From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V8 #82 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Saturday, March 23 2002 Volume 08 : Number 082 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] Donna Adler CD Alta Vista Sky Review [Michael Mendelson ] Walter Parks and Dayna Kurtz at Grassy Hill this Sunday [Tom Neff Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ********************** Bob Brown (no Email address) *********************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bob Brown Thu March 22 1951 Ham Valerie Nozick Thu March 25 1971 Aries Tom Proven Sat March 27 1971 Eat at Joe's Jennifer Albert Wed March 30 1966 Aries (w/Cancer rising!:) Warpaint Mon April 01 1991 Brilliant! Michael Pearce Wed April 03 1946 Pegasus Michael E. Bravo Mon April 05 1971 Dandelion Wine Brion McIntosh Sun April 06 1958 Aries Marcel Kshensky Thu April 06 1950 Aries Bill Mazur Mon April 06 1953 Aries Sun/Cancer Rising David Dixon Tue April 07 1970 Aries Heidi Heller Mon April 08 1974 Aries Jill Hughes Sat April 09 1955 Aries Klaus Kluge Sun April 10 1960 Unicorn Steve VanDevender Sun April 10 1966 Racer Art Liestman Fri April 10 1953 Repeat Stephen Golden Sat April 10 1971 Jokey Michael Bowman Wed April 11 1962 Aries Wolfgang Ullwer Fri April 11 1969 Widder Janet Kirsch Thu April 11 1974 Aries Jerry Tue April 13 1971 Aries Stuart Myerburg Mon April 14 1969 Aries T-Bone Wed April 15 1992 happy cat Jeff Hanson Sat April 16 1966 Aries Michael Klouda Mon April 17 1967 Aries Harry Foster Sat April 21 1956 NiceGuy - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 12:14:08 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Mendelson Subject: Donna Adler CD Alta Vista Sky Review Chicago singer-songwriter Donna Adler has a new CD out. She asked me to review it for Ecto. So I wrote the review below and was going to submit it to Ecto, but something was bothering me about it. Because the more I listened to the CD, the better it sounded and the more I liked it. I did not feel that the review adequately expressed that. So, as a preamble, I decided to say simply this: This is a GREAT album. It just grows and grows on me. It has always amazed me when someone can take simple, straightforward chords and guitar notes, and yet come up with songs that are original and hooky enough to be fresh and new. Nanci Griffith is great at this, as she bridges the country/folk frontier. Donna has achieved this here. Check it out. - ----------------------------------- The haunting piano bits on Bring You Home, the first track of Donna Adlers new CD, Alta Vista Sky, paint an aural landscape that sets a faraway tone. This breezy, colorful track sets the tone for Adlers richly textured sophomore effort. Although it is difficult to categorize these songs, they fit snugly in the singer-songwriter genre, somewhere in between new folk and new country. The country-major sound of about half of the album seems at first listen deceivingly simple. On repeated listens, though, each song manages to etch a distinct impression on the aural canvas. A number of the tracks could be classified as songs of yearning  a theme not entirely foreign to country or folk music. In If You Had a Heart, Are They Blue, and Old Pomona Road, the protaganist respectively implores love me only, dreams about a kiss from a prince and sighs one day I will lay it all down and rest my soul. In My Dogs Eyes, deserted memories of deep clear water, tall trees in red chimneys and happiness looking into my dogs eyes are sought to be recaptured. But these traditional angles are elevated both by the clarity, purity and richness of Adlers voice, and by the subtle appropriateness of the arrangements. Shades of John Gorka-esque lyricism  simple yet allegorical  are apparent in tracks like Sonya, a song in which a young girl finds herself when she discovers the violin. After a few listens, I was convinced that at least one of the songs (My Dogs Eyes) was a Tom Waits cover. Or a cover of something that I had heard before. Not the case. Every song on this CD is original. Adlers voice is almost wrenchingly pure. One wonders what the results would be if Adlers formidable talent was shaped by a stylistic producer like Daniel Lanois (Rain Shine definitely evokes Lanois). Or if she took a chance with an a cappella Celtic ballad (The Crow comes close to a Celtic feel) or an unaccompanied lament. In the most general sense, Alta Vista Sky is a step up from Donnas debut, All the Riches of the World, (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/adler) which I liked as well. The orchestration is more rich and more consistent. The guitar is crisp and alive. The harmonies are low-key and not over-powering. This is a much more polished product, and a most welcome and reflective antithesis to the mainstream pop scene of today. Just about any of these songs would be right at home on a collection like Follow that Road. Or on a show like Morning Becomes Eclectic. Heres hoping that Donna Adler wins the audience and the critical acclaim that she deserves. You can find more info at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/adler2 and http://www.songwritersdirectory.com/artistpage.cfm?writerid=151. If you like sparkling vocals and original music, Alta Vista Sky deserves a place in your CD-changer. - -mjm Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards. http://movies.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 12:08:37 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Mendelson Subject: hi folks Hey, mjm here... long time no subscribe. I have moved to LA with my wife and now I have a daughter too! Hope you are all good. I have a review for the new donna adler CD, which I will post shortly. How can I get it added to the ecto guide to good music? Thanks. - -mjm Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards. http://movies.