From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest)
To: ecto-digest@smoe.org
Subject: ecto-digest V4 #318
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ecto-digest         Friday, September 11 1998         Volume 04 : Number 318



                               Today's Subjects:
                               -----------------
  Lisa Cerbone shows (NYC, NJ, MD, PA, VA)   [neal copperman <neal@swcp.com>]
  HAPPY review , LIZ PHAIR, BETH ORTON and more  [irvin lin <iflin@sirius.co]
  Today's your birthday, friends...                [Mike Matthews <matthewm>]
  Sinead                                                [stunning@tezcat.com]
  Lanterna fall update <fwd> - Web concert TODAY !  [Marion Kippers <Marion.]
  PJ HARVEY and LIZ PHAIR                      [irvin lin <iflin@sirius.com>]
  Re: various                                                [JavaHo@aol.com]
  Titles, and samplers (continued)  [Marion Kippers <Marion.Kippers@wkap.nl>]
  Astrid?                                                    [Riphug@aol.com]
  Re: Astrid?                       [Yves Denneulin <Yves.Denneulin@imag.fr>]
  RE: irate customer                          [Tim.Cook@Swift.Com (Tim Cook)]
  irate customer UPDATE           ["Mike Mendelson" <mjm@harmonicvision.com>]
  Re: Astrid?                                                [Riphug@aol.com]
  Irving Park review of Suffragette Sessions                 [Riphug@aol.com]
  Re: Irving Park review of Suffragette Session  ["jeffrey c. burka" <jburka]
  re: emotions from music       [Richard Holmes <rholmes@ccrma.Stanford.EDU>]
  Re: Museum of Television & Radio??    ["C. K. Coney" <ckc2@mindspring.com>]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 22:13:40 -0600
From: neal copperman <neal@swcp.com>
Subject: Lisa Cerbone shows (NYC, NJ, MD, PA, VA)

Here's another NYC date for you Paul (assuming this wasn't the one you were
complaining about missing).


>9/11 - The Living Room, Stanton St, NYC (212)533-7235, 8:30
>9/12 - Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ, 2:00
>9/13 - Takoma Park Folk Festival, Takoma Park, MD w/ Jane Brody and
>Vyktoria Pratt Keating, 3:15
>9/16 - Clarion University, Clarion, PA, 2:30
>9/18 - Mt Vernon College, Wash DC (tent.), 8:00
>9/22 - Penn State University, Mont Alto, PA
>9/25 - Beaver College, Glenside, PA, 8:00 (outside of Philly)
>9/26 - Mercersburg Academy, Chambersburg, PA
>10/2 - George's 5th St, Philadelphia, PA
>10/3 - Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
>10/10 - Wyatt's, Balto, MD (410) 732-8656
>10/11 - Herndon Folk Festival, Herndon, VA, 2:00



Neal

np: Joni Mitchell - For The Roses

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 11:42:16 -0700
From: irvin lin <iflin@sirius.com>
Subject: HAPPY review , LIZ PHAIR, BETH ORTON and more

i haven't seen a post yet about the review of happy's latest in the
AUGUST issue of PULSE! yet, but i am still going through back digests,
so if it hasn't been posted yet, i will gladly do that.

	it was quite a favorable review, though it was buried in the back of
the issue, under the category of FOLK/CELTIC.  a short two paragraph
review, with a 4 star rating. of course PULSE being the magazine from
TOWER RECORDS who want to sell records, tend to be rather lenient with
their reviews.  but i actually have had the issue for awhile, and i only
briefly looked at the reviews for the pop/rock section and the jazz
section.  i didn't think to look further back in the reviews to find it.
someone should have a talking with them about their classification
system.

	LIZ PHAIR is on the cover of the issue, where she is interviewed (or
more accurately has a conversation with) KIM GORDON from SONIC YOUTH.
LIZ's latest, WHITECHOCALATESPACEEGG by the way is great. i had to
listen to it three times before it clicked.  not as raw and diary-esque
like her debut EXILE IN GUYVILLE, nor is it slapdash as WHIPSMART,
WHITECHOCALATESPACEEGG is probably a little bit more akin to WHIPSMART,
but the songs are more mature, more together, and her voice lessons have
definitely helped her with the polishing of the songs. my faith in her
has been restored, and i think that her next couple of albums will be
dynamite. there are only two songs i was familiar with on the album.
SHITLOADS OF MONEY is a revamped song from her underground GIRLYSOUND
tapes (and it is really the only song on the album i am not very fond
of.  the GIRLYSOUND version is better) and RIDE which LIZ played in
concert for her WHIPSMART/JUVENELIA shows. the original chorus was "i
need a ride" but she has since changed it into "i get a ride."  standout
songs are the single POLYESTER BRIDE, JOHNNY FEELGOOD (which was
originally to be the single), UNCLE ALVAREZ, and WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY
(which is definitely my fave on the album).  the song from the MATADOR
compilation WHAT'S UP didn't make the album cut, which is just as well,
because i remember hearing that song in the store, and being
dissapointed.

