Clay Pigeons – John Prine on Austin City Limits
I was catching up on some recorded episodes of Austin City Limits this afternoon, and came across a goldmine: a repeat of the John Prine / Amos Lee episode that aired about 2 years ago. It was John’s version of “Clay Pigeons” that really affected me, and led me to the original songwriter, Blaze Foley. I wrote about that day here.
I checked YouTube back then for the Prine ACL version, but no go. And today, after seeing John’s amazing performance again, I checked again, and lo and behold, here it is. I trust there’ll be a few of you who are just as affected as I was.
Freedom! Bob and Tom on the 4th of July (Part 1)
Tom Petty and Bob Dylan-RS 478/479 (July 17, 1986) - photo by Aaron Rapoport
It would be most fitting to post this 4th of July show on Independence Day, but given that this is my first post on my new host (Hostmonster), and we’ve got a new theme and some new banners, I’m feeling free and refreshed, so here goes.
3 cheers to Michael for the awesome banners! Michael is indeed the sh-t.
This show comes from a great tour that took place over the summer of 1986: Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I was in the midst of my high school years, and there were two things consuming my life at the time (besides my studies, of course): Prince and girls. So while I was busy gallivanting about on this particular 4th of July – probably drinking Old Style beer on a Lake Michigan beach (while the girls drank White Mountain or Seagram’s wine coolers) – Bob, Tom & the boys were on the shores of another great lake, playing their hearts out in Buffalo, New York.
Here comes a two-parter. I’ll hit you with part deux in a few days. For now, take in some of the show….
Bob Dylan with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Buffalo, NY
July 4th, 1986Part 1:
1. So Long Good Luck & Goodbye
2. Positively Fourth Street
3. Clean-Cut Kid
4. Emotionally Yours
5. Trust Yourself
6. We Had It All
7. Masters Of War
8. Straight Into Darkness
9. One Of These Days
10. The Waiting
11. Breakdown
12. To Ramona
13. One Too Many Mornings
14. A Hard Rain’s Gonna FallLiam Finn’s Second Chance
Full of sunny melodies, Beatles-esque harmonies, and of course more than a hint of his old man Neil, Liam Finn’s debut solo album has been getting some frequent plays over at El Casa de Ickmusic. I’ll Be Lightning was recorded in early 2007 at his dad’s studio in Auckland, New Zealand. It was released overseas last summer, but it took until last month for the U.S. release on Yep Roc.
Liam is clearly not just the son of a famous musician capitalizing on his situation, but is a huge talent in his own right. Check out one of my favorites…
Liam Finn – Second Chance (mp3)
Links: Liam Finn’s Official Site | MySpace
Click the cover to buy at the Amazon MP3 Store
Of Mekons and Diamonds
Any big Mekons fans out there? They’re another band I need to spend some quality time with. They were one of the bands that formed out of the 1977 British punk scene. Among the art students at the University of Leeds were Jon Langford, Kevin Lycett and Tom Greenhalgh. They formed the Mekons. Also forming out of the Leeds art school around that time were Gang of Four and Delta 5.
Jon Langford eventually settled in Chicago, and has been involved in a number of projects, most notably the Waco Brothers. His brand of music fuses post-punk, folk and country. Good, good stuff.
I heard this newer Mekons tune on Sirius a few weeks ago, from their latest, Natural.
Mekons – Diamonds (mp3)
And this is my favorite off of the Waco Brothers Do You Think About Me? record. I have good memories of cranking this on a solo drive to Vegas to see Bruce in 2000.
Waco Brothers – Wickedest City (mp3)
Buy: The Mekons – Natural
| Waco Brothers – Do You Think About Me?
Links: Mekons MySpace | Mekons on LastFM
Martin Sexton’s Diner
As the new, 21st century American Gladiators plays on television in the distance (on Mute), and I get sick to my stomach and lament the fact that society and popular culture seem to be on a downward spiral down the ol’ proverbial toilet… I hear this song.
I have been told before to listen to Martin Sexton. I have been told to go see him live. And it’s clearly my fault for not doing so sooner. A single song like this can endear me to an artist, and move me to seek out an entire catalog. This song is that good, in my opinion. It’s an ode to the American diner, performed in such a catchy, clever, sweet way – that my head is reeling. Best new song of 2008, people! And it’s a dozen years old. Go figure. Thanks again, Sirius Disorder.
