From: owner-rockford-files-digest@smoe.org (The Rockford Files) To: rockford-files-digest@smoe.org Subject: The Rockford Files V2 #290 Reply-To: rockford-files@smoe.org Sender: owner-rockford-files-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-rockford-files-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk The Rockford Files Sunday, November 7 1999 Volume 02 : Number 290 Today's Fjordian Filings: -------------------------------------- Counting Crows a couple things Taste of Industry Reality Wilco/Matthew Sweet Have I ever told you.... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1999 04:42:11 -0500 From: john_oc@juno.com Subject: Counting Crows I must echo the sentiments on the new Counting Crows album. I think that it's not as good as August and Everything After, but I think that it's a little better than Recovering the Satellites. Here's my rationale. August and Everything After: Has all the freshness sealed in. New tight band, milking the folk pop sound perfectly with a touch of orchestral flair. Turns unlikely band into hit maker. Most importantly, album is built upon songs and a message, not a 'sound'. Recovering the Satellites: Compared to most a damn good album. Compared to what I know to expect from the Crows it is sub par. Mostly guitar driven, and straightforward. Not that there is anything wrong with this, but I happen to feel the band was a little uncomfortable with their success and felt pressure to write another hit. I've heard Adam say this in interviews as well, and I think it shows. Because of the message, the band fell back on a sound, and didn't concentrate on song and message. This Desert Life: TDL took 3 years to record. Mostly because on the bands insistence on getting it right and following through. Adam made a promise to himself that on this album he would only go where the songs took him, and not go where others told him to go. Once he convinced himself that in large part, the songs are his and not things written for the masses to consume, half the battle was won. A beautiful and talented band was back to writing songs and not producing a product. I will say that art can be a product too, but it all depends where the priorities lie. Counting Crows has become stable enough to let art lead them and not commercialism, but they had to 'cut some corners' to get there. Much in the same way that Radiohead has begun to reach their artistic peaks. Also somewhat comparable to our own beloved boys. Damn, I love referencing my three favorite bands in the world in one paragraph. Also, I am going to take a second to tell all of you to go buy first the new Counting Crows album, then the new Matthew Sweet album, and finally the new Luna album. The new Matthew Sweet album is so incredible and should especially appeal to anyone who worships the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album as much as I do. The similarities are striking, but in a really, really good way. Then the Luna record is perfect dense, dark, brooding pop. Kind of like the new Wilco, but with a little more shoegazer influence than country influence. My favorite song of the week is Luna - Math Wiz. Well, time to go to bed...just got back from the Quasi/Archer Prewitt show in Cleveland, it was awesome. Archer Prewitt kicked my ass...Quasi was soso, but Archer Prewitt was so sweet. John's 5 Favorite Bands - --------------------------------- Counting Crows Radiohead Karate Built to Spill Ben Folds Five Good night. Or good morning. It's almost 5 am. God. And I have dinner with my dad in 6 hours...that's crazy shit. Ciao! John in Columbus, Ohio ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 06 Nov 1999 11:48:08 -0700 From: Stacy Lynn Subject: a couple things Ok.. 1st off, Go see Fight Club. But you have to see it twice. The plot twist is so amazing, you have to see it two times. Besides, Edward Norton is in it, and I think I may have a thing for him now. As for Brad Pitt, yes, he is in it, but it is *far* from being a Brad Pitt vehichle. In fact, Ed Norton has a much larger and more important role. So go see that. 2nd. Go see Being John Malkovich. It is so funny and quirky and just *fun*. I have decorated my entire house in John Malkovich faces. It makes me happy. I walk around saying "malkovich, malkovich, malkovich, malkovich" It is awesome. And BTW, the New Jersey turnpike is the polar opposite of the mind of John Malkovich. I should know, I've been on the New Jersey Turnpike several times. Although, I've never been inside John Malkovich's mind. Malkovich malkovich malkovich. 3rd Sara is right in so many ways. Jump, Little Children is amazing, and you should take her up on her offer. You will love them too. They are rockin, they are soft, they are damn fun, they are so meaningful. Its a band that means almost as Ben Folds Five does to me. And thats saying a hell of a lot. 4th Sara is right yet again when she meantions Self. I've been a fan for a few years now, and his stuff just keeps getting better and better. I esp love his new album "Breakfast With Girls" for the quirkiness of it. 5th John in OH rocks. His 5 favorite bands show just how awesome he is. Besides, he's super nice and fun, and all that stuff. ANYWAY. Counting Crows. I got a sneak listen to it a week before it came out (yay college radio!) and Its not better than August and Everything After, but its damn good. The single is already being played on some stations, and thats such an awesome song, but not even the best song on the album. Plus, he still sings about Maria. Yes, I love the new Counting Crows. so.. yes. What else to add? Hmmm... I miss all my friends out East, Ginger, Sandi, Leigh, and all the other people not on this list. And bentent... Anyone else still on the armchair? What nonsense is going on. I found the kevin