Coming out of deep holiday madness-induced lurk to share something I originally posted over on the Watt List to clear up some mistakes/misconceptions about the Mike Watt set at the big First Ave. shindig a few weeks ago. There obviously was a lot of other stuff going on that night (Rifle Sport reunion in the Entry! Jayhawks rising from the dead! Craig Finn everywhere! 4 new Golden Smog songs! The return of prodigal son DJ Kevin Cole!) but it would take a documentary-length screed to share all the joy that took place. Suffice it to say that out of the countless nights (rough low-side guess: 25 x average of 60 = 1500!?!) I've spent at First Ave. over the last 25+ years, this was one of the most amazing.
Happy Festivus from MN.
==================================
OK y'all, here's the official scorecard for the Mike Watt extravaganza at the First Ave. 35th Anniversary party a few weeks ago. Somebody at soundcheck referred to it as "Wattjam," so that's what i'm going with.
WattJam
First Ave. 35th Anniversary Party / Benefit for DEMO
First Ave. - Minneapolis, MN - 12/14/05
intro by Steve McClellan (First Ave. guru)
Down On the Street
TV Eye
1969 +
I Wanna Be Your Dog + # ^ @
Freight Train $ @
Mike Watt - bass, lead & bg vox
Kraig Johnson - gtr, lead & bg vox
Ed Ackerson - gtr, bg vox
Peter Anderson - drums
Gary Louris - gtr
Mike Reiter - drums +
Craig Finn - lead vox # and gtr $
Marc Perlman - piano ^
Grant Hart - piano @
All songs are Stooges covers except "Freight Train," which was originally done by Sister Double Happiness on their self-titled 1987 SST album. Since fIREHOSE and Run Westy Run were also on SST - and toured together -- it's no big surprise that "Freight Train" eventually found its way into both bands setlists. "Freight Train" was also recorded for Kraig Johnson's 2003 solo EP (now unfortunately out-of-print in the states) and has been the "showstopper" at every live show Kraig has done with his band The Program for the last 3-1/2 years.
"Freight Train" is one of those amazing songs that sounds like an ancient cover you've heard a million times before. Indeed, it's been mistakenly attributed to everyone from The Stooges to the The Replacements. That it's one of the very first rock songs i'm aware of to deal with AIDS (clue: SDH were from San Fran) makes it even more fascinating (sample lyric: "i swear to god i didn't mess around / that modern plague put me in the ground"). For my money, Kraig's live reading of "Freight Train" is definitive; he's pretty much made the song his own since he first started singing it with RWR 15 years ago. All the more reason to search out his EP and/or live Program/RWR recordings.
The other names should be fairly well known outside of Mpls save for the drummers. Peter Anderson is the busiest musician in Mpls these days -- drumming with The Program, Iffy (featuring the Johnson bros), and Polara (led by Ed Ackerson) are his main gigs, but he's also recently played with Mark Mallman, The Honeydogs, The (Olympic) Hopefuls and about a zillion other bands. Mike Reiter, who helped provide the authentic tribal stomp on "1969" and "Dog," has played in a number of Mpls bands over the years. Reiter's Watt hook-up occurred when he played with the Mofos in the early 90s.
All in all, an amazing night. It's to Watt's credit that he didn't hesitate to come to MN when he heard about the gig (which was also a benefit for a musicians non-profit formed by Steve McClellan, a close friend of Watt). Watt reportedly said he would show up with his bass and do whatever was required. Kraig and a few of the boys initially had an idea for a Stooges tribute and that's exactly what transpired. Many of the locals here in Mpls are still reeling from what turned out to be one of the best short sets of pure rock ever to take place inside of the hallowed walls of First Ave.
At the end of his set, Watt roared "START YR OWN BAND!", the punk manifesto distilled down to its simplest form. A perfect end to a perfect performance from one of the coolest guys on the planet.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks - NYC sessions
Finally tracked down a copy of Blood on the Tapes, a Dylan boot from a few years ago that presents the NYC recording sessions for Dylan’s famous Blood on the Tracks album in chronological order, although, in all fairness, it’s technically a “boot/pirate” hybrid since half of the tracks have been officially released. Of particular interest is the inclusion of great sounding recordings from the original BOTT test pressing of 5 songs that were later re-recorded in Minneapolis after Dylan reportedly got cold feet about them at the 11th hour. The original takes of 4 of these tracks have never been officially released before. But, "wait," you say, "I've got Biograph and The Bootleg Series. Don't they have the original 'New York' versions of some or all of the BOTT tracks that were re-recorded in Minneapolis?" In a word, no.
Here’s the skinny...
BOB DYLAN ~ Blood on the Tapes
| 1 | If You See Her Say Hello | ALT | TBS | |||||
| 2 | Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts | TP | NR | |||||
| 3 | Call Letter Blues | OT | TBS | |||||
| 4 | Idiot Wind | TP | NR | |||||
| 5 | Tangled Up in Blue | ALT | TBS | |||||
| 6 | You're a Big Girl Now | TP | BIO | |||||
| 7 | Shelter From the Storm | ALT | JM | |||||
| 8 | If You See Her Say Hello | TP | NR | |||||
| 9 | Tangled Up in Blue | TP | NR | |||||
| 10 | Up to Me | OT | BIO | |||||
| 11 | Idiot Wind | ALT | TBS |
All tracks recorded September 1974 – Columbia Studios – NYC
1-5: 9/16/74
6-7: 9/17/74
8-11: 9/19/74
2,4,6,8,9 = TP: from original BOTT test pressing (see note below)
1,5,7,11 = ALT: alternate version
3,10 = OT: outtake
1,3,5,11= TBS: appeared on The Bootleg Series
6,10 = BIO: appeared on Biograph
7 = JM: first officially appeared on Jerry McGuire soundtrack
2,4,8,9 = NR: not officially released yet
NOTE: "If You See Her Say Hello," "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts," "You're a Big Girl Now," "Idiot Wind," and "Tangled Up in Blue" were re-recorded in Minneapolis in December 1974 for inclusion on the final version of BOTT after Dylan evidently became dissatisfied with some of the results from the original NYC sessions. The original NYC versions of these 5 songs did appear on test pressings of BOTT that started circulating in late 1974 and were quickly withdrawn. These test pressings are undoubtedly amongst the most valuable Dylan collectables in existence, worth even more than the withdrawn original versions of Freewheelin’ (fortunately, a copy of the BOTT test pressing was dubbed and subsequently booted almost immediately; these old boots are the source for the test pressing tracks on Blood on the Tapes). Although the officially released The Bootleg Series collection purportedly contains "original" versions from the September NYC sessions of 3 of the 5 re-recorded songs (“If You See Her, Say Hello,” “Tangled Up in Blue,” “Idiot Wind”), these are in fact alternate versions; the takes used were different than those appearing on the original test pressing (the differences are especially notable for "Idiot Wind" – compare the 2 quite different vocal deliveries on 4 & 11; a strong argument can be made that the take used for The Bootleg Series is inferior to the one found on the test pressing). An alternate version of "Lily" hasn't emerged yet, so the recording of "You're a Big Girl Now" that appears on Biograph remains the only official release of any of the actual takes that appeared on the original test pressing for these 5 songs, contrary to what's stated (or implied) by Dylan's official historians.
