From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V9 #124 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 Friday, July 27 2007 Volume 09 : Number 124 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] New songs! ["Chris Foxwell" ] Re: [RS] New songs! [Rongrittz@aol.com] Re: [RS] New songs! [Tom Huot ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:44:31 -0400 From: "Chris Foxwell" Subject: [RS] New songs! Richard played Club Passim in Boston last night, and naturally I signed up to work the show. Due to great good luck, and the generosity of my fellow volunteers, things were relatively quiet out front during the show and I was able to sit in and hear the entire set. Richard broke out three songs that I had never heard before, and I liked all of them. Apparently the new record is well along; he started recording in May, I think, and although it's too early to set a date, he said that it would be along "sooner rather than later." The first new song was called "Balloon Man," and it is about a person who wanders Buenos Aires selling ballons. He is "absolutely crazy, but totally harmless," and sells balloons to passers-by, carrying a big contraption that inflates and displays the balloons. I really liked the song, though I don't know how to describe it; it's a lovingly descriptive song rather than a narrative story, but otherwise it's "classic Richard." Reminds me a big of "Gray-Green," come to think of it. One outstanding lyric stuck out in my mind: "His rig is a marvel of equipoise Leonardo might have devised." Yikes. The second new song was called "Parasol Ants," and it was just downright *cool*, just really really neat and cool. Richard described it as the oddest song he's ever written, and it definitely feels Mavis-ish in its quirkiness (though nothing like it musically). The song brings together three images/ideas: the first is of parasol ants, those ants that climb trees and cut off big leaves and trudge home with them, looking like they are carrying big parasols. The second is a street pickpocket that Richard witnessed being captured in Bueons Aires. The third, of course, is God. The song has the pickpocket getting captured and going to jail, from which he sees out the window these parasol ants, and then it is revealed that the pickpocket is really God who is bored, blows the leaves and the ants around like sails on an ocean, reflecting on life, etc. Very cool. As for the tune, the best word I can think of to describe it is "jaunty." It is fun, cool, up-beat, hip, just...just all-around jaunty. Quite unlike anything I've heard him do before. I REALLY hope he plays it again at Falcon Ridge. The third one was "State of the Union," a narrative metaphor about a person wanting to make his troubled town better but not quite knowing how to proceed, inexplicably finding himself making things worse, doing bad things, etc. He wants to "get rid of the junk" and spread freedom, but winds up something like a criminal. Unfortunately I had to run back and forth to the front desk a bit during this song, didn't get to absorb it as much as I would have liked. I remember that Richard referenced the Sisyphus myth, mentioning the person in the song rolling a stone up a hill endlessly. One of the perks of volunteering at the club is having plenty of reasons to stick around and chat after the show, and I had a great time selling Richard's CDs and shooting the breeze after everyone left. Among many other things, he mentioned his ever-mounting frustration with the song "Walden Well" (which he played), born of his disgust with politics and his corresponding desire to actually write an explicit political song, which he is finding very difficult and unnatural to his style. He "mistrusts" any explicitly earnest songwriting that he comes up with, and keeps trying to make it more subtle, but then his anger with the political situation drags him back and makes him want to come right out and say stuff, but that's very unRichard, etc. Oh yeah, and the set list was as follows. Richard was accompanied by Lincoln Schleifer on bass and John Putnam on electric guitar and pedal steel (!). 1. Che Guevara 2. Fishing 3. Balloon Man 4. Parasol Ants 5. Northbound 35 6. AYHN -- very upbeat, fast, chipper, and fun. The audience sung along, rather loudly, during the chorus, which was neat. 7. Reunion Hill 8. Senor 9. State of the Union 10. Last Fare 11. Born in the USA 12. You Stay Here 13. Walden Well 14. Lawrence KS 15. Kenworth of my Dreams (haven't heard that in a while!) 