From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V10 #42 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, March 14 2009 Volume 10 : Number 042 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] I like it ! [Ronnie de Champs ] Re: [RS] I like it ! [] [RS] stop to listen ["Deana" ] Re: [RS] stop to listen [Janet Cinelli ] Re: [RS] stop to listen [] Re: [RS] stop to listen [Chris Foxwell ] [RS] SOTU Lyrics - Help Required... [Chris and Gill George Subject: [RS] I like it ! Yesterday NFN arrived and I have played it constantly ever since. I have to admit on first listen I was a little disappointed (maybe because I had memories of solo acoustic versions of quite a few of the songs) but after listening to the album quite a few times now, I think it is one of Richard's best. The only one I am not too keen of is the Spanish song (probably mainly because I haven't the faintest idea what it is about :-0)) but the others are excellent. My favorites are State of the Union, Bye Bye (even though I think Ron was right and Richard messed up the lyrics on the recording) and Gethsemani Goodbye. Pity there is no booklet with lyrics included, I really think that is a miss. This seems to happen to quite a few albums lately, probably to keep costs down but I would gladly have paid a little more to get a booklet included. Onto the EP now! Ronnie somewhere near Amsterdam _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 11:30:36 -0700 From: Subject: Re: [RS] I like it ! >> I have to admit on first listen I was a little disappointed (maybe because I had memories of solo acoustic versions of quite a few of the songs) << What's disappointing me the most so far is TMB: Too Much Bouzouki. I like the sound of the instrument enough, I guess -- at least to the extent that I bought Richard's Peterson bouzouki last year -- but I like it more as a color instrument rather than a lead instrument. There's nothing in the world I like more than the sound of Richard Shindell playing acoustic guitar, and that sound just doesn't seem to be center stage on most of NFN's songs. Even during the days of Larry Campbell's sometimes heavy-handed production, or the plethora of funky instruments on "Vuelta," at the center of each song was Richard and his acoustic guitar. This is a really big deal for me. RG ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:59:37 GMT From: "Deana" Subject: [RS] stop to listen I just copied this story from a mailing by Shane Butler, who organizes music events in Ojai, CA. Thought you all would like to read it too: And finally here is a little (true) story that brings home the need to appreciate good music when and where you find it: A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in his case and without stopping continued on. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen, but looked at his watch and headed off. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100. This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? AND I am still waiting for my belated early order of Not Far Now...but I'm sure it's on the way. I'll see Dar Wiliams in Santa Barbara in April (at Soho...got to see Richard there too a few years ago and I just couldn't stop grinning at him as he set up while we were eating dinner)...I'll ask again about Dar and Lucy and Richard...I know lots of us keep asking. I don't think I've ever asked her about it though. Deana "If Jesus were alive today, we would kill him with lethal injection. I call that progress. We would have to kill him for the same reason he was killed the first time. His ideas are just too liberal." Kurt Vonnegut ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:53:09 -0700 (PDT) From: Janet Cinelli Subject: Re: [RS] stop to listen I won tickets to see Dar play tonight and to go to a meet and greet. If I can get my courage up, I will ask her about a Cry3 reunion. Don't get your hopes up though, I'm a pretty shy person when it comes to meeting my folk heroes. Some thoughts on the new cd: I don't know if it's the start of me going deaf but I swear I hear a phone ringing at the very end of Parasol Ants. Does anyone else hear it? Maybe I'm just losing it. I really prefer the version of Mariana's Table that is on the EP. I like the guitar part on it. Right Ron? That's him playing his acoustic? The one on the album has a much different feel. I like the added verses to Balloon Man and State of the Union. I'm not sure if I ever heard him sing these verses in concert. I think this album might just be my new favorite Richard album. Before this one, I'd say Blue Divide was it. Off to iron my Dar shirt! Janet PS I like that story you sent Deana. Whenever I'm in Penn Station, they usually have some musician playing there and I always stop to listen, if only for a minute. But it's true, no one seems to ever pay attention to the music and when it stops, no one notices. Such a pity. - --- On Sat, 3/14/09, Deana wrote: ...I'll ask > again about Dar and Lucy and Richard...I know lots of us > keep asking. I don't think I've ever asked her about it > though. > Deana > > > "If Jesus were alive today, we would kill him with lethal > injection. I call that progress. We would have to kill him > for the same reason he was killed the first time. His ideas > are just too liberal." Kurt Vonnegut ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:38:07 -0700 From: Subject: Re: [RS] stop to listen >> I like the added verses to Balloon Man and State of the Union. << The one in "Balloon Man" took me by surprise, and I found it to be extremely moving and helpful to the story. For those of you who didn't order (or don't yet have) the EP, it's at the end, before the last chorus: The balloons are pulling him backwards If he cut them all loose, he'd be free But he doesn't, he can't, and he never will Without them, what man would he be? RG ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:41:31 +0200 From: Chris Foxwell Subject: Re: [RS] stop to listen On Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 11:38 PM, wrote: > >> I like the added verses to Balloon Man and State of the Union. << > > The one in "Balloon Man" took me by surprise, and I found it to be > extremely moving and helpful to the story. For those of you who didn't > order (or don't yet have) the EP, it's at the end, before the last chorus: > > The balloons are pulling him backwards > If he cut them all loose, he'd be free > But he doesn't, he can't, and he never will > Without them, what man would he be? > > RG > Wow. That's beautiful. Chris - -- "We were born in a dark age out of due time (for us). But there is this comfort: otherwise we should not know, or so much love, what we do love. I imagine the fish out of water is the only fish to have an inkling of water." - --J.R.R. Tolkien ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:24:29 +0000 From: Chris and Gill George Subject: [RS] SOTU Lyrics - Help Required... Just an ignorant question from a non-American... What does the opening verse of SOTU mean..? "That nice easy mark at the edge of the park Was a slam dunk if ever I saw one I donbt know what happened, I just let it go by I guess maybe out of respect" Whilst I really appreciate Richard's ability to paint a deep, rich picture with just a few words, I just don't get what this is about... Help, please!! Thanks!! Chris G ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:11:54 +0200 From: Chris Foxwell Subject: Re: [RS] SOTU Lyrics - Help Required... On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 12:24 AM, Chris and Gill George < chris@caldecav.freeserve.co.uk> wrote: > What does the opening verse of SOTU mean..? > > "That nice easy mark at the edge of the park > > Was a slam dunk if ever I saw one > > I donb t know what happened, I just let it go by > > I guess maybe out of respect" A "mark" is most frequently used to refer to a target for a robbery. It's kind of a "thieves' slang" word. A "slam dunk" is used to refer to something that is very easy, a sure-win situation. Put together, we have the singer--apparently a petty thief--describing his spontaneous decision to let his easy victim walk away, out of respect for his being a fellow citizen of his hometown. Oh, and you're not being ignorant. :) Ignorance is pretending to know what something means while being too proud to inquire! Chris - -- "We were born in a dark age out of due time (for us). But there is this comfort: otherwise we should not know, or so much love, what we do love. I imagine the fish out of water is the only fish to have an inkling of water." - --J.R.R. Tolkien ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V10 #42 ***********************************