From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V5 #365 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Tuesday, November 2 1999 Volume 05 : Number 365 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Goddess criteria... [Bill Mazur ] DIY FYI. [blah blah blah ] Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] hey! i disagree again (shock) [blah blah blah ] Beat Box Betty shows - LA [birdie ] Ben Christophers [anna maria "stjärnell" ] To be or not to be Ecto [Yngve Hauge ] MAC tour dates and Jen Cohen [dave ] Re: Beat Box Betty shows - LA [Joseph Zitt ] Brendan Perry and Kristen Hersh at the 930 Club ["Craig Gidney" ] Marcella Detroit nee Marcy Levy [birdie ] Re: hey! i disagree again (shock) [jjhanson@att.net] Re: My week in music [Jay Behel ] Re: hey! i disagree again (shock) [Neal Copperman ] Mia Doi Todd (was Re: My week in music) [Neal Copperman ] Mia Doi Todd (was Re: My week in music) [Jay Behel ] Ecto isn't really "ecto" (or something) [karen hester Subject: Re: Goddess criteria... Please see my responses below: "Owen L. Magee" wrote: > There have been quite a lot of criteria for goddess status bandied about, > but I think the best criterion came from Mieu (inadvertantly): > > >Anyway... um... there seems to be SO many different artists that the > >ecto people are fond of, and I have no idea where to start! > ... > >I'm just curious as to what artists all of you would recommend to an > >ecto newbie. > > Isn't this what we really mean by the pantheon? The list of artists that > we would instantly recommend to a newbie interested in ectophilic music? A very interesting point. > I think this criterion really encompasses a lot of what we're looking > for: > > 1. The members have to be accepted by Ecto as a whole. Agreed > 2. It discourages too many members in the pantheon (you don't want to > rattle off 30 names to someone who just told you they like Tori Amos). Again agreed > 3. It lends itself to only accepting the artists who are most distinctly > Ecto--populating it with names like Joni Mitchell, Madonna, etc. doesn't > really tell people much about Ecto itself. That is, this helps fulfill > the "obscure" criterion John Drummond put forth. I was one of the people asking to include Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny. I recant my suggestions on those two wonderful artists for the reasons stated in this argument. John, in his inimitable way, made some very solid points. So do you Owen. As Glenn suggested we can find another category to venerate artists such as Joni and Sandy. > 4. It allows the list to change to better reflect what Ecto is. If, for > instance, Sarah M further descended into Celine Dionish mush, then she > could be removed from the list, since we'd probably no longer recommend > her as one of our first choices to a newbie. Better yet, imagine if > Jewel had made the goddess list, but then she released _Spirit_. > *shudder* Glenn made a very good arguement for having a pantheon that, at the very least, included Tori/Kate/Sarah/Happy/Jane. I personally would not like to see Sarah removed from the Ecto Goddess Pantheon. At the risk of being crucified ;-), I like Surfacing. BTW, I have been a Sarah fan since Solace. > 5. It lends itself to other levels of recommendations. That is, there > could be a list of second-choice recommendations. "After you've heard > the goddesses, you should really listen to these..." I still like the idea of having different levels of Ecto deities, just like most ancient mythologies. I believe that Jay made that suggestion. We can have the rather exclusive Ecto pantheon that represents the upper echelon of Ecto Goddess. There can be lesser tiers that meet the needs of other Ecto sub genres like the Beautiful & Fierce goddesses (analogous to The Furies). > Anyway, this has been a really interesting discussion, and I'm looking > forward to more... Agreed as well! It has been one of the most interesting discussions here in a long while, IMHO. Since Neile started this discussion, I am curious to hear her opinions at this point after all of this lively discussion. While I'm at it, I would also love to hear Vickie's and Bob Lovejoy's opinions as well. I miss seeing Vickie and Bob post to Ecto. They, along with Irvin Lin, were the first Ectophiles that gave me a very warm welcome when I first joined up with Ecto. Also, I think that we may want to find a way come to a collective agreement on what might be done to reach a resolution on this subject. Peace and love to you all! Bill M. n.p. Billi's watching Animal Planet in the bedroom ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Nov 1999 23:38:04 -0800 From: blah blah blah Subject: DIY FYI. Songbird22@aol.com wrote: > > what is DIY?!?! i wrote this long ass message about what DIY was, but my web based email didn't work at work today. so here is the short version: DIY stands for DO IT YOURSELF. it is a mentality that dates back to the PUNK era (well it is a mentality that dates way back