From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V6 #314 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Sunday, October 22 2000 Volume 06 : Number 314 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Ectofest west - possible date [WretchAwry ] Re: cool cellists? [Kay S Cleaves ] Lyrics Velvet Belly ["Inigo Op't Roodt" ] Re: 10km [drop the holupki ] Re: house concert lists? [Carolyn Andre ] Re: house concert lists? [drop the holupki ] Re: cool cellists? [drop the holupki ] Re[2]: Ectofest west - possible date [RAVEN@igc.org] Ectofest west - transportation to ["Shelly DeForte" ] Re: house concert lists? [Neal Copperman ] Re: cool cellists? [Neal Copperman ] Re: Ectofest west - possible date [meredith ] Re: IWBK [meredith ] Re: piano girls -- Emily Bezar? [meredith ] Jessie Turner at the House O'Muzak [meredith ] Re: aimee mann at Harper College in Chicago Review [Chuck Davis ] Bowery Electric, 'Lushlife.' [Craig Gidney ] Some Willow news [Neile Graham ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 00:53:38 -0500 From: WretchAwry Subject: Re: Ectofest west - possible date At 07:24 PM 10/21/2000 -0700, Shelly wrote: >The Kuumbwa Jazz Center is in Santa Cruz Ca, which >is about an hour south of San Francisco and a reasonable distance from 3 >international airports (Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose). What is "reasonable" in People-Who-Won't-Have-A-Car terms, and how much will it cost to go by taxi from the airports? Is there easy, fast, reliable and cheap public transportation directly to the venue from these cities? Will people be able to rely on public transportation to get them from the venue back to these cities/to their hotels after the concert? If not, does Santa Cruz have a cab service that will take them to San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, and how much will it cost? We learned a painful know-this-stuff-in-advance lesson a few years ago when we had to get to Half Moon Bay from the San Francisco airport for a katemas party. We'd missed the last bus going anywhere near the area. HMB looked pretty close on the map, yet it cost us a yikes-inducing $60.00 to get there by cab. Since Santa Cruz is a lot farther then HMB, I'd expect the cost to be at least triple or quadruple that, if not more. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 02:25:44 -0500 From: Kay S Cleaves Subject: Re: cool cellists? Well, I would add Jami Sieber and her funky electric cello to the list of cool cellists that Neal listed... - --Kay npimh: HR, The Keep ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 16:44:38 +0000 From: "Inigo Op't Roodt" Subject: Lyrics Velvet Belly Hello, You haven't heard of me before because I'm brand new on the ECTO-mailing list. I'm wondering if there is anybody out there who can help me find the Lyrics of Velvet Belly's first two albums: 'Little Lies' and 'Colours' I bought these albums a year ago and unfortunately haven't found the lyrics yet (not in the booklet :-(, not on the Internet). Altough I understand the most of the lines some important keysentences still stay just meaningless (beautiful) airvibrations to my ears. That hurts when you know that the lyrics ought to be good because they are written bij Anne Marie. So it would be really cool if same gave me a hint where I can find those lyrics. Thanks, Inigo ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 12:03:29 -0400 From: drop the holupki Subject: Re: 10km when we last left our heroes, RedWoodenBeads@aol.com exclaimed: >Ok, so does anybody have any opinions on what are the most 10km-like bands? i've always felt that the first arson garden album (_under towers_) had something in common with the earliest 10,000 maniacs recordings (the material collected on _hope chest_) but, in retrospect, i'm not so sure. woj ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 11:54:13 -0500 From: Carolyn Andre Subject: Re: house concert lists? At 01:07 AM 10/22/00, Neal wrote: >Does anyone know of any sort of list of places that do house >concerts? Some of the people who have played my place have asked >about others, and all I know to do is point them to people I >personally know who are hosting shows. Anyone know of any other >resources? > >neal from some various list discussions: - ------------------------------------------ an article about house concerts for a Louisville weekly newspaper which features Darryl Purpose prominently. http://www.louisville.com/leodisplay1.html?article=3023 - ------------------------ HOUSE CONCERT RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET http://houseconcerts.org - a complete hypertext Guide and more http://alanr.lpl.org/musiclinks.html - Alan Rowoth's super links list - ----------------------------------- Here is your House Concert Report in the new compact format. Brought to you this week by Grassy Hill Concerts, the "No Chinchillas Please" series. *** Hey, house concerts are real "folk presenting"! They're fun to attend, fun to play, fun to book and fun to present. For more information about this resurgent phenomenon, visit any or all of the Internet resources listed at the end of this posting. An up-to-date online version of this Report is always available at this special Musi-Cal address: http://houseconcerts.musi-cal.com/ - ------------------------ Cooperative relations with your neighboring venues is one of the issues mentioned in the free House Concert Guide available at http://ifolk.org/hc , which you are invited to pass around, contribute to, and comment on. - ---------------------------------- Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 09:36:27 -0700 Sender: Folk music presenters From: Wendy Ettinghoff Organization: Out of the Woods Computer Services / The Artvark Café Subject: New House Concert Series First time posting to Folk Venue List: I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Wendy Ettinghoff. I am self-employed as a computer consultant in Santa Cruz County, California. But, since I was six years old, I wanted to be a musician. I just didn't want to have to practice so much. I knew I had a passion for music though. I dabbled with doing an eclectic public radio show for a number of years, familiarizing myself with all kinds of music, and sound teching at the Santa Cruz Actor's Theatre. Recently, I have been co-producing concerts with a partner in Seattle for Artvark Café Productions (check out our website at http://www.artvarkcafe.com) - a concert production company producing performing artists in various venues between Seattle and Santa Cruz. Since I remodeled and made my home twice the size last year, I have wanted to invite performing artists to play and folks who enjoy good music to my home to have house concerts. Starting in the next few months, I will be hosting house concerts every 4 - 6 weeks, using the name "The Artvark Café" at my home in Aptos. There will be different artists performing each concert. The music genres that will be presented will be jazz, folk, classical, and international. Performing artists will be stopping over to perform for us, usually on their way to performing a concert nearby at a larger venue. Concerts will begin at around 7:00 PM with a 20-minute break, and end by 9:30 PM. The donation will be $10 - $20 per person and should be paid with each reservation by cash or check and includes coffee, tea, and dessert. The donation will go to the performing artists and to cover all expenses, as well as, a percentage of the donation will be given to a different community charity each concert and will be advertised. To be considerate to the homeowner, performing artists and listeners, we ask that there be no children, unless they are performing artists themselves and have come to listen to the performance. The music will be completely acoustic with no microphones or amplifiers. There will be enough chairs for 50 people to sit down comfortably. The intention is to support performing artists we enjoy by providing them with the intimate space to play for a little money while also supporting a worthy community cause. Anyone from this list care to share their experiences with me about producing house concerts? I have done quite a bit of homework on the subject already but would welcome any of your stories. Thank you for keeping music alive and very well, Wendy Ettinghoff The Artvark Café - ------------------------------------------------ From: "Austin R. Kessler" Subject: E-mail addresses and web sites for North American venues To: FOLKVENU@LISTS.PSU.EDU In-Reply-To: <200005090305.XAA38314@f05n16.cac.psu.edu> X-UIDL: f353e719b72181286b0ccf0cb09ae0f4 In response to Jon Stein's request for e-mail addresses and web sites of North American venues, the best starting point I know of is Glen and Cheryl Duckett's wonderful web site, http://www.houseconcerts.com/ This provides a lot of basic information, including e-mail addresses and web sites (when available) for over 90 acoustic venues in 20 different states. Austin Kessler Live Oak Coffeehouse Concerts Austin, Texas http://www.liveoakuu.org/coffee - ------------------------------------------- < To: folkmusic@grassyhill.org Subject: [FM] House Concerts - Davenport IA Announcing a new house concert