+ my head reels in the beautiful mess.
sorry, my horoscope said something about me not being at a loss for words.
sex mob, will bernard, scott amendola | 7.5 | gamh : jazz all over the map night. sex mob is a mix of preservation hall, soul, funk + damn near indie rock. are they the next lounge lizards? i don't know, but they're definitely fishing with john. will bernard has played with many + he's got a purty guitar. scott amendola played at my friend's wedding. guts loves you, shillie.
teenage fanclub | 7.20+21 | slim's : scottish indie popsters. they laid the groundwork for the sound you hear from the verve + the foo fighters. of course that's not a new sound in its ownright...
alejandro escovedo | 7.21 | BotH : one of my favorite singer songwriters from austin. played in the nuns back in sf's punk days (the real ones back in the 70s i mean). then rank+file then led one of the most powerful guitar armies i ever saw, (the) true believers. then he put out a few introspective folky sounding albums. now in concert you're never sure what persona he'll take on. he can turn on a dime from motor city nose hair singing punk to orchestral bliss to soulful country. his voice is a drone. his voice is five hearts breaking.
'the sky's a fire just waiting to die + his heart's as empty as a dead man's eye. she held his hand, looked him in the eye + said, believe, believe + everything will be fine.'
glenn tilbrook | 7.24 | slim's : not sure if this is the lennon or the mccartney from squeeze. o.k. actually i do know. their writing process is actually more jagger/richards (tilbrook being the lyricist) but the songs were more beatles (prior to bob dylan's ripping their pop stance to shreds). this is billed as an acoustic show promoting his solo album, so who knows if he'll play any squeeze hits. probably will.
'the stain on my notebook says nothing to me.'
spoon | 7.25 | gamh : i will be front + center at this band. saw them at bimbo's a few months back for the first time in years. i was expecting to hear their first album which is heavily 'surfer rosa' pixies. they played only one or two songs from that album, so i only knew half of what they played + the new stuff blew me away. costello, pixies, kinks, just a brilliant pop/punk writer. do not miss this band. they blew superchunk off the stage. from austin + i'm homesick.
'don't say a word, the last one's still stinging. back of my mind, i hear that phone ringing. + there is no way back from this. everything hits at once.'
robert walter's 20th congress | 7.27+28 | gamh : walter played keys at a show i went to recently. he was the only one in the lineup i hadn't heard of. now i know. he held his ground with charlie hunter, fred wesley + mike clark. never heard his band, but it should prove to be solid. 2% jazz. 98% funky stuff.
dismemberment plan | 7.29 | BotH : talk about all over the map, these guys can go from rage against the machine to xtc to primus to super furry animals, sometimes in one song.
area:one fest | 7.31 | shoreline : moby, new order, outkast, the roots, the orb, paul oakenfold, timo maas, rinocerose. all i can say is there better be a lot of sunblock on sale. the fans of most of these guys i doubt rarely see the sun.
the gossip | 8.1 | gamh : i saw this band open for sleater-kinney. a trio, if i remember correctly. the lead singer was probably 20. wearing fishnet hose, a skirt to make ally mcbeall blush + dern near falling out of her top. 5 feet tall. 200 pounds. so here's this buxome woman endlessly bouncing around on stage. at first it was fellini in its absurdity. then it was uplifting, fun + downright beautiful to see a woman proud of her girth with no care as to how she eeked out of her clothes. the music was 3 chords + nice turns of phrases.
everclear | 8.1 | warfield : i can't make up my mind on these guys. one minute i think they're great, the next i think they're horrendous. i wish they would stabilize. never seen them live.
cowboy junkies | 8.4 | warfield : at least they turned a lot of people on to townes van zandt before he died. again i have mixed feelings for this band. that first album is pretty good, though.
stevie nicks | 8.14+15 | outdoor thingies : stand back. one of my favorite lines in 'sid and nancy' is when nancy sees herself in a storefront display...
jim carroll | 8.15 | gamh : the basketball diaries author. considered to be the punk poet laureate, but i think patti smith or lou reed could take him.
erykah badu | 8.17 | chronicle pavilion : i've embarassed myself enough salivating over this woman. bald is sexy too.
