From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V3 #103 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Sunday, December 14 1997 Volume 03 : Number 103 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Soul of Christmas [hillaryj@mindspring.com (Hillary Jackson)] Today's your birthday, friend... [matthewm (Mike Matthews)] Re: Vonda Shepard [Riphug ] jane and veda oh my [meredith ] dead cats [forum@inlink.com] Lilith Fair Artist info... ["Kathy Clark and/or Ed Clark" ] Re: Vonda Shepard ["Ron Starr" ] Re: Lilith Fair Artist info... -Reply ["Kenn" ] sTuff [meredith ] Re: jane and veda oh my [Joseph Zitt ] Re: Lilith Fair Artist info... -Reply [Joseph Zitt ] hex and harper?? [Neal Copperman ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 03:49:50 -0800 From: hillaryj@mindspring.com (Hillary Jackson) Subject: Soul of Christmas Hi. Mike Curry posted re the Soul of Christmas PBS special: Umm... please tell me that's not the complete list of PBS stations that will be broadcasting it. The absence of WGBH Boston would certainly be surprising. Mike, Well, it may have already been broadcast on WGBH, I don't know. PBS has actually been airing it since I think Dec. 6th or something. Sorry I didn't get my act together in time to give the complete listing. Will you forgive me? Hillary - -------------------------------------------------------------- "My heart is dirty my life is clean."--Veda Hille - -------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 03:00:14 -0500 From: matthewm (Mike Matthews) Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** *************** Renee Canada (laverick@leland.stanford.edu) *************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Renee Canada Tue December 13 1977 Sagittarius Julie C. Kammerzell Sun December 15 1968 Sagittarius/Scorpio combo Gloria Jackson-Nefertiti Sat December 15 1956 Sagittarius Damon Harper Tue December 16 1975 Sagittarius Laura Clifford Tue December 17 1957 Sagittarius Dirk Kastens Tue December 17 1963 Sagittarius Milla Wed December 17 1975 Sagittarius Chris Schernwetter Tue December 17 1974 Sagittarius Sherry Haddock Sat December 17 1960 Sagittarius Tracy Benbrook Tue December 18 1973 Sagittarius Uli Grepel Wed December 25 1968 Steinbock Joseph Wasicek Sat December 25 1976 Brown Eagle Stuart Castergine Mon December 30 1963 You Are Here Marvin Camras Sat January 01 1916 Tapehead Jeanne Schreiter Tue January 03 1967 Capricorn John Sandoval Wed January 04 1967 Capricorn Paul Cohen Tue January 05 1954 Capricorn Tony Garrity Mon January 08 1962 Pool of Life Greg Bossert Tue January 09 1962 OfTheTimes - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 09:35:05 EST From: Riphug Subject: Re: Vonda Shepard In a message dated 97-12-13 03:34:33 EST, Rbbrbndgrl@AOL.COM writes: << Is anyone familiar with Vonda Shepard? Does anyone have info on her, or can tell me anything about her? >> Vonda Shepard has done a lot of vocals on the TV program "Ally McBeal." Here are a couple of links/URLs for more information about her: Vonda Shepard WAWON The Vonda Shepard Unofficial Home Page Hope this helps! Jill :D ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 13:03:41 -0500 From: meredith Subject: jane and veda oh my Hi! Wow, lots of chattering going on around here lately. :) And it's almost time for the inevitable year-end lists to start cropping up... at least, I'm thinking about mine. I sort of had it figured out, but then I got the new albums by Ingrid Karklins and Veda Hille and my order had to get all rearranged. But more on that later. The live music I've seen in the past week has been Jane Siberry at the Iron Horse in Noho last Saturday, and Veda at CB's Gallery in NYC on Thursday. Both shows were great -- I'd actually have to say that Veda ruled, even. But first Jane. I too enjoyed the opener, Deanna Kirk -- not enough to buy both her CDs like JeffW did, but she was pleasant enough. :) I especially loved the Grinch song, which is on her new CD. (Jeff noticed that her new album is actually copyrighted 1998 -- does that mean one can copy at will until December 31st, I wonder? ;) She seemed terrified, though, like it was her very first time ever standing on a stage. Odd. Jane had with her the same group of musicians as in New York, except we didn't get the special appearance by Gail Ann Dorsey. :( It was really interesting how Jane basically took a back seat to her musicians for pretty much the entire show, and let the entire ensemble shine on their own. I was blown away by Marlon Saunders' voice too -- turns out he used to be in Bobby McFerrin's vocal