From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V5 #78 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, March 4 1999 Volume 05 : Number 078 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Guitarists [kerrywhite@webtv.net (kerry white)] Folk Alliance 5: anecdotes (the final chapter) [neal copperman ] Jane at A&B ["Bill" ] Re: Heather production (was: Elysian Fields) [Rolf.Peukert@theoinf.tu-ilm] RE: Elysian Fields ["Foghorn J Fornorn" ] Re: Guitarists ["Joseph S. Zitt" ] Eberhard Weber [Dirk Kastens ] Upcoming Seattle event [Neile Graham ] Re: I'm baaack!! & Male vocalists & Ecto pianists & Samson Europe? [Ma] Review - RHODES I [Patrick Moseley ] Re: Review - RHODES I [Jeffrey Burka ] Re: Folk Alliance 3: the very good [Sherlyn Koo ] Jeff Lang was: Folk Alliance [Andrew Fries ] Chris Cunningham [Jeffrey Burka ] Backpedaling Whirligig [neal copperman ] Re: Chris Cunningham [meredith ] Very sad music news [stunning@tezcat.com] Re: Folk Alliance 3: the very good [Michael Curry ] Re: Jeff Lang was: Folk Alliance [Carolyn Andre ] Re: Chris Cunningham [Michael Curry ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 01:04:46 -0600 (CST) From: kerrywhite@webtv.net (kerry white) Subject: Re: Guitarists Hi, Michael Manring is a very good bassist, but every time I hear him I think of Eberhard Webber. MM uses 'today's' equipment to get that sound. EW used a homemade bass that looked like a broom handle on a cigar box. He really had to twist and move those strings to shape the sound. He was on a lot of ICM recordings in the 'old' days. (late 70' early 80's) KrW "Yes, it left a great gaping hole in the water!" ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 00:10:30 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: Folk Alliance 5: anecdotes (the final chapter) My first experience with Folk Alliance was wandering over to the Hyatt on Thursday night (an outing from the publicly advertised Swedish dance concert) to see what was going on. It was too early for anything, but that was when I learned about all the showcases, thanks to the endless collections of fliers that were around. My friend and I were talking to people and trying to get some good tips for the evening. We got into an elevator and were joined by a guy who looked like a French Indian from 150 years ago. He was decked out in buckskin and long flowing black hair with feathers in it. I asked him if he had any recommendations, and he immediately said Vasen was doing a showcase at 12:30. I said I already had tickets to their concert and was looking for people I didn't know. He said he was sure their concert would be good, and then got off the elevator. The next day, my friend called me up and told me she'd seen a picture of Vasen in the paper, and the guy we were talking to was in the band! (He turned out to be the drummer.) A few days later I ran into most of Vasen and JPP in the bar in the restaurant, where I got to speek briefly to Olaf, the nickelharpa player who is about 1.5 feet taller than I am. When I returned to the Hyatt after the final convention center showcase (at 3 am), I found the entire Laura Love Band, Molly O'Brian and a few other people hanging around a table in the hotel lobby. It looked like they'd been jamming for a while, and were just getting ready to call it quits. Laura kept insisting that they had to end with Windy, but no one wanted too. It seems like it's impossible to say no to Laura Love, so after some more weedling, nagging and cajoling, they agreed. Her band played Windy by making obscene noises blowing into their hands and arms. A very bizarre and humourous moment. OK, that's it. Sorry for all the space. Hopefully all of the pieces were of interest to somebody. neal np: Michelle Shocked [ Prodigal Daughter (Cotton-Eyed Joe) ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 00:02:11 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: Folk Alliance 4: the good and mediocre I wouldn't even go into some of these, except there are some ecto names here that are probably worth mentioning. Joulse Graves was an interesting woman with some interesting potential. What dragged her down for me was fairly heavy-handed topical songwriting, and an earnestness that was leavened with humor, but not enough. I wanted to like her more, since she had a big, open voice and accompanied herself on many songs on a huge djembe. Girl with a drum was a lot more interesting than girl with a guitar, and it drove her singing into a more percussive style. Eddie From Ohio - go figure. I see these guys for the first time (I think?) in Albuquerque while they are from back home in the DC area. I thought they were ok. I could see why they attract a frat boy/party crowd, but they weren't as bad as some of that ilk. I'd like them better if they left out the long drum solos. Anna Wolfe - a very strange young local woman. She talked just like Victoria Williams in her up mode, but didn't sing like her. She had an all over