previously mentioned:
pink martini | 6.25+27 | gamh
radiohead | 6.27 | shoreline
ex w/ black heart procession | 6.27 @ BotH | 6.28 @ GAMH
mr t experience | 6.29 | slim's
michelle shocked | 6.29 | fillmore
kool keith | 6.30 | maritime
the derailers | 6.30 | slim's
red house painters | 7.1 | GAMH
bebel gilberto | 7.5+6 | bimbo's
ani difranco | 7.6 | greek theater
trilok gurtu | 7.06 | justice league
shuggie otis | 7.7 | fillmore
peter himmelman | 7.8 | gamh
air | 7.9+10 | warfield
mike doughty | 7.11 | gamh
nina simone | 7.11 | paramount
quasi | 7.11 | BotH
trey anastasio | 7.13 | greek theatre
the white stripes | 7.14@bimbo's 7.15@gamh
sade | 7.17+18 | those damn outdoor theaters
shawn colvin | 7.21 | fillmore
jerry jeff walker | 7.22 | GAMH
echo + the bunnymen | 7.22 | fillmore
lucinda williams | 7.26+27 | warfield
warren zevon | 7.26 | fillmore
jill scott | 7.27 | greek theatre
jonathan richman | 7.28 | BotH
mark eitzel | 7.30 | gamh
roxy music | 8.5 | chronicle pavilion
dwight yoakum | 8.22+23 | fillmore
madonna | 9.5 | arena in oakland
smokey robinson | 9.15 | chronicle pavilion
widespread panic | 10.12-13 | greek theatre
open your mouth + let the butterflies out
isaac hayes | 6.22 | paramount oakland : sorry i'm so late on this one. i just saw it today. this is a tribute show to gordon parks, the man behind the shaft movie (he's also got an exhibit of his photography at the oakland museum). ya damn skippy. shut yo mouth.
trilok gurtu | 7.06 | justice league : gurtu is an indian jazz percussionist who fuses indian ragas with african + american jazz. this show should be filled with mesmerizing talent.
quasi | 7.11 | BotH : sam coomes + janet weiss. sam was in heatmiser with elliott smith. janet's the drummer for sleater-kinney. together they sound a bit like elliott smith fueled by a cacophony of grinding punk + almost cheesy synths. it works. well.
echo + the bunnymen | 7.22 | fillmore : go ahead. take your best shot. shoogah keessessss...
warren zevon | 7.26 | fillmore : sorry i'm saving my breath for the next one.
jonathan richman | 7.28 | BotH : (give paris one more chance) about ten months ago, at a time when i really needed it, a good friend introduced me to the poetry of hafez, an old sufist poet from persia. so we went to the bookstore + i picked up a collection. he told me during our walk outof the store that hafez's poetry is often used in persia for guidance. you would open the book + whatever poem you land on has a message that you need to hear. so i did, + was stunned. the poem, though wide sweeping in scope (not like grandma's refrigerator poetry, mind you), was filled with incredible detail and things that seemed incredibly personal to me. i have yet to put that book on a shelf. so several months ago i go see jonathan at the make out room. now i've been a fan for a long time, seen him several. every time i see him, he plays at least four new songs that are incredible. i kind of got the feeling that if modern america had anyone similar to hafez, this guy is it. you will always smile at a jonathan richman show. he is life affirming. but the reason he's so much fun is not because he only writes about flippant good time stuff. though he does do that, but he also searches deep in the core for painful things + renders them in a way that you realize that there is beauty there. besides you can tell he is having a ball with it. last time i saw him i was 15 feet from him. several new songs that floored me. one in particular in which he stared straight at me smiling through the whole song. exactly the song i needed to hear. he hasn't recorded it.
if you don't know of him + are curious as to what he sounds like, he was the minstrel in 'something about mary.' he has such a thick boston accent that there are times when he almost needs subtitles. he plays a hollow body gibson + often takes it off (which means there is no music playing) so he can dance around onstage. ...with no music playing.
dwight yoakum | 8.22+23 | fillmore : mainstream country friggin' sucks. how this guy made it in there i don't know.
