From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V5 #55 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 Monday, March 17 2003 Volume 05 : Number 055 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] Favorite songs rarely sung [BillyP122@aol.com] Re: [RS] Favorite songs rarely sung [adam31380@netscape.net] [RS] hours of ecstatic bliss (or, Richard & Tracy in Pittsburgh) [Vanessa] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 09:58:40 EST From: BillyP122@aol.com Subject: [RS] Favorite songs rarely sung Hi all, I bought Sparrows Point when it was first released. Before then, I'd never heard Richard sing -- I think the glued-on endorsement (was it from Christine Lavin ?) was what persuaded me to buy it. I'd never before bought anything that way, without hearing it first. Since then I've got all his CDs, although am sad to realize from this list that I have missed the compilations (esp. the Dylan one) to which he has contributed one song. I am a painter and his voice and thoughts have become treasured company to me in the isolation of my studio. I've not contributed to this group before but have been lurking off and on for a while. I've enjoyed the concert reports. I've attended lots of his concerts, hearing him solo, with Cry, Cry, Cry and with Joan Baez, whom I like very much. Frequently I drag along unsuspecting friends who all go home afterwards in a combined state of calm/excited, humming, racing and meandering through their thoughts and feeling impressed as if perhaps there is a purpose to all this. To my chagrin, I missed his last concert at the Point in September. I look forward to his upcoming concert in Media on April 5. Anyway, the point of this message: The song, one of many, that I love is "You Again." In the ten years of his concerts I've attended, I never heard him sing it until last year at the Tin Angel where he kindly sang it as a final encore. When I first heard it, because of events in my own life, I heard it not as a love song to someone living but as a remembrance to someone deceased. Years ago, I remember Mimi Farina used to sometimes juxtapose songs together, singing them as one (one after the other without pause). She'd most frequently do this with her own "In the Quiet Morning" and "Blues Prelude" -- the latter a devastatingly sad song. I liked her approach; she was able to play the "hits" the audience wanted to hear while keeping it creative for herself but reinventing them for herself by introducing them with newly learned songs. With this in mind, I'd love to hear Richard sing "I Am" followed by "You Again." I think it would be a beautiful kind of diptych of thoughts and feelings. Two extraordinary songs, and for whatever reason, I think of them as being even stronger together. Your pal, Bill ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 10:19:04 -0500 From: adam31380@netscape.net Subject: Re: [RS] Favorite songs rarely sung My first Richard Shindell show - in Mt Kisko, NY in 1999 - his encore was "You Again". It was a beautiful way to end a great show. Adam BillyP122@aol.com wrote: >Hi all, >I bought Sparrows Point when it was first released. Before then, I'd never >heard Richard sing -- I think the glued-on endorsement (was it from Christine >Lavin ?) was what persuaded me to buy it. I'd never before bought anything >that way, without hearing it first. Since then I've got all his CDs, >although am sad to realize from this list that I have missed the compilations >(esp. the Dylan one) to which he has contributed one song. I am a painter >and his voice and thoughts have become treasured company to me in the >isolation of my studio. >I've not contributed to this group before but have been lurking off and on >for a while. I've enjoyed the concert reports. I've attended lots of his >concerts, hearing him solo, with Cry, Cry, Cry and with Joan Baez, whom I >like very much. Frequently I drag along unsuspecting friends who all go home >afterwards in a combined state of calm/excited, humming, racing and >meandering through their thoughts and feeling impressed as if perhaps there >is a purpose to all this. To my chagrin, I missed his last concert at the >Point in September. I look forward to his upcoming concert in Media on April >5. >Anyway, the point of this message: The song, one of many, that I love is "You >Again." In the ten years of his concerts I've attended, I never heard him >sing it until last year at the Tin Angel where he kindly sang it as a final >encore. When I first heard it, because of events in my own life, I heard it >not as a love song to someone living but as a remembrance to someone >deceased. Years ago, I remember Mimi Farina used to sometimes juxtapose >songs together, singing them as one (one after the other without pause). >She'd most frequently do this with her own "In the Quiet Morning" and "Blues >Prelude" -- the latter a devastatingly sad song. I liked her approach; she >was able to play the "hits" the audience wanted to hear while keeping it >creative for herself but reinventing them for herself by introducing them >with newly learned songs. With this in mind, I'd love to hear Richard sing >"I Am" followed by "You Again." I think it would be a beautiful kind of >diptych of thoughts and feelings. Two extraordinary songs, and for whatever >reason, I think of them as being even stronger together. >Your pal, Bill ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 13:06:27 -0500 (EST) From: Vanessa C Wills Subject: [RS] hours of ecstatic bliss (or, Richard & Tracy in Pittsburgh) Last night was amazing. Amazing. I'm going to try not to just gush nonsensically, tho. I'm having trouble conjuring a setlist anywhere near exhaustive, so I'll do that later or maybe someone else will beat me to it. I met Sue, a lister (Hi, Sue!) and her husband standing in line before the show. The show was sold out. It started at 7:30 and doors opened at 6. When I got there at 5:50, a line had already started forming down the block. I was, however, able to get a reasonably good table--up front, but to the side of the stage. Ah, well, such is life. Many folks wound up sitting on the floor or standing for the show, so I was happy to get my little table. Tracy played the first set, opening with "Gunmetal Eyes." I thought that after nine months, the emotions Dave's passing awakened in me would at least be under my control. Not at all. As soon as Tracy started talking about Dave and what a great talent and what a great person he was, tears sprang to my eyes and stayed there for the entire set. I brought a friend with me who didn't know anything about Richard or Dave & Tracy. She was also in tears during Tracy's set. I think though, that as someone unfamiliar with Dave Carter, the mood was somber in a way that was hard to deal with. For me, it was good to be in a room full of people who felt the same way I did, but I think for her, it was imply sad, without the upshot of its being a healing experience. She absolutely loved the songs and commented on how good Dave's lyrics were. And through Tracy's words, and the reactions of the crowd, I think she did get a sense of how important Dave was. There is a motorcycle bar near the Club Cafe. These motorcyclists park their vehicles outside the Club Cafe, and apparently, they had somewhere to go last night. Every so often, the show would be interrupted by the motorcycles revving and snorting and being verrry loud and obnoxious. Serendipitously, this had the effect of bringing some levity to the evening; unexpected moments of comic relief. It is so wonderful for us that Tracy is keeping this music alive. One, because Dave's songs were so special, and two, because Tracy is so talented and her voice is so beautiful. It's amazing to see her play live. The highlight of her set, I thought, was "The Mountain." Unbelievably powerful. She played it with Richard and with a bassist named Byron touring with them. His playing added just the right touches and he complemented Tracy without distracting attention from her. At the end, all three broke into an (almost) a cappella chant of the Sumerian lines. Tracy's voice with the two male voices echoing through the room was incredible. Absolutely one of the most perfect musical moments I've ever experienced. It helps that the Club Cafe has incredible sound (I tend to be picky). After a brief break, Richard came on for his set. He opened with "Wisteria." I hadn't seen him play for what seemed like an eternity, so it was really nice to hear him again. Some new ones were "Gray Green," "Che Guevara T-Shirt," and "The Island." Well, "The Island" isn't super-new (he did a version of it when I saw him last July at Concerts Under the Stars) but when I talked to him about it after the show, he indicated that he had changed the last two verses since then. I love that song. Richard's still not satisfied with it, and I look forward to seeing where it goes. Richard also did "Cold Missouri Waters," which was an unexpected treat. He's got a new guitar--only four days old! It's a very cool-looking thing. :-) Or in the words of Richard, "Isn't that the baddest thing you ever saw?" It sounded great. I'm realizing now that I should have asked him for details. Ah, well. Richard sounded as good as ever. As much as I enjoy him with a band, there's almost nothing I prefer to just Richard with a guitar. Although Richard with Byron on bass and Tracy harmonizing and/or fiddling is just as good. :-) But yeah, when I hear Richard live, I prefer a pretty stripped-down sound and that's what we got last night. I was loving it. Even "Are You Happy Now" sounded fresh last night. My friend loved Richard. I bought her a copy of "Courier" as a very belated Christmas present. After the show, I left the main concert area for a moment and I could hear "When I Go" playing. When I returned, I gasped when I saw a projection of Dave and Tracy playing at the Club Cafe last summer. It was nice for my friend to see Dave Carter performing, but it was still so . . . jarring. I just stared at the screen for a while. It was beautiful to see that relationship that they had on stage, the way they would look at eachother with such love and respect, the way playing together gave them so much joy. But the footage was hard to process. Richard will be at Falcon Ridge, and so will Tracy, so I'm looking forward to that. And then Richard will be at King of Prussia in August; Concerts Under the Stars is always a great place to hear music. So, in summation: Wow. That was perfect. - --V ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V5 #55 **********************************