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irishjava · 9 years ago

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One Last Look at 2016

One of the many things I look forward to during the holidays is Christmas music. Right after Thanksgiving I load the phone up with Christmas pop and classical music. I also dig out a couple of vinyl records, including my well worn original 12 inch Do They Know It’s Christmas EP. I had holiday music playing and that EP next to me when I saw the news that 2016 had taken another of musical heroes, Rick Parfitt of Status Quo had died.

I know many reading this are scratching their heads on that name. He and his band didn’t grab headlines like so many notable losses this year, like Prince, David Bowie or George Michael (both of whom also appear on the Band Aid record). But to legions of fan worldwide and back in the day a certain young teenager living abroad, Status Quo were monsters, parlaying their brand of boogie rock into over 118 million records sold. Quo’s, had singles in the British charts for 415 weeks, and Parfitt wrote or co-wrote many of them. Between 1972 and 1982, they placed 11 albums in the UK top 5. Fame eluded them in the U.S. beyond their stab at Sixties psychedelia “Pictures of Matchstick Men, but around the world they were stars.

When you look at the band photo on the back of the EP, it’s mostly full of British up and coming new wavers. Yeah, Bono’s there, but in 1984 he hadn’t yet become BONO. But there’s Parfitt front and center between Sting and Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran. There aren’t any other head banging rockers on the record, just Rick and his partner in crime Francis Rossi. They opened Live Aid the following summer, kicking off the day long, two continent show with their full on churning cover of John Fogerty’s “Rockin’ All Over the World”. Mostly, though, Quo was one of a teenage boy’s first band crushes. They could write an opening riff better than any band not name the Rolling Stones and then launch into three or more minutes of head banging, butt shaking boogie. Seeing them in a sold out hall near Stuttgart was an early show going highlight for me.

Imagine, then, my shock when moving back to the States before my sophomore year of high school and finding out nobody knew who they were. Quo could sell out in Europe, but good luck even finding a record in the U.S. My love of Quo made me different from the other kids, and as such became a source of comfort during what was the most difficult move of my life. Thanks Rick for helping me make it through.

*****

Another thing I enjoy at holiday time are the year-end best of lists (OK, you got me, I love lists pretty much year round). I enjoy seeing what others have enjoyed as well as to see what I might’ve missed. While 2016 took so much from us, the year also brought us a slew of terrific releases. We can forget and live without everything else from this year but hold on to the music we heard and good times at shows. That’s how we started loving all those we lost this year in the first place.

Here’s a baker’s dozen of my favorite releases of 2016 and a few other musical highlights. The playlist above features tracks from those records and other songs that caught my ear this year. I’d recommend playing it on shuffle and hope you discover something you might’ve missed, too.

Happy New Year to you all!

My All Time Favorite Top 5 records of 2016:

Beach Slang – A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings

For fans of: The Replacements, Green Day, The Hold Steady

This was the year I discovered Slang, and I dove in with both ears. I devoured their first two EP’s and full length early in the year, saw them a couple of times and then this, their second full length came out this fall. Oh, and the band nearly broke up on stage in the spring, parted ways with first their drummer and then their guitarist and finally had all their gear stolen form them. Their front man, James Alex, can turn a phrase that will punch you in the gut and give you a warm hug at the same time. You can be a kid in your basement with the stereo turned up all over again. I can’t recommend them enough. They’re working on a Quiet Slang (Alex doing acoustic/stripped down versions of their songs) and touring with a new lineup in England. Here’s hoping for more in 2017.

Lydia Loveless – Real

For fans of: Drive-By Truckers, Old 97’s

Folks, we’re watching the evolution of star. On her third studio LP Loveless mixes in some pop folk and dance pop elements along with her trademark cow punk sound. What hasn’t changed are her at times brutally honest lyrics. It might be too early to call Real her masterpiece because I feel like she’s got a lot more in her. Seeing her this year was a treat

Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor’s Guide to Earth

For fans of: Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Merle Haggard

Speaking of watching the evolution of a star, Simpson followed up his groundbreaking 2014 release Metamodern Sounds in Country Music with gem. Simpson self-produced it and had the audacity to do a country soul style cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom”. Oh, he also snagged a Grammy nomination for album of the year, which prompted him to sell T shirts emblazoned with “Who The Fuck Is Sturgill Simpson” on his website.

