1) Bluegrass at The Station Inn
I ventured away from downtown last might to visit The Station Inn, which has been showcasing bluegrass music in Nashville since 1974. Of course, when I got there, there was a sold-out sign on the door, but I managed to weasel my way in, by agreeing to just stand at the bar, rather than seek a seat at one of the tables. A true hardship for me, because, you know, I have never stood at a bar before...
The Station is a nondescript compact bunker of a building. The interior, which has room for maybe 120 patrons, looks like someone's basement: wood panelling on the walls, uncovered ducts hanging from the ceiling, actual stand-up fridges behind the bar.
Tim O'Brien, who seems to play there regularly, was joined by Trevor Hutchinson from Dublin on stand-up bass and Jerry Paul from New Zealand on guitar, who were in town to record a disk with O'Brien. O'Brien himself played a number of stringed instruments including the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bazooki and, gasp, electric guitar. They played two one-hour sets, featuring bluegrass, Irish reels, American folk, both traditional pieces and O'Brien's original compositions. It made for a fun evening, and for the second night in a row, I was listening to some great live music, which I would not generally hear in Ottawa.
2) Random act of kindness: Earlier in the evening, a couple from North Carolina picked up my dinner tab, solely because I scooted down one stool at the bar so that they could sit at the bar with their two daughters.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
Oi not again! Sundry Random Pronouncements...
dimanche 31 mars 2013
samedi 30 mars 2013
Nashville: Day Two (Friday March 29th)
1) Mary Gauthier
The impetus for my trip to Nashville was to see Morrissey perform at the Ryman Auditorium on the Friday night. Of course, Moz yet again cancelled his tour due to illness, the second time this year he has done so. While the cancellation means that I cannot strike Moz off my must-see concert list, it did give me the chance to see Mary Gauthier perform at the Blue Bird Café.
I had never heard of the Blue Bird before last week, but it is a well-known venue whose mission is to promote songwriters, mostly up-and-comers. The list of well-known artists who got their start/'were discovered' here is impressive. It is a very intimate joint, roughly 35' by 45', which seats roughly 100.
Mary Gauthier gave a strong performance, mixing some of her older, more popular material (she led off with 'I Drink' and ended with 'Mercy Now') with newer songs, a lot of them having to do with trains for some reason. She was joined on stage by Mickey Raphael , Willie Nelson's long-time harmonica player, because she ran into him at the grocery store earlier that week and asked him to join her on-stage. (Gotta love Nashville.). His contribution added a very different feel to Gauthier's songs, adding a bluesy element at times. She was backed up by two young Winnipeggers, Joanna Miller on drums and vocals and Scott Nolan, on guitar and keyboards. They actually opened the evening with several of their own numbers (nicely written songs, with a decent beat) and got a very positive reaction from the crowd. Mary Gauthier was also raptually listening to them from the back of the room.
So thanks, Moz: I ended up having a great night due to your cancellation...
Random celebrity sighting: 'Bunny Colvin', who attended the show. (Well, OK, the actor who played Bunny Colvin. I don't know his name. Look it up...)
2) The District
The bar count for yesterday: 5.
- Broadway Taphouse and Mojo. The bar features over 70 beers on tap, roughly half of them (if not more) from American craft brewers. I had a couple of local pints from Jackelope Breweries, an APA, which was nicely hoppy (but not overwhelmingly so) and a Red Rye, which was OK.
- Rippy's BBQ, for dinner, a passable smoked chicken, which had a nice tang to it. This is more of a music club than a BBQ joint, as they feature a number of stages.
- The Wheel.
- The Whiskey Bent Saloon.
By this time, I'd figured out that most bands play a variation on the same theme: country and classic (bluesy and county-ish) rock covers. What sets the bars apart is the ratio of country to classic rock. The band at The Wheel played mostly classic rock, with a sprinkling of country, while the band at the Whiskey Bent were at the other end of the spectrum. (Although I did hear the first 'Sweet Home Alabama' cover at the 'Bent' around 1 AM. It surprised me it took that long.) I was ready to give up on hearing anything different ans out of that particular norm on Broadway until I stepped into...