ensemble (the CircleSongs group, if anyone saw that edition of Sessions at West 54th), which certainly made sense to me. One song he was singing the bass line, and the next he was wailing away in a very strong barely-falsetto. Amazing. Catherine Russell also had a great, soulful voice. I don't know if Rebecca Campbell was nursing a cold or if it was just the contrast with those other two, but she just didn't sound very good at all that night. Kind of a shame. The show was very close to the Christmas shows from last year from whence _Child_ came, except this time they hilariously screwed up "The Twelve Days of Christmas". I was in pain by the end of it, I was laughing so hard. :) And they did a neat new arrangement of "Shir Anami", which they'd done with a member of the Klezmatics last year (it's on the album too). I was surprised to hear that one again. All in all, yet another wonderful Jane show to chalk up to experience. She never fails to amaze. While I'm on the subject, I have to say that I love _Child_. I've noticed that out of the 4 shows' worth of material they gathered, they ended up using a lot of the final show on the album, which is one woj and I were at. It's definitely become an instant indispensable holiday collection for me. Thursday was Veda, and, as it turned out, the Smokin' Combo of Barry and Martin (she wasn't sure Martin would be able to play since he couldn't bring his drum kit on the plane, but the band that opened had a kit they let him use). It was the best show of hers I've ever seen. All I could do was sit there with a stupid grin on my face and soak it all in. The crowd was loving it, too. My only complaint is that at 40 minutes, the set was too short. Sigh. I've never seen her do a full set, and it's driving me crazy. I hope when she comes back this way in the spring she'll at least headline at the Bottom Line or something. Argh. The band that was playing before Veda was rather interesting: they were called Atoesa, and consisted of Ani DiFranco's long-lost twin sister (seriously, she looked *exactly* like her) backed up by cello, guitar, and drums. The Ani clone sounded a lot like Ani crossed with Natalie Merchant. (She also played guitar, but not nearly as well as Ani.) She indicated at one point that she was a college student, which was evident in some of the lyrics. :) The music itself was lush and very nice to listen to. It started to all sound the same by the end of the set, though, but I was intrigued enough to take note of the name, in case I ever run across a recording down the road. (I didn't even cross them off my list when they sat there being rather loud and disruptive at the beginning of Veda's set.) Tomorrow night it's Richard Shindell at the Iron Horse. Yay. :) I'm listening to the NPR quiz show "Whaddya Know" right now, and they're offering the _Soul of Christmas_ CD and a Klezmer ensemble Hannukah CD as a prize to audience members who get this week's outrageous questions right. My favorite question so far: Q: What are the odds that you will be seriously injured by a Christmas decoration? A: 1 in 3000. So let's all be careful out there. ;) +==========================================================================+ | Meredith Tarr meth@smoe.org | | New Haven, CT USA http://www.smoe.org/~meth | +==========================================================================+ | "things are more beautiful when they're obscure" -- veda hille | |***TRAJECTORY, the Veda Hille mailing list: trajectory-request@smoe.org***| +==========================================================================+ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 12:50:11 -0600 (CST) From: forum@inlink.com Subject: dead cats >>... and besides i whole heartedly agree with NEILE 's opinion about BfP >Nope, that wasn't me. I think Boys for Pele is brilliant. I'm one of >those strange people who prefer a messy allusion to a tidy perfection. >It's more evocative for me. > >- --Neile whoops sorry. then i wholeheartedly disagree wth neile about that album! though i agree with the sentiment of a messy allusion versus a tidy perfection. i just thought that BfP was beyond messy, more like downright surface ramblings. i read the email wrong. it was joseph zitt who wrote that in reply to something Neile said. sorry again. and hey if anyone gets around to finding that liz and lisa tape, could they put that in the ECTO TAPE DUBBING PROJECT thingie? that would be ultra swell, since i love liz and her band IDA, and lisa, well you know, she's okay too. :) also can anyone tell me about the AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB? not