a brand new pack of cigs
a fresh one hangin' from her lips
a beer between her legs
tenacious d | 10.31 | warfield : jack black's parody/comedy set to his amazing voice (yes, that's really him singing 'let's get it on' in high fidelity), with his pal kyle gass.
de la soul | 11.8 | fillmore : genius hip-hop
me'shel ndegÈocello | 11.14 | bimbo's
king crimson w/john paul jones | 11.14 | warfield : progrock wankers. i recently purchased "discipline" on cd, mainly beacuse it's a re-issue, i only had it on album + let's face it the packaging was cool. it has some great moments. it also has some truly pathetic attempts at art. don't know if jpj is joining them or opening. screw that construction worker + rock's sloppiest guitarist, though. jpj + john bonham were the real genius behind zep. when plant + page were trying to do some reunion thing, jpj said screw it, i'm creating new music. with diamanda galas, no less.
grant lee phillips | 11.16 | slim's : here recently. by all reports, it was an amazing show. his new album is brilliant.
supersuckers | 11.17 | slim's : the no nonsense side of the grunge scene.
robert earl keen, jr | 11.30 | fillmore :to me keen is an eery reflection of texas, in that he encompasses so much about the state with unparalleled accuracy. as such, there is so much about him that i can't stand. mainly his too often drunken frat boy riddled crowd (he is without doubt the heir to the jerry jeff scene/genre). some say you shouldn't judge a performer by their crowd. hard not to when they're spilling their beer on your shoes + screaming, pleading "COPENHAGEN" in your ear at the top of their lungs, bits of the nicotine+saliva soaked sludge flying. townes took care of that crowd by writing (+ performing when appropriate) "talking fraternity blues". ('if you want good friends, they're gonna cost you') townes was in a fraternity. not that i really have anything against frat guys. hey, some of my best friends were in... anyway. keen, though, has also an amazing songwriting ability + can play a tune that will immediately hush the entire audience, turning a crowd of raging morons into bleary-eyed putty. after that of course, he'll tear into 'the road goes on forever'. then you'd better dance. or watch yer ass.
wilco | 12.3 added show | fillmore : can tweedy sell out a third show? jesus.
nick cave | 4.18+19 | warfield : tickets went on sale sunday. the shows are a week after my birthday. hint hint.
previously mentioned:
travis | 10.25 | warfield
buddy + julie miller | 10.26 | slim's
oysterhead | 10.26 | greek theater - berk
strictly bluegrass festival | 10.27 | speedway meadows in gg park
rocket from the crypt | 10.27 | gamh
bill frisell + greg leisz + boubacar traorÈ | 10.29 | palace of fine arts
jane's addiction | 10.29 | oakland arena this has been moved to shoreline or concord
black heart procession | 10.30 | gamh
butthole surfers | 11.1 | GAMH
sparklehorse | 11.11 | bimbo's
pernice bros | 11.1 | BotH also 11.2 at starry plough in berkeley
charles lloyd + zakir hussain | 11.02 | grace cathedral
and you will know us by the trail of dead | 11.2 | BotH
loudon wainwright iii | 11.4 | gamh
the beta band | 11.5 | fillmore
pinback | 11.6 | gamh
superchunk | 11.7+8 | GAMH
maxwell | 11.10+ 11 | paramount oak (10th), bill graham (11th)
spiritualized | 11.11 | fillmore
tori amos w/rufus wainright| 11.11+12 | paramount oak
built to spill | 11.8-12 | slim's
jimmie vaughan | 11.13 | slim's
ryan adams | 11.14 | fillmore
sarah harmer | 11.14 | BotH
u2 | 11.15 | oakland arena
mike watt | 11.15 | BotH
death cab for cutie | 11.17+18 | gamh
lee scratch perry | 11.19 | justice league
wilco | 12.1+2 | fillmore
eels (& howe gelb) | 12.3 | gamh
los lobos | 12.6 | fillmore
jane siberry | 12.9 | gamh
so i could make up my mind
trying for sleeping instead
maybe you'll rest sometime.
radio is becoming one big commercial, while commercials are showcasing truly original music. nick drake, iggy pop, the buzzcocks, wiseguys... i recently saw a target commercial featuring 'speeding motorcycle', a daniel johnston song performed by mary lou lord. what in the hell is going on?
sparklehorse | 11.11 | bimbo's : definitely in my top ten (no i don't have ten) releases this year.