- Robert's Western World. They had an honest-to-goodness 'classic' country band, complete with stand-up bass, fiddle, a couple of cowboy hats and a sequined shirt and they were damn good. Featuring older performers than the other bands I have seen, they were extremely tight. They played traditional country songs with obvious respect for the source material, which, it git me last night, is really its own brand of American folk music.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
The impetus for my trip to Nashville was to see Morrissey perform at the Ryman Auditorium on the Friday night. Of course, Moz yet again cancelled his tour due to illness, the second time this year he has done so. While the cancellation means that I cannot strike Moz off my must-see concert list, it did give me the chance to see Mary Gauthier perform at the Blue Bird Café.
I had never heard of the Blue Bird before last week, but it is a well-known venue whose mission is to promote songwriters, mostly up-and-comers. The list of well-known artists who got their start/'were discovered' here is impressive. It is a very intimate joint, roughly 35' by 45', which seats roughly 100.
Mary Gauthier gave a strong performance, mixing some of her older, more popular material (she led off with 'I Drink' and ended with 'Mercy Now') with newer songs, a lot of them having to do with trains for some reason. She was joined on stage by Mickey Raphael , Willie Nelson's long-time harmonica player, because she ran into him at the grocery store earlier that week and asked him to join her on-stage. (Gotta love Nashville.). His contribution added a very different feel to Gauthier's songs, adding a bluesy element at times. She was backed up by two young Winnipeggers, Joanna Miller on drums and vocals and Scott Nolan, on guitar and keyboards. They actually opened the evening with several of their own numbers (nicely written songs, with a decent beat) and got a very positive reaction from the crowd. Mary Gauthier was also raptually listening to them from the back of the room.
So thanks, Moz: I ended up having a great night due to your cancellation...
Random celebrity sighting: 'Bunny Colvin', who attended the show. (Well, OK, the actor who played Bunny Colvin. I don't know his name. Look it up...)
2) The District
The bar count for yesterday: 5.
- Broadway Taphouse and Mojo. The bar features over 70 beers on tap, roughly half of them (if not more) from American craft brewers. I had a couple of local pints from Jackelope Breweries, an APA, which was nicely hoppy (but not overwhelmingly so) and a Red Rye, which was OK.
- Rippy's BBQ, for dinner, a passable smoked chicken, which had a nice tang to it. This is more of a music club than a BBQ joint, as they feature a number of stages.
- The Wheel.
- The Whiskey Bent Saloon.
By this time, I'd figured out that most bands play a variation on the same theme: country and classic (bluesy and county-ish) rock covers. What sets the bars apart is the ratio of country to classic rock. The band at The Wheel played mostly classic rock, with a sprinkling of country, while the band at the Whiskey Bent were at the other end of the spectrum. (Although I did hear the first 'Sweet Home Alabama' cover at the 'Bent' around 1 AM. It surprised me it took that long.) I was ready to give up on hearing anything different ans out of that particular norm on Broadway until I stepped into...
- Robert's Western World. They had an honest-to-goodness 'classic' country band, complete with stand-up bass, fiddle, a couple of cowboy hats and a sequined shirt and they were damn good. Featuring older performers than the other bands I have seen, they were extremely tight. They played traditional country songs with obvious respect for the source material, which, it git me last night, is really its own brand of American folk music.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
vendredi 29 mars 2013
Nashville: Day One
Well, Evening One would be more accurate, as I got to my hotel at 6 and promptly set off for downtown.
1) Bridgestone Arena: Phoenix Coyotes vs Nashville Predators
I was not really planning on taking in a Preds game, but I figured that attending the game would delay my music club excursion by a few hours, which might be a good idea.
Bridgestone Arena is right smack in downtown Nashville; 'The District' on Broadway, the main spot for music clubs, and the like essentially begins at the Arena. In fact, the venerable Tootsie's Orchard Lounge is kitty-corner from the rink. I cannot stress enough how great and amazing a concept that is: the arena is downtown, close to the city's social and bar scene just in case, you know, fans want to go for a bite or a libation before or after the game. Shocking, shocking concept.
The arena was full, although how much of that might be due to discounted tickets, I have no idea. The box office was advertising a game day sale on 'scattered single tickets' of $30 for the lower level and $15 for the higher level. Now, all they had were single tix, so there must have been a strong pre-sale. I paid $30 for the last row of the 200 level, almost directly behind the net the home side 'defended' twice, which also happened to be the wheelchair zone. Not meaning to sound like a prick, but it was pretty roomy and the view was great.
