Recent Concerts You've Enjoyed

Thought this might be a fun thread and a way to find out about acts on tour.

My wife and I saw the Smoke Fairies at the Tractor Tavern last evening as the opening act for Rasputina. The Smoke Fairies are a 'folk blues' duo from Wales and have been described as "Bob Dylan's dream." I thought that their debut release "Through Low Light and Trees" was one of last year's best. It was just the two principles singing and playing guitar. Really terrific concert with excellent acoustics and thankfully not too loud.

If you are ever in Seattle, the Tractor Tavern is a great venue in the Ballard neighborhood. Very fun people watching...I think my wife and I were the only ones without tattoos! I got to chat with them after their set and had my LP signed. I love the lilting Welsh accents!

Here's a video of "Hotel Room" from their debut LP:

[video]

 

I apologize to all for my ineptness with Photobucket.com. I tried to make an album of my best images from the Wall concerts in NYC and Philly, but the site was just not happy with the size for my album of 130 1 meg+ images.

I was unable to order them and did not have time to do 130 downloads. So the best thing is use the public url and do as you wish, including downloading. You have my total permission. All are labeled. Shots from NY start with NYC and are taken from third base with the stage in deep center field. All other shots are from Philly and are taken from row 22 center about 125 feet from the stage. Things were moving fast and it was dark, so some are a bit blurry, but you will get the idea.

For those of you who do not know the story of the wall here is a brief summary.

Various forces, especially governments, the Church and major corporations are trying to mind control people to promote their individual growth and wealth. Eventually people get fed up and build a wall to protect themselves against Big Brother and to help promote family protection, especially mother's ability to protect her own children.

The assault is huge with many bombers laden with the logos of these forces which they drop on the people of the world to influence them. Fortunately the wall protects those behind it, but also isolates them from one another.

Eventually there is a rebellion led by Roger Waters, of course, a bomb dropped on the evil forces, especially Big Brother, and then the Wall comes down and all is wonderful.

Enjoy, and feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer them. The music was incredibly. Sorry I cannot produce that yet, but I am working on an iPhone video of the whole concert.

Go to this url
http://s1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg569/russferstandig/

Enjoy

 

Go to photobucket.com. It is fairly intuitive, but slow. Then take the url for your public album and paste it into the thread.

 

We saw Fiona Apple at the Paramount last night, 11th row, dead center. Best sound I've ever heard at the venue and her band was terrific. I really liked the material from the new album. Wished she played more piano...she's got a hammer of a left hand.

Her voice was fine with quieter material but couldn't scale up to sing over louder songs. Man is she skinny!

 

This weekend, my wife and I went to an amazing chamber music performance held at the smaller, 500 seat auditorium at Benaroya.

Ricardo Morales was one of the featured performers and the experience was incredible. I love the sound of the clarinet and he plays a custom designed instrument made of cocobola. He has a number of great videos on his website: http://www.ricardomoralesclarinet.com/ Bartok's "Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin and Piano" was breathtaking.

 

This weekend, my wife and I went to an amazing chamber music performance held at the smaller, 500 seat auditorium at Benaroya.

Ricardo Morales was one of the featured performers and the experience was incredible. I love the sound of the clarinet and he plays a custom designed instrument made of cocobola. He has a number of great videos on his website: http://www.ricardomoralesclarinet.com/ Bartok's "Contrasts for Clarinet, Violin and Piano" was breathtaking.

What a nice looking room!

 

www.trilakesmusic.org

 

Rodrigo y Gabriela at the Tabernacle in Atlanta was great this last spring. "Dead can Dance" next month should be as good or better!

 

Took my son to hear Maceo Parker at the Triple Door last night. The guy is amazing! Moves like a guy half his age and the band was non-stop for the 90 minute set. The guitarist was spectacular.

 

Went to see the 8:30 show at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, the Gregg Rolie Band (Gregg Rolie from Santana, Journey). Was hoping it would help cure my horrible cold.

A lot of Santana tribute songs from the first album, and a couple of really deep blues. Dynamics were INTENSE and the sound system fantastic. Drums were seismic, even in an open air venue. So many utterly fast, layered sounds.

They do the original Santana stuff better than Santana did, a real revelation, highly recommended. The band looks like they are having fun and they want the audience to know and feel the music.

 

I had front row seats to Santana many, many years ago (around 1969-1970 I think) and Tower of Power was the backup band. I thought Tower of Power was damn good and Santana was phenominal. My ears rang for several days after that though. I can't imagine somone playing Santana's songs better than Santana. If you don't have Carlos playing guitar on a Santana song, I think you are hurting.

 

The last concert I attended was the Punch Brothers last March in Seattle. They played at the Neptune and it was a great performance. If you are familiar with Nickle Creek you should check them out. Chris Thile from Nickel Creek is on mandolin and lead vocals. Looks like they will hit the east coast this fall and will be back through Seattle in November.

I'm going to see Diana Krall in September. I have not seen her live before. It should be great.

Sean

 

The Boss at Ullevi in Gothenburg, Sweden (67.000 in the audience). It was a great time!

 

Mimicking Birds opening for Phosphorescent at the Tractor Tavern last night was way cool!

The Mimicking Birds eponymous LP is definitely a "hot pressing".