ryan adams | 11.14 | fillmore : whiskeytown is gone. in those ashes, ryan adams created one of the best albums of last year. imagine paul westerberg + gram parsons getting drunk (duh) in a goth bar. this is not a typo. he does not, i repeat does NOT sing "cuts like a knife." to wit:
as a man, i ain't never been much for sunny days
i'm as calm as a fruit stand in new york and maybe as strange
when the colors go out of my eyes it's usually the change.
but damn, sam, i love a woman that rains.
sarah harmer | 11.14 | BotH : great lyrics, nice voice. folky with more of an edge than that lilith leader.
wilco | 12.1+2 | fillmore : choosing between chocolate + vanilla, or bourbon + scotch is not an eternal choice. some people enjoy debating which is better more than simply enjoying one. for their sake, thank heavens son volt is not playing the same night.
eels (& howe gelb) | 12.3 | gamh : you know, i still haven't seen or bought an eels album. but there's that genius howe gelb opening for them.
los lobos | 12.6 | fillmore : roots in veins. la luna me dice una cosa. las estrellas me dicen otra. la luz del dia me canta este triste cancion.
previously mentioned:
down from the mountain | 10.11-17 | red vic movie house
ray davies | 10.16 | warfield
bjˆrk | 10.17 | paramount -oak
quasi | 10.17 | gamh
john hiatt + the goners | 10.17 | slim's
dj shadow + cut chemist | 10.17 | fillmore
smog | 10.18 | BotH
st germain | 10.18 | warfield CANCELLED
the waterboys | 10.18 | fillmore
jon spencer blues explosion | 10.19 |bimbo's
beulah w/starlight mints | 10.20 | gamh
dirty dozen brass band | 10.20 | justice league
all tomorrow's parties |10.19-21 | ucla campus this has been postponed until some time in march, i think around the 15th
joe strummer | 10.20 | fillmore
stephen malkmus | 10.21 | fillmore
stereolab | 10.22-23 | fillmore
the breeders | 10.23-24 | slim's
mccoy tyner, tommy flanagan + pharoah sanders | 10.24 | masonic
travis | 10.25 | warfield
buddy + julie miller | 10.26 | slim's
oysterhead | 10.26 | greek theater - berk
strictly bluegrass festival | 10.27 | speedway meadows in gg park
rocket from the crypt | 10.27 | gamh
bill frisell + greg leisz + boubacar traorÈ | 10.29 | palace of fine arts
jane's addiction | 10.29 | oakland arena this has been moved to shoreline or concord
black heart procession | 10.30 | gamh
butthole surfers | 11.1 | GAMH
pernice bros | 11.1 | BotH also 11.2 at starry plough in berkeley
charles lloyd + zakir hussain | 11.02 | grace cathedral
and you will know us by the trail of dead | 11.2 | BotH
loudon wainwright iii | 11.4 | gamh
the beta band | 11.5 | fillmore
pinback | 11.6 | gamh
superchunk | 11.7+8 | GAMH
maxwell | 11.10+ 11 | paramount oak (10th), bill graham (11th)
spiritualized | 11.11 | fillmore
tori amos | 11.11+12 | paramount oak
built to spill | 11.8-12 | slim's
jimmie vaughan | 11.13 | slim's
u2 | 11.15 | oakland arena
mike watt | 11.15 | BotH
death cab for cutie | 11.17+18 | gamh
lee scratch perry | 11.19 | justice league
jane siberry | 12.9 | gamh
chestnut laden steeped and hid
ok, so i said i wasn't going to get into the lineup at the sfjazz fest, but there are a few standouts.
mccoy tyner, tommy flanagan + pharoah sanders | 10.24 | masonic : a dear friend + i were having a conversation recently about astounding, even legendary, musicians that we have yet to see. people whom we'd kick ourselves if they kicked + we never took the time to go see them. i can think of two such musicians that i've seen this year. this evening ...DEARLAWD... is filled with three in one show. just an amazing line-up of talent. to top it all off, the evening is billed as 'a love supreme' and commemorates john coltrane. all three played with him. such a unique opportunity to hear coltrane's music. no doubt they will improvise it nearly unidentifiable with their own genius.