Hiss Golden Messenger – Heart Like a Levee

For fans of: Dawes, Megafaun, Strand of Oaks

One of the records I was most looking forward to after loving 2014’s Lateness of Dancers, and it didn’t disappointed. Great songwriting. I’d also recommend the companion CD, Vestapol, from the deluxe version. Go see Hiss if they come to your town.

Durand Jones and the Indications – Self titled

For fans of: Stax soul, Sharon Jones

The owner of my local vinyl shop recommended this to me as he must have to everyone else because he could never keep it in stock. It’s Gritty, raw, low fi soul with a few flashes of Hendrix guitar tossed in. In other words, I love it. This is why you support your local record store. Once they get a feel for what you like, they’ll happily steer good stuff your way. Thanks, Johnny

The rest of my 2016 baker’s dozen, alphabetically:

B.J. Barham – Rockingham

For fans of: Jason Isbell, John Moreland, American Aquarium

Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Denial

For Fans of: Television, The Modern Lover

Case/Lang/Viers – Self titled

For fans of: Any of the three of them, Bacharach style 60’s po

The Explorers Club – Together

For fans of: The Beach Boys, power po

The Flat Five – It’s a World of Love and Hope

For fans of: Neko Case, The New Pornographers, The Explorers Club

Hallelujah the Hills – A Band Is Something To Figure Out

For fans of: Titus Andronicus, Indie rock

Paul Simon – Stranger to Stranger

For fans of: Come on, it’s Paul Simon!

Wilco – Schmilco

For fans of: Uncle Tupelo

Favorite Shows of 2016

Beach Slang – Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, 7/12/16

After a raucously faithful run through of the Replacements’ Pleased To Meet Me (featuring the Hold Steady’s Craig Finn taking lead vocals on “Can’t Hardly Wait”), Slang did a full set of their own material and few covers. Possibly the most fun I’ve had a show in years (yes, there’s video out there...)

The Hold Steady – Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, 12/1/16

The second night of a 4 night stand to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of Boys and Girls in America. They mixed in all the songs from the record with other faves. A real bucket list show

Wilco – The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester NY, 2/3/16

Another full album show, starting with a run through of Star Wars and then into a full set of more. Fun night with some hardcore Wilco fans.

(Yes, I’m leaving off another full album show – might’ve been my least favorite Springsteen show ever)

Favorite 2016 Newport Folk Festival Sets

Middle Brother – Taylor Goldsmith, John McCauley and Matthew Logan Vasquez reunited and ran through their lone LP to date

Ryan Adams with the Infamous Stringdusters & Nicki Bluhm – Bluegrass versions of Adams songs (and a Slayer cover)

Elvis Costello – billed as a solo act, he had lots of help from Dawes, Larkin Poe, Glen Hansard and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. It was the penultimate set on Sunday at the Fort stage but it was more like a Sunday close

Case/Lang/Viers – songs from their album and from each of their individual catalog.

Except for single day Friday passes, the 2017 Newport Folk Fesival sold out within an hour of going on sale on November 30 – almost 8 months before the start and without a single act being announced. It’s that good.

#music #2016 music

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irishjava · 10 years ago

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“How Was The Show?”

It’s a pretty standard question the morning after you’ve been to a concert, especially one by a big name artist. You go to work or school, and within five minutes you get the question, “how was the show last night?” It’s that day’s version of “how are you doing?”

Now, with the latter question nobody really wants to hear about the fight you had with your wife or whatever body function isn’t quite right. The acceptable answer is “I’m good. How are you?”. “How was the show” works the same way. The acceptable answer typically starts with the letter A, like “amazing” or “awesome”. Nobody wants to hear it sucked, and frankly you don’t want to admit to having shelled out big bucks for a show that sucked, either.

Except sometimes the answer isn’t as cut and dried as “amazing” or “sucked”, and Bruce Springsteen’s performance of the entire River album at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night was that kind of show.