	and finally i saw BETH ORTON yesterday at BIMBO's 365 and she was
FANTASTIC.  i was blown away by her stage presence.  she was amazing,
performed a lot of new material, and confirmed that her new album will
be due out in january.  just her and another guitarist playing, the
stripped down version of the songs, at times lacked the verve of the
fleshed out band version, but at other times sparkled with clarity. 
especially the acoustic version of GALAXY OF EMPTINESS.  i always sort
of ignored that songs on the album, but hearing her perform it with just
her own guitar and no electronica ricki-ticki noises in the background
was amazing.  also her performance of SUGAR BOY was awe inspiring.  the
entire audience was enraptured with her deliverance, and when she sang
the last verse "i'm never going lay down and die for you" the entire
audience burst out in applause and catcalls.  it was just amazing the
emotion she was able to convey in her performance.

	I will say though, that i am now convinced more than ever that her and
LORI CARSON are cut from the same cloth.  the live performance really
brought that home for me.

	that is all. 

	irvin

	ps.  someone mentioned suggestions from the new releases that METH
posted. i suggest running out and buying the new BELLE AND SEBESTIAN
album.  wonderful melancholic wry songwriting.  their album IF YOU'RE
FEELING SINISTER is one of my favorite discoveries of this year, and i
am looking forward to the latest (on MATADOR too!).  also i have heard
great things about the band FUCK (also on MATADOR) but have yet to
listen to any of their music (it was described as slo-core to me but i
don't think it really fits into that description from the brief instore
listens).  they were listed as having a new album out too.  also someone
mentioned they were listening to ESTHERO.  i have a 4 song promo and it
is really really nice.  i saw them interviewed on 120 minutes, and now i
am curious, is their album worth checking out?

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 03:00:03 -0400 (EDT)
From: Mike Matthews <matthewm>
Subject: Today's your birthday, friends...

                                i*i*i*i*i*i
                                i*i*i*i*i*i
                              ***************
                            *****HAPPY*********
                      **************BIRTHDAY*********
            ***************************************************
 ***************************************************************************
 *********** Sharon Nichols - Terra Incognita (terra@ulster.net) ***********
 **************** Heather Russell (hrussell@bellsouth.net) *****************
 ***************************************************************************
 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

   Sharon Nichols - Terra Incognita Wed  September 11 1963     Victim of Christianity
   Heather Russell               September 11          Total Virgosity
   Karron Lynn Lane         Tue  September 14 1751     Ophelia Virgo
   Troy Wollenslegel        Mon  September 18 1972     Virgo
   Joyce Wermont            Sat  September 18 1954     Virgo
   Mark Frabotta            Sun  September 19 1965     Don't even THINK about parking here
   Joe Zitt                 Sat  September 20 1958     Will Hack for CDs
   Ani DiFranco             Wed  September 23 1970     Virgo
   Paul Kim                 Sat  October 01   1977     fetal position
   Dan Riley                Sun  October 08   1961     Libra
   Neile Graham             Wed  October 08   1958     pen
   Quenby M. Chunco         Tue  October 08   1968     Crunchy Frog
   Mike Garland             Wed  October 08   1952     Creature_of_the_Night
   Irvin Lin                Tue  October 09   1973     Libra
   Michael C. Berch         Wed  October 10   1956     No parking
   Chris Gagnon             Sat  October 10   1970     Libra

- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 02:42:14 -0600
From: stunning@tezcat.com
Subject: Sinead

     Just in...

Schubas Tavern in Chicago

Th      10/15:  Sinead Lohan with Jude
9pm $8 @TM

CAN'T WAIT!!!!


Thomas Dunning
Brown Star Records
Chicago

I WANNA BE KATE: The Songs of Kate Bush
http://www.tezcat.com/~stunning/kate/index.html

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 09:52:54 +0200 (W. Europe Daylight Time)
From: Marion Kippers <Marion.Kippers@wkap.nl>
Subject: Lanterna fall update <fwd> - Web concert TODAY !

Hi,

Thought some of you might be interested in this message from Henry 
Frayne (of Lanterna & M7x & more - forwarded with permission).  It 
does contain some timely info about a webconcert TODAY.

- --- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 19:25:26 -0500 (CDT)
From: Henry Frayne <h-frayne@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Lanterna fall update

I haven't done one of these mailings since the Lanterna summer tour so I 
thought I'd update you on some new shows and how the last tour went.  

Thanks to everyone who came out, or tried to come out, or would have 
come out had I mailed them like I said I would...

As always if you don't want to be mailed this info, just tell me.  

h-frayne@uiuc.edu

First of all there's a web concert on Friday September 11th at 10pm Central
Daylight Time on a local station that broadcasts over the Internet.

It is:  www.webxfm.com

I'll probably be on for an hour or so.  You need RealAudio to hear it.
They have links at their site on how to install it.  Me, I don't even know
how to get on the web yet!!  

