From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V12 #379 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, February 16 2013 Volume 12 : Number 379 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [RS] Much Madness, Round Two [Shelda Eggers ] [RS] Sanctuary Concerts -- seating [Pete Jameson ] Re: [RS] I see Richard Tonight ! Chatam Township - Sanctuary Concerts [La] [RS] Pictures of Richard [Pete Jameson ] Re: [RS] Pictures of Richard ["cvz" ] Re: [RS] Much Madness, Round Two [=?utf-8?q?john_cl=C3=A9irigh?= ] [RS] 2nd Round [Phueber@aol.com] [RS] RG's Round Two Picks. [] Re: [RS] Much Madness, Round Two [CLAIRE LATHAM ] RE: [RS] RG's Round Two Picks. [Susan Koval ] Re: [RS] 2nd Round [] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:59:48 -0600 From: Shelda Eggers Subject: Re: [RS] Much Madness, Round Two >Let the games continue. Some of these pairings are just excruciating! But no, I say, not *those* two! Some were easy, a few agonizing. But I guess that's sort of the point. 1. Wisteria (but ouch) 2. Balloon Man 3. Reunion Hill Reunion Hill is just a perfect song: haunting images, an incredibly sweet melody that fits the song to a "t," the heartbreak of it all. 4. Mary Magdalene (and what Norman said) 5. State of the Union 6. Sparrows Point 7. Transit Summer Wind, Cotton Dress Actually not sure I can make this choice. Which child to throw from the train? Surely if I can choose between Last Fare and Arrowhead, I can do this one. Hmmm... apparently not. I suppose I could flip a coin, but I think I'll just abstain. They are so entirely different songs, and both are exemplars of two of the things Richard does best: the deep mystical strangeness of Transit, the painful emotions expressed so clearly with such spare imagery of SWCD. Not to mention someone about to blow his life all to hell. Can't (won't) choose. 8. Abuelita 9. The Next Best Western 10. Che Guevara T-Shirt 11. Nora 12. Kenworth of my Dreams 13. The Courier 14. Are You Happy Now 15. Juggler Out in Traffic 16. Last Fare Of The Day Oh, good grief, that last one was painful. And it's only going to get worse in round three, isn't it? Best, Shelda ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:10:00 -0500 From: Pete Jameson Subject: [RS] Sanctuary Concerts -- seating Dude, Saw Tom Russell & Jesse Winchester there a few years back -- seating is first come, first served...arrive early! But there are no bad seats -- see if he changes the words to Kenworth in a church setting... Kephas in PA On Feb 15, 2013, at 11:50 AM, Laurence Krulik wrote: > I'll be there. Does anyone know what the seating situation is there? > First come first serve? Any standing room areas? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:50:47 -0500 From: Laurence Krulik Subject: Re: [RS] I see Richard Tonight ! Chatam Township - Sanctuary Concerts I'll be there. Does anyone know what the seating situation is there? First come first serve? Any standing room areas? On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 9:19 AM, Bob Paterson wrote: > Hello - > Ha Ha! Tonight I get to see Richard and Lucy at a very nice church in > Chatam, > New Jersey. > Thank you for bringing me up to date on some of the brand new songs I can > now > listen for. > If anyone else from this list is there ... and you see a 6 foot 1 inch guy > in > a red Rutgers hat - a bigwhite R in the middle if the brim - that will be > me > probably. Please do say "hello". > Concert is Sold-out .. but I am told if you get there EARLY ... and wait in > line ... there's a real chanceof getting in - as some stupid people who > have > subscriptions to all the concerts in the series decidenot to show up at the > last minute. No guarantees. > Still - Richard and Lucy. Oh boy ... Oh boy... Oh boy. > sanctuaryconcerts.org > See ya..... Bob Paterson ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:48:08 -0500 From: Pete Jameson Subject: [RS] Pictures of Richard Richard's picture graces the latest email from nodepression.com, from last week-end's Connecticut show. (still working on my picks): http://www.nodepression.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=3pwfawfzrifb4 Cephas in PA ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:13:36 -0500 From: "cvz" Subject: Re: [RS] Pictures of Richard I like his hair that way. Shorter and a bit messy. carrie in bb Richard's picture graces the latest email from nodepression.com, from last week-end's Connecticut show. (still working on my picks): http://www.nodepression.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=3pwfawfzrifb4 Cephas in PA ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Feb 2013 00:16:03 -0000 From: =?utf-8?q?john_cl=C3=A9irigh?