From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V5 #256 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Saturday, July 31 1999 Volume 05 : Number 256 Today's Subjects: ----------------- gorilla dust and half truths [Paul Kim ] A Jewel Confession [neal copperman ] Re: gorilla dust and half truths [neal copperman ] Re:Annie Gallup, Chris Chandler and Linda Dunn [primecd Subject: gorilla dust and half truths I saw the Beautiful South opening for the Barenaked Ladies thursday night in Mansfield, MA. The South was awesome...way more than I had hoped for or expected...in fact, they were so much more than I expected, my head and my ears hurt. I think the sound engineer said to himself "i think i'll make the band so loud and mushed together that it'll be a wall of frequencies that will cause Paul Kim's head to explode." Honest. We arrived a little late because of my inefficient navigation (i was with my sister and two friends who were visiting from Maryland) and we practically ran to our seats to catch the rest of their set (we arrived as they were playing "Don't Marry Her"). The leader of the band and one of the lead singers, Paul Heaton, was a joy to watch on stage as he danced and jumped and cavorted all over. THe entire group is frickin' tight, I tells ya...all the singers sang on key, all the instrumentalists played in tune and on beat, and they all seemed to be having a fun time...sadly, their only headlining date in the US is this monday in New York City. Their latest album _Quench_ was finally released in the US after about 9 months, on I believe Mercury Records (which is now part of the Island/Def Jam Division of UMG). BNL was fantastic as usual, but this time their concert was a HUGE production with big sets and costume changes and stuff...a far cry from when I saw them at Pearl Street In Northampton, MA at a 200 person club. I could have done without the audience though. Especially the guy who was standing up in front of my sister and I and NOT MOVING ONE BIT TO THE MUSIC. He hardly moved, but just kept standing. We shouted for him to sit down, but he ignored us. His wife next to him even motioned to him that he was obstructing peoples' views and he waved her off. Bostonites - bertine (nettwerk artist and lilith fair player) will be at the Kendall Cafe for free on monday; my friend Kyler will be at the House of Blues tomorrow (Sat) around 2 pm for free; Mediaeval Babes featuring members of Miranda Sex Garden, is at the House of Blues next tuesday; dido (who I don't thinks sounds like Sarah McLachlan...in fact, she reminds me more of Eleanor McEvoy) is coming to the Paradise Sept 10; Kristin Hersh is at the Middle East in Sept. I didn't know this until i was checking out last week's billboard magazine, but Colleen Fitzpatrick, former lead woman of Eve's Plum (great angry/coy alterny rock band) is now going under the moniker Vitamin C and getting lots of airplay with her first single off her solo album on Elektra Records. I think the single is called "Smile" and it has a kinda pop/reggae feel to it. Scary. Paul "punctually late" Kim ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 01:35:23 -0400 From: neal copperman Subject: A Jewel Confession I'm not really sure which part of my feelings I should consider a confession: The fact that I was considering going to see Jewel in concert, or the fact that I wasn't. After talking to Alan Bershaw the other day, I was convinced that I should make the effort. I haven't seen Jewel for two and a half years, and now she's touring sheds behind an album I can't even bring myself to buy, so I was pretty leary. Things got off to a very promising start as I walked to the Pavillion in the somewhat cooling post-storm drizzle, and immediately encountered a guy on the street who sold me a 2nd row ticket for $35 (list price). And then I ran into friends who I'd given a set of Jewelstock tapes to several years ago. I couldn't believe I had 2nd row tickets. I've never been that close at Merriwether. I was worried the sound might be unbearable, but I was actually in front of all the speakers and video screens. The show started with Rusted Root, who I'm completely unfamiliar with. I was afraid they were a jam band, and I guess they kind of were, but I liked most of their set. A few bland, tedious songs, but usually there was enough percussion and instrumental touchs (flutes and whistles) to keep things fun, and they were a very energetic band. I thought they sounded like a jam band that played "big music" (a la the Waterboys and old U2, you know, very anthemic). Next, Steve Poltz took the stage to do a solo accoustic set that was pretty slow to warm up. I was pleased to hear some old Rugburns standards like Gold's Jim Guy, but also disappointed by the relatively lifeless (and Jewel-less) Silver Linings. By mid-set, he got into some rowdier numbers like The ABC's of Love that seemed to grab the crowd more, and his cover of something popular that I don't know (all I can remember is that there is a waterfall in the chorus) totally wow'ed the crowd. So I think he won some fans by the end. I found it amusing that Steve's been toning down his shows while Jewel has been building up hers, and neither are really at their peak. I think the Rugburns would have been a far better opener, and their mix of zaniness and sensitivity would have been a big hit. (Are the Rugburns officially defunct? It certainly seemed like it.) Jewel took the stage in the dark and started into a stunning solo accoustic version of Always from Pieces of You. She played the whole song in the dark, well, there were a lot of flashbulbs going off, and the crowd was ecstatic. I thought the show was more erratic than any of the shows I've seen in the past, but it had it's share of high points, some of which were completely brilliant. I think she's still trying to figure out what to do with a band. I'm kind of reminded of disappear fear when they first tried adding bands. THey went through two full bands - decent players who never came alive, until they assembled what was their one great band (their last one). Anyway, I thought most of the lulls in the night came from songs that had mediocre band arrangements that just served to drown out whatever interest might be generated by the vocals. There were some highlights that included the band, but by and large the real standouts tended to be the solo, or pared down, numbers. These Foolish Games, with piano accompanyment, was powerful and moving, and the version of Carnivore showed the gritty side of Jewel so sadly lacking