From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V8 #125 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Saturday, May 4 2002 Volume 08 : Number 125 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friends... [Mike Matthews ] Being a fan/being objective [adamk@zoom.co.uk] Re: Being a fan/being objective [Ellen ] Natlie Merchant mini-interview [adamk@zoom.co.uk] ...meanwhile (heads up, you proggers) [adamk@zoom.co.uk] Re: Being a fan/being objective [Joseph Zitt ] *Rachael Returns From Europe, May U.S. Tourdates & CD News!* [SpiritWe@ao] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 May 2002 03:00:01 -0400 (EDT) From: Mike Matthews Subject: Today's your birthday, friends... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ********************* Gray Abbott (no Email address) ********************** **************** Tamar Boursalian (teb3@pantheon.yale.edu) **************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Gray Abbott Tue May 03 1955 Suprised Tamar Boursalian Tue May 03 1966 Taurus Richard A. Holmes May 07 Taurus Steve Ito Fri May 08 1970 DA Bull... Brian Gregory Thu May 09 1963 Eclectic Heidi Maier Wed May 10 1978 Taurus Patrick Varker Wed May 12 1954 Torius Philip David Morgan Sat May 12 1962 Chinese Tiger in Bull Clothing Steve Fagg Tue May 13 1958 Nightwol Karel Zuiderveld Fri May 13 1960 Stier Michael Colford Wed May 16 1962 Taurus Christopher Boek Tue May 19 1970 Taurus Julia Macklin Mon May 20 1968 ethereus Yngve Hauge Fri May 21 1971 Gemini Lisa Laane Tue May 22 1973 Gemini Jewel Kilcher Thu May 23 1974 The Gem Chandra Sriram Thu May 27 1971 Gemini Urs Stafford Thu May 31 1973 Give Way Perttu Yli-Krekola Thu June 02 1966 Kaksoset - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 03 May 2002 09:05:22 +0100 (BST) From: adamk@zoom.co.uk Subject: Being a fan/being objective Over on another list that I'm a member of, a debate rages. The artist in question has, after a couple of years of label wrangles (resulting in the "lost album" syndrome) finally signed to an independent label and finally released her third album. Opinion is, to say the least, sharply divided. There are those that feel, for various reasons, that the album is unsatisfactory, and there are others who won't hear a word against it. This is interestng in itself, as in other fan lists I've been in, I've been flamed as a heretic for suggesting that the latest by the relevant artists isn't quite a staggering and awe-inspiring work of perfection and the BEST THING THEY'VE EVER, EVER DONE. Here, several people are speaking up voicing their dissatisfaction. There are still those who insist on wide- eyed and fervent devotion, and who seem to miss the point ("I think anything _______ does is BRILLIANT!") but I don't think I've ever seen a list so violently divided as this. I am, I'm afraid to say, one of the dissenters, which brings me (finally) to my point: It feels churlish to criticise, it feels ungrateful. As one flamer from another list put it, the artist owes me nothing. And yet...how could I be a fan, how could I care about the artist's music, if I'm not willing to speak up every now and then and go "Actually, this could be better". Do you need to be a fanatic to be a fan? Is it ungrateful to complain when the newest release doesn't meet your expectations? Is it being disloyal, or is it being objective? As there are no particular alegiances here, I thought this would be a good place to ask. Meanwhile, there's been an interesting tendency revealed: This particular artist tours the States a lot, does tv slots, live radio spots, so the fans on the list have been getting a chance to see her live, get to know the songs she's been working on, get to see the evolution of the work and of her as an artist. When a fan from the UK (not me, for a change)complained about never getting a chance to see her, she was roundly denounced as a whiner. Sometimes, I feel, our American cousins take far too much for granted. Oh, and I'd like to take this opportunity to say (for all our UK ectos): To hell with Burnley. Shame, shame, shame on them. adam k. Get your own zoom email - click here - http://www.zoom.co.uk/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 May 2002 04:19:30 -0700 (PDT) From: Ellen Subject: Re: Being a fan/being objective - --- adamk@zoom.co.uk wrote: Do you > need to be > a fanatic to be a fan? Is it ungrateful to complain > when > the newest release doesn't meet your expectations? Well, it's all personal opinion. What one person (or