Buy:
Links: Official Site | MySpace
RIP Dan Fogelberg
Photo by Henry Diltz Pete’s Comments:
While I was never familiar with the Dan Fogelberg catalog, it was his biggest hit, “Same Old Lang Syne”, that always connected with me. Who can resist the story line? Running into a former lover in a grocery store on Christmas Eve; grabbing a six-pack of beer and sitting in the car, toasting to the good times past, and saying goodbye all over again: “Just for a moment I was back at school / And felt that old familiar pain /And as I turned to make my way back home / The snow turned into rain.” Zowwww. Ouch. The song, and that line in particular, has always tugged at the heartstrings over the years. Michael Brecker’s saxophone finishes the bittersweet song with a warm snippet of “Auld Lang Syne.”
The song was a big hit in the U.S. in early 1981. Fogelberg said it was a true story of a mid-70’s encounter in a Peoria, Illinois grocery store with a high school girlfriend of his. The song apparently wrote itself.
Dan passed away Sunday at the young age of 56 after a battle with prostate cancer. [AP Story on Yahoo News]
My thoughts & prayers to Dan’s family and friends.Dan Fogelberg – Same Old Lang Syne (mp3)
BUY: Check out The Very Best of Dan Fogelberg
WEB: Dan’s Official Site
REALITY: Dan’s message to us…
To each and every man….
I cannot encourage you strongly enough to get a DRE (Digital Rectal Exam) and a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test EVERY YEAR.
The medical community suggests this for men over 50, but men with a family history of prostate cancer should start getting tested at age 40.
The PSA test is a simple blood test…it only takes a minute or two. The DRE, okay, every man squirms at the thought of this exam, but hey, it too takes only a minute or two, and IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE.
Prostate cancer can be very slow growing or very aggressive, but detected early while it is still confined to the prostate gland, it can usually be treated and cured successfully.
Once it spreads beyond the prostate it is called Advanced Prostate Cancer (PCa). At this point it becomes imminently more life threatening and harder to treat. Do yourself and your loved ones a huge favor and GET CHECKED REGULARLY. I promise you, you DON’T want to go through what I’m going through if you can avoid it.
Education and awareness are key, I urge you to follow the link below to the Prostate Cancer Foundation web site and read up on how best to protect yourself and reduce your likelihood of contracting this terrible disease.
Michael’s Comments:
When I was a very young man my uncle gave me a 45 rpm of the song “Leader of the Band”. To this day that song holds a special place in my heart and I have to stop and listen when it comes on.
The leader of the band is tired
And his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument
And his song is in my soul
My life has been a poor attempt
To imitate the man
I’m just a living legacy
To the leader of the bandDan Fogelberg lost his battle with Cancer this morning at the age of 56. Our condolences go out to the Fogelberg family, friends and fellow fans.
John Prine – You Got Gold
I’m in the John Prine state of mind.
I guess it was a year ago about this time when I professed my love for The Missing Years album. Another track popped up tonight while I was holding my youngest daughter, getting ready to give her a bath. I immediately stopped in my tracks, and we spent the next four and a half minutes dancing and spinning. What a look of joy on her face. Goosebump moments.
Non-parents have already moved on to the next web site, but you parents know how it is – those spontaneous moments out of nowhere where your child can somehow convince you – just with an expression or a gleam in her eye – that all is right with this world. Escapism in its purest, most innocent (not to mention healthiest) form.
So it’s this song that I’ve absolutely loved since the record came out back in 1991. It’s the joyful, reeling melody, combined with Prine’s witty and beautiful lyrics. I mean look at this verse:
Life is a blessing, it’s a delicatessen
Of all the little favors you do.
All wrapped up together no matter the weather,
Baby you always come through.
It’s a measure of treasure that gives me the pleasure
Of loving you the way I do
And you know I would gladly say I need your love badly
And bring these little things to you.Who else but John Prine could craft that?