The crowd was extremely enthusiastic and loud, moreso than most Sens' games to which I have been, as a frame of reference. There is an organist, which is nice touch. After every Preds' goal, they play 'Rock'n Roll Part II', during which the crowd chants the traditional 'Hey' and added 'You suck'. They also chant something at the end but I could not make it out. It being Nashville, there is some sort of a sing-off, talent contest during the second intermission.
As for the facility, it is very modern. The layout is strange, as the upper level (and possibly the lower) does not go all the way around, interrupted by two large entrances, each featuring a large advertising column. Some of the concessions feature local brews. I tried two (Yazzoo's Ale and Hap & Harry's Tennessee Lager), but was not impressed by either of them.
2) The District.
I then visited four bars in 'The District' on Broadway; in fact, they were all within a block of each other:
- The Paradise Park Trailer Resort. It was the only bar to which I went that had a large selection of draught beers; they also had at least a half dozen locals. I tried a Jubilee IPA, which was solid. They were doing a stage change, so there was no music.
- Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. This is probably the landmark bar on Broadway. It is over 50 years old and looks like nothing has changed since it has opened. In a way the place reminded me of Chicago B.L.U.E.S., in that it is unapologetically old and run-down, with the difference that Chicago B.L.U.E.S. does not book cover bands. The band at Tootsie's, which included a fiddle player (female and cute, although aren't all young female fiddle player awfully cute. Wonder why that is? Maybe I have a weird fiddle fetish...), played a lot of recent, Kenny Chesney-type (what I imagine to be Kenny-Chesney-type anyway) young-white-and-proud country covers. So I can now say that I have been at Tootsie's, but did not entirely enjoy it. Tootsie's really shoehorn people into there, to the point where it is nary impossible to move around.
- Layla's Nashville Hillbilly Music. This is where I saw my favourite band of the night. They played mostly bluesy rock numbers, with country standards ('Tennessee Waltz') and rootsy rock (The Band) thrown in. As for Tootsie's, no draught taps.
- The Second Fiddle. The band playing here (and BTW, none of the bands introduced themselves or mentioned their names, which was strange.) played mostly what sounded to me like 1990's era country covers. They were definitely more twangy than the other two.
A few observations about the three bands:
- they were all young (mid to late 20's);
- they were all fairly large for bar bands (5 or 6 members), which enables them to rotate people out to rest as they generally seem to play continuous sets (I know a few Ottawa bar bands could learn from this. Just sayin'...);
- they mostly played exclusively covers except for one or two exceptions; - they were all really, really good. Now, maybe they were all really, really good as cover bands, which, don't get me wrong, is a great talent and, I am sure, a fairly well-remunerated one if you are playing on Broadway in Nashville. I will have to more investigating tonight.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
1) Bridgestone Arena: Phoenix Coyotes vs Nashville Predators
I was not really planning on taking in a Preds game, but I figured that attending the game would delay my music club excursion by a few hours, which might be a good idea.
Bridgestone Arena is right smack in downtown Nashville; 'The District' on Broadway, the main spot for music clubs, and the like essentially begins at the Arena. In fact, the venerable Tootsie's Orchard Lounge is kitty-corner from the rink. I cannot stress enough how great and amazing a concept that is: the arena is downtown, close to the city's social and bar scene just in case, you know, fans want to go for a bite or a libation before or after the game. Shocking, shocking concept.
The arena was full, although how much of that might be due to discounted tickets, I have no idea. The box office was advertising a game day sale on 'scattered single tickets' of $30 for the lower level and $15 for the higher level. Now, all they had were single tix, so there must have been a strong pre-sale. I paid $30 for the last row of the 200 level, almost directly behind the net the home side 'defended' twice, which also happened to be the wheelchair zone. Not meaning to sound like a prick, but it was pretty roomy and the view was great.
The crowd was extremely enthusiastic and loud, moreso than most Sens' games to which I have been, as a frame of reference. There is an organist, which is nice touch. After every Preds' goal, they play 'Rock'n Roll Part II', during which the crowd chants the traditional 'Hey' and added 'You suck'. They also chant something at the end but I could not make it out. It being Nashville, there is some sort of a sing-off, talent contest during the second intermission.
