From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V11 #292 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, October 27 2005 Volume 11 : Number 292 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Sinead O' Connor [Bowen Simmons ] **RACHAEL SAGE IN BOSTON & EASTHAMPTON THIS THURS/FRI!** [SpiritWe@aol.co] RE: CONGRATULATIONS TO HAPPY!!! ["Bill Mazur" ] good months of music ["JoAnn Whetsell" ] Re: good months of music ["Jeffrey Burka" ] Re: good months of music [Neile Graham ] amaze me [Steve VanDevender ] more new good music ["JoAnn Whetsell" ] Re: ecto-digest V11 #291 [Dave ] Re: good months of music [andrew fries ] Thea Gilmore update [Ellen Rawson ] Sinead, Happy, Kate [Irvin Lin ] All Ectophiles who love Happy... [Pat Copeman ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:27:24 -0700 From: Bowen Simmons Subject: Re: Sinead O' Connor On Oct 25, 2005, at 9:37 PM, meredith wrote: > Hi, > > I'm so out of it -- I had no clue Sinead O'Connor has a new album out > until I saw someone mention elsewhere that they've got tickets to see > her play soon. (I thought she retired from the music biz? Or did she > file that one in the same bin as her Nun and Lesbian phases? :) > > She's on the Tonight Show right now (attention West Coast-ers), and > she's doing a rather boring reggae song. Anyone out there have the > album? Is it all like this? > > In other news, I finally picked up _The Lion And The Cobra_ on CD > recently, and it's every bit as brilliant now as it was my senior year > in high school. That will always be the One True Sinead Album as far > as I'm concerned. I agree with you about "The Lion and the Cobra". As for the rest of her albums, well, I tried to learn to like them, I really did, but without anything approaching success. Bowen ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 04:20:41 EDT From: SpiritWe@aol.com Subject: **RACHAEL SAGE IN BOSTON & EASTHAMPTON THIS THURS/FRI!** HEY Y'ALL! Just a last-minute reminder that Rachael Sage will be playing 2 duo shows w/ dynamic drummer & all around decent guy Dean Sharp (Jane Siberry, Moby) this Thursday & Friday in Boston & Easthampton, on the last leg of her Ballads & Burlesque Tour. Don't miss her last local performances before she heads home to put the finishing touches on her seventh album, "Chandelier". We really hope you can make it down! NOTE: She will be debuting some brand new material at these gigs! Details below & hope to seeya there :) xoxoxo & light, The Folks @ MPress ps - free prize for anyone who can tell us at the door who Rachael was for Halloween this time last year at her P.A.C.E gig in Easthampton! === Thursday, October 27 Club Felt - 9pm for more info call (617) 350-5555 533 Washington St. Boston, MA Friday, October 28, 2005 Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton - 8pm for more information call (413) 527-3700 41 Union Street Easthampton, MA * * * MORE UPCOMING SHOWS (FULL DETAILS @ WWW.RACHAELSAGE.COM): Nov. 2 / Pete's Candy Store / NYC Nov 6 / WFDU 89.1 Radio Show / NJ Nov. 10 & 11 / Rockrgrl Conference / Seattle, WA Nov. 12 / Sanctuary Concerts w/ Marshall Crenshaw / Chatham, NJ Dec. 6 / WFUV Presents: Satalla / NYC Jan. 20-26 / MIDEM / Cannes, France Feb. 3 / Caffe Lena / Saratoga Springs, NY Feb. 9 / Joes Pub **CD RELEASE** / NYC Feb. 10-14 / Folk Alliance / Austin, TX March 15-19 / SXSW / Austin, TX April 21 / Southern Womyns Music Fest / St. George, GA April 29 / Cybercafe West / Binghamton, NY May 18-20 / AAA NON-COMMvention / Louisville, KY *Currently booking 2006 Spring/Summer Tour! Visit www.sectalentgroup.net for inquiries... === * WINNER, 2005 INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARD (FOLK) * WINNER, 2005 OUTMUSIC AWARD (BEST SONGWRITER) * GRAND PRIZE, JOHN LENNON SONGWRITING CONTEST (ROCK) * FIRST PRIZE, GREAT AMERICAN SONGWRITING CONTEST (ACOUSTIC) * FEATURED ARIST AT FIRST ANNUAL INDEPENDENT SHOWCASE, MIDEM 2005 =========================================================== MPress Records | www.rachaelsage.com | www.sonicbids.com/rachaelsage Label Manager & Distribution: JoJo Gentry | mpressjojo@aol.com Bookings: sectalentgroup@yahoo.com | www.sectalentgroup.net JOIN OUR STREET TEAM ! FOR MORE INFO CONTACT: info@mpressrecords.com =========================================================== "rich vocals, sparkling piano & yearning poetry" - TIME OUT NY "melodies that will break your heart...unforced passion" - ROLLINGSTONE.COM "lovely & literate folk-pop-rock, socially aware & eclectic" - VILLAGE VOICE ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 22:48:11 -0700 From: "Bill Mazur" Subject: RE: CONGRATULATIONS TO HAPPY!!! Congrats to Happy & Bob from Billi & me!!! We wish them love, peace, health and many years of happiness together. - -----Original Message----- From: owner-ecto@smoe.org [mailto:owner-ecto@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Xenu's Sister Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2005 11:50 PM To: Ecto Subject: CONGRATULATIONS TO HAPPY!!! Later today (Sunday), in sunny(?) Florida, Happy Rhodes and Bob Muller will be declared man and wife, making "The Chosen One" entirely moot. :) I think I speak for everyone when I wish them health and happiness and fuzzy ones galore. Isn't that just so Happy too? Getting married in the shadow of a hurricane! God I love that woman! Vickie - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Music, all I hear is music, guaranteed to please... - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 12:20:00 -0400 From: "JoAnn Whetsell" Subject: good months of music There have been a number of really good albums released in the last few months that don't seem to have gotten much attention here. So to get the ball rolling, here are my thoughts on some of the best of recent 2005 (in no particular order). David Gray - Life in Slow MotionClassic David Gray. He loses the electronica but adds more instrumental textures. A superb album. Death Cab for Cutie - PlansProving that, musically at least, going major label doesn't necessarily mean selling out. Dar Williams - My Better SelfSome hits and misses here. But the good stuff is so good it makes the album worth having. The 3 covers in particular are very well done. Sigur Ros - Takk...Absolutely gorgeous. I find the most emotional connection to Takk... of any of their work. Sheryl Crow - WildflowerSlower, a bit more somber. This is really an excellent album and her most ectoish to date. Lori Amey - This Little IllusionLyrically, vocally, it's classic Lori. But she branches out here for more experimentation in the backing sections (bass, horns), showing the influence of her last ep, Always. Highly recommended Tristan Prettyman - Twenty threeMaybe too mainstream for a lot of people here, but it's a delightful folky-pop album. Ali Fourka Toure & Toumani Diabate - In the Heart of the MoonAcoustic, mostly instrumental African guitar and kora music. Exceptionally beautiful. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary MachineInventive pop. If you heard the leaked version, you need to get this album. If you didn't hear the leaked version, you need to get this album. JoAnn ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 12:08:37 -0500 From: "Jeffrey Burka" Subject: Re: good months of music joann sez: > Death Cab for Cutie - Plans > Proving that, musically at least, going major label doesn't necessarily > mean selling out. "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" is one of the most beautiful, morbidly romantic songs I've ever heard. Really spectacular, and worth the price of the album. I don't like the album as much as _Transatlanticism_, but it's still quite good. > Dar Williams - My Better Self thanks for the reminder; I keep meaning to pick this one up > Sigur Ros - Takk... > Absolutely gorgeous. It is indeed beautiful, and I've been listening to it quite a bit. But I find that particularly with the shorter songs, compared to the matieral on _()_, it doesn't have the same emotional range. I love the dynamics on _()_, the way the pieces build, becoming more powerful through their long duration. I don't get that same sense from _Takk..._. But of all their albums, it might make the best introduction to newcomers. > Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine > Inventive pop. If you heard the leaked version, you need to get this > album. If > you didn't hear the leaked version, you need to get this album. If you bought this and don't have the leaked version, you've got the wrong edition. I doubt I'm the only person who feels Apple made a tremendous mistake by tossing the Brion-produced tracks and replacing them. Buy the album anyway and show Fiona and Sony your support...but track down the leaked tracks for the better listening experience... jeff JoAnn ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 