machine on wheels
An addition to yesterday’s post: the Dave Rawlings Machine has announced some late fall tour dates.
Wait, that can’t be right: I haven’t been offered the opening slot on that tour yet. Let me just go check my e-mail…..
13thday ofOctoberin the year2009
last thoughts on Philadelphia
So I ventured over the long weekend to the great city of Philadelphia. Since little or nothing of relevance to this space occurred there, I will keep my thoughts brief and in quasi-outline format.
-New Jersey is an interesting state. North Jersey is part of New York; South Jersey is part of Philadelphia. It resembles Connecticut in that way, as the western part of that state aligns itself with New York and the eastern part with Boston. A major difference: New Jersey has actually become a repository for New York professional sports team overflow, while Connecticut has become a destination for the rich and city-weary of New York.
-Rodin Museum: Do you know how many people would mind paying a $5 admission fee? Nobody. Do you know how many people mind being harassed at the door by a security guard forcing them to make their $5 “suggested donation” even after they already have? Everybody. The line from most strongly recommended donation to admission fee has already been crossed; don’t blow smoke up my rear then tell me I’m the Marlboro Man.
-Cheesesteaks: successfully avoided.
-The King of Prussia Mall is the largest mall on the east coast and the country’s largest mall in terms of leasable retail space, and I don’t remember seeing a record store in there. That can’t be good.
extraordinary machine
Are you as excited as I am about the upcoming debut release from the Dave Rawlings Machine? No? Well, who needs you then?
Sorry, I got carried away. Since you’re almost certainly somewhat excited, you’ll be pleased to hear that the record is now available for pre-order on Amazon, where you can view not only the complete tracklist but the unnervingly intense cover photo. I’ve heard the Machine perform all but one song on there (“How s About You” which I assume is actually “How’s About You”) but I look forward to hearing the studio versions. Repeatedly.
A Friend of a Friend hits shelves November 17 on Acony Records.
9thday ofOctoberin the year2009
Happy Birthday, John.
Why is Justin Rice, lead singer and songwriter for Bishop Allen, in a commercial for online poker. Occurrences of this nature confuse me. Is the general public supposed to recognize Justin? I would think not, given the band’s relative ‘obscurity.’ Is he here, then, to represent the common man? Or are they playing both sides of the fence by casting someone who would appeal to certain demographics on the basis of appearance alone while lending a certain cachet among a different, though probably not mutually exclusive, demographic? Either way, of course, this is neither Justin’s first foray into ‘acting’ nor Bishop Allen’s first involvement with television advertising.
8thday ofOctoberin the year2009
Sacrifice of Isaac by Caravaggio
“Either you’re the butcher or the lamb but even so/Everybody pays as they go” - Jakob Dylan
7thday ofOctoberin the year2009
“The difficulty of poetry (and modern poetry is supposed to be difficult) may be due to one of several reasons. First, there may be personal causes which make it impossible for a poet to express himself in any but an obscure way; while this may be regrettable, we should be glad, I think, that the man has been able to express himself at all.”
-T.S. Eliot
Silly Eliot.
5thday ofOctoberin the year2009
Brooklyn, Brooklyn, take me in
The line above comes from the title track of the Avett Brothers’ new CD, I and Love and You which seems to have been following me around recently, trying and failing repeatedly to get me interested in their brand of earnest alloutsmanship. Alas, they were not at the Brooklyn Coffee & Tea House this past Saturday night and neither, in all likelihood, were you (unless, that is, just as few people read this as were in attendance).
I think those who were there, though, had a worthwhile time of it. The evening opened with a set by Andria Mason, who I had not met before but I am glad to say I have now. In addition to meeting her, I also got to hear her, which was just as much of a pleasure. Her melodies were great and seemed (though I cannot say for sure) to be influenced heavily by early country music. Regardless, the songs were clear and concise, and you couldn’t not like them. I heard tell that she’s recording, and I hope all goes well and that no one tries to pile too much on top of those songs of hers.
Closing out the evening was Patti DeRosa, who likes to keep the mood upbeat even when dealing with the darker side: all the better for keeping the audience engaged (a clever strategy I should probably try some time). She peppered her set with new songs, as did Andria: neither of them seemed ill at ease or unfamiliar with the fresh material, and it all seemed to fit in with their sets. Patti released CDs in 2005 and 2007, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that a new one from her isn’t far off.