really ecto, but still, i know there are some people who are on that mailing list. is there one album i should start with? how does it compare to MARK EITZEL's solo stuff? i picked up 60 WATT SILVER LINING in the bargain bin (after enjoying his show with JILL SOBULE awhile back) and am enjoying it. what is with all these straight men with issues named mark who make great music coming out of san francisco? There is Mark Eitzel and whathisface Mark from RED HOUSE PAINTERS. this could be it's own genre methinks. by the way, the KOSTARS cd entitled KLASSICS WITH A K is excellent. being a fan of LUSCIOUS JACKSON helps, but still even if you don't like them that much i would recommend them. side project with jill and vivian of LJ, they are softer and much more organic than LJ. stand out tracks include RED UMBRELLA, and FRENCH KISS (sung entirely in a bad french accent, i love it), and the track right before that which i can't remember the name of, but feature the WEEN brothers. what a great side project. has anyone talked about them and i missed the conversation? luv, irvin - ----------- honey, you don't want to be stuck with all these dead cats, making these dead cats, showing these dead cats, having everyone look at these dead cats. move on baby, move on. -in reference to overtly personal artwork Forum for Contemporary Art 3540 Washington Avenue St. Louis, MO 63103 314/535.4660 314/535.1226 (fax) forum@inlink.com November 7, 1997 to January 3, 1998 Sabina Ott: Everywhere There is Somewhere ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 15:57:00 -0500 From: "Kathy Clark and/or Ed Clark" Subject: Lilith Fair Artist info... OK, since I'm going to the Lilith Fair II concert Tuesday (yay! I can't believe I had the nerve to ask for time off to go see a concert!), I was hoping someone out there had a tidbit of info or two on the players involved. Basically I don't know Mary Karlzen, Kacy Crowley, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Ana Gasteyer, I can't place what Letters to Cleo, K's Choice, and Missy Elliot do, but I dimly recall that I like them, I've heard of Luscious Jackson but don't believe I know anything she sings, and _everyone_ knows Indigo Girls, Sheryl Crow, and "SARAH!!!:)" So, feel free to inundate me with opinions :) Kathy 335 Mary Karlzen - Village stage 405 Kacy Crowley -Village stage 425 Chantal Kreviazuk -Second stage 505 Letters to Cleo -Second stage 530 Ana Gasteyer -Village stage 550 Luscious Jackson - Main Stage 625 K's Choice - Second stage 700 Missy Elliot - Main Stage 750 Indigo Girls (*sigh of bliss*) - Main Stage 900 Sheryl Crow - Main Stage 1010 SARAH!!! :) - Main Stage ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 14:49:35 -0800 (PST) From: "J. Wermont" Subject: Re: Lilith Fair Artist info... Kathy asks: > OK, since I'm going to the Lilith Fair II concert Tuesday (yay! I can't > believe I had the nerve to ask for time off to go see a concert!), I was > hoping someone out there had a tidbit of info or two on the players > involved. Lilith Fair II?? I thought that wasn't starting until next summer! Is this a travelling show, or just a one-time thing? If there's a tour schedule, where can I find it? Here's what I know about the artists you asked about: > 335 Mary Karlzen - Village stage I really like Mary Karlzen. She has one album, Yelling at Mary, that came out around '94. Then her label (a major, can't remember which) unceremoniously dropped her. So I'm glad to see she's still getting exposure - maybe she'll get another contract soon. The music is down-home rootsy rock'n'roll, electrified folk with a strong beat and a slightly countryish tinge. It's not ground-breaking music, but it's very infectious. > 505 Letters to Cleo -Second stage Alternarock band in the Veruca Salt mold. > 550 Luscious Jackson - Main Stage White girls on funk. Their mentors are the Beastie Boys, a white rap group. But LJ doesn't do rap, they do a more eclectic mix of rock strongly influenced by r&b, soul, funk and hip-hop, yet isn't exactly any of those styles either. Their latest album, Fever In/Fever Out, is just gorgeous. They manage to blend the best of black and white American popular music into their own sound. > 625 K's Choice - Second stage I've only heard a little of their stuff, so someone else would probably be able to offer better information, but what I've heard sounds sort of like acoustic folk-rock kind of stuff. The thing that stood out for me was the singer's rich, husky voice. > 700 Missy Elliot - Main Stage A popular rap singer. I've seen her on MTV but don't really