For those in the Champaign area I'll be playing at Borders on Saturday,
September 12th at 8pm.  

And I'm doing an exhibition opening at Espresso Royale in Urbana on October
2nd at 8pm.  They are going to be hanging Kevin Salemme's Lanterna photos 
for the month...

I am also planning on a weekend in Chicago in late October playing on
WNUR and at Lounge Ax.

Starting in January through early April I'm hoping to tour from Chicago to
Boston to Miami to LA to Seattle and home.  If you live anywhere in the
path of this insane route let me know if there's places that I must play.
I know I've already hit a lot of you up for this info.  

The Lanterna CD is doing pretty well so far.  The tour in July helped sales
in the cities we visited and even cities we didn't (San Francisco, LA, and
Seattle).  There is finally a NICE review of the record in the new issue of
Alternative Press.  NPR plays the record often between stories but hasn't
reviewed it yet.    

The Tour Numbers:

Times Brian and I almost got into a big smashup.  3

Number of times we thought we were trapped in the movie "Spinal Tap".  6

Number of days off in three weeks of travel.  1

Number of times someone asked why Lanterna was in the New Age section.  351

Number of times said person said that we didn't "sound" New Age.  351

Well, that's all I can think of.  

Keep in touch,

henry
- --- End Forwarded Message ---


Best wishes,

Marion
n.p. Susan McKeown - Bushes & briars
n.r. UK Travel Guides :-)
- ----------------------
Marion Kippers
Marion.Kippers@wkap.nl

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 13:04:31 -0700
From: irvin lin <iflin@sirius.com>
Subject: PJ HARVEY and LIZ PHAIR

jessica asked about:

> - --PJ Harvey. Have heard good things. Know she's got a new
> album out. Very interested.
> - --Liz Phair. Same thing. Haven't heard _exile_ yet and only
> got to listen to about 10 sec. of the first track in the
> local Borders before I was pulled away

	first to start with PJ HARVEY.  she is excellent, brilliant,
intelligent, emotionally stunning.  but she is NOT everyone's cup of
tea, and each of her albums vary to a certain degree (though the themes
are pretty consistant, emotional turmoil, anger, jealousy, mythology
analogies, water imagery, etc etc). starting from her first album

	DRY: this is very much a first album debut.  i say this because her
albums progressively get more polished and more produced (not
necessarily a bad thing, but in my case, i like her more raw sound). 
DRY is a classic album, with songs like SHEELA NA GIG, DRESS, and OH
STELLA.  pretty stripped down to the core, the songs are more like
insights to someone's emotional state, than simple verse chorus verse
songs. lyrics like "must be a way that i can dress to please him, it's
hard to walk in a dress, it's not easy, spinning over like a
heavy-loaded fruit tree, if you put on, if you put it on...." or "look
at these, my child bearing hips, look at these, my ruby red ruby
lips..." PJH again and again deals with issues of growing up as both a
sex object and as sexual being.  

	RID OF ME/4 TRACK DEMOS: an extension in theme and sound of DRY, RID OF
ME has a much more grungified feedback ladened wall of sound approach,
much to the thanks of STEVE ALBINI's production.  PJH sounds literally
like she is drowned in the avalanche of noise, and is desperately
singing with all her might to be heard.  at times this works wonders for
the songs, and at times it can be annoying.  more consistant is the
accompanying CD that was released at the same time called 4 TRACK DEMOS
which were selected demos from the RID of ME session (along with demos
that didn't make RID OF ME).  4 TRACK DEMOS is worth getting just for
the songs REELING, and to hear PJH sing "i want to eat grapes, bath in
milk, robert de niro, sit on my face...."  the full band version of the
song is nearly as good as the demo (the full band version was later
released as a bside). other stand out tracks include MAN-SIZE, 50 FOOT
QUEENIE, and LEGS. "i might as well be dead, but i could kill you
instead."  i couldn't have said it better myself. 

	TO BRING YOU MY LOVE: was her most polished breakthrough album. you
might have heard the song DOWN BY THE WATER ("little fish, big fish,
swimming in the water, bring me back my daughter" the chorus went). 
this album was produced by FLOOD (U2 ala ACHTUNG BABY, NINE INCH NAILS
ala PRETTY HATE MACHINE) and has FLOOD's fingerprints all over it. 
certain songs sound like a NIN song with PJH vocals on top.  i was a bit
disappointed with this album, but since i was PJH aware much since the
beginning, i was not expecting anything so polished or so produced.
others who first discovered PJH via this album love this one to death,
and don't like her first two as much.  the brash bleeding guitar play
(that i loved) were replaced by keyboards, organs, and drum machines. ah
well.  we all have to evolve eh?  and it still is a cracker of an album
if you take it for what it is, instead of trying to recall past sounds
(which in truth is for the best, i wouldn't want a repeat of the first
two album anyway...who would?). this album is also much much more
accessible in sound as well.

