From: owner-trailer-park-digest@smoe.org (trailer-park-digest) To: trailer-park-digest@smoe.org Subject: trailer-park-digest V2 #111 Reply-To: trailer-park@smoe.org Sender: owner-trailer-park-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-trailer-park-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk trailer-park-digest Tuesday, June 22 1999 Volume 02 : Number 111 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Northampton MA June 18 1999 ["Connors, Tom" ] Orton hears a hook ["Connors, Tom" ] RE: Northampton MA June 18 1999 [Edward Teffeau ] Re: Orton hears a hook ["Chris Beckwith" ] Modes [*octagonal* ] Best Bits EP [*octagonal* ] re: Modes [John Drummond ] Pictures from Northampton MA June 18 1999 ["Chris Povie" Subject: Northampton MA June 18 1999 A fabulous amazing show... There were about 400 people in this small college town ballroom. I got a great spot about 10 feet from her... Beth was strong and confident... she did quite a bit of joking and chatting with the crowd she appeared very at-ease I can see why she was invited to be on David Letterman, she looked ready for prime time to me... I now have a much better appreciation of CR's songs, they played much better with the full band than with the accoustic tour from this past winter. she wore jeans and a forest green t-shirt with the words "69 mouthwash" she removed her guitar for singing Sugar Boy, really building the song and belting out "I'm not going to just lay down and die" ** very powerful ** a really exciting night, she exceeded my expectations. her confidence is so much greater compared to 2 years ago when she was touring for TP and everything was new. she has a large body of work to draw from, 2 CD's and the EP, that she can put on a full entertaining show. Great! Set List: - ------------------------------ Someone's Daughter Love Like Laughter Galaxy So Much More Couldn't Cause She Cries Sugar Boy Devil Song Best Bit Sweetest Decline Whenever Stars All Seem To Weep Blood Red River - ---- Central Reservation Stolen Car - ------- another encore, I forget the song, just her and Ted ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 15:32:21 -0400 From: "Connors, Tom" Subject: Orton hears a hook By Joan Anderman, Globe Correspondent, 06/19/99 First, the bad news. Beth Orton woke up with an impacted wisdom tooth and was in terrible pain - with a mood to match - the day we spoke on the phone. On the upside, her condition inspired some stream-of-consciousness riffing on the connection between pain and wisdom. ''It's like my tooth, trying to come through. Pain brings about growth. And growth is wisdom. It's sort of about being rooted and not rooted. Being not rooted gives you other roots,'' says Orton, who plays at the Guinness Fleadh today. Forgive the British singer-songwriter her rambling. She aches in lots of places. And besides, it's that wandering spirit that fuels her music. Equal parts wired and winsome, Orton navigates traditional folk music, hip-hop beats, and electronica in the span of a song. This is a girl who collaborates with Chicago soul singer Terry Callier one minute, and dance-floor gurus the Chemical Brothers the next. ''It's funny. I think it's possible to have these conflicting polar opposites in us all the time,'' says Orton. She's not talking simply about sonic styles. Lyrically, as well, the 28-year-old Londoner fuses a patchwork of heartbreak and hopefulness that matches her music with an eerie sort of emotional lull - and the dreamy sensation of both coming and going at once. ''Yeah, I was thinking about that just today. As soon as you see one thing as the truth, it's almost a lie a second later, I suppose. Music is for me a way of trying to gain some kind of truth.'' Dubbed the Comedown Queen by the London press, Orton is quick to point out that she's actually not the sullen depressive that her nickname suggests. ''I'm not a broken-down, heartbroken person. I think that term's got a different connotation in England. People in London put on my record after coming home from the clubs. You know, I like to give people a good landing.'' Though Orton's 1997 solo debut, ''Trailer Park,'' was an intoxicating trance-folk cocktail, her new CD, ''Central Reservation,'' is less consistent. Orton was reportedly dealing with serious health issues during the recording sessions, and some emotional ones, too. ''You know, everything really was quite tough,'' Orton concedes. ''But it's always like you've never made a record before and you're a complete novice. We started off strangely. We lost a producer and I wasn't well for a while.'' She declines to elaborate on that subject, but offers that ''it was tough for strange reasons. Some days it all falls into place, though. Like on `Sweetest Decline,'when Dr. John happened to be next door and came in and played.'' Orton will bring a sparse band of drums, bass, and acoustic guitar to the Fleadh (and the Newport Folk Festival, where she'll play in August). Is she concerned about her music reaching people in such a large concert setting? ''I've done one or two before. And yeah, it can be difficult. But it's all right as long as I'm singing.'' This story ran on page C3 of the Boston Globe on 06/19/99. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 15:38:23 -0400 From: Edward Teffeau Subject: RE: Northampton MA June 18 1999 The second encore was "Pass in Time" On Monday, June 21, 1999 3:29 PM, Connors, Tom [SMTP:Tom.Connors@fmr.com] wrote: > > A fabulous amazing show... > > There were about 400 people in this small college town ballroom. > I got a great spot about 10 feet from her... > > Beth was strong and confident... > she did quite a bit of joking and chatting with the crowd > she appeared very at-ease > I can see why she was invited to be on David Letterman, > she looked ready for prime time to me... > > I now have a much better appreciation of CR's songs, they played much > better with the full band than with the accoustic tour from this past > winter. > > she wore jeans and a forest green t-shirt with the words "69 mouthwash" > she removed her guitar for singing Sugar Boy, really building the song > and belting out "I'm not going to just lay down and die" ** very powerful > ** > > a really exciting night, she exceeded my expectations. > her confidence is so much greater compared to 2 years ago when she was > touring for TP and everything was new. > she has a large body of work to draw from, 2 CD's and the EP, > that she can put on a full entertaining show. > Great! > > > Set List: > ------------------------------ > Someone's Daughter > Love Like Laughter > Galaxy > So Much More > Couldn't Cause > She Cries > Sugar Boy > Devil Song > Best Bit > Sweetest Decline > Whenever > Stars All Seem To Weep > Blood Red River > ---- > Central Reservation > Stolen Car > ------- > another encore, I forget the song, just her and Ted > > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 19:35:20 -0400 From: "Chris Beckwith" Subject: Re: Orton hears a hook Please refrain from posting copyrighted material without the publisher's consent. This has become a legal issue with the list server's owner. I welcome the posting of the URL of the original, however. Take care, Chris ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 12:50:09 +0900 From: *octagonal* Subject: Modes >Musically, the resilience is tied to her use of modes, those sturdy ancient >scales that work a bit differently than major and minor. Stolen Car and She >Cries Your Name,probably her best-known tunes, both rely on the Dorian mode, >a variant of basic minor that is a favourite among monks and folkies. >Coupled with Orton's taste for Celtic-style ornament -- especially that >glancing way of hitting a note from a tone above or below -- the mode gives >the tunes an air of tragic endurance. Is there anyone with a musical understanding that could explain this in more detail? Simply? Dorian modes, modes, the general gist of this? I'd love this explained. "There's no point turning to some tarot-card wielding, chakra realigning, anti-oxidant-taking self-help guru to solve your existential angst, because they're not feeling fabulous either ... " -Helen Razer ********** Peter Fiebig - occy@terra.net.au - UIN 3596528 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 12:49:59 +0900 From: *octagonal* Subject: Best Bits EP I finally got Trailer Park a week ago. woooh! speechless :) I love all of Central Reservation (cept that damn 'then again' remix of the title track - that shits me - blame ben watt) So I was extremely happy to hear more of her music. I guess the one thing about Beth's music, listening to Trailer Park for the first time, is her ability to surprise you. I was listening, wondering where the songs were going to go, and she just knows how to beguile you at so many points along the journey. There are so many subtle nuances that make you want to keep coming back for more. Just one example of many, the way "Sugar Boy" builds to the end where she sings "I'm never going to lay down and die". The way the vocals are layered just makes it that little more special. All the songs have such a different feel yet it is all unmistakingly her music. Anyway... I'm so glad I've finally heard both albums. I hope she is coming to Australia soon. Anyone have an idea? I heard late this year... early next year??? I have a quesiton re. Best Bits. What does Best Bits sound like on the Best Bits EP?? Is it the version that is on the Australasian version of Central Reservation? ie. full band? I heard someone say something about different versions of best bits.. like an acoustic version? and what are the other songs on the EP like? Dolphins, Skimming Stones.. another one I can't think of right now? I've rang music stores and the Best Bits EP is not on any of their computers so I guess it would have to be imported? Will it be hard to get? (no i can't buy it over the net, I don't have a credit card) "There's no point turning to some tarot-card wielding, chakra realigning, anti-oxidant-taking self-help guru to solve your existential angst, because they're not feeling fabulous either ... " -Helen Razer ********** Peter Fiebig - occy@terra.net.au - UIN 3596528 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 21:44:47 -0700 (PDT) From: John Drummond Subject: re: Modes Y'all, Okay... this is going to be a bit rambly, but I'll try my best... All righty... there are six or seven different modes... six are still used, and the seventh isn't, for complicated reasons (though I'm sure there are plenty of "ground-breaking" composition majors who are thinking they're going to raise eyebrows by using this mode... whatever)... the modes are Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and the seventh, disliked mode, Locrian. Now, the Ionian and Aeolian modes are those most used today... a mode in essence is a collection of steps and half-steps of notes that make up a scale... the Ionian mode is what is our modern-day major scale, and the Aeolian mode is our modern-day minor scale... the other modes have a different, "modal" sound... and the way one can hear each of the modes is to go to any keyboard... start at C and play every white key up to the next C... that's the Ionian mode, and it'll sound to your ear like a major scale, since, of course, it is... now go up to D, and play all the white notes up to the next D... that'll sound kind of warped out to your ear, since it's not as natural to our ear these days... that's the Dorian scale. And all the white keys from E to E make up the Phrygian, from F to F the Lydian, from G to G the Mixolydian, and from A to A the Aeolian, which will sound like a normal minor-key scale. And if you know anything about music theory, the fact of the Aeolian and Ionian being relative majors and minors is kind of cool and scary... the weird thing about music theory is how it all fits in so well together, it's really pretty humbling to find a system so self-contained... music really isn't a human invention at all, it's just a human discovery. We happened upon the right system. But anyhow... so sorry for the rambling... if you want to hear the scale of the Dorian mode, go to a keyboard and play all the white keys from one D up to the next. ;D Of course, if it's not in the key of D, the it's a bit more tricky... but in D, you don't have to hit any of the black keys, and that's what makes it the best demonstration of it. I'm sure I've lost all of y'all by now... I think I kind of lost myself, actually... ack... well, I tried... sorry... ;D John === ain't no way i lost this war and ain't no way you won _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 01:00:04 -0400 From: "Chris Povie" Subject: Pictures from Northampton MA June 18 1999 Hi Evraboddy; I TOO was at Friday's wonderful Pearl Street show, and snapped a pic or seven. To check out my work, go to http://home.nycap.rr.com/povie and click on the .jpg files. Lemme know whatcha think!!! Love that Ms. Orton!!!! Chris P ------------------------------ End of trailer-park-digest V2 #111 **********************************