know her music. Joyce ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 10:27:52 -0800 From: "Ron Starr" Subject: Re: Vonda Shepard I went looking for her music as soon as I found out that Shepard did the music for Ally McBeal. The only thing I've been able to find so far is her eponymous 1989 album. It's pretty much well-finished, no rough edges pop, with a little electric thrown in, and some extended R&B/soul touches. For me, it's like having an Ally McBeal playing in the background. And, like most soundtracks (for me, at least) not much of it sticks. The exception is one cut, "A New Marilyn," which satirizes (I think) Madonna's posturing. In short, it's nice, it's smooth, it has no hooks to snag my attention ("A New Marily" excepted). But all of this may be me--I tend to zone out on R&B/soul style stuff pretty quickly. I'm still going to keep looking for more recent work--I gotta have the title song from "Ally," if nothing else. - - Ron Starr n.p. Vonda Shepard, _Vonda Shepard_ (how could I not?) n.r. Eavan Boland, Object Lessons n.b. Of course, I'm not really reading now. At the moment I'm typing.... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 18:56:09 -0500 From: "Kenn" Subject: Re: Lilith Fair Artist info... -Reply Joyce wrote: >> 700 Missy Elliot - Main Stage > A popular rap singer. I've seen her on MTV but don't really know her > music. Missy just hit the MTV scene pretty recently. Thus far, she has released two singles from her album, _Supa Dupa Fly_ - "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" and "Sock It 2 Me." "The Rain" is Missy's take-off on the memorable Tina Turner classic, "I Can't Stand The Rain." This was the first release from Missy's album and the vid for the song features Missy in a space-age outfit that appears to have been made from inflated black Hefty bags. "Sock It 2 Me" is my favorite song from _Supa Dupa Fly_. This is one of those songs you play when you're getting ready to hit the clubs. Missy beckons her unseen lover to "Ooh ahh.. Sock it to me like you want to, ooh....I can take it like a pro, you know... Do it long bro with a backstroke... My hormones jumping like a disco.. In addition to Missy's vocal contribution to "Sock It 2 Me," Da Brat (another well-known female rap artist) jumps in at the end of the song with a rap that is so clean and fast that it sounds like a barrage of machine gun fire. The vid for this song is a tribute to computer animation and places Missy on a cyberplanet where she is dogged by alien robots. If you go to Lilith and don't miss Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. You'll be cheating yourself out of some of the freshest sounds to come out of the R&B and/or rap genres in quite some time. Missy makes you want to dance. Peace. Kenn ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 18:52:35 -0500 From: "Kathy Clark and/or Ed Clark" Subject: Re: Lilith Fair Artist info... PM > > Kathy asks: > > OK, since I'm going to the Lilith Fair II concert Tuesday (yay! I can't > > believe I had the nerve to ask for time off to go see a concert!), I was > > hoping someone out there had a tidbit of info or two on the players > > involved. > > Lilith Fair II?? I thought that wasn't starting until next summer! Is > this a travelling show, or just a one-time thing? If there's a tour schedule, > where can I find it? > Thanks for the info, Joyce - it'll help me decide where to be when :) This concert is actually the "Lilith Fair II Preview" concert in West Palm Beach, FL, and the rest of the tour is next year. There is an http://www.lilithfair.com URL to check for updated info. I'll be sure to tell everyone how it was - since leaving Chicago 3 years ago, there's definitely been a dearth of good music around, so I'm looking forward to it! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 20:35:14 -0500 (EST) From: "Mark Anthony Miazga" Subject: Re: Lilith Fair Artist info... (fwd) > Letter to Cleo > > Alternarock band in the Veruca Salt mold. I saw them live in October, and they were fun. Also compare to Juliana Hatfield. They've had a couple of alternative hits, and a crossover one from the Melrose Place soundtrack, the tounge-twisting "Here and Now". Very cool. > > 625 K's Choice - Second stage > > I've only heard a little of their stuff, so someone else would probably > be able to offer better information, but what I've heard sounds sort of > like acoustic folk-rock kind of stuff. The thing that stood out for me > was the singer's rich, husky voice. If you like Indigo Girls, you'll probably dig K's Choice. Very similar styles and vocals, though