From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V11 #66 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, March 11 2005 Volume 11 : Number 066 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Tegan & Sara [Adam K ] Re: Find Me Sampler (song snippets) [Yngve Hauge ] Re: Find Me Sampler [Tom Servo ] THAT'S what I'm talking about! [Vickie Mapes ] : MAX SHARAM and 'A MILLION YEAR GIRL' BAND 10 year REUNION GIG! (fwd) [] Russian Jewish Goddess sighting [Joshua ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 08:52:48 +0000 From: Adam K Subject: Tegan & Sara Earlier, I posted a "What's with this?" query about this duo's sudden and (to me) inexplicable courtship by the media over here, and I think I may have figured something out. Every day I walk past the Water Rats music venue on my way to work, and they have posters up for their gigs. On March 1st, Tegan & Sara played there, originally second on the bill. The promoters for this gig were Clear Channel Communications. So, maybe the connection has given Tegan & Sara the much-needed leg up. The publicity, meanwhile, did their billing good: the next time I went by a new poster was up with them headlining. Well, we do what we can. adam k. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 13:14:22 +0100 (CET) From: Yngve Hauge Subject: Re: Find Me Sampler (song snippets) On Wed, 9 Mar 2005, Vickie Mapes wrote: > So, hey, why isn't anyone talking about the Find Me sampler? Do people really hate it/think it's > blah/like it ok but find it isn't worth discussing/love it but are like me and don't think they're > articulate enough to do the wonderful songs justice? I'm just curious. It's kinda bizarre when > people are talking about it and trying to figure out the lyrics on a song-by-song basis on a *Kate > Bush* site, yet the silence is overwhelmingly deafening on the Happy Rhodes mailing list. > Something's wrong with that. Everyone who ordered the CD has the CD. > I've been wondering the same, but then why haven't I been raving about the new material either? I've been playing the songs on my show all the time since I got the CD, and my experience from the feedback I've got is that it got a bigger potential than the other albums to break her a way into the playlist of people not exposed to her music. 'Charlie' isn't my personal favorite on the album though it is a great song but it seems like other like that one alot which is okey for me as long as they get curious about her other music. Both Charlie and One and Many are on heavy rotation at Radio PX but I haven't had the chance to listen to the playlist to see how often they really are being played. We are in the process of updating things so I'll look into it soonish. As Jeff already did say - the CD has made me go back listening to the first 4 albums. I don't know why, but it seems like it is strangely connected more to those than to those after. Actually I can't seem to be able to compare it to any of the Warpaint to MWABT albums which is rather odd. That it is gonna become one of my favorite albums - that is a fact but it hasn't got the same instant love effect that both Warpaint and MWABT had on me. I haven't had the time to listen closely enough to get to the lyrics yet though. I'll have to do that, or maybe ask my friend to do it as she got some sort of photographic memory on lyrics. That fact that people can walk into a local store and order MWABT makes the whole ectovangelizing thing alot easier. - -- Yngve n.p. The Dresden Dolls - Eponymous ****************************************** * One alien has come, unalien to one ***** ****************************************** ***** Blessed be!!! ********************** ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 06:04:03 -0600 From: Lisa Subject: Re: Find Me I was all set to post a glowing blow by blow review, when someone made a comment about not reviewing until the real thing came out so as not to spoil it for the rest or something like that. Perhaps that's not what was fully implied, but I inferred it, so I kept my mouth shut. I love this. I can definitely see the comparisons to Equipoise, and to Ecto, but I can also see some of these songs melodically fitting in with Warpaint. MWABT is not my favorite Happy release, not because the songs aren't great or the perfomance wasn't stellar, but because I don't care for electronica. That is to say, I'm not into repetitive dance rhythms. I do like the release, but I was very happy that this new release seems, I dunno, more organic? More melodic? I definititely think it showcases her vocal range better. Lyrically, I haven't been able to pull a lot of them out, but my first thought upon listening to it was "No Happy! Don't jump!!!" LOL. It's pretty dark, but hip at the same time. Tragically hip? It has been on heavy rotation at my house. My 15 year old, who has been a KaTe and Happy fan for most of her life loves it. My four year old begs me to play the song with the "pretty girls". She is referring to the KaTe-like short chorus chant in "Charlie". The other night, I heard her singing "...tell me that I'm OK," in the bathtub. One and Many is the standout track here, although they all jumped out at me. The weakest track for me, melodically, is Here and Hereafter. Not that it doesn't have a good melody at all, but it's sort of hmmm..."lite"? Doesn't seem to fit with the lyrics as well as the others. The whole disc had a very short grow-on-me period. It moved quickly into obsession. I adore the fact that there are real drums on this disc. (I assume, anyway...if it's a drum