	DANCE HALL AT LOUSE POINT: this is actually attributed to JOHN PARISH
and PJ HARVEY.  JOHN PARISH has been working with PJH since the last
album, but as a back up session musician.  PJH had long since stated
that she was tired of playing guitar and just wanted to sing, and this
album gave her that opportunity.  i don't listen to it that much truth
be told. but it is definitely moody, with PJH bluesy voice, and stark
vocals

	IS THIS DESIRE?: this is her new album and is due out at the end of
september (sept 29 to be exact).  i have a promo copy and all i can say
that it is a bit of a combination of the previous two albums.  not as
driving and rhythmic as TO BRING YOU MY LOVE nor is it as spaced out and
moody as DANCE HALL IN LOUSE POINT.  it lands somewhere in the middle. 
stand out songs are definitely THE WIND where PJH's whispering voice are
haunting and enrapturing. i haven't fully processed it yet, but i think
i like it more than TBYML or DHiLP.  for some reason as well the song A
PERFECT DAY ELISE sounds like it could be a CURE song.  not sure if i
like that or not. produced by FLOOD, PJH, and HEAD (does anyone know who
HEAD is?). the WIND is additionally produced and mixed by MARIUS DE
VRIES (who helped WILLIAM ORBIT with the latest MADONNA album RAY OF
LIGHT).

	some have classified PJH as angry woman music, but the truth is she is
much more complex than that. bluesy, moody, angry, desperate, gorgeous,
lush, brash, raw, bitter, and evocative are probably how i would
describe her, but that isn't really doing her justice either.  anyway i
hope that helps some. 

	as for LIZ PHAIR, she too is not everyone's cup of tea.  Much more
accessible than PJH, LIZ has a talent for creating catchy pop songs with
provocative diary entry lyrics.  no wonder, as her first album was
created out of songs she had written for herself (and herself only, she
never played out and most people never even knew she played the guitar)
in her bedroom.  I have several friends who went to college with her
(lived in the same freshman floor at oberlin) and they said they didn't
have a clue that she actually played the guitar or wrote songs.

	GIRYLSOUNDS: story goes, that a friend of hers gave LIZ a 4 track
recorder and told her to tape her songs for him.  she did and he
proceeded to dub them and send them off to his friends who dubbed them
and send them off to their friends etc etc.  these demo songs were
called GIRLYSOUNDS, and a large majority of LIZ's first album can be
heard hear (along with a few from her second and third album as well).
when LIZ finally got around to figuring out that maybe she could make
some money by doing an album, she asked said friend (a college friend of
hers, who was in the band COME) what label would be the coolest to sign
to.  he told her MATADOR in NYC, so she called them up, and they had
actually acquired a copy of the GIRLYSOUND tapes and told her, yeah go
ahead and make an album.  thus came:

	EXILE IN GUYVILLE: LIZ didn't know the first thing about making an
album.  so she took the album by the ROLLING STONES EXILE IN MAINSTREET,
and structured her album based on that one, only from a female
perspective.  witty, diary-esque, catchy, poppy, and quite plucky, SPIN
magazine picked it up and put LIZ on the cover of their magazine, and
all of sudden EXILE won the number one spot of the VILLAGE VOICE PAZZ
and JOP survey.  all without any press or video rotation on MTV.  sure
LIZ's voice ain't that great.  sure LIZ's guitar structure and chord
progressions are pretty much ripped off from BARBARA MANNING. but there
was something unique and insinuously catchy about the album.  LIZ wrote
like that shy 17 girl in high school who had a crush on the cute boy who
didn't pay her any attention.  when she sang "fuck and run" you KNEW
exactly what she was talking about.  and that was her gift.  to write
and sing all the ideas and thought that you had but never could
vocalize. 

	WHIPSMART: is certainly a sophomore album.  with still no experience in
the rock industry, LIZ took left over material from her first album (ie
more songs from GIRLYSOUNDS) and put together a second one, under
pressure from MATADOR to deliver. More like a collection of singles and
bsides, than a full fledged collective album (the songs don't quite run
together and aren't nearly as cohesive as EXILE) WHIPSMART nevertheless
still has some great songs, including SUPPORT SYSTEM, the title track,
GO WEST, and my favorite MAY QUEEN.  worth checking out, but don't
expect the same sensibility that makes someone identify with the songs
that EXILE gave you. 

	JUVENILIA: an ep, this is pretty much for collectors.  a silly cover,
TURNING JAPANESE, a few songs rescued from GIRLYSOUND (in their original
demo form) and the song JEALOUSY from WHIPSMART.  MATADOR's ploy to get
more money from the phans i think.

