From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V4 #433 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Sunday, December 13 1998 Volume 04 : Number 433 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] Re: ecto-digest V4 #432 ["joe n chuck" ] Wishing Chair Schedule [JavaHo@aol.com] Mary Arden Collins internet broadcast [dave ] ooops... [dave ] greg dulli hospitalized ["Girl with the curious hair" ] FW: Daily Dish - 12/11 ["Spencer Lewis" ] Re: Superstardom [Heather Russell ] Re: Poxy Frivolous (was: Re: Lucinda Williams...) [meredith ] Re: sister soleil [desmond in a tutu ] Re: Nina Mankin gig [desmond in a tutu ] Re: Rachael Sage and Imogen Heap [desmond in a tutu ] Re: matsui/drecker ["Jeffrey C. Burka" ] Re: Tops of 1998 [desmond in a tutu ] The Echoes Project ["Robert Lovejoy" ] Re: Rachael Sage and Imogen Heap [Paul Blair ] Re: rachael sage [Neile Graham ] Re: Used bins (was Superstardom) [Mark Lowry ] Re: natalie merchant and susan mckeown [desmond in a tutu ] SF1: Veda Hille [Neal Copperman ] SF2: Amy X Neuburg & Men [neal copperman ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 03:00:04 -0500 (EST) From: 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 COOL BANANAS 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 Mark Lowry Mon December 22 1969 Capricarius 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: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 02:59:45 -0500 From: "joe n chuck" Subject: Re: ecto-digest V4 #432 hi all! meredith, in her eloquent review of the natalie merchant/susan mckeown show wrote: >Chuck, where did you get to after the show? (If the answer to that is >"backstage", I don't wanna know. :P :) hee hee! ;-) truth be told, we were SOOOOOOOO far away from the stage that my prediction at susan's sunday show in stamford actually came true! (i'd told susan that i'd be bragging to my seat-mates "see that dot down there on the stage? i _know_ her!" ) and waaaaayyyyy up in the balcony, 3 rows from the ceiling, we actually had a totally differing view of susan's set from meredith's! the audience was STONE silent throughout chanting house's set (maybe it was because the instruments weren't loud enough and you had to strain to hear...). susan's voice was in exquisite shape! and i mean she was ringing from the rafters!! :-) it appeared to us that the audience enjoyed susan VERY much! from our vantage point 6,000 feet above the orchestra section we could hear people applauding even after we had stopped! and damn if "the river" doesn't turn out to be a mega-mega hit i just won't have any faith in the human race at all! natalie's set was o.k. i heartily agree with meredith that her tigerlily band blew this one away. the pace was "leisurely" throughout (which means that joe was sound asleep by the second song...) and even the "uptempo" songs like carnival and kind and generous seemed to drag out into oblivion. in fact natalie's patented spin-dancing was the only thing that kept us awake upstairs... susan sounded great on the songs she sang with natalie, but i came away greatly disappointed that she wasn't used more! their voices blended beautifully and frankly i would much rather have heard susan providing the harmonies than the guitar player's falsetto voice. all in all, ms. mckeown saved the day at a concert that could easily have been a stultifying bore... chuck ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 09:20:33 EST From: JavaHo@aol.com Subject: Wishing Chair Schedule Wishing Chair consists of Kiya Heartwood (formerly of Stealin' Horses) and Miriam David. They do very nice acoustic guitar based music with lovely voices that harmonize well. Kiya is an aquaintence of mine, so if any of you attend a show, please tell her I said "Hi". PS...Sorry for the formatting/colour weirdness for any non-aol members. I tried to un-do it, but it would not be altered from the original message I received. Enjoy...Lisa Terrakin Records Wishing Chair Winter Schedule 1(800) roaddog terrakin@aol.com www.terrakin.com Upcoming Performance Highlights: DEC - Bluebird Cafe, Nashville JAN - Art a la Carte, Lexington FEB - Laurel Theatre, Knoxville News: Wishing Chair's new CD, "Undipsuted Country" was picked by Performing Songwriter Magazine as one of the best independent releases of 1998. Check out their review in the November issue. A cut from "Undisputed Country" (Heartland) was chosen by Oasis CD Duplicating to appear on one of their "best of" compilation samplers. It goes out to 1,000 radio stations across the country. Let us know if you hear it! All Terrakin Records CDs, tapes and publications will soon be available on