As for the facility, it is very modern. The layout is strange, as the upper level (and possibly the lower) does not go all the way around, interrupted by two large entrances, each featuring a large advertising column. Some of the concessions feature local brews. I tried two (Yazzoo's Ale and Hap & Harry's Tennessee Lager), but was not impressed by either of them.
2) The District.
I then visited four bars in 'The District' on Broadway; in fact, they were all within a block of each other:
- The Paradise Park Trailer Resort. It was the only bar to which I went that had a large selection of draught beers; they also had at least a half dozen locals. I tried a Jubilee IPA, which was solid. They were doing a stage change, so there was no music.
- Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. This is probably the landmark bar on Broadway. It is over 50 years old and looks like nothing has changed since it has opened. In a way the place reminded me of Chicago B.L.U.E.S., in that it is unapologetically old and run-down, with the difference that Chicago B.L.U.E.S. does not book cover bands. The band at Tootsie's, which included a fiddle player (female and cute, although aren't all young female fiddle player awfully cute. Wonder why that is? Maybe I have a weird fiddle fetish...), played a lot of recent, Kenny Chesney-type (what I imagine to be Kenny-Chesney-type anyway) young-white-and-proud country covers. So I can now say that I have been at Tootsie's, but did not entirely enjoy it. Tootsie's really shoehorn people into there, to the point where it is nary impossible to move around.
- Layla's Nashville Hillbilly Music. This is where I saw my favourite band of the night. They played mostly bluesy rock numbers, with country standards ('Tennessee Waltz') and rootsy rock (The Band) thrown in. As for Tootsie's, no draught taps.
- The Second Fiddle. The band playing here (and BTW, none of the bands introduced themselves or mentioned their names, which was strange.) played mostly what sounded to me like 1990's era country covers. They were definitely more twangy than the other two.
A few observations about the three bands:
- they were all young (mid to late 20's);
- they were all fairly large for bar bands (5 or 6 members), which enables them to rotate people out to rest as they generally seem to play continuous sets (I know a few Ottawa bar bands could learn from this. Just sayin'...);
- they mostly played exclusively covers except for one or two exceptions; - they were all really, really good. Now, maybe they were all really, really good as cover bands, which, don't get me wrong, is a great talent and, I am sure, a fairly well-remunerated one if you are playing on Broadway in Nashville. I will have to more investigating tonight.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
jeudi 28 mars 2013
Where am I Going: Tennessee
Because Tennesseeing is believing. (I really hope that has been a Tennessee tourism slogan at some point.)
I am off to Nashville and Memphis for the next week for music, bourbon and, well, more music.
I will try to post regular updates on my escapades.
Cheers.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
I am off to Nashville and Memphis for the next week for music, bourbon and, well, more music.
I will try to post regular updates on my escapades.
Cheers.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
Who Did I See: Whitehorse
Last Saturday evening (March 24th), I attended at the NAC Theatre a concert by Whitehorse, the Canadian husband-and-wife duo comprised of Luke Doucet and Melissa MacClelland (sp?).
They put on a lovely set, which lasted almost two hours, drawing mostly from the two CDs that Whitehorse has released over the past two years, as well as some solo material and a few covers.
The highlight of the show saw both performers walking out into the crowd after all lights were turned off to play 'The Night The Lights Went Off in Hogtown', a song they authored during the Great Power Outage of a few summers ago. MacClelland's powerful voice dominated the room.
A very pleasant surprise was to hear Doucet cover 'Un Canadien errant', a classic French Canadian folk song I had not heard since my youth. (The song is the story of an exiled Canadian who longs to speak to the friends and family he has left behind.) He gave the song the languid poignancy it deserves.
One small annoyance throughout the set was the way the duo approached most of the songs: they began by laying down some percussion rhythms, using both drums and other less traditional 'instruments', such as pots and pans. Those rhythms, and the occasional wordless back-up vocal, were recorded and then looped during the following song. While it was kind of interesting to watch them build the percussion tracks, it may have been overdone, as they took that approach for almost three-quarters of the songs they played.