	WHITECHOCALATESPACEEGG: much more polished and more on top of things. 
this album took four years to make (okay so LIZ got married and had a
baby in the meanwhile).  a definite progression, there is only one song
on this album taken from GIRLYSOUNDS, and the majority of the songs are
pop structured stories, as opposed to diary entries. definitely worth
checking out, especially if you like catchy guitar based pop rock. with
a slight edge. KIM GORDON from SONIC YOUTH stated that it reminded her
of an girly 80's record.  i think that description sounds accurate. fun
stuff.

	LIZ's voice has also improved (she's been taking lessons) and she's
getting geared up for touring (i am seeing her in a couple of weeks when
she comes out here to SF and she has been doing LILITH FAIR dates as
well over the summer).  we shall see how things are, as she has had
problems with touring and playing live (she cancelled a tour because of
stage fright, but six months later went back out on her own and toured
solo without a backing band to prove to herself that she could do it) i
already posted about this album, but keep an ear out for the single
POLYESTER BRIDE on the radio.  apparently some radio stations have been
picking it up for rotation.  I think with this album LIZ shows that she
has some staying power, and will most likely have a long career in music
if she wishes.  she isn't PJ HARVEY, she doesn't challenge or push or
innovate like PJH, but in her own little world, she creates great
music.  

	this is probably way too much information for you, but what the hey. i
don't have to be in to work until 2pm so i can sleep in.

	hope this helps
	irvin

	ps.  can anyone tell me who or what CAT POWER is?  KIM GORDON mentioned
them in the article where she conversed with LIZ PHAIR.  said she loved
CAT POWER's voice.  got me curious....

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 06:59:36 EDT
From: JavaHo@aol.com
Subject: Re: various

woj mentions:

<< j.p. sinead lohan -- no mermaid (first listen, eehhh) >>

Vickie gave me the single cassette when she was here recently--"No Mermaid" &
"Don't I Know". It's quiet and unobtrusive, so I can relate to woj's first
impression. This one is a definite "grow on you" release, though. By the third
listening, my daughter and I were singing along easily and found ourselves
addicted to the title song (which, btw, has a very nice lyric). I went
directly to ubl.com (very good service from them so far) and ordered the CD.
Don't give up on it.

Have a great day...Java 

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 13:14:45 +0200 (W. Europe Daylight Time)
From: Marion Kippers <Marion.Kippers@wkap.nl>
Subject: Titles, and samplers (continued)

Hi,

Just wanted to add my fl. 0.05 (we don't do cents in the Netherlands 
anymore): 

"Culebra" <venom@snakebite.com> writes:

> No need to mention names here, but I'm always amused when someone has
> "listened to an album many times", but isn't really sure of the name of the
> album, or the songs on it. 

I've driven many a good friend crazy by referring to my favourite 
songs as 'track x on that cd by her'...  Not knowing titles to albums 
or songs IMHO has nothing to do with liking or knowing the music.  In 
my case, the best example would be the Cocteau Twins's "Treasure".  
That was my very favourite album of 1984, I still love it, I've 
played and listened to it many many times over the years - but I 
still know at most only half of the song titles of that album.  And 
I'm only beginning to know song titles to some of Happy's songs, even 
though I know some of the songs well.

Also, I noticed something else.  For me it helps if I have to write 
down the titles somehow.  Like for a sampler, or to edit a play list, 
whatever.  Nowadays I often bring a cd wallet to my office with just 
cd's - no booklets, no cd-cases.  Do you know how many cd's contain 
track listings on the cd itself?  I checked my wallet today:

- - Loreena McKennitt - The mask and mirror
- - Happy Rhodes - Many worlds are born tonight
- - Heather Nova - Siren
- - Jonatha Brooke - 10c Wings
- - Susan McKeown - Bushes & briars
- - Susan McKeown - Through the bitter frost and snow
- - Happy Rhodes - The keep
- - Unni Wilhelmsen - Definitely me

Of these 8 albums, only Unni Wilhelmsen's has the songtitles printed 
on the cd itself.  That doesn't make it easier to edit the play-list 
of my pc-cd-player... :-)

Also I wanted to mention that my last sampler (the one with Happy, 
Sinead Lohan, Susan McKeown, The Story and Deanta) worked very well.  
That friend has now ordered 'The keep' and 'Many worlds are born 
tonight', to be followed by Susan McKeown (probably 'Bushes & 
briars') and Sinead Lohan. :-)

Oh well.  Posting too much because I've got too much work to do. :-)

Best wishes,

Marion
n.p. Jonatha Brooke - 10c Wings
n.r. UK Travel Guides :-)
- ----------------------
Marion Kippers
Marion.Kippers@wkap.nl

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 07:59:45 EDT
From: Riphug@aol.com
Subject: Astrid?

Dear Musical Answer-People:

A friend of mine in the UK recently wrote and recommended a woman
named Astrid to me, saying that she sounds a little like Jane Siberry.
After doing some checking around on the internet, I can't find out exactly
who Astrid is.  There's an Astrid Munday from Australia, but I can't open
the sound files at her website for some reason.  And when I checked the
GEMM listing, I found three albums by someone from Norway going by
simply Astrid (as opposed to Suddenly Susan?).

