ACL Highlight: Rodney Crowell
The first full set I caught at this year’s Austin City Limits festival was Rodney Crowell. It was 12:30 in the afternoon on Friday. Maybe it was the combination of a sunny day, a cold beer, good friends, and the opening day of a great music festival in Austin, but Crowell’s set was a thing of beauty.
Crowell, accompanied only by Will Kimbrough on guitar, and Jenny Scheinman on violin, delighted the crowd with some great tunes. Thing is, Rodney is such a great storyteller, he has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat, anticipating where the story is going next. All the while, these stories are embedded in the sorts of wonderful, rootsy melodies that Crowell has been creating for decades.
There were a few highlights for me. First was Scheinman on violin, who got to showcase her stuff in her own tune, and launched into a killer violin solo – yes killer violin solo – on “Wandering Boy”, also with some great interplay with Crowell’s acoustic…the ending violin strokes had the entire crowd entranced.
Crowell’s “Earthbound” was another favorite, but it was two sublime new ones that stood out this afternoon… consider the first verse of the closing song, “Closer to Heaven”…
I don’t like hummus
I hate long lines
Nosy neighbours and the nation blind
Chirpy news anchors alter my mood
I’m offended by buzz words
Like awesome and dude
I look like a trainwreck
I feel like a blob
Till you get to know me
You may think I’m a snob
But I’m closer to heaven
Than I’ve ever beenIt’s lyrics like these interwoven in a beatiful song that is the magic of Rodney Crowell.
The other song that affected me was “Moving Work of Art”. It has that Townes Van Zandt / Steve Earle finger pickin’ ballad feel (both Townes and Earle spent a lot of time with Rodney back in the day) – and the love-lost lyrics hit you right where it hurts…
Time is jammed and flying fast
the brakes are bad and the potholes rough
I’m out here running from the past
What we had was not enough
Heard she just touched down in Hollywood
And her friends all say she’s looking good
I saw it coming from the start
She’s a moving work of artBeautiful stuff. The studio version is great, but doesn’t hold a candle to seeing and hearing Rodney perform the song live. He’s out on the road supporting his latest record, Sex and Gasoline (awesome cover!). Rodney Crowell is one of those underrated living legends, and I recommend the show…
Rodney Crowell – Moving Work of Art
Rodney Crowell – Earthbound
From Fate’s Right Hand
Links: Official Site
Set List
Austin City Limits Music Festival, September 26, 2008The Rise and Fall of Intelligent Design
I Want You #35
Moving Work of Art
Sex & Gasoline
Earthbound
U Don’t Know How Much I Hate U
I Wish It Would Rain
Wandering Boy
Untitled Julie Scheinman Cover
Fate’s Right Hand
Closer to HeavenACL Highlight: Gogol Bordello
What a fun &%#$ band! High energy bohemian gypsy maniacs.
Gogol Bordello was high on my list of must-see acts at the ACL festival a couple weeks ago. Like a lot of people, I first came to know of them during Madonna’s performance at Live Earth last summer (7/7/07). She brought guitarist and lead singer Eugene Hütz and violinist Sergey Ryabtsev out to join her for “La Isla Bonita”. If you were able to ignore Madge’s annoying backup dancers, you got a glimpse of these two eccentrics, and they spurred you into finding out more about them.
The original members of Gogol Bordello met at a Russian wedding in Vermont in 1997. From there, they played up and down the isle of Manhattan and, in the process, got banned from the Mercury Lounge, CB/GB, Fez and the Bowery Ballroom for “being too over the mothefucking top”.
They set up residence at a performance art space called PIZDETZ, on the lower east side. Eventually, they ended up at Menahata, a Bulgarian bar, also on the lower east side, where their weekly gig. ‘DRINK LOCALLY! FUCK GLOBALLY!’, put them through the roof, and turned Menahata into the CBGB of the Gypsy Punk scene.
A couple months before ACL, I picked up Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, their second album. The album, coupled with some good YouTube festival footage, got me primed for the show. On Friday afternoon at 4:30, the opening day of ACL, Gogol Bordello took the AT&T stage, and Entertainment ensued.
I could watch frontman Eugene Hütz all damn day – such manic energy, and that great Eastern European accent flavoring his lyrics. But then there’s the seven others, including Sergey on violin, an accordion player, and Elizabeth and Pamela, the two crazy-sexy dancers who leaped and bounded to all ends of the stage.
The ACL program put it best: if you like the Clash, the Pogues, and the Gypsy Kings, then you’re in for a treat. They tour all over the world now, so get out and see ’em!
Here are a couple of my (and my two daughters’) favorites:
Gogol Bordello – I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again
Gogol Bordello – 60 Revolutions
ACL Set List – 9/26/08
Ultimate
Sally
Not A Crime
Supertheory Of Supereverything
Wonderlust King
Mishto!
Tribal Connection
60 Revolutions
American Wedding
Start Wearing Purple
Think Locally, F’ck GloballyVisit: Gogol Bordello’s Official Site
In Appreciation of: Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams”
Deep within me, in my register of perfectly constructed love songs, Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” ranks right near the top. In my four decades on earth, very few songs have managed to so profoundly move me, to elicit such emotion, as “In Dreams”.