critic) loves, another hates. I always used to tell my debate students that you simply can't debate personal taste. You can't debate whether or not chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla because you simply can't prove it. It's a matter of personal taste. I can say I like the Indigo Girls' latest album better than the last one because I personally prefer their softer side. Of course, how many other people like their rocking side? (And how many people hate their music altogether?) It's all taste. However, on email lists, we try to "debate" such things that simply can't be proven. > Sometimes, I feel, our American cousins take far too > much > for granted. It's all true. I'm an American who has emigrated to the UK. I'm pleased to see that there are more US artists making their way over here. It's been bad for my wallet, but I've been happy to see Dar Williams, Lucy Kaplansky, Melissa Etheridge, the Indigo Girls, Catie Curtis, Alice Peacock, Nanci Griffith, and others over here in the past few months. Natalie Merchant is here on the 13th. Of course, for some of them, it's been YEARS since they've been over here. I go because I don't know when they'll return. I realise now how spoiled I was. I went to Etown tapings eight blocks from home practically every Sunday. I worked the AAA/Gavin radio conference each August in order to gain free admission to the shows. On the other hand, I don't think Thea Gilmore has been to the States yet. Americans have a treat in store. Her vocal range may be limited, but this woman writes some incredibly insightful lyrics. It's hard to believe she's only 23. Ellen ===== "Literature stops in 1100. After that, it's just books." - -- JRR Tolkien Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 03 May 2002 12:57:19 +0100 (BST) From: adamk@zoom.co.uk Subject: Natlie Merchant mini-interview The Metro, a slightly dubious free daily aimed at tired and cheap office workers like me, has a very brief interview with Natalie Merchant -- I believe this can be found at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/metro/ Happy hunting, adam k. Get your own zoom email - click here - http://www.zoom.co.uk/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 03 May 2002 13:17:35 +0100 (BST) From: adamk@zoom.co.uk Subject: ...meanwhile (heads up, you proggers) I should also point out that this month's edition of Mojo magazine (with the Stone Roses on the cover) has a brilliant article on Van der Graaf Generator, with great photos and anecdotes, and a lovely quote from sometime bass player Nic Potter: "I had a girlfriend who would throw up every time she heard Van der Graaf Generator. Literally: She'd open up a window and puke". Now THAT'S entertainment. adam k. Get your own zoom email - click here - http://www.zoom.co.uk/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 May 2002 11:45:14 -0500 From: Joseph Zitt Subject: Re: Being a fan/being objective On Fri, May 03, 2002 at 09:05:22AM +0100, adamk@zoom.co.uk wrote: > I am, I'm afraid to say, one of the dissenters, which > brings me (finally) to my point: It feels churlish to > criticise, it feels ungrateful. As one flamer from another > list put it, the artist owes me nothing. And yet...how > could I be a fan, how could I care about the artist's > music, if I'm not willing to speak up every now and then > and go "Actually, this could be better". Do you need to be > a fanatic to be a fan? Is it ungrateful to complain when > the newest release doesn't meet your expectations? Is it > being disloyal, or is it being objective? As there are no > particular alegiances here, I thought this would be a good > place to ask. In my experience, there's been no lack of expressed disappointment when an artist releases an album that seems not to be all it could be. I remember quite a bit of this when Happy released "Building the Colossus" (though it's held up over time better than I'd expected) or KaTe released "The Red Shoes", or Sarah McLachlan's "Surfacing", and there's been a sort of communal shrug over Tori's latest. Similarly, on other lists I'm on, the King Crimson lists were generally less than thrilled with "The ConstruKction of Light", the John Zorn list runs hot and cold on his release-of-the-week, and Eno listmembers have been generally underwhelmed with "The Drop" and "Spinner". And there are continual (though genial) disagreements over the quality of Cage and Feldman releases on the Silence and Why Patterns lists (though they may be a different case, since, except for archival releases, they are not performances by the artists, just of their works.) OTOH, when artists release something strong, list members do rally, as people have here for MWABT and the Left Hand Demos (which remain eager to hear). - -- | jzitt@metatronpress.com http://www.josephzitt.com/ | | http://www.metatronpress.com/jzitt/ http://www.mp3.com/josephzitt/ | | == New book: Surprise Me with Beauty: the Music of Human Systems == | | Comma / Gray Code Silence: the John Cage Discussion List | ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 May 2002 16:07:53 EDT From: SpiritWe@aol.com Subject: *Rachael Returns From Europe, May U.S. Tourdates & CD News!