Anyway.....if y'all can give me any further information on Astrid --
especially
the one who sounds like Jane -- I would be most grateful.

Jill :D
*share the music!*

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 14:10:56 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Yves Denneulin <Yves.Denneulin@imag.fr>
Subject: Re: Astrid?

Hello Jill,

 > Anyway.....if y'all can give me any further information on Astrid --
 > especially the one who sounds like Jane -- I would be most
 > grateful.
It could be the new solo album by former Goya Dress singer Astrid
Williamson. Neile can probably say more about that than me because she
owns this album while I still haven't found it. :-(
You will have online infos on Goya Dress as soon as I have a PC in the
office and so can send the page for the Ecto Guide which is on my home
computer now. I only have a X terminal now and can't find a hole to
put the floppy in. ;-)
If this is her I don't reallly see the connection with Jane but Goya
Dress music was quite far from Jane's (vast) territory. 

Best,
- -- 
Yves Denneulin                            Campus Universitaire
                                          LMC/IMAG, Institut Fourier, BP 53X
Yves.Denneulin@imag.fr                    100 Rue des Mathematiques
Tel: (33) 4 76 51 46 68                   38041 GRENOBLE CEDEX 9
Fax: (33) 4 76 51 48 46/ 04 76 63 12 63   FRANCE

------------------------------

Date: 11 Sep 1998 13:23:58 +0000
From: Tim.Cook@Swift.Com (Tim Cook)
Subject: RE: irate customer

>Yup. I got caught inside a massive screwup last year: the number I was
>given by Sprint as my local ISP dialup turned out to be long distance,

Well, I've been living in the US for nearly a year now and I've had more than 
my fair share of dealings with bad customer service. MCI screwed up my long 
distance plan so instead of 15c/min to the UK it turned out more like $3 per 
minute!! Bell Atlantic blamed MCI, MCI blamed Bell Atlantic. Rather than play 
piggy in the middle I ignored them both and went straight to the SCC. I got 
my money back (and a grovelling apology) within the week. Hell I even managed 
to get money back off the Government (National Parks Services).

I've learned a thing or two about the art of effective complaining: Be 
patient. It can take weeks or months to resolve a dispute. Be polite. Write 
the ranting letter, then throw it in the bin and write the letter you're 
going to send. Keep your letters short and focused. Make sure you let the 
company know what you are complaining about and what you expect from them. 
The golden rule is, companies always refuse your request the first time so 
expect a refusal, ignore it and press on! Finally, learn when to give up. 
Sometimes you're just not going to win (in these cases the only thing to do 
is publicise your complaint (newsgroups are great for this) so that others 
can avoid the same problem - you might take satisfaction out of knowing you 
might just put a few people off from dealing with that company or at least 
instill them with "caveat emptor").

And finally, if you get good service, let the company know. Especially if an 
employee has been particularly good in helping you. Let their manager know 
you are happy with the service.

As for online CD stores, apart from A&B being a little slow I've never had any
 problems ordering stuff.

tim

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Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 08:39:22 -0500
From: "Mike Mendelson" <mjm@harmonicvision.com>
Subject: irate customer UPDATE

Today, I received email from MusicBlvd saying the CDs were *all* shipped on
9/9!!!  That is *before* the email saying they were all back-ordered!  I
can't wait to see when/whether I ever get these disks!  That's for all the
co-misery.
- -mjm

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 09:41:08 EDT
From: Riphug@aol.com
Subject: Re: Astrid?

In a message dated 9/11/98 8:13:48 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
Yves.Denneulin@imag.fr writes:

<< It could be the new solo album by former Goya Dress singer Astrid
 Williamson.  >>

Thanks, Yves ;-)

I just found more information about Astrid and her new cd at NME.com:

<<ASTRID
Boy For You
(Nude)

FORMER PIANO-PLAYING SIREN WITH INDIE-GOTH TRIO Goya Dress,
Astrid Williamson has revamped her image and sound for her solo debut.
Now blonde, clad in designer suits and photographed sulking moodily
amidst exotic European architecture, we could be forgiven for expecting
an album of postmodern techno balladry.  But Boy For You is actually a
full-bodied collection of timeless folk-pop recorded in New Orleans.

The spooked ambience and rough edges of Goya Dress have been largely
smoothed out here, replaced by new levels of lyrical intimacy and singer-
songwriter maturity.  For the most part, these songs feel like they have 
been *lived* rather than merely imagined.  This time it's personal - and,
in parts, rather splendid.  Probably because the more measured numbers
are unafraid to wallow in warm traditionalism rather than clutch at quirky
modernity for its own sake.  Like country-tinged strummer Everyone's
Waiting for instance, or the devotional heart-twanger Someone, a lonely 
prairie waltz with overtones of Mazzy Star by way of Beth Orton.