lyrics are much edgier. They're best known so far for their hit "Not an Addict", an apparent tounge-in-cheek song from the point of view of a heroin addict... "I'm not an addict/It's cool/I feel alive..." - -- Mark A. Miazga "The thing about the rat miazgama@pilot.msu.edu race is even if you win, Michigan State University you're still a rat." 206 East Akers Hall, M.S.U. -- Lily Tomlin East Lansing, MI 48825-1372 (517) 353-2083 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 21:22:17 -0500 From: meredith Subject: Veda Hille: Here Is A Picture Hi! (Warning for those who prefer to wait: Spoilers follow!) Yes, Thursday night I picked up my copy of _Here Is A Picture (Songs for E Carr)_. I guess the third time was the charm -- Veda got this batch pressed at a different plant, and she said she's very pleased with how it came out. Well, I have to say I am too. :) It's not often that a piece of music resonates with me on the first note and convinces me it's positively brilliant before it's even finished playing, but that's exactly what happened with this. And this album really is one piece: 17 tracks total, and where there are spaces between the tracks they are very small. "Introduction" and "Exit" tie everything up into a nice package, and in between we have gorgeous melodies, sometimes left to stand on their own and other times accompanying the lyrics Veda ingeniously cobbled together from Emily Carr's writings. The cycle takes us from Emily Carr's childhood ("Small") through to the end of her life ("Noah's Ark"). I was happy to note that the melody of "Meeting the Group of 7", which has been my favorite of the songs I've heard live, is a theme for the piece at large. It exists in instrumental form as "Boat ride to Skidegate", and then of course a few tracks later as "Meeting the Group of 7". The instrumentation in the piece ranges from sparse to lush, some tracks only accompanied by a piano that sounds like a very old upright recorded in a large airy room (I have no clue if that's really the case or not), others by simple guitar and drums, and still others by a rich arrangement that includes an achingly beautiful cello line. Veda plays piano and of course her guitar (she even confirms in the liner notes that she still has old Stella, for those who have been wondering :). Apparently Martin also plays the saw, but I haven't been able to figure out where yet. There are even guest appearances by the animals. :) With this piece Veda has proven herself to be a true composer. I firmly believe that it is much harder to create art when handed the subject matter and given a deadline, which is what happens when one is commissioned to do a work. This piece was obviously thoroughly researched, and a lot of thought was put into it. The result is wonderfully, brilliantly satisfying, even to someone as ignorant of Emily Carr's life and work as I am. I have no idea what it's going to be like with the choreography added - -- if anyone manages to see the dance piece when it's performed in Vancouver, please please post in detail about it here! (Veda et al. will be providing live accompaniment to the performance(s?).) In a nutshell: It rules. It's a must for anyone interested in Veda's music. 'Nuff said. (Veda hasn't updated the web site with ordering information yet, and I was too zoned to ask her about it the other night. As soon as I find out the details of the cost, I'll post it here so everyone can place their order.) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 23:55:57 -0500 From: meredith Subject: sTuff Hi! First, Alvin -- wonderful shots of Happy from last year! Wow. :) Time to catch up on the replies again, I think... Jeff Hanson responded re Jewel: >She's playing the lead in the new Ang Lee film, a Civil War drama, >primarily about two brothers. She'll be playing the female romantic lead, a >fairly small role, opposite Matt Damon (originally it was going to be >Leonardo diCaprio). Weird!!! I guess she could be good -- the Wizard of Oz thing wasn't a good forum for determining the scope of her talent, that's for sure. I'd go see a movie that had her in it. >I just never thought the public (who made huge >hits out of the Macarena and the Spice Girls) had enough taste to >appreciate her. It's getting tougher to admit being a fan though, since it >means I have to admit sharing similar musical tastes with tons of junior >high school girls/teenyboppers throughout the country/world. That's always weird. Happened to me with Tori, and to an extent with Sarah, too. It also weirds me out to turn on VH-1 and see Paula Cole emoting