series, CliftonCrest House Concerts. Details at http://www.mcrest.edu/cliftoncrest - ---------------------------------- P.S. For those music-lovers in the L.A. area, click on the web address below. I have some wonderfull house concert shows coming up. Duncan House Concerts - Singer-Songwriter Showcase - North of LAX http://www.beachnet.com/~scottd - --------------------- From: Abeasis Subject: TR Ritchie's house concert booklet Sender: owner-folk_music@nysernet.org Precedence: bulk Reply-To: folk_music@nysernet.org X-UIDL: 93d528e32bb467fd0016e5331b3efb47 Status: RO X-Status: Forgive me if this base has already been covered; I've missed some postings lately, but... outstanding writer/humorist/storyteller/songwright TR Ritchie has a nifty little book out about setting up house concerts. $5 a copy; PO Box 479; Moab, UT 84532 Long live the troubadours and neighborhood gatherings! Tracy Spring - -------------------------- Regards, Carolyn Andre - ------------------------- candre@house-of-music.com Support Independent Music! Use the Internet ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 12:53:35 -0400 From: drop the holupki Subject: Re: house concert lists? when we last left our heroes, Neal Copperman exclaimed: >Does anyone know of any sort of list of places that do house >concerts? a quick search turned up: but there doesn't appear to be a complete listing anywhere. woj ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 12:55:12 -0400 From: drop the holupki Subject: Re: cool cellists? when we last left our heroes, Neal Copperman exclaimed: >Made me wonder if there are any more excellent >cello-oriented groups out there I could pass along. the nudes (sadly departed) woj ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 10:49:15 -0700 From: RAVEN@igc.org Subject: Re[2]: Ectofest west - possible date At 22:53 10/21/2000, WretchAwry wrote: >At 07:24 PM 10/21/2000 -0700, Shelly wrote: > > >The Kuumbwa Jazz Center is in Santa Cruz Ca, which > >is about an hour south of San Francisco and a reasonable distance from 3 > >international airports (Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose). > >What is "reasonable" in People-Who-Won't-Have-A-Car terms, >and how much will it cost to go by taxi from the airports? >Is there easy, fast, reliable and cheap public transportation >directly to the venue from these cities? Will people be able >to rely on public transportation to get them from the venue >back to these cities/to their hotels after the concert? If not, >does Santa Cruz have a cab service that will take them to >San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, and how much will it cost? First, I applaud the choice of the Kuumbwa, one of the best sounding rooms in the Bay Area, with a capacity similar to the venerable Freight and Salvage (about 200), but with far better sight lines (the last row is row *eight*). Simple meals are available, as well as several desserts (carrot cake, cheese cake, etc), all made locally. Wine and beer are also available, but since they serve food, minors may attend shows (i.e. the Kuumbwa is not a bar). Second, I understand the public transit issue... as several folks on this list know (especially Drew ) I use public transit almost exclusively to regularly attend Bay area shows as far away as Davis (near Sacramento), Santa Rosa, and Monterey... Santa Cruz is easy, although it has only recently become so. There is a bus which leaves downtown San Jose (the CALTRAIN/AMTRAK station) frequently and arrives in Santa Cruz *one* block from the Kuumbwa... the last return bus leaves Santa Cruz about 12:30 am (after midnight), so staying for a late show is possible while still using public transit... fare is $6 each way... return is to San Jose, which is also the closest airport (the San Jose airport is almost 'downtown')... assuming you plan overnight lodging, San Jose is an obvious choice, although Santa Cruz makes it's living serving the tourist trade, so lodging there is another obvious choice... OTOH, getting back to San Francisco or Oakland by public transit at that hour is a serious challenge, nearly impossible. For those interested in the SanJose/SantaCruz bus schedule, see: but note that the winter and summer schedules differ. If anyone wants to discuss transit details further, I'm happy to do so via private email. I attend a *lot* of shows in Santa Cruz (I live in San Jose). >We learned a painful know-this-stuff-in-advance lesson a >few years ago when we had to get to Half Moon Bay from >the San Francisco airport for a katemas party. We'd missed >the last bus going anywhere near the area. HMB