From: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org (jewel-digest) To: jewel-digest@smoe.org Subject: jewel-digest V10 #175 Reply-To: jewel@smoe.org Sender: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jewel-digest Saturday, July 23 2005 Volume 10 : Number 175 * If you ever wish to unsubscribe from this digest, send an email to * jewel-digest-request@smoe.org with ONLY the word * unsubscribe in the BODY of the email * . * For the latest news on what Jewel is up to, go to * the OFFICIAL Jewel web site at http://www.jeweljk.com * and click on "calendar" * . * PLEASE :) when you reply to this digest to send a post TO the list, * change the subject to reflect what your post is about. A subject * of Re: jewel-digest V9 #___ gives fellow list readers * no clue as to what your message is about. Today's Subjects: ----------------- [EDA] Jewel in St. Louis: Press ["Larry Greenfield" Subject: [EDA] Jewel in St. Louis: Press Jewel isn't in the mood to pick up "Pieces" By Kevin C. Johnson Post-Dispatch Pop Music Critic Thursday, Jul. 21 2005 The first half of 1995 saw the release of two fondly remembered CDs from largely unknown female artists. The records - Jewel's "Pieces of You" and Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" - were released within months of each other and ended up defining the year in music. Both were greeted with critical acclaim and the type of blockbuster sales rarely seen today. Morissette just revisited her debut, re-recording "Jagged Little Pill" in commemoration of its 10th anniversary. But don't look for Jewel to follow suit by going back to her quietly introspective debut. "I don't know why she's doing that," says Jewel, interviewed recently by phone from her Los Angeles home. "I don't want to redo a record I've done. Maybe there will be a time for that." In fact, the Alaskan pop-folkie says she didn't even realize her "Pieces of You" had reached the 10-year mark. Looking back at that key release, she says, "It was a great time in the industry, and that's not something you're going to see happen again because the nature of the industry changes so much. Who can say what it was all about? Some of it was the music, some of it was the timing, and some of it was just culture. I never thought it would blow up the way it did." Jewel laments the changes in the industry. "I wish music weren't so oppressive now. And if I had my way, I'd make a record every six months. But the business being what it is, I feel lucky to still have a career. Nothing lasts forever." Rather than spend time reflecting on "Pieces of You," these days Jewel is back on the road with a quick summer tour. She's also prepping her next CD, which will be "kind of a raw record. It'll be pretty emotionally driven, a personal record, just what I'm feeling. "There's only so much you can write about these days: It's either love or politics. The same things that have been done forever. Maybe there's a better way to rehash." Although the songs are already written, Jewel is just starting to record. Some of the material dates from years ago, while other songs were written specifically for the still-to-be-titled disc, expected in February (after its original announced release in September). Jewel's most recent record, 2003's "0304," went gold but was the poorest selling of her career. The CD had some fans and critics scratching their heads: It appeared that Jewel had ditched her old image and tarted it up a bit, particularly on "Intuition," to better compete with the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. "I think anybody who didn't listen to the record felt that way," she says of her "Intuition" video. "I guess people didn't get the joke in the video. It was such an obvious spoof on pop culture, on dance, rap and pop videos. It was tongue-in-cheek. It should've been painfully obvious. "But it's the same stuff in the writing that I'm known for. I didn't let go of anything. It holds up to every standard I believe in. I felt I did some of the best writing I'd ever done, and people who listened to it got it. But if you just listened to 'Intuition,' you might not have gotten it." On her new tour, coming to the Roberts Orpheum Theater Monday, Jewel promises to "wing it." She took the same approach on her visit to the Family Arena in St. Charles this time last year. The show was low-key and informal, with Jewel taking requests and sharing many stories with fans. "When I sing live, I never do a set list," she says. "I have 500 songs in my catalog, and I wing it and take requests. Fans love the obscure material I never remember, stuff I wrote when I was 19 that never made it onto a record but was still an underground hit. There'll also be new stuff. Sometimes I talk a lot, and sometimes I don't. It depends on my mood. Every show is different." Jewel's "Pieces of You" vs. Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" "Pieces of You" Release date: Feb. 28, 1995 Key songs: "Who Will Save Your Soul," "Foolish Games," "You Were Meant for Me" Sales: 11 million Grammys: None What Amazon.com says: "Jewel's debut album, 'Pieces of You,' reveals a special voice - strong and focused on both the whispery verses and the hooky choruses. The recording also exposes an unfortunate tendency to present trite, hackneyed sentiments as if they were oracular visions from a young prophet to a jaded world." Follow-ups: "Spirit" (1998), "This Way" (2001), "0304" (2003) "Jagged Little Pill" Release date: June 13, 1995 Key songs: "You Oughta Know," "Ironic," "Head Over Feet" Sales: 16 million Grammys: Album of the year, best rock album, best rock song and best rock vocal performance female for "You Oughta Know." What Amazon.com says: "Her intensely personal lyrics grabbed the headlines, but the bravest departure here is the way Morissette's unique vocals stand naked in the mix - a technique that drives home the painful honesty of tracks. . . . Morissette is a genuine original with a rare ability to make listeners care, think, and question." Follow-ups: "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" (1998), "Alanis Unplugged" (1999), "Under Rug Swept" (2002), "So-Called Chaos" (2004), "Jagged Little Pill Acoustic" (in stores Tuesday) Jewel When: 8 p.m. Monday Where: Roberts Orpheum Theater, 416 North Ninth Street How much: $45.50-$55.50 More info: 314-241-1888 Critic Kevin C. Johnson E-mail: kjohnson@post-dispatch.com Phone: 314-340-8191 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2005 21:32:38 -0700 From: "Larry Greenfield" Subject: [EDA] Jewel: Back to Indiana This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, July 22, 2005 1:10 AM CDT Jewel tosses out the set list BY ROBIN HUIRAS Times Correspondent When Jewel performs, she accepts shout-out requests from the audience and doesn't mind when people bootleg her music, which is a good thing for fans planning to see her Sunday. The ever-evolving musician, whose debut album "Pieces of You" hit the charts 10 years ago, actually looks forward to the interplay between her and her audiences when she performs. "I think what's really fun about shows is when I'm up there alone -- I can't really hear the crowd, but I really feel them more than hear -- and I work around that feeling and what mood they're in and what mood I'm in and the spirit all around," Jewel said last week. This week, fans will be able to meet Jewel as she performs alone with her acoustic guitar in the intimate setting of the Star Plaza Theater in Merrillville. Jewel never knows what songs she will choose from her expansive repertoire when she takes to the stage, she says. "I never write a list, every show is different," she says. "I just want to meet the crowd and play different songs for them. That's why I'm able to enjoy coming back to the same towns frequently, because audiences know that they are going to continue hearing songs they haven't heard before." Whether she plays something closer to her roots, penned when she was 16 and just starting out, or a more organic arrangement combining newer influences, her music reaches people in different ways, she says. "Everybody's lives are specific and that's kind of the neat thing about music, it seems to administer to people what their individual needs are, so it does have much to do with me, but much to do with them," she said. "I receive the same gift from music, I enjoy being a part of it, which is why I really enjoy singing live. That and writing songs -- it's why I do what I do." Jewel has written and recorded five albums, selling close to 25 million copies. Her most recent release, 2003's "0304," premiered at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. But writing songs is a far different art than performing, she adds, "It's moment to moment." "Just like every person you meet is different, every crowd is, there are times when they want to sit and listen and other times they just want to loosen up and laugh and other times they just want to hear sad songs." Jewel added she enjoys performing to her Northwest Indiana fan base and Sunday's performance marks her third time performing at the Star Plaza. "Crowds there are fun, they settle in and can really listen, but can also be really enthusiastic and that's something I like." onstage Jewel When: 7 p.m. Sunday Where: Star Plaza Theatre, I-65 and U.S. 30, Merrillville Cost: $37.50 FYI: (219) 769-6600 or (773) 734-7266 onstage Jewel When: 7 p.m. Sunday Where: Star Plaza Theatre, I-65 and U.S. 30, Merrillville Cost: $37.50 FYI: (219) 769-6600 or (773) 734-7266 ------------------------------ End of jewel-digest V10 #175 ****************************