* Hey y'all - Rachael Sage & her band of gypsies just got back from their Europe Tour w/ Eric Burdon & The Animals, which was AMAZING. They were once again very warmly received in such cities as Hannover, Dresden & Leipzig, and Rachael was relieved to discover she actually LIKES sleeping on a tourbus! (this is very good news...). Stay tuned to the website for photos we will be posting soon from the live shows, & thanks of course to all the overseas fans who came out to hear music from Rachael's new CD, "ILLUSION's CARNIVAL"! ========== NEW-NEWS: b" Rachael is the cover-featured artist of this month's Female Musician Magazine. Check it out... http://www.femalemusician.com/monthly_feature.htm b" Don't forget: Rachael's new CD "Illusion's Carnival" coming soon to a radio station & a store near you!! Our official national release date is June 4, but it looks like we will be able to get it to you guys quite a bit before, so keep checking www.rachaelsage.com for advanced-info. Apparantly you can already pre-order at Amazon.com ! ========== Laundry, bills and newly aquired tourist-tchatchkes are piled high, but rest is for the weary & as long as there is sugar & coffee who needs sleep? So, on to the next: Please check out the list (below) of the U.S. shows coming up just around the corner in May, & see WWW.RACHAELSAGE.COM for a fully updated tour schedule from now through August. We'd love to see you there... xoxo The Folks @ MPress *Tonight!* - Friday May 3 C-Note 9pm Also on the bill: Jo Davidson! 157 C Ave, (at 10th St.) New York, NY Monday May 6 Mews Coffeehouse 508-4871500, 429 Commercial St. Provincetown, MA Friday May 10 Yoga Studio and Namaste Cafe doors open at 8pm 617-964-2985 for advance tickets 132 Adams Street Newton, MA Saturday May 11 Hardware Cafe 7-9pm 508-748-6700, 177 Spring St. Marion, MA Monday May 13 Union Street Station 9pm 231-941-1930, 117 South Union St. Traverse City, MI Wednesday May 15 Crow's Nest Music 12-1pm 312-341-9196, 333 S. State Rachael will be performing in the central part of the Chicago Music Mart at State & Jackson! Chicago, IL Wednesday May 15 GirlBar 9:30pm 773-871-4210, 2625 N. Halsted St. Chicago, IL Thursday May 16 No Exit Cafe 8pm *Grinder Music Series* For more info call 773-743-3355 6970 N. Glenwood, Morse 'L' stop free parking @ Greenview & Estes Chicago, IL Friday May 17 Wild Rice Concerts For more info call : 906-863-7962 Menominee, MI Saturday May 18 The Cellar/Amherst Coffee Co 8pm 715-824-2400, 102 South Main Street Amherst, WI Sunday May 19 Uncommon Ground 8pm *Loudcoffee Showcase* 1214 W. Grace Chicago, IL Wednesday May 22 Makor 8 -11pm **NY Indiegrrl Show** Evening with Edie Carey, Rachael Sage, Anne Heaton, Holly Figueroa, Kyler, Karen Jacobsen and Rachel McCartney. 212-601-1000, 35 W. 67th St.. New York, NY Thursday May 23 Rubyfruit Bar & Grille 9pm 212-929-3343, 531 Hudson St. New York, NY Friday May 24 Cafe Tattoo *Women's Songwriter Series* 410-325-7427, 4825 Belair Rd. Baltimore, MD Saturday May 25 Cedar Brook Cafe 203-324-0048, 919 Post Road East Westport, CT Sunday May 26 Club Passim 3:15-4:55pm **Cutting Edge of the Campfire Festival** in the round w/ Jenny Bruce, Amy Fairchild, Amy Speace & Jennifer Marks 617-492-7679, 47 Palmer St. Harvard Square, MA Friday May 31 *Eat-M Showcase* 10:30pm MGM Grand on Salem Street John Lennon Songwriting Bus Las Vegas, NV ************************************************** b" Winner, Great American Songwriting Contest '01 b" Winner, John Lennon Songwriting Contest '01 b" Top 12 DIY (Jan/Feb '02 issue, Performing Songwriter) US Contact: Rich Overton/MPressrich@aol.com Toll free 1.877.TRU.SAGE b" www.rachaelsage.com Europe: Sonya Hermann, Coplan PR/hermann@coplan-pr.de *************************************************** ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V8 #125 **************************