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 15:37:23 -0500 From: Tom Neff Subject: Walter Parks and Dayna Kurtz at Grassy Hill this Sunday [ I put this on Dar-list, and rather than make more work for our beloved Meth, I thought I'd repeat it here myself. --tmn ] Hey, remember Walter Parks from The Nudes, everyone's favorite folk duo from a couple of years ago? Remember Dayna Kurtz, the "Jersey Girl" that Deb Woodell and Rebecca DeSantis were asking about last month? Well, they're both terrific guitarists, songwriters and singers, they're both touring with folk legend Richie Havens these days... and they're both appearing at Grassy Hill Barn Concerts this Sunday, March 24th at 3:00 P.M. in our latest show. Since spring is refusing to behave itself and show up on time, I suggest that you vote with your feet and repair to the warm confines of the barn in rural Lyme, CT (halfway between NYC and Boston, on the shore near Old Saybrook and New London) for some hot music instead. We're planning to have a wonderful time. The suggested performer donation is $12 (or more if you feel like it). You can come at 2:30 for a reception, and to the previous questioner, no, we don't stock Fanta, but guava nectar is available on request. For reservations and directions and moral support and stuff, email info@grassyhill.org or call us at 860-434-8208 and press 3. (That is, if we don't answer the phone and it goes to voice mail, press 3. Don't hit that 3 button if we're trying to talk to you -- I mean it.) We also have free copies of Rich Cuccaro's terrific "Acoustic NYC" newsletter available on the literature/merch table. And everyone will bring CD's and stuff. See you at Grassy Hill! - -- Tom Neff Assistant Light Bulb Filament Tap Tester Grassy Hill House Concerts tneff@grassyhill.org ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 16:38:11 -0500 From: "Bill Adler" Subject: RE: Donna Adler CD Alta Vista Sky Review My Donna Adler (no relation) CD just arrived, as well. I agree with Michael: Alta Vista Sky is terrific. The first song on the CD, "Bring You Home," a wonderfully expressive love song, really shows off Adler's melodic, sophisticated voice. - --Bill n.p. Beth Patterson, Hybrid Vigor - -----Original Message----- From: owner-ecto@smoe.org [mailto:owner-ecto@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Michael Mendelson Sent: Friday, March 22, 2002 3:14 PM To: Submit Ecto Cc: Michael Mendelson Subject: Donna Adler CD Alta Vista Sky Review Chicago singer-songwriter Donna Adler has a new CD out. She asked me to review it for Ecto. So I wrote the review below and was going to submit it to Ecto, but something was bothering me about it. Because the more I listened to the CD, the better it sounded and the more I liked it. I did not feel that the review adequately expressed that. So, as a preamble, I decided to say simply this: This is a GREAT album. It just grows and grows on me. It has always amazed me when someone can take simple, straightforward chords and guitar notes, and yet come up with songs that are original and hooky enough to be fresh and new. Nanci Griffith is great at this, as she bridges the country/folk frontier. Donna has achieved this here. Check it out. - ----------------------------------- The haunting piano bits on Bring You Home, the first track of Donna Adlers new CD, Alta Vista Sky, paint an aural landscape that sets a faraway tone. This breezy, colorful track sets the tone for Adlers richly textured sophomore effort. Although it is difficult to categorize these songs, they fit snugly in the singer-songwriter genre, somewhere in between new folk and new country. The country-major sound of about half of the album seems at first listen deceivingly simple. On repeated listens, though, each song manages to etch a distinct impression on the aural canvas. A number of the tracks could be classified as songs of yearning  a theme not entirely foreign to country or folk music. In If You Had a Heart, Are They Blue, and Old Pomona Road, the protaganist respectively implores love me only, dreams about a kiss from a prince and sighs one day I will lay it all down and rest my soul. In My Dogs Eyes, deserted memories of deep clear water, tall trees in red chimneys and happiness looking into my dogs eyes are sought to be recaptured. But these traditional angles are elevated both by the clarity, purity and richness of Adlers voice, and by the subtle appropriateness of the arrangements. Shades of John Gorka-esque lyricism  simple yet allegorical  are apparent in tracks like Sonya, a song in which a young girl finds herself when she discovers the violin. After a few listens, I was convinced that at least one of the songs (My Dogs Eyes) was a Tom Waits cover. Or a cover of something that I had heard before. Not the case. Every song on this CD is original. Adlers voice is almost wrenchingly pure. One wonders what the results would be if Adlers formidable talent was shaped by a stylistic producer like Daniel Lanois (Rain Shine definitely evokes Lanois). Or if she took a chance with an a cappella Celtic ballad (The Crow comes close to a Celtic feel) or an unaccompanied lament. In the most general sense, Alta Vista Sky is a step up from Donnas debut, All the Riches of the World, (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/adler) which I liked as well. The orchestration is more rich and more consistent. The guitar is crisp and alive. The harmonies are low-key and not over-powering. This is a much more polished product, and a most welcome and reflective antithesis to the mainstream pop scene of today. Just about any of these songs would be right at home on a collection like Follow that Road. Or on a show like Morning Becomes Eclectic. Heres hoping that Donna Adler wins the audience and the critical acclaim that she deserves. You can find more info at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/adler2 and http://www.songwritersdirectory.com/artistpage.cfm?writerid=151. If you like sparkling vocals and original music, Alta Vista Sky deserves a place in your CD-changer. - -mjm Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards. http://movies.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 14:19:51 -0800 From: Jessica Koeppel Subject: katell keineg in san francisco tonight? This page: http://users.rcn.com/samlambert/katell/tour.html says that Katell is playing at Johnny Foley's in San Francisco tonight. (With Ed Harcourt, it says). This page: http://ubl.artistdirect.com/music/artist/tours/0,,1092911,00.html?src=Ed+Harcourt says that Ed Harcourt is playing tonight at Johnny Foley's in San Francisco. But when I called Johnny Foley's this morning to get details about the show, they said they didn't know anything about Katell Keineg or Ed Harcourt. Does anyone here on ecto know anything about this? - -jessica ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V8 #82 *************************