From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V13 #533 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Tuesday, July 1 2008 Volume 13 : Number 533 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] Joan Armatrading live in London [Adam Kimmel ] Re: Joan Armatrading live in London [meredith ] Re: Joan Armatrading live in London [birdie ] Short reviews ["Karen Hester" ] Re: Short reviews [Timothy Jones-Yelvington ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:00:03 -0400 (EDT) From: Mike Matthews Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ******************* Samantha Tanner (no Email address) ******************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Samantha Tanner Tue June 30 1970 Wild Goose Henning Rech Fri July 01 1960 Cancer BunkyTom Tue July 02 1968 Cancer Anders Hallberg Tue July 03 1962 Cancer Kevin Harkins Thu July 05 1973 Cancer Laurel Krahn Mon July 05 1971 Cancer John J Henshon Mon July 05 1954 The Year Of The Horse / Ruled By The Moon Jim Gurley Mon July 06 1959 Cancer Lisa Rouchka Fri July 08 1960 Moonchild with Java Rising Courtney Dallas Fri July 09 1971 Catte Michael Peskura Sat July 09 1949 HallOfFamer Finney T. Tsai Sat July 09 1966 Cancer Larry Greenfield Tue July 11 1950 Virgo Rising; Gemini Moon Marion Kippers Tue July 13 1965 Kreeft Ellen Rawson Thu July 13 1961 Double Cancer Mitch Pravatiner Mon July 14 1952 Cancer R. Rapp Wed July 14 1954 On a Gray Eye Sojourn John Zimmer Sun July 16 1961 Cancer Dan Stark Sun July 16 1961 Cancer Cathy Guetzlaff Mon July 18 1955 Cancer Vlad Sat July 18 1970 Warning: severe tire damage Jani Pinola Thu July 20 1972 Jonquil Alvin Brattli Sun July 27 1969 Lefthanded Christy Eger Smith Thu July 27 1944 Horse Crossing Shirley Ye July 27 Lioness woj Sun July 28 1968 children at play John Relph Sat July 28 1962 Leo Bob Kollmeyer Wed July 28 1971 Leo Steve Lusky Tue July 29 1952 Bike! Kate Bush Wed July 30 1958 God Chuck Smith Wed July 30 1958 Reboot Yves Denneulin Fri July 30 1971 Lion-Heart - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:52:59 -0800 From: Adam Kimmel Subject: Joan Armatrading live in London I've always thought that Joan is sort of proto-ecto, if such a thing can exist. I've already posted reviews of her gigshere, so I'm repeating myself by saying that, while not a huge Joan fan, she has always given good live shows, full of warmth, humour and her still-amazing voice. Unfortunately, on this occasion, the experience was less than satisfactory. Three factors at play: First, the seats. The only ones I could wrest from the dreaded TicketMaster, following the link on the venue's website, turned out to be two rows from the very back of the balcony and off to the side. A mere five feet behind us was the bar, with no real dividing wall, which meant the entire gig was accompanied by loud, loud chat, and if the music got louder they just started shouting to be heard. Second, the Venue: The Indigo is a new, smaller space, carved out of the Millenium Dome. There is the bigger stadium, the 02, which -- despite my pessimistic forecast -- has proven a great hit with music goers and critics alike. The Indigo fits maybe 2000, but I'm a bad judge of numbers. Let us say it's a relatively intimate venue, which is a good thing, and surrounded within the complex by some upscale chain restaurants which make a nice change from the usual burger bars. But, barely a year old, the airconditioning in the venue itself was not working this warm night, and so we sweltered in an airless fug, listening to the sounds of the bar and with a great view of the lighting and sound rigs, as well as the useless ventilation ducts. The sound was good and, while Joan was quite far away, we could pretty much see all of her, but any focus or atmosphere was sorely lacking, as people chatted and shouted behind us and -- as they do -- trailed endlessly backwards and forwards from their seats to the bar/loos. Third, the music: First up, a banal young man with a guitar, singing banal songs he'd co-written with a mate, with titles like "Back on My Feet" and "Coming Around Again", as well as covers of those "influences" who'd led him to take up the craft. Prefacing his Neil Young cover with "I've never seen him live. I guess I should" did not endear him to me. Where do they find these people? He had a MySpace page and that was it: did Joan and/or her management spend an hour net surfing? And then, Joan. Twenty minutes late and, armed with a career spanning over thirty years, she plays an hour and a half, including encores, at least half the set being from her new album, "Into the blues". And that was our lot. Don't get me wrong: "Into the blues", is very, very good, an album I hope to get to know better, and she plays a mean blues guitar, but I think this is an interesting area for debate: While it is commendable for an artist to want to move forward, how much do they owe their fans when it comes to the ones they want to hear? While it is financially sound to push the new album, couldn't some balance be introduced? I counted about five, maybe six old songs, and she didn't even touch "The Weakness in Me". In fact, she didn't even touch any of "Lovers Speak", her most recent album before "Into the Blues", which is loaded with songs that I rate among her best, so I don't speak from pure nostalgia. She still had oodles of charm and humour and warmth, but when the lights came up I felt short-changed and damp with sweat. So, basically, not one of my better concert-going experiences, an unfortunate amalgamation of factors. I'd be happy to go to the Indigo again, but only if I had much better seats. Or a large club. Adam K. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:47:12 -0400 From: meredith Subject: Re: Joan Armatrading live in London Hi, Adam Kimmel wrote: > While it is commendable for an artist to want to move forward, how much do they owe their > fans when it comes to the ones they want to hear? This is indeed an interesting question. There is the thinking that "the artist doesn't owe anybody anything". But I really think that's not true, particularly not in a live performance situation. The artist owes the people who have paid money to come see them the best show possible, performed to the best of their ability. But then the artist should be getting at least as much from the audience as the other way around. If the crowd is just sitting there like a bunch of dead fish, absolutely silent except for a bit of polite applause at the end of every song, that can suck the life out of a show just as much as a crappy performance happening on the stage. So considering that, I do think an artist has to consider what the fans have come to see them for. Sure, if they're out supporting a new release of course that will take precedence ... but they also have to throw the audience a few bones here and there. This does lead to the trap some artists fall into where they feel they *have* to play a certain song or two every time they get on stage, whether or not they really do (Dar Williams, I'm looking at you ;), and this can lead to the artist feeling like "oh god, I have to play that AGAIN" (see the -- perhaps apocryphal, but still amusing -- story about Don McLean and his contract rider specifically stating he will *not* perform "American Pie")... but when someone has a big enough back catalog, like Joan Armatrading does, they should be able to dip into it enough to keep the experience enjoyable for everyone involved. In this case, maybe Joan just doesn't feel like playing "Love and Affection" any more, but it's not like she doesn't have oodles of other material to fall back on! - -- =============================================== Meredith Tarr New Haven, CT USA mailto:meth@smoe.org http://www.smoe.org/meth =============================================== hear at the HOMe House Concert Series http://hom.smoe.org =============================================== ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:22:42 -0700 From: birdie Subject: Re: Joan Armatrading live in London Back when I was the IATSE House Steward of the Fox-Warfield in SF - and Bill Graham was booking it - we had Bob Dylan for two weeks doing his "you gotta serve someone" tour....he had this FABULOUS band - 11 piece - w/ backing vocalists all from gospel backgrounds, etc....I had proposed that we fly a grid above the stage, with directional speakers on it - as the Warfield had a high balcony and the Jefferson Star Ship stack um up from the floor method of deploying speakers was a nightmare of sound bouncing off the back wall and under the balcony....I thought if we rigged everything and flew it - we would get even separated clean distribution - so - that was designed and done for that show....and Dylan has this new album he was so into and proud of....and it was a two week engagement (he had mondays off) - so - a big deal. What happens? Backstage, opening night - Bill Graham was yelling (as he was famous for) at Dylan ...yes yes...yelling at Dylan....to play th eold songs!!!!!! And, Dylan was there to showcase his new Album. He wouldn't budge. Bill signed him knowing he was doing a tour to support his new album....and it made all kinds of noise in the papers etc..... Dylan played his show. The one he had built to go on tour with. the show that the show was about. Sure, every night someone hollered '"Play Mr. Tambourine Man" at him, but they came off like some lame heckler that was stuck in the past.... The show was FABULOUS. The band was amazing.....the lighting....and the sound was...incrediable... I think that....advance PR can help mitigate any issues to do with expectations. You do not want to disappoint a paying audience. If you create beautiful flyers and make the show the look like the artists are amazing and the show comes around and the accompanist plays like some kid that wants to be a rock and roll star and should have been left at home to hit and miss notes, get out of time, and basically play around like an amateur that should have been left in the privacy of their own bedroom.... Yeah, the audience has the right to be pissed off. Photoshop does not make great music. But more importantly, artwork, interviews, and ways of promoting NEW CD's and so on.....really are key to helping people adjust their expectation level - so - they can either be pleasantly surprised or content or thrilled with the experience. If you disappoint them, word of mouth rules. It overrides the photoshopped picture. A bad taste in someones mouth will stay there. With the price of fuel and everything else going up..... Best advice is be honest, have fun, be as great as you can be....and let the audience know what to expect. I think now, more than ever, people do not want to be disappointed....not at today's prices and no artist in their right mind can affford risks that allow for disappointment. Of course, I wouldn't call someone who plays like they should have been left in their bedroom, an artist, either.... Disappointment hurts everyone. The next year with fuel prices etc we should see more of a shake down amoung artists who play live.....the tried true fab players and ones who have a developed audience - will beable to keep going.... The wannabe's will need to stay home in their bedrooms as the clubs will not be able to afford acts that dont draw. More than ever. Ok, I am getting off my soapbox now.... The times they are a' changin' XOXB meredith wrote: > Hi, > > Adam Kimmel wrote: > >> While it is commendable for an artist to want to move forward, how >> much do they owe their fans when it comes to the ones they want to >> hear? > > > This is indeed an interesting question. > > There