the map vocal style and actually seemed slightly schizophrenic (real or a stage persona?). She had a strong but untrained voice, which had a lot of potential, but she often didn't really know how to use it well, overshooting notes and the like. Mare Winningham - sang some nice country/folk songs. The first time I saw her, she seemed kind of appealing. The second time, mostly tired and not as interesting. I gather that FA was way past her bedtime :) Susan Werner (sorry for the typo in the first message): Susan played in a songwriters in the round showcase. (She had her own showcases too, but I missed them.) I didn't like the in the round things. Usually there would only be one person I liked, and then I had to wait forever for them to sing another song. Also, they didn't get to build up any momentum in their set, since they immediately turned the stage over to someone else. I've seen this done better in other settings, but the two I caught here were very week. Susan shown in this setting though. With a wry grin and a twinkle in her eye, she'd saunter up to the front of the room (no mic), and just wail. I've seen her a couple of times before and have found her to be reasonably entertaining, but I haven't been wow'ed like a lot of others here. I still wasn't that into some of what she was doing, but she definitely filled up the room with her voice and personality. The only song I can remember was a smoky cover of I Only Have Eyes for You. Of note also was Bob Malone, a horrible singer songwriter who did some amazing piano accompaniment on one of her songs. She quickly wrote out the bars and he just went nuts. He should play with her more often (but don't give him a mic!). (See http://www.lpl.org/people/alan/Album.NAFA99.html for some fun photos of Susan performing in a hotel room.) The ASCAP earnest women in song showcase: (Rose Polenzani, Lynn Miles, Trina Hamlin, Jennifer Kimball (maybe)) Rose Polenzani (sorry for that other typo too) - I'd seen her once before open for Susan McKeown at a house concert in Mass (or was it Conn? Where was I?), and wasn't at all impressed. I wanted to give her another chance, but was still not at all impressed. This showcase was very boring, and I only listened to one song by each person. Trina was ok, but not nearly as good as the other night. Rose did nothing for me. Lynn Miles looked so tired that she could barely stay awake through her own song, and the woman who may have been Jennifer Kimball sang ok, but not compellingly enough for me to stay. Vanida Gail - Another big disappointment for me. I had always enjoyed June Rich, but as a solo singer with a guitar, Vanida did nothing for me. She sang in a faux blues-style that didn't suit her voice well, and she added some weird syllable (eh) to the end of every line. This was also an in the round showcase, and I left to follow Sloan Wainwright to another show instead (and was much happier for it). neal np: michelle shocked ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Mar 1999 23:13:48 -0800 From: "Bill" Subject: Jane at A&B from the A&B site: SIBERRY, JANE BOUND BY THE BEAUTY $3.72/$5.49 MCA DSBBD31058 and SIBERRY, JANE BOUND THY BEAUTY $10.50/$15.49 IUV 075990025942 what's the diff? meaning, what's the diff which is not so obvious?! - - Bill. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 99 09:20:17 +0100 From: Rolf.Peukert@theoinf.tu-ilmenau.de (Rolf Peukert) Subject: Re: Heather production (was: Elysian Fields) Andrew Fries wrote: > [...] but I do think that he'd be about the second-last > man on the planet I'd want to produce this music! (for me the absolute > rock-bottom would be Felix Todd, The Butcher Of Heather Nova's Talent) Felix didn't produce the whole 'Siren' album. I wish he had, because IMHO "his" songs are the better ones by far. The tracks that suffer most from production, "London Rain" and "What A Feeling", were produced by Jon Kelly, "Heart And Shoulder" by Youth. ciao, Rolf ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 09:41:00 -0500 From: "Foghorn J Fornorn" Subject: RE: Elysian Fields Come to think of it, the cover picture was displayed prominently in the record club blurb. Probably a factor here too! - -----Original Message----- From: owner-ecto@smoe.org [mailto:owner-ecto@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Fries Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 1999 7:38 PM To: ecto@smoe.org Subject: RE: Elysian Fields In a message "RE: Elysian Fields" on 01/Mar/1999 10:53:38 Foghorn J Fornorn says: > This was probably the only unknown band disc that I ever bought based on a > description in a record club catalog. And I wasn't disappointed. To tell the truth "Bleed Your Cedar" was the only unknown band disc I ever bought simply because I promptly fell in love with the woman on the cover :) Luckily, the music didn't disappoint. I was very glad to find them mentioned on Ecto because I just the other day I was playing that disc and thinking it's been awfully