previously mentioned:
lloyd cole | 6.21 | slim's
ron sexsmith | 6.22 | gamh
supersuckers w/m.i.r.v. | 6.22+23 | slim's
me'shell ndegÈocello | 6.23+24 | justice league
guided by voices | 6.24 | fillmore
pink martini | 6.25+27 | gamh
radiohead | 6.27 | shoreline
ex w/ black heart procession | 6.27 @ BotH | 6.28 @ GAMH
mr t experience | 6.29 | slim's
michelle shocked | 6.29 | fillmore
kool keith | 6.30 | maritime
the derailers | 6.30 | slim's
red house painters | 7.1 | GAMH
bebel gilberto | 7.5+6 | bimbo's
ani difranco | 7.6 | greek theater
shuggie otis | 7.7 | fillmore
peter himmelman | 7.8 | gamh
air | 7.9+10 | warfield
mike doughty | 7.11 | gamh
nina simone | 7.11 | paramount
trey anastasio | 7.13 | greek theatre
the white stripes | 7.14@bimbo's 7.15@gamh
sade | 7.17+18 | those damn outdoor theaters
shawn colvin | 7.21 | fillmore
jerry jeff walker | 7.22 | GAMH
lucinda williams | 7.26 | warfield
jill scott | 7.27 | greek theatre
mark eitzel | 7.30 | gamh
roxy music | 8.5 | chronicle pavilion
madonna | 9.5 | arena in oakland
smokey robinson | 9.15 | chronicle pavilion
widespread panic | 10.12-13 | greek theatre
dave alvin w/peter case | 6.8 | slim's : i've mentioned peter before. one of my favorites. dave alvin (blasters, x) is firmly entrenched in roots rock.
billy joe shaver | 6.15 | BotH : this guy is a country music legend. up there with willie, waylon + merle. very honest singer songwriter with a maimed finger. "i've been to georgia on a fast train, honey. i wasn't born no yesterday. i got a good christian raising + an eight grade education, i see no reason for y'all to be treating me this way."
supersuckers w/m.i.r.v. | 6.22+23 | slim's : loud + blazing show.
pink martini | 6.25+27 | gamh : jazz, samba, cabaret, swing from ...oregon. how hip are you?
the derailers | 6.30 | slim's : these guys were just beginning to rip up the austin scene when i left. straight ahead honky tonk bakersfield style swing in the tradition of buck owens.
peter himmelman | 7.8 | gamh : i haven't seen him in a while, but he's a talented pop songwriter. do not request 'freebird'. he will play it in its entirety.
mike doughty | 7.11 | gamh : the soul coughing guy. step aside + let the man go through. let the man go through.
trey anastasio | 7.13 | greek theatre - berk : i'm not even gonna attempt to describe this phish guy, for fear that one of you is a really big fan. bring a gas mask or a lot of febreeze.
the white stripes | 7.14@bimbo's 7.15@gamh : mentioned before. one guy, one girl. drums + guitar. poppy mod.
lucinda williams | 7.26 | warfield : my wall-eyed baby. when i worked at the cactus, lucinda once walked up to me + said, "you have an adorable smile." i smiled for about a month after that. oh yeah, her music... blues based country. great lyrics + a great voice. "if only for a minute or two, i wanna know what it feels like to be without you. i wanna feel the touch of my own skin, against the sun, against the wind."
jill scott | 7.27 | greek theatre -berk : jill scott started out with the roots. great soul hip-hop artist. honest songs. not quite, but damn near close to erykah + lauryn.
previously mentioned shows:
tortoise | 06.05+06 | fillmore
howe gelb | 6.6 | gamh
rickie lee jones | 6.7 | bimbo's
del mccoury band | 6.12 | GAMH
spain | 6.13 | BotH
blake babies | 06.15 | gamh
michael franti + spearhead | 6.15 | fillmore
built to spill | 6.16-19 | slim's
ron sexsmith | 6.22 | gamh
guided by voices | 6.24 | fillmore
radiohead | 6.27 | shoreline
ex w/ black heart procession | 6.27 @ BotH | 6.28 @ GAMH
mr t experience | 6.29 | slim's
michelle shocked | 6.29 | fillmore
kool keith | 6.30 | maritime
red house painters | 7.1 | GAMH
bebel gilberto | 7.5+6 | bimbo's
ani difranco | 7.6 | greek theater
air | 7.9+10 | warfield
nina simone | 7.11 | paramount
sade | 7.17+18 | those damn outdoor theaters
jerry jeff walker | 7.22 | GAMH
mark eitzel | 7.30 | gamh
roxy music | 8.5 | chronicle pavilion
madonna | 9.5 | arena in oakland
smokey robinson | 9.15 | chronicle pavilion
widespread panic | 10.12-13 | greek theatre
goldfrapp | 5.9 | GAMH : fans of portishead, don't miss this one. you may remember allison goldfrapp's voice from the song pumpkin (off of tricky's first album). mellow trip hop with a spy + torch song feel.