further than that, but the acronym i do believe comes from the 70's punk era). it has evolved in meaning and has been taken as a rally cry from all sort of musical genres, from the initial punk era. indie rockers like JENNY TOOMEY and MARK ROBINSON started up their own labels to release their music, and their friends music, and used the phrase DIY when talking about what they were doing. certainly ANI is one in a long line of artists who are using this DIY mentality to forge her own path. she is probably one of the highest profiled though, and one of the most successful. other people like the RIOT GRRLS have taken the phrase DIY and applied it to making music itself. you no longer have to be male or know how to play an instrument to be in a band and make music. of course the longer the band is around, the more the self-named DIY-er learn how to write songs and play their instruments. just listen to early BIKINI KILL versus their later stuff, or earlier BIS versus the slick pop that their latest album is. DIY can also be applied to any artform, or for that matter any lifestyle. anything that is done outside the corporate structure. artists spaces and alternative spaces that show visual art are just one example of what the DIY mentality can achieve. zines are another. and of course, certainly HAPPY and KEVIN could be referred to as having a DIY mentality with AURAL GRATIFICATION and all the early tapes that HAPPY made and sold to her fans. hope this was informative. irvin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 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********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ******************* Katie Dougiamas (no Email address) ******************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Katie Dougiamas Sat November 02 1974 Scorpio Anthony Horan Fri November 04 1966 Positive Michael Sullivan Mon November 05 1962 Scorpio Anna Pryde Wed November 05 1975 Scorpio Sun; Sagittarius Moon; Pisces Rising Jens Brage Sun November 08 1964 Scorpio Rising Lynn Garrett Sat November 08 1958 Scorpio Sam Murgie Fri November 08 1957 Scorpio Rachel Kramer Bussel Mon November 10 1975 Scorpio Ken Latta Sun November 11 1951 Scorpio Michael Doyle Wed November 12 1969 Scorpio Neil K. Thu November 14 1968 Grocible Dave Cook Mon November 15 1971 Scorpio Jeff Pearce November 16 Orpheus Naama Avramzon Mon November 18 1974 Scorpio Jeff Smith Mon November 19 1962 Crash Kevin Bartlett Fri November 21 1952 Scorpio Claudia Spix Wed November 23 1960 Schuetze Anja Baldo Tue November 23 1965 Garbanzo Tommy Persson Wed November 25 1964 Sagittarius Pat Tessitore November 26 Sagittarius Valerie Kraemer November 26 Sagittarius Justin Bur Fri November 27 1964 Sagittarius Sue Trowbridge Sun November 27 1966 Skytten Ward Kadel Tue November 29 1977 Sagittarius Mirko Bulaja Sat November 30 1974 Block Juha Sorva Thu December 02 1976 Sagittarius - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 00:04:44 -0800 From: blah blah blah Subject: hey! i disagree again (shock) > John Drummond wrote: > > > Y'all, > Okay... Irvin Lin posited one question about > whether or not the Ecto pantheon should be based upon > who is the most influential or the most popular... and > I think something that he and most everybody else > involving themselves in this conversation is kind of > overlooking is the fact that we aren't the be-all and > end-all of all popular music... that's not what we're > about... actually when i posted that, i was being a bit facetious in my questioning. i mostly meant what was popular on this list, not in the general public. what most of us listen to probably isn't what most of the general public listens to (well except for the obvious overlap of THE SPICE GIRLS! viva SPICE!). i think it is obvious that we are not and never will be the be all and end of all of popular music. i mean the pantheon of ecto goddesses isn't trying to reinvent VH1's 100 greatest women in rock or anything. > and so, the pantheon has to consist of the > most popular-and/OR-influential artists from the ECTO > PEOPLE... Debbie Harry? No, sir. I'm sorry, but no. > "woman" does not equal Ecto, y'all. as much as I > worship... Polly Jean Harvey, she isn't one of the > epitomes of Ecto, let's face it, she isn't... but I love > her... but I understand that she doesn't need to be up > there... Björk also... she's ecto, but she's not Ecto... hmmm. actually i think PJ HARVEY, BJORK and DEBBIE HARRY are very Ecto. but my definition of what is Ecto is rather broad, perhaps broader than most? i thought that woman sort of did equal ecto. after all i would most welcome any conversation or post about a female musician that i hadn't heard of, regardless of what their genre of music was. and actually men to. names like RON SEXSMITH and PETER GABRIEL have popped up just to name a few. i remember a thread years ago about male ECTO music, and it went on for quite awhile. i dunno. either way i actually don't really care who makes