From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V3 #112 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Monday, December 22 1997 Volume 03 : Number 112 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: aLViN's top ten (was re:Warning) [JavaHo ] Re: Jane in Trouble? [Heather Russell ] ATTENTION METH [Equimate ] An Open Christmas Card [Equimate ] Re: An Open Christmas Card [JavaHo ] Lilith Fair II report (eek, this turned out long!) ["Kathy Clark and/or E] Re: may as well get it over with...(top ten lists) [Paul Blair ] Carrie Newcomer Solstice Concert (LONG) [Greg Dunn ] Ectophobia [charleydarbo ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 08:51:18 EST From: JavaHo Subject: Re: aLViN's top ten (was re:Warning) aLViN writes: << Jane Siberry: ***** _When I was a boy_ Jane Siberry's musical style made this album a little hard to digest the first couple of times I listened to it, but I soon realized that it is a truly excellent album. Rather than go into details, I will just say that Jane Siberry is on my list of artists I need to buy more of. >> I couldn't agree more. I bought the CD because I had heard Calling All Angels and thought the song was stunning (although now that I've listened to it a thousand times, it has moved down the ladder to about fourth place in the song ranking on this disc). I remember hearing the full disc for the first time, though, and just thinking "What *is* this?" Although I didn't connect with it at first, I hung in there and gave it a few more spins. It was probably on the third or fourth listening that it clicked and I thought "Okay, *now* I get it!" That CD didn't leave my changer for a month and it's still a fave. Many of the artists discussed here are like that for me. Very few bowl me over on first listening...maybe I'm too thick to "get it" first time out of the gate. I don't give up, though. Borders is probably sick of seeing me in there week after week sampling the same discs. Sometimes it only takes one more listening (was in the wrong mood first time I heard it), and there are some artists/discs that I'm still trying to connect with. I guess the point is, don't dismiss an artist on first listening; you could be missing something good...:) Cheers...Java ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 10:25:53 -0500 From: Heather Russell Subject: Re: Jane in Trouble? > > Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 07:44:17 -0500 (EST) > From: Michael Colford > Subject: Jane in Trouble? (fwd) > > Just thought I'd forward this bit of disturbing news to the > Jane Siberry fans on ecto. Sorry for any duplication. > > - -------------------------------------------------------------------- > Michael Colford | Reading Public Library > Head of Technical Services | Reading, Massachusetts > colford@noblenet.org | *North of Boston Library Exchange* > - -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 13:20:47 EST > From: TimJDF > To: siblings@smoe.org > Subject: Jane in Trouble? > > Hi Folks, > > Sorry to take so long to post this, but I've been offline since the SF shows > and now have too much waiting email to go through for me to wait to get this > out. > > This is not a concert review but rather a message of concern that I thought > you should all be aware of. I spoke to Jane after the second SF show and > asked her when she thought the next part of the trilogy might be out. Her > response was, "Well, I'll either be folding the company in January or > releasing the CD in February or March." I was shocked, of course, and asked > if it was really possible that Sheeba might shut down. She looked dejected > and said she didn't want to talk about it, not in an "it's none of your > business" tone but more like "this is too depressing for me to think about." > She then perked up a bit and gave a more firm answer of March for the release > date. Obviously, any help you can give by buying CD's at the shows or > directly from Sheeba will help her immensely, and Xmas time is a perfect > excuse to shell out some extra money for a good cause (and don't forget that > Patron of the Arts program at the Sheeba site). Jane did specify at all three > Bay Area shows that buying from her is much better than buying from stores as > she gets a larger cut. > > I also asked if she could elaborate on the deal Warner Bros. finally made with > her. She said they wanted permission to use any three of her new songs on a > greatest hits CD without actually owning the rights to those songs. She felt > this was OK since they wouldn't own anything and so the deal went through. It > didn't sound like there was a greatest hits CD in the works. They're just > planning for the future cash flow, most likely