From: owner-believers-digest@smoe.org (believers-digest) To: believers-digest@smoe.org Subject: believers-digest V2 #143 Reply-To: believers@smoe.org Sender: owner-believers-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-believers-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk believers-digest Thursday, September 17 1998 Volume 02 : Number 143 In Today's believer's digest: ----------------- forwarded message re: Seattle ["Charlie Sweeney" ] TBT, I like it! [Sally Charette ] My own view ["Zorn, Marc" ] TBT [Kris Richardson ] The New CD [Carolyn Andre ] re: the new CD ["Stephen N. Spencer" ] newcd@amazon.com ["Harry B. Turner" ] Susan at Borders [Rosemary.Connors@wharton.upenn.edu] Re: My own view [rbhoff@ix.netcom.com] what else, the new CD [Carolyn Andre ] Re: what else, the new CD [Jeff Wasilko ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 07:38:24 -4000 From: "Charlie Sweeney" Subject: forwarded message re: Seattle Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 14:22:35 -0800 To: believers@smoe.org From: Robbi Kearns Subject: Susan's show in Seattle Hi All - Sorry for those of you who aren't in or around Seattle - but I wanted to get you the correct contact information for the Seattle show on Friday September 18th! Please phone 206-528-8523 or visit www.seafolklore.org for information and/or reservations! My work phone number was giving out and I can not receive these calls at work....so please change the info for me! Basic info: The show was moved to the Gift of Grace Church, located in Wallingford at N40th and Meridian. We have also moved the show back to 8:30pm so that people can make the change to the new venue if they haven't heard about the venue change. The Church is on the corner of the block, and the entrance to the venue is around the right side of the church. The venue holds about 150 and we have had a variety of shows there, most recently a local songwriter's showcase. Thanks, and hope to see you at the concert! Robbi Kearns Seattle Folklore Society Shameless Plug: If you are interested, please join our email listserv of concert announcements. To SUBSCRIBE: Send email to listserv@seafolklore.org with the following message in the body of the email message: subscribe concertlist Charlie Sweeney (=}===# Virtual Guitarist-Something Black charlies@voicenet.com http://www.voicenet.com/~charlies "Caught in my struggle for higher achievement and my search for love, that don't seem to cease" ...Joni Mitchell HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 09:48:02 -0700 (Pacific Daylight Time) From: Sally Charette Subject: TBT, I like it! Ya'll-- Well, this may sound PollyAnna-ish, since so many listers are happily finding faults, but I really like TBT. I love that the vocals are strong and "out front." I like what she did with "Vincent," which made me hear it in a new way. "Bonzai" is brillant and heart breaking. "The Movie of My Life," I want to share with everyone. "Time Between Trains," which I hadn't heard before is that very Susan combination of wit and melancholy that makes her work so brilliant in my book. My first real encounter with SW's music was at a concert, and I was really not excited about any of the CDs when I first heard them. Now I love them, especially the two non-live albums. I no longer expect to get that live dynamic from her CDs and if she wants them to be commercially viable, I doubt that they can attempt to represent the way she performs on stage. (I've never been a big fan of live recordings, anyway.) Meanwhile, we're busily recruiting everyone I can to join us at the McCabe's concert in Santa Monica on the 29th! Sally Charette scharett@library.ucla.edu sally.charette@anderson.ucla.edu "Challenge is opportunity in its work clothes." --Jane Houston HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 09:58:07 -0700 From: "Zorn, Marc" Subject: My own view I've got to admit, I am a bit surprised by the reviews of Susan's album that I've read on this list. It isn't the analysis, it's the expectation that surprises me. I've read several postings of people that somehow expect a studio album to have the same feel as a live concert, and further, to capture the "essence" of their experience. Every performance is different, and every interpretation is unique. Even a recording of a concert performance that you didn't attend will sound different than your memory from another time. There are so many factors to a concert that just can't be translated to a recording, especially a studio recording. Even with performers that try to keep as much consistency as possible will sound wildly different depending on the venue. Consider that Susan is in a different mood, your mood is different because of the traffic on the drive over, the guitar is a different temperature, the seats are a different configuration, the acoustics to the room are unique, the number of people listening is different, the house piano is tuned differently than the one on which she practiced, etc., etc. I'm not sure Susan is trying to be consistent. I wouldn't WANT her to sound the same from concert to concert. A studio album is a vastly different medium. As the French say, "Viva La Difference!" I love the new album on many levels. Most important to me is that I can experience Susan in a new way. I can hear the telling of a story I've heard before with emphasis in new places. I can hear other musicians expressing the story with her. I can't wait to hear her again in two weeks, and experience the songs I've heard many months ago in yet new ways, which is different from the album, which is different from your experiences. Viva La Difference! Marc HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 98 14:19:49 -0500 From: Kris Richardson Subject: TBT Just a few more comments about the new album, as well as responses to some criticism I've read here. I love the fact that the albums are so different from her live performances. I certainly don't go to a concert to hear the same material presented in the same manner. Let's face it, Susan is complex, and I think her songs can represent