long time since their last release but I didn't hit the Web looking for updates because I'd hate to find out they broke up last year or something... BTW, whatever possessed them to ever record with Albini in the first place?!? I don't hate the man as such, but I do think that he'd be about the second-last man on the planet I'd want to produce this music! (for me the absolute rock-bottom would be Felix Todd, The Butcher Of Heather Nova's Talent) - ------------------------------------------------------ The world is divided into good people and bad people. The good ones sleep better, while the bad ones enjoy the waking hours much more. - ------ http://www.zip.com.au/~afries/hall.html ------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 10:02:54 -0600 (CST) From: "Joseph S. Zitt" Subject: Re: Guitarists On Wed, 3 Mar 1999, kerry white wrote: > Hi, Michael Manring is a very good bassist, but every time I hear him > I think of Eberhard Webber. MM uses 'today's' equipment to get that > sound. EW used a homemade bass that looked like a broom handle on a > cigar box. He really had to twist and move those strings to shape the > sound. He was on a lot of ICM recordings in the 'old' days. (late 70' > early 80's) Some here may have heard Eberhard Weber on the recordings of an obsucre singer/songwriter named KaTe Bush :-) http://www.cogsci.ed.ac.uk/~rjc/hyper_cloud/subjects/bass.html - - ---------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: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 17:14:36 +0100 From: Dirk Kastens Subject: Eberhard Weber At 10:02 03.03.99 -0600, Joseph S. Zitt wrote: >Some here may have heard Eberhard Weber on the recordings of an obsucre >singer/songwriter named KaTe Bush :-) Not to forget the Jan Garbarek Group. I have two of Eberhard's solo albums. Very quiet and melancholic but beautiful instrumental jazz. Dirk ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 08:10:40 -0800 From: Neile Graham Subject: Upcoming Seattle event Hi, Seattle & area folk: I just got this email message from Mary Lydia Ryan. I am getting a little frantic trying to meet a series of deadlines, but really want to try and make this show, especially as Mary Lydia Ryan is first. What I'll probably do is go and stay as long as I can--probably not through the whole thing, given that my work day starts at 7:30 the next morning. Anyone else up for it? >Remember the show I had mentioned that would be happening in March? It's >here next week: Thurs. March 11th at the Sit 'n Spin. It's a benefit for >Real Change and has an extraordinary line-up: Mary Lydia Ryan, Aiko >Shimada, Willow, and JR. I am on at 9pm. the others to follow in that >order. I hope you can make it and spread the word as it will be a night >of some great music. It is happening under the Persephone's Circle name, >as this is the group of of women I mentioned who have been rotating shows >in the area. There seems to be a buzz beginning and we hope to watch it >grow. - --Neile - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Neile Graham ...... http://www.sff.net/people/neile ....... neile@sff.net Les Semaines: A Weekly Journal . http://www.sff.net/people/neile/semaines The Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music ....... http://www.smoe.org/ectoguide ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 17:54:44 +0100 (W. Europe Standard Time) From: Marion Kippers Subject: Re: I'm baaack!! & Male vocalists & Ecto pianists & Samson Europe? Hi! There are so many interesting threads going on, that by now I feel I have to dive in. Even though I don't have the time to write anything sensible at all. :-) First of all, a big "Welcome Back !!" for Marcel - I tried to keep your name alive on Ecto a bit, but it's good to have you around in person again. :-) After all, it was you who first really introduced me to Happy's music, playing "RhodeSongs" for me almost five years ago now (obl. Happy mention here... :-) ) Which reminds me: I think it's a good thing that Samson Music decided to re-release all Happy's previous albums. But does anybody know anything about Samson's plans for widespread distribution in Europe of Happy's music? I have the feeling nothing much is happening there, but I could be wrong. Anybody know? Favourite male artists: Frank Boeijen and Colin Vearncombe (Black). No Ecto consensus there I suppose, except for Marcel... ;-) Though I think both could be regarded Ectophilic in a way. Frank Boeijen is a Dutch singer/songwriter, whom I don't love so much for his voice (though it suits his music), but more for his overall work - the lyrics (all in Dutch) are very important, and while his music may not be overly original he did a very good job at making Dutch rock/pop music more grown up and interesting. I don't think I'd recommend him to non-Dutch speakers really, without understanding his lyrics I don't think the music is interesting enough. Compare him to Bob Dylan without understanding the lyrics