“Call Letter Blues” and “Up to Me” are outtakes from the NYC BOTT sessions.
“Shelter From the Storm” wasn’t re-recorded in Minneapolis (i.e. the version on BOTT is from the NYC sessions) but an alternate NYC version did belatedly appear in the soundtrack for the movie Jerry McGuire.
To recap the variations of the 5 songs that were later re-recorded in Minneapolis:
Blood on the Tracks (final released version): songs re-recorded in Minneapolis in late 1974: “If You See Her, Say Hello,” “Tangled Up in Blue,” “Idiot Wind," "You're a Big Girl Now," "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts." Original NYC versions -- and takes -- appeared on a circulated test pressing in 1974.
The Bootleg Series: alternate NYC versions - different takes from the original BOTT test pressing: “If You See Her, Say Hello,” “Tangled Up in Blue,” “Idiot Wind.” Original BOTT test pressing versions available on various boots, including Blood on the Tapes.
Biograph: original NYC version - same take as BOTT test pressing: “You’re a Big Girl Now”
Alternate NYC version still unreleased / uncirculated: “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts.” Original NYC version available only on the original BOTT test pressing and subsequent boots.
(Thanks to Clinton Heylin and his invaluable book about Dylan's studio recordings, Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions, 1960-1994. Lord knows, Heylin has a "strong" voice; you will very likely disagree with some -- or many -- of his opinions. But this is still an essential work for even semi-serious Dylanologists.)
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Polara "Guest Sessions" gig in St. Paul - 10/23
Guest Session Sundays featuring Polara
at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul
Sunday, October 23rd, 2005
Doors at 7 PM
Two sets by Polara featuring guest appearances from:
Astronaut Wife
Kraig Jarrett Johnson
The Mood Swings
Sideways
Scott Laurent
Marc Perlman
Dan "The Plate" Boen
Tim Oesau
DJ Marc "The Guv'nor" Mueller
with a finale by The Susstones Omniphonic Orchestra
....and other local luminaries to be announced
Polara is pleased to be taking part in the Guest Session Sundays series presented by 89.3 The Current at the Fitz in downtown St. Paul. The setting of this show in this great sounding, good vibing venue gives Polara opportunity to explore new collaborations and present its songs in an expanded musical framework. The band will present two sets of music starting at 7:30. The first set will consist of electric and acoustic performances by the band's core members Ed Ackerson, Jennifer Jurgens, and Peter Anderson, joined by bassist Marc Perlman (Golden Smog, Jayhawks) and a rotating cast of instrumental collaborators. The second set will stretch beyond Polara's traditional lineup and catalog, introducing a fun and diverse array of guest musicians and singers. Here's the currently-confirmed roster of the band's noisemaking friends for the night:
Astronaut Wife- Susstones electronic pop faves Astronaut Wife return to the stage after a two-year absence especially for tonight's show, with Polara adding its backup might. Various members of AW will also be chiming in on vocals and keyboards during the first Polara set.
Sideways- Ed Ackerson's instrumental combo, featuring Peter Anderson, bassist Kraig Jarrett Johnson, Tim Oesau on keyboards, and Blake Hurlbert on percussion. First live Sideways performance in a year!
The Mood Swings- This very exciting fuzzed-out girlpop band has been causing quite a stir locally in the last months. They'll play a few songs tonight in an expanded lineup including members of Polara. The Mood Swings will also be helping out on guitar, electronics, singing and percussion during the Polara set. Look out for the new Mood Swings album Come On Tell Me on Susstones November 8th!
Kraig Jarrett Johnson- Singer, guitar slinger, songwriter for The Program, Golden Smog and Iffy, Kraig is a longtime friend of everyone in Polara. Kraig will do a song or two of his own in addition to adding his "music" during Polara's set
Scott Laurent- Noted local songwriter with a huge heart and a monster set of pipes, Scott will sing and strum a couple of never-before-heard Ed Ackerson numbers with the band.
Tim Oesau- Ace keyboardist for Sideways and the Scott Laurent Band, Tim will bring his deft textural touch to the table with Sideways, Polara and the rest of the gang.
Dan "The Plate" Boen- Polara alum Dan Boen will bring his own special brand of electrolove on Theremin and synthesizer, in addition to playing bass with the Mood Swings.
DJ Marc "The Guv'nor" Mueller of the weekly music club Sussed! will be spinning records at the beginning of the evening and also during the between-set interval.
The Susstones Omniphonic Orchestra will close out the show with the sort of orgiastic sonic bliss that makes nights like this so unique.
The Fitzgerald is a great place for Polara to present this evening of new sounds and fun creative combinations. This show promises to be one of the most memorable ever for this ever-evolving band and its array of guest artists.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Ed Ackerson article in Star Tribune
From the StarTribune
Last update: July 14, 2005 at 11:37 AM
Ed Ackerson: Producer, rocker, everyman
Published July 15, 2005
One of the few things lying around Ed Ackerson's studio last week that did not pertain to the recording process was the new issue of Magnet magazine, featuring a cover story on Hüsker Dü, the Replacements and "the rise and fall of [Minneapolis'] '80s scene."
The magazine proved to be a good talking point for the Polara leader, who's quoted inside. Back then he was a bright-eyed Stillwater teenager immersed in the music community. These days, he's 39 but no less involved.