16. Next Best Western 17. Transit, with the interesting replacement of "with the interstate whining..." with "with the interstate crying..." Encore: Mavis, played solo. His guitarwork was simply entrancing, just, wow. Enthralling. - --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: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:07:13 -0400 From: Rongrittz@aol.com Subject: Re: [RS] New songs! >> Richard described it as the oddest song he's ever written << Odder than "Hideous Grin?" To me, that one pretty much set the bar on odd Richard songs. RG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:11:26 -0600 From: Tom Huot Subject: Re: [RS] New songs! Great news! I have always thought that although Richard does a good job when covering some songs, that is not his strength. He did a great job with Cry, Cry,Cry, but the last album I felt was somewhat of a disappointment. It was by no means a bad album, but when he does his own work, he really shines. His strength is in his writing. His voice is also a great asset but it works better with the songs he writes. In fact, I consider him to be the best songwriter of our time. I am looking forward greatly to his next album. I sure wish he would come out to NM to perform. It has been years since he has been here. Regards, Tom Chris Foxwell wrote: > Richard played Club Passim in Boston last night, and naturally I signed up > to work the show. Due to great good luck, and the generosity of my fellow > volunteers, things were relatively quiet out front during the show and I was > able to sit in and hear the entire set. Richard broke out three songs that > I had never heard before, and I liked all of them. Apparently the new > record is well along; he started recording in May, I think, and although > it's too early to set a date, he said that it would be along "sooner rather > than later." > > The first new song was called "Balloon Man," and it is about a person who > wanders Buenos Aires selling ballons. He is "absolutely crazy, but totally > harmless," and sells balloons to passers-by, carrying a big contraption that > inflates and displays the balloons. I really liked the song, though I don't > know how to describe it; it's a lovingly descriptive song rather than a > narrative story, but otherwise it's "classic Richard." Reminds me a big of > "Gray-Green," come to think of it. One outstanding lyric stuck out in my > mind: "His rig is a marvel of equipoise Leonardo might have devised." > Yikes. > > The second new song was called "Parasol Ants," and it was just > downright *cool*, just really really neat and cool. Richard described it as > the oddest song he's ever written, and it definitely feels Mavis-ish in its > quirkiness (though nothing like it musically). The song brings together > three images/ideas: the first is of parasol ants, those ants that climb > trees and cut off big leaves and trudge home with them, looking like they > are carrying big parasols. The second is a street pickpocket that Richard > witnessed being captured in Bueons Aires. The third, of course, is God. > The song has the pickpocket getting captured and going to jail, from which > he sees out the window these parasol ants, and then it is revealed that the > pickpocket is really God who is bored, blows the leaves and the ants around > like sails on an ocean, reflecting on life, etc. Very cool. As for the > tune, the best word I can think of to describe it is "jaunty." It is fun, > cool, up-beat, hip, just...just all-around jaunty. Quite unlike anything > I've heard him do before. I REALLY hope he plays it again at Falcon Ridge. > > The third one was "State of the Union," a narrative metaphor about a person > wanting to make his troubled town better but not quite knowing how to > proceed, inexplicably finding himself making things worse, doing bad things, > etc. He wants to "get rid of the junk" and spread freedom, but winds up > something like a criminal. Unfortunately I had to run back and forth to the > front desk a bit during this song, didn't get to absorb it as much as I > would have liked. I remember that Richard referenced the Sisyphus myth, > mentioning the person in the song rolling a stone up a hill endlessly. > > One of the perks of volunteering at the club is having plenty of reasons to > stick around and chat after the show, and I had a great time selling > Richard's CDs and shooting the breeze after everyone left. Among many other > things, he mentioned his ever-mounting frustration with the song "Walden > Well" (which he played), born of his disgust with politics and his > corresponding desire to actually write an explicit political song, which he > is finding very difficult and unnatural to his style. He "mistrusts" any > explicitly earnest songwriting that he comes up with, and keeps trying to > make it more subtle, but then his anger with the political situation drags > him back and makes him want to come right out and say stuff, but that's very > unRichard, etc. > > Oh yeah, and the set list was as follows. Richard was accompanied by > Lincoln Schleifer on bass and John Putnam on electric guitar and pedal steel > (!). > 1. Che Guevara > 2. Fishing > 3. Balloon Man > 4. Parasol Ants > 5. Northbound 35 > 6. AYHN -- very upbeat, fast, chipper, and fun. The audience sung along, > rather loudly, during the chorus, which was neat. > 7. Reunion Hill > 8. Senor > 9. State of the Union > 10. Last Fare > 11. Born in the USA > 12. You Stay Here > 13. Walden Well > 14. Lawrence KS > 15. Kenworth of my Dreams (haven't heard that in a while!) > 16. Next Best Western > 17. Transit, with the interesting replacement of "with the interstate > whining..." with "with the interstate crying..." > Encore: Mavis, played solo. His guitarwork was simply entrancing, just, > wow. Enthralling. > > --Chris ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V9 #124 ***********************************