waiting to see if Sheeba does > well. > > So, that's the latest Jane gossip. Sorry to bring potentially bad news, but > there are still a few more concerts at which you can buy merchandise, and as > you know the mail order lines are always open. Happy holidays! > > Tim! I am a very very big fan of Jane, and I've only had the chance to see her perform live twice in my life - once for The Walking tour and the other time as a surprise birthday present this past year. But I worry about how things are going for the business side of things. Case in point - at the September concert, I was ready to buy buy buy a ton of Jane merchandise - T-shirts, the video collection, and whatever else. There were several beautiful t-shirt designs, but *ALL* the t-shirts were one-size only, and these "one-size" were smaller than a regular size Small would have been. Nobody at that show would have been able to squeeze into these shirts, with the possible exception of children. They were out of most merchandise, including the video collection I wanted. The person behind the table was not helpful in any way, and was on the verge of being rude. I ended up buying "Day in the Life" just so I could get jane's autograph on it (which I did - yay!). I have yet to see any Jane CDs in local record stores that are from the Sheeba label. And in fact, several stores aren't carrying *any* of her CDs at all. Distribution does not seem to be widespread. I know that all of the items I mentioned are available on the website, but not everyone has web access, and those that do aren't necessarily going to know about the web site. The best way to reach people is at the concerts, and it doesn't hurt to have the records in the record stores too. Just my $.02. I really wish Sheeba well and I hope that they can keep it going. Heather |***********************************| | Heather Russell | | http://www.freecloud.com/heather | | hrussell@bellsouth.net | |___________________________________| "But just promise me one thing; if I drop dead tomorrow, tell me my grave stone won't read: ani d. CEO. Please let it read: songwriter musicmaker storyteller freak." - - -Ani DiFranco ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 11:14:49 EST From: Equimate Subject: ATTENTION METH Howdy, Tony M. here. I've sent something for a possible post to your Ecto page. Please do what you feel is right. In other words, if it's not appropriate....don't post it. It just expresses the way I feel. I don't feel real comfortable with posting things since I've never done that and everyone there is so much more up on everything than I am. So maybe I'm a little off in my thinking. I'm more than a little nervous about posting something. However, I really do feel lots of folks out there feel the same. The Ectos are the greatest bunch. I'm sure we all feel indebted to you for what you do. So if this goes nowhere....that's OK, in fact that's fine, but I feel very sincere when I tell you that you've meant something special to Melissa and I. Many Thanks. Happy Holidays !!! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 11:16:25 EST From: Equimate Subject: An Open Christmas Card Big Hello, This is my first posting to the page. My little daughter Melissa and I probably represent the youngest and oldest (or close to), fans out there. Just wanted to put this "Christmas Card" on the web on behalf of all Ectophiles. I came across this little poem and it expresses what, I believe, lots of folks out there would like to say at this time of year. So, if I may take the liberty of sending this on behalf of all of us to some very special people. This card is for: Vickie Mapes, Meredith Tarr, Kevin Bartlett, and most of all Happy Rhodes - There is a list of folks I know All written in a book, And every year at Christmas time I go and take a look. And that is when I realize That these names are a part, Not of the book they're written in But of my very heart. For each stands for someone Who has touched my life sometime, And in that meeting they've become The "Rhythm and the Rhyme". I really feel I am composed Of each remembered name My life is so much better Than it was before you came. For once that you've known someone The years cannot erase, The memory of a pleasant word Or of a friendly face. So never think my Christmas cards Are just a mere routine, Of names upon a list Forgotten in-between. For when I send a Christmas card That is addressed to you, It is because you're on that list of folks I'm indebted to. And whether I've known you For many years or few, In some way you have had a part In shaping things I do. So every year when Christmas comes I just realize anew, The biggest gift that God can give is knowing folks like you. Happy Holidays ! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 12:51:31 EST From: JavaHo Subject: Re: An Open Christmas Card Equimate writes: << Big Hello, This is my first posting to the page. My little daughter Melissa and I probably represent the youngest and oldest (or close to), fans out there. >> Big Welcome from another newbie...:) My daughter (who celebrates her eighth birthday on Christmas Eve) and I (who is in her....ummm...well...late thirties) are also generational fans of Happy, KaTe, and all things ecto. There is nothing like hearing your child (in this era of Hansons and Spice Girls) belt out "You canNOT...defy their will..." from the back seat as you are driving down the street, or seeing her dress up and put on her campiest performance of "Babooshka"...although I don't think she really knows what the song is about...I hope. Jeez...maybe I'm a bad mom . So from the empirical evidence at hand...I'd say ectophiles are ageless. Enjoy it...Java ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 13:08:15 -0500 From: "Kathy Clark and/or Ed Clark" Subject: Lilith Fair II report (eek, this turned out long!) Well, I went last week to the Lilith Fair II preview concert - I think one of the undiscovered benefits of South Florida is the ability to have comfortable outdoor concerts in the winter, and I think more ecto-artists should take advantage of this :) Anyway, before the music started I wandered around the "Fair" portion of it, and didn't find a lot of interest; there were lots of little stalls selling flowy cotton dresses, or charm necklaces, or candles. I was almost mildly offended since they seemed to be stereotyping what people who listen to "women's music" like, but I was in too good a mood, so I let it go... ;) I did buy a Katell Keinig CD and the Sarah video collection. No Happy for sale at the music rack, though. Hopefully her new label will be able to give her a boost from obscure to semi-obscure, at least. She belongs in there with all the other Ecto-Goddesses, with a wider audience able to hear the beauty of her music. But, I digress :) One thing that surprised me was the size of the two alternate stages. The "Second Stage" was I suppose pretty adquate, about what you'd find in a medium-sized theater. The "Village Stage" was maybe 6' by 6' square, and only really elevated enough to put the floor down itself. It was actually a lot more intimate at the Village Stage than anywhere else, and this was where they did the first music, before most of the crowd came in. I was able to just sit down on the ground right in front. First up was Mary Karlzen, who was my new surprise favorite for the day. I hadn't heard her before, but her folky guitar and her child-like singing voice (kind of like the actress Joey Lauren Adams talking) were wonderful. She was really cute, too, all big smiles, and she'd make a mistake and stop and laugh. She had another guitarist with her, and at one point they started a song, and she said, "Oh, wait, you start that one!" I liked her a lot, both her music and what came through of her personality. Next up was Kacy Crowley, whom I didn't particularly like. I was actually kind of glad that I didn't like her, since I sometimes worry that I'm not discerning enough and just like everybody (yeah, I could get a lot of mileage out of that in therapy! *grin*), but since I wasn't enthralled by Kacy, I figure I have definite opinions. (Whatever...) She also played acoustic guitar, and there was one song ("Vertigo") that I liked, but I felt her lyrics were a little heavy-handed and overdone. Then of course I felt bad for not liking her music because she seemed so nice and happy to be there. But that's my problem, right? Next, at the Second Stage, was Chantal (Krevuziak (sp?)). She was fantastic. I had only heard one song by her on the radio ("Star"), and her voice was ever so much more beautiful in person. It was just her and an electric piano on the stage, and she blew me away. She played one song called "Wayne" which she prefaced with "I wrote this song called "Wayne" and I hope you get it," so instead of just enjoying the song, I spent the whole time trying to "get it", which I confess I didn't. I could have ignored any allusions otherwise, dammit! Has anyone else out there "gotten it"? She simply has a lovely voice and beautiful music. Chantal and Mary Karlzen are tops on my list for getting their CDs for Xmas. Letters to Cleo came on next, and that was the end of sitting down and being comfortable. After Chantal, I turned around and it seemed like all of a sudden there were thousands of people. Actually, probably there _were_ all of a sudden thousands of people. They (LtC, not thousands of people) came out on to