From: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org (jinglejangle-digest) To: jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Subject: jinglejangle-digest V1 #3 Reply-To: jinglejangle@smoe.org Sender: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jinglejangle-digest Tuesday, February 10 1998 Volume 01 : Number 003 Today's Subjects: ----------------- MLL - review and welcome (again) [Rachel ] Mary Lou Lord @ Slim's 2/6 [Kevin Wan ] Whiskeytown/MLL Review in VARIETY [SeanJordan@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 13:34:25 -0500 (EST) From: Rachel Subject: MLL - review and welcome (again) OK, welcome to everyone again, because we have more subscribers now, I think about 60. To post, send your message to jinglejangle@smoe.org but DON'T send it to jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org If you are on the digest, you will get all the regular messages just not individually. If you know people who are having problems subscribing, let me know and I'll try to help. Firstly, I got a Martian Saints t-shirt in the mail from my wonderful friend and fellow MLL fan Vinh Le, and it is really cool - has the CD cover on the front and more martians on the back, and it's in black. So that made me happy. That's about all. Below is a review I wrote of Got No Shadow for Zentertainment, a VERY cool email newsletter and website. It'll be up on the Zentertainment website at www.zentertainment.com really soon, and is run by Sean Jordan, who will soon be featured in the April issue of Vanity Fair. If you want to get his newsletter twice a week that's filled with music, tv, movie, game information hot off the presses, email "subscribe" to SeanJordan@aol.com Lastly, I've been putting up Got No Shadow reviews and various articles on my webpage. I'm working on breaking up the page, but for now there are links at the top and I scanned the SPIN photo and the one from Request where she looks really cool, so check it out (http://pages.nyu.edu/~rkb200/) Also, if your local papers or any magazines you see have reviews of Mary Lou's album, please post them. I just found a short one in Teen, and it was positive, most of them seem to be. bye bye, rachel review by Rachel Kramer Bussel Mary Lou Lord - Got No Shadow (WORK) Mary Lou Lord told me that the "shadow" in the title of her major label debut, Got No Shadow (Sony/WORK), refers to the absence of light in the subway where she's busked for the last decade. But I still take it in part to mean a history, a past, a reputation. Lord has all three, and much has been made of her associations, both personal and professional, with members of the indie/alternative rock scene. But the "shadow" that is all over her new album is her musical history, the places she's lived and the influences of her musical forbears that shine right through these 13 songs. First you have three updated songs from her past releases on Olympia, Washington indie label Kill Rock Stars -- "Western Union Desperate," "Some Jingle Jangle Morning" and "Lights Are Changing." She gives us a glimpse of her punk rock side on these songs inspired by America's punk playground. You've got the pure folk essentials of Elizabeth Cotten's "Shake Sugaree," with pal Elliott Smith on acoustic guitar. You've got the trademark Lordisms whereby she references others' songs and lines: "Bring out the jester and shoot out the lights/rattle your diamonds and pearls" in "Throng of Blowtown" to "the spray painted words of the prophets have failed" from "Subway." With these lines, Lord incorporates Dylan, Richard Thompson, John Lennon and Simon & Garfunkel in a witty and unique way that keeps the listener on the lookout for these hidden, encoded gems. She even takes a whole line from Dinosaur Jr.'s "Freak Scene," "cause when I need a friend it's still you," paying tribute to a favorite of hers. She leaves behind snapshots of London life on "Seven Sisters" and "Down Along the Lea," spinning tales of the downtrodden and drug-ridden. This album is a snapshot not only of these very real places, but of the last half century, from a spirited response to Elvis Presley on "His Lamest Flame" to the witty wordplay of "Throng of Blowtown"'s take on the '80s drug/music scene. There's heartache, loneliness, and lovesickness, all spun through her sweet, soothing whisper-song. Then there's the new twist - the full-on rock sound is a new direction for Mary Lou, and she proves herself equal to the task on tracks such as "She Had You," with some fancy guitar work by Nels Cline, Jon Brion and Saloman. The dulcimer and tin whistle on "Down Along the Lea" give it some kind of traditional-style sounds. There's also a toughness here beneath the laments; one has the sense that maybe she's better off without the loser of "She Had You" and an assertiveness that defies the waifish girlie romantic image. This album is a snapshot not only of these very real places, but of the last half century, from a spirited response to Elvis Presley on "His Lamest Flame" to the witty wordplay of "Throng of Blowtown"'s take on the '80s drug/music scene. Much has been made of the Jewel comparison, enough to sicken a dedicated Mary Lou fan. Not because there's anything wrong with Jewel, but because her songs are a teenager's naivety compared to Mary Lou's seasoned offerings. This album is the culmination of many years of perfecting the art of getting people to stop, look, listen, and keep listening. It succeeds ultimately not because of the instrumental adornments or smooth production, but because of the vocals that come straight from the heart. Mary Lou offers herself via these songs as a balm to the noise, chaos, and heartbreak of the real world. There is solace, and comfort, as well as history and hummable, hookable pop songs. And really, what more could you ask for in a record? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 18:54:55 -0800 From: Kevin Wan Subject: Mary Lou Lord @ Slim's 2/6 aloha list! so mary lou lord played at Slim's in San Francisco last Friday. with all the giddy anticipation i had built on this concert, i guess dissapointment was inevitable. the idea of seeing mary lou and her band for the first time (i had previously only seen her busking and performing on stage by herself) was something to be excited for. and it's not to say i didn't enjoy her show. i did. but i think i did just because i've been a fan of hers for so long it came down to the statement "but it's Mary Lou! you gotta love her!". i was just happy to see her. but the concert still dissapointed. i think i have to go with Dino's comment on how she was freaked at the size of the crowd. her first words when she got on stage were "HOLY SHIT!" after looking at the capacity crowd. now, Slim's isn't a particularly large venue. in fact, it's rather small (approx 450-550 heads i would guess). but the place was sold out. you couldn't move. so i would imagine the sea of heads could have been intimidating. after settling on stage she immediately went into *Supergun*, one of my favorites on the new album. however, Mary Lou's voice was hardly distinguishible as the guitars and the drums drowned out her sweet voice almost entirely. only when they broke to silent beats could you hear her warbly coo. she continued with her set quite methodically, adding a blurb or two between songs. but she never seemed comfortable. at one point she started playing a song out of key and at another point she seemed like she forgot what song she was playing. it was only when she played the souped up version of *He'd Be A Diamond* did she seem to settle in better and appear to be enjoying herself. *Down Along The Lea* came out wonderfully (a song that wasn't my favorite prior to seeing it live. now i love it) and the new *ND World* was absolutely amazing! that was definately the highlight. apparently (for reasons unknown to me) her set was cut short so she had to end early, which was a REAL bummer. some noteable omissions were *Some Jingle Jangle Morning*, *Throng Of Blowtown*, and another one of my favs on the new one *The Lucky One*. however... despite all these dissapointments, i still enjoyed the show. mary lou looked good (actually... dazzling!) in the center of her band. there were moments (particularly during *ND World*) that she looked like she was really having fun and enjoying herself. she still had her charm with her crowd, talking to them, occasionally answering questions from the "in" people in the front. "Where's Elliot?" one fan asked. i forgot what she said. something to the extent of "Elliot's not here. He's in Euorpe". it's too bad there were few REAL fans there. i could probably count them with my fingers. most of the crowd had never heard of Mary Lou Lord and remained very indifferent to her set. it was a predominatly older crowd, and it was no surprise that most of the younger 20-somethings (like myself) were there to see Mary Lou, and the late 20s to mid 30s were there to see Whiskeytown. there were mixed reactions to her set. i over heard some harsh critiques. "Have you ever seen a worse show?" to some good feedback "Wow! She was great! Who was she again?". most of the fans i met had similar feelings as i. they loved it because it was Mary Lou, but other than that, the set wasn't mesmerizing. i think most of that is attributed to her "opening act" status. perhaps when she headlines her own show full of devoted fans, and when she has time to get used to her band, the enchantment factor will rise. the band was great though! the bass player looks like he has tons of fun up on stage, one of the guitarists is real chill and reminds me of Morrissey for some reason, and the cute girl keyboardist was awfully cool manning the "squiggly sounding thing" for *Martian Saints* donned in pig-tails and a visor. Mary Lou's Sacramento (at Harlow's) show was basically the same. a bit longer and the crowd a bit smaller. heres to her next show (which she headlines here in SF) coming in March! Maybe then, i'll get a poster (Some girl beat me to a sweet Got No Shadow poster). Ciao folks... Kev - ----SET LIST---- SuperGun His Lamest Flame She Had You Two Boats Western Union Desperate He'd Be A Diamond Down Along The Lea His ND World Martian Saints Lights Are Changing "HER INDIE WORLD" @ http://members.aol.com/mloulord ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 23:08:05 EST From: SeanJordan@aol.com Subject: Whiskeytown/MLL Review in VARIETY This ran in VARIETY last week.... REVIEW/PERFORMANCE: Whiskeytown's Spirited Show Whiskeytown (Troubadour; 325 capacity; $12) By Phil Gallo HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - The charisma that frontman Ryan Adams exhibited during Whiskeytown's debut last fall at the Mint showered the packed Troubadour Tuesday, an elixir to complement the band's buoyant country-rock blend. The band has revamped since that intimate debut, and they now hew closer to the rougher rock edges found on their "Stranger's Almanac" disc (Outpost/Geffen), stretching the country roots through a heavy dose of Replacements-style rock 'n' roll. Whiskeytown has taken rudiments of the Gram Parsons school of country-rock and melded them with a catchy brand of pop-punk, occasionally calling on tricks from the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street. While the band certainly fits the Americana-alt-country mold thanks to the bracing violin work of Caitlin Cary and Mike Daly's pedal steel, Adams uses that foundation to express emotional trepidation and cover the metaphorical world of weary traveling. Adams, who good-naturedly fought through a series of technical glitches, gave his kindhearted voice a full-blown showcase, alternately sparring and gliding along with his rustic guitar style. Guitarist Ed Crawford, late of Firehose, provides a gruff side that hasn't been heard before in this band; combined with Adams' sense of adventure, the two gave several numbers added depth in rearrangements that differed from their recorded versions. At one point, a three-guitar and tom-tom attack went from dirge-like gentle to a hardrock hoedown, replete with out-of-character noodling, before returning to the intro's soothing balm. Wisely, pop numbers such as "Sixteen Days" were given crisp and straightforward deliveries. Mary Lou Lord, the former subway singer from Boston now recording for the Work Group, opened with a breezy set of pop numbers. While her debut emphasizes the work of other writers, she showed off her own considerable songwriting skills in a limited set. Presented inhouse. Band: Ryan Adams, Caitlan Cary, Ed Crawford, Skillet Gilmore, Jenny Snyder, Mike Daly. Reviewed Feb. 3, 1998. Reuters/Variety ------------------------------ End of jinglejangle-digest V1 #3 ********************************