Daniel Romano provided a very solid opening act. Romano is a fairly traditional-sounding country singer and an accomplished songwriter; some of his songs were reminiscent of John Prine's storytelling style. Of note, he got the crowd to sing 'Happy Birthday' to his gf, after dialling her up on his smartphone, which was a fun touch.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
They put on a lovely set, which lasted almost two hours, drawing mostly from the two CDs that Whitehorse has released over the past two years, as well as some solo material and a few covers.
The highlight of the show saw both performers walking out into the crowd after all lights were turned off to play 'The Night The Lights Went Off in Hogtown', a song they authored during the Great Power Outage of a few summers ago. MacClelland's powerful voice dominated the room.
A very pleasant surprise was to hear Doucet cover 'Un Canadien errant', a classic French Canadian folk song I had not heard since my youth. (The song is the story of an exiled Canadian who longs to speak to the friends and family he has left behind.) He gave the song the languid poignancy it deserves.
One small annoyance throughout the set was the way the duo approached most of the songs: they began by laying down some percussion rhythms, using both drums and other less traditional 'instruments', such as pots and pans. Those rhythms, and the occasional wordless back-up vocal, were recorded and then looped during the following song. While it was kind of interesting to watch them build the percussion tracks, it may have been overdone, as they took that approach for almost three-quarters of the songs they played.
Daniel Romano provided a very solid opening act. Romano is a fairly traditional-sounding country singer and an accomplished songwriter; some of his songs were reminiscent of John Prine's storytelling style. Of note, he got the crowd to sing 'Happy Birthday' to his gf, after dialling her up on his smartphone, which was a fun touch.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
dimanche 17 mars 2013
St-Paddy's Day: Random Observations
1.- (9:47). I am really hoping that I hear a band cover 'Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced' bt the Dropkick Murphys.
2.- (9:55) Starting off the day with green tea at Bridgehead on Bank Street. The count: four people with laptops or tablets; three people studying the old-fashioned way (books and paper); two of us using smart phones and two people (out of 16) actually speaking to one another.
3.- (10:44) Still stalled at Bridgehead, courtesy of buddy who slept in. He does not know this yet, but he's picking up at least the first two rounds.
4.- (11:09). First gods-awful Great Big Sea song of day. ('Lukie's Boat'. Stupid Lukie.)
5.- (11:11) First Guinness of the day. (Darcy's).
6.- (13:59) Stupid drunken trickster gods.
7.- (14:58). Ooh! Celtic version of 'All Along the Watchtower'!
8.- (16:14) We have hit the stage in the day when it is just basically a cover band playing. If they know something Irish/Celtic, it is a bonus.
9.- (16:38). Woo hoo! Celtic Bob Marley!
10.- (17:35). On St-Paddy's, you are supposed to wear green. Well, the requisite Green Rider fan showed up wearing a Sask Roughrider t-shirt. Every St-Paddy's, there's always one of them.
11.- (18:11) Dammit, GBS again. Really, Lukie, enough with your boat.
12,- (19:26) The following comments may not be coherent.
13.- (19:57). Nine hours of drinking. Hypothetically, if someone would have started drinking at 11. AM.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
2.- (9:55) Starting off the day with green tea at Bridgehead on Bank Street. The count: four people with laptops or tablets; three people studying the old-fashioned way (books and paper); two of us using smart phones and two people (out of 16) actually speaking to one another.
3.- (10:44) Still stalled at Bridgehead, courtesy of buddy who slept in. He does not know this yet, but he's picking up at least the first two rounds.
4.- (11:09). First gods-awful Great Big Sea song of day. ('Lukie's Boat'. Stupid Lukie.)
5.- (11:11) First Guinness of the day. (Darcy's).
6.- (13:59) Stupid drunken trickster gods.
7.- (14:58). Ooh! Celtic version of 'All Along the Watchtower'!
8.- (16:14) We have hit the stage in the day when it is just basically a cover band playing. If they know something Irish/Celtic, it is a bonus.
9.- (16:38). Woo hoo! Celtic Bob Marley!
10.- (17:35). On St-Paddy's, you are supposed to wear green. Well, the requisite Green Rider fan showed up wearing a Sask Roughrider t-shirt. Every St-Paddy's, there's always one of them.
11.- (18:11) Dammit, GBS again. Really, Lukie, enough with your boat.
12,- (19:26) The following comments may not be coherent.