= Subject: Re: [RS] Much Madness, Round Two 1. Wisteria 2. I Saw My Youth Today 3. Fenario 4. Mary Magdalene 5. There Goes Mavis 6. Cancion Sencilla 7. Summer Wind, Cotton Dress 8. Abuelita 9. The Next Best Western 10. Che Guevara T-Shirt 11. Nora 12. May 13. The Courier 14. You Stay Here 15. Juggler Out in Traffic 16. Last Fare Of The Day - -john ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 23:50:57 -0500 From: Vanessa Wills Subject: Re: [RS] Much Madness, Round Two 1. Ascent vs. *Wisteria* Things are heating up this round because I adore almost every one of these songs. Pairing (1) is no exception. "Wisteria" takes this match-up because I always marvel at how Richard brings together the nostalgia for and distance of the past together with the immediacy of the protagonist's rush of memory and emotion in the present. 2. *Balloon Man* vs. I Saw My Youth Today That "Balloon Man" wins this is sort of a surprise even to me, but I've been warming up to this song. I listened recently to an interview Richard did a few years back where he talked about how he wrote "Balloon Man" as a response to the question he got all the time: "So what's it like living in Argentina?" Don't know how or why but something just clicked for me then and I started to feel like kind of a heel for calling the song "undermotivated". This week, I also learned how to play this song using the chords on Ron's site as my guide, and I dunno... I'm starting to appreciate the "song-portrait" aspect of it more. "Balloon Man" would never beat out something like "The Courier" or "Wisteria", but "I saw My Youth Today"? Sure. 3. Fenario vs. *Reunion Hill* "Fenario" is a gorgeous song. But "Reunion Hill", and I think I mentioned this already in Round One but I'm saying it again, includes one of my favorite punny lines, "I wiped the brow of many a soldier/Dousing for my husband's face". I have to say I actually like the production on the studio album, although I do prefer just Richard + guitar. Bonus comment: I came across this heavy metal cover of "Fenario" someone uploaded to YouTube a couple days ago. The execution's pretty rough, but I thought it was sort of interesting, and at least the people behind this project actually seem to *like* the song they're covering. And I can see how a metal version of "Fenario" could totally work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTC-ojIv38o 4. *By Now* vs. Mary Magdalene Time for a confession. There are things about "Mary Magdalene" that bug me. I've always found the line "It was his career or mine" and the twist on the "Jesus loves me, this I know" hymn too clever by half. OK, there--I said it! "By Now" on the other hand, is flawless. 5. There Goes Mavis vs. *State of the Union* What is there to say, even? "State of the Union" is one of the best songs Richard has ever written. And while "Mavis" has worn me down over the years and I like it a lot more now than I did when I first heard it, it simply does not approach that level of greatness. 6. Sparrows Point vs. *Canci**sn Sencilla* This is a toughie. "Sparrows Point" is a gorgeous, gorgeous song. I'm not sure which is The Better Song, but the one I love better is "CancisnSencilla". I love that for a tune titled "Simple Song", it is so deceptively complex with the wonderful wordplay Richard employs. 7. Transit vs. *Summer Wind, Cotton Dress* Aaaah, this is a tough one, too! You know, there is no doubt in my mind that "Transit" is the superior song. But when I first started listening to Richard, SWCD is one that he would play a lot and it was one of the songs that helped make me a fan. I associate it so much with folk festivals, fresh air, hippie-wear, and summer in general. (OK, I just had to go and put this song on. Gosh, the recurring theme of this whole exercise for me has been: I need to listen to the "Blue Divide" album more!! Somehow it's slipped through the cracks.) 8. *Fishing* vs. Abuelita Back in the early Noughties, Richard performed this song in concert differently than he does on the "Blue Divide" album and differently than he does now. He would play the song fast, aggressively, and sing it with a more distinct note of menace in his voice. He would disappear into the INS agent. This is the version of "Fishing" that, for me, beats out "Abuelita", which is itself a great song. When Richard would perform "Fishing" that way, it sent shivers up and down my spine. 9. *The Next Best Western* vs. On A Sea Of Fleur-de-Lis "Best Western" probably gets a boost here from the fact I know what the heck it means! Although I do love "Fleur-de-Lis". Again, one of the songs that made me an RS-fan in the first place. 10. Money for Floods vs. *Che Guevara T-Shirt* "Che" has a better story and is more complex both lyrically and musically. Richard's become a better, more confident, and more expressive singer over the years and the studio recording of "Che" really benefits from this, as well. 11. *Nora* vs. The Weather It's "Nora"!!! It wins this match for the same reasons I voted for it in Round One. It's a song that always leaves me wanting more, more, more. 12. *May* vs. Kenworth of my Dreams This kills me, to vote against "Kenworth". But "May" is one of those songs where Richard manages to squeeze a whole film into a few short minutes of lyrics and notes. 