for instance. Marcel has done a homepage for Frank on http://home.plex.nl/~mfgr/boeijen/index.html , but that's all in Dutch (what happened to the English pages?). There are some sound samples on http://home.plex.nl/~mfgr/boeijen/medicijn.htm Colin Vearncombe (from the UK) used to record as Black, and had a world wide hit way back in 1987 with "Wonderful Life". His music is certainly on the poppy side, but his voice is one to melt for. I do. :-) And by now I think he's almost beaten KaTe - his most recent album dates back to 1993. However, the main difference here is that Black HAS recorded a new album, but he's now searching for somebody to help release it. Check out Marcel's (him again!) authorized Black site on http://home.plex.nl/~mfgr/black/index.html for more info (including some sound samples). And finally in the pianists thread I would like to mention Mary Lydia Ryan. Her piano playing has a prominent role in her music, in some songs even more important than her voice it seems. She's not a virtuosa but I like her playing very much. Also, Neile wrote about Pepper Acton: > Hmm. I can see not liking her music (well, I couldn't until Marion > described her experience listening to her and now I think I understand but > I still think her work is evocative and brilliant), but not thinking she's > a good pianist surprises me. Her performances aren't "clean", but in the > same way Tori's aren't. > > Maybe it's her jazz/honkytonk timing that bugs people? For me it certainly has something to do with her timing, but I agree with Jessica that it's especially the way her songs are structured, being all over the place. Oh well, that's enough for now. Back to work. Best wishes, Marion (who's currently trying to decide whether she'll finally dive into the on-line music ordering world and try to order those cheap Jane Siberry discs from A&B sound...) n.p. Katheleen Michaels - Faces, traces & timelines n.r. Otfried Preusler - Krabat - ---------------------- Marion Kippers Marion.Kippers@wkap.nl ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 16:42:01 -0500 From: Patrick Moseley Subject: Review - RHODES I Hello all... As many of you know, I recently required the bulk of Happy's catalogue at one time, and I've been trying to sift through all this wonderful new music in the past few weeks. I'd like to post my reviews if anyone cares to read them. These reviews are coming from the viewpoint of someone who was introduced to Happy in a very backwards manner -- beginning with Many Worlds Are Born Tonight. I'd be glad to receive any feedback (and correcting opinions!) from any "older" Happy fans... I'll begin with RHODES I. First off, the cover is quite unsettling to me, perhaps more than any of Happy's other monster covers. Not sure. I'm glad she seems to have put the monster sleeves behind her... ;-) There's something slightly "melancholy" to me about the feel of Happy's first two albums; I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think the mood is captured mostly in her melodies. Speaking of her melodies, my first few listens to RHODES I left me feeling that the songs were pretty indistinguishable one to the next. Repeated listenings have changed my opinions and certain songs have begun to emerge as singularly good. Among my favorite cuts from RHODES I is "Oh the Drears." I don't mind the dated synthesizer strings at all, and in fact I think they add to the tone of the song. It's lyrically very interesting! The entire idea is how boring our lives would be if success was always guaranteed. Not usually the topic of your typical sad song... "Given In" is good, although I prefer the version on RHODESONGS better (probably only because I heard that version first, considering the two versions only differ on background vocals). Other highlights for me on the album include "Possessed," a track whose quick strumming sets it apart from the slow pace of the other guitar songs; "I'm Not Awake, I'm Not Asleep," which probably contains the most striking melody of any song on the album; and of course the stellar "The Wretches Gone Awry," which, though a bit of a departure for Happy (country anyone?), is significant in that it really shows her beginning experimentation with multiple layers which she would take to extreme heights on MWABT. I also like the harmonies of "Number One" and the catchiness of "Step Inside." I didn't really have any completely negative reactions to any cuts on the album, as all at least display or point to some aspect of Happy's future creativity or innovation. Probably my least favorite track is "He's Alive," which always leaves me searching for a hook of some sort; the remainder of the tracks I haven't mentioned, including "I'll Let You Go," "Case of Glass," "Moonbeam Friends," "The First to Cry," and the two new bonus tracks in particular ("The Flaming Threshold" & "Suicide Song"), while all good in their own right, tend to play on by without really registering anything noteworthy with me; "Rainkeeper" has a more memorable tune than those mentioned above, but not necessarily one I care for. All in all, I'd say RHODES I is quite a good debut album that at times borders on excellence; ultimately, however, I'd say Happy's later recordings have overshadowed this one, and on its own RHODES I would probably only be considered a classic among diehard Happy fans. GRADE: B BEST CUTS: 1. The Wretches Gone Awry 2. I'm Not Awake, I'm Not Asleep 3. Oh the Drears 4. Step Inside LEAST FAVORITE CUT: He's Alive Patrick n.p. RHODES I ("I'm not Awake...") ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 18:25:18 -0500 From: Jeffrey Burka Subject: Re: Review - RHODES I Patrick Moseley sez: > > I'll begin with RHODES I. First off, the cover is quite > unsettling to me, perhaps more than any of Happy's other monster > covers. Not sure. I'm glad she seems to have put the monster > sleeves behind her... ;-) I don't like those early covers either...but it's because Happy, in my opinion, ruined the fabulous monster paintings when she masked 'em out with the roman numerals. Simply put, the songs on the early albums are about monsters. Happy was not only writing about them, but painting them too. Mind, these monsters were somewhat like imaginary playmates. While I find the critter on II to be rather creepy, I adore the monster on I (dunno if we ever learned their names...) > There's something slightly "melancholy" to me about the feel of > Happy's first two albums; I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think > the mood is captured mostly in her melodies. Slightly melancholy? All those pretty songs about death, suicide, cripplingly low self-esteem and monsters? Yeah, okay, I guess... ;-) > Other highlights for me on the album include "Possessed," a track > whose quick strumming sets it apart from the slow pace of the other guitar > songs; Happy has been known to introduce it live with words to the effect of "You can get up and dance now." One of my very favorite songs by ANYBODY. EVER. > nd of course the stellar "The > Wretches Gone Awry," which, though a bit of a departure for Happy (country > anyone?) HUNH? Country? Where? Geez, I can't imagine what you'd think of the questionably country _Bound By the Beauty_ by Siberry, then. > is significant in that it really shows her beginning > experimentation with multiple layers which she would take to extreme > heights on MWABT. Perhaps more signficant, then, is the fact that it's supposedly one her earlier recordings, dating back to when she was 17 and had gotten her job at the studio... In fact, everything on the first two albums was recorded over the same general period of time, and then collected into two relatively cohesive albums; it's not really appropriate to try to treat the albums chronologically. jeff np: _What Has Happened?_, Jessica Weiser (thanks to cdbaby.com) - -- |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: Thu, 04 Mar 1999 10:20:36 +1100 From: Sherlyn Koo Subject: Re: Folk Alliance 3: the very good Hey folks, Neal said: >Jeff Lang followed Trina. I was having trouble standing up at this point, >and still had a 25 minute drive home, so I only saw 2 songs. Which was a >real pity. I think he was a real hit at FA, since I kept hearing his name >being tossed around in hallways. He seems like the kind of male singer >that would be a hit with at least some ectophiles. He had a unique vocal >style, wrote interesting songs, and was a stellar guitarist. Someone I'll >definitely be keeping my eyes open for. Jeff Lang is amazing, probably the best guitarist I have ever seen. There's one song he does using two capos which absolutely has to be seen to be believed. Anyway, speaking of Folk Alliance, Alan Rowoth (legendary keeper of the folk_music mailing list) has put about a million photos up here: http://www.lpl.org/people/alan/Album.NAFA99.html :) sherlyn =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-= a+e=ig Sherlyn Koo - sherlyn@fl.net.au [Sydney, Australia] "Hold out your heart and on it let the sun shine down, Open your mind and through it let the wisdom pour..." - Jann Arden ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 12:01:54 +1100 From: Andrew Fries Subject: Jeff Lang was: Folk Alliance In a message "Re: Folk Alliance 3: the very good" on 04/Mar/1999 10:20:36 Sherlyn Koo says: > Jeff Lang is amazing, probably the best guitarist I have > ever seen. There's one song he does using two capos > which absolutely has to be seen to be believed. I saw Jeff Lang only once when I caught a part of his opening act for Ani DiFranco in Sydney last year. I'll agree that as a guitar player he's simply amazing, unfortunately he also sings and his vocals didn't do all that much for me... Still, he might be of interest to quite a few people on this list. Sherlyn, you probably know - does he have any CD releases, and would they be available in the States, I wonder? - ------------------------------------------------------ The world is divided into good people and bad people. The good ones sleep better, while the bad ones enjoy the waking hours much more. - ------ http://www.zip.com.au/~afries/hall.html ------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 21:10:57 -0500 From: Jeffrey Burka Subject: Chris Cunningham Given the recent thread on guitarists, and of course the heavy support for Susan McKeown (and Rachel Sage, for that matter) and around here, I wanted to point out that sometime Chanter Chris Cunningham now has an album available, _Stories to Play_. Don't recall seeing a mention of it here before; I came across it at CD Baby when I was looking to order Jessica's EP. Folky, singer-songwritery sorts of stuff, with fabulous guitar. Chris sings, which is, er, alright I suppose, though I find the music a lot more compelling than the lyrics and/or vocals. Vocally, he reminds me of Richard Thompson. Michelle Kinney and Lindsay Horner also appear on the album. jeff (who still can't seem to scrounge up a copy of _Mother_. ) np: _Stories to Play_, Chris Cunningham - -- |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: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 19:20:56 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: Backpedaling Whirligig While it likely got overlooked in the mass of stuff I bombarded the list with yesterday, when I reviewed Whirligig, I said I wasn't satisfied with Lisa Moscatiello's voice. Well, this evening i listened to a Folk Alliance sampler tape (thanks Carolyn) which has a Whirligig song called The Constant Lovers on it, and it's wonderful. Lisa's voice is rich and beautiful, and exactly what I'd want to compliment the music. I also forgot to mention that she had been in bed with the flu the day before I saw them, which might account for her voice being off (though I did see her once before and wasn't struck by her voice like I am on this song). neal np: Peter & Wendy ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 21:32:56 -0500 From: meredith Subject: Re: Chris Cunningham Hi! Jeffy posted: >Given the recent thread on guitarists, and of course the heavy support >for Susan McKeown (and Rachel Sage, for that matter) and around here, >I wanted to point out that sometime Chanter Chris Cunningham now has an >album available, _Stories to Play_. Don't recall seeing a mention of >it here before; I came across it at CD Baby when I was looking to order >Jessica's EP. Actually, there was some talk of it when we first picked up the album last summer. :) woj, JeffW and I saw Chris play at a teeny place called the Parkside Lounge in NYC (just down the street from Meow Mix, if that helps provide a point of reference), and it was a really neat show. Michelle Kinney's trio opened, then she played with Chris. I haven't been motivated to listen to the album in a while, but I liked it a lot when I did. >(who still can't seem to scrounge up a copy of _Mother_. ) I don't think it's officially been released yet ... patience, grasshopper. :) Maybe if some generous ectophile is going to see Susan perform soon they can grab a copy for you? +==========================================================================+ | 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: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 11:50:36 -0500 From: stunning@tezcat.com Subject: Very sad music news >Singer Dusty Springfield has died of breast cancer at 59. Her agent says she >died last night >at her home near London. Her 1960s hits include ''Son of a Preacher Man'' and >''Wishin' and >Hopin'.'' > >Springfield was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next week, >at a New York >ceremony, with Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen. Thomas Dunning Brown Star Records Chicago The Kate Bush Tribute CD is here! I WANNA BE KATE: The Songs of Kate Bush http://www.tezcat.com/~stunning/kate/index.html VISIT THE WEBSITE! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 23:22:30 -0500 From: Michael Curry Subject: Re: Folk Alliance 3: the very good At 11:41 PM 3/2/99 -0700, neal copperman wrote: >Whirligig - I'm almost afraid to say it here, but the thing that >kept Whirligig out of my excellent spot was that I'm not really >that wow'ed by Lisa Moscatielo. She seems like a really nice >person and a decent vocalist, but something in her voice or style >doesn't move me like I feel like it should. Decent rather than >exceptional. (I saw her open for Susan McKeown some years ago and >had much the same impression then, when she sang in an entirely >different style.) Despite the fact that you changed your mind about this, I have to say that my opinion of Lisa matches your original one. I haven't seen her with Whirligig, but I also saw her open for Susan once at a show at Passim and I was totally underwhelmed. >Whirligig is something of a traditional Irish band crossed with some >heavy jazz elements, which mostly come to play from their woodwind >player (soprano sax, flute, clarinet