From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V8 #272 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Monday, September 30 2002 Volume 08 : Number 272 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Edie [Neile Graham ] Re: Edie [Neal Copperman ] Re: Edie [Neile Graham ] Re: eugene???? [cyo@landoftheblind.com] house o'muzak news [meredith ] Vienna Teng's show at Jeff's [Michael Curry ] Re: Vienna Teng's show at Jeff's [meredith ] Kin Za Za review for the Ecto Guide [Craig Gidney ] The Changelings, "Astronomica" [Craig Gidney ] slean/gryner/naess [meredith ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 23:00:44 -0700 From: Neile Graham Subject: Edie Edie is an artist that I came across by chance while browsing CDStreet.com, looking for another disc to order with Emaline Delapaix's second ep (for some reason I hate buying only one disc when I can get a second for only a little more in shipping & handling). She's from The Netherlands (attention, Marion!) though has travelled a lot and now is living in LA. That's about all I know about her biography. I find her disc, _Shades_ quite entrancing. It reminds me very much of Sinead O'Connor's _The Lion and The Cobra_ in overall sound and the way Edie uses her voice. She got a nice range and uses it to project shades of emotion within the scope of her songs. Though I'm comparing it to a disc that is--egad!--15 years old now, I don't mean by this that it sounds dated--it doesn't to me. This similarity is a flavour. She's dramatic like Sinead, too, though perhaps a little less, as there is no "Troy" on _Shades_. Her songs are not quite as focused as Sinead's but they sound so lovely and strong that I highly, highly recommend this disc. Download the sample tracks and her website at http://www.ediemusic.com and see what I mean. She has about 4 tracks available there and a couple of very homemade videos. I really like what she's accomplished in this disc and think she shows a heap of promise. - --Neile ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 00:54:47 -0600 From: Neal Copperman Subject: Re: Edie At 11:00 PM -0700 9/28/02, Neile Graham wrote: >I find her disc, _Shades_ quite entrancing. It reminds me very much >of Sinead O'Connor's _The Lion and The Cobra_ in overall sound and >the way Edie uses her voice. She got a nice range and uses it to >project shades of emotion within the scope of her songs. Though I'm >comparing it to a disc that is--egad!--15 years old now, I don't >mean by this that it sounds dated--it doesn't to me. This >similarity is a flavour. Well, I'm sold. And in the spirit of Neile's post, I will obvious need a few more CDBaby CD's to make an order worthwile. Any suggestions? (And no, I can't believe Neile bought ANYTHING by Mia Doi Todd!) neal np: Silver - Veda Hille nr: Xenophile - Orson Scott Card ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 11:44:05 -0700 From: Neile Graham Subject: Re: Edie Neal Copperman wrote: re: my comments on Edie's _shades_ >Well, I'm sold. And in the spirit of Neile's post, I will obvious >need a few more CDBaby CD's to make an order worthwile. Any >suggestions? Oh, cool--I hadn't realized she was on CDBaby. I highly, highly recommend Regina Spektor's _songs_--what amazing songwriting! Oh, and one of my favourite discs of the year, Rachel Smith's _The clearing_. And of course they have both Two Loons for Tea's discs available. - --Neile - -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.ectoguide.org ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 12:11:23 -0700 From: cyo@landoftheblind.com Subject: Re: eugene???? help, anyone know the Eugene woman on ecto that was doing house concerts? Need to contact her for a concert in Oct fast. Or anyone else doing house in Eugene? thanks, cyoakha grace O'Manion Music cyo@landoftheblind.com http://www.landoftheblind.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 20:05:59 -0400 From: meredith Subject: house o'muzak news Hi, Last night woj and I got our latest House O'Muzak season started with Annie Gallup. She was great (and extremely low maintenance -- she even brought her own water!). As usual there weren't as many people here as I would have liked, but the room looked full and Annie seemed okay with how it turned out. Her songs are just so droll and clever -- she is a wonderful writer. Very nice person, too. We have *way* too much food left over, though! We'll just have to do this again ... like next weekend. :) CT-area ectophiles take note: next Sunday, October 6 at 4 pm we'll host RACHAEL SAGE. Of course you will all be here, right? Especially since it looks like she's going to have Stephanie Winters with her on cello. (How cool is that??) The suggested donation is $10, which is a bahgain considering how much this show is going to rock. E-mail me with your reservation soon! You will not be lame! Resistance is futile!! ============================================== Meredith Tarr New Haven, CT USA mailto:meth@smoe.org http://www.smoe.org/meth ============================================== Live At The House O'Muzak House Concert Series http://muzak.smoe.org NEXT UP: Rachael Sage, Sunday, 10/6 at 4 pm ============================================== ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 20:30:23 -0400 From: Michael Curry Subject: Vienna Teng's show at Jeff's Yesterday afternoon my friend Jennifer and I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Vienna Teng perform a house concert at Jeff Wasilko's home in Wakefield, MA. It was my first time seeing