13. *The Courier* vs. The Things That I Have Seen How can I really decide between these two? For me, this was the most agonizing choice. I listened to "Things That I Have Seen" again, and I think this match-up goes to "The Courier", which is more cohesive and has better lines like of course the famous, "I am the string pulled by the sure hand/Animating what was still". And I love the idea of the importance of words, of personal communication, in the middle of something as horrifying and chaotic as a battlefield. 14. You Stay Here vs. *Are You Happy Now* The darkness of "Are You Happy Now" gets overlooked a lot, I feel. It starts out with a(n extremely) thinly-veiled suicide metaphor and goes right into the protagonist sneering "Are you happy now?" I know it's got a snappy tune and is jam-packed with witticisms, but there's also more than meets the eye here. "You Stay Here" is incredible, of course, but the mix of darkness and humor in "Are You Happy Now", plus the fact that it was an early fave, makes AYHN the winner of this round for me. This is true in spite of the fact that if the truth be known, I would be OK with hearing it live in concert less. 15. Waiting for the Storm vs. *Juggler Out in Traffic* I've talked a lot already in other posts about "Juggler", so I'll be short and sweet here. I'll just say that I find "Juggler" far more thought-provoking and engaging than I do "Waiting for the Storm," although I like "Waiting for the Storm". 16. Arrowhead vs. *Last Fare Of The Day* "Last Fare of the Day" is an impeccably constructed song. OK, so is "Arrowhead". Honestly, I don't have any especially strong preference for one of the other because they are both wonderful. But "Last Fare of the Day" grabs me just a teensy bit more and it's also one that is great for introducing people who are not die-hard folkies to Richard's music. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:32:58 -0500 (EST) From: Phueber@aol.com Subject: [RS] 2nd Round 1. Wisteria 2. I Saw My Youth Today 3. Reunion Hill 4. By Now / Mary Magdalene - I really like both of these songs for completely different reasons. Love the story and point of view in Mary Magdalene but I think the melody, guitar riff, Gorka's harmonies and the haunting fiddle puts By Now over the top for me. The darkness wins out. 5. State of the Union, although neither of these songs are among my favorites. 6. Sparrows Point 7. Transit in another close match-up. While not one of my favorite songs, the craftsmanship of this song is absolute genius. 8. Fishing / Abuelita - This is like Duke and Michigan St. meeting in the 2nd Round. The Selection Committee may have to be placed in the Witness Protection Program for putting these two songs against each other so early on. ;) Love them both but Abuelita is such a sadly beautiful song. Gotta go with that. I think... 9. On A Sea Of Fleur-de-Lis 10. Money for Floods 11. Nora 12. May 13. The Courier 14. You Stay Here - This was an easy one for me. AYHN was funny the first time and cute the next couple times but songs like this wear thin for me over the long run. You Stay Here, on the other hand, blows me away as much now as it did when I first heard it. 15. Juggler Out in Traffic 16. Last Fare Of The Day - Another song where I admire the brilliant craftsmanship of the song, although I don't go back to it as much as some of his others. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:01:05 -0800 From: Subject: [RS] RG's Round Two Picks. At first I thought this might be difficult, but in reality, not even close. It turns out that there are just a bunch of Shindell songs that I love no matter what, and that some songs that others love ("Abuelita," "There Goes Mavis," "Nora," and others) just don't do much for me, and certainly not when they're put up against my RS favorites. 1. Wisteria (over Ascent) "Wisteria" just means too much to me to not choose it. I can even imagine it winning the tournament. 2. I Saw My Youth Today (over Balloon Man) As much as I love "Balloon Man," it really is only that extra verse on the EP that pulled it over the top for me in the last round. So, sorry to pop the balloon, but "I Saw My Youth Today" is one of the Richard Shindell songs that makes me cry. 3. Reunion Hill (over Fenario) I heard Richard do this song in 1996 just a couple of days after he wrote it -- with some slight differences to the final version -- and knew right then that it just might be the best song he ever writes. Another one I can see as a potential tournament winner, despite the production on the studio CD. The version on the Randolph live CD, which I was just listening to yesterday, is far superior. 