Amazon. com. Write your own reviews and tell others what you think about the records! Of course you can still get them all directly through us too. Consider independent music this holiday season when it's time to buy for friends and family. And finally...thank you all for your support this past year. It makes the going a lot easier! DEC 3 Cheapside Lexington, KY 4 Bluebird Cafe Nashville, TN 5 Radio Cafe Nashville, TN 11 WEB Coffeehouse Yellowsprings, OH 17 Cheapside Lexington, KY 18 Joseph-Beth Booksellers Cinti, OH 19 Tiger Gallery Muskogee, OK 25/26 Cheapside Lexington, KY JAN 5 Arts Place Lexington, KY 14/28 Cheapside Lexington, KY FEB 11 Laurel Theatre Knoxville, TN 20 Mardi Gras/Celebrations Dayton, OH 25 Cheapside Lexington, KY MAR 11 Cheapside Lexington, KY 19 Ford's Alley Tahlequah, OK 25/26/27 Cheapside Lexington, KY APR 9 Burlington Coffeehouse Burlington, VT 18 Electric Brew Goshen, IN 22 Cheapside Lexington, KY Terrakin Records, 1281 Sharp Rd. Stamping Ground, KY 40379, 1(800)roaddog, www.terrakin.com, terrakin@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 10:50:34 -0500 From: dave Subject: Mary Arden Collins internet broadcast Studio M is scheduled to broadcast last Fridays Deerpark Tavern (Newark DE) concert of Mary Arden Collins and Juliet's Wishing Well from 7pm ET to 10pm ET on Tuesday Dec. 15th. Mary is also scheduled to play The Bitter End in NYC on Sat. Jan. 16th, starting around 9:30pm As before there's a soundclip of her on my site below (although last time I suggested checking out an artist on my web page not one of you bothered) and soundclips, lyrics, pics and tour info on her site http://www.maryardencollins.com adios - -- +-----------------------------------------------------+ + dave + + irc.dal.net #Panic_Beach #tori + + http://magpage.com/~sspan/ music clips/pics/links + +-----------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 11:05:31 -0500 From: dave Subject: ooops... I guess it would help if I put the url for the MAC broadcast.. http://www.studiomlive.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 10:20:26 -0600 From: "Girl with the curious hair" Subject: greg dulli hospitalized i don't know if anyone is interested, but i saw a couple people mention the afghan whigs. well, i was supposed to see them live yesterday, but after the previous show in austin, he was attacked by a security guard, allegedly with a baseball bat, and was in the icu last night. today he's in stable condition, but the rest of the tour is unsure. thought i'd share the news.... j ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 10:40:14 -0600 From: Mark Lowry Subject: Re: greg dulli hospitalized Yeah, This ran in our paper in lieu of a concert review: Afghan Whigs' lead singer hospitalized after fight By The Associated Press AUSTIN -- The lead singer of the alternative band the Afghan Whigs was in good condition at Brackenridge Hospital Saturday after a fight outside a club. Austin police responded to a call of a disturbance involving Greg Dulli outside Liberty Lunch around 2:15 a.m. Saturday. Police have made no arrests. "It's still under investigation. They've got witnesses to talk to," said Sally Muir, public information officer. "It sounds like it had started earlier in the evening. It wasn't just someone attacking him out of the blue." The Cincinnati-based band was scheduled to perform at Deep Ellum Live in Dallas Saturday night, but the show was canceled. Distributed by The Associated Press (AP) So, is there someone else on this list from Dallas now? Mark n.p. Trilogy _Plays Ennio Morricone_ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 12:11:42 +0000 From: "Spencer Lewis" Subject: FW: Daily Dish - 12/11 Wow - Shawn and Patti on one stage! SHAWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS Columbia Records Radio Hour featuring Christmas with Shawn Colvin ! A live one-hour concert with Shawn Colvin with special guest Patty Griffin, Doug Petty on keyboards plus a special holiday string quartet. The show will feature some holidays favorites and past hits - Live from Austin, Texas, Wed. Dec. 16th. Airs in New York on WFUV 90.7fm Dec. 16th - 10-11pm ET. Other stations: (please check local listing for air date & time) CIDR - Detroit, Mi. KACD - Los Angeles KBAC - Albuquerque, NM KBCO - Denver, Co. KCDU - Monterey-Salinas, Ca. KCHU - Valdez, AK. KFOG - San Francisco KGSR - Austin, TX. KIDE - Eureka, Ca. KINK - Portland, Or. KIWR - Omaha, NE. KLRR - Bend, Or. KLWN - Topeka, Ks. KMHA - Fargo, ND KMTT - Seattle, WA. KNCA - Redding, Ca. KNSQ - Mt. Shasta, Ca. KSBA & KSKF - Coos Bay, Or. KSMF - Medford, Or. KSUT - Grand Junction, Co. KTCZ - Minneapolis, Minn. KUWJ & KUWR & KUWZ - Cheyenne, WY. KVYN - San Francisco, Ca. KXST - San Diego, Ca. WALC - St. Louis, Mo. WCCN - Wausau, WI. WDST - Poughkeepsie, NY WEBX - Champaign, Ill. WFUV - New York, NY WMBX - W. Palm Beach, Fl. WMVY - Cape Cod, Ma. WNCS - Burlington, Vt. WNKU - Cincinnati, Oh. WRLT - Nashville, TN. WRNR - Baltimore, Md. WRZI - Louisville, Ky. WXPN - Philadelphia, Pa. WXRT - Chicago, Ill. WXRV - Boston, Ma. WYCE - Grand Rapids, Mi. WYEP - Pittsburgh, Pa. - ------------------------------ http://www.shawncolvin.