thing amusing (brick remix, large venues, your biggest fan), and then the next 2 digests proceeded to be "kevin sucks" type of posts, and the following two have been "duh, it was sarcasm." Oh, the craziness that abounds on the armchair. Also, Darren and Robert have taken to posting there. *LOL* sure kiddos. love you all, stacy What was best of all was the longing look you gave me... that longing look... More than enough to keep me fed all year. -XTC "Harvest Festival" *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Stacy Flatt stacyf@u.arizona.edu Assistant Director Eat to the Beat Concerts University of Arizona 520.621.1111 (office 10am-1pm mon, wed, fri pacific time) http://www.u.arizona.edu/~stacyf ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 06 Nov 1999 12:31:43 PST From: "Markus Kamp" Subject: Taste of Industry Reality Time for me to step in & remind people yet again that Ben Folds Five, Jump Little Children, REM, and the like are all part of an industry, run not by them but by big-money types in big shiny office buildings. As such, the bands themselves have very little say over such trivial (to the execs) matters as opening bands, tour stops, single selection, etc. Bands can lobby their labels for/against certain decisions, but the ultimate decision is up to the people w/the power & money instead of the musicians themselves. Yet another example of a glaring fact: the music industry is bad, bad, bad. Or you can blame Ben if you'd prefer>:-}. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 01:18:14 -0500 From: john_oc@juno.com Subject: Wilco/Matthew Sweet I just saw Wilco and Matthew Sweet live in Columbus. Matthew played first and played very well. I would not say superb, but it was very nice. I enjoyed the selections of his new album which I have already raved about, though the crowd was mostly only familiar with the hits(Divine Intervention, Girlfriend, Sick of Myself, and Come to California). Anyway...though I wasn't as impressed as I was the first time I saw him(back when the amazing Richard Lloyd played lead guitar), the crowd was totally digging him. Anyway, standing in line waiting to get in, it seemed that EVERYONE was there to see Matthew Sweet. I started asking people who they came for and out of like 30 people, 3 said Wilco. So, here I am, lifetime Wilco/Uncle Tupelo fan worrying that my boy's brand of alt.country will not be accepted by the pop crowd there for Matthew Sweet. Wilco comes on, and within 3 songs I realize that I have nothing at all to worry about. These people haven't seen this brand of folk.country.western swing and they are pleased by what they hear. The ballads win over their hearts, then the rockin beats drive them into dancing frenzies. It was so awesome to watch the crowd become Wilco's biggest fan over the duration of the set. Highlights of the set were California Stars (the song from the Billy Bragg/Wilco album where they wrote music to recovered Woody Guthrie lyrics), How To Fight Loneliness, She's a Jar, Can't Stand It, OuttaSite(OuttaMind), I Got You(at the End of the Century), Casino Queen, We're Just Friends and A Shot in the Arm. Wow. I must say, that Wilco appears twice now in my favorite shows of all time list, which follows this paragraph. John's Favorite Shows of all time... 11 Pedro The Lion and Lumia @ Bernie's 10 Joan of Arc and AMERICAN ANALOG SET @ Bernie's 9 Tragically Hip @ Newport on Phantom Power Tour 8 Flaming Lips @ Newport (Music Against Brain Degeneration Revue) 7 Karate w/Sweep the Leg Johnny @ Bernie's in Columbus 6 Wilco w/Matthew Sweet @ Newport 5 Ben Folds Five(tie); Kalamazoo, Mich and Washington D.C(Messner Tour Summer) 4 R.E.M. w/Wilco at Blossom Music Center(Up Tour) 3 Sonic Youth at Detroit's Palace Theatre 2 Built to Spill @ The Grog Shop on Keep It Like a Secret Tour 1 Radiohead w/Teenage Fanclub @ Lakewood Civic Aud. (OK Computer Tour) ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 07 Nov 1999 01:01:01 -0700 From: Stacy Lynn Subject: Have I ever told you.... At 01:18 AM 11/08/1999 -0500, john_oc@juno.com wrote: >I just saw Wilco and Matthew Sweet live in Columbus. Have I ever told you how much John rocks? I am so envious of all who have seen Matthew Sweet on his tour, and yes, I agree with John... his new album needs to be raved about. Too bad you missed out on the John Faye Powertrip-awesome band, but DAMN, you saw Wilco on the same bill. You got me into wilco, John, when you had me listen to summerteeth. Now, while I am not as big a fan as you, I definately am more than just a casual listener to them. THANK YOU. Basically, this post was to tell everyone how superb John's musical tastes are, and I hope some day mine become as refined as his. He knows his shit, when he says somthing is good, he will tell you why, and you should listen and believe him. I try to convey that, but I think John does it best. As for best concerts? Ben Folds Five/Jude club rio june 6, 1999 Ben Folds Five club rio february 9, 1998 Euphone/Jets to Brazil/Joan of Arc/The Promise Ring Tramps (NYC) november 1998 Ben Lee/Rufus Wainwright april 1999 And well, there are lots more, but those are the tops. TMBG at Irving Plaza is probably up there, as well as another Ben Lee show, perhaps another Jude show... Stacy What was best of all was the longing look you gave me... that longing look... More than enough to keep me fed all year. -XTC "Harvest Festival" *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Stacy Flatt stacyf@u.arizona.edu Assistant Director Eat to the Beat Concerts University of Arizona 520.621.1111 (office 10am-1pm mon, wed, fri pacific time) http://www.u.arizona.edu/~stacyf ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ------------------------------ End of The Rockford Files V2 #290 *********************************