"I got so much out of the scene when I was a kid," said Ackerson, who plays his first Polara gig in two years tonight for the 24-hour Day of Music.
"So many people were supportive and gave me a chance," he said. "It gave me this halcyon dream of what the Minneapolis scene can be. I'd like to think I provide that kind of help to some of the people coming up now."
Fittingly, Ackerson's Flowers Studio -- housed in a former Uptown flower shop -- played host last week to some yesteryear rockers and one of today's most buzzed-about new bands: Golden Smog and Missing Numbers. The Smog clan has been in and out of Flowers for the past two months, laying down enough great tracks to fill two albums, Ackerson said.
Missing Numbers, meanwhile, is one of about a dozen younger bands Ackerson has produced over the past year. Others include the Melismatics, Astronaut Wife and Mood Swings, all of whom release their CDs on Ackerson's record label, Susstones. (Yep, he's a record mogul, too.) He also has worked with acts so far off the radar that I had to fact-check their names, like Beight ("bait") and So It Goes.
"Some of the best records I've worked on are ones nobody's ever heard," he said.
Ackerson hasn't gotten rich producing albums by little-known rock bands -- certainly not rich enough to afford the kind of equipment at Flowers. The studio was paid for, in large part, with the money Polara got for signing a couple of big record deals in the '90s, with Interscope and then Palm Pictures.
"Instead of paying $250,000 at somebody else's studio, I figured, 'Let's just buy our own place,' " he recalled.
Probably his biggest studio job so far was working with "The Wall" producer Bob Ezrin on the Jayhawks' "Smile" record. Jayhawks bassist Marc Perlman remembered the two studio wizards making a good pair.
"One of Ed's best assets is his ability to combine his intellect with simple feel and instinct," said Perlman, who, by the way, is Polara's new bassist. "Like Bob Ezrin, he's stayed on top of the technology without sacrificing old-school recording techniques."
Over the past year-and-a-half, Ackerson and Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris have produced several albums together, including the recent debut by Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, plus upcoming albums by Ohio songwriting great Tim Easton and L.A. rock band Limbeck. Rumors that Ackerson and Louris will soon be working under the Neptunes-like producers' acronym G.O.D. (Genius on Demand) are unfortunately untrue.
Unlike a lot of musicians turned producers, Ackerson genuinely doesn't seem to regret becoming more of a behind-the-scenes guy.
Polara will be doing more shows this year besides tonight's (10 p.m. in Peavey Plaza). The band -- also including keyboardist Jennifer Jurgens and drummer Pete Anderson -- just finished another new EP to go with the recently released feedback-rouser, "Green Shoes + 4." But Ackerson doesn't hold out any dreams of his group becoming more renowned.
"I never believed the hype about us being the American Oasis or the new Smashing Pumpkins, and in a lot of ways I'm happy that didn't come true," he said.
"I'd rather be here doing this -- making these great records that I believe in -- instead of having one big hit in 1998, and now we'd be playing the Taste of Omaha or wherever."
Last update: July 14, 2005 at 11:37 AM
Ed Ackerson: Producer, rocker, everyman
Published July 15, 2005
One of the few things lying around Ed Ackerson's studio last week that did not pertain to the recording process was the new issue of Magnet magazine, featuring a cover story on Hüsker Dü, the Replacements and "the rise and fall of [Minneapolis'] '80s scene."
The magazine proved to be a good talking point for the Polara leader, who's quoted inside. Back then he was a bright-eyed Stillwater teenager immersed in the music community. These days, he's 39 but no less involved.
"I got so much out of the scene when I was a kid," said Ackerson, who plays his first Polara gig in two years tonight for the 24-hour Day of Music.
"So many people were supportive and gave me a chance," he said. "It gave me this halcyon dream of what the Minneapolis scene can be. I'd like to think I provide that kind of help to some of the people coming up now."
Fittingly, Ackerson's Flowers Studio -- housed in a former Uptown flower shop -- played host last week to some yesteryear rockers and one of today's most buzzed-about new bands: Golden Smog and Missing Numbers. The Smog clan has been in and out of Flowers for the past two months, laying down enough great tracks to fill two albums, Ackerson said.
Missing Numbers, meanwhile, is one of about a dozen younger bands Ackerson has produced over the past year. Others include the Melismatics, Astronaut Wife and Mood Swings, all of whom release their CDs on Ackerson's record label, Susstones. (Yep, he's a record mogul, too.) He also has worked with acts so far off the radar that I had to fact-check their names, like Beight ("bait") and So It Goes.
"Some of the best records I've worked on are ones nobody's ever heard," he said.
Ackerson hasn't gotten rich producing albums by little-known rock bands -- certainly not rich enough to afford the kind of equipment at Flowers. The studio was paid for, in large part, with the money Polara got for signing a couple of big record deals in the '90s, with Interscope and then Palm Pictures.
"Instead of paying $250,000 at somebody else's studio, I figured, 'Let's just buy our own place,' " he recalled.
Probably his biggest studio job so far was working with "The Wall" producer Bob Ezrin on the Jayhawks' "Smile" record. Jayhawks bassist Marc Perlman remembered the two studio wizards making a good pair.
"One of Ed's best assets is his ability to combine his intellect with simple feel and instinct," said Perlman, who, by the way, is Polara's new bassist. "Like Bob Ezrin, he's stayed on top of the technology without sacrificing old-school recording techniques."
Over the past year-and-a-half, Ackerson and Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris have produced several albums together, including the recent debut by Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, plus upcoming albums by Ohio songwriting great Tim Easton and L.A. rock band Limbeck. Rumors that Ackerson and Louris will soon be working under the Neptunes-like producers' acronym G.O.D. (Genius on Demand) are unfortunately untrue.
Unlike a lot of musicians turned producers, Ackerson genuinely doesn't seem to regret becoming more of a behind-the-scenes guy.
Polara will be doing more shows this year besides tonight's (10 p.m. in Peavey Plaza). The band -- also including keyboardist Jennifer Jurgens and drummer Pete Anderson -- just finished another new EP to go with the recently released feedback-rouser, "Green Shoes + 4." But Ackerson doesn't hold out any dreams of his group becoming more renowned.
"I never believed the hype about us being the American Oasis or the new Smashing Pumpkins, and in a lot of ways I'm happy that didn't come true," he said.