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 13:28:47 -0500 From: Heather Russell Subject: Re: Superstardom (snip) > Often they can't even fill up a damn > living room with fans and possible fans. I'm tired of > so-called fans who borrow cds from friends and libraries > and make tapes of the entire cds, rather than purchase and > support the artist's work. (I recently got an email from > someone who said he borrowed Jane's "The Walking" from the > Dallas Library and he regretted he didn't get to make a > tape of it...I told *him* what I thought of *that*!) I > frankly don't get it.. (snip) All this struggling artist can add to the above is, amen!! I was talking to an old high school friend recently who said she bought my cd ...... from the used bin. Profit for the record store: $6. Profit for the struggling artist: $0 ;-) heather - -- |*********************************************************| | Heather Russell | | My music site: http://www.freecloud.com/heather | | The Mending Wall: http://www.unc.edu/~gumption/tmw.html | | Email: hrussellatbellsouthdotnet | |_________________________________________________________| "I'm in favor of love as long as it doesn't happen when 'The Simpsons' is on television." --- Anita, age 6 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 13:59:00 -0500 From: meredith Subject: Re: Poxy Frivolous (was: Re: Lucinda Williams...) Hi! Charley helpfully opined re Moxy Fruvous: >I thought a more appropriate name for the group was "They >Might Be They Might Be Giants, Only a Lot More Annoying." They're very >talented musically and vocally, but I think their taste is, at its >best, adolescent and provincial, and at its worst, cringeingly >sophomoric. They're not anywhere near as funny as they think they are, >and their musically stiff (though technically impressive) delivery >does not go very far to make up for the artistic aridity of their >material. While I'm certainly not Moxy's biggest fan, and the only album of theirs I have ever been motivated to listen to more than once is their live CD of earlier this year, I have to step in here and agree with Mike Curry. They are a ridiculous amount of fun live. No, they're not geniuses or brilliant artists, but they're hilarious, and they do harmonize really well. Mark, I should also point out that Charley hates The Nields too, so that should give you a point of reference and hopefully convince you to take his comments with about a pound and a half of salt. If you like to have a lot of bouncy, giggly fun at a concert, definitely go check Moxy out. If you don't, then that's fine too - stay home and listen to Rufus Wainwright or something. :) +==========================================================================+ | 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: *** | | *** http://www.smoe.org/meth/trajectory.html *** | +==========================================================================+ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 18:39:13 -0500 From: desmond in a tutu Subject: Re: A&B Sound no longer accepts money orders also sprach Kay S Cleaves: >Am I completely behind the times in feeling >insecure about giving out a charge number online? there is good security technology which protects against electronic eavesdropping, but you can never be too careful. then again, would you feel comfortable giving out your credit card number over the phone? it's practically the same thing. for what it's worth, i use a separate credit card for ordering stuff over the net. i suppose that's not much more safe, but it's something. at least when my number comes up, i won't have to cancel my only account. ;) woj n.p. emily bezar -- moon in grenadine ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 19:05:29 -0500 From: desmond in a tutu Subject: matsui/drecker also sprach Jeff Burka: >But I wanted to point out that any fans of Anneli should keep their eyes >open for Tsunematsu Matsui's _Song of Joy_, on which she wrote and sang a >number of songs meredith mentioned that i serendipitously fished this album out about the same time i was mentioned here (um, in late november -- yeah, i'm catching up again). alan ezust made a copy of the record for me many years back and i've been on the look-out for the real thing ever since, but haven't had an luck. does anyone have any ideas on how you might track this down? woj ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 19:00:23 -0500 From: desmond in a tutu Subject: Re: sister soleil also sprach Melissa B: >Any way I am surprised no one has ever mentioned Sister Soleil's album >Soularium. I picked up a advanced copy at Sounds a few months ago but >only started to listen to it recently. It's very good. from the for-what-it's-worth department, i've previewed this disc more than a few times at a used shop. it's electronic-based and while you could probably dance to it, it doesn't appear to be intended to be dance music. it seems interesting enough, but i never can muster up the nerve to spend the $5 to buy something i'd probably only listen to once or twice. woj n.p. echoes (can somebody tell me why anyone would want to buy the new living room concert album for *$18.98* from echodisc?!?) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 19:28:31 -0500 From: desmond in a tutu Subject: Re: Nina Mankin gig >About Nina Mankin's CD "Slow That Pony Down, Girl": >From "The Rotten Apple," Fall, 1998: > >"...What a relief to hear that this female singer/songwriter steps out >from the limited bounds of such femme performers as Shawn "Sunny Came >Home" Colvin and Natalie Imbruglia, with a catchy groove, confident >and expressive vocals and solid instrumentation. do these comparisons scream "clueless critic" to anybody else? +w ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 19:24:28 -0500 From: desmond in a tutu Subject: Re: Rachael Sage and Imogen Heap also sprach Neile Graham: >meredith wrote: >Actually, Jim was sure it _was_ Ani until I told him it wasn't. Now, the >similarities may be superficial when you know the albums better, but on the >surface it's obvious. I'm having some trouble getting past that. Maybe >simply because over time I've really clicked into Ani's style. huh. the first time i head _smashing the serene_, i didn't notice any ani-isms at all. the second or third time, i did pick up some similarities in rachael's singing and lyrical style, but they didn't seem to me to be strong enough to note. thus, i was amused to learn that rachael considers ani to be a personal goddess and even toured with her earlier this year. just wanted to pipe in a "me too" to meredith's review of rachael's show on friday night. it was short (but all shows at arlene grocery are), but good. the best part about it was that the newer songs were fully fleshed out. i don't mind it when the prime songwriter in a band kicks everyone off-stage while she or he does a new song solo, but it's always encouraging to see something new come to full life in front of your eyes one of the first times it's played. i've also come to like _smashing the serene_ quite a bit lately. it sort of snuck up on me when i wasn't looking (or listening, as the case may be). her voice is kind of cutesy, but that doesn't bother me much. i'm still not totally sure of the music -- it's light poppy stuff, but there are things going on down there which are not your usual sort of pop music. it's got hooks though and they work. >I hope you try to catch Imogen live, especially on this leg while she's >playing solo. imogen's playing at cb's gallery in new york city on the 15th. i'm thinking of going, even if meredith and mike curry aren't. maybe don'll be there. ;) >I wished I had taped Imogen's show. I send you a tape and glue it in your >tape player. i did tape rachael's gig, if anyone would like a copy. >C'mon, Meredith. If you'll listen to "Come Here Boy" 10 times I'll listen >to "Crack of Dawn" 10 times. yack! my first imogen contact was that song. i found a used copy of the single which i paid quite a bit for thinking it was the full album. oops. didn't really care for it despite repeated listens. we eventually found a copy of the record which i've listened to a couple times, but didn't really care for either. i'm hanging on to it for the time being though as i'd like to give it a few more chances. you know, for the most part, neile and i have very similar tastes, but 1998 has been a year of disagreement -- emma townsend, imogen heap, rachael sage. at least we have susan court and kathleen yearwood as common ground! ;) woj s.p. echoes ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 19:31:54 -0500 From: "Jeffrey C. Burka" Subject: Re: matsui/drecker woj sez: > meredith mentioned that i serendipitously fished this album out about the > same