From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V2 #49 Reply-To: shindell-list@smoe.org Sender: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk shindell-list-digest Saturday, April 29 2000 Volume 02 : Number 049 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] EXTRA TICKET TO RICHARD @ THE IRON HORSE TONIGHT! [Katie Mahoney ] [RS] Bottom Line [Gf212121@aol.com] [RS] Richard at the Iron Horse!! ["Norman A. Johnson" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000 09:07:30 -0400 From: Katie Mahoney Subject: [RS] EXTRA TICKET TO RICHARD @ THE IRON HORSE TONIGHT! Hi all! Due to either my failure as a ticket-salesperson, or the remarkable unavailability of all my folk-lovin' friends on the night of the 28th, I have been left with ONE (1) extra ticket to Richard at the Iron Horse TONIGHT (April 28), which I would dearly love to sell to one of you nice people, because I know how many of you were just dying for an excuse to hang out in Northampton tonight, and now's your chance! I guess I'll offer it for $14, since I don't want to undermine Julie's offer :-) (although I could probably be persuaded to sell it for $10, if you asked nicely . . . ) I'll be in the vicinity of the Iron Horse from about 5:00 on, and I think I'll only be able to check my email once more today, at about 3, which means that you can set up whatever sort of arrangements you want and I'll pretty much confirm them unconditionally. Okay, so this is an incredibly stupid and last-minute way to sell a ticket, but just think: you get to save a bunch of money on the ticket, see the fabulous Mr. Shindell, and make me extremely happy. So pleeeeeeease email me and tell me that you want my ticket and make arrangements (something like "I'm getting there at 6, we can meet right outside the Iron Horse, I'm the woman with glasses and a red raincoat" would be great). Ciao! Katie Of The Terrible Ticket Dilemmas ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000 15:11:37 -0400 From: Katie Mahoney Subject: [RS] Um, forget what I just said Hi guys! It suddenly occurred to me that offering to sell my ticket for less than I bought it for is probably completely illegal, and, as a Y/H affiliate, I must be setting an extremely bad example. So let me amend my previous post: I will not be selling it for anything less than the full and complete face value of $14. Heh. Ciao! Katie ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Fri Apr 28 22:09:54 2000 From: Gf212121@aol.com Subject: [RS] Bottom Line Hi, According to Ron G, who I finally had the privilege to meet at the 10:30 show last night, there were quite a few 'listers' at the Bottom Line last night. What did you all think? I thought the sound Richard achieved with the band was outstanding. Larry Campbell's fiddle on 'Wisteria' was breathtaking, and his guitar intro to 'Transit' absolutely rocked. 'Shades of Grey' was another killer performance. I could go on and on.... Before the show, Ron said that Richard looked like he was having a lot of fun during the 7:30 show, and I have to agree. Even though the house was around half-full, the energy was way up there. So we got home at 3 AM...it was worth it. Gene Frey ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000 23:54:26 -0400 From: "Norman A. Johnson" Subject: [RS] Richard at the Iron Horse!! I just returned from Richard's wonderful performance at the Iron Horse. First, it was great to finally meet and talk with both Lisa and Kerry. It was also great to see Katie again. Jess Klein opened and was sometimes accompanied by Megan Toohey (spelling?). I've seen her before with a full band and I think her material is generally better presented WITHOUT the band. Jess told of a new song of hers, inspired by Richard. In her song, a young American woman is "half a mile from Mexico" with her Mexican boyfriend-- and I guess the point is when they press on or not. OK... Now the big surprise.... Are you ready? Do you really want to hear this? Jess played "Fleur-de-Lis". Yes, I'm not kidding. It was faster than Richard's version but quite good. Richard came wearing a coat but took it off within two songs. He was accompanied by Larry Campbell, Lincoln Schleifer, and somebody else (on drums). Larry Campbell is every good as I thought he'd be. The I-80 songs opened and closed the main set ("Next Best Western" and "Transit" respectively). In between these, he played songs scattered from all of his CDs. In chronological order of the CDs... "Are You Happy Now" (with spoken story) "Kenworth" (full band, fast, and with original "God-damned truck line) "Fishing" (**stunning**) "Mary Magdalen" (He flubbed the first verse. Instead of "please excuse these rags I'm in", he did "I'm sorry that.. I'm out of work". In addition to the now customary flip-flop of verses, he also did the final chorus as "Jesus *loves* me" like Dar's version) "Arrowhead" (fast, also flubbed a line-- did "they're treating me right well" instead of "if you could see me now" at the end of that verse). "Next Best Western", "Reunion Hill" (very slow with just Larry-- beautiful but a very different song, mention of writing a song for Joan) "Sing Me Back Home" (first encore, fittingly right after the prison choir of "Transit") "Shades of Grey" (with Richard and Larry jamming for a long time at the end) "Confession" (I think he skipped the first "sometimes I get down on my knees" part. He mentioned his son's "Hey, duck" mondegren after singing the song. "Some day when he's ten... or thirty... It's going to hit him that this song is not about a duck). "Abeulita" (he mentioned that 60 minutes just had a program on this subject) "You Stay Here" (WOW!) "My Love Will Follow" (2nd encore) "Wisteria" and of course, "Transit", opened with a prolonged, surreal jamming session of Richard and Larry. Lisa, Kerry, Katie, did I get them all? Norman ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 01:21:26 -0400 From: "L. Davis" Subject: Re: [RS] Richard at the Iron Horse!! Hello all, to follow up on Norman's remarks. I took some "notes" (not usual for me) but of course I have already misplaced them. It's fun and impressive to see Richard getting all this acclaim, standing ovations, audience-members shouting out things -- somebody shouted "the new CD is *fabulous*," to which Richard archly replied "you're a *fabulous* audience" -- wild applause after each song, packed houses, and now radio spots, interviews, reviews in all the bigger papers -- makes me feel quite maternal :) (we are the same age however) Norman kindly saved me a seat, which was a big help since I had the long drive on a weeknight. >Richard came wearing a coat but took it off within two songs. with a 'what was I *thinking*?" Maybe wanted some very elegant photographs?? I don't know much about guitar *but,* struck me that the bass was just right, Larry Campbell is amazing, a wizard. (Also terrific fiddle player.) I'm ambivalent on the drums. Sometimes they are great (Confession). Quite often they seem rather uninspired. Maybe they should be used sparingly. Norman and I agreed that Larry Campbell + Richard would be dynamite anywhere. I'd say larry Campbell got easily 30% of the applause to Richard's 70%! Now we don't want that balance to tip or anything! Especially on "Shades of Grey" when we *know* how well Richard can do that picking! >"Are You Happy Now" (with spoken story) This sounded terrific with the band, different from Sparrow's Point, more alive, and he made it funnier. He'd practiced talking while strumming a la Arlo Guthrie and worked that in well. >"Kenworth" (full band, fast, and with original "God-damned truck line) ditto >"Mary Magdalen" (He flubbed the first verse. Instead of "please excuse these rags I'm in", he did "I'm sorry that.. I'm out of work". In addition to the now customary flip-flop of verses, he also did the final chorus as "Jesus *loves* me" like Dar's version) True but overall it was terrific. >"Reunion Hill" (very slow with just Larry-- beautiful but a very different song, mention of writing a song for Joan) I've heard this "slow" version twice, the first tiem being at yale. I do like Reunion Hill acoustic, but I'm not won over to it *this* slow. Just a bit faster please. :) Beautifully sung, of course. Tremendous to have Larry's violin on this. If you haven't seen Larry Campbell (I hadn't) he looks very much the rock star (hair, build etc.) with the silent, deadpan musician attitude, expressionless, totally focused on what his hands are doing, although he did joke with Richard. It's great that someone that accomplished obviously thinks the world of Richard's abilities. >Shades of Grey" (with Richard and Larry jamming for a long time at the end) that was terrific, just terrific. >Confession" (I think he skipped the first "sometimes I get down on my knees" part. Larry and bass did the backing vocals at the end. Not to beat a subject to death :) :) :) but a propos of the "what does it mean" issue, I have a new theory to propose. If you notice, I don't think that Richard has any songs that have *villains.* even "Fishing" – the INS agent is villainous but you still get into his head, these images, etc. Even angry songs don't have human villains. Even "Things That I Have Seen," while angry, doesn't pinpoint blame exactly. Richard is a story-teller, not a polemicist. He's not scoring points. I submit that these songs are generally about understanding the characters, not criticizing them. Therefore, whatever Richard might think is an appropriate solution to the pleas of the character in 'Confession," I think we can agree that he isn't in some sense admonishing him. This thought arose during Confession and fishing. Wish he'd done "Money for Floods," but that's for a quieter show. Or (see below). >"You Stay Here" (WOW!) It struck me that this song is most powerful not for its words but for the terrific and complex *music.* You musicians out there, am I right? The rhythm of the guitar counterpoints the song. Must be hard to play, I should think. With larry and Richard doing the work it was somethign to see. >"Wisteria" This is such a lovely *tune,* tears spring to your eyes just hearing it. >and of course, "Transit", opened with a prolonged, surreal jamming session of Richard and Larry. Yes, very electric. Some overall constructive criticism/suggestions. I think when they do this band thing, which is very effective, terrific, it needs some varying. They did *some* of that but could do more. Not all band songs, have some solos interspersed, or very spare arrangements with no drums, on a few songs scattered throughout. When they're together, I think I would have had more voice, becuase while Richard has a strong voice and can belt it out, his singing is better when he doesn't have to try to ride out over the other guitars, and he's not used to doing that either. Some of his effective singing is nearly a whisper, and obviously that requires more amplification. I was also reminded of a group I like very much, Del Amitri. Particularly with their 3rd album, what caught the ear was the prominence given to the lead singer's voice, a good balance of silences or spare arrangemenst with what is overall a basic rock treatment. I don't know that Richard actually can *tell* whether his voice is loud enough when he's in a band like that. I mean presumably he can normally, but the perception might be skewed by where he is and the power generated by the amplification of electric guitar, etc. Anyway the point is I would have thought a bit more voice and either more judicious use of drumming, or more inventive drumming style. But obviously these are just fussy little suggestions -- it was great! Especially when you think of how little time they've had to perform together! lisa :) ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V2 #49 **********************************