From: owner-headline-girl-digest@smoe.org (headline-girl-digest) To: headline-girl-digest@smoe.org Subject: headline-girl-digest V2 #280 Reply-To: headline-girl@smoe.org Sender: owner-headline-girl-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-headline-girl-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk headline-girl-digest Wednesday, November 24 1999 Volume 02 : Number 280 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Chart Review [full text] [Paul Schreiber ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1999 01:14:35 -0500 From: Paul Schreiber Subject: Chart Review [full text] From: http://www.chartattack.com/road/reviews/1999/19991122-sexsmith.html On the Road Again Live Reviews: Ron Sexsmith with Emm Gryner November 17, 1999 Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, Toronto, ON As a self-subscribed agnostic, attending a concert in a church that didn't have choir music seemed unusual, maybe even a bit sacrilegious. This uncomfortable sensation was furthered by the promoters, who advised people not to smoke or drink in the church, and by the opening performer, Emm Gryner who welcomes everyone to 'Mass.' Still, it struck me how the beauty and intimacy of the setting befitted the upcoming musical performance. Sitting in the balcony that surrounded the stage in the shape of a horseshoe, you could see the upper reaches of the hall dominated by a series of simple circular stained glass windows filled with a myriad of colours. The window's maximum impact are undermined by the night... the streetlights on Bloor are not an adequate substitute for daylight. But still, in this quiet setting Emm Gryner mounts the stage alone performing initially on acoustic guitar, then doing her best "Tori Amos impersonation" on electric piano, featuring songs from her latest album, Science Fair.She was soon joined on stage by vocalist (and friend) Holly Palmer, who was responsible for Emm's temporary gig vocally backing The Thin White Duke (re: David Bowie) on his latest American tour. After an impromptu and ill-advised stab at "Rebel Rebel," the duo stuck to Emm's own material, followed by one of Holly's own songs. Soon Emm welcomed Rheostatics' bassist, Tim Vesley and drummer Stephen McGrath on stage for a couple of numbers including a rendition of Emm's big '98 pop hit "Summertime." After a lengthy break, Ron Sexsmith and his backing band, Rheos' Vesley and Don Kerr on drums (who have been with Ron all tour) and new addition keyboardist Todd Healey, took to the stage. Sexsmith has never been known as an animated performer, but definitely in good spirits, he felt at home in front of an obvious partisan crowd who cheered everyone of his songs. He promised near the beginning of his lengthy set to perform material from all three of his releases, with the bulk of the set being derived from his latest release, Whereabouts. On record, the subtle nuances of Sexsmith's songs are endearing, but in the setting of a large cathedral-like church, this intimacy with his material was misplaced. For a singer/songwriter, whose words are his stock and trade, it was surprising how difficult it was to hear his lyrics. This was of little consequence to the majority of the audience (who were primarily cute couples in their '30s), who were quite intimate with Sexsmith's complete oeuvre. Ron's set began well, mixing up acoustic guitar with a rather surprisingly gritty electric guitar, but after an hour of performance, most of his material began to melt into itself. The lack of dynamics in Sexsmith's set, especially a strong melodic counterpoint, left me in a fuzzy haze where all his songs became one and time almost stood still. My only indication that one song ended and another had begun was the rampant applause by the audience. The addition of Sexsmith performing solo on piano added some variety to the show. His between-song banter was pleasant, especially when talking about his recent tour of the United States. "We went everywhere on this tour. We even made it to Lebanon, Tennessee... boy, was I wrong about that place," Sexsmith quipped before performing "Lebanon, Tennessee." The later inclusion of the "chamber music element" of Sexsmith's set that consisted of Kerr on cello and Vesley on accordion was musical failure, as the sonic tone of those two instruments seemed to be battling for attention within the same space. A short encore contained one of the show's musical highlights, a snappy rendition of Gene MacLellan's "Snowbird", helping me leave a more positive memory of the night. But when all was said and done, the majority of the crowd obviously enjoyed the show and will probably burn me at the stake as a heretic for writing such a bad review of their idol. Oh well, I guess I should have know better than to walk on sacred ground. ‹ review by Chris Burland ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1999 10:56:57 +0000 From: Joe Rezac Subject: musicians & their philanthropies Hello. I am currently working on a project for my Business Ethics class (yeah, I know, an oxymoron), & was curious if any of you fellow music aficionados could help. The project discusses musicians & philanthropic events/charities they have setup to "give back" to the community. My question is this: Can anyone give me names of artists and/or links of some musicians whom are activists in their community? Some examples: Jewel's "Higher Ground For Humanity", Dar Williams' "Snowden Environmental Trust", Sarah Mc's efforts w/ Lilith Fair. Also, I am trying to find an artist from every genre in an attempt to appeal to all audiences, which may be a challenge. Please include the genre the artist is in (eg: folk, rap, country, gregorian chant,...) Any info you could send would be very much appreciated. Also, I'll be happy to share my findings w/ anyone interested. Thanks, Joe - -- sarahtaratori: A live music appreciation site http://www.radiks.net/~joerezac/ "There's so much more than good enough" - Sarah McLachlan ------------------------------ End of headline-girl-digest V2 #280 ***********************************