many moods and feelings depending on how she's feeling when she plays them. The songs that touched me from TBT are Your Old Mistake, Sorry About Jesus, Like Bonsai & Petaluma Afternoons. I'm an audio engineer myself, and I kind of like the production contrast between LOTGSG & TBT. The new material is a bit more stripped down, with Susan right out in front. I think it's a nice feel, not better or worse than her other albums, just different. I do like the comment that, I think it was Christopher, made, that Susan can cover Williams, Griffith, Larkin, etc., but there's no way they could cover her. Agreed! Kris HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 12:33:46 -0500 (CDT) From: Carolyn Andre Subject: The New CD just to clear up a possible misunderstanding of my comments from last night: I fully comprehend the difference between a live performance, a live recording and a studio recording. Personally, I didn't have a particular problem with the "arranged" nature of either LOTGSG or TBT - - despite observing that the arrangement seemed to employ currently trendy instrumentation rather than that which I was more familiar with. Actually, I *love* the return of ventures into the jazz/cabaret instrumentals and arrangements ... in addition to Paul's "Susan and piano" idea, I'd go for "an evening with Susan & jazz club" . I suspect that many comments on this list will compare the new recording to 'last time I saw Susan live' precisely *because* that is how many of us in certain parts of the country have been able to experience her new material over the last 3 1/2 years. and not necessarily because we expected a live recording, or because we expect a studio recording to compare to a particular evening's live performance. Just a comparison to a bit broader repertoir than the listmembers who've not yet had the luck to live on her (thankfully geographically-expanding tour route). Luckily for me, Chicago is kinda near Iowa . As to recording mixes, I'm much more disturbed by mixes which put the vocals (IMHO) too far back in the mix - whether on a recording or in a live performance (the latter I encounter a lot with local musicians and venue sound folks who are more familiar with rock instrumentals ). So again, not a particular problem there for me with TBT. I also have, "in my old age", come to accept that musicians are people too, and wish to grow and change. The result of this being differences, over time, in who and what I see and hear coming from the same face and name. But equally, as a listener, I have a choice in who and what I choose to purchase or listen to. I was originally attracted to Susan's music by the dynamite lyrics, with depth and great imagery - plus some relevance to my place in life at the time of course - but mainly to the voice and style with which they were delivered. And *that* latter is the piece I find missing on the new recording. For whatever reason, Susan has apparently branched off in a new direction in styling since I last heard her live here last year. The lyrics of most of the material is great, as usual (I feel that she either has addressed or could address subjects like "Bring Round the Boat" with more depth & sophistication - it just doesn't "do" anything for me, and admittedly am not a big fan of Ellis Paul-like "story songs" - and again don't connect at all with the "jesus song" -- but that's me, not the general listening public). And obviously, from pre-release reviews I've read over on folk_music, the album is a fave with many people. Blatantly admitted, I am *not* a fan of most of the current crop of "east coast female singer songwriters" - or most of the "Lilith Fair" music - or Jewel - or many of the ectophile list artists . Obviously these stylings are quite popular today. And on my listenings to TBT, its just that *that* is where I hear it going ... so, the best to Susan Werner for her new directions and growth - and a great album for those who enjoy that *styling*. ... I'll still attend every Chicago area concert that I can get to without a car - even her opening for John Gorka at the Old Town School in December. And perhaps after a couple of months of listening, I *will* buy an office copy of TBT (and yes, I have strong feelings about some music and some musicians ... part of my website rants on a lot about this subject . I listen to a *lot* of music, but its the rare few who *stick*, the rare few whose recordings & live performances can most likely "work" regardless of my mood, often serving to both expand on existing good moods and help even out the bad ones. ... yep, Susan's music has been among the prominent 4 since that day in, I think, 1994 I had the chance to hear her open for Leo Kottke. so obviously I over-anticipate & project expectations ) Carolyn HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 13:47:18 -0400 (EDT) From: "Stephen N. Spencer" Subject: re: the new CD On Thu, 17 Sep 1998, Carolyn Andre wrote: > Actually, I *love* the return of ventures into the jazz/cabaret > instrumentals and arrangements ... in addition to Paul's "Susan and piano" > idea, I'd go for "an evening with Susan & jazz club" . Indeed! Susan's showing that she *does* have a love for the jazz genre with this new recording, returning in a way to the first CD on which she can be heard (Heath Allen's "Post-Hip.") singing several songs with a jazz band. Ever since the first time I saw her in concert, I've thought she could make a very nice "piano jazz" recording -- just her voice and her piano playing. Stephen N. Spencer 614.292.3416 (v) Graphics Research Specialist spencer@siggraph.org 614.292.7776 (f) ACCAD - The Ohio State University spencer@cgrg.ohio-state.edu 614.520.5799 (p) SIGGRAPH Director for Publications spencer@acm.org "After ecstasy, laundry." -- Zen writing HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 15:23:37 -0400 From: "Harry B. Turner" Subject: newcd@amazon.com Amazon.Com ships TBT within 24 hours. Cost is $11.28 + Shipping of $2.95 = $14.13 Harry B. Turner hbt@hbtpa.com Disclaimer: Electronic mail is not confidential. No attorney-client