From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V3 #51 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, October 24 1997 Volume 03 : Number 051 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Recording concerts [Yves Denneulin ] Re: Transcendant Musical Moments [Greg.Jumper@Eng.Sun.COM (Greg Jumper)] goosebump experiences ["J. Wermont" ] Re: shows in Boston this weekend [Michael Curry ] VCR ALERT (reprinted from Giddy Swells) [sspan ] ectopics [biscotti and borscht ] Re: bulgarians vs. tuvans [Michael Curry ] Re: Musical pilomotor responses [Bob Keefer ] Dar Williams on World Cafe Friday 10/24/97 [rjk1@cs.wustl.edu (Bob Kollme] Re: Recording concerts ["Neil K. Guy" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 14:04:52 +0200 From: Yves Denneulin Subject: Recording concerts Hiya ectophiles, I realised lately that most of the best musical moments I have ever experienced were during concerts and so I can only feel them once, which is still better than none :-). To keep a trace of such moments I want to record them. I know that some of you are already doing it so I am looking for advices on this topic like : - what kind of recorder to buy (DAT or audio) - what kind of microphone to use - the best place to stand (close to the speakers, close to the stage,...) On a related, but even more offtopic, note I am also looking for advices on taking pictures during concert. My first attempt was last week at an (awesome) Autour de Lucie concert and it was far from perfect (you can see the best shots at http://www.lifl.fr/~denneuli/adl.html ). As this is really offtopic, even for ecto, please answer by email and I will post a summary to the list. Thanks for your help! - -- Yves. n.p. Dar Williams _End of the summer_ n.r. work stuff ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 13:44:07 -0700 From: Greg.Jumper@Eng.Sun.COM (Greg Jumper) Subject: Re: Transcendant Musical Moments Wow, it's great to hear other people talking about "goose bump moments" -- the hope of experiencing more of these moments is one of the main thrills for me of finding new music. It's also neat to see people talking about early Genesis, some of my all-time favorite music. I can't begin to remember all the "moments" I've found in songs in the past -- they seem to change over time, and listening to them often can, unfortunately, rob them of the surprise that contributes to their power. However, both Kate and Genesis have lots of these moments. Tony Banks' exotic chord changes in "Mad Man Moon" from _A Trick of the Tail_ stand out in my mind, for example. I actually read something a few months ago in _Discover_ magazine, I think, about this phenomenon. Unexpected breaks, catches, or slides between notes/chords are the surest way to give someone goose bumps. The theory is that these surprising musical shifts mimic the way a distressed infant sounds, hence they elicit the emotional response in adults. (I hope the technical explanation doesn't lessen the "magic" for anyone -- I actually think it's pretty cool. :) I just discovered a new goose bump song this week: Chantal Kreviazuk's "Surrounded" from her recent album. I got this album a few months ago and was somewhat intrigued, but not enough to move it into "heavy rotation"; I've seen a couple of brief mentions here about Chantal, and I meant to chime in, but never got around to it. About a week ago, a radio station here started playing "Surrounded" as the second single from the album; when I heard the song, I thought "that's great -- I should get that album". To my pleasant surprise (chagrin?), I already had it :). (Don't you love it when *that* happens? Less incentive for EWS...) Anyway, when Chantal sings "I'm surrounded" and when she soars on "lose" in "Don't lose sight of me now" are both "hair-raising" experiences for me. I've listened to the song enough times now that I don't really get the goose bumps anymore, but they're still powerful moments. Her voice is normally slightly gravelly, but it becomes very clear and bell-like when she "soars". She plays a pretty mean, Tori-reminiscent piano underneath it all as well. Listening to her again this week convinced me she deserved more mention here. I'm not saying she's the next Ecto goddess, but she's worth checking out. Greg ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 15:53:01 -0700 (PDT) From: "J. Wermont" Subject: goosebump experiences One of my favorite transcendent