john scofield | 5.22-26 | yoshi's : jazz-rock guitar great.
calexico | 6.3 | bimbo's : i was just talking with a friend about how i've never seen these guys live or even advertised. arizona based, named after the border town between cali + mexico, their sound ranges from dusty folk to spaghetti western tinged with mexican traditional. the core of this band has always been john convertino + joey burns, from giant sand. op8, friends of dean martinez...
spain | 6.13 | BotH : this is jazz great charlie haden's son's band. but don't expect josh to sound like his dad. he doesn't. this is indie rock with an amazing plethora of influences, including jazz.
radiohead | 6.27 | shoreline : sorry i forgot to mention this one earlier. if you like them, i hope you went to see sigur ros last night. radiohead, though ground breaking, aren't breaking it by themselves. kid a came from iceland.
ani difranco | 7.6 | greek theater - berk : hulett digs ani, even though the smell of patchoulli at her shows can be overwhelming... probably better than the smell it's masking, i guess.
air | 7.9+10 | warfield : i dig these guys if only because their flash video for 'sexy boy' on the web quoted le corbusier to no end.
nina simone | 7.11 | paramount -oakland : damnit, i'm gonna find that cd so i can quote her for you, i promise.
sade | 7.17+18 | those damn outdoor theaters : a flawless woman
oh, and james brown added a second show for june 1 at the paramount
incredibly strange wrestling | 5.5 | fillmore : so you couldn't get joan jett tix + el vez is too 'tame' for you? here's to what should be the most absurd thing you can go to for cinco de mayo. these guys play punk, build a wrestling ring in the middle of the fillmore, wrestle bartenders + the audience, wear mexican wrestling outfits + near the end of the show throw tortillas into the crowd. dios mio.
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james brown + tower of power | 5.31 | paramount in oakland : my biggest fear is that i overlook an ad for a show like this + all of you are pissed at me 'cause you couldn't get tickets in time. tickets are on sale right now... i have no idea if any are left. i already have tickets for another 'don't miss' show for this evening, but i tell you... jb...AND tower of power... AND at the paramount? friggin' 'ell (on the one). eeeeeeeeeEEE-UNNGH! POPCORN!
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kool keith | 6.30 | maritime ...i mentioned this guy a while back. amazing turntablist + performance artist.
+ then sometimes i'm too wordy for my own goody.i've added some fine folk, so if this email list is new to you + you don't want to receive it, tell me to piss off + i will.
on to hulett's money drain:
03.17.01 | kronos quartet | yerba buena : you know these guys right?
03.19.01 | mogwai | bimbo's : scots blowing the doors off the manchester scene
03.21.01 | john hammond | gamh : blues standard. yup his daddy discovered people like billie holiday + bob dylan
03.24.01 | sarah harmer | cafe du nord : i've yet to see her live, but i've liked her recordings. smart lyrics catchy tunes, this is a lilith fair warning i must say.
03.26+27.01 | nick cave | palace of fine arts : already brought him up. don't miss him.
03.31.01 | jad fair | starry plough, berkeley : quirkiest of the quirky, this guy writes from the heart + bares his insecurities in your face. very catchy tunes to go with all the emotional exposure. his voice isn't for everyone, but i love this guy. original force behind half japanese, one of the longest living punk bands around. the violent femmes literally lifted their sound from him. thank you, kraly.
04.01.01 | jonatha brooke | fillmore : breathy + catchy songster from the story. again...lilith
04.02.01 | guided by voices | fillmore : indie-arty-poppy-ohioans. and BRILLIANT.
04.03.01 | the waterboys | fillmore : tone down the punk from the pogues. is that the best way i can describe these irish wizards? i wish i was a fisherman...