machine, she's gotten damn good at programming it). It adds a groove that takes it too the next level. Oh...and while I love KB's guitar work, the work on this disc is WOW! Think David Gilmour/Steve Hackett with maybe a little Adrian Belew thrown in? Sorry Vickie! I was honestly waiting until the real thing came out...Lisa ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 13:00:17 -0800 (PST) From: Tom Servo Subject: Re: Find Me Sampler Count me among those who thought posting a review of the sampler CD was borderline verboten for fear of "spoiling" the actual release for those who decided to wait. Having said that, I'd hate for Happy to think that those of us who bought the sampler are indifferent. I love it. I can't wait to hear the rest of it. I don't think it quite reaches the brilliance of MWABT, but given that MWABT is my all-time favorite album (Happy or no), that's sorta like saying not everything Michelangelo cranked out equalled the Sistine Chapel. I find it hard to quite compare it to any one of Happy's past albums, because it really has a little bit of everything in it. The layered vocals, the unique sounds and a lot of the instrumentation -- with the exception of the live drums -- remind me of MWABT; the largely personal slant of the lyrics reminds me of BtC; and the overall atmosphere of darkness reminds me of Warpaint and everything before it. But the way each song seems to stand as its own individual entity (and perhaps that's my own perception) instead of an interwoven whole reminds me most of Equipoise. And that's cool -- I LOVE Equipoise. I first heard "Fall" as an MP3 recorded from a livingroom concert Happy gave more than 2 years ago. It took me several listens to get used to the studio version of it. Now that I have, I love it. I personally hope she completes her "seasons" song cycle with a "Spring" track eventually. "Charlie" may be the rockiest Happy has ever gotten on record. I think the arrangement is quite cool (I love the Kate-style chanting between verses and the radio-warped echo vocal), and am in awe of the low note she hits on each verse. (Which reminds me of one of her website entries where she confessed having to record the "Charlie" vocals immediately after rolling out of bed in order to hit those notes.) Amazing that in a song which stretches her low register, this song also features some of the highest notes I've ever heard Happy hit using her natural voice. "The Chosen One" I think is beautiful and cuts-to-the-bone personal. Some of its poignancy is lost by the knowledge that Happy is now engaged, but it works as a snapshot of someone who once longed to be married. At one time, I could relate to that sentiment (from the male perspective, anyway), and now I can hear this song and it stirs up memories of that feeling. Oh, and I love the cello (real or sampled). Of the three songs I'd previously heard Happy perform live ("Fall" and "The Chosen One" being the other two), "Can't Let Go" is the only one where I still prefer the live version. I find the live version -- with just acoustic guitar and percussion -- to better serve the beautiful melody. Again, though, it's still quite good. "One and Many"... wow. Stops me in my tracks every time. If I had to answer the question "Why are you a Happy Rhodes fan?" with one song, this would be my answer. It's brilliantly arranged, it's dark, it's got some crazy vocal parts going on, and it's completely unpredictible. (I bow to Happy's ability to avoid the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus cliche of songwriting.) I'm anxious to hear if any of the remaining songs on the final CD will rival this one as my favorite. As has been stated before, "Find Me" does sound like a "Ninth Wave" track, and this track sounds like a partner to "Mother Sea," which also sounded like a "Ninth Wave" track. Has Happy confirmed that "Find Me" is the title track to the new album? Lyrically, I'd say that's the perfect title for such a personal collection of songs, although the track itself doesn't really say "title track" to me. Be that as it may, Happy is in full head-voice here, and it's beautiful. I think her vocals get even warmer and stronger as she gets older. I have a funny "relationship" with "Here and Hereafter." I want to say that it's just not my kind of song. I like the lyrics and appreciate the sentiment, but it lacks the "bite" of my favorite Happy Rhodes songs. Having said that, darn it if I don't enjoy singing along to it, and darn it if it doesn't make me smile. Somehow, the song really works. Perhaps because it's a ray of light on an otherwise dark collection of songs. Or perhaps it's because Happy could do a cover of "Macarena" and I'd think it was great. (Because, well, it would be.) Finally, "She Won't Go." Just about everything I said about "One and Many" also applies to this song. You hear it and instantly you know that you're hearing Happy at the top of her game. I can't think of another Happy song to compare it to, but it's catchy and rhythmic and draws you in. Easily my second favorite track on the sampler. Whew. There, I feel better now. I can hardly wait to hear the finished album (release date, anyone? Beuller?). And I can't wait to have the printed lyrics in front of me (I'm still scratching my head over several passages I can't quite decipher). Oh, and I also think the three "new" tracks from "Left Hand Demos" ("Virus," "Nevermore," and "Now You Know Me") would sound right at home on this disc. I may have to create my own "extended edition" of the new album and add those three tracks to