"I'd rather be here doing this -- making these great records that I believe in -- instead of having one big hit in 1998, and now we'd be playing the Taste of Omaha or wherever."
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Review: Alejandro Escovedo - 7/8/05 - First Ave. - Minneapolis, MN
Alejandro Escovedo brought his expanded "Texas Orchestra" to First Avenue for a truly memorable show on Friday night. He mentioned that he first played at the club with Rank and File in 1982, so he's closing in on a quarter century of Twin Cities shows. I've seen him here a bunch of times over those years, including the aforementioned early R&F show and one a couple of years later when the '80s "cowpunk" movement was in full swing, aka the birth of the modern "alt-country" era. I've also seen him once in Madison, 3 times in Chicago and twice in Austin, and, unlike others who have slipped off his bandwagon in recent years, I always look forward to seeing him again. He looked and sounded great, and was genuinely moved at the very warm reception he received from the reverential crowd of 800 or so. During the first several songs, the ovations were really quite special; there's no doubt that a lot of his fans were thrilled to see him back in action for his first Twin Cities appearance in almost 3 years.
Besides playing shows outside of Texas for the first time in a while (he evidently has sworn off extensive touring, so we're left with the occasional "special" show, like those he's done earlier this year in Seattle and Chicago), the other big news was Alejandro's teaming up with his former True Believers cohort, Jon Dee Graham. Jon Dee opened up the night with a 45 minute solo acoustic set that featured several new songs, along with some choice cuts from his 4 albums. The last two of those albums were recorded for New West, which Jon Dee pointedly referred to his as "former" record label. There clearly has been a parting of ways and, judging from some oblique comments onstage, the divorce was a messy one. He even said at one point, "I'm legally prevented from talking about this," which, of course, was followed by some talking about it! He did solicit fans to buy a new homemade CD of his (on the "Freedom" label - yikes! shades of Prince in his "slave" period?) which features acoustic renditions of some new songs. One of the new songs is called "Betrayed." For a variety of personal reasons I'll leave the lyrics to someone else, but suffice it so say that its unbridled, very personal vitriol -- along with a scathing "thank you" on the back of the CD -- insures it a place alongside other classic record label "love" songs like the Pistols' "EMI" and Graham Parker's "Mercury Poisoning." The irony of all of this was that Jon Dee played a fine, at times powerful, set to the largest TC crowd of his career and they totally ate it up. And, of course, this was all before he wowed the punters with his six-string prowess during the headline set. Bottom line: there are a hell of lot of more people who know about JDG now than before the show.
I've been lucky enough to have seen Al with a variety of rock and "country-rock" combos, as well as the "string quartet" line-up, but the 7 piece band he had for this performance brought the best of both worlds. Long time cohorts Bruce Salmon, Susan Voelz and Hector Munoz were joined by a cello player I don't think I've seen before (Al stuck close to him much of the night for cues and stuff), Mark Andes on bass (from Spirit; he's played with JDG before) and JDG himself, who brought a whole dimension of rock that I hadn't seen since those very cool, long-forgotten Buick MacKane shows back in '97. It was great to see some actual twin electric guitar fireworks at an AE show again on songs like "Crooked Frame," "Everybody Loves Me" and "Put You Down." For most of the set, JDG kicked it Hendrix-style on the lap steel. BTW, the lap steel is a funny instrument to go nuts on - it was more than a little funny to watch Jon Dee writhe around and "get into it" all the while sitting in a chair! Talk about ants in your pants...
The setlist had a handful of new/new-ish songs and a whole bunch of familiar titles, largely from the Ryko era. For the first time in memory, there was no Iggy. No "Castanets" either. However, given that Al's setlists change at a rather glacial pace, I don't think there were many complaints, especially since there were 3 bona fide new ones, 4 if you count "Deerhead." The real revelation, though, was in the power and complexity of the arrangements. Despite the familiar look of the setlist, this was not more of the "same old same old." With the expanded line-up - particularly Jon Dee's smoking electric gtr and lap steel contributions - many of the songs you've heard a million times before were shaken and stirred, allowed to breath, or just plain restructured. "Sex Beat" began with a really cool synth intro that slowly transformed itself into a pulsing electronic rhythm that only became recognizable after a few minutes. "Everybody Loves Me" started out with Bruce Salmon slicing and dicing a GWB speech on his laptop, the loops cascading into a wash of echoes until it all segued into a blistering rock intro. For those perplexed by this tie-in to our clueless leader, the "everybody loves me / but I don't know why" couplet eventually hammered the point home - a brilliant piece of cultural linking for sure. On the other end of the sonic scale, "Rosalie" was especially fetching - despite the expanded line-up it seemed more fragile and delicate than ever, punctuated by beautiful violin and lap steel solos.
There were no new covers in the encore, but they were both satisfying in a comfort food kinda way. No AE show is really complete without a tip of the hat to Ian Hunter and "Sway" was picture-perfect -- sadly beautiful and heartbreaking, perhaps the finest reading I've ever heard Al give this lost Stones classic.
After the show, Al sat at the merch table chatting and signing for what seemed like forever. He literally stayed until the last dog was hung - a class act all the way. Intriguingly, he mentioned a gig in Austin in early September which will feature a full blown True Believers reunion with his brother Javier on a bill also featuring Los Lobos. What will make this particular show special is that these two kingpins of the mid-80s "roots" movement will be hopping into the way-back machine by playing only material from 1985 setlists
Before the show, I ran into my old friend Terry Katzman, longtime Mpls scenster, Oar Folk employee and former owner of the much-missed Garage d'Or record store, and we talked a good long while about Al's many memorable local appearances, including 3 wonderful in-store / picnic / keggers at Garage d'Or. Talk about your good times. With Al's new lease on life, let's hope the good times continue to roll.