 

Terry Reid, last night at the Turning Point, my little local club. He was powerfully musical, charming, and gifted - To be Treated Right was sensational; he was backed by a local band that he's played with before- Cosmic Derelicts, whose lead guitarist is someone to keep an eye on- the guy had the lyrical sensibility of a Duane Allman, without ever sounding imitative, and not one of his licks sounded like 'standard fills.' (I heard Bill Kirchen a couple nights earlier in the same room, and Kirchen is probably one of the best players on the planet- just so you know my benchmark here- and this kid's playing emotionally touched me again and again).
It was an especially poignant show for me because Reid was friends with my oldest and dearest friend, who dropped dead 2 years ago in LA, and we had a few minutes before the show to talk about him. He was a well-known engineer who worked on quite a few big records back in the day.
The audience, though, was one of the worst I have ever encountered at this club. The didn't shut the X up - even on soft acoustic numbers. I hate playing 'cop' but I had to ask a couple people to stop talking, and the club owner even did the same thing a number of times.
I don't get this. People go to a show to hear music, and then talk and tweet? (and it wasn't just youngin's- although I think that alot of the audience wasn't there for Terry, they were fans of the band).

 

The last concert I attended was the Punch Brothers last March in Seattle. They played at the Neptune and it was a great performance. If you are familiar with Nickle Creek you should check them out. Chris Thile from Nickel Creek is on mandolin and lead vocals. Looks like they will hit the east coast this fall and will be back through Seattle in November.

I'm going to see Diana Krall in September. I have not seen her live before. It should be great.

Sean

She is marvelous. I heard her last year in a small room for a benefit, she played solo, then was followed by Paul Simon. Her bands are usually first rate jazz guys. You'll enjoy her, particularly if it's not a huge room. And, she has a nice stage manner, not a 'diva.'

 

She is marvelous. I heard her last year in a small room for a benefit, she played solo, then was followed by Paul Simon. Her bands are usually first rate jazz guys. You'll enjoy her, particularly if it's not a huge room. And, she has a nice stage manner, not a 'diva.'

The concert is at the St Michelle Winery and is outdoors. I have not been there before but I think it is a fairly large venue. I scored tickets in the second row on the right side. So I will be close to the action. I would love to see her in a more intimate setting that didn't require amplification of the instruments at least.

Its funny you mention her stage manner. I have read some online reviews and some people complain that she does not have much of a stage presence. I have seen the concert DVD Live in Paris. From what I saw in the DVD she was great. I little quirky but there is nothing wrong with that. Shes sitting at a piano. Its not like she can run around the stage or something.

Sean

 

Well, since there is no thread called 'Recent Concerts You Didn't Enjoy,' I'll just post here. The extravaganza of the Winter Bros, Kim Simmonds, Leslie West and Rick Derringer was a crashing bore. Way too loud, and most of the material was not passionate electric blues but hard rock of the cliche variety. That didn't seem to deter the audience- largely big guys with no necks. The guitar licks were the same you've heard a million times and hearing them played louder, by aging rockers, didn't make them sound better or more interesting. I felt bad for Leslie, stuck in a wheel chair, mean as ever, threw water at a stage hand who brought a bottle to him; Rick Derringer turned political, and although what he said didn't make much sense, I gather he has gone to the 'hard right'; surprise of the night, for me anyway, was Edgar Winter- extremely musical, wickedly fluent on keyboards, sax, drums and a great rythym section. Johnny, well, he's had better nights. Best player was the side man for Edgar- tasteful licks and, shocking- dynamics. He understood that music is more interesting with shadings from loud to soft.
Remind me not to try to re-live the past. We need a new generation of electric blues guitar players. It was almost depressing.

 

This guy...

http://www.gregorypage.com/

 

This guy...

http://www.gregorypage.com/

thnx, will check him out.

 

Well, since there is no thread called 'Recent Concerts You Didn't Enjoy,' I'll just post here. The extravaganza of the Winter Bros, Kim Simmonds, Leslie West and Rick Derringer was a crashing bore. Way too loud, and most of the material was not passionate electric blues but hard rock of the cliche variety. That didn't seem to deter the audience- largely big guys with no necks. The guitar licks were the same you've heard a million times and hearing them played louder, by aging rockers, didn't make them sound better or more interesting. I felt bad for Leslie, stuck in a wheel chair, mean as ever, threw water at a stage hand who brought a bottle to him; Rick Derringer turned political, and although what he said didn't make much sense, I gather he has gone to the 'hard right'; surprise of the night, for me anyway, was Edgar Winter- extremely musical, wickedly fluent on keyboards, sax, drums and a great rythym section. Johnny, well, he's had better nights. Best player was the side man for Edgar- tasteful licks and, shocking- dynamics. He understood that music is more interesting with shadings from loud to soft.
Remind me not to try to re-live the past. We need a new generation of electric blues guitar players. It was almost depressing.

Saw the Edgar Winter Group last year at Santa Cruz Boardwalk. They were excellent. Did a great rendition of "Frankenstein", with Edgar running around on sax, keyboards and drums, after which Edgar apologized that it wasn't up to snuff and promised to improve it for the second set. I thought it sounded perfect.

Edgar was very personable and enthusiastic, really wanted to please the audience.