is the thinking that "the artist doesn't owe anybody anything". > But I really think that's not true, particularly not in a live > performance situation. The artist owes the people who have paid money > to come see them the best show possible, performed to the best of > their ability. But then the artist should be getting at least as much > from the audience as the other way around. If the crowd is just > sitting there like a bunch of dead fish, absolutely silent except for > a bit of polite applause at the end of every song, that can suck the > life out of a show just as much as a crappy performance happening on > the stage. > > So considering that, I do think an artist has to consider what the > fans have come to see them for. Sure, if they're out supporting a new > release of course that will take precedence ... but they also have to > throw the audience a few bones here and there. This does lead to the > trap some artists fall into where they feel they *have* to play a > certain song or two every time they get on stage, whether or not they > really do (Dar Williams, I'm looking at you ;), and this can lead to > the artist feeling like "oh god, I have to play that AGAIN" (see the > -- perhaps apocryphal, but still amusing -- story about Don McLean and > his contract rider specifically stating he will *not* perform > "American Pie")... but when someone has a big enough back catalog, > like Joan Armatrading does, they should be able to dip into it enough > to keep the experience enjoyable for everyone involved. > > In this case, maybe Joan just doesn't feel like playing "Love and > Affection" any more, but it's not like she doesn't have oodles of > other material to fall back on! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:27:58 -0400 From: "Karen Hester" Subject: Short reviews Couples - The Long Blondes Am surprised - enjoy both the older style bedsit indie pop (eg the hip-swinging beat of 'Guilt'), and the stylized disco-ish newer style ('Century', 'Round the hairpin'). Both styles seem inspired by Continental movie aesthetics and too much knowledge of 70s/80s British music criticism. Album is patchy, both in quality and genres, but worth poking your nose into. Velocifero - Ladytron Much like the previous album: catchy icy electro-pop. Sing along to 'Ghosts', 'I'm not scared', 'Tomorrow' (not quite as catchy as Witching hour's 'Destroy everything you touch' and 'International dateline', but the new album might be stronger as a whole). Mira's best industrial Bulgarian song is 'Black cat.' Sounds good next to new Long Blondes. A thousand shark's teeth - My Brightest Diamond Not that interesting to me. Love 'Inside a boy', then my attention wanders. Would have preferred the originally planned string ensemble version - this one is full of instruments but not as meaty as 'Workhorse'. Find 'If I were Queen' too cutesy - "If I were Queen, then you and I'd be neighbors; I'd pick you up each morning for donuts and tea." Hope to like more as I continue to listen. No, Virginia - The Dresden Dolls The first DD release that doesn't excite me. Loved the first odds'n'sods, 'A is for accident.' I like 'The gardener' but find it more frightening live. Much of 'The kill', 'Boston' and esp 'Sheep song' are gorgeous and sad Amanda numbers. Not so keen on the band numbers. 'Pretty in pink' is only amusing the first time. Amanda's voice sounds sore and raw. Was disturbed that the word 'tampons' was censored in the 'Night reconnaissance video, but then realized it was 'tampax' so guess it was a trademark issue rather than overly-delicate sensibilities. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:58:34 -0500 From: Timothy Jones-Yelvington Subject: Re: Short reviews I am actually finding "A Thousand Shark's Teeth" a little bit more complex and surprising than "Bring me the Workhorse," if more subtle. On 6/30/08 8:27 PM, "Karen Hester" wrote: > Couples - The Long Blondes > Am surprised - enjoy both the older style bedsit indie pop (eg the > hip-swinging beat of 'Guilt'), and the stylized disco-ish newer style > ('Century', 'Round the hairpin'). Both styles seem inspired by > Continental movie aesthetics and too much knowledge of 70s/80s British > music criticism. Album is patchy, both in quality and genres, but > worth poking your nose into. > > Velocifero - Ladytron > Much like the previous album: catchy icy electro-pop. Sing along to > 'Ghosts', 'I'm not scared', 'Tomorrow' (not quite as catchy as > Witching hour's 'Destroy everything you touch' and 'International > dateline', but the new album might be stronger as a whole). Mira's > best industrial Bulgarian song is 'Black cat.' Sounds good next to > new Long Blondes. > > A thousand shark's teeth - My Brightest Diamond > Not that interesting to me. Love 'Inside a boy', then my attention > wanders. Would have preferred the originally planned string ensemble > version - this one is full of instruments but not as meaty as > 'Workhorse'. Find 'If I were Queen' too cutesy - "If I were Queen, > then you and I'd be neighbors; I'd pick you up each morning for donuts > and tea." Hope to like more as I continue to listen. > > No, Virginia - The Dresden Dolls > The first DD release that doesn't excite me. Loved the first > odds'n'sods, 'A is for accident.' I like 'The gardener' but find it > more frightening live. Much of 'The kill', 'Boston' and esp 'Sheep > song' are gorgeous and sad Amanda numbers. Not so keen on the band > numbers. 'Pretty in pink' is only amusing the first time. Amanda's > voice sounds sore and raw. Was disturbed that the word 'tampons' was > censored in the 'Night reconnaissance video, but then realized it was > 'tampax' so guess it was a trademark issue rather than overly-delicate > sensibilities. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V13 #533 ***************************