04.03.01 | rodney crowell | slim's : almost but will never make it to radio country guy. solid songs. lots of 'em. done by the likes of emmylou.
04.07.01 | soft boys w/the young fresh fellows | fillmore : robyn hitchcock's old punk band (iiiiiiiii wanna destroooooooyyy youuuu) the soft boys + the young fresh fellows? this is a don't miss. me already got tickets.
04.09+10.01 | joe jackson | 09-fillmore 10-warfield : yeah he drifted + drifts into some highly questionable territory, but.... he still has those few songs that light me at times.
04.12.00 | psychedelic furs | fillmore : don't make me describe them. i'm a victim of the john hughes time period i grew up in. "inside you the tide moves..."
04.12.00 | merle haggard | gershwin theater : 'hey hurtin' me now don't mean a thing. since love ain't here i don't feel no pain. my mind ain't nothin' but a total blank. i think i'll just stay here and draynk.' i wanna go to this if only to see the people who can afford the tickets meandering with the fanatics who spent their entire paycheck so they could see him.
04.13+14.01 | shane mcgowan + the popes | fillmore : i still haven't seen him solo, for fear of it obliterating my memory of how amazing the pogues were when they each had a keg of guiness at their feet for a show.
04.13.01 | lloyd cole | slim's : i'm sensing some kind of 80s flashback thing going on here. she's got perfect skin...
04.18.01 | david thomas | BotH : ex-frontman for pere ubu. probably the only person i can think of who could challenge jad fair to the quirky title. pere ubu was amazing. the pixies lifted a lot of their sound from them.
04.19.01 | fear | slim's : straight ahead old school brilliant punk
04.21.01 | poi dog pondering | fillmore : these guys used to play at the cafe i worked at for free on friday afternoon. i think they're in chicago now. i thought they broke up. i'm really having flashbacks now...only in the nineties. they were really good back then. now? i'd rather go see:
04.21.01 | richard buckner | BotH : best living songwriter + maybe poet i know of. has a way with tunes + a nice breathy almost appalachian voice. he's taken country + deconstructed it. look for me. i'll be the blonde weepy puddle @ the front of the stage.
04.22+23.01 | arab strap | BotH : more scottish popsters, but definitely more on the dark reflective folky end of the spectrum. nick
drake meets nick cave + belle+sebastian.
04.27.01 | pancho sanchez | latin jazz super-percussionist. you will find your ass has a mind of its own @ this show.
05.01+02.01 | jets to brazil | slim's: fans of local punk heroes jawbreaker (the sf h¸sker d¸) don't miss this one.
05.10+11.01 | folk implosion + lou barlow | BotH : lou barlow, the genius behind sebadoh, opening for his own side project band.
introspective indie rocker...this show will likely be a little more introspective than sebadoh.
05.14.01 | melvins | slim's : seattle seattle seattle (it wouldn't have happened without these cats) really loud, really ugly.
05.18+19.01 | frank black + the catholics | slim's : pixies front yelper. break my body, hold my bones (hold my bones) you're so pretty when you're unFAITHful to me
05.26.01 | throwing muses | slim's : swirly reunion.
05.31.01 | the flatlanders | slim's : do you have any idea how flat lubbock is? how that town produced 4 incredible musician/songwriters in the same generation is beyond me. i need to drink that water. butch hancock: i've held conversations with him on several occassions. i don't know how. i mean how he carries on a conversation when obviously there is a string of poetry flowing through his brain at all times. jimmie dale gilmore: warbler extraordinaire. one of, if not the best voice in country music today. named after jimmie rogers, somehow his voice actually lives up to that, except i've never really heard him yodel. joe ely: the rockin' showman that grabbed the clash's attention back in their day. david byrne called these guys country music's velvet
underground. bless david byrne's little heart. all amazing songwriters. more a legend than a band indeed. (the 4th mentioned up there is not in the flatlanders, + that's terry allen.)
cheryl wheeler | 4.26 | freight + salvage, berkeley -good country singer songwriter. bring a flask
j. mascis + the fog | 4.27 | GAMH -dino jr guy
mekons | 4.28 | GAMH -i keep thinking this band broke up. one of the earliest punk meets country bands from leeds, england. jon langford's first band for those familiar with the waco brothers.