Vienna live, and I was really glad that the showcase for her new label gave her an excuse to make the trip out to the northeastern US. I had been wondering if I would ever get the chance to see her perform. Fortunately, she said she was planning on a tour in the winter/spring of 2003 that would bring her out this way again, so I'm looking forward to being able to see her again before too long. As for the show itself, Jeff's house proved to be an excellent venue, despite the fact that this was his first attempt at hosting a house concert. He did a great job, and I think the experience has gotten him hooked on the idea of having live music in his house. Hopefully his cats agree. Vienna chatted some with the audience (which seems like a weird term to use for a group of people gathered in someone's living room) while people were arriving, and then it was time for the show. Wow. She played two sets (with a short break between them), and managed to get through almost all of the songs on _Waking Hour_, plus a few new ones. It was great to hear all of the material I was familiar with, and the simple piano and voice arrangements made her skills as a musician and songwriter really shine. The stories she told about each song got me looking at some of them from a different viewpoint, which is always a cool thing. It was also wonderful to hear the newer songs, and I'm *really* looking forward to her next album of new material. Given the fact that the re-release of _Waking Hour_ doesn't happen 'til the start of next month, I'd guess it might be a rather long wait, but I think it'll be well worth it. After the show, Jeff led Vienna and some of his guests around the corner to an excellent Thai restaurant, where we all enjoyed both the food and the general hanging around. It's always a little strange (though in a good way) to meet a fellow ectophile who is also one of my favorite musicians, but Vienna was exceedingly cool, and it was a real pleasure to get to spend the extra time with her. Oh yeah, and we all stopped for ice cream on the way back to Jeff's. It was definitely a great way to spend a Saturday, and well worth the drive up from Connecticut. Michael np: Christine Fellows - The Last One Standing nr: Change of Command by Elizabeth Moon ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 20:38:55 -0400 From: meredith Subject: Re: Vienna Teng's show at Jeff's Hi, Mike reviewed: > As for the show itself, Jeff's house proved to be an excellent venue, >despite the fact that this was his first attempt at hosting a house >concert. He did a great job, and I think the experience has gotten him >hooked on the idea of having live music in his house. Hopefully his >cats agree. ... just not at the same time as woj and I are having a house concert of our own, please!!! :P We did get to see Vienna at The Living Room in NY on Friday evening, though. For a 7 pm show, it was surprisingly well attended, which was good to see. She was really, really good, and her piano playing just blew me away. One thing that really surprised me was her speaking voice: I was totally unprepared for such a rich, deep voice to come out of someone who sings as sweetly as she does! Alas there wasn't much of a chance to chat with her afterwards, but I did get to say hello and I am greatly looking forward to her return to this time zone. There's a piano in the other room with her name on it. :) ============================================== Meredith Tarr New Haven, CT USA mailto:meth@smoe.org http://www.smoe.org/meth ============================================== Live At The House O'Muzak House Concert Series http://muzak.smoe.org NEXT UP: Rachael Sage, Sunday, 10/6 at 4 pm ============================================== ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 18:30:22 -0700 (PDT) From: Craig Gidney Subject: Kin Za Za review for the Ecto Guide Number One In Shambala, Kin Za Za http://www.kinzaza.com 1. The River 2. Spirit That Left 3. Endless Freedom 4. When You Arrive 5. Somewhere 6. Mirror 7. I am a dance 8. Blackbird 9. Falling 10. Mid Knight 11. Elation 12. Story Theres a chain of stores that are in many upscale malls called Fire and Ice. They specialize in beautiful baubles made out of minerals: topaz, fools gold, amethyst, amber and malachite. The things they sell, like chess sets, or Egytian deities, are exquisitely made, but you wonder exactly where youd put them. They store also has a vague New Age affectation, as if it has to justify itself. Kin Za Zas debut CD reminds me of Fire and Ice. The music they make is exquisite, well-crafted New Age pop; imagine Enya vectored in the direction of Mandalay. Dimintri Soukonnov crafts intricate tapestries of electronic and acoustics, often augmented by cellos, the harmonium, accordion and violins. Its beautiful, and shimmering, and smooth; the melodies add enough left turns to keep it from being too predictable. Jozy Fever has a gorgeous voice, classically-trained and pureat times, it recalls Loreena McKennitt or Louisa John-Krol. But there is a lack of idiosyncrasy that stops the recording from over-the-top wonderful. Its very pretty, with images of rivers, blackbirds and mystical mirrors in the lyrics, but no real startling images. In fact, all of the idiosyncrasy is steered towards marketing. Both Dimitri and Jozyland (as she likes to be called) are photogenic. She appears in a medieval Stevie Nicks-like dress on the cover, while he looks like Dr. Van Helsing in a black cape and top hot. A vague, ill-defined New Age sentiment pervades the