time it was mentioned here (um, in late november -- yeah, i'm catching > up again). alan ezust made a copy of the record for me many years back and > i've been on the look-out for the real thing ever since, but haven't had an > luck. does anyone have any ideas on how you might track this down? No. My tape is actually something of an ectophilic joint effort; one side has _Shimmering, Warm, and Bright_ (the original version, with "Spiderdust" as the second-to-last song, not the cheesy disc I now also have, which swaps "Spiderdust" to track 8. blech. throws off the whole feel of the alubm) which was taped for me by former ectophile Beth Perry, and the Tsunematsu Matsui disc was taped for me ectophile Craig Gidney, off the CD that he found locally (Tower, as I recall) 6-ish years ago. We only ever found the one local copy, and as I said, it was *many* moons ago. I've done a lot of digging online, but to no avail so far -- I'd love to have my own disc of _Song of Joy_. Anyone else with more promising info? jeff - -- |Jeffrey C. Burka|||||http://www.cqi.com/~jburka|||||"I've got time to rest / | ||||||||||||||| And I've got a clear, able mind that sees my life going fine. | ||| 'Cause everything I need is right here in my hands..." --Melissa Ferrick | ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 19:50:33 -0500 From: desmond in a tutu Subject: Re: Tops of 1998 also sprach Mark Lowry : >My Top 25 Albums of 1998: > >12. Bloque _de Busqueda_ >16. The Gourds _Stadium Blitzer_ >19. Slowpoke _Virgin Stripes_ can you provide any information about these bands? i haven't heard of 'em (and if they were mentioned on ecto, i missed it) and am curious. woj, who hates to make best-of lists but likes to read them -- it's one of the best places to find out about releases you missed and stuff you've never heard of! n.p. jami sieber on echoes ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 20:41:56 -0500 From: "Robert Lovejoy" Subject: The Echoes Project To those that are interested in the Echoes segment: I had hoped it would be one of the infamous echoes Living Room Concerts. As it turns out, all there is on the show is about a seven minute segment on MWABT by Kimberly Haas. Included, however, is interview material with Happy, and she does discuss the music and there are some revelations to be had. I will still be happy to make tapes for those who send me a blank with a prepaid return mailer, but alas, there are no new live musical performances. A C-20 will nicely get one side filled, including 100 Years from the album. Bob Lovejoy ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 21:01:43 -0500 From: Paul Blair Subject: Re: Rachael Sage and Imogen Heap also sprach ectoj in desmond's tutu : >you know, for the most part, neile and i have very similar tastes, but 1998 >has been a year of disagreement -- emma townsend, imogen heap, rachael >sage. Re the disagreement on Imogen Heap--I was surprised that I got no takers on the offer of *I Megaphone* that I posted a week or two ago. I saw them in the used bin and thought, "Should I just leave them? Surely they'll be in great demand from the Heapophiles on the list." Hah. (Or maybe there's more resolve against buying stuff out of the used bins than I realized...) Cheers, Paul ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 12:55:20 -0800 From: Neile Graham Subject: Re: rachael sage meredith wrote: >I picked up her first CD, _Morbid Romantic_, and I've had a chance to >listen to half of it so far. I'm glad that's not the album I heard first, >or I probably would've written her off. The production is downright >shlocky in places (the 4th track in particular sounds like >Wilson/Phillips). I'm not going to form an official opinion of it until >I've had several thorough listens, though. Ah--that might explain to some extent at least our different reactions to her work. I got both discs at the same time, and though I confess I've listened to _Smashing the Serene_ a few more times than _Morbid Romantic_, I've been listening to them both to try to figure out why she ranks as so high a discovery with Meredith. - --Neile - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Neile Graham ..... http://www.sff.net/people/neile ..... neile@sff.net The Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music .... http://www.smoe.org/ectoguide - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 20:19:02 -0600 From: Mark Lowry Subject: Re: Used bins (was Superstardom) Hi, > > Often they can't even fill up a damn living room with fans and possible > fans. I'm tired of so-called fans who borrow cds from friends and > libraries and make tapes of the entire