From: owner-the-landing-digest@smoe.org (the-landing-digest) To: the-landing-digest@smoe.org Subject: the-landing-digest V3 #145 Reply-To: the-landing@smoe.org Sender: owner-the-landing-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-the-landing-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk the-landing-digest Tuesday, October 10 2000 Volume 03 : Number 145 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Fight those new-SNZ blues [Koby the Interactive Bear ] the new guys ["Joshua Edwards" ] Re: Bedlam Ballroom vs. Samsara [Jessica Brandt ] more news, OCTOBER 11 [Jessica Brandt ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2000 08:06:33 -0400 From: Koby the Interactive Bear Subject: Fight those new-SNZ blues I feel your pain. You're confused. Lost. Maybe a little angry. How could SNZ forsake us? Why did they have to split up? Why is SSN such a putzhead company? BUT, ladies and gents, I know the solution! Three simple words: "Listen" "to" "Klezmer" That's right -- Klezmer! The ghost of Stephen Foster liked it. You should too! Poland-fried Jewish blues. There are great samples at the web sites listed below. Good klezmer bands: THE KLEZMATICS (klezmer-funk. availiable everywhere. very well-known as klezmer goes) FRANK LONDON'S KLEZMER BRASS ALL-STARS (straight-up brass! http://www.piranha.de ) KLINGON KLEZMER (my favorites. very bizarre stylings. http://www.jewishmusic.com has realaudio) METROPOLITAN KLEZMER (straight-up http://www.metropolitanklezmer.com ) THE KLEZICAL TRADITION (also straight-up) ANDREW BIRD'S BOWL OF FIRE (ever heard of 'em?) (Besides, what's the big problem with new SNZ? I listened to the Bedlam samples on the web site and they sounded great! I particularly liked the first track, Bedlam, and the last track, but they all sounded great!) - - Koby the Interactive Bear, who started a klezmer band and had his first rehearsal yesterday! aol instant messenger: sgkoby ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2000 17:46:46 GMT From: "Joshua Edwards" Subject: the new guys i agree with you Mike, you have to look at it as a new band, and partly because it literally is a new band, The new guys are incredible musicians and it shows in this album, no doubt about it, but it's almost like their too good, too clean, too tight. I want mistakes in my music, that let's me know that their trying new things, that their still improving, that their taking risks. With this new album it's like they practiced it so much that it all just becomes melancholy. It's understandable that they would want to be at their best since SNZ is already an established name and they are being thrown into it in the middle SNZ's career, but i just wish they would just relax and play what ever they feel, not what they know will sound great. The two of those have to go hand in hand. An example would be Incantif off of Samsara, that track is totally fucked and i love it, because he didn't care if it sounded like anything else, he put it on the album because he felt he needed to. That's bold, ballsy, and incredible, everything that Bedlam Ballroom lacks. Okay that was a little harsh. Again, let me add my disclamer that i'm NOT saying this cd sucks, i have a feeling that if i listen to it enough it will grow on me, but at the moment my cd player still primarly plays Samsara and BOF. joshua _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2000 20:09:38 -0400 From: Jessica Brandt Subject: Re: Bedlam Ballroom vs. Samsara I agree that "Bedlam" sounds way more refined than we're used to. but consider how long the band has been around and what skills they have picked up, both in playing and production. last i heard, jimbo had an old church moved to his property and turned it into a studio. If that's the case, he has a lot of time to sit and fiddle with tracks to make "perfection." Of course, for some of us, our idea of "Zipper perfection" is that raw sound we heard on the first 3 albums, where they did a lot of recording live in one room. Check out the production notes for the new album: "PRODUCED and ENGINEERED by Mike Napolitano and Squirrel Nut Zippers. ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION by John Plymale for Mad Anthony Productions. RECORDED at Kingsway Studios, New Orleans LA MIXED at Brooklyn Bridge, Austin,TX, except "Bedbugs," mixed by John Plymale at Overdub Lane, Durham NC MASTERED by Brent Lambert at Kitchen Mastering, Carrboro NC ADDITIONAL TRACKING at Fidelitorium Recordings, Kernersville NC, Overdub Lane, Durham NC and Brooklyn Bridge, Austin, TX." meaning "we fiddled with it for a real long time while we were waiting for Mammoth to decide if they wanted to back us or not." There's no doubt that tom and ken had different production values than jim. seemed like they were more into the idea of getting a big house and recording together in one room. Jim seems to think differently. and now he is running the show. Is this bad? I don't know. I'm not too into it, yet. it can grow on me, especially since i've seen these songs in their actual raw form- live. They still have the ability to be raw and raunchy and "unrefined" but it just doesn't come through on the album. I just recently reviewed the new Barenaked Ladies album, and i said a lot in the review how I didn't like their new sound. I liked them best when they just played around in the studio, like on Gordon and their early "unreleased" stuff. But then i saw them last night on "behind the music" and they are REALLY into the new sound. and it's not even a new sound, it's a new way of recording things. If you look at the BNL website, all they talk about it how wonderful and tight their new recording is and how wonderful Don Was is on the boards. *yawn* Anyway... i can't NOT like the Zippers, but i can say that this album will probably go on the bottom of my "Top Six SNZ Albums" list :) But I will continue to love the ZIppers for what I really loved them for the most-- the live show. BTW...if you go to the SNZ page on the mammoth site, it plays "Fat Cat Keeps Getting Fatter" on a continuous loop. Irony? Jess ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2000 20:16:18 -0400 From: Jessica Brandt Subject: more news, OCTOBER 11 AL GORE and Squirrel Nut Zippers! (Wednesday October 11th) Second Presidential Debate Supporter Event To Feature North Carolina's Own Multi-Platinum recording artists the Squirrel Nut Zippers have been asked by Vice President Al Gore to perform at the post debate supporter event after Wednesday's (October 11th) second Presidential debate. The debate is set to take place on the campus of Wake Forest University in North Carolina. The Squirrel Nut Zippers will be performing material from their forthcoming album Bedlam Ballroom which will be released on October 17th nationwide. More information about this event will be made available early next week. More information about this event will be made available early next week. will be made available early next week. The Squirrel Nut Zippers will be performing material from their forthcoming album Bedlam Ballroom which will be released on October 17th nationwide. More information about this event will be made available early next week. ------------------------------ End of the-landing-digest V3 #145 *********************************