the stage, and the lead singer said, "You guys are gonna have to stand up for this!" which was easier said than done since my feet were asleep from sitting on the ground. Someone described them a little earlier this week better than I could, so I'm going to leave it at that. I enjoyed them, the music was danceable, but it had neither the beauty nor power of Mary Karlzen or Chantal. Ana Gasteyer played the last set at the Village Stage, and she was more of a musical comedienne than anything. She played two songs interspersed with her patter, "Sausage of Pain" and "Basted in Blood", the latter of which she apparently did on SNL when Sarah was on. Her jokes were particularly painful, and I have to share a couple with you to prove how bad they are: "I went for a drive with Tracy Chapman, and I said, "Tracy, you've got a fast car!"" and "I said to Alanis Morrisette, 'knock knock', she said, 'who's there?' and I said, 'You Oughtta Know!'" Groan, Groan, Awful, Awful. The parody songs were funny, though. At that point, I headed to the main gate to wait for some friends who were maybe coming, maybe not. I missed Luscious Jackson and all but the end of K's Choice, so no info on them. Nobody showed up, so I went to go sit down on the lawn for the main stage, which is now something I have vowed _never_ to do again. Of the three remaining people I was interested in seeing (Indigo Girls, Sheryl Crow, and Sarah), I'd seen both the Indigo Girls (in college 7 years ago) and Sarah (in Chicago during the FtE tour - can someone remind me what theater that was?) in fairly small venues, and it was incredibly disappointing to not be able to see them at all. Before they all came on was Missy Elliot, who played rappish kind of stuff that I didn't particularly enjoy, perhaps because I was grumpy that none of my friends showed up. Next came the Indigo Girls, whom I have always enjoyed. Everyone from the other bands came out to sing a verse of Closer to Fine, and Sheryl Crow abysmally forgot the words to the verse, "I went to see a doctor of Philosophy..." so Chantal had to come in and rescue her. I would have preferred to have just the Indigo Girls sing it, but that perhaps is just me. I had bought the Pay-Per-View Lilith Fair thing, and they did the same thing, so I think the surprise factor would have counted for something normally. After the Indigo Girls was Sheryl Crow, who played all her hits and had a cold, but she remembered all the words to her own songs. Kind of like Letters to Cleo, it was enjoyable and I could dance to it, but *shrug* Last of all, the moment we had all been waiting for, Sarah! With the miracle of modern sound systems, you don't actually have to be able to see the person on the stage waaaaaay down there for the music to come out beautifully. They did have video screens (my biggest superficial comment for the day - I miss her beautiful hair so much!) that focused on her, but I also would have liked to see her backup some more, since I love Camille's voice as well, and the one time they showed her on the monitor and I shouted "Yay Camille!", everyone looked at me crazily. Her rendition of "Possession" should have been the show closer - it was incredibly and powerful and emotional and perfect as an ending, but then she did "Ice Cream" as an encore, which I really like as a song but is an emotional let-down after "Possession", and then everyone came out and did Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi". I actually started to leave half-way through "Big Yellow Taxi" since it was late and I wanted to get home, and the concert had come to a crescendo for me with "Possession". I was able to hear the whole thing, though - one of the advantages of having lousy seats is that you can hear and see just the same as you're leaving. A side note: I thought the parking lot manners were the best I've ever seen for exiting a big concert; lots of people letting cars into the flow and stuff. Anyway, that was it. Sarah, Indigo Girls, Chantal, and Mary Karlzen were the highlights of it for me, but all-in-all, it was a wonderful way to spend 8 hours! For anyone who's managed to get all the way through to the end of my post, Happy Holidays! :) Kathy ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 13:25:42 -0500 From: Paul Blair Subject: Re: may as well get it over with...(top ten lists) General questions: 1. Are these lists conceived as "top 10 I got in 1997" or "top 10 that came out in 1997"? I'm still buying discs that came out in 1984... :-) 2. How on earth do y'all keep track of what falls in 1997 anyway? I never think of my life as falling into January to January segments; I don't think I have a clue about what I got when. dave (sspan) wrote: >other favorites of the year, 10,000 Maniacs, Adiemus 2 and Toni Price Geez, and I just got around to buying *Adiemus.