looked pretty >close on the map, yet it cost us a yikes-inducing $60.00 to >get there by cab. Half Moon Bay is one of the most difficult Bay Area locations to reach via public Transit... they are very isolated, and the county bus service has actually *reduced* service during the last two years. John - seeing both Ferron and Laura Love in Santa Cruz this week. - -- RAVEN ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 10:59:25 -0700 From: "Shelly DeForte" Subject: Ectofest west - transportation to Let me start by saying that public transportation in California really stinks. Having said that, one of the reasons I picked the Kuumbwa is because it is possible to get there via public transport - and the options are quite good comparatively. Well in advance of the show, I will do some research and put together an extensive guide to getting to Santa Cruz either by car or public transport, plus the pros and cons of arriving at the three different airports, so that people can be informed when booking airfare. I am not sure exactly how far Santa Cruz is from the three airports but I'd guess that SFO and Oakland are a 1 - 1 1/2 hours drive from Santa Cruz and San Jose is 30 - 45 minutes away. Remember, this is reasonable in our messed up little California heads, where we all commute an hour to work. I live north of San Francisco and my mom lives in Santa Cruz, and I frequently take public transport down to see her, so I pretty much know every possibility for getting down there (greyhound, amtrak, airport shuttles, local trains and buses) and am confident that no one will have to take a cab. Thank you for bringing up this important point, Shelly > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-ecto@smoe.org [mailto:owner-ecto@smoe.org]On Behalf Of > WretchAwry > Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2000 10:54 PM > To: ecto@smoe.org > Subject: Re: Ectofest west - possible date > > > At 07:24 PM 10/21/2000 -0700, Shelly wrote: > > >The Kuumbwa Jazz Center is in Santa Cruz Ca, which > >is about an hour south of San Francisco and a reasonable distance from 3 > >international airports (Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose). > > What is "reasonable" in People-Who-Won't-Have-A-Car terms, > and how much will it cost to go by taxi from the airports? > Is there easy, fast, reliable and cheap public transportation > directly to the venue from these cities? Will people be able > to rely on public transportation to get them from the venue > back to these cities/to their hotels after the concert? If not, > does Santa Cruz have a cab service that will take them to > San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, and how much will it cost? > > We learned a painful know-this-stuff-in-advance lesson a > few years ago when we had to get to Half Moon Bay from > the San Francisco airport for a katemas party. We'd missed > the last bus going anywhere near the area. HMB looked pretty > close on the map, yet it cost us a yikes-inducing $60.00 to > get there by cab. Since Santa Cruz is a lot farther then HMB, > I'd expect the cost to be at least triple or quadruple that, if > not more. > > > ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 11:39:16 -0700 From: Billi Mazur Subject: Re: Ectofest west - possible date John, Thanks for your reply. Your input and insights are extremely valuable. Shelly, Phil and I have discussed a number of ideas with regards to transport and should have a very good set of viable options laid out well in advance of the show. As Shelly and John both have stated in their posts, the Kuumbwa is a wonderful venue. Venues in the City (SF), Berkeley, Oakland, and San Jose are very expensive to rent/lease for an event and most of them are not nearly as nice as the Kuumbwa. The only plus of a venue in those locations is that they are a little more accessible for transportation via BART, muni, cab, etc. At any rate, I believe that we will have many options available for transport and that any of you who make the trek out here will be very pleased with our choice of venue. We still have a lot of work ahead of us. We have gotten some initial support/advise and spiritual guidance from Meth and Woj. We are hopeful of putting on a very nice event that will live up to the tradition of Ectofest. Bill M. RAVEN@igc.org wrote: > At 22:53 10/21/2000, WretchAwry wrote: > > >At 07:24 PM 10/21/2000 -0700, Shelly wrote: > > > > >The Kuumbwa Jazz Center is in Santa Cruz Ca, which > > >is about an hour south of San Francisco and a reasonable distance from 3 > > >international airports (Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose). > > > >What is "reasonable" in People-Who-Won't-Have-A-Car terms, > >and how much will it cost to go by taxi from the airports? > >Is there easy, fast, reliable and cheap public transportation > >directly to the venue from these cities? Will people be able > >to rely on public transportation to get them from the venue > >back to these cities/to their hotels after the concert? If not, > >does Santa Cruz have a cab service that will take them to > >San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, and how much will it cost? > > First, I applaud the choice of the Kuumbwa, one of the best sounding > rooms in the Bay Area, with a capacity similar to the venerable > Freight and Salvage (about 200), but with far better sight lines > (the last row is row *eight*). Simple meals are available, as well > as several desserts (carrot cake, cheese cake, etc), all made locally. > Wine and beer are also available, but since they serve food, minors > may attend shows (i.e. the Kuumbwa is not a bar). > > Second, I understand the public transit issue... as several folks > on this list know (especially Drew ) I use public transit > almost exclusively to regularly attend Bay area shows as far away > as Davis (near Sacramento), Santa Rosa, and Monterey... Santa Cruz > is easy, although it has only recently become so. > > There is a bus which leaves downtown San Jose (the CALTRAIN/AMTRAK > station) frequently and arrives in Santa Cruz *one* block from the > Kuumbwa... the last return bus leaves Santa Cruz about 12:30 am > (after midnight), so staying for a late show is possible while still > using public transit... fare is $6 each way... return is to San Jose, > which is also the closest airport (the San Jose airport is almost > 'downtown')... assuming you plan overnight lodging, San Jose is > an obvious choice, although Santa Cruz makes it's living serving > the tourist trade, so lodging there is another obvious choice... > OTOH, getting back to San Francisco or Oakland by public transit > at that hour is a serious challenge, nearly impossible. > > For those interested in the SanJose/SantaCruz bus schedule, see: > > but note that the winter and summer schedules differ. > > If anyone wants to discuss transit details further, I'm happy to > do so via private email. I attend a *lot* of shows in Santa Cruz > (I live in San Jose). > > >We learned a painful know-this-stuff-in-advance lesson a > >few years ago when we had to get to Half Moon Bay from > >the San Francisco airport for a katemas party. We'd missed > >the last bus going anywhere near the area. HMB looked pretty > >close on the map, yet it cost us a yikes-inducing $60.00 to > >get there by cab. > > Half Moon Bay is one of the most difficult Bay Area locations > to reach via public Transit... they are very isolated, and the > county bus service has actually *reduced* service during the > last two years. > > John - seeing both Ferron and Laura Love in Santa Cruz this week. > -- > RAVEN ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 13:08:14 -0700 From: Neal Copperman Subject: Re: house concert lists? Wow, thanks for all the resources Carolyn! neal np: Jingle Bell Jam - Tori Amos ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 13:15:21 -0700 From: Neal Copperman Subject: Re: cool cellists? Good one Kay. I have Jami's album. I saw her playing with Ferron, and while I wasn't that excited about the Feron show, I thought Jami was fantastic. And her album, Lush Mechanique, is lovely. Jeff Hanson also suggested to me some of the Heather Nova stuff, which certainly had great cello live. neal np: Jingle Bell Jam - Tori Amos (thanks woj) At 2:25 AM -0500 10/22/00, Kay S Cleaves wrote: >Well, I would add Jami Sieber and her funky electric cello to the list of >cool cellists that Neal listed... ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 15:32:12 -0400 From: meredith Subject: Re: Ectofest west - possible date Hi! First, YAY!!!!!! EctofestWest is going to be a reality! That's so incredibly cool. Vickie inquired: >What is "reasonable" in People-Who-Won't-Have-A-Car terms, >and how much will it cost to go by taxi from the airports? Failing all of the options that have already been mentioned here, I'm sure that some ectophiles in attendance may have cars rented (or be local, and have cars) and be able to provide transport as well. Marking 6/9/01 on the calendar, +==========================================================================+ | 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, 22 Oct 2000 16:06:20 -0400 From: meredith Subject: Re: IWBK Hi! Suzanna