Alejandro Escovedo
First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN - 8 July 2005
Baby's Got New Plans
Way it Goes
Five Hearts Breaking
Deerhead on the Wall
Notes on Air (new song, from "13 Ways to Live" comp)
Everybody Loves Me
Sex Beat >
dub interlude >
Crooked Frame
Rosalie
I Died a Little Today (new song)
Avita's Lullabye (new song)
I Was Drunk
Velvet Guitar
Put You Down
ENCORE
All the Young Dudes
Sway
(110m)
AE: acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, lead vox
Jon Dee Graham: electric and lap steel guitars
Mark Andes: bass guitar, bg vox
Bruce Salmon: keyboards, laptop, bg vox
Susan Voelz: violin, bg vox
Matt "The Hoople" Fish: cello
Hector Munoz: drums, percussion
Besides playing shows outside of Texas for the first time in a while (he evidently has sworn off extensive touring, so we're left with the occasional "special" show, like those he's done earlier this year in Seattle and Chicago), the other big news was Alejandro's teaming up with his former True Believers cohort, Jon Dee Graham. Jon Dee opened up the night with a 45 minute solo acoustic set that featured several new songs, along with some choice cuts from his 4 albums. The last two of those albums were recorded for New West, which Jon Dee pointedly referred to his as "former" record label. There clearly has been a parting of ways and, judging from some oblique comments onstage, the divorce was a messy one. He even said at one point, "I'm legally prevented from talking about this," which, of course, was followed by some talking about it! He did solicit fans to buy a new homemade CD of his (on the "Freedom" label - yikes! shades of Prince in his "slave" period?) which features acoustic renditions of some new songs. One of the new songs is called "Betrayed." For a variety of personal reasons I'll leave the lyrics to someone else, but suffice it so say that its unbridled, very personal vitriol -- along with a scathing "thank you" on the back of the CD -- insures it a place alongside other classic record label "love" songs like the Pistols' "EMI" and Graham Parker's "Mercury Poisoning." The irony of all of this was that Jon Dee played a fine, at times powerful, set to the largest TC crowd of his career and they totally ate it up. And, of course, this was all before he wowed the punters with his six-string prowess during the headline set. Bottom line: there are a hell of lot of more people who know about JDG now than before the show.
I've been lucky enough to have seen Al with a variety of rock and "country-rock" combos, as well as the "string quartet" line-up, but the 7 piece band he had for this performance brought the best of both worlds. Long time cohorts Bruce Salmon, Susan Voelz and Hector Munoz were joined by a cello player I don't think I've seen before (Al stuck close to him much of the night for cues and stuff), Mark Andes on bass (from Spirit; he's played with JDG before) and JDG himself, who brought a whole dimension of rock that I hadn't seen since those very cool, long-forgotten Buick MacKane shows back in '97. It was great to see some actual twin electric guitar fireworks at an AE show again on songs like "Crooked Frame," "Everybody Loves Me" and "Put You Down." For most of the set, JDG kicked it Hendrix-style on the lap steel. BTW, the lap steel is a funny instrument to go nuts on - it was more than a little funny to watch Jon Dee writhe around and "get into it" all the while sitting in a chair! Talk about ants in your pants...
The setlist had a handful of new/new-ish songs and a whole bunch of familiar titles, largely from the Ryko era. For the first time in memory, there was no Iggy. No "Castanets" either. However, given that Al's setlists change at a rather glacial pace, I don't think there were many complaints, especially since there were 3 bona fide new ones, 4 if you count "Deerhead." The real revelation, though, was in the power and complexity of the arrangements. Despite the familiar look of the setlist, this was not more of the "same old same old." With the expanded line-up - particularly Jon Dee's smoking electric gtr and lap steel contributions - many of the songs you've heard a million times before were shaken and stirred, allowed to breath, or just plain restructured. "Sex Beat" began with a really cool synth intro that slowly transformed itself into a pulsing electronic rhythm that only became recognizable after a few minutes. "Everybody Loves Me" started out with Bruce Salmon slicing and dicing a GWB speech on his laptop, the loops cascading into a wash of echoes until it all segued into a blistering rock intro. For those perplexed by this tie-in to our clueless leader, the "everybody loves me / but I don't know why" couplet eventually hammered the point home - a brilliant piece of cultural linking for sure. On the other end of the sonic scale, "Rosalie" was especially fetching - despite the expanded line-up it seemed more fragile and delicate than ever, punctuated by beautiful violin and lap steel solos.
There were no new covers in the encore, but they were both satisfying in a comfort food kinda way. No AE show is really complete without a tip of the hat to Ian Hunter and "Sway" was picture-perfect -- sadly beautiful and heartbreaking, perhaps the finest reading I've ever heard Al give this lost Stones classic.
After the show, Al sat at the merch table chatting and signing for what seemed like forever. He literally stayed until the last dog was hung - a class act all the way. Intriguingly, he mentioned a gig in Austin in early September which will feature a full blown True Believers reunion with his brother Javier on a bill also featuring Los Lobos. What will make this particular show special is that these two kingpins of the mid-80s "roots" movement will be hopping into the way-back machine by playing only material from 1985 setlists
Before the show, I ran into my old friend Terry Katzman, longtime Mpls scenster, Oar Folk employee and former owner of the much-missed Garage d'Or record store, and we talked a good long while about Al's many memorable local appearances, including 3 wonderful in-store / picnic / keggers at Garage d'Or. Talk about your good times. With Al's new lease on life, let's hope the good times continue to roll.
Alejandro Escovedo
First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN - 8 July 2005
Baby's Got New Plans
Way it Goes
Five Hearts Breaking
Deerhead on the Wall
Notes on Air (new song, from "13 Ways to Live" comp)
Everybody Loves Me
Sex Beat >
dub interlude >
Crooked Frame
Rosalie
I Died a Little Today (new song)
Avita's Lullabye (new song)
I Was Drunk
Velvet Guitar
Put You Down
ENCORE
All the Young Dudes
Sway
(110m)
AE: acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, lead vox
Jon Dee Graham: electric and lap steel guitars
Mark Andes: bass guitar, bg vox
Bruce Salmon: keyboards, laptop, bg vox
Susan Voelz: violin, bg vox
Matt "The Hoople" Fish: cello
Hector Munoz: drums, percussion
Sunday, March 6, 2005
Slobberbone, we hardly knew ye...
"Well I've seen you hanging around for awhile,
And I wish that you'd just go away
Cause I've been stuck in this old town for awhile,
And this town has seen it's better days"
(Slobberbone - "I'll Be Damned")
SLOBBERBONE @ THE 400 BAR - MINNEAPOLIS, MN - 3/5/05
Well, that was fun.