tippa ire w/pato banton | 4.28 | justice league -two incredible toasters for you reggae fans.
prince | 4.28 | arena in oakland -genius.
jerry jeff walker | 5.1 + 7.22 | GAMH -big drunken fratboy draw in my homestate, but that still couldn't keep me away from his amazing songs. how many people can say bob dylan recorded one of their songs? the crowd here will likely be different, i guess, but there is a lot of woodwork in this town.
sigur ros | 5.2 | fillmore -iceland's answer to the emerging ambient pop scene from the british isles.
rocket from the crypt | 5.2 | GAMH -heavily influenced by the 80's minneapolis scene (h¸sker d¸ + replacements) + mixed with that southern cal punk sound (minutemen, x), these are some of the truest punks out there. get their tattoo + see 'em free.
terence blanchard quintet | 5.3-6 | yoshi's - hard bop trumpeter who worked under marsalis + then moved on to art blakey's jazz messengers. probably best known for his movie scores for spike lee, which tend to be mellower than his normal solo hard bop.
el vez | 5.5 | GAMH -the self proclaimed 'mexican elvis', son of elvis + charo. cheese at its finest. the date is the most important thing here. cinco
joan jett + the blackhearts | 5.5 | BotH -yes, hulett is recommending joan jett + the blackhearts. they will give your hair a new part. i do love rock 'n' roll, after all
rufus wainwright | 5.6 | GAMH -loudon wainwright iii's son, who sounds absolutely nothing like his dad. rufus is much more jazz oriented with a little over the top drama thrown in. rufus is a tit man (loudon was a bit off with that one)
chick corea | 5.9-13 | yoshi's -chick replaced herbie in miles' group. truth be told, i don't know that much more about him, as his music as i've heard it always fell a little flat with me. disagree? convert me. i'm open.
g. love + special sauce | 5.15 | warfield -never got into 'em, but i figured some of you would be interested.
herbie hancock (appearance) | 5.16 | bimbo's -who knows what 'appearance' means for this julian priester benefit show, but herbie in a place as small as bimbo's???
peter case | 5.18 | slim's -great singer songwriter primarily in the old 'busker' sense. a guy who used to play on the streets of san francisco for spare change. he also fronted the plimsouls (remember 'a million miles away'?) he belts the songs out with a soulful sensibility with tales of hard luck. are you a fan of steve earle?
dave matthews | 5.18-19 | pacbell park -again, not really into him, though i appreciate the musicianship. i figured several of you would be interested.
john mayall | 5.25 | slim's -one of the first 60's blues white boys
ben harper | 5.26 | greek theatre -uc berk
tom petty + the heartbreakers | 5.28 | chronicle pavilion -i may never see him again, if i have to sit on the grass + see him on a 20 yard wide television. 'i don't understand the world today'
gourds | 6.1 | slim's (benefit show) -the texas pogues co-headline a benefit show
del mccoury band | 6.12 | GAMH -great bluegrass band. really great.
built to spill | 6.16-19 | slim's
stereo mc's | 6.20 | slim's
ex w/ black heart procession | 6.27 @ BotH | 6.28 @ GAMH -the ex are a mixed bag of punk + european folk indie cats from amsterdam. black heart procession are a mixed bag of desert, sea, cabaret meets nick cave from san diego. a great mixed bag. don't miss this one.
red house painters | 7.1 | GAMH -you a fan of american music club? this guy bares his soul similarly. folkyrock despair + loss.
ani difranco | 7.6 | greek theatre -uc berk
roxy music | 8.5 | chronicle pavilion -i once heard that guy in the banana hammock that sang for duran duran claim that he was heavily influenced by the velvet underground. it took me awhile but i figured out he was hearing the VU filtered through roxy music. that doesn't make roxy music bad. i like them, even if they are this missing link. again, i don't want to pay over $40 to sit on the grass + see bryan ferry on tv
madonna | 9.5 | arena in oakland -quit rubbing your eyes. she's huge. i gotta open my closet every now + then. no, i'm not going. unless one of you wants to buy me a ticket.
widespread panic | 10.12-13 | greek theatre -uc berk jam band with sounds of the south: rock, blues, jazz + folk