The song is such a rich, unique tapestry of sounds – shifting from one distinct section to the next – that there’s something new to appreciate with each listen. It’s no accident. Most Western pop songs follow a relatively similar structure: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, verse, chorus. When Orbison was inspired to write “In Dreams”, he bucked the trend, writing five completely unique elements. Where most songs followed, ABABCAB, “In Dreams” was ABCDE.
“A candy-colored clown…”
“I close my eyes…”
“In dreams I walk with you…”
“But just before the dawn…”
“It’s too bad that all these things…”All are different, and each builds exponentially in intensity. Orbison starts the song in a calm, reflective, low voice. By the grand finale – “Only in dreams, in beautiful dreams” – it’s a plaintive and desperate wail, in that gorgeous signature falsetto.
Purists will probably scoff at this, but I discovered the song not by hearing the 1963 original, but by hearing the T-Bone Burnett and David Lynch produced version that was recorded in 1987, and released on In Dreams – The Greatest Hits. The song had sort of a rebirth in 1986, when it was prominently featured in Lynch’s Blue Velvet, with Dean Stockwell’s creepy sing-along. The remake is the version I fell in love with, and the version I still listen to. The are some nuances that make it different from the original, and though I love both versions, I always come back to the newer version I originally fell in love with. I’ll take the criticism.
This is a song made for the broken hearted, the lovesick, the downtrodden. This is a song that almost makes you wish your heart were broken again, just to truly relate to the song again! But it remains powerful, even for the happily wed like me. Maybe because a lot of music is about reminiscing, and it brings me back to those times I could step into Orbison’s shoes…
Roy Orbison – In Dreams
Photo credit: Unknown/TBD
New Common – Universal Mind Control
Old buddy and ACL partner in crime Chris sent me a link to this new Common joint featuring Pharrell. “Universal Mind Control” is the title track from Common’s upcoming album, due in stores November 11.
Anything that sounds futuristic and like an old school Newcleus B-side is OK in my book.
Spearhead’s Say Hey (I Love You)
Infectious riddims from Michael Franti & Spearhead‘s brand-new record, All Rebel Rockers. M’ lady and I heard this on Sirius Jam On yesterday, and it was immediately flagged and tagged for later consumption. The album was produced by Sly & Robbie, the veteran reggae production team (Black Uhuru, Yellowman, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, and many more), and recorded mostly in Kingston, Jamaica.
Irie!
Michael Franti & Spearhead – Say Hey (I Love You) – featuring Cherine Anderson
Links: Official Site
© Photo credit: Mike Schreiber
Band of Horses on Morning Becomes Eclectic
Okay, yes, I am in a rather obsessive Band of Horses phase at the moment. And I feel the need to gather any embeddable BoH action and post it on my site so I can refer to it in 50 years when I’m an 88 year old geezer with a hankering to show my grandchildren one of my all time faves.
This is just over a year old, from KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Kenny Aronoff
How cool was the Austin airport on Monday? I got to meet two great artists: Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell and good ol’ Kenny Aronoff – a drummer I’ve admired and enjoyed for years. Most people will know Kenny from his 17 years of backing John Mellencamp, all the way back to 1980’s Nothin’ Matters and What If It Did. He was in Austin to pound the skins for John Fogerty at ACL (one of my favorite sets of the weekend).
But Kenny has also been one of the most in-demand studio session drummers for a long, long time. The list of artists he’s played for in the studio is staggering. Some of them: Iggy Pop, Carlos Santana, Willie Nelson, Melissa Etheridge, Garth Brooks, Meat Loaf, Cinderella, Richard Thompson, B.B. King, Paul Westerberg, Lyle Lovett, Neil Diamond, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Alice Cooper, and the list goes on and on. See for yourself.
So when I spotted Kenny over near the Salt Lick stand, I had to say something.
John Cougar Mellencamp – Lonely Ol’ Night (mp3)
Check out Kenny’s Site: Kenny Aronoff.com
A.A. Bondy and his Lovers’ Waltz
Gorgeous effing tune right here. I’ve listened to this song about 100 times in the last couple of weeks. I picked up A.A. Bondy‘s American Hearts album in preparation for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. He was set to play at 11:30am on Sunday morning. And play he did. I guess. I didn’t make it. I was slowly coming back to life at the hotel. The previous day/night had involved many large $8 cans of Heineken at ACL, and a few Dos Equis back at Shakespeare’s Pub on 6th Street {and a block away, Band of Horses was playing their surprise benefit gig at the Parish. Ah cruel fate).
So this is a great record. A roots-blues vibe, and Bondy’s voice is one of a kind. He’s certainly influenced by Dylan (more apparent on the rest of the album). He’s also the brother-in-law of the Felice Brothers, another group sort of in the same vein.
Me, I’m a sucker for the love songs, especially when they delve into fatalistic scenarios like:
And I will hang for you
And you will hang for me
And the northern lights
Will take us in like refugees
Over our heads, over our heads
And a lovers’