and "faux clarinet"). Their >music was really exciting, and a wild departure from traditional >Celtic music. They also do a very nice, evocative version of >Susan McKeown's Through the Bitter Frost and Snow. My only exposure to these guys was at First Night in Oakland, NJ a couple of years ago. I was mainly there to see Richard Shindell and Dar, but I had heard Whirligig's name because Susan McKeown was originally supposed to be singing with them that night. Despite the fact that that ended up not being the case, we had some time so we went to check the band out. I liked the most of the material well enough, but when the sax came out I cringed. IMNSHO, the only reeds in traditional Irish or even just general "celtic" music should be inside a set of pipes. I really, *really* loathe the sound of a sax or clarinet when it's mixed into this sort of music, so that ended up leaving me with a poor opinion of the band which has been lessened to some degree by seeing Greg, their guitar/bouzouki player, do some excellent work with Susan McKeown on a variety of occasions. >Rose Polenzani (sorry for that other typo too) - I'd seen her once >before open for Susan McKeown at a house concert in Mass (or was it >Conn? Where was I?), and wasn't at all impressed. You were in Lyme, CT, at Tom Neff's house. ;) And a couple of days before when you saw Susan and Johnny Cunningham, that was in New Bedford, MA. Mike np: Conal O' Grada -- The Top of Coom nr: nothing at the moment, but I have a pile of unread books to choose from | Michael Curry / mcurry@io.com / mcurry@smoe.org | | http://www.io.com/~mcurry | | Am I bitter? Do I sound bitter? -- Veda Hille | ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 22:30:15 -0600 From: Carolyn Andre Subject: Re: Jeff Lang was: Folk Alliance At 12:01 PM 3/4/99 +1100, Andrew Fries wrote: > >I saw Jeff Lang only once when I caught a part of his opening act for Ani >DiFranco in Sydney last year. I'll agree that as a guitar player he's simply >amazing, unfortunately he also sings and his vocals didn't do all that much for >me... >Still, he might be of interest to quite a few people on this list. Sherlyn, you >probably know - does he have any CD releases, and would they be available in >the States, I wonder? I'm nowhere near as organized as Neal about the whole Folk Alliance week -- because I couldn't fit my conference papers & CDs into my bag, I shipped them home Priority Mail; just got them today. re: Jeff Lang. I do have to agree with both Sherlyn about the amazing guitar work (and yes, I did see/hear him do the 2-capo tune at a late-nite Australian showcase, about 1:30 a.m. Thursday nite/Friday a.m.) and Andrew about the vocals -- I've only listened to Jeff's CD once, in the portable CD player that goes with my laptop, but was disappointed that it didn't seem to convey the intensity of his live guitar work. In fact, Kavisha Mazzella, the Italian/English/Australian woman who was performing after Jeff in the showcase just couldnt' get over his amazing playing! (in between raving about it, she said they had only just met at the airport) Anyhow, Jeff's current CD is the 1998 "Cedar Grove". But according to his website: http://www.jefflang.com.au it is his fifth cd; he's been recording about one a year since 94. there are some sound samples of Cedar Grove, but you need Shockwave to listen to them. Also, there's a link to Gaslight Records (Australia, of course) for ordering. They admittedly have a rather unique approach to taking orders: you fill in the details of what you want, and they 'contact you within 24 hours to confirm the order & finalize method of payment'. There's even an Australian currency converter. ... ... and you guys might luck out if my mind overloads while I try to put together my own comments about the new music at the Folk Alliance! Carolyn ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 23:27:23 -0500 From: Michael Curry Subject: Re: Chris Cunningham At 09:10 PM 3/3/99 -0500, Jeffrey Burka wrote: >Given the recent thread on guitarists, and of course the heavy support >for Susan McKeown (and Rachel Sage, for that matter) and around here, >I wanted to point out that sometime Chanter Chris Cunningham now has an >album available, _Stories to Play_. Don't recall seeing a mention of >it here before; I came across it at CD Baby when I was looking to order >Jessica's EP. I heard this album once (in Jeff Wasilko's car) and I was of two completely different opinions about it. The guitar work is amazing, but the songs... gah. He doesn't have a very good voice, which might be okay if his lyrics weren't just horrible. The lyric that stuck with me (though I really wish it hadn't) was the one about "making love through a chainlink fence." Yikes. Mike | Michael Curry / mcurry@io.com / mcurry@smoe.org | | http://www.io.com/~mcurry | | Am I bitter? Do I sound bitter? -- Veda Hille | ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V5 #78 *************************