So listen up, and if you have a spare few moments with your kid, give him or her a whirl with this one…
John Prine – You Got Gold (mp3) – from The Missing Years
(Boss fans – Bruce and Prine duet on “Take a Look at My Heart”, reason enough to pick up the album – and so do Tom Petty and Bonnie Raitt)
John’s most recent album is a collection of old school country & western standards with bluegrass legend Mac Wiseman. It’s a great ride, and definitely puts me in a great place each time I hear it. Here’s a taste of what you’re in store for….
John Prine & Mac Wiseman – Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Age (mp3) – from Standard Songs for Average People
An Open Letter to Jason Mraz
Dear Mr. A-Z,
One of life’s great joys is realizing when a song is grafting itself to a memory. And while you’ve managed to score many memory points within my noodle prior, you’ve scored the big one and managed to weave your magic into my fondest memory to date. I recently wed the kindest, loveliest and plain bestest woman that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Our gift to ourselves was a week’s respite from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives on the quiet North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.
Newlywed and dizzy from the beauty surrounding us, we turned to the local radio to provide the soundtrack as we bounced from beach to beach soaking in the sun and celebrating the love and life we’ve lived so far and what lies ahead. To my surprise, there was one song that seemed to follow us everywhere and that song was “I’m Yours”. I recognized it from one of the many live recordings that I’ve collected over the years, but had never expected to hear it on the radio. I swear we must have heard it twenty times during the week.
From Haleiwa to Kualoa Ranch to Waikiki to Sunset and Pipeline you followed us on our every adventure. It was, as if some perfect bit of irony, the last song we heard as we returned the rental car. These simple and beautiful words to a tune that seemed almost perfectly Hawaiian made us smile time and time again…
Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you’re free
Look into your heart and you’ll find love love love
Listen to the music of the moment maybe sing with me
A lá peaceful melody
It’s your God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love lovedMahalo Jason, for the gift you’ve shared with us.
Cheers,
Michael & Christine
Jason Mraz –
I’m Yours(Live) (MP3)Buy: Selections for Friends
Links: Official Site | MySpace | Blog
And because I love to share, a photo taken by yours truly @ Sunset Beach…
Ickmusic @ Matt the Electrician
Attention to you Californians, Oregonians and Tucsonians…. Matt the Electrician is coming to your area in the next couple of weeks, and you should go out and support this talented singer/songwriter from Austin. Matt kicked off his swing through the West here in Phoenix earlier this week. Derek (my buddy of 25 years) and I headed down to the Rhythm Room to check it out, and possibly tip back a couple of cocktails.
Matt’s tools of the trade for the evening were an acoustic guitar for most songs, and a shortened banjo for a couple. He was backed up by Seela on a killer black and white Fender bass, and Jon Greene on drums and percussion. It was a nice 80 minute set, with Matt and the Band playing tunes from MtE’s latest, One Thing Right (highlights for me: “In the Waves” and “My Dog”), and past albums like Made for Working (“Milo”, “Little Hands”, “Lost”) and Songs My Mom Doesn’t Like (“Black Blackness”, Danzig’s “Mother”). He even mixed in snippets of Zepp’s “Fool in the Rain” and George Michael’s “Faith”.
Beyond the cool, rootsy neo-folk vibe of Matt’s music, the highlight of seeing MtE live is his sense of humor and quick wit, which permeates the music, but is also noticeable in his banter with the audience. He had us cracking up as he mentioned he will be “playing for tens of people” throughout this tour of the west. His intros and speaking mid-song interludes were very entertaining. Derek told me that MtE’s sense of humor reminded him of seeing early Barenaked Ladies in small clubs back in his college days at the University of Western Ontario.
After the show, Matt was cool enough to chat with me for a good 45 minutes about the music industry, life as a musician, where to go in Austin, and other assorted stuff. Unfortunately, I was ill equipped for the impromptu interview. My digital recorder was at home, and a few Kilt Lifters and Red Bull & Grey Gooses rendered my notes pretty worthless. Let’s take a look at my notes:
“Marcus Beg Danging in the” – Ah! I remember! I asked Matt about his opinion of Springsteen. While he’s not a huge fan, he said he does have a lot of respect for him, and a couple of Boss covers in his repertoire. So, decoded, the notes translate to his two Boss covers: “Maria’s Bed” and “Dancing in the Dark.”