it on to the list of goddess, as i hate that phrase in general when making reference to musicians or artists. personal bias though. i respect the general consensus of ecto that there be a pantheon. i just find it a rather silly label. i really only wanted to defend KRISTIN HERSH as an influential artist, and an excellent groundbreaking musician. truth is, what i cherish about ECTO is that there really isn't a core sensibility of music here. sure there is a big overlap when it comes to what brought most people onto this list, (KATE, TORI, JANE, SARAH, HAPPY, and well i guess VEDA) which perhaps help outline what ECTO is all about, but a whole lot of us ectophiles color outside those lines. whether it is the more crunchy THROWING MUSES or the softer (or as i like to call it, ectobland) side like ENYA, to the more experimental disharmonious side of DIAMANDA GALAS, to the jazz pop side HOLLY COLE and everywhere and everything else on that musical map. i personally feel that an integral part of the definition of what ECTO is, is the diversity of everyone's taste on the list (gawd that sounds so cheeseball. everyone GROUP HUG! lets break out in WE ARE THE WORLD and spontaneously reinact HANDS ACROSS AMERICA!) but damnit i mean it! as much as i find VEDA boring, and as much as i almost never listen to HAPPY or KATE anymore, i still consider myself an ectophile. hmmm. i don't know where i am going with this. i gotta go to sleep. sorry about this useless ramblings. ignore me and i eventually shut up. irvin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 01:23:28 +0000 From: birdie Subject: Beat Box Betty shows - LA The first tuesday of every month at Highland Grounds Coffeehouse, 742 N. Highland Ave, Hollywood is a womens variety night (3-5 acts) promoted by BeatBoxBetty. They're fabulous shows. Recent artists have included Vicki Randall, Janet Robin, Pamela Goodchild, Jaded, Lexi Shine, and many others. Tomorrow night, one of the artists is Marcella Detroit - solo - (Shakespears Sister) who is also known from her earlier work as singer/songwriter Marcy Levy (Eric Clapton, Aretha, Chaka Khan, Bacharach/David, and too many more to mention - try a search on http://www.allmusic.com). You may have seen/heard her in the BBC's Absolutely Fabulous britcom as the Angel next to Marianne Faithfull's God in The Last Shout special. She'll be performing with back-up by Denise Fraser (best known as Sandra Bernhard's Drummer) and Mick M (Toni Childs, Pat Benatar, loads of others) at another BeatBoxBetty show at Highland Grounds, Dec 7th. [the one tonight, she's solo.] http://www.marcelladetroit.com http://www.beatboxbetty.com (has her own hollywood news page but which does not represent the shows) For $5.00 at the door and a small coffehouse setting - the artists don't get any better in LA. In fact, there are times when they don't get any better, period. Everyone from international veterans to women just starting out. Cheers Birdie ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 01:28:20 -0800 (PST) From: anna maria "stjärnell" Subject: Ben Christophers Hi.. Thought I'd mention Ben Christophers..a very talented english singer who sounds like a cross between David Sylvian and Jeff Buckley. Angelic,feminine voice and brilliant songs. The album's called My Beautiful Demon and is one of the years best debuts. Highly recommended. Anna Maria np-guess what? nr-Donna Boyd-The Passion ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 11:55:21 +0100 (CET) From: Yngve Hauge Subject: To be or not to be Ecto I'm feeling very shakespearian this morning, and even more so after reading all the postings about what Ecto is and what Ecto isn't. I don't think that anyone around here could give a precise description of what Ecto really is. Someone (I don't remember who) said that something wasn't the essense of ecto, but what is? My personal opinion is that everyone got their own feelings about what ecto is, which makes it kinda absurd to say that something is or isn't ecto in the first place. Just the fact that all these different artists with totally different styles of music are being discussed here strongly supports that. I've the last couple of years more and more often seen postings beginning with something like this : I know this isn't quite ecto, but ... When did someone say that something was ecto or not in the first place? I didn't at least, and I would say that I'm so happy to learn about all these wonderful artists, which I don't want to classify other than saying : I heard about them on Ecto. If it is jazz or even classical - I don't care. The bottom of it is if the music moves something in me or not. Too much of the music industry today is trying to put something in one category or the other. If it can't be put somewhere it can't be sold either, and the artist won't be signed or just signed and ignored (I don't know what's worse). One example I like to use when discussing this issue is the following: In the early 70's a young couple