inquired: >Does anyone know if the I Wanna Be Kate tribute CD is any good? Is it worth the not really incredibly low price of $12.99 plus shipping? Not really. I've listened to it once through, and that was enough. Just my $0.02... +==========================================================================+ | 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, 22 Oct 2000 16:13:58 -0400 From: meredith Subject: Re: piano girls -- Emily Bezar? Hi! Sophie wondered: >Emily Bezar sounds extremely intriguing to me. Could you please kindly tell >me where her CD Grandmother's Tea Leaves can be purchased? And in which >way(s) does she sound like Kate Bush - merely vocally (like our own beloved >HTR), or is there a similar musicality there as well? Back in the day on Love-Hounds, there used to be a descriptor we used when talking about KaTe's music: "that KaTe-Bush-y feel". It's kind of hard to describe, but to me it means there is some confluence of lush musical arrangements, stirring instrumentation, and gorgeous, soaring vocals. Emily's last two albums, _Moon In Grenadine_ and _Four Walls Bending_ are brimming with "KaTe-Bush-y" moments. I've often spoken of them as the albums we wished KaTe had made over the past 7 years. Vocally, there is a lot of similarity there as well. Emily has a degree in opera, so she's more schooled and mannered than KaTe (actually, overall I have to say she's a better musician than KaTe, simply because she had all those years of training). I would highly recommend picking up all of Emily's albums. I'm sure you'll be glad you did. +==========================================================================+ | 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, 22 Oct 2000 16:27:03 -0400 From: meredith Subject: Jessie Turner at the House O'Muzak Hi! (What if they gave a house concert and nobody came?) Last night woj and I hosted another concert in our living room. A grand total of four people showed up, including the performer's mother. But she was a good sport about it, and it was a good time. Jessie Turner is originally from Amherst, Massachusetts, and now makes her home in the San Francisco area. She is good friends with Emily Bezar, who sent her our way as part of her current Northeast tour. On Friday night she opened for Kris Delmhorst at the Iron Horse, and next Saturday she will be at the Living Room in NYC (Sloan Wainwright is also on that night). When we set up the show I hadn't heard any of her music, and she sent me her latest CD. It's pretty good, straight-ahead bluesy rock with vocals at times very Tori-like, and at other times rather Susan Tedeschi-like. Therefore, we were completely unprepared for her live performance. The woman can *sing*!! Her songs work very well in an unplugged setting with sparse arrangements. I'm sure she rocks with the band - catch her if you can. We also had a good time meeting her. She came early enough for dinner, and we talked music (surprise!). Her mother was very nice, too. Hopefully our next concert will be a bit better attended. (Note to potential house concertgoers: if you make a reservation, make sure you can keep it. And if something comes up so you can't make it, at least have the courtesy to call the hosts and let them know. Not doing so is unspeakably rude.) +==========================================================================+ | 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, 22 Oct 2000 16:26:42 -0400 From: Chuck Davis Subject: Re: aimee mann at Harper College in Chicago Review >Let me start by saying that I love Aimee Mann's music. Creatively, both in >melody / song structure and in cutting, cunning lyrics she is in a very >elite league of songwriters. And she produces beautiful-sounding albums. >The lilt of her voice, the clarity and enunciation, and the >vulnerable-hopeful-cynical-futile-little girl trapped in a no-win >world-thing is second to none. I agree completely. >I wish I could say the same for her live >performance. I have seen her only twice, but she projects a rather untoward >attitude and almost scorn for her audience. This, I am quite sure, is a >reflection of her personality and of the many failure-ridden and frustrating >experiences she has endured in her life. But frankly, when you are >performing in front of people who genuinely appreciate you for your talent >and your ability to touch them, it's time to turn off the ascerbicity and >show a little tenderness. These are your friends, your fans, your >music-appreciaters. In chicago she sold out 3 shows - no easy feat in these >times - and still so little obvious appreciation in the