there, which has been happening quite often of late. Which segues into the next discussion: Neil K. opined: > I guess I can sort of understand that feeling of - aw darn, my own private >secret is now out and my tap on inside stuff is no longer as exclusive. But >what's with this dissing artists' success? Hell, if mainstream radio >suddenly started playing tons of Happy and Loreena and whomever, I'd be >rather weirded out, but it'd give me something groovy to listen to in the >car. And if creative and imaginative artists manage to sell a fair number >of records, well, more power to them! I think it's kind of unreasonable to >root for an unknown artist, then dump on them when they achieve some >modicum of popularity. Hear, hear. Which isn't to say that I'm *not* weirded out when I get up into the commercial-radio section of the dial and hear one of my faves, because I am (I still get a funny feeling when I hear Sarah on the radio, after all this time). As long as the artist in question is still putting out good music that I appreciate, I don't really give a damn how many millions of other people are liking it too. That said, though, I can sort of understand the longtime loyal fan backlash that can/does occur. Nothing will be able to match the intimacy of a Tori Amos performance in a venue that holds less than 100 people, and those days are *over*. I've also pretty much sworn off Ani DiFranco shows, because I can't deal with all of the alternateen babydykes swarmed at the front of the stage screeching like she's the freakin' Beatles the minute she steps on stage. (For that matter Ani isn't too keen on that scene herself, and my prediction is that within the next 2 or 3 years she'll hang it up because of it, but I digress.) And I seriously doubt I'll ever see Jewel play again, unless her career calms down enough so that she can go back to playing Fez-like venues devoid of legions of crawling record industry squid. There's definitely something special about being a member of an audience that numbers in the double-digits and having the opportunity to personally interact with the artist afterwards. No matter how you may wish success to the artist in question, it's always hard to lose that connection. In Happy's case, I truly hope she becomes a household name, because we all know she deserves to be. I'm personally anxiously awaiting the day when I'm surfing through the radio stations in the car and stumble across her music on a more mainstram station. That will be weird, but cool at the same time. However, by the same token I'm also fervently hoping that when that day comes, she is allowed to remain true to herself. (I'm also hoping that even if she ends up playing someplace like the Theater At Madison Square Garden, I'll be able to get backstage to say hello just by telling the stooge at the door that I'm an ectophile. ;) I think some of the loyal-fan backlash is borne out of worry -- those who in the beginning are part of a small group of ardent fans will tend to feel a personal connection to the artist, and they will be concerned for the artist's welfare as things take off. Richard Holmes noted: >Yes this is a weird phenomenon, however sometimes the commercial play >coincides with a more "commercial" sound, which may be what *some* are >really complaining about. It depends on the artist in question. Jewel's sound certainly isn't all that "commercial" (or at least, it wasn't when the album first came out -- how many times has it been re-recorded and remixed since then?). She's a "superstar" because some suit at Atlantic decided she was going to be, and dumped a whole lot of payola into VH-1's lap to make her one. The commercial complaint may apply in Sarah's case, though my problems with _Surfacing_ don't have to do with the commerciality (or not) of the sound. My problems with _Surfacing_ stem from the boring songs not-complemented by uninteresting, "it's not done, but we have to have it out in time for Lilith Fair so we're going to just stop here anyway" production. :) I also think Loreena's case is more like Jewel's. Someone at Warner decided to give her a promotion budget for once, and the suits who coordinate focus groups and then return to their computers to churn out playlists for "AAA" stations nationwide are getting checks in the mail to include "The Mummers Dance" on their lists for the next few months. I'm sure she didn't sit down and say, "I'm going to make a million-selling record this time around." Jeffy slammed: >oh -- and don't forget that there have been a number of us who've dumped on >Loreena for two albums now...not