Elsewhere Williamson does her indie Kate Bush thing with undeniable
aplomb (Sing For Me) but, alas, a few overly polished examples of
Sunday-supplement neo-Celtic bluster and feel-my-pain warbling make
up the numbers.  If only she'd release the claws-out passion lurking just
below the surface of these troubled waters, she could demand our full
attention instead of just our mild interest.  6/10

- -Stephen Dalton>>

Sounds like she's worth a try, anyway......

Oh, and I also stumbled across a review of a relatively new Tanita Tikiram
album called The Cappuccino Songs...the review was dated 4/10.  Since I
can't copy and paste from their site, though, I"m not gonna type up that
review.  It's also at www.nme.com if you're interested.

Too bad it's so darned expensive to order from Ukania  :(

Jill :D
*share the music!*

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 09:46:04 EDT
From: Riphug@aol.com
Subject: Irving Park review of Suffragette Sessions

From www.rollingstone.com:

<<The Suffragette Sessions

Irving Plaza, New York, Sept. 3, 1998

On paper, the Suffragette Sessions Tour was an ambitious idea from the start.
As a sort of art-house, how-much-more-alternative-can-you-get alternative to
the commercial monster that is Lilith, Suffragette was the brainchild of
Lilith veterans Emily Saliers and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. The idea was
for a communal affair in which everyone involved -- no matter how obscure
their name or inaccessible their music -- got equal stage time. And the Indigo
Girls, to their credit, walk a delicate line between running the show and
pretending to be only a small part of it. But no matter how Utopian the idea,
the result is sort of like being forced to take your medicine. You know it's
meant to be good for you, but it's not always easy to swallow.
The entire cast, if you will, consisted of about twelve musicians from diverse
musical backgrounds. The Indigo Girls, known for their breakthrough style of
folk & roll, were the most famous. Kate Shellenbach represented Luscious
Jackson's brand of punk meets funk. Lisa Germano added a heavy dose of the
singer-songwriter vibe, marked by a vulnerable sincerity that seemed to say,
"If you hurt me, it's your loss." Lourdes Perez, a Latin-American singer,
performed songs in Spanish and Gene Smith performed (gasp) spoken-word poetry.

Smith, in a nutshell, sort of represented everything that could and did go
wrong with the equal-opportunity format of the evening. Why is it that no one
can parody spoken-word artists as well as the artists themselves? Smith's
rants, accompanied by Thalia Zadek's screeching guitar feedback, were flimsy
chronicles of (what else?) dysfunctional families treated with a disingenuous
touch that probably had Virginia Woolf rolling in her grave. One audience
member asked out loud, "Now what? Interpretive dance?"

If Smith represented the evening's nadir, Perez provided the most refreshing
diversity. Her deep voice and dramatic phrasing reminds one that even opera
was once a folk art. One of the show's highlights was a swift, upbeat version
of the Indigo Girls' normally staid "Power of Two" during which Perez traded
Spanish lines with Saliers' English. Gail Ann Dorsey, a sometime back-up
singer for the Indigo Girls on tour, also wowed the crowd with a voice that
was equal parts soul, folk and gospel, similar to Tuck and Patti but without
the schmaltz. And when she broke into the unmistakable opening bars of David
Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust," she revealed herself as a bona fide hipster to boot.

In the also-ran category, Tracy Bonham failed to leave much of an impression
with her solo violin improvisation, while Jane Siberry was more notable for
her stage presence and enthusiasm than for her music, content to contribute
her talents on piano, accordian and vocal harmonies to the works of others.
Come's Zadek added an alt-rock flavor to the night with her straight-forward
strumming and rough-hewn voice. Other musicians, including Indigo Girls and
B-52s bassist Sara Lee and Josephine Wiggs of the Breeders, seemed content to
play supporting roles.

Given the range of eclectic styles covered in such a relatively short time,
Suffragette Sessions packs a lot of artistic bang for your buck. It's a heady
mixture to take in all at once, but it's ultimately a risky musical experiment
essentially gone right -- albeit a little sloppy and self-indulgent in
execution.

JAMIE COWPERTHWAIT >>

By the way, I was looking at the liner notes for Jane Siberry's "Child" and
noticed
that Gail Ann Dorsey had played on the album.  I hadn't noticed that before.

Jill :D
*share the music!*
 

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 11:19:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: "jeffrey c. burka" <jburka@raptor.cqi.com>
Subject: Re: Irving Park review of Suffragette Session

On Fri, 11 Sep 1998 Riphug@aol.com wrote:

> >From www.rollingstone.com:

> Lisa Germano added a heavy dose of the
> singer-songwriter vibe, marked by a vulnerable sincerity that seemed to say,
> "If you hurt me, it's your loss." 

