held it down so well.
Matt took the stage alone for the second set of the evening, which consisted of his own songs as well as a cover of my own “Southern Girls.” Matt’s material oscillates easily between singer-songwriter folk and blues, and his guitar playing is sharp as a nail. He’s at work on a record down at Dirt Floor Studio, and I’m looking forward to hearing what songs he chooses and how he arranges them in the studio.
Sarah Borrello came next with her own solo acoustic performance. Sarah struts through her own combination of blues and modern rock sounds and has a voice to beat the band: literally, it could overpower an entire band. Sarah’s headed out on a tour that will bring her through New England and down into the mid-Atlantic states, and I have no doubt she’ll be a hit.
My own set included newer songs such as “When The Pendulum Swings,” “Let’s Go Down To Memphis,” and “Palmistry” as well as selections from Empty Like The Lion Den, Former Glory, and Torn Up Routes. You can view the full setlist here.
Last night, I got to participate in the Autumn Hollow Band’s October residency at Church. The band played there each Wednesday of October and got to build its lineups for those nights, and they chose a great one last night. Kier Byrnes kicked off the night with a brief set of songs from the upcoming release of his band Three Day Threshold. Despite the short set, Kier was able to mention whiskey enough that if you took a shot of whiskey every time he said “whiskey” you would die of alcohol poisoning after your arm had fallen off.
I came up next and again mixed newer material (“When The Pendulum Swings,” “The One On The Black Horse”) with old. In order to make my solo acoustic set in a barroom as confusing as possible, I followed the six-minute or so “The One On The Black Horse” with a medley of “Wind Up In The Wind” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Pure gold.
Next up was Brown Bird, comprised on this night of lead singer and songwriter David Lamb on vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, and pedal percussion and MorganEve Swain on vocals, violin, viola, cello, and acoustic guitar. The band is set to release its new record, The Devil Dancing, in November, and you should pick up a copy if you get any kind of chance. David’s songs mix a rustic American quality with eastern European undertones and lyrics like Hawthorne short stories. They’ll just about knock you out. The duo included a song by MorganEve in their set, and it excited me to hear later (though not directly from her) that she has completed the recording of her own solo album. The sooner that gets released, the better. (The fiddle and female vocals that you hear on Empty Like The Lion Den, if you are listening to it, are MorganEve’s. Listening to it is a bit like watching Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight: after a few minutes without her, you start wondering when she’ll show up again because you enjoy her so much. If I hadn’t thought it would be rude to do so on the spot, I would have asked her to join me for a song or two last night.)
The show closed, as shows often do, with the headlining act. The Autumn Hollow Band began as a means for lead singer Brendan Murphy to flesh out his solo material, but it took on a life of its own and has become a full-fledged band. Rounding out the lineup are Noel Coakley on pedal steel, banjo, ukulele, and vocals; Scott Marucci on bass and vocals; Todd Sampson on drums; and Mike Burke (who, incidentally, mastered Empty Like The Lion Den) on lead electric guitar and vocals. The band is at work on its full-length debut, and they glide smoothly on the strength of their collective musicianship and Brendan’s songs. Those songs feature a bevy of rhythms and hooks, often several of both in each song, that never feel forced. His lyrics are reminiscent of Conor Oberst and Ian Felice, contorted observations of the mundane with peeks at personal relationships. In other words, theirs is another record to watch for on the horizon. They played a great set, as well, including a cover of The Band’s “The Shape I’m In.”
My thanks to Steve Pavao and the Autumn Hollow Band for setting each up each respective show. Also, thank you to everyone who came out to the shows. It’s great not only to play for new crowds but also to bring along a few familiar faces to shows with a few bands on the bill. Your attendance and support is greatly appreciated, and I hope to see you again.
28thday ofOctoberin the year2009
to be fair
This is interesting. The Lilith Fair is apparently returning to the summer festival circuit next year and has already announced the cities (but not the dates or venues) to which it will travel. Paste Magazine, in its neverending endeavour to create lists for every reason big and small, has come up with its list of ten artists it (they?) would like to see traversing the country. Well don’t ya know, I figured I’d so the very same right here.
First off, I would like to concur with Paste’s selections of Cat Power, Thao Nguyen, and Neko Case. I’m even on board with Tegan and Sara and Brandi Carlile to pad the lineup. Best case, though, I’d vote for the additions of Jenny Lewis, Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, Mary Gauthier, St. Vincent, Juliana Hatfield, and Kathleen Edwards.
Alright, Sarah, you have my list. You’re welcome. Now get booking.
20thday ofOctoberin the year2009
I was shocked earlier this year to find that Crosby, Stills & Nash were only just being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. “What have they been waiting for?” I wondered. Aloud. To myself.
Anyway, they’ve managed to shock me again this year by nominating Elvis Costello and Leonard Cohen. Really? These two hadn’t proved their worth before now? Hadn’t proved it ten times over? No offense, but did Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, two of this year’s other inductees, really deserve earlier enshrinement? How about Johnny Rzeznik, the lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls? The Goo. Goo. Dolls.
On the plus side, this news does give me the opportunity to post this fantastic picture of Elvis and Elvis’s excellent moustache. It’s a trade-off.
19thday ofOctoberin the year2009
I can't drum
The ol’ AP has a story about ol’ Phil Collins: apparently Phil has lost pheeling in his phingers as a result of recent back surgery and cannot, at the moment, play drums or even hold drumsticks. Now this is sad enough news, even though an entire generation at this point knows Phil Collins as nothing more than the soundtrackster for fourth rate Disney movies that Randy Newman couldn’t be jarred out of his semi-permanent slumber to bother with. (Never mind the fact that knowledgeable music fans know that ol’ Phil made his most indelible impression on music history in an uncredited performance almost 40 years ago.)
Anyway, the real kicker in this piece comes when Phil mentions the project on which he is currently at work: a new CD of 30 Motown songs. Will these songs feature Phil’s signature musical stamp, whatever that may be? According to Phil, “I want the songs to sound exactly like the originals.” That’s a great idea, Phil. Now, I wonder if there might be some easier way for the world to hear versions of the songs that sound exactly like the originals….
16thday ofOctoberin the year2009
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