musical moments happens in the Paula Cole song "Garden of Eden" (on Harbinger), after the bridge. First she sings the bridge ("The black-eyed bird is dying, the queen is dead..."). Then the instrumental break begins, at first just with guitar, bass and percussion. Then a very haunting melody is played on a bagpipe-like instrument (I forget what it's called, it's listed on the album credits). That little passage on the bagpipe-thingie not only gives me intense goosebumps, it actually makes me cry. Another type of transcendent musical moment I have sometimes isn't associated with a particular song, but happens when a song I haven't heard in a very long time, that has a lot of nostalgic meaning for me, suddenly takes me by surprise. I'll be going about my business when suddenly I hear the song, and I'll have a mini-flashback, transported back to the remembered images and emotions connected to the song. Definitely a goosebump experience! Although rock is my favorite kind of music, I have to say that when it comes to transcendent moments, classical music is the best. Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances is just full of them! Joyce W. jwermont@netcom.com (PS - So, does anyone know what that bagpipe-like instrument in Garden of Eden is called?) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 18:17:06 -0500 (CDT) From: Michael Curry Subject: Re: shows in Boston this weekend On Wed, 22 Oct 1997, Jeff Wasilko wrote: > Susan McKeown & The Chanting House is at the Me & Thee coffehouse > in Marblehead on Friday. Mike (Susan's #1 fan) and I will be there... Ack! Even if that were true (and I doubt it is), the term "#1 fan" certainly carries a few negative connotations that I don't believe apply. ;p Mike np: Loreena McKennitt -- The Book of Secrets | Michael Curry / mcurry@io.com / mcurry@compuserve.com | | http://www.io.com/~mcurry | | Am I bitter? Do I sound bitter? -- Veda Hille | ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 19:48:01 -0700 From: sspan Subject: VCR ALERT (reprinted from Giddy Swells) Saturday, 10/25/97, 11:30 pm, ABC-TV (check your local listings for actual time & channel) HALLOWEEN JAM 97 Footage from the KISS 108 concert in Boston, MA featuring performances from 10,000 Maniacs, Paula Cole, Lisa Loeb, & Shawn Colvin Ack! My VCR is broken, and I'm supposed to do sound for my brothers band that night.. hmmm maybe they can do an unplugged set.. - -- ++ -dave- ++ + irc.Dal.net #Panic_Beach + + Maria McKee/Grey Eye Glances/Lisa Loeb + ++ ++ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 19:48:23 -0400 From: biscotti and borscht Subject: ectopics also sprach mbittner@juno.com: >I received a new disc in the mail, Mary Lydia Ryan's latest (first?). >This is nice. I truly like "Farewell Ophelia", and I'm still getting >through the first listen. I really like it! i just got a copy of her disc last weekend as well. she has a try-before-you-buy arrangement: she sends you the disc and you have one week to decide what to send her back: $15 or the disc. i've already mailed my check, so it's at least that good. ;) neile and steve were talking about her recently and i basically agree with what they were saying. she's a decent pianist and has a soft, warm voice which a little-more-than-vaguely reminds me of lynn canfield's. her songs tend towards the moody and contemplative. they're fleshed out by a full band, but the piano subtley takes center-stage. also sprach Damon des Jumeaux : >oh, my one purchase for this month has been _the book of secrets_, [...] >i rather disagree with the comments about its "samey sameyness" - i like >_the mask and mirror_, but i always found it didn't quite work for me as it >ought, with the exceptions of a couple of tracks. for the record, when i made those comments, i wasn't really talking about the *success* of her experimentation with integrating other kinds of musical traditions into her own as much as i was talking about just doing so. i don't think either album is a failure in that regard, though you're probably right that the latest record works better (which should come as no surprise). i was just making a mountain out a molehill since us critics have to quibble. ;) ;) ;) also sprach Neal Copperman : >I saw Huun Huur >Tu's first US concert (4 or 5 years ago in San Diego) for their debut >album 60 Horses in my Head (er, Herd). They were really amazing. In >fact, I think we talked about it here on ecto, because