was signed to a small label called Polydor. They did make a very fine album, but after spending money on this record the label didn't spend any money on marketing it and it flopped. Two years later these 2 artists were major rock stars. I know someone already has guessed who these two were, but for those not guessing I'll give you a hint: Fleetwood Mac. I don't need to say more, do I? :) I think that the essense of this issue is that ecto represents all female artists who through their music give something of their own spirit and by that giving the listener something special. I read someplace an amazing review of Throwing Muses' University album that ended up wondering if Kristin Hersh was the 8th Muse because of her ability to make something so simple and still amazing. Maybe we could broaden this a bit and say that Ecto is the 8th Muse giving some artists the ability to move other people with their music, but they have to give something of themselves in the process. But I think something else should be added - Their music is special because it stays with you for a long time without loosing its power. This is what Ecto is to me, and will always be so. I can't for my bare life say that some artists discussed here are more Ecto than others. They just are, and that is enough for me. *hugs* - -- Yngve n.p. A combination of the second disc of the new Tori and Miranda Sex Garden's Gush Forth My Tears. They are so different, but both so very beautiful. n.r. Trying to sort out my thoughts, and by that figuring out how to do something. It is kinda hard to read something, and do that at the same time methinks. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 07:10:52 -0500 From: dave Subject: MAC tour dates and Jen Cohen Here's the November schedule for Mary Arden Collins for those of you in the northeast. Her CDs are also available on amazon.com now. Thurs 11/4: Live on 91.7 WMPH at 3:30pm Fri 11/5: Tommy's, Reading PA (610) 373-3115 10pm (full band) Sun 11/7: Border's, North Wales PA (610) 415-2655 2pm (solo) 2pm Wed 11/10: The Tim Qualls Show, Suburban Cable Ch 28 10pm Fri 11/12 John Harms Theater, Englewood NJ opening for Keb' Mo' 8pm (solo) call (201) 567-3600 for ticket info Sat 11/13 Calvin Theater, Northampton MA opening for Keb' Mo' 8pm (solo) call (413) 586-1444 for ticket info Sun 11/14 Troy Music Hall, Troy NY opening for Keb' Mo' at 7:30pm (solo) call (518) 273-0038 for ticket info Thurs 11/18: Deep Blue 11th St Wilmington, DE (302)777-2040 10pm (acoustic band) Fri 11/19 Garde Arts Center, New London CT opening for Keb' Mo' at 8pm (solo) call (860)444-7373 for ticket info Sat 11/20: Border's, Newark DE AIDS Benefit 12pm (solo) and.. Kelly's Logan House Wilmington, DE full band w/ Broken Jones opening at 10pm Sat 11/27: The Point, Bryn Mawr PA (610)527-0988 w/ Donna DeLory Mon 11/29 The Fez, Lafayette St, New York City (212)533-2680 w/ Donna DeLory (solo) Also.. saw Mary at the Bitter End in NYC a few weeks back, one of the other acts that night was a singer named Jen Cohen. She has an exceptional voice, comparisons that come to mind are Susan Werner and Shawn Colvin with a little Natalie Merchant thrown in. After her set I immediately bought both CDs she had for sale, one is a limited edition 'Far Enough Away' (I got #46/200), which contains a fabulous version of Beth Nielsen Chapman's 'Out of my Element'. If you run across her, and there's any of these left, grab one.. peace.. +-----------------------------------------------+ + dave + + Visit Sideshow Bob's House of Wax and Waffles + + Female vocalists, Christian, and Polish music + + -=-=- and the fabulous Kasia Kowalska -=-=- + + http://magpage.com/~sspan/ + +-----------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 10:12:46 -0500 From: Joseph Zitt Subject: Re: Beat Box Betty shows - LA On Tue, Nov 02, 1999 at 01:23:28AM +0000, birdie wrote: > Tomorrow night, one of the artists is Marcella Detroit - solo - > (Shakespears Sister) who is also known from her earlier work as > singer/songwriter Marcy Levy (Eric Clapton, Aretha, Chaka Khan, > Bacharach/David, and too many more to mention - try a search on > http://www.allmusic.com). *doubletaking* Do you mean that Marcella Detroit and Marcy Levy are the same person? I'd never paid much attention to M. Detroit, but love some of M. Levy's songs. - -- |> ~The only thing that is not art is inattention~ --- Marcel Duchamp <| | jzitt@metatronpress.com http://www.metatronpress.com/jzitt | | Latest CD: Shekhinah: The Presence http://www.mp3.com/josephzitt | | Comma: Voices of New Music Silence: the John Cage Discussion List | ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 10:04:01 -0500 From: "Craig Gidney" Subject: Brendan Perry and Kristen Hersh at the 930 Club - --0__=MOwt5xMML6I7f8M3yyczT8aEBjqfyxZjdzH4naErrOImpFit6LeMYlYs Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Kristen Hersh started out her opening set with a harsh version of _A Loon,_ a song that describes a psychotic episode in a store. The