Slobberbone's au revoir to the Twin Cities was everything I would want a farewell gig to be - loud, joyous, emotional and, mo' definitely, rockin'. Hell, that's what I wanted every 'bone gig to be. To their credit, they usually rose to the occasion. Last night they delivered in spades. I'm happy to report that there were no fistfights or long faces. The crowd was just one big drunk, happy family - peace and happy vibes seemed to rule the moment. People loudly cheered each fave song and I saw so many people singing along that I was moved to ponder why bands break up when they have such a devoted fan base, no matter what the size. Well, maybe I just answered my own question...
I'll admit to be a bit anxious after hearing about what apparently was an off nite in Chicago; those damn Internets. But after over 2-1/2 hours of drunken revelry at the 400, the exhausted crowd - and band - knew that they had just participated in something special. Brent gave a couple special shout-outs to the packed house - changed the lyrics in "Lumberlung" to "we headed up towards the land of 10,000 lakes" and offered up a "this town has always been our favorite place to play" hosanna that seemed more genuine than boilerplate - but the long, long show was basically just a whole lot of what they've always done best. I wouldn't have expected anything less - or more, for that matter.
A couple statistical observations: this was about twice as many people as I've ever seen at a S-bone show in MN, dating back to The Turf Club in 1997, and they played about twice as long as I've ever seen them play up here. It figures - I was just kvetching about them never doing "marathon" sets in MN and, bam, that's exactly what they do. Maybe I should've bitched about them not breaking up enough.
The band seemed to be in fine spirits all night; if there are any underlying "issues" amongst the boys, they weren't on obvious display. Speaking of spirits, "drinking breaks" occurred at regular intervals during the set as a steady succession of shots, drinks and beers made their way to the stage. During other intervals, Brent solicited questions from the audience and offered several heartfelt "thank yous" to the increasingly soused punters who were depleting the 400's always shaky booze inventory at an alarming rate. To say that this was a "drinking crowd" would be a severe understatement.
I'll leave the setlist details to the historians, but they played some things I've never experienced in person and/or haven't been played regularly since the last century ("Front Porch," "Get Gone Again," a nice "trio" version of "One Rung" while Jess fixed a string). And, much to my surprise, they finally played friggin' "Some New Town," a song Brent said he used to hate playing - in spite of all of the requests, which he said he hated even more - but now has grown to enjoy doing live. He said something about "the distance of time" having a healing effect, a statement that rung more than a little poignant on this particular night.
Like a giddy fanboy, I kept thinking during the show, "wow, this has to be my _favorite_ S-bone song ever - cool." Thankfully, this happened several times: "Billy Pritchard," "Lumberlung," "Barrel Chested," "Your Excuse," "That is All," etc. "I'll Be Damned" was especially memorable with the crowd roaring along during the chorus like a bunch of drunken soccer hooligans. Lots of requests from long-time fans went unfulfilled: "Tilt-a-Whirl," "Meltdown," "Josephine" - and "Placemat Blues" was kinda conspicuous by its absence - but after a sweaty 2-1/2 hours I didn't hear anyone complaining.
The encore was a 1-2 punch of special covers. Soul Asylum's "Cartoon" was first, only the second time I've heard them violate the "motherland rule" up here. Brent once said that MN is the "motherland to all that is good and true about rock 'n' roll," a testament to his love of bands like SA, The Mats, Jayhawks, etc. Anyone familiar with Slobberbone's rich history of great covers has probably heard winning renditions of "Martin's Song," "Can't Hardly Wait" or "Cartoon" at some time over the last 10 years. Brent had steadfastly resisted requests for those songs during their many visits here, citing the "motherland rule" each time, until they finally fell off the wagon on one of their last visits, which, I guess, was something of an omen. Speaking of Soul Asylum, Brent was jumping for joy when my friend Caffeine Zombie gave him a SA boot after the show ("Platinum Punks" I think) that sported a cover of "Free Bird," a song that S-Bone has also butchered in the past.
The night started out with a Neil Young cover ("The Days That Used to Be") and it ended the same way. "Big Time" is just one of many Neil songs in the 'bone arsenal, but some of the lyrics seemed tailor-made for the occasion and hit home like a ton of bricks: "I'm still living the dream I had / For me it's not over." And, on this night, they tore it up in a manner that woulda made the master proud.
After "Big Time," Brent and Brian - clearly not wanting to leave - spent several minutes on stage "performing" a feedback jam that I suppose you could say was a "cover" of the "migraine" segment of Wilco's "Less Than You Think." Brent was crouched over his guitar on the floor while Brian was fiddling with his bass perched atop the bass amp. Eventually, Brian went to the front of the stage, stretched his arms out and slowly fell into the crowd. I was then shocked to look up and see a cadre of fans literally running full steam towards the back of the club while carrying Brian high in the air. It was truly one of the damnedest things I've seen at a rock show in ages.
For the entire show, well over 150 minutes, I stood in one place - right smack in the middle of the crowd - wanting to soak up every last bit of Slobberbone I could before their existence was consigned to fading memories and digital artifacts. They were every bit as good as I've ever seen them, maybe even better, which made the whole experience even more bittersweet and maudlin than I could've imagined.
After the show, the boys "worked" the crowd just like at a funeral, only this one was their own. My wife and I spent a few minutes giving our best to Brent as we reminisced about good times past, mutual friends in Texas and Neil Young. As we turned to leave, my wife hugged Brent and gave him a kiss on the lips. He then suddenly grabbed me and did the same, which, given the circumstances, seemed strangely appropriate. Talk about being "touched" by a performance!
My lasting visual image of the whole night is one that is rather fitting given the subject matter of many of Brent's best songs. After the crowd cleared out, the floor of the 400 looked like a bomb had gone off. I've never seen so many beer bottles littering a small club; it was actually hard to walk, and there were more than a few people who were already having trouble in that department. I took a quick pic of the debris with my cell phone cam. In the future, when I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll look at that pic as I crack open a beer and put on "Barrel Chested," feeling that happy/sad tingle that fans know all too well after one of their faves decides to walk that long walk.
And I wish that you'd just go away
Cause I've been stuck in this old town for awhile,
And this town has seen it's better days"
(Slobberbone - "I'll Be Damned")
SLOBBERBONE @ THE 400 BAR - MINNEAPOLIS, MN - 3/5/05
Well, that was fun.
