i really think i'm going to go broke here. four shows last week, then look at this.
ween |8.28+29 | fillmore : here are incredibly talented musicians that simply rip off every rock band in existence (knowingly). they don't take themselves seriously, which is a good friggin thing for rock music. guaranteed you will giggle at least once at this show.
gillian welch | 9.5 | fillmore : beautiful songwriter. great smoky mountain voice. i consider her the female richard buckner. her songs have been covered by the likes of emmylou. you've heard her if you have seen or have the soundtrack to the horse whisperer or o, brother where art thou. get her album revival, but for sure git yer ass down to the fillmore. "oh the night came undone like a party dress, + fell at her feet in a beautiful mess. the smoke + the whisky came home in her curls + crept through the dreams of the barroom girls."
grant lee phillips | 9.5 | bimbo's : the leader of grant lee buffalo + shiva burlesque brings his bellow to bimbo's
taj mahal w/ funky meters | 9.7 | warfield : taj is phenomenal. he simply runs the gamut of traditional + drills right through you. the funky meters will get your ass wiggling while thumping your heart. what a great double bill.
laurie anderson | 9.6+7 | bimbo's : you never know what you're going to get when you see laurie, but every time i've seen her it's been larger than life. i saw her not long after she 'married' lou reed + she did several of her own renditions of velvet underground songs, some humorous, some poignant. she definitely walks that line of performer vs artist.
belle + sebastian | 9.8 | warfield : it could be argued that these cats have made jazz folk hip again. poppity sound somewhere between the acoustic yo la tengo (ok, VU again) + nick drake, with very contemporary themes lyrically.
p j harvey | 9.18 | warfield (rumored date) : once i can see an actual confirmation of this date i will wax poetic about my love for this fine specimen. i'll just give you a hint by saying one of my goals in life is to just once help her smear her lipstick just right before she takes the stage.
all tomorrow's parties |10.19-21 | ucla campus : sonic youth is curating this festival which includes the likes of themselves, bardo pond, stereolab, cat power, stephen malkmus, smog, that eddie vedder guy, jon spencer be + get this: television. television! tickets are already on sale. $100 bucks for the weekend. road trip.
http://www.wayahead.com/atp/sy2001.htm
nick cave tickets go on sale sunday if you're interested.
this week i'll be at:
pernice brothers | 8.3 | BotH : if you are a fan of great pop music that will never make it to radio because it's too intelligent. once country or alt-country, there's almost no hint of country in them anymore. but god, they're good. thought i was blind. when she speaks it's like a mime. it's hard to read a simple mind. turns me inside out in a way i can't define. it's a long way to fall when you find out how it never was.
patti smith | 8.7+8 | fillmore : if you have not seen her, you must. a legend. last time i saw her she began the show by reading a poem. it looked like it would be a quiet intellectual adventure. the crowd clapped (it was a great poem) then she took a drink of water as the band began playing 'paint it black' she turned to the audience + spewed a mouthful of water lackadaisically. i knew it was going to be a beautiful evening. 'in heart, i'm a moslem. in heart i'm an american. in heart i am a moslem. in heart i am an american artist. + i have no guilt.'
joe henry | 8.8 | bimbo's : scar is the best release of 2001 i have purchased this year. of course it's hard to go wrong when you're surrounded by people like brad mehldau, me'shell ndegeocello, mark ribot + ornette coleman. ornette coleman...he's my jazz ace in the hole for my (obviously unbiased) theory that the best musicians in the world come from texas. once again i digress. joe started out solidly in country + his sound has steadily morphed, all the while writing great songs. i can't find a stitch of country in the new album. he's got a smoky full voice + his songs are filled with honesty + heartache.
previously mentioned
pernice brothers | 8.3 | BotH
cowboy junkies | 8.4 | warfield
roxy music | 8.5 | chronicle pavilion
patti smith | 8.7+8 | fillmore
tricky | 8.9 | fillmore
matthew sweet | 8.9 | slim's
angelique kidjo | 8.10 | fillmore
tool | 8.10+11 | berkeley comm. theater
superdrag | 8.11 | bottom of the hill (show at 6)
zakir hussain, bill laswell, talvin singh, karsh kale, ustad sultan khan | 8.12 | stern grove
stevie nicks | 8.14+15 | outdoor thingies
jim carroll | 8.15 | gamh
erykah badu | 8.17 | chronicle pavilion
go-go's | 8.21 | warfield
dwight yoakum | 8.22+23 | fillmore
the exploited | 8.25 | maritime
oscar peterson | 8.28 - 9.2 | yoshi's
damon + naomi | 8.30 |BotH
flogging molly w/ rev. horton heat | 9.1 | fillmore
mudhoney | 9.1+2 | BotH
madonna | 9.5 | arena in oakland
smokey robinson | 9.15 | chronicle pavilion
nick cave | 9.20+21 | warfield
widespread panic | 10.12-13 | greek theatre