“Prine Jack u” – This one’s pretty easy to figure out. We were talking about the current state of the music industry, and the increasing importance of the internet. So the subject of Prince came up, and his recent hiring of Web Sheriff to do the dirty work for him- trawling the internet for copyright violations, harrassing long time fans, etc. It turns out Matt has his own story about the difficulty that comes when dealing with the purple one and his crew. Matt wanted to cover “Jack U Off” and release it on an EP. Usually, when you want to release a cover song on an album or EP, the process to buy the necessary licensing is pretty easy. Many times you can just go to the Harry Fox Agency site, search for and select the song, and pay the licensing. With Prince – ehh – not so easy. Matt requested a form from P’s people (I believe it was Universal Music Group?), and they came back with what amounted to a cease and desist letter. Jeez, all Matt wanted was the form. Sensitive fellow, that Prince.
“biken spke”: Why, that’s the Broken Spoke, of course, one of the Austin locales that Matt recommended visiting when I return. Other recommendations: the Continental Club and the Saxon Pub.
So a great evening was had. I highly recommend checking him out if he’s coming to your town. Check out the dates below. I’ll leave you with a couple of my favorite tunes from the show….
Matt the Electrician –
Little Hands(mp3) – this one features Jon Greene’s adept drummin’, Matt’s tuneful whistlin’, and some damn catchy lyrics. – From Made for Working.[audio:littlehands.mp3]
Matt the Electrician –
Black Blackness(mp3) – only Matt can get a crowd to sing along to this “kid’s song” with lyrics like: “there’s a black blackness deep inside – there’s a black blackness deep inside – there’s a black blackness where my good thoughts go to die – there’s a black blackness deep inside “. And with a smile on our faces all the while… nice! – From Playing Live at Cafe Mundi (Matt the Electrician & Southpaw Jones).[audio:blackness.mp3]
- Buy MtE Music on CD Baby.
- Check out MtE’s Tour Dates.
- Official Site | MySpace
KT has an urgent message for you
I’d like to introduce Jon as the newest contributor to Ickmusic. Jon is also from the Phoenix area, and is passionate about a wide range of music (and a long time Bruce fan to boot)…. ladies and gents, say hi to Jon {{Hi Jon}}… – Pete
KT Tunstall is ready to do a little rockin’ out. Don’t know if you’d call it “drastic” or flat out “fantastic,” but her new album is urgent in a pleasing and rewarding way.
Perhaps you were like me: you took notice of the passion and novelty of “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and you enjoyed its host album Eye to the Telescope in a “this’ll-work-as-background-music” kind of way. You saw the artistry, the voice was clearly there, and you had to admire the craft. But something more could’ve made it better.
With Drastic Fantastic that something is putting pop (and shades of pop-punk) ahead of the folk, creating more riffs and layers and melodies and singing your heart out to top things off. “Little Favours” kicks in with driving beats and furious strumming, and the irresistible toe-tapping doesn’t really stop until track eight. In that span, we get the “Cherry Tree” update and first single “Hold On” along with the second single “Saving My Face.” But even if you’ve heard those two songs, you haven’t heard the best KT has to offer. “I Don’t Want You Now” is a snarl of punk-pop that easily could’ve been found on a defiant early R.E.M. album. “White Bird” dares to tread the ground of the Beatles “Blackbird” and does it successfully. And then there’s “Hopeless,” a shambling crunchy guitar riff that you can’t shake and a pop song that classically twists its premise into a song explicitly about determination and hope and “no more saying there is no more time.”
The street busker is almost gone on this record, but the balladeer returns for the final three frames of “Drastic Fantastic.” The standout among them is “Someday Soon,” a confectionary confessional that works magic on Sunday mornings or any time that’s ripe to “put my words away” and “seek out a little silence.”
An artist named Jen Trynin put out a couple of CDs back in the 90’s and wielded a huge Les Paul on her slight frame while belting out pop lyrics and great riffs. KT probably never heard of her, but on this CD they could be musical sisters. After Trynin and others like her disappeared under the waves of alternative, alterna-crap, rap-rock, emo and indie, it at one point appeared that new pop-rock could only be found in the country music bins. But artists like KT Tunstall seem now to have a different agenda in mind.
KT Tunstall –
I Don’t Want You Now(mp3)Buy: Drastic Fantastic