someone (I've >forgotten who, but I'm sure I saved the post) actually sent me details >that amounted to a home throatsinging kit. yeah! i tried it too -- in the privacy of my car. i wasn't too successful either, but i did make some pretty interesting noises. well, i thought they were interesting anyways. note sure if anyone else here would've agreed with me. ;) >I was at the Birchmere to see Marta Sebestyan and Muzsikas, who put on an she and they played last sunday night at town hall in nyc. meredith and i skipped that show as well -- even if we wer up to going out that night, choosing between marta sebestyan and june tabor would have been too difficult! >I finally got around to looking at the Caterwaul page and saw there is an >album, Killer Fish, that I don't have. Anyone have it and have any >thoughts on it? yup. turns out that 'summer 1991 demos' tape i've had for years is the album itself. they just finally got it released after all sorts of unfun things like the band breaking up, friendships falling apart, everyone going broke, etc. the album is more polished than even _portent hue_, but is still unmistakably caterwaul: big, crunchy (but not grungey) sound with betsy martin's wonderous voice over it all. i think it's quite good, though not their best (_pin & web_ has that honor). woj n.p. bbm -- around the next dream ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 19:14:50 -0500 (CDT) From: Michael Curry Subject: Re: bulgarians vs. tuvans On Thu, 23 Oct 1997, Neal Copperman wrote: > Is Richard Shindell still opening for Dar's shows or not? She's playing > here Saturday, and they had been reporting that other guy (Peter Mulvey?), > but today's City Paper suddenly has Richard's name on the bill. I believe Richard is in Europe with Joan Baez or something, and Dar's last schedule did have Peter listed for the Maryland show. While I was pretty impressed by his performance (especially his guitar playing) opening for Susan McKeown on Saturday I wouldn't quite put him in Richard's class. Mike np: Peter & Wendy | Michael Curry / mcurry@io.com / mcurry@compuserve.com | | http://www.io.com/~mcurry | | Am I bitter? Do I sound bitter? -- Veda Hille | ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 22:48:17 -0400 (EDT) From: Bob Keefer Subject: Re: Musical pilomotor responses They may not be exactly ecto, but two examples of 'chillers' come immediately to mind: The opening guitar lick of Steely Dan's "Reeling in the Years;" Rick Wakeman's manic organ solo in the middle of "Roundabout." Yeesh; got one thinkin' about it... bob k. - ----------------------- ------------------------- Robert Keefer Associate Professor Psychology Department Office Phone: Mt. St. Mary's College (301) 447-5394, Ext. 4251 Emmitsburg, MD 21727 e-mail: keefer@msmary.edu - ----------------------- ------------------------- [Speaking for myself.] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 22:26:25 -0500 From: rjk1@cs.wustl.edu (Bob Kollmeyer) Subject: Dar Williams on World Cafe Friday 10/24/97 Hi all, Haven't seen it mentioned here, so I thought I'd just poke my head in and mention that Dar Williams is scheduled to be on World Cafe tomorrow. Check http://www.pri.org for a station near you (unless you live here, in which case you're SOL...). bob np - Chimera - Earth Loop (gotta write them up one of these days...) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 21:46:17 -0700 From: "Neil K. Guy" Subject: Re: Recording concerts At 2:04 PM +0200 10/23/97, Yves Denneulin wrote: > I realised lately that most of the best musical moments I have ever > experienced were during concerts and so I can only feel them once, > which is still better than none :-). To keep a trace of such moments I > want to record them. I can't offer technical advice, but you might want to check with the venues that you attend beforehand. I don't know about France, but many if not most North American concert venues prevent people from entering with cameras, recording equipment, etc. Some places get very aggressive - searching, confiscating and so on. - Neil K. np: Download III. The new album. Much more ambient; less aggressively industrial than the previous two. Good driving music. - -- t e l a computer consulting + design * Vancouver, BC, Canada phone: (604) 254-1002 * email: tela@tela.bc.ca web: http://www.tela.bc.ca/tela/ ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V3 #51 *************************