way of bedside >manner. Tell us about your day, your travels, your songs, your thoughts. >Share something revealing or intimate or silly. If you are so fed up with >the music industry in which you finally seem to be thriving, tell us about >it and include us in it. The robotic 'thank you very much' at the end of >each song, spoken in exactly the same mechanical way, is not endearing at >all. Aimee is distant and abrupt and stands on the stage looking down or >with her eyes shut through most of the performance. It's almost as if she >would rather not be there, or that she is killing the pain by pretending she >is alone on stage -- or not on stage at all. To this observer, it looked >like she was going through the motions. Which, considering the emotion and >intensity of her albums, betrays a bitterness and closedness that alienates >the fans. And another thing: let's pick up the vocals in the mix! I have >now seen her in two vastly different arenas (one small theatre of 300, the >other a club about 1500) and in both cases it was nearly impossible to make >out what she was singing. In going back to listen to the albums, I am >always struck by how pure her vocals are and how they ride on top of the >layered guitars. It's that intimacy, the touch, that is missing so >desperately from the live shows. She is a wonderful songwriter and an >accomplished recording artist. Every artist is different and audience response can change the dynamics of each show. I saw Heather Nova with Lilith Fair outside on a beautiful sunny day, and though she didn't talk much, she seemed ready to party. I saw her again a few months later in a small club and she seemed shy and withdrawn. People in the club were mesmerized by her performance and not really responding. Finally she told us to get off our dead behinds and party. She livened up when WE did. Then there are artists that energize an audience no matter where they are, an excellent example is Jonatha Brooke. She sings, dances, tells stories and jokes, fences with the crowd, and generally has a great time. Don't miss her! Having seen Aimee whenever she comes through my area, I've never seen her appear as you describe. Whenever I've seen her she's always connected with the audience, except once. That instance was when she was part of the Sarah McLaughlan tour in '96 that inspired the Lilith Fair shows in '97-'99. The show was in a huge amphitheater, and though she tried mightily to be heard, few people knew her and she was pretty much ignored. Paula Cole opened the show and had received the same treatment. Yes Aimee is ascerbic (and a bit sarcastic), it's part of her personality and comes through quite well in her songs. What else would anyone expect from her? Having not been at this show, I can't dispute that she appeared the way you describe......maybe she was tired or having a bad day. She's been touring almost non-stop for over 1 1/2 years along with buying back and self publishing her last album, appearing on every talk show she can, and the Oscar thingy. Let me tell you about an Aimee bad day........In july '99 she was scheduled to play in Ann Arbor, Mich. after a Park West appearance. While traveling across I-94, her van was rear-ended by a drunk driver and rolled three times. Did she cancel the show after being released from the hospital? Nope, she came on as planned, abrasions and contusions evident. Did she tell us about her day and travels? Whoa, did she ever! Bitter?.....Nope. The only thing I see to complain about is that she seems a little superstitious. Leaving Ann Arbor for her next gig, her rented car was hit by lightning.....She seems to be avoiding Michigan on this tour.....hmmmm C. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 15:03:39 -0700 (PDT) From: Craig Gidney Subject: Bel Canto, "Images." Bel Canto, Images. Bel Canto’s last album, “Magic Box”, was simply dreadful. They had jettisoned their trademark delicacy for a homogenous dance-pop sound, complete with one song that featured a guest rapper. The mysterious world-beat aspects of their music were subsumed in familiar, mainstream sounds. The best songs were poor imitations of their past successes. Worst of all, singer Anneli Drecker seemed intent on casting herself as a more accessible Bjork. Her precious lyrics were replaced by deliberate eccentricities and malapropisms that smacked of effort. My guess is that after moving from label to label, “Magic Box” was a conscious attempt to make their songs more palatable to a wider audience. To tell the truth, I had just about given up on them. But thanks to the Internet, I sampled some tracks