bill frisell + greg leisz + boubacar traorÈ | 10.29 | palace of fine arts : i recently saw bill for the first time a few months ago. bill has been building an amazing new sound taking country further into jazz than i think it's ever been. leisz is a lap steel player who has backed up some of my favorite alt country artists. car car traorÈ is one of the most intense blues styled jazz i've heard.
charles lloyd + zakir hussain | 11.02 | grace cathedral : i have no idea what this will produce with sax + a breathtaking tabla master. stern grove did not do hussain justice. no doubt grace cathedral will
non jazz fest stuff:
dj shadow + cut chemist | 10.17 | fillmore : you know those shows that sum up pop music movements? the ones either on vh1 or the pbs rock 'n' roll series? ok, the fact that those shows acted like punk music went away from the period between sid's death + smells like teen spirit struck a raw chord in me. even worse, though, is their importance on the white artists who brought music that began in black communities to popularity. don't get me wrong. i love elvis, the beatles. dear god what would i do without the stones + they ripped it all! yeah, + i dig the beasties. but the glossing over of the foundations is just disturbing. anyway... in about 7 years when vh1 + pbs acknowledge turntables as a musical instrument, you can bet these guys will be among the white boys to get the credit. again, they're awesome. i just hope qbert + the like will get their due.
strictly bluegrass festival | 10.27 | speedway meadows in gg park: before you gloss over this one, take note that emmylou harris + alison krauss with union station will be playing. it's free from 11-5. for those who have forgotten, i will remind you... if i show up, emmylou will sing directly + only to me for the whole show. it's just the way it is. i'm sorry. the poor thing can't help herself for some reason. most people know alison has this unearthly voice, but she is also an amazing fiddle player. what's the difference between a violin + a fiddle? ...three beers.
on a related note
down from the mountain | 10.11-17 | red vic movie house : i promise i will not get into the habit of recommending movies, but this one is a documentary of the concert at the ryman auditorium featuring most of the musicians from the soundtrack to "o, brother, where art thou?"
then back to the music
the beta band | 11.5 | fillmore
pinback | 11.6 | gamh
death cab for cutie | 11.17+18 | gamh
previously mentioned (there has been many cancellations|postponements|etc... i can't keep up with them all, but i'll try):
apples in stereo | 10.9 | gamh
blackeyed peas | 10. 10 | justice league
midnight oil | 10.11 | fillmore
the derailers | 10.12 | slim's
el vez | 10.12 | gamh
sam butera | 10.12 | bimbo's
old 97s | 10.12 | fillmore
widespread panic | 10.12-13 | greek theatre
bob dylan | 10.13 | bill graham civic
los straitjackets feat. big sandy | 10.13 | slim's
ben folds | 10.14 | fillmore
ray davies | 10.16 | warfield
bjˆrk | 10.17 | paramount -oak
quasi | 10.17 | gamh
john hiatt + the goners | 10.17 | slim's
smog | 10.18 | BotH
st germain | 10.18 | warfield CANCELLED
the waterboys | 10.18 | fillmore
jon spencer blues explosion | 10.19 |bimbo's
beulah w/starlight mints | 10.20 | gamh
dirty dozen brass band | 10.20 | justice league
all tomorrow's parties |10.19-21 | ucla campus this has been postponed until some time in march, i think around the 15th
joe strummer | 10.20 | fillmore
stephen malkmus | 10.21 | fillmore
stereolab | 10.22-23 | fillmore
the breeders | 10.23-24 | slim's
travis | 10.25 | warfield
buddy + julie miller | 10.26 | slim's
oysterhead | 10.26 | greek theater - berk
rocket from the crypt | 10.27 | gamh
jane's addiction | 10.29 | oakland arena this has been moved to shoreline or concord
black heart procession | 10.30 | gamh
butthole surfers | 11.1 | GAMH
pernice bros | 11.1 | BotH also 11.2 at starry plough in berkeley
and you will know us by the trail of dead | 11.2 | BotH
loudon wainwright iii | 11.4 | gamh
superchunk | 11.7+8 | GAMH
maxwell | 11.10+ 11 | paramount oak (10th), bill graham (11th)
spiritualized | 11.11 | fillmore
tori amos | 11.11+12 | paramount oak
built to spill | 11.8-12 | slim's
jimmie vaughan | 11.13 | slim's
u2 | 11.15 | oakland arena
mike watt | 11.15 | BotH
lee scratch perry | 11.19 | justice league
jane siberry | 12.9 | gamh