fiercely percussive strumming and slightly hoarse vocalizing that melted into delicate, spiky picking set up the format for the evening - --0__=MOwt5xMML6I7f8M3yyczT8aEBjqfyxZjdzH4naErrOImpFit6LeMYlYs Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable ?s show. Hersh has developed into a force that carry a show with just a guitar, her gritty Appalachia-by-wa= y-of Patti Smith voice, and her humorous storytelling. Hersh mostly perform= ed pieces from her first 3 solo albums and 2 tunes from her tenure in Throwing Muses--_Soap and Water,_ and _Delicate Cutters._ Only _Echo_ was playe= d from her new rocking cd, _Sky Motel,_ which is just as well, since she could= n?t really do the songs justice without a full band. During his set, the inevitable heckler shouted out "Where?s Lisa?"= To which Mr. Perry responded with an (accidental?) squall of feedback. Th= e show mostly focused on his exploration of his new sound, only hinted at in h= is work with DCD-dark, ?60s style psychedelia, with forays into folk, country a= nd blues (all Celtic-tinged). The new material really fits his somber, beautifu= l voice-imagine unholy the love child of Frank Sinatra and Jim Morrison, = and you have Perry. His backup band was excellent, a complete change from the percussion and antique instruments of DCD-they were a full rock band. (Side-note: the second guitarist and singer was pretty cute, in the ga= ngly white boy way). In addition to songs from his new CD _Eye of the Hunte= r,_ Perry performed _The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove,_ and _In Power We Entrust the = Love Advocated._ While he avoided the more orchestral pop of his oeuvre, he= made up for it by unearthing a rarely heard falsetto during certain songs, high= ly reminiscent of the late Jeff Buckley. The final encore was, fittingly,= a version of Tim Buckley?s _Song to the Siren._ --Craig = - --0__=MOwt5xMML6I7f8M3yyczT8aEBjqfyxZjdzH4naErrOImpFit6LeMYlYs-- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 10:29:22 -0500 From: Laura Clifford Subject: Don't Give Up (Gabriel/Bush) ...is oddly the closing credit song used for "The Bone Collector." Laura ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 09:16:21 +0000 From: birdie Subject: Marcella Detroit nee Marcy Levy Joseph Zitt wrote: > On Tue, Nov 02, 1999 at 01:23:28AM +0000, birdie wrote: > > > Tomorrow night, one of the artists is Marcella Detroit - solo - > > (Shakespears Sister) who is also known from her earlier work as > > singer/songwriter Marcy Levy (Eric Clapton, Aretha, Chaka Khan, > > Bacharach/David, and too many more to mention - try a search on > > http://www.allmusic.com). > > *doubletaking* Do you mean that Marcella Detroit and Marcy Levy are the > same person? I'd never paid much attention to M. Detroit, but love > some of M. Levy's songs. Yep....same goddess. Marcy wrote "Lay Down Sally" "The Core" and other songs for/with Eric Clapton....and just wrote a blues duet for Eric C and BB King. You should check out her 40 song demo CD on sale at her website. She covers all the bases - from PJ Harvey kinda of quirky rock to amazing ballads....Laura Nyroesque (every bit as good!) and Aretha type songs. She also recently wrote a song with Billie Meyers (of "Kiss The Rain" fame) And is unsigned to a label deal! Cheers Birdie > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 16:07:43 +0000 From: jjhanson@att.net Subject: Re: hey! i disagree again (shock) Irvin writes: > as much as i find VEDA boring, > and as much as i almost never listen to HAPPY or KATE > anymore, i still consider myself an ectophile. I respect Irvin's right to find Veda boring, but couldn't let this one slide by without comment. I finally got her latest album, "You Do Not Live in this World Alone" (which is her 5th studio release by the way ,the cassette-only release Songs About People and Buildings, Path of a Body, Spine, Here is a Picture--The Emily Carr Cycle, and the latest).She also has the live Woman in Emotion disc). Her latest is anything but boring--it's incredibly odd, but still quite Veda, while being different than anything she's done before. I find it quite fascinating, but it's a horrible disc to play in the car, because the volume dynamics are really extreme. I find it a departure from her bouncy jazz/pretty ballad discs, and much more experimental than her previous works. It's full of strange noises, and while less melodic than her previous work, it retains her inherent musicability--I think this woman could make jackhammers and traffic noise beautiful. Anyway, it's worth tracking giving her another chance Irvin--but if you still find her boring, I can respect that! Jeff n.r. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie n.p. Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs (I'm really liking this 3-disc set by the way. I find Stephen Merritt to definitely have an ecto sensibility about him--even though he mostly does lo-fi pop--his humor and pop sensibility remind me of Steve Poltz, but without the fascination with beer and hot dogs.) > as much as i find VEDA boring, > and as much as i almost never listen to HAPPY or KATE > anymore, i still consider myself an ectophile. > > hmmm. i don't know where i am going with this. > i gotta go to sleep. > > sorry about this useless ramblings. > > ignore me and i eventually shut up. > irvin > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 11:17:16 -0500 (EST) From: Jay Behel Subject: Re: My week in music mia doi todd has another album called "the ewe and the lamb," it's harder to find but worth the search jay On Tue, 2 Nov 1999 01:28:28 -0500 neal copperman wrote: > >In the last week I have somehow managed to see 5 concerts without feeling >all that busy. Not sure how that happened, accept that more of them were >close to home than usual. And, oddly enough, the Richard Thompson show I >saw tonight cost more than the other 4 combined, and while I like RT, bang >for the buck wise it was not a winning evening. > >So, the week in review.... > >Last Tuesday things got off to an excellent start with the Kristin Hersh >show at the Ottobar (for a measly $10). It's always fun to see Kristin, >though I thought this was on the low end of her concerts that I've seen. >Her voice seemed really hoarse. I'm hoping that she was recovering from a >cold and not a pack a day habit. It made her music sound grittier and more >aggressive, but I like the pretty qualities of her voice that balance the >edge. The venue was very very intimate, which made the sort of cold, >distant nature of the show all the more surprising. It's not really fair >to criticize an artist for not being personable every time you see them, >but that's kind of what I'm doing here. She played well, but didn't seem >really engaged. She spoke very little, and only gave us a few glimpses of >that (justly) famous KH humour. Each song ended so sharply and >perfuncortily that it made the whole show seem a bit too pat. And while I >know she's been shaking up the set night after night, she carefully >followed the nights set list, which added to the preconceived feeling of >the evening. Not a bad show, but not as good as I've come to expect from >her. > >The real treat though was the opener. I was not expecting to see Kristin >Hersh and walk away saying I was more interested in the opening act, but >that was definitely the case. The opener was a young woman named Mia Doi >Todd. She hails from Los Angeles (I think), though I think she is half >Japanese. She had a very exotic look, and was very soft spoken and self >efacing. She accompanied herself on guitar, and started in a very soft, >breathy way. But her voice was so intense, and it slowly gained strength >and confidence, until it was gracefully swooping into directions totally >unexpected. The most obvious point of reference for me was Hugo Largo, >though her voice is huskier than Mimi's, more like a touch of Sloan >Wainwright thrown in. The songs were lyrically quite complex, twisting on >themselves and their language. She clearly loves words, and they seem to >be painted into the air in the same way that some of my favorite authors >write. Her vocal control was really stunning. There was a song where she >held out the final syllable of telivision for an excruciatingly long time. >The song structures seem to be really different too, flowing in their own >way in defiance of the typical verse/chorus/verse approach. The whole >thing was an amazing experience, and probably the musical highlight of the >week. > >Did anybody see either of the Philly shows? I'd be curious if anyone up >there was as struck as we were in Baltimore. I don't think the club agreed >that she walked away with the show (less than half the people were there >when it started), but Doug and I definitely felt that way. My friend >Anna-Maria had never seen Kristin before (and only recently heard her music >at all), and she liked them equally. But she did by Mia Doi Todd's album >and not Kirstin's. The album fully captures the feeling of the show, which >perhaps makes sense, since it includes this information about it's >recording: "These songs were recorded by Holcombe Waller on November 14, >1997 between 2:00 am and 5:00 am in Dwight Chapel on Yale's Old Campus, New >Haven, Connecticut. Holcombe and I slipped in after midnight and set up >shop. A policeman poked his nose in at one point but sniffed no >disturbances of the peace. He went about his business, and we ours. Thank >you to the peace officer. Thank yo uto Holcombe Waller." > >The album is called "come out of your mine" and is on The Communion Label >(2525 16th Street, third floor, San Francisco, CA 94103). I don't have any >ordering info though. > >Wow, this is already long Guess I just got kind of carried away. > >Friday Ida desended on my neighborhood. This weeks Ida show had a very >different feel from last weeks. I think this was due mostly to being in a >tiny and very crowded art gallery that was 99% full of art students. Kind >of a fun crowd to be in though. The show was less playful than last weeks. >Then, they played a lot of children's songs for their nephew, which was a >blast. It was all good, quiet fun though, and they did a bunch of other >covers, including Blue Moon of Kentucky, which was fun because one vocalist >spent most of the song making fun of the other vocalist. They seem like >incredibly warm and nice people, and their gentle exquisite music is really >growing on me. I won't bother to say much about the young neighborhood boy >they let sing a few songs on the mic. It was very kind of them, and >perhaps one day he will have a modicum of the talent that he seemed so >confident about. It was pretty funny though. he was so brash. > >Saturday I drove down to DC to see Lori Carson. Not too much to add to >Paul's report. I've seen Lori a few times, and find her shows to be >somewhat erratic. Sometimes she hits her quiet intensity dead on, and >other times it doesn't pack the full punch. The evening seemed to wander >into both worlds. I liked a lot of the new songs, and was happy to see her >perfrom a handful of old ones too. > >This was an early show, so I got to head back to Baltimore for a typical >mixed bag at the 14 Caret Cabaret. After the performance artists, Radiant >Pig took the stage. THere music is pretty hard to describe, combining >thick country twang on the female vocals with operatically trained story >telling on the male vocals, all blended with a weird eastern philosophical >bent. (In a previous incarnation they did a whole multimedia show based on >the Tibetan book of the Dead, which still plays prominently in their >music.) Oddly enough, this was the first time I'd seen this incarnation >without Asa (Lungfish' guitarist who has been playing with them for a >while). I'd have thought that the addition of a solid postpunk guitarist >would reall supercharge their music, but that had never been the case, so I >was quite surprised to see how hard they rocked without him. They had a >bunch of new songs and they were rowdier and funkier than anything they'd >done in years. I'm not really sure who I'd recommend them too (or where >else they ever play) but I always like them. > >They were actually opening for a rather pregnant Anne Watts, who was >celebrating her new CD with her band Boister. These guys were a blast! >I'd only ever seen them once before, when they performed the score to >Steamboat Bill Jr. But they were much different as a band. The band >consists of Anne Watts on vocals and accordian, with other players on >trombone, bass clarinet, bass, guitar and drums. They play something that >sounds very much like cabaret music, but more modern. Very clever, but not >at all arch or distant. The arrangements are sharp, the atmosphere is >thick, and the writing is clever. Particularly striking was Grieg's >Cheeks, which lifts themes from both Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King" >and Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek". I haven't had a chance to listen to >the cd, or check out their web site yet (www.wingandaprayer.com), but maybe >someone here will feel motivated (if they've read this far). > >And then tonight I saw the Richard Thompson Band. It's not directly ecto, >and what else is there to say about RT after all these years. I had fun, >and he was at the Senator Theater, which is always a treat to visit. I >prefer him more stripped down and in clubs than with a full band, though >the arrangements were often quite intriguing. Last time i saw him at the >Senator was years ago, and Shawn Colvin opened for him. Kind of funny how >those things go. > >Well, so much for accomplishing anything tonight. At least I'm feeling >more caught up on my e-mail. > >neal > >np: come out of your mine - Mia Doi Todd > > Jay M. Behel, Ph.D. \"When I dare to be powerful-to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it begins to matter less and less whether I am afraid.\" Audre Lorde ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 14:32:39 -0500 (EST) From: Neal Copperman Subject: Re: hey! i disagree again (shock) On Tue, 2 Nov 1999 jjhanson@att.net wrote: > Irvin writes: > > as much as i find VEDA boring, > > and as much as i almost never listen to HAPPY or KATE > > anymore, i still consider myself an ectophile. > > > I respect Irvin's right to find Veda boring, but > couldn't let this one slide by without comment. > I finally got her latest album, "You Do Not Live in this > World Alone" (which is her 5th studio release by the > way ,the cassette-only release Songs About People and > Buildings, Path of a Body, Spine, Here is a Picture--The > Emily Carr Cycle, and the latest).She also has the > live Woman in Emotion disc). I've heard a few people say they find Veda boring, and that always comes as a surprise to me. I can understand people disliking her, butshe certainly seems to have enough going on to challene people. What did you listen to Irvin? I guess it's also telling that