of their 1998 CD “Images,” only available in Europe, and on the strength of those sound bytes, ordered the CD. “Images” picks up where 1993’s “Shimmering, Warm and Bright” left off. There are the majestic and glacial medieval-electronic pieces Bel Canto are great at creating. In ‘Verena,’ against techno sound effects and Nils Johansen’s brittle guitar figures, Drecker scats and skitters like Elizabeth Fraser in impossibly high, wordless sighs. The short ‘Nornagest’ features a choir of Dreckers that swell like a heavenly host. It’s Enya with cojones. And ‘Here, in Shadow’ Johansen constructs an ambient platform for Drecker’s Oriental warblings—it’s Lisa Gerrard meets William Orbit. Songs with lyrics, like the title track, ‘Rush,’ ‘Idly I De-ice,’ and ‘Heaven’ are a return to Drecker’s fairytale themes. “Images” also continues in the dance-pop, post-Bjork mode, with greater success. The melodies don’t loose the ethereal aesthetic that distinguishes Bel Canto from similar acts, and the sound effects are updated and more connected to current electronica sounds. ‘All I Want To Do’ is swoony like the most poppy Cocteau Twins song; ‘Space Junk’ and ‘The Dinosaur-Slipper Man’ have a nice, polite take on synth-funk, typical of the late ‘80s New Wave bands. This restores Bel Canto as one of the top ethereal-pop acts. You can order from : . - --Craig __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf! It's FREE. http://im.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 15:05:08 -0700 (PDT) From: Craig Gidney Subject: Bowery Electric, 'Lushlife.' Bowery Electric, “Lushlife” Trip-hop is derivative of the most urban of art forms, Hip-hop. Most Trip-hop borrows the beats and sampling of hip-hop to create a film noir atmosphere. Bowery Electric adds the grittiness, fear, and anomie of the urban landscape to their brand of trip-hop. Where Portishead is psychotically interior and Hooverphonic is escapist, Bowery Electric captures the isolation and fear of a New York or Chicago winter. Lawrence Chandler’s compositions are textural, repetitive and darkly orchestral. Phantom horns and creeping violins roam over sterile beats, evoking a nighttime landscape redolent of the demimonde in Taxi Driver: the sepia-brown of the street lights, the neon-lit canyons of tall buildings, the eddy of traffic, the stink of humanity. The beats are relentless as you walk down a street; you turn up your collar against the wind and steadfastly avoid the mini-dramas enfolding before you, of love and hate and everything in between. Vocalist-bassist Martha Schwendener sings with icy detachment. It’s a voice robbed of emotion, extremely guarded, and observant. The lyrics are filled with the images, sounds and smells of the city, mixing violence and sensuality through the haze of loneliness. The aesthetic is encapsulated by the song ‘Psalms of Survival,’ where Schwendener sketches out a topography of alienation. ‘Lushlife’ has a disquieting beauty that shines through all of its tracks. - --Craig __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf! It's FREE. http://im.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 16:04:25 -0700 From: Neile Graham Subject: Some Willow news For those wise folk who are interested. - --Neile >From: Willowsmusic@aol.com >Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 17:01:21 EDT >Subject: willow at the Tractor Tues. 24th >To: aimee@acousticchambers.com >MIME-Version: 1.0 > >Hello, hello, >hope you are all well and enjoying this incredible autumn! >Just a little update from the music front.... > >I have just recently finished recording my second CD at Studio Litho with >Tucker Martine. I am very excited and happy with the sound/emotion we were >able to capture and am looking forward to having the finished product in my >hot little hands so that it may soon be in your hot little hands! >While we have been recording, an incredible local artist has been working on >our new web site. The site ( http://www.aemarts.com/willow) is still under >construction but features Mp3's from my solo CD as well as some reviews, >photo's, and upcoming information. >I'll keep you updated as to the progress/release of the CD - in the >meantime... >Willow at the Tractor Tavern!! >Tuesday, October 24th >$5 ~ 10pm >this is a joint billing with the Jill Cohn Band 9pm, >and Drew Dundan opening @8:30pm >willow's band includes Kevin Wood, Ken Stubblefield and Jeremy Sever > >this will be our last band show for quite a while, so catch while you can! > >thanks, >willow > - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V6 #314 **************************