cds, rather than purchase and > support the artist's work. (I recently got an email from someone who said > he borrowed Jane's "The Walking" from the Dallas Library and he regretted > he didn't get to make a tape of it...I told *him* what I thought of > *that*!) I frankly don't get it. First, I just want everyone to know, since I'm one of the few, if not the, Dallas person on this list, that wasn't me :-)I totally agree with this statement, though. I have a friend with a CDR who has actually checked out CDs from the library and recorded them ... and I expressed my concern immediately. That has to be illegal, right? I use my CDR for compilations only. It's great because I have fun coming up with "theme CDs" for friends (that's what my Xmas presents this year will be), and they get to hear some good stuff, perhaps things they haven't heard before. > Heather Russell wrote: > I was talking to an old high school friend recently who said she bought > my cd ...... from the used bin. > Profit for the record store: $6. > Profit for the struggling artist: $0 There's a fine line there. I'm going to admit that I'm a sucker for used bins, mainly because I don't make gobs of money, and with the amounts of music I purchase, there's just no way I can afford to pay new prices for everything. In any given month, I probably buy 4 or 5 new CDs (from the net or from the store), and maybe 3-5 from bargain bins. Since I joined the Ecto list this summer, my purchases have geatly reflected things talked about here. When I discover something I like, I tell my friends about it. Recently I found Syd Straw's _Surprise_ in a cheap bin. I was already familiar with her solo work because I have _War and Peace_, and I mainly bought _Surprise_ because of the Ecto recommendation to use "String of Pearls" on my guest vocalist CD (which is finished and my friend loved it!). I love the whole album, and instantly told another friend, who borrowed it, listened, loved it and is looking for a copy himself, which he'll probably buy from the net, since that's they way he gets all his music. I'll freely admit there's a lot of artists who I'm vaguely familiar with that I probably wouldn't pay full price for (considering the ton of things out there that I'd rather have), but I'll fork over $6. For me, Melissa Ferrick is in that category. Heather, I know it isn't paying your bills, but if it's any consolation, maybe that high school friend loves the album enough to tell some friends, and they'll tell some friends ... etc. etc. At least it's exposure. As a journalist in the entertainment field, I get a lot of free music and get to go to a lot of concerts for free. This is, of course, something the record companies have to do in order for their artists to get exposure. I'm the low guy on the totem pole at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (therefore I *do* pay for a lot of my concert-going), since I've only been there eight months, but I've already shown some Ecto influence. For example, I managed to get the music editor to approve me writing reviews of Happy's MWABT and _I Wanna Be Kate_. (Don't know if it helped sells in our market ... but it surely didn't hurt). And I get to write a preview of the Susan Werner show in Dallas in January, and possibly will get to review it. That's the kind of stuff that normally doesn't get in our paper, being in a community that's unapologetically mainstream. And, as a result of buying that Melissa Ferrick in a cheap bin ... I'm now familiar with her and when she has a new CD, or comes to town, I'll be prepared to write something about her. I know that I'm in a unique position. Getting familiar with as many artists as I can is important ... no matter how I find out about them: $12.99 new, $5.99 used, or $0. So, the argument for used bins? It would be nice if these used places gave some of the money to the artists, it would be nice if everyone who loved music could afford to buy everything they wanted at $12.99 a pop, and it would be nice if every artist with true talent could reap the benefits of success and superstardom ... but that just doesn't happen. Where is that perfect world we've been looking for? Mark n.p. MWABT. (It's actually been about a month since I last listened. I'm falling in love all over again). ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 22:22:32 -0500 From: desmond in a tutu Subject: Re: natalie merchant and susan mckeown also sprach meredith: >Anyway. After a lengthy intermission, it was time for Natalie Merchant. I >wasn't expecting a high-energy set because _Ophelia_ is so evenly low-key, >and well, the show pretty much met my expectations. :) the tone of her set was actually pretty subversive. i imagine that everybody's expectation (well, except for meredith's), despite the mood of _ophelia_, was for a higher energy performance ala 10,000 maniacs. >She definitely had a much better band on her _Tigerlily_ tour. dunno about that. i dug out a tape of one of her tigerlily shows and listened to it the day after this most recent show since i was curious about the differences between the shows. her new lead guitarist is pretty good. jennifer what's-her-name was pretty good too, but she dropped a few notches for releasing that atrocious furslide album. the drummer is the same from the previous band, but i don't know how much more overlap there is. i think the current band is just as good, but can't pick one incarnation over the other. >Natalie herself was cool, though. In >between songs she read various articles from the U.N. Universal Declaration >Of Human Rights, whose 50th anniversary was that day, and on a couple songs >she even did some spinning! she forgot to read the article which guarantees each member of the audience a unobstructed view of the stage and to be free of idiots in the audience. ;) personally, i thought the show was alright. natalie merchant has never been a favorite of mine, before or after the split with the maniacs. i was surprised by how much i enjoyed the show we saw when she was supporting tigerlily -- that one was very up-tempo (there were so many people dancing in the balcony of the palace theater in new haven that i thought it was going to collapse), but the low-key mood of this one wasn't too bad either. it didn't change my opinion of her in any way, but i didn't run screaming from the theater either. ;) woj ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 20:52:45 -0700 From: Neal Copperman Subject: SF1: Veda Hille I'm wrapping up over a week in San Francisco, where, , I've met many ectophiles and seen lots of great music. I started off with Veda Hille at a lesbian bar called the CoCo Club last Monday. I arrived ridiculously early with my friend Susan (an ex-lurker from years ago). We got there at 7:30, doors at 8, and Veda at 10. The club was a great underground hole-in-the-wall (hole-in-the-ground?) with a bar on one wall and a small open area with 4 tables in front of a stage at the back. We snagged a table and watched the sound check while people trickled in. Soon Drew and then John arrived, and later Sue Trowbridge, which I think accounts for the ecto contingent in attendance. The evening started with Sister Spit, a collective of lesbian poets. While this had the potential to be quite dreadful, it was actually anywhere from decent to exceptional. (Plus, it turns out that poet/MC Michelle, she of the blue hair and impressive tattoos, works with our very own IRVIN.) The third reader was breathtaking. A black woman who read prose that explored her manic depression, tying it in with stories of her slave ancestors and her experiments with S&M. This was really powerful stuff that is coming out as a book on Four Walls Eight Windows. An excerpt of an excerpt also appears in a new book called Fetish. Anyway, the music came next. Sue and I had separately seen Veda do solo shows on the east coast (NYC and DC), but this was the first time we'd seen her with a band. Veda with a band rocks! The songs had so much more power and punch. She played a lot of the Emily Carr songs and a smattering from Spine and Path of a Body. I'd heard tapes of the band before, but was much happier to see them in person. Ford is a dynamic presence on guitar, often more interesting to watch than Veda herself. He unleashed rhythmic bursts that were accompanied by his own spurts of motion. Ok, so sometimes he wandered into wankerdom, but most of the time his playing pushed the music to another level. (I think it's been mentioned before, but what was he doing before he was with Veda?) On one song the drummer came out and played a saw. I can't remember the song, but it fit perfectly. In fact, I was wondering if he did that on the album? (I don't have that one with me.) It's funny, I can't remember a lot of the specifics from the show, but I remember "three" seemed particularly powerful and she played a beautiful version of "and birds". I also remember some really emotional Emily Carr songs, particularly "15 years" (wheww), "titles" and the one with monkey sounds. I was told Veda had an impeccable memory and that she would remember me if I went up to her. She had spoken with us a bit during the soundcheck without any sign of recognition, but since she remembered Doug at Meth's house concert, I thought I'd test her out. So I