11:21:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Neile Graham Subject: Re: good months of music Jeff wrote: > > Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine > > If you bought this and don't have the leaked version, you've got the wrong > edition. I doubt I'm the only person who feels Apple made a tremendous > mistake by tossing the Brion-produced tracks and replacing them. Buy the > album anyway and show Fiona and Sony your support...but track down the > leaked tracks for the better listening experience... Hmm. I disagree on this. I like the new versions just fine -- all except "Window", where I think the earlier version was _much_ better. We picked up the new Fiery Furnaces release _Rehearsing My Choir_ yesterday. It's got wonderful parts, but mostly I find I don't want to listen to it all the way through. I recommend most people wait until their February release for a good dose of them unless you're particularly interested in experiments. Parts of it are really intriguing, but... I also like the new Sigur Ros a lot, but haven't decided where it ranks for me at all. And this is from back in March but it's finally just clicked for me now, The Decembrists _Picaresque_, which is exactly what the title says. The lead singer's voice has really grown on me, and I love that the songs all tell stories. Fans of Neutral Milk Hotel, etc. should check this out. Still stuck on Sufjan Stevens, Christine Fellows, too. There hasn't been much talk here about Veda's new disc, which like all of her work has been growing on me like kudzu. Or like rain. I LOVE this disc. This is turning out to be an amazing year for music. - --Neile ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 11:30:52 -0700 From: Steve VanDevender Subject: amaze me A few weeks ago a friend of mine said he had bought tickets for a show in Portland but the friend who was originally going to go with him bailed out, so he wondered if I would be interested in picking the spare ticket. The tickets, it turned out, were for Dar Williams and Girlyman. "I know who Dar Williams is and would go see her; who's Girlyman?" I said. "They're really good, trust me," he said. This turned out to be correct. He also mentioned that the tickets were about $50 each. I noticed in a show listing that the ticket price they advertised was only about $25, and asked him if the $50 was for both tickets or really the per-ticket price. He insisted the individual tickets were $50. "We'd better get to sit somewhere really cool for tickets that are double the advertised price," I said. This also turned out to be correct. The show was last Tuesday at the Aladdin Theatre in Portland. (I've really got to stop procrastinating . . . eventually.) The tickets he had obtained were "VIP" tickets, which Dar Williams has apparently set up for a lot of her shows to do local charity fundraising. They got us us front-row seats (the seats directly in front of the stage were the VIP section) and the opportunity to meet Dar after the show. In this case the VIP ticket revenue went to a Portland non-profit "Sisters of the Road" who provide low-cost meals for the homeless. Girlyman, as it turned out, were indeed really good. They're a trio from New York, Doris, Ty, and Nate, who all play and all sing and all have a really charming stage presence. I was won over in the first song. They do really high-quality mostly folk-flavored songs with some really excellent vocal harmony. Dar came out semi-incognito to help with backing vocals on their cover of "Son of a Preacher Man" which Nate did lead vocals for (giving a somewhat unusual but amusing interpretation to the lyrics). I can't say I'm a really hardcore Dar Williams fan; I did go see her when she came to Eugene in 1997 but the only album of hers I own is _End of the Summer_ and I haven't tracked her career that closely. It was definitely worth seeing her again, even if I didn't recognize most of the material she sang -- apart from her cover of "Comfortably Numb" that started the show, and the couple of songs from _End of the Summer_ that I recognized, it was pretty much all new to me. I can say I was impressed by her showwomanship -- she was on stage for at least 90 minutes and while all her backing musicians got a set break about halfway through, she stayed on stage the whole time doing a solo piece while the other musicians got their break. She also brought out Girlyman to do backing vocals on several of her songs, making it almost more of a co-show than a opener/headliner split. I've also borrowed both of my friend's Girlyman albums (their debut _Remember Who I Am_ and their new album _Little Star_) and they're both excellent. You can check out the band at http://www.girlyman.com. I also noticed that Jane Siberry is playing at the same venue in late November, an opportunity I think I will have to take advantage of. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:15:00 -0400 From: "JoAnn Whetsell" Subject: more new good music ack!! how i could leave Petracovich's wonderful We Are Wyoming off my list? Interspersed with bits of classical music (how can I not love a woman who loves Debussy and Chopin?) and her own delicate piano-based songs, this album is beautiful, rambling (in a good way), and thoroughly enjoyable. Quieter and more atmospheric and also more consistently excellent than her debut Blue Cotton Skin, which I always found kind of uneven, much as I like it. WAW makes me think of those sugar houses that look so delicate but are perfectly hard when you touch them. Terami Hirsch's Little Light ep is great too, both as a teaser for the upcoming Entropy 29 and as an ep in its own right. Neile wrote: "Still stuck on Sufjan Stevens, Christine Fellows, too. There hasn't been much talk here about Veda's new disc, which like all of her work has been growing on me like kudzu. Or like rain. I LOVE this disc." Veda's Return of the Kildeer garnered some reviews when it was first released, but it's amazing how after all these months it only gets better to listen to. Christine Fellows' Paper Anniversary has only gotten a couple of mentions I think, which is unfortunate as it's really a wonderful album. I think I would crow about these more if I felt I could do them justice in words. And also wrote: "This is turning out to be an amazing year for music." Indeed. I think the only disappointment of the year so far has been Tori Amos' The Beekeeper. And next month brings the new Imogen Heap (to the US) and Terami Hirsch. Woo hoo! JoAnn np: The Weepies - Happinessnr: Jamaica Kincaid - Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:25:28 -0400 From: Dave Subject: Re: ecto-digest V11 #291 > From: "Xenu's Sister" > MySpace may > be a memory sink with computer-slowing adware abounding > (seriously, I have to run Ad-Aware and re-boot every few hours) > but it's the best thing for people, musicians mainly, > discovering Happy ever. I haven't had any problem like that, I'm using the Firefox browser and AVG anti-virus (for any Windows users I'd recommend those as well as the Thunderbird email client) I've also got a Gig of RAM, so that might help. Yeah, Myspace has it's bad points, but it is a great resource for musicians. Vickie's done a lovely job on Happy's page, everyone should have a look. dave ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:45:23 +1000 From: andrew fries Subject: Re: good months of music Jeffrey Burka wrote: >>Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine >>Inventive pop. If you heard the leaked version, you need to get this >>album. If >>you didn't hear the leaked version, you need to get this album. > > > If you bought this and don't have the leaked version, you've got the wrong > edition. I doubt I'm the only person who feels Apple made a tremendous > mistake by tossing the Brion-produced tracks and replacing them. Buy the > album anyway and show Fiona and Sony your support...but track down the > leaked tracks for the better listening experience... I quite like the final version, in fact I think I enjoy it more than the 'leaked' one, but that could be simply because the quality of recording is much better... But I totally agree both versions are worth having. According to fionaapple.org Fiona stated the first cut was not shelved by her record company but rather by Fiona herself; it wasn't that they decided record wasn't commercial enough, but rather she was afraid they would. The difference seems pretty academic to me. In any case, one thing everyone appears to agree on is that it was the 'leakage' that lead to the eventual rework and release of this album - and that is the main point as far as I am concerned. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:42:02 -0700 (PDT) From: Ellen Rawson Subject: Thea Gilmore update Hello! I'm only awake at this hour because it's half-term week (teachers and students have a week off in the middle of the school term!), and Ian and I just returned from London and seeing the McGarrigles perform. Whilst they were in good form for the most part, my post is about Thea Gilmore, who was their opening act. She's working on a new album that should be released (at least in the UK) this spring. The new material for it sounds good, especially 'Red, White and Black', which is a wee bit political. (She wrote it in response to what she feels is the fake patriotism she's been seeing a lot of those days.) It was good to see her performing some new songs, some older songs (she played "This Girl"!) and jamming with Nigel and Jim. Ellen "Literature stops in 1100. After that, it's just books." - -- JRR Tolkien ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 19:09:41 -0700 From: Irvin Lin Subject: Sinead, Happy, Kate > From: meredith > I'm so out of it -- I had no clue Sinead O'Connor has a new album out > until I saw someone mention elsewhere that they've got tickets to see > her play soon. (I thought she retired from the music biz? Or did she > file that one in the same bin as her Nun and Lesbian phases? :) Yeah. She came out of retirement. And yeah. The NUN and LESBIAN phase lasted all of two minutes. So has anyone heard her new album THROW DOWN YOUR ARMS? Apparently it's an entire album of REGGAE songs. Not being a huge reggae fan (though I certainly can appreciate a Bob Marley song here or there) I haven't bother to track it down for a preview. Anyone here have any thoughts on it? > In other news, I finally picked up _The Lion And The Cobra_ on CD > recently, and it's every bit as brilliant now as it was my senior year > in high school. That will always be the One True Sinead Album as far as > I'm concerned. Yep. I'd have to agree to that. THE LION AND THE COBRA is a classic. I like about half of I DO NOT WANT WHAT I HAVE NOT GOT, but after that, I just drifted in interest....I've always kept on ear out for her though. Perhaps it's just nostalgia. That said - on a side note, the HAPPY's MYSPACE site looks great VICKIE! And definitely tell HAPPY congratulations on her marriage. It looks fantastic, and it' great that you've gotten other musicians aware of the HAPPY talent. And on completely other note, This is late in the game, but people have been raving about the new KATE song. Um. Is anyone out there LESS than impressed with it? Or am I the only one. Heh. And the video. Ouch. That I REALLY didn't care for. Though I have to admit that it made me like the song more. Not sure why. I guess it put the song in context for me. Still not loving the song though. *sigh* oh well. Listening to LIZ PHAIR's eponymous album apparently DID do some damage to my brain and musical taste... Irvin ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 12:25:16 +0900 From: Pat Copeman Subject: All Ectophiles who love Happy... Hey Vickie, I just want to let you know that I think you are one of the goddesses of music. First, because of the Suspended in Gaffa compilations that you have done. These, besides brightening my days incredibly, have introduced me to artists that I have never heard of and would never have heard if it were not for the work that you have done. It is so easy for me to listen to each hour. There is nothing in any of these that I don't like and so many things that are just incredible and blow me away. Second, because of the work you have done to bring Happy's music to so many people. It was your page with all the samples that got me listening to her and I have asked for some of her music for Christmas because I want to own it all. I am so enthralled with the Ecto album especially the songs, Ifso, Ecto, and When the Rain Came Down, that I keep listening to those songs over and over again. Thank goodness for headphones at work and living alone out in the country! A friend of mine had introduced me to the Ecto newsgroup because I liked Tori Amos and so for years I have been reading all the posts but had never heard Happy's music until recently. The first time I heard Winter was in the Suspended in Gaffa hour. I profusely apologize for being on this list for so long and never listening to Happy. :-[ Again, Vickie, many kudos to you for the awesome, incredible work you are doing. Keep up the good work. nr: Dahlgren by Samuel R Delaney, The Art of Paragliding by Dennis Pagen, np: Happy Rhodes Ecto. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V11 #292 ***************************