4. By Now (over Mary Magdalene) I'm going with Mary A. over Mary M. 5. State of the Union (over There Goes Mavis) That nice easy mark at the edge of the park is an orange canary. 6. Sparrows Point (over Cancion Sencilla) Lo siento, mis amigos; my head is held mostly down. I hate to see "Cancion Sencilla" go, but, well, dude, it's up against "Sparrows Point." 7. Transit (over Summer Wind, Cotton Dress) Because I lived Right Near Paterson, and was one of the lucky folks who listened in slack-jawed amazement at Fez back in 1999 when Richard introduced the half-finished version. And I'll continue to vote for it as long as I can to make it up to Charlie Hunter for us not liking the "fleur-de-lis with a tire iron through it" T-shirt idea. 8. Fishing (over Abuelita) Richard is two, count 'em, TWO characters in one song. However, much prefer the "Blue Divide" and "Courier" versions over the newer, slower ones. 9. The Next Best Western (over On A Sea Of Fleur-de-Lis) The song that was my introduction to DADGAD. 10. Che Guevara T-Shirt (over Money for Floods) "Che" is simply a classic RS story, and I have the T-shirt to prove it. 11. The Weather (over Nora) Gotta go with fun over serious. 12. May (over Kenworth of my Dreams)' Gotta go with serious over fun. 13. The Courier (over The Things That I Have Seen) If anyone wants "The Courier" out of this tournament, you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands. 14. You Stay Here (over Are You Happy Now) "Are You Happy Now" is Richard's "Dead Skunk" . . . the song I bet I wish he could stop playing, but still keeps plugging into his set list because he thinks people want to hear it. 15. Waiting for the Storm (over Juggler Out in Traffic) Love every recorded version, every live version, every video version. 16. Last Fare Of The Day (over Arrowhead) Two great stories, two great character pieces, but "Last Fare of the Day" is an epic. Although I still don't get why he went with "the heavens give," which screwed up the rhyme in the last verse. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:41:44 +0000 (GMT) From: CLAIRE LATHAM Subject: Re: [RS] Much Madness, Round Two 1. Wisteria. Pure preference. 2. Balloon Man - whilst there are particular lines that resonate in ISMYT, I love the sentiment of Balloon Man and the extra verse... 3. Reunion Hill... I'm a sucker for war songs from the female perspective and this is one of the best. I saw Richard on his own in 2011 and he sang this absolutely simply and beautifully. You truly could have heard a pin drop. 4. Mary Magdalen - first song of his I heard and the first I learned. 5. State of the Union - I've just always liked it since hearing it on the EP. 6. Cancion Sencilla - for reasons prev stated. Comes over well live, too. 7. Summer Wind Cotton Dress - a tough decision but I love this type of honest song and pretty melody. 8. Fishing. 9.On A Sea Of Fleur-De-Lis- how can there be a nonsense song with a message? I'm sure I don't yet get all the references. 10. Che Guevara T-shirt 11. The Weather 12. Kenworth of My Dreams 13. The Courier 14. You Stay Here - look for you tube videos of RS with Show of Hands doing this. 15. I can't separate these two... Oh, help! Umm, I'll go with Arrowhead as quintessentially RS and the one I crank up in the car. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:27:49 -0800 From: Subject: Re: [RS] Much Madness, Round Two >> How were the pairings decided? << Randomly. All titles printed out and cut into individual pieces, then picked out two at a time. >> Will there be more wild cards? << Not planning on it. If there are any ties, I'll figure something out. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:55:57 -0500 From: Susan Koval Subject: RE: [RS] RG's Round Two Picks. I never minded this phrasing but I always remember that it irks Ron whenever I hear this song. :) - ----- 16. Last Fare Of The Day (over Arrowhead) Two great stories, two great character pieces, but "Last Fare of the Day" is an epic. Although I still don't get why he went with "the heavens give," which screwed up the rhyme in the last verse. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:11:51 -0800 From: Subject: Re: [RS] 2nd Round >> Fishing / Abuelita - This is like Duke and Michigan St. meeting in the 2nd Round. The Selection Committee may have to be placed in the Witness Protection Program for putting these two songs against each other so early on. << The Selection Committee would like to remind folks that Abuelita lost to Wisteria 26-15 in the first round, barely getting off a shot in the final quarter. It only managed to sneak into the round at all via the kindness of the Selection Committee. Heh. This is fun. RG ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V12 #379 ************************************