from Spirit. The crowd was in awe of Carnivore, and ate up rockers like Love Me Or Leave Me Alone, which implied to me that everyone would have happily embraced an edgier album. She sang a few new songs which had great vocals and pretty simple lyrics (gee, there's a surprise). I had to laugh when she said here was one she had just written and the first couplet included the word "hands", the second "night" and the third "heart". But the gospel/bluesy riffing she did on the chorus totally redeemed the song. Another "new" song, "I'll Take You Down", was one of the more successful band romps, though it didn't have the power of it's "debut"(?) at the 9:30 Club several years ago. I'm still not sure what I think of her re-working of "Down So Long" into a loping dance number. It seemed to work pretty well, but doesn't have anything like the power of the old solo version. I know that's re-worked on Spirit, but I was really pleased to see how Jewel redid her hits so that both she and the audience could still be surprised by them. This included a playful You Were Meant For Me and an unbelievable jazz/scat extended (and virtually unrecognizable) version of Who Will Save Your Souls. I didn't think that song could be made interesting after it's overexposure, but this performance was unbelievable. She closed with some old standards, a lovely version of "Angel Standing By" and then "Chime Bells", which I thought I had heard she wasn't doing anymore. I have to say she didn't seem to enjoy doing it much, though it was interesting to see that she had put in an entirely different yodel now. I also was amused to see that she is still pretty uncomfortable on stage when she doesn't have a guitar. While many of her mannerisms have changed from the old days, she still was kind of awkward when she took on the role of "lead singer". She was also pretty chatty, and I saw her twist the set list around at least once, which I thoroughly approved of. There were a couple of odd moments that I thought kind of interesting though. On You Were Meant For Me, you could see Jewel giving Steve Poltz instructions, either look into my eyes, or kiss me, it was hard to tell which. Also, at the end of the set, people from Jewel's crew were out riling up the audience. They basically encouraged a rush of the stage and got everyone on their feet. I know they are filming shows, so I was wondering if that was some sort of staged excercise to have the proper affect? It was rather odd. (As if the audience would have been reluctant to give her a standing ovation.) Well, I've gone on and on and on, much like years ago. I guess the high points of the show outweighed the low ones, both in duration and in lasting impact. Coming out of the show I felt more enthusiasm about Jewel than I have in ages. neal np: Songs From The Nineline - Laurie Freelove (I wonder why I didn't like this more when I got it) nr: Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf (I have concluded this is a morning book, so I will spend whatever it takes tomorrow morning to finish it) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 01:45:46 -0400 From: neal copperman Subject: Re: gorilla dust and half truths At 12:47 AM -0400 7/31/99, Paul Kim wrote: > THe entire group is frickin' tight, I tells ya...all >the singers sang on key, all the instrumentalists played in tune and on >beat, and they all seemed to be having a fun time...sadly, their only >headlining date in the US is this monday in New York City. Does this mean Briana (or whoever the woman is who sings with them) is with them? I saw them a few years ago headline at the old 9:30 Club (man was that a packed and hot show), and she wasn't there, which was a big disappointment. They are on my list of shows I should be considering going to but don't have tickets for, which also includes Tori/Alanis, R.E.M/Spacehog, and tomorrow's Cowboy Junkies show (which I'm still undecided on). > I >could have done without the audience though. Especially the guy who was >standing up in front of my sister and I and NOT MOVING ONE BIT TO THE >MUSIC. He hardly moved, but just kept standing. We shouted for him to sit >down, but he ignored us. His wife next to him even motioned to him that he >was obstructing peoples' views and he waved her off. Ah, aren't concert crowds wonderful. This seemed to be Jewel's Under the Pink, as far as crowds go. Hordes of screaming, worshipful fans, though I did get a kick out of all the 14 year old girls. They were so excited :) But I'd cut about 50 "We love you Jewel"'s out of the evening. (There actaully was a really good mix of people there, not just 14 year old girls. Why, I saw a bunch who must have been at least 17 :) ) neal ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 01:59:49 -0400 From: primecd Subject: Re:Annie Gallup, Chris Chandler and Linda Dunn Hi All: Although I am, of course, affiliated with the following artists, I think these new releases will strike a positive chord with ectophiles. Annie Gallup - Steady Steady Yes - stripped naked, Annie's solo recording produced at The Theater Recording Studio (the largest "live" recording room in N.Y.C. with vintage ultra-analog audiophile recording equipment) is Annie at her finest. Terse, direct, poignant - she really has developed her own musical sub-genre existing somewhere between poetry and lyric. Linda Dunn - who? you might say. She's young, from the South, and this is her debut album. Radio has labelled her the next Mary Chapin Carpenter (due, in part, to the fact that Bob Dawson, Mary Chapin's producer/engineer produced the album and Pete Kennedy, Nils Lofgren and Robbie Magruder make up the band), but beyond such comparisons is a unique lyrical and melodic sensibility. Songs like In the Chelsea (about Sid and Nancy) are haunting - - "It's a long way to the sidewalk from the top floor of the Chelsea, And a purple haze can kick up lots of sand. It blew her to the ledge of a window in the Chelsea. And sent her diving into some electric ladyland". Chris Chandler - Collaborations - He's the only Prime CD artist that has resulted in my receiving a few death threats. He's controversial - no doubt - and on this album he collaborates with Dar Williams, Catie Curtis, Dan Bern, Marty Sexton and many others to create a unique spoken word and musical amalgam. Would love to hear your feedback on the above albums - -david seitz - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Prime CD Real Music From a Real Indie www.primecd.com - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V5 #256 **************************