it. Finally -- kudos to Happy for a job very well done. It's nice to have new music from her in the new millennium. Tom __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site! http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 16:51:55 -0800 (PST) From: Vickie Mapes Subject: THAT'S what I'm talking about! Hey, thank you. I didn't get to check the mail since I wrote my post last night, and I was thrilled to get home and see such fantastic posts. You guys know how to do it too. I'm glad I prodded. I have to go through the posts for specific items, but I did want to post this immediately. Andrew Frickham and I have been working on lyrics, and we have all but 2 started. I just made this web page so if anyone wants to bypass reading the lyrics they can. That's why I didn't post them directly here. http://equipoise.teemingmillions.com/happy/lyrics/ If anyone has any suggestions for the question marks, or hears something we don't, post please. I didn't want to talk about the music when they were still going out. There were a few dozen left to be sent when I said that. I never thought folks would take that as waiting for the actual album to come out to talk. I'm so sorry! The floodgates are open now, hooray! Keep on doing what you're doing. Vickie __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site! http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 18:10:57 -0800 (PST) From: Neile Graham Subject: : MAX SHARAM and 'A MILLION YEAR GIRL' BAND 10 year REUNION GIG! (fwd) Remember Max Sharam? Here's some news. - --Neile - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- neile@drizzle.com / neile@sff.net .... http://www.sff.net/people/neile Editor, The Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music . http://www.ectoguide.org Workshop Administrator, Clarion West ...... http://www.clarionwest.org - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2005 12:14:44 +1100 From: Mermax To: Fan#3 Subject: : MAX SHARAM and 'A MILLION YEAR GIRL' BAND 10 year REUNION GIG! Resent-Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 17:42:35 -0800 Resent-From: neile@sff.net : MAX SHARAM and 'A MILLION YEAR GIRL' BAND 10 year REUNION GIG! THE BASEMENT - SYDNEY - MONDAY APRIL 4 2005 Max Sharam made a name for herself as a recording artist with Warner Music. Her unique blend of Pop and Classical Opera (P9Opera) - quickly became her trademark and her award winning, platinum selling debut album - A Million Year Girl9, was nominated for 8 Aria Awards in Australia. After several sell out tours around the country and a tour of Europe as a solo artist with a string quartet, Max disappeared - later resurfacing in Channel 99s Reality TV Documentary Dream Factory9 shot entirely in Los Angeles. Max was the subject matter of an Italian TV Documentary - Girl with the Guitar9 & toured Europe with two different theatre company9s when she was only 19, released her first record soon after then spent a year fronting a Japanese rock band in Hiroshima. It was her captivating and humorous acoustic spots at club Kinselas and performance on New Faces that started the attraction with wide audiences and critical acclaim across Australia. Max signed to Warner in 95 and her single Coma9 - a warped celebration of revenge, humor, and post-modern genre blending, hit the top ten nationally and was voted the eighth most popular song of the year by Australia9s JJJ Network. Max Sharam was invited to perform Butterfly Suicide9 at the Hong Kong Fringe Festival in January 2005 - her one woman P9Opera9 - a Virtual Variety/Multi Media Musical - included the misadventures of ill Soprano9, one of her drawn characters - a highly strung Opera Diva who takes to the streets at night singing. Max wrote and staged her first one woman show for the International Comedy Festival in Melbourne with rave reviews from as far and wide as The London Sunday Observer - 3Sharam has X factor in such abundance that you could forgive her almost anything2. Her first self-published illustrated book fast sold last year. Entitled 3Snakes Live Under My Bed2, the book, a limited edition collection of illustrated prose & Allegory for Immature Adults9 created such a demand for prints of her drawings that Max quickly set up an Internet Gallery - selling her work as far and wide as Seattle and New York. Max's written pieces have appeared in numerous Anthology's and magazines in the USA and her self-penned and produced orchestration Crashlanding!9 featured in Frozen Angels9 at Sundance Film Festival this year and on PBS Television. Now an independent producer for Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Max sees that the work of others sees the light of day while slowly developing her own offbeat television show. Be charmed by Max at this 10 year reunion and hear her unreleased material at the Basement Monday April 4 with her A Million Year Girl9 - band, Daniel Steinhart -Guitar , Paul Wheeler - drums, Wayne Davis - bass, Mark O9Conner - keys, Jane Rosenson - harp and with special guests such as Paul Capsis. Max's undisputed musical gift, her flair for performance and depth of comic and musical sensitivity presents an ever exciting and intoxicating stage experience. http://www.maxsharam.com - -- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 20:10:31 -0700 From: Joshua Subject: Russian Jewish Goddess sighting Regina Spektor (www.reginaspektor.com) will be on Conan O'Brien *tonight* (11:35 p.m. CST) and Jay Leno on April 20. Watch or die. ;o) - -j ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V11 #66 **************************