Slobberbone's au revoir to the Twin Cities was everything I would want a farewell gig to be - loud, joyous, emotional and, mo' definitely, rockin'. Hell, that's what I wanted every 'bone gig to be. To their credit, they usually rose to the occasion. Last night they delivered in spades. I'm happy to report that there were no fistfights or long faces. The crowd was just one big drunk, happy family - peace and happy vibes seemed to rule the moment. People loudly cheered each fave song and I saw so many people singing along that I was moved to ponder why bands break up when they have such a devoted fan base, no matter what the size. Well, maybe I just answered my own question...
I'll admit to be a bit anxious after hearing about what apparently was an off nite in Chicago; those damn Internets. But after over 2-1/2 hours of drunken revelry at the 400, the exhausted crowd - and band - knew that they had just participated in something special. Brent gave a couple special shout-outs to the packed house - changed the lyrics in "Lumberlung" to "we headed up towards the land of 10,000 lakes" and offered up a "this town has always been our favorite place to play" hosanna that seemed more genuine than boilerplate - but the long, long show was basically just a whole lot of what they've always done best. I wouldn't have expected anything less - or more, for that matter.
A couple statistical observations: this was about twice as many people as I've ever seen at a S-bone show in MN, dating back to The Turf Club in 1997, and they played about twice as long as I've ever seen them play up here. It figures - I was just kvetching about them never doing "marathon" sets in MN and, bam, that's exactly what they do. Maybe I should've bitched about them not breaking up enough.
The band seemed to be in fine spirits all night; if there are any underlying "issues" amongst the boys, they weren't on obvious display. Speaking of spirits, "drinking breaks" occurred at regular intervals during the set as a steady succession of shots, drinks and beers made their way to the stage. During other intervals, Brent solicited questions from the audience and offered several heartfelt "thank yous" to the increasingly soused punters who were depleting the 400's always shaky booze inventory at an alarming rate. To say that this was a "drinking crowd" would be a severe understatement.
I'll leave the setlist details to the historians, but they played some things I've never experienced in person and/or haven't been played regularly since the last century ("Front Porch," "Get Gone Again," a nice "trio" version of "One Rung" while Jess fixed a string). And, much to my surprise, they finally played friggin' "Some New Town," a song Brent said he used to hate playing - in spite of all of the requests, which he said he hated even more - but now has grown to enjoy doing live. He said something about "the distance of time" having a healing effect, a statement that rung more than a little poignant on this particular night.
Like a giddy fanboy, I kept thinking during the show, "wow, this has to be my _favorite_ S-bone song ever - cool." Thankfully, this happened several times: "Billy Pritchard," "Lumberlung," "Barrel Chested," "Your Excuse," "That is All," etc. "I'll Be Damned" was especially memorable with the crowd roaring along during the chorus like a bunch of drunken soccer hooligans. Lots of requests from long-time fans went unfulfilled: "Tilt-a-Whirl," "Meltdown," "Josephine" - and "Placemat Blues" was kinda conspicuous by its absence - but after a sweaty 2-1/2 hours I didn't hear anyone complaining.
The encore was a 1-2 punch of special covers. Soul Asylum's "Cartoon" was first, only the second time I've heard them violate the "motherland rule" up here. Brent once said that MN is the "motherland to all that is good and true about rock 'n' roll," a testament to his love of bands like SA, The Mats, Jayhawks, etc. Anyone familiar with Slobberbone's rich history of great covers has probably heard winning renditions of "Martin's Song," "Can't Hardly Wait" or "Cartoon" at some time over the last 10 years. Brent had steadfastly resisted requests for those songs during their many visits here, citing the "motherland rule" each time, until they finally fell off the wagon on one of their last visits, which, I guess, was something of an omen. Speaking of Soul Asylum, Brent was jumping for joy when my friend Caffeine Zombie gave him a SA boot after the show ("Platinum Punks" I think) that sported a cover of "Free Bird," a song that S-Bone has also butchered in the past.
The night started out with a Neil Young cover ("The Days That Used to Be") and it ended the same way. "Big Time" is just one of many Neil songs in the 'bone arsenal, but some of the lyrics seemed tailor-made for the occasion and hit home like a ton of bricks: "I'm still living the dream I had / For me it's not over." And, on this night, they tore it up in a manner that woulda made the master proud.
After "Big Time," Brent and Brian - clearly not wanting to leave - spent several minutes on stage "performing" a feedback jam that I suppose you could say was a "cover" of the "migraine" segment of Wilco's "Less Than You Think." Brent was crouched over his guitar on the floor while Brian was fiddling with his bass perched atop the bass amp. Eventually, Brian went to the front of the stage, stretched his arms out and slowly fell into the crowd. I was then shocked to look up and see a cadre of fans literally running full steam towards the back of the club while carrying Brian high in the air. It was truly one of the damnedest things I've seen at a rock show in ages.
For the entire show, well over 150 minutes, I stood in one place - right smack in the middle of the crowd - wanting to soak up every last bit of Slobberbone I could before their existence was consigned to fading memories and digital artifacts. They were every bit as good as I've ever seen them, maybe even better, which made the whole experience even more bittersweet and maudlin than I could've imagined.
After the show, the boys "worked" the crowd just like at a funeral, only this one was their own. My wife and I spent a few minutes giving our best to Brent as we reminisced about good times past, mutual friends in Texas and Neil Young. As we turned to leave, my wife hugged Brent and gave him a kiss on the lips. He then suddenly grabbed me and did the same, which, given the circumstances, seemed strangely appropriate. Talk about being "touched" by a performance!
My lasting visual image of the whole night is one that is rather fitting given the subject matter of many of Brent's best songs. After the crowd cleared out, the floor of the 400 looked like a bomb had gone off. I've never seen so many beer bottles littering a small club; it was actually hard to walk, and there were more than a few people who were already having trouble in that department. I took a quick pic of the debris with my cell phone cam. In the future, when I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll look at that pic as I crack open a beer and put on "Barrel Chested," feeling that happy/sad tingle that fans know all too well after one of their faves decides to walk that long walk.
Saturday, February 5, 2005
New Polara EP is out!