13.- (19:57). Nine hours of drinking. Hypothetically, if someone would have started drinking at 11. AM.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
jeudi 14 mars 2013
Five CDs in No Particular Order, T=2
I explained the concept behind the 'Five CDs' series of posts the first (and only previous) time I wrote one of these, well, six months ago. Yes, it has been that long.
So here we go, five CDs in no particular order:
1.- Voyageur, Kathleen Edwards
As far as I can tell, Voyageur, launched last summer, is Kathleen Edwards's fourth full-length CD. For me, it might be as good as Back To Me, the 2004 CD for which she gained international attention.
I still think a set list would help though...
2.- Bring The Family, John Hiatt
I think, 25 years ago now, during a 'summer job experience' with the federal government whilst I was in university, one of my many bosses, during one of our many chats about music, introduced me to John Hiatt. Now, I discovered Hiatt through his 1988 album, Slow Turning, which was the follow-up to Bring The Family, his break-out album.
Bring The Family is a landmark, 'roots' rock album. It includes ten songs where the understated, rootsy arrangements bring the lyrics to the forefront. These all sound like personal songs, sung by Hiatt to his partner, or about his partner, yet, there is no sense of intrusion into the author/singer's emotional space (such as Richard and Linda Thompson, or Springsteen's Tunnel of Love). I guess while these are personal songs, they are not songs of heartbreak, yet they are somewhat languid, in a 'rootsy' way.
That may not be a big help in telling you how great this CD is, but it might help if I tell you that it includes 'Thing Called Love', which was subsequently a huge hit by Bonnie Raitt, as well as 'Have a Little Faith in Me', which has been covered by a lot of people.
What I had not realized until reading the liner notes tonight is who was backing Hiatt for this album: Jim Keltner (I have no idea who he is), Ry Cooder (!!!) and Nick Lowe (!!!).
3.- Galore, Kristy MacColl
Pretty much everybody who is reading this has most probably, without realizing it was her, has heard Kristy MacColl sing, as she is the female voice in the now classic Pogues Christmas song 'Fairytale of New York', on which she sings the timeless line 'You scumbag, you a maggot, you cheap lousy faggot.' Kristy should be a household name on the strength of that performance alone, just by vocally sticking up to Shane MacGowan, who personified, through both his music and his antics, the role of the drunk, scumbag maggot. Unfortunately, at least on this side of the pond, she is not.
Galore is a Kristy MacColl collection/greatest hits' album that was put out in 1995. It features roughly 15 songs penned by Kristy and several covers. The one cover song that sticks out for me is a cover of Billy Bragg's early ode to unrequited love, 'A New England'. Given that this was Billy's first 'hit', or at the very least, the first song that defined him as the poet of unrequited love and socialism, she makes it her own. The musical arrangements makes it sound different from the original (which a good cover should) and the lyrics, including additions by Billy, while keeping the rollicking spirit of the song, provides the alternate, female take to Billy's original take on getting dumped/ignored by his love.
That just scratches the surface. There are a number of Kristy-penned songs that just provide great, four-minute, stories, such as 'There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis' (the point: 'he's a liar, so are you') and 'My Affair' (about, well, an affair). These are just brilliantly written songs, that convey a simple message, while subtly creating a universe around the characters and the message in the song.
Sadly, Kristy MacColl passed away way too soon, in the saddest circumstances imaginable.
4.- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco
One of the best CDs I own. One of the best albums from the past 20 years. Heck, this is a musical work that will be remembered by future generations.
I do not know what to add to that, other than it took me a ridiculously long time to figure out that the cover of the CD depicted one of my favourite buildings, the Marine City Complex in Chicago.
5.- It's No Secret, Hammy Hamilton, Séamus Creagh, Con O Drisceoil
In early summer 2001, I travelled in Ireland and ended up in Killarney, a relatively non-descript town, which seemed to cater mostly to tourists. There, I remember visiting a music shop, where, rather than buying the requisite tin flute, I asked the owner to recommend some contemporary Irish folk music. One of the CDs he recommended, which I pull out at this time of year, was It's No Secret. It includes a number of reels, instrumentals for fiddle, accordion and flute and historic Irish songs. There are also a couple of brilliant songs written by O Drisceoil (note: there should be an accent aigu on the O, but I do not know how to type that...): the first having to do with the disposition of a spoon-playing patron of a a tavern and the second about King Lear and his three daughters.
