From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V4 #434 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Monday, December 14 1998 Volume 04 : Number 434 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: A&B Sound no longer accepts money orders [jason and jill ] SF3: Cry Cry Cry (times 3) [neal copperman ] Re: Tops of 1998 [Mark Lowry ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 23:22:08 -0500 (EST) From: jason and jill 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? It isn't really all that worse than giving it for phone orders. I wouldn't worry about A&B, though. They don't employ human beings, but rather a family of heavily sedated tree sloths to handle and fill orders and a couple of gibbons to answer email. I suppose the gibbons might use your number to order some peanuts or berries, but aside from that you should be safe. Jason ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 22:20:45 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: Emily Bezar news Sue and I had a nice lunch with Emily last Friday. I was sorry that my trip didn't overlap with a concert of hers, but it was nice to finally get to meet her in person. I was amazed at how bubbly she is, since she was pretty serious when I saw her perform years ago. She gave us some updates on her future plans, though they are a bit fuzzy, and I of course wasn't taking notes, but instead eating a burrito. But basically she has been working on music as much as being a mother will allow, and has plans to start laying down pieces of tracks for a new album. Apparently she has plenty of music, both from before the birth of her son and after. She was trying to write some more pop-type songs, but didn't think they were working well. While it doesn't sound like the new songs will be very pop, they might be more accessible than some of the others. Anyway, she thought she'd start recording the rhythm tracks early next year, and hopefully get to studio work by the summer. (All tentative and approximates there) She was saying something about recording the album differently. I think the piano and drums were recorded off the same mics on Grenadine, and she didn't like how that sounded and hoped to get more separation out of them on the next album. (does that make sense? I know nothing about audio engineering.) Did I get any of that right Sue? (Hey,I get the first dream-gasoline post!) neal ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 21:43:29 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: SF3: Cry Cry Cry (times 3) Thursday found me back at Amoeba on the Haight with Sue and her friend Bradley. We were supposed to meet IRVIN there, but thanks to the vagueries of public transportation and his having to leave identifying features checked at the entrance, it was harder than expected. Just before the in-store started, I said to Sue, so, did you see anyone who happened to look like irvin? To which the guy next to us said "Are you neal?" So we managed to talk for about 1 minute before the music started, and then irvin had to cut out to go to work. I guess our self descriptions weren't very accurate! Anyway, the Cry Cry Cry instore was fun. About 20 minutes of songs from the album, without the extra instrumentation of Buddy who is travelling with them. The standout hilarious moment of the short set was when Dar said "I have to make a comment before we can go on. FOr the last 15 minutes, I've been looking at the back wall, and that poster next to Bjork looks a lot like me. Well, like me 5 years ago when the record companies put on a lot of make-up and shown a bright light on me." Someone in the audience told her that it was Heather Nova, and she said "Oh, I know her I want you to cooooommmmme." Lucy and Richard looked totally shocked (apparently never having heard that song before), and Lucy's mouth hung wide open. It was quite amusing. I then made my way to Great American Music Hall to meet up with Susan. That's a neat hall. A floor and a 3 sided balcony over it, all very garishly designed. We had a striking moment of ectosynchronicity before the show started. I was having a conversation with Susan, and I heard the other people at the shared table talking about Veda Hille. A few minutes later, I heard the mention of ecto! One of my tablemates turned out to be an ecto lurker. And the other two people had been at the Veda show on Monday (and there were only about 30 people at that show). Pretty amusing. Anyway, one of the main reasons I was at this show was to see the Nields open it. They were playing as just a duo of Katrina and Nerrisa, and they were a lot of fun. I'd rather see them as a band, but as a novelty, it was great. There was more harmonizing than usual, and without the band you could hear how amazingly their voices blended even better than ever. They played a very brief set, opening with Cool in the Backseat, followed by a trio from Play (Last Kisses, Georgia O, Easy People) and ending with Best Black Dress. Susan had only heard a few Nields songs on tapes, and was pretty thrilled with them, going home with Mousse, Greta and Abigail and I was finally able to get a copy of Play for myself. I ran into Katrina after the show and told her I was wearing my Nields-wear all over town. She caught a glimpse of my sweatshirt and was amazed that I had one. She said they only made 24 as a test to see if sweatshirts would sell, and they didn't even make any money on them. I thought the design was so cool, and liked the idea of a sweatshirt, so I picked one up even though I hardly ever buy concert cloths anymore. (It's got the Greta pictures on the front and a big "Whats a Nields?" on the back. I probably get more comments on that than anything else that I wear.) The Cry Cry Cry show was great too. I'd seen the second night of the tour in Albuquerque and enjoyed it, but this show was much better. THe earlier shows were still having the kinks worked out of them, but everyone seemed more comfortable singing with each other now, and the songs had more spirit. No talk of beavers either (which apparently dominated the first night in Tucson, and was still much on peoples minds in Albuquerque). As an added treat, the Nields sang backup on Fall On Me and the encore of Cry Cry Cry. The set was exactly the same, with a few additions. There was a fantastic version of Christians and the Pagans as an encore, with the backing vocals brought far to the front, giving it a very different feel. They had also worked out a version of Auld Lang Syne the previos night since the show was taped, and decided to add it to the set (though they had to read the lyrics). On the just missed front, it turns out that Joan Baez was in the audience the night before, and was called up to do a bunch of songs with them. Definitely sorry I missed that. Susan reminded me that her mother took a water aerobics class with Ms. Baez a few years ago, which was kind of funny. And that about does it for the concerts. Neal np: Still Juned ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 00:25:09 -0600 From: Mark Lowry Subject: Re: Tops of 1998 desmond in a tutu inquired about: > >12. Bloque _de Busqueda_ > >16. The Gourds _Stadium Blitzer_ > >19. Slowpoke _Virgin Stripes_ Bloque: A Colombian rock band who, natch, sings in Spanish. Now, I had the requisite two years high school Spanish, and I also minored in it in college, but unfortunately, don't speak it enough to be as fluent as I should. Doesn't matter here, though. Bloque employs traditional Latino sounds -- bongos, maraca, tambora, congos, etc. - but uses them with other rock-band sounds to make what is a solid rock 'n' roll record that's also fun. I hear they're pretty charismatic in concert, and I totally get that feeling just from listening to them. Enjoying something to which I don't understand the lyrics makes it a great record in my book. The Gourds: A sorta alt-country band from Austin.These guys' debut album in 1996 was called _Dem's Good Beeble_, and can best be described as a more polished Appalachian jug band stuck in a bar room brawl with some bawdy drunk Irishmen. I've seen them several times in concert, and they're just a lot of fun. _Stadium Blitzer_ is a little more down to earth than the first one, but there's still elements of humor mixed with real human emotion in their lyrics. The primary instruments used are accordion, mandolin, banjo and guitar, and the two vocalists' high-pitched and rather erratic styles work nicely together. If you like the whole y'allternative movement, the Gourds are a must. Slowpoke: Gotta 'fess up, these guys are also friends of mine. They're a Fort Worth band (and this album is their Geffen debut). The closest comparison I can make -- and I know this is stepping on sacred ground -- is The Pixies. It's bass-heavy alternarock with that Cure-esque guitar, and lead vocalist Dave Gibson's voice is kind of Brit new wavey. It's a damn fine alternative rock album considering it was a year in which rock and roll was dominated by bland AAA stuff. Hope that helps. Later, Mark n.p. Patty Griffin _Flaming Red_ ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V4 #434 **************************