Must have had their ears plugged; every time I've seen Germano, her vibe
has been more like  "If you hurt me, you can go FUCK YOURSELF <mumble
rant rave>."

jeff

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 09:41:29 -0700
From: Richard Holmes <rholmes@ccrma.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: re: emotions from music

Joyce wrote:

> Popular music doesn't usually bring me to tears unless I'm already
> sad and just looking for an opportunity to get choked up. As I wrote
> earlier, "Into the Fire" by Sarah (yes, Solace is my favorite too)
> has gotten me to cry at times - I think because the subject matter
> gets to me as much as the music. I love the lines: "Follow the signs
> marked 'back to the beginning'/ No more compromise," because in life
> we do have to accept compromises, accept second best to that primary
> bond of mother and child, and I think we often spend our lives
> looking for it. When she sings "No more compromise" I'm thinking,
> "Yeah! Enough of these crappy unsatisfying substitutes! I want the
> *real thing*!" And that'll get me all teary...

"Into the Fire" is my favorite song on _Solace_, my favorite album!  
For me the song evokes happy, determined feelings - it is just so
great to see someone singing about things that I have felt in my own
life and determined to "feed the fire"...

> Lots of songs give me a liberated, joyous kind of feeling, like
> flying down the freeway at night with the top down - just this wild,
> intense ecstatic feeling. The songs I like best usually have a strong
> sense of motion, of speeding forward ("The Boys of Summer" by Don
> Henley really does that for me). I also love intense, dark songs that
> still have some drive (Patty Smith's "Dancing Barefoot" is one of my
> all-time faves that fits that mood).

Patti's "Dancing Barefoot" is great.  When I was younger, "We Three" 
brought tears to my eyes - - partially perhaps because of the situation
I was in.  "25th Floor"?  The "Pissing in a River" song (is that its 
title?)  All great emotional songs.

As far as Happy Rhodes goes, Warpaint has many of my favorites, as does 
Equipoise.  For bubbly joyous song, one of my faves of Happy's is 
"Terra Incognita", which is preceded by a song of sadness I always 
associate with Persephone's descent into the underworld in my head, 
"Lay Me Down".  Both are on Warpaint - I find myself hitting "replay"
on both of these songs....

As far as Veda goes, "Strange Sad" is a yearning longing kind of surreal
sadness.  

Of course, for me the lyrics are a *BIG* part of what moves me -- but
the music / expression must be there too.

Just my random thoughts --- 

- -Richard.

@      \@/       Richard A. Holmes (rholmes@ccrma.stanford.edu)   
@       |                                                                      
@      \|/       "O dark expansive sea of night, 
@       |         Tapestry of stars and solitude,
@   , , | , ,     Crashing waves of chaos, Deep void of becoming,
@    ' ' ' ' '    Radiant blackness, all-enfolding,
@                 Constant well of creation,
@                 Bestow you dark gifts and silver sparks
@                 On your parched and thirsty child.
@
@ Kiva / Kate Price \ Dar Williams / Renaissance \ Sheila Chandra / Laura Love
@  Susan McKeown \ Sarah McLachlan / Libana \ Danielle Dax \ Dog Faced Hermans 
@   Loreena McKennitt / Kate Bush \ Tori Amos / Katell Keineg / Happy Rhodes 
@     Ingrid Karklins \ Sinead O'Connor / Jane Siberry / Pauline Oliveros

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 14:00:14 -0700
From: "C. K. Coney" <ckc2@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Museum of Television & Radio??

DaveRaver@aol.com wrote:

> I called the Museum of Television & Radio (New York City) and inquired as to
> whether Happy Rhodes was actually performing there on October 8.  They knew
> nothing about it.  I had a feeling it didn't sound right.  How did this rumor
> get started anyway?

I just got back to town from almost a week away...and I'm thrilled that the tour
is officially on and some dates are confirmed. Thank you Terra Incognita and
Vickie and everyone who posted via email & their websites with this timely info,
which really helps out-of-towners in planning and budgeting!Well, the tour dates
aren't really rumor at this point, but there are still discrepancies. Maybe it's
possible that the venues just don't have the dates in their own systems. I
checked Painted Bride's website again, and it hasn't been updated to reflect
Happy's show. I do intend to call them tonight & will report back what I hear.
It's not unusual for websites to lag behind in the updating...although you'd
think that as soon as a date is confirmed, at least their calendar webpages
announcing shows would be updated...it helps move those ticket sales, right? I
also noticed that Samson Music has not updated their Happy tourdates link, but
hopefully that's coming real soon too!

I'm hoping to attend both the NYC and Philly shows. Can anyone tell me the best
train company with frequent runs between NY and Philly? Also, is there a decent
hotel or B & B near where the Painted Bride is located? (I've only been to Philly
once, which is weird, I guess, for a native of Pittsburgh!)

Thanks in advance for any tips!

Carol

P.S.  I'm still interested in group tix sales, but since I haven't seen anything
posted, maybe it's best to just order via Ticketmaster, or whomever handles
over-the-phone ticketing for Painted Bride and that Museum in NYC. Is that what
folks think would be best for out-of-towners?

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End of ecto-digest V4 #318
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