Irvin thought Veda only had two albums and hadn't read any later discussion, so it seems likely that he hasn't heard anything beond Path of a Body. While I love that album, it is not as challenging from a surface listen. Of course, Irvin, if you heard Spine and thought it was boring, well, I'll leave you alone then :) (Though I'd suggest giving it a second listen anyway.) neal np: Hounds of Love - Kate ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 17:32:40 -0500 (EST) From: Neal Copperman Subject: Mia Doi Todd (was Re: My week in music) On Tue, 2 Nov 1999, Jay Behel wrote: > mia doi todd has another album called "the ewe and the lamb," it's > harder to find but worth the search Thanks for the info Jay. She did not mention that she had another album. Is it older? This one was recorded several years ago, but only seems to be released now. Do you have any clue as to how to get ahold of a copy. Thanks, neal np: Guitar Man - "Bowling Green" John Cephas & "Harmonica" Phil Wiggins ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 18:02:22 -0500 (EST) From: Jay Behel Subject: Mia Doi Todd (was Re: My week in music) Actually Mia Doi Todd's first album was 'The Ewe and the Eye', released on Xmas records, March 1997. Her current web site is www.midheaven.com/communion/mia_onesheet.html. However, this is for her new label so it offers no info as to how to get Ewe. I found it used and giggled all the way home. Good Luck, jay On Tue, 2 Nov 1999 17:32:40 -0500 (EST) Neal Copperman wrote: > >On Tue, 2 Nov 1999, Jay Behel wrote: > >> mia doi todd has another album called "the ewe and the lamb," it's >> harder to find but worth the search > >Thanks for the info Jay. She did not mention that she had another album. >Is it older? This one was recorded several years ago, but only seems to >be released now. Do you have any clue as to how to get ahold of a copy. > >Thanks, > >neal > >np: Guitar Man - "Bowling Green" John Cephas & "Harmonica" Phil Wiggins > Jay M. Behel, Ph.D. \"When I dare to be powerful-to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it begins to matter less and less whether I am afraid.\" Audre Lorde ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Nov 1999 11:52:43 +1300 From: karen hester Subject: Ecto isn't really "ecto" (or something) It is interesting how the artists we see as defining and uniting Ecto differ from the ones we actually discuss regularly, and perhaps differ from the most popular musicians among ecto subscribers. Obviously none of us hungry music lovers is happy with one genre so we feast widely, but if we were to map our favourite artists or the most mentioned ones the result would probably show more loud indie/alterna/whatever guitar music and 'world' music than the ethereal side. And many more male artists :). The ecto self image is peculiar. When I first arrived on ecto a few years back there were many posts in which people apoligised for talking about bands a bit too loud or strange, sometimes in a way that sounded like the writer thought they were more daring than the list. This isn't in reaction to ecto as it is created through writing by participants - it is directed at some image of ideal ethereal ecto music. Which doesn't really exist, as Kate and Happy etc use loud guitars, can growl in unfeminine ways, don't wisp about with drooping dead flowers between their teeth. It is necessary that the list deviate considerably from the pantheon - we talk about artists still producing music, those that tour regularly, those located in areas of heavy ecto population concentration (are the Nields more ecto or better than New Zealand Bic Runga? - not to me, but obviously to most of you), and in particular those who are too obscure to have their own big online communities (like Tori and Kate do) and who require (we think) proselytising. Sometimes this concentration on up and coming artists leads to dishonesty - for eg I somehow 'forgot' to mention that even though I love Sarah Slean's new album, I'm less keen on the sickly sweet string overload and lower-than-heartrate pace of the ballad heavy song selection, but if this were an album of Sarah McL's or Tori's I'd have been disappointed because I expect more at this stage in their careers, and they don't need praise to get someone to go visit their websites and listen to a song sample. Similarly I've listened to samples of artists many others have discussed and am convinced that much obscure music deserves to remain obscure (!) or that the appeal must be the live performance. But thank you so much for the pointers, that's why I'm here, it's better to be able to decide for ourselves that something isn't worth listening to further than to never have the option to hear it in the first place. So our tastes aren't limited to ecto, the list's contents aren't only ecto, but a pantheon which represents the essence of ecto should be, to give some focus. karen. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V5 #365 **************************