packaging. As with Fire and Ice, the spiritual is contrived and tacked on. Its a little distracting. I wish that they channeled some of this energy in creating a more distinctive style. As it is, are good, not-yet great purveyors of the New Age pop style. Type of Music: Ethereal, with a smattering of Celtic folk and pop Comparisions: Mandalay, Clannad, Enya Ecto priority: Recommended for fans of ethereal music New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 18:32:19 -0700 (PDT) From: Craig Gidney Subject: The Changelings, "Astronomica" Astronomica, The Changelings http://www.changelings.com 1. Departure 2. Orbit 3. Mati Hari 4. Outrun Your Fears 5. Veils of Gold 6. Parallax 7. Hypersleep 8. Olympus Mons 9. See Emily Play 10. My Shadow, Your Ghost The Changelings have been called Atlantas answer to Dead Can Dance. While they mine obscure folk and classical traditions, theres a strong psychedelic sensibility that pervades their work that brings them closer in spirit to the Incredible String Band. They have discreetly updated that old hoary chestnut, the concept, in their last CD, which featured songs about the sea that spanned from the mysticalthe mysterious whale song, Deeper Than Light,  the mythic, Oceanathe mermaid song and the mischeviousone song was about killer frogs. Astronomica is a little more reigned in. For starters, the Changelings reveal their rock chops. The three opening songs may feature Paul Mercers snaky violins and violas, and Regeana MorrisMiddle-Eastern-flourished soprano, but theres a solid foundationthanks mostly to Chandler Rentzs drumming, that makes this unbashed pop. Orbit, in particular, is a great pop songyou can even sing along with it. In fact, with the exception of the instrumental Hypersleep, every song displays a tightness of composition. The individual performances mesh together well; with Astronomica, the Changelings have come up with a mature piece of work. The occasional set piecesa bit of ethereal here, a middle eastern song there, fold graciously into a seamless whole. Whoever wrote the lyrics for this album has also hit their stride. Its a perfect balance of elegant imagery and narrative hints. From the sexy Mati Hari to the sorrowful My Shadow, Your Ghost, the words form a song cycle, held together with images of the night sky. Veils of Gold, with the scent of camels and the sting of sand stands out. Two songs stand out from the main cycle: Olympus Mons, beautifully sung by the darkly attractive guitarist Damon Young, is a shoegazers dream of echoey guitars and flowing synth-symphonies. Slowdive and Coldplay are evoked in this spacey epic. Syd Barretts See Emily Play, is covered here as well, given the Changeling workover with drones, with Morriss voice darting through the drug-hazed wallpaper of the song. Astronomica is the work of a band at the height of their powers. They ought to invited to play on Buffy. New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 23:43:40 -0400 From: meredith Subject: slean/gryner/naess Hi, To round out this week's concert reports: Thursday night woj and I went up to Northampton to see Sarah Slean, Emm Gryner, and Leona Naess at the Iron Horse. After this show, I am tremendously disappointed to report that I am officially done with Sarah Slean. :/ This kills me ... but I just really, really don't like what she's doing now. Life's too short to waste time getting depressed by a live performance of songs that I used to love by someone who was set to get a permanent spot in my all-time pantheon, until she woke up one morning and decided she wanted to play the role of a drunken cabaret singer. The one song in her set that didn't make me cringe and long for a wayback machine was "Blue Parade", which she actually sang straight. Sadly, I think the audience was more in agreement with me than not -- Sarah got the most lukewarm reception of the evening (and I know there were several fans of hers in attendance). Emm Gryner came next. We just recently picked up her latest CD, _Asianblue_ and it's a near-perfect pop record, perfect for blasting at full volume while driving down the highway at a high rate of speed. The songs don't have quite the same effect when delivered solo acoustic, but they're still great fun to listen to, and I've always enjoyed seeing Emm perform live. Then it was Leona Naess' turn. I have to say I know next to nothing about her. I've heard a few of her songs on a couple of the Shoutcast streams I tune into at work, but that's it. She turned out to be my favorite of the evening. In between songs she came across as totally disconnected (particularly when she revealed that the reason she travels with a guitar tech is because she doesn't really know how to tune her guitars herself), but when she was playing she was very engaging. Her songs ranged from poppy to very indie-rock, and I liked her quite a lot. I'll have to pick up a CD now. (There was one other person on the bill, Steve Poltz, but we didn't stick around for him because he's boring and it was getting late.) This week we're seeing Aimee Mann at the Calvin Theatre, also in Northampton (front row! Woo!!!). ============================================== Meredith Tarr New Haven, CT USA mailto:meth@smoe.org http://www.smoe.org/meth ============================================== Live At The House O'Muzak House Concert Series http://muzak.smoe.org NEXT UP: Rachael Sage, Sunday, 10/6 at 4 pm ============================================== ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V8 #272 **************************