Before I go any further let me add a massive disclaimer: I am spoiled. I fully admit it. I’ve been able to see a pretty decent number of Springsteen shows over the past few years, and I was lucky enough to be at the Garden the first (and was then billed as likely only) time Springsteen played the River entirely through in 2009. I have to admit to being a little skeptical of this tour where he was play it every night, mainly because that 2009 show was so (at the time) unique and the encores after the River portion were just over the top crazy and wonderful (you can check the setlist out here). Since I wanted to keep that '09 performance as my memory of the Rover, I wasn’t planning to go see Springsteen on this tour, but when a ticket found its way to me, off I went.

The show opened with an outtake from the River recording sessions, “Meet Me In The City” and then after a brief intro from Bruce, away we went on the 20 songs that make up the double album River. And that’s the first part of the answer to “how was the show?”. Albums are sequenced and shows are paced, and the two things are different.

On an album, at least the good ones and especially one like the River, artists are trying to put together a unified theme, both lyrically and musically. The songs are more like individual chapters arranged to best convey whatever story or theme the artist is trying to convey. On the River Springsteen is writing about the problems his characters face in their lives (AKA the slower/moodier songs that largely make up sides 3 and 4) and the things they do to try and cope with them (AKA the party songs).

It’s no accident that the album kicks off with Springsteen chiding someone who’s unable to cope with pressures of relationships and then ends with his character slipping into bed and hugging his baby because he’s just seen how fragile life can be. The 18 songs in between cover the full range of life with its ups and downs and its loves and dreams won, lost or abandoned.

On vinyl that sequencing works great when your sitting at home and can contemplate the slower songs in their context along with the party songs. In concert though that kind of sequencing with long stretches of darker, introspective songs just doesn’t work. Shows need to be paced and nobody does that better than Springsteen who’s famous for shredding up set lists based on how he feels that night’s audience is reacting. He knows when it needs to work to bring an audience back or when to veer off into the stratosphere when an audience is completely in tune with him.

An album show, particularly one as long as the River just doesn’t allow for that. You know it’s going to be a deep, dark but beautifully moving tour through doubt, fear, isolation, desperation, and ultimately love following “I’m A Rocker”. Ramrod’s the only rump shaking moment over that last third or so of the album. That’s fine when you’re on the couch but in an arena, anyone, even Bruce, is going to lose a large part of the audience, especially like the one at the Garden (more on that in a bit). And because of that, the final 11 songs of the night were familiar crowd pleasers, and not more outtakes from the River sessions that were teased in the tour announcement. The hardcore faithful would love that, but the broader more casual audience just simply wouldn’t.

So as a complete show, it didn’t work for me. The pacing is off for a concert as the show is by definition confined to the sequence of that album. I’m one of those folks that goes to see Springsteen to delight in the unknown of the ever changing setlist; the magic of the “holy shit” moment when you can’t believe he’s actually playing something. It’s not only playing “Incident on 57th Street” but following it with “Point Blank” (Hartford in 2012). Wednesday night, though, was more “I love Point Blank, and would ordinarily kill to hear it, but it’s only five more songs after that until “The Price You Pay”.

BUT and it’s a big one - as performances of individual songs, I loved it, especially that string beginning with Point Blank until the end of the album. I timed my bathroom break to “I’m a Rocker” specifically so I wouldn’t miss a second of those last 6 songs. And those performances were, well, awe inspiring. Somehow more intimate songs like "Stolen Car" and "Drive All Night" become even more powerful, moving, and, yes, more than a little dusty when played In in basketball arena with jaw dropping intensity and passion. Those are the songs I had in my head Thursday - not the fun dance and sing alongs like "Out In The Street" but the ones filled with what we all struggle with in our own lives. So, how as the show? Well, like life and The River itself, it's complicated. As a whole body of work, the show was ... good. But within the separate pieces of that whole, there were moments of sheer greatness with their own individual magic. And in the end, that hope for magic in any form is why we go to shows, and why we love Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Loose Ends:

1. Let’s talk, loudly, about what did SUCK Wednesday night - the audience. That could have been the worst crowd of any show I’ve ever been to for any act at any venue. It was an interesting mix of being incredibly flat yet excruciatingly chatty and nonstop (just check out the video above). I was sitting upstairs and the crowd noise was unbelievably loud and not just those around me - the entire building was like that. Springsteen was telling the story of how he wrote “Stolen Car”, and you could literally barely hear him above the din. It was awful. That was a crowd that was there because it was an event and a hot ticket. They could’ve cared two shits about the music. There were lots of fireflies in the audience but not moving to the music - checking their email, playing candy crush or whatever. When you read the stories that broke today about how ticket distribution is stacked against the average fan and you witness something like Wednesday night - it just pisses me off. There are all kinds of relatively simple technology fixes but everyone’s making too much money to care. It’s just that fans that care, deeply care, that are getting screwed.

2. Speaking of “Loose Ends”, it’ll be a minor miracle if anyone hears that outtake from the River or others like “Roulette” or “Be True”. And even deeper tracks like “Chain Lightning”? Forget it. I know that’s what we were promised, but the structure of this show just isn’t going to allow it. At a regular show, Springsteen has the freedom to play whatever he wants no matter how deep or obscure because if it doesn’t work, it’s no big deal. You just go on to the next song even if it’s an audible. Two of the Wrecking Ball tour shows I saw even opened with River outtakes. True, one was a complete train wreck (”Living On The Edge Of The World” at the second MetLife Stadium show) but the other (”Held Up Without A Gun” at Hartford) was terrific. But the MetLife mess didn’t impact the show a bit. Bruce even had a laugh over what a disaster it was, but the rest of the show ended up being really tight and focused (and included “From Small Things”). If the structure of this tour stays the same, though, he’s got to invest 5-6 songs into familiar material to bring the crowd back and the encore is always going to mega pleasers.

3. On the other hand, it looks like the zombie that is “Waiting On A Sunny Day” has finally met its end. But knowing the sequence of 20 songs should help you plan your beer/bathroom break accordingly.

#bruce springsteen #the river #live music

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irishjava · 10 years ago

Audio

#NowPlaying "#NotreDame Victory March" by University of Notre Dame Band

#music #spotify

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irishjava · 11 years ago

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The Irish Java 2014 Faves

Here we are on the last day of 2014. Like any other year 2014 had its ups, downs and a whole lot of in between. This year also seemed to produce one good record after another. And while I'm not sure there were any truly great records released this year, it seemed like each week's crop of new releases had at least one record that took up a lengthy residence in my ear buds.

I'm addicted to year end lists (mainly to make sure I haven't missed anything), and this year it's been hard to find fault with any top 10 lists - well except the ridiculously laughable one in Rolling Stone. Kind of funny how within the space of about a week that magazine managed to kill it's musical and and journalistic integrity.

Anyway, here are 10 records that I found myself coming back to and recommending the most this year. Click on the links to launch them in Spotify. If you've got quibbles, I won't mind a bit, and probably won't argue with you, either.

1. War on Drugs - Lost In The Dream

Every time I listen to this record, I find something new to love about it. First time in a long time that I waited to get my hands on a vinyl copy for a first listen

2. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

I struggled with whether to put this first. It's country music for those that don't like country music (or at least what they play on radio)

3. Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else

Twangy and punky

4. Real Estate – Atlas

I love the record, but was disappointed by them live

5. Hiss Golden Messenger - Lateness of Dancers

6. Hallelujah The Hills - Have You Ever Done Something Evil

7. Lucinda Williams - Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone (not streaming)

Another bit of perfection from Lucinda

8. Strand of Oaks - HEAL

9. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams

10. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye

It just kept growing on me

Honorable Mention: D'Angelo - Black Messiah

This record snuck in under the wire, so I haven't had as much time to spend with it, but I like it. A lot.

The good news is there's a crop of new releases dropping over the first few weeks of 2015 (including records from The Decembrists, Ryan Bingham and American Aquarium) that has me looking forward to another year of great music. Happy listening!

If you're in the mood for more 2014, here are some other tracks that caught my ear this year.

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irishjava · 11 years ago

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