Just a quick reminder that the new Polara EP, "Green Shoes + 4," is now available for sale. The first new music from Ed Ackerson and crew in 3 years, this EP picks up right where "Jetpack Blues" left off. Full of the trademark progressive noisepop that Polara is famous for, this new EP is phase 1 in Polara's 2005 resurgence. Highlights include the roaring fury of the title song (currently being played on 89.3 / "The Current"), "30 Seconds" (which sounds like an unholy alliance between My Bloody Valentine and Big Star), "Teapot Tempest" (a deliciously catchy scorcher that rocks as hard as anything Polara's ever done) and "Time Slips Away" (a wistful ballad that sounds like it was unearthed from some long-lost 1966 Stones session).
Twin Citians can buy the Polara EP at the Electric Fetus and several other local independent outlets. It's also available on-line through the Susstones Shop: http://www.susstonesshop.com/
This is a limited edition release; when they're gone, they're gone. Look for more "teasers" in the coming months, as well as Polara's much anticipated return to live action.
More info: http://www.susstones.com/sussnews.html , which includes a link to a MP3 from the new EP.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
"New" Dylan archival recording unearthed?
Amongst Dylan geeks, "Minnesota Party Tape" has always referred to a May 1961 session at the Mpls. apartment of one Bonnie Beecher, one of many women who fell under Bob's spell in his formative years (note how I'm not using the word "groupie"). Recent mentions of the May '61 "Party Tape" session in reference to a newly donated tape at the MN History Center are clearly in error.
The "new" tape in question appears to be very similar to this one:
http://www.punkhart.com/dylan/tapes/60-sep.html
although the published tracklisting of the "new" tape reference a few songs that haven't appeared on any previous tracklistings of this session. Clinton Heylin dates this session to September 1960 and places the location at "Hugh Brown's apartment - Minneapolis" (presumably this is the apartment in Dinkytown, about 2 miles from where I'm typing right now, referred to in recent articles). Like the May '61 "Party Tape," this 9/60 session - referred to in some circles as the "Minnesota University Tape" - is in circulation. If the "new" tape everyone is talking about is in fact from the 9/60 session, the rarity ascribed to it by pundits in recent days has been vastly overstated.
This article:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050113/cgth041_1.html
offers this tracklisting of the "new" tape:
Blues Yodel No. 8 (aka Muleskinner Blues)
Come See Jerusalem
San Francisco Bay Blues
I'm a Gambler
Talkin' Merchant Marine
Talkin' Hugh Brown
Talkin' Lobbyist
Red Rosey Bush
Johnny I Hardly Knew You
Jesus Christ
Streets of Glory
K.C. Moan
In Heylin's reference book, he lists 9 of these songs for the 9/60 session, omitting "Come See Jerusalem," "San Francisco Bay Blues" and "Talkin' Lobbyist." His list includes "Talkin' Inflation Blues" and "Talkin' Columbia," which aren't on the above list (note: the titles of many of these Woody Guthrie "talking blues" songs are a confusing mess).
Whether this "new" tape is an upgrade - in quantity and/or quality - of the 9/60 "University" tape or something completely different remains to be heard. I'm gonna try and head over to the MN History Center next week and find out for myself. To me, it seems rather unlikely that two informal sessions from the same timeframe would be virtually identical, save for a few song titles.
One thing I can tell you, a lot of these informal Dylan sessions took place here in Mpls in 59-62, many of them recorded semi-professionally on high quality reel-to-reel recorders that seemed to be ubiquitous in folk circles back then. Some of them have leaked out over the years (one of the very first rock boots, "Great White Wonder," featured a big chunk of the Dec. 61 "Minnesota Hotel Tape") while others remain tucked away in shoeboxes and attics. When I worked with Tony Glover (old Dylan pal, local radio DJ and one of the leaders of the '60s folk/blues revival) back in the early 80s, he spoke of literally hundreds of hours of stuff from this period that was stashed away. He would be one to know; he taped a lot of it himself, including the aforementioned "Hotel Tape."
The "new" tape in question appears to be very similar to this one:
http://www.punkhart.com/dylan/tapes/60-sep.html
although the published tracklisting of the "new" tape reference a few songs that haven't appeared on any previous tracklistings of this session. Clinton Heylin dates this session to September 1960 and places the location at "Hugh Brown's apartment - Minneapolis" (presumably this is the apartment in Dinkytown, about 2 miles from where I'm typing right now, referred to in recent articles). Like the May '61 "Party Tape," this 9/60 session - referred to in some circles as the "Minnesota University Tape" - is in circulation. If the "new" tape everyone is talking about is in fact from the 9/60 session, the rarity ascribed to it by pundits in recent days has been vastly overstated.
This article:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050113/cgth041_1.html
offers this tracklisting of the "new" tape:
Blues Yodel No. 8 (aka Muleskinner Blues)
Come See Jerusalem
San Francisco Bay Blues
I'm a Gambler
Talkin' Merchant Marine
Talkin' Hugh Brown
Talkin' Lobbyist
Red Rosey Bush
Johnny I Hardly Knew You
Jesus Christ
Streets of Glory
K.C. Moan
In Heylin's reference book, he lists 9 of these songs for the 9/60 session, omitting "Come See Jerusalem," "San Francisco Bay Blues" and "Talkin' Lobbyist." His list includes "Talkin' Inflation Blues" and "Talkin' Columbia," which aren't on the above list (note: the titles of many of these Woody Guthrie "talking blues" songs are a confusing mess).
Whether this "new" tape is an upgrade - in quantity and/or quality - of the 9/60 "University" tape or something completely different remains to be heard. I'm gonna try and head over to the MN History Center next week and find out for myself. To me, it seems rather unlikely that two informal sessions from the same timeframe would be virtually identical, save for a few song titles.
One thing I can tell you, a lot of these informal Dylan sessions took place here in Mpls in 59-62, many of them recorded semi-professionally on high quality reel-to-reel recorders that seemed to be ubiquitous in folk circles back then. Some of them have leaked out over the years (one of the very first rock boots, "Great White Wonder," featured a big chunk of the Dec. 61 "Minnesota Hotel Tape") while others remain tucked away in shoeboxes and attics. When I worked with Tony Glover (old Dylan pal, local radio DJ and one of the leaders of the '60s folk/blues revival) back in the early 80s, he spoke of literally hundreds of hours of stuff from this period that was stashed away. He would be one to know; he taped a lot of it himself, including the aforementioned "Hotel Tape."
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