just because "Mummers Dance" is suddenly all >over the radio. ;-) And I have to state that you're all confused. So Loreena got tired of the Celtic thing after 4 albums of it. If you can't deal with that, just listen to those 4 albums, then. Why can't people respect an artist's right to explore new things and go off in new directions if they choose to do so? Chris tossed out of far-left field: >Somehow I feel validated in my >suspicions since Ms. Amos has had her nose "fixed"... Despite previous >protestations to the contrary, I believe this signals a "caving in" >to the mainstream...after her ranting that "guys are too simple... >go for "bonestructure" [rather than inner beauty]"... she >has a rhinoplasty? Y... kant Tori breathe? *Where* did you get that?!? I have *never* heard that Tori ever had a nose job... but if she did, what difference would that make? I see the point you're trying to make, but you can at least base it in fact. She dyes her hair red -- use that example if you're going to go there, please. If anything, her music has been getting *less* mainstream, not more. It's an odd phenomenon that more and more people have been latching onto it, is all. Mark commented: > Loving the recent talk about Suzanne Vega. Anyway, I'm among the (apparent) > minority who think _Solitude Standing_ is a better album than _Suzanne Vega_. > SV has a general sameness to it that eventually gets boring. Wow. _Suzanne Vega_ is one of my favorite albums *ever*. I discovered it at a very critical time in my life, and the songs meant so much to me and the album as a whole has so many deep personal connections in my brain, I could never find it boring. But I guess that's a personal thing. :) Jason ventured: >Started me thinking on what were the ecto-ey top 5, >excepting anything by Happy herself (in which case some of the members of >the list would be discussing only which five of her cds to include and >what order to put them in. ;) ) > >The list I came up with was: > >1) Kate Bush: Hounds of love >2) Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes >3) Peter Gabriel: 4th album (Security) >4) Sarah: FTE >5) Cocteau Twins: Treasure > >Anyone else? Well, if you're going for the overall ecto top 5, you'd have to cover all of the Goddesses as listed in the Ectophiles Guide, I would think. In my mind, that would make the list something like this (dutifully excepting Happy, as you said :): 1.) Kate Bush, _The Dreaming_ 2.) Tori Amos, _Little Earthquakes_ 3.) Jane Siberry, _The Walking_ 4.) Sarah McLachlan, _Fumbling Towards Ecstasy_ 5.) Veda Hille, _Here Is A Picture_ Hillary (hey, where's my tape? ;>) reminded: >Keep your eye out for PBS' "The Soul of Christmas" which is airing >nationwide during the month of December. Thanks for posting that schedule!!! I'd been trying to figure out when Channel 13 was going to be airing it, but I hadn't had any luck. I guess Connecticut Public TV really isn't carrying it, which is especially weird considering that Johnny Cunningham lives in Connecticut somewhere, doesn't he? (Don't worry, Mike, we'll be taping it off Channel 13 next weekend. :) Brad posted: >i've been good and only bought alba moore's cd since it was also used and >cheap. Do you mean Abra Moore? >which reminds me--kate kinneig--did i even spell it right? Katell Keineg. :) >her jet >is used and i think i remember someone posting about her at some point--can >someone refresh me? should i leave it alone or snatch it up? Snatch, snatch! It's going to be very, very high on my top 10 of the year for sure. Wonderful stuff. Irvin wondered: >and hey if anyone gets around to finding that liz and lisa tape, >could they put that in the ECTO TAPE DUBBING PROJECT thingie? I'm sure "they" would, if the Dubbing Project still existed. :( Sigh. If I didn't have to work for a living to support my music habit, I'd take it over ... it was such a wonderful resource. Oh well. Steve Ito wondered: >>couldn't play anything for me -- I had to wait until woj sent me a tape of > ^^^^^^^^^^^ >now that just sounds wierd. Does "send" mean attach it to the cat and send >it across the room? :-) The Kitty Express. It's gotta be faster than >Canada Post, and no strikes either. :-) I was living in Germany at the time, Steve. And we didn't have any cats yet. :) +==========================================================================+ | Meredith Tarr meth@smoe.org | | New Haven, CT USA http://www.smoe.org/~meth | +==========================================================================+ | "things are more beautiful when they're obscure" -- veda hille | |***TRAJECTORY, the Veda Hille mailing list: trajectory-request@smoe.org***| +==========================================================================+ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 00:34:52 -0600 From: Joseph Zitt Subject: Re: jane and veda oh my meredith wrote: > > Bobby McFerrin's vocal ensemble (the CircleSongs group, if anyone saw that > edition of Sessions at West 54th), Circlesongs did a Sessions?!?!?! Damndamndamndamn... They are going to rerun back episodes, right? Their album was absolutelyhandsdown my favorite of the past year... - -- - ---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------- |||/ Joseph Zitt ===== jzitt@humansystems.com ===== Human Systems \||| ||/ Maryland? = <*> SILENCE: The John Cage Mailing List <*> = ecto \|| |/ http://www.realtime.net/~jzitt ====== Comma: Voices of New Music \| ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 00:40:58 -0600 From: Joseph Zitt Subject: Re: Lilith Fair Artist info... -Reply Kenn wrote: > "The Rain" is Missy's take-off on the memorable Tina Turner classic, > "I Can't Stand The Rain." That would be the Ann Peebles's memorable classic. Tina got around to doing it much, much later. - -- - ---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------- |||/ Joseph Zitt ===== jzitt@humansystems.com ===== Human Systems \||| ||/ Maryland? = <*> SILENCE: The John Cage Mailing List <*> = ecto \|| |/ http://www.realtime.net/~jzitt ====== Comma: Voices of New Music \| ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 22:40:32 -0700 From: Tom Mink Subject: commerciality/popularity With all this discussion about commercial influence, "selling out" and such that has been going around the last few posts, something occurred to me that was a complete tangent. I try to buy as much of my music out of the used bins as I possibly can, and I convince myself it's for the adventure of looking, not because I'm cheap :) Anyhow, invariably when an artist that I like suddenly begins to be fairly popular and get some airplay, a few months later I come across a bunch of their latest cd. I never know whether to consider myself lucky for the windfall, or be sad because so many people didn't find the music I love to be worth keeping. I know that one of the big reasons that most artists use when they decide to compromise themselves in any way is usually "it gets the music to that many more people." Is it worse in a musician's eyes to play to a small, appreciative audience and preach to the already converted, or to draw a large audience that is more interested in a fleeting image than the music? I know personally that a lot of good music never reached me until I heard it on the radio, so there are benefits to an artist taking the risk needed to get a bigger audience. Either way, everybody's got to eat. wow... deep... and I was eating vanilla ice cream the whole time too :) Tomás ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 01:18:17 -0500 (EST) From: Neal Copperman Subject: hex and harper?? Today was a day with many strange musical discoveries, though oddly none of the many musical highlights I planned. (I had figured on two shows tonight - a local fundraising extravaganza with some of my favorite strange local bands, which I would skip out early enough on to catch The Nields, but then dinner turned into games and hanging out with friends, and now it's 1:00, and all events are winding down.) However, I did see Christmas carrols played on 100 tubas, sousaphones and euphoniums. A very odd sound indeed. I had some amazing experiences with singing bowls in a gallery. (Anyone seen these before?) And I found remarcable things in a used CD store. Finally grabbed The Henrys album with Mary Margaret O'Hara on it. Saw both Hex cd's. (I bought Vast Halos. Was the other one a better choice?) And 4 Roy Harper discs. I was so confused with the plethora of Roy Harper stuff that I couldn't figure out what to buy. Assuming someone cleverer doesn't walk in and buy them all, I thought I'd ask for suggestions. I thought I'd seen his stuff fully discussed here ages ago, but they haven't been turned into an ectophiles guide yet. Since I haven't seen these around anywhere, I'm assuming they may be out of print or not available, so perhaps I should have snatched them up. Anyway, the discs were:Stormcock, Work of Heart, Descendant of Smith, and Loony on the Bus. I almost bought Stormcock, as it sounded the most familiar. Thoughts? Neal np: Lisa Sanders - Live at Joy Eden Harrison's farewell show at Java Joe's ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V3 #103 **************************