Slainte.
So here we go, five CDs in no particular order:
1.- Voyageur, Kathleen Edwards
As far as I can tell, Voyageur, launched last summer, is Kathleen Edwards's fourth full-length CD. For me, it might be as good as Back To Me, the 2004 CD for which she gained international attention.
I still think a set list would help though...
2.- Bring The Family, John Hiatt
I think, 25 years ago now, during a 'summer job experience' with the federal government whilst I was in university, one of my many bosses, during one of our many chats about music, introduced me to John Hiatt. Now, I discovered Hiatt through his 1988 album, Slow Turning, which was the follow-up to Bring The Family, his break-out album.
Bring The Family is a landmark, 'roots' rock album. It includes ten songs where the understated, rootsy arrangements bring the lyrics to the forefront. These all sound like personal songs, sung by Hiatt to his partner, or about his partner, yet, there is no sense of intrusion into the author/singer's emotional space (such as Richard and Linda Thompson, or Springsteen's Tunnel of Love). I guess while these are personal songs, they are not songs of heartbreak, yet they are somewhat languid, in a 'rootsy' way.
That may not be a big help in telling you how great this CD is, but it might help if I tell you that it includes 'Thing Called Love', which was subsequently a huge hit by Bonnie Raitt, as well as 'Have a Little Faith in Me', which has been covered by a lot of people.
What I had not realized until reading the liner notes tonight is who was backing Hiatt for this album: Jim Keltner (I have no idea who he is), Ry Cooder (!!!) and Nick Lowe (!!!).
3.- Galore, Kristy MacColl
Pretty much everybody who is reading this has most probably, without realizing it was her, has heard Kristy MacColl sing, as she is the female voice in the now classic Pogues Christmas song 'Fairytale of New York', on which she sings the timeless line 'You scumbag, you a maggot, you cheap lousy faggot.' Kristy should be a household name on the strength of that performance alone, just by vocally sticking up to Shane MacGowan, who personified, through both his music and his antics, the role of the drunk, scumbag maggot. Unfortunately, at least on this side of the pond, she is not.
Galore is a Kristy MacColl collection/greatest hits' album that was put out in 1995. It features roughly 15 songs penned by Kristy and several covers. The one cover song that sticks out for me is a cover of Billy Bragg's early ode to unrequited love, 'A New England'. Given that this was Billy's first 'hit', or at the very least, the first song that defined him as the poet of unrequited love and socialism, she makes it her own. The musical arrangements makes it sound different from the original (which a good cover should) and the lyrics, including additions by Billy, while keeping the rollicking spirit of the song, provides the alternate, female take to Billy's original take on getting dumped/ignored by his love.
That just scratches the surface. There are a number of Kristy-penned songs that just provide great, four-minute, stories, such as 'There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis' (the point: 'he's a liar, so are you') and 'My Affair' (about, well, an affair). These are just brilliantly written songs, that convey a simple message, while subtly creating a universe around the characters and the message in the song.
Sadly, Kristy MacColl passed away way too soon, in the saddest circumstances imaginable.
4.- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco
One of the best CDs I own. One of the best albums from the past 20 years. Heck, this is a musical work that will be remembered by future generations.
I do not know what to add to that, other than it took me a ridiculously long time to figure out that the cover of the CD depicted one of my favourite buildings, the Marine City Complex in Chicago.
5.- It's No Secret, Hammy Hamilton, Séamus Creagh, Con O Drisceoil
In early summer 2001, I travelled in Ireland and ended up in Killarney, a relatively non-descript town, which seemed to cater mostly to tourists. There, I remember visiting a music shop, where, rather than buying the requisite tin flute, I asked the owner to recommend some contemporary Irish folk music. One of the CDs he recommended, which I pull out at this time of year, was It's No Secret. It includes a number of reels, instrumentals for fiddle, accordion and flute and historic Irish songs. There are also a couple of brilliant songs written by O Drisceoil (note: there should be an accent aigu on the O, but I do not know how to type that...): the first having to do with the disposition of a spoon-playing patron of a a tavern and the second about King Lear and his three daughters.
Slainte.
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