went up to her and asked her if she remembered where she had last seen me. She said she couldn't remember where, but that my name was Neal! I thought that was impressive enough. SHe also said that she likes performing solo, but that she really thinks the band is where she's at right now, and I'd have to agree. (On the other hand, Susan suspected she'd much prefer the solo show, since she really couldn't stand the loud guitarwork.) Neal np: Juned - Juned (one of roughly 30 discs that I picked up on this trip) nr: Alburquerque - Rudolfo Anaya the wall of the sky, the wall of the eye - Jonathan Lethem (gotta read these holiday gifts quickly before I send them off! I finished his Girl in Landscape this afternoon.) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 21:17:27 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: SF2: Amy X Neuburg & Men I managed to skip a whole day after Veda before seeing another show. (Actually, so did much of San Francisco, as it was all blacked out for about half the day.) Wednesday night, Sue and I went to Venue 9 to see Amy X Neuburg & Men. Venue 9 was an interesting place. A tiny theater with about 15 rows of seats spreading up a riser in front of a smallish stage. I gather they do much more than just music there: poetry, readings, dance... Amy X is doing sort of a residency, playing for many Wednesdays (but skipping a few around the holidays), with wildly divurgent opening acts. Last Wednesdays was more poets. SF seems to be pretty dense with them. I can't remember the names of either of them, but I much preferred Sister Spit. However, they both had some intriguing things about their "sets". The first woman was more of a performance artist than poet, but her costume changes did nothing to offset the flat monotone she delivered her repetitive musings. What did liven them up was a guy who played some bizarre instrument that I imagine he made himself. It was sort of an electric harp built behind a metal frame that looked sort of like a giant trident. There were strings on either side, which he would pluck with either hand. He had two foot petals which allowed him to manipulate the sound into strange, swooping, science-fictiony noises. (This appears to be the same type of setup Paulina Oliveros uses on her accordian.) The second poet was an older woman, which was sort of interesting. She was at least 60, and had been around various scenes forever. She occasionally had some hilarious observations, but mostly it was just good to see someone continue to do that. The only thing that made her performance interesting to me was that it was accompanied by a woman on double bass which offset the rhythms of the poetry beautifully. The real downside was that she went on forever. Maybe 40 minutes. And this caused Amy X to feel compelled to rush her set. For those (many) who probably don't know, Amy X Neuburg has a couple of albums out: Songs 91 to 85 (released in 1992), and 1995's Utechma. Her whole show consisted of new material though. It's a someone strange comparison, but probably the strongest and most obvious influence on the band is 80's era King Crimson. They even do a great cover of Tears of a Waiting Man from Beat. But that's not really the only frame of reference. After all, we have a female singer, and it's got a healthy dose of jazz/cabaret thrown in. There are slides to accompany most of the songs, one band member does back up singing and a hell of a lot of dancing. There is a stick player, and some other odd instruments show up as well. Amy X plays a set of drum pads, and the "keyboard" player plays something that is layed out like a keyboard, but consists all of pads. (Sorry for my lack of technical expertise on names there.) He played it with mallets, often holding a pair in each hand as if he were playing a vibraphone. And he also played the "light stick", which is something so baffling I can barely describe it. It's sort of an un-theremin. He holds a wand, and depending on button pushes and apparently spacial location, he controls pitch, tone, samples. I was actually almost convinced that he just set a tape running and waved his arms around, but I've been assured that it sounds different at different shows. It's too bad the show was rushed, because the music was a blast. There's definitely a wacky element mixed in with the instrumental virtuosity. I certainly encourage people in the bay area to see some of her other shows. Maybe make a point of seeing the one in late January where Emily Bezar comes out of hiding to open the show. neal still playing Juned ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V4 #433 **************************