In between, I played a set that accidentally relied heavily on material from Torn Up Routes: of the six songs, three (“Arizona Bound,” “Wind Up In The Wind,” and “William The Conqueror”) came from that record. (Incidentally, they also came first, third, and sixth, respectively.) In between, I remembered that I actually have a new CD to push and played “Labour Day Parade” fourth. The second spot went to “When The Pendulum Swings,” a not-yet-recorded-but-no-longer-new song. Fifth, on the other hand, went to a song written the day before: “The One On The Black Horse.” Look for this one not exciting crowds at a show near you soon.
30thday ofSeptemberin the year2009
What bit of news could be exciting enough to spur a slothful fellow like myself to post in this space twice in one day? Friends and neighbors, I give you the report we have all been waiting for…sort of. As you’ll no doubt certainly recall, I lamented in this space (and long before that in other spaces) in March of 2008 (back in the halcyon days when my posts were beautifully illustrated) the time it was taking Gillian Welch to follow up on Soul Journey which itself was something of a stopgap following the classic Time (The Revelator). Well, today we have an official report that the Dave Rawlings Machine will release its first album, Friend Of A Friend, on November 17.
For those who don’t know, the Dave Rawlings Machine consists of two members: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, who happen to be the same two members that make up Gillian Welch (which Gillian says is the name of the two-piece band that she fronts). While this is not a proper follow-up (obviously), it is a welcome addition to the fall schedule. (Actually, it jumps to the top of the list of records I’m looking forward to.) And for those of you unsatisfied with this news, the article does mention that one of the record’s originals, “It’s Too Easy” (which I got to hear Gillian Welch perform on August 1; the Dave Rawlings Machine perform on August 2; and the Dave Rawlings Machine with members of Old Crow Medicine Show perform later that same week in the style in which I’m certain it will appear on David’s record) will also appear on Gillian’s forthcoming album. That’s right: there’s a Gillian Welch album on the way. Billboard never lies.
Photo by Catherine Maldonado
Hank, Carl, and me
Like millions of Americans, I often pass those languorous minutes between the end of dinner and the beginning of prime time with a healthy dose of answers and questions. I’m speaking, of course, of Jeopardy! which, in a still controversial decision, was placed #2 on TV Guide’s list of the 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time. The main controversies, as such, are twofold:
1. The Price Is Right took the top spot at Bob Barker’s post-scandal/pre-retirement peak, when his hair was as white as his teeth and the starch on his collar could kill a man. Subsequent polling, taking into account the death of Rod Roddy and the naming of comedian/soccer team owner/all-American schlub Drew Carey, has not yet been attempted despite repeated outcries from the game show community.
2. The list did not seem to take into account pre-television game shows such as Fibber McGee and Molly’s Real Noise or Foley Artist? (on which the answer was always “foley artist”) or the even older Marcus Aurelius’ Thumbs Down Gladiator Hour. TV Guide’s predisposition toward televised program continues, hotly debated, to this day.
But I digress. The reason I bring this up (and by “this,” I am of course referring to the fact that I occasionally watch Jeopardy! and nothing else I have mentioned so far) is that last evening’s Final Jeopardy! clue brought me to the verge of apoplexy and was music-related. Since items posted here must meet one of those two criteria, a convergence of the two demanded a hastily written web log post.
The clue/answer in the oft-discussed category “Music Halls of Fame” asked for two of the four acts who have been inducted as performers into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame. I thought immediately of Elvis, and Johnny Cash followed quickly on his heels (the heels in my mind, that is). Those two, of course, would have been enough to win me untold riches had I been an actual contestant and not just a true-Drew loafer making my hay on whatever crumbs can be found within arm’s reach on my badly abused couch cushions. My thirst for total hypothetical victory kept me from stopping at the two requisite answers. I decided that Hank Williams, of course, must be in both. (I dare you to listen to “Move It On Over” and not hear the underpinnings of Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock,” which would not, in fact, rock it’s way onto turntables until eight years after Hank’s composition. Just ask George Thorogood.) For my final two-hall resident, I chose Willie Nelson: a rock and roller in spirit and certainly a figure who has been adopted by musical communities outside of his country music home. I was wrong on both counts.
The answers, my friends, were Brenda Lee and the Everly Brothers, and I could not be more shocked: not at their inclusion, as they are both deserving of their honors, but of Hank’s exclusion. (Sorry, Willie: you’ll have to fight your own battles.) Further research today has assuaged me a bit, but only because Hank was inducted in 1987 as an “early influence” and not as a “performer” as the Final Jeopardy! clue specified. Tiddlywinks. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has it wrong. Meanwhile, Carl Perkins has come to mind subsequently, leading me to discover that he is not a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In short (and I do, as you can see, prefer to be brief): Music Halls of Fame, get your acts together.
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