relationship is created by any sending or receipt of electronic mail. If opinions are expressed in this transmission, the recipient is not entitled to rely on such opinion as legal advice. HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 98 15:57:37 -0400 From: Rosemary.Connors@wharton.upenn.edu Subject: Susan at Borders I have enjoyed reading the conversation the last few days about "Time Between Trains." I have only listened to it once through so far, so I will reserve critical judgment, although I will say two things: (1) I *like* the punctuating bagpipes in "Standing In My Own Way", and (2) as the list's self-appointed archivist for the songwriter Greg Simon, I am kvelling (Yiddish for "you go, girl) over the fact that his work with Susan on "Like Bonsai" made the record. I was at the Borders performance the other night and so I will comment on that. I just feel so lucky about the whole thing - lucky to be able to share the experience with a couple of good friends I invited, lucky to run into a lot more friends I didn't know would be there, lucky to finally meet list guru Charlie Sweeney, and of course, lucky enough to be a part of what was obviously a big night for Susan. Her performance and personal comments brought me to tears several times during the evening. I just feel blessed that I was there to witness it. I am usually a woman of many words, but as I am writing this I am misting up and feeling totally inadequate to the task of telling you how I feel about her performance at Borders and all the things she makes me think and feel. But maybe I don't need words to explain it to you, my fellow "believers." I just wish all of you could have been there to see it for yourself. Rosemary HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 16:39:59 +0000 From: rbhoff@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: My own view On 17 Sep 98 at 9:58, Zorn, Marc wrote, in part: > A studio album is a vastly different medium. As the French say, "Viva > La Difference!" I love the new album on many levels. Most important to > me is that I can experience Susan in a new way. I can hear the telling > of a story I've heard before with emphasis in new places. I can hear > other musicians expressing the story with her. Perhaps I haven't listened to the album *enough* to comment in depth on any particular aspect, but the overall feel I've gotten echoes this comment from Marc. When I popped the new cd in the player, I noticed immediately that some of the songs had some different emphases, and a different sound, than what I'd heard in concert. I've heard Susan live three times since June, and I love every show, and yes, the cd sounds different, but I'm delighted to have yet another version of the songs to listen to. Robin rbhoff@ix.netcom.com NJ, USA But I wish to be purple, that small part which is bright ... -- Epictetus HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 20:48:59 -0500 From: Carolyn Andre Subject: what else, the new CD didn't realize the *new & improved* susanwerner.com pages were up. must have been so busy overanalyzing the new album that I missed the announcement . reading Susan's comments about a few of the songs on the press release page is interesting - a few bits I'd not heard her use to describe them in concerts ... does give me some pause about some of my song-specific comments (altho not the styling one :-) (nice pages, btw!) as to the opportunity to hear different versions of the songs - yes! its always been a combination of sweet anticipation and a bit of an impending mystery to go to one of her concerts, to see what new arrangements & interpretations would be forthcoming. (and not just the gradual mutations, as the lyrics of new songs take a more final form). I'll bet I've heard a different interpretation of "LOTGSG" at every one of the shows - and those all differed from the ones on her first 3 albums! and in all that, there's been my own different receptivity, depending on my spot in life; I can't imagine the challenge of writing a song while in one place, moving on out of there - past it or not - and performing the same song from a different angle ... and then having to continue singing it for *years*! btw - another interesting thing is looking at the material on the new album as it ties to - or flows from - her other songs. (kind of surprised that the 3 cds were so far down in my home 'frequently listened' stack #5 - they're much easier to get at at work) ... I think I'll contemplate the album from this angle for awhile. Regards, Carolyn Andre - ------------------- Chicago, IL / USA | Support Independent Music! Use the Internet candre@enteract.com | Carolyn's House of Music: http://house-of-music.com HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 22:03:07 -0400 From: Jeff Wasilko Subject: Re: what else, the new CD On Thu, Sep 17, 1998 at 08:48:59PM -0500, Carolyn Andre wrote: > didn't realize the *new & improved* susanwerner.com pages were up. must > have been so busy overanalyzing the new album that I missed the > announcement . I think Charlie and I forgot about it as well! It was up on Tuesday to go along with the release. I found the CD at Newbury Comics in Boston for $11.88, prominently displayed in the new releases bin at the front of the store. The Tower around the corner also had them, but for $16.99. I picked up the latest issue of Billboard which has a very nice article about Susan and the new CD. I'll try to get it typed in as soon as possible (unless someone is willing to convert a TIFF file of the article into text with an OCR program). > (nice pages, btw!) Take a bow, Charlie! - -Jeff HELP! owner-believers@smoe.org Send mail to believers@smoe.org Susan's CD's are available on your desktop at songs.com ------------------------------ End of believers-digest V2 #143 ******************************* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- This has been a posting from the Susan Werner believers-digest To unsubscribe send mail to Majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe believers-digest" in the body of the message