* I didn't even know there *was* an *Adiemus 2.* What's it like? Cheers, Paul ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 14:50:22 -0500 From: "Jeffrey C. Burka" Subject: Re: may as well get it over with...(top ten lists) Paul Blair asks: > 1. Are these lists conceived as "top 10 I got in 1997" or "top 10 that came > out in 1997"? I'm still buying discs that came out in 1984... :-) Typically, these are top 10 releases for the calendar year. Folks will typically also throw in a section at the end along the lines of "Stuff that would have made my list had I bothered to buy it the year it came out." > 2. How on earth do y'all keep track of what falls in 1997 anyway? er...not nearly as well as I used to. ;-) jeff (who still needs to sort through all the stuff he bought this year...a much better year (quantity-wise) for buying music than the last few. funny how grad school can have that effect) - -- |Jeffrey C. Burka | moving to jburka@cqi.com -- come say hi | |http://www.cqi.com/~jburka | at the new digs...now up and running! | ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 14:15:26 -0600 (CST) From: Michael Curry Subject: Re: may as well get it over with...(top ten lists) On Sun, 21 Dec 1997, Paul Blair wrote: > General questions: > > 1. Are these lists conceived as "top 10 I got in 1997" or "top 10 that > came out in 1997"? I'm still buying discs that came out in 1984... :-) There are no rules about how you do it, thought most people tend to lean toward the "top ten that came out in 1997" version. > 2. How on earth do y'all keep track of what falls in 1997 anyway? I > never think of my life as falling into January to January segments; I > don't think I have a clue about what I got when. Well, the simplest way is to check that date on the album for the stuff you're not sure about. ;) I tend to be a little hazy about stuff I bought during the winter, but I can clearly remember running to the store to buy copies of most of what will make my top 10 (or buying it after a show). Mike np: Veda Hille -- Here is a picture | Michael Curry / mcurry@io.com / mcurry@compuserve.com | | http://www.io.com/~mcurry | | Am I bitter? Do I sound bitter? -- Veda Hille | ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 00:16:57 -0400 From: Richard Subject: Re: warning: opinions ahead One of Alvin's top ten: > Maria McKee: > ***** _Life is sweet_ > I have commented on this album before, so I won't repeat myself. > I will only say that this is definitely my favourite Maria McKee > album. Aha! So I'm *not* the only one here who gives a ***** rating to this masterpiece of ectometal- My initial misgivings re: the Jeff Lynne/ELO-style production quickly gave way to visceral considerations and I have been forced to take long drives just to savor it over and over again since I was given an informal warning by my spouse that the decibles were killing her plants... :) > Dar Williams: > **** _Mortal City_ > **** _End of the summer_ > Although both albums are very good, I would rank _Mortal City_ > higher than _End of the summer_. The reason might be that I > heard MC first, and that it therefore formed my impressions and > expectations of Dar Williams. I first heard MC after both EOTS and _The Honesty Room_, and I fell in love with it instantly- I agree with you that it is the best of three superb efforts. r - -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Everybody gets stupid for somebody, sometime" ---M. McKee ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 01:17:33 -0500 From: Greg Dunn Subject: Carrie Newcomer Solstice Concert (LONG) Somewhere, somehow in my relentless working travel assignments over the last month, I managed to forget about Carrie's Solstice Concert in Bloomington. OK, I know I haven't been home except for weekends in the last month... but when I was reminded Friday night, I smote my forehead in disgust. This isn't an event I wanted to have slide past me, and I wasn't sure I would be able to arrange to go on short notice. Luckily, I got most of my vital chores taken care of Saturday, and with only a few hours to spare I invited some of the regulars to ride in my new car instead of mooching a ride as I usually do. It is, after all, the Christmas season. We sped off to Bloomington in time, and parked on the brightly decorated town square, only a block from our destination. For those of you who have never seen the square decorated for Yuletide, it is definitely a spirit-lifting sight. They have strung lights from the top of the courthouse to each of the surrounding buildings, and the result (along with the light-bedecked trees) is that of a large tent of lights. Very pleasant... Anyway, a quick but tasty dinner at the Trojan Horse (great Greek cuisine, reasonably priced, and right on the square) and we were off to the Waldron Art Center for the concert. Carrie's lovely daughter Amelia (Emmie) and her friend were taking tickets at the door, and someone in the entourage had thoughtfully provided a large container of holiday cookies just inside the auditorium. We were all still able to grab front row seats by dint of sliding another chair up to the end of the row. Shortly, the lights went down and the multi-talented Robert Meitus (Carrie's husband/soundman/accompanist) announced the begining of festivities. To our delight, she was to perform most of the show solo, with occasional backing from her longtime band member Keith Skooglund The Guitar God. :-) They launched right into the first of 8 numbers on the first set, and we definitely heard a lot of new tunes tonight. I see 3 old songs and 5 new ones in the first set, plus 4 old / 3 new in the second set. Carrie's new album "My True Name" will be out March 10, and it looks to be a killer. Watch out when Keith Skooglund gets hold of that Strat on stage... his accompaniment for Carrie tonight was spot-on and soulful; Carrie grinned at him every time he highlighted one of her phrases with a lick of his own. He's truly a craftsman with his work. Carrie was in great form too; her voice was smooth and strong as always, brimming with emotion and honesty. She's always a little more fun in front of the home crowd; her jokes a little more free, her gaiety natural and un-forced. Robert echoed later, "You guys are the home fan base; it all starts here..." and the crowd was as supportive as ever. In fact, Carrie and Robert jibed gently at each other about having only expected 50 people; the room was packed with at least 200 by my estimate. Carrie ended the first set by leading an a capella gospel tune with the audience. Wonderful as her voice is when performing her own work, it's always a revelation to hear her sing a traditional number. She truly has a voice that transcends genres... After a 15-minute break, set 2 started again with a duet; the title track from her new album. It may have been partly the supportive audience, but Carrie's new songs got a very warm reception -- more than usual, I thought. This is a Good Sign for the new release. Keith once again tried to steal the stage with his accompaniment, earning more admiring glances from Carrie. His work on "One Good Turn" (I think that's the name; it's a new song) was particularly delightful. Set 2 ended with a great performance of "Tracks" and Carrie again led the audience with some traditional Christmas carols. She was called back for two encores, the solo "My Yes of Yes" and "My Mamma Said It's True" with Keith. In keeping with previous concerts, I snagged Carrie's handwritten set list after making sure it was no longer needed; thus my ability to figure out which songs were which. :-) She was obviously a little tired, but graciously accepted the standing ovations and retired to the foyer where she greeted fans and friends while Robert and Keith pitched in to handle teardown and other vital post-show tasks. We stopped by to thank her briefly; when I got to Carrie, I thanked her for an uplifting experience that had erased my previous "down" mood, and wished her and her family a joyful Christmas season. She hugged me and thanked me for the continued support. Where does she find the energy? I'm really looking forward to the new album. Meanwhile, spread the word, and look to see if Carrie is playing in your area after New Year's! - -- | Greg Dunn | I don't have low self-esteem. | | gregdunn@indy.net | It's a mistake. I have low | | GregDunn@aol.com | esteem for everyone else. | | http://members.aol.com/gregdunn | Daria | ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 00:48:19 +0000 From: charleydarbo Subject: Ectophobia Just curious here: I've seen (at least I've noticed) no other references here to my top three albums of this year: The Geraldine Fibbers' _Butch_, Spiritualized's _Ladies_and_Gentlemen_We_Are_Floating_in_Space_, and The Blue Nile's _Peace_at_Last_. Anyone care to comment on how far my taste has diverged from the Ecto mainstream, such as it is, or any other observations? I'm aware of my occasional perpendicularity to Ecto's flow and will be little (if at all) offended by disagreements of taste (Ron Sexsmith rules!). But I've never felt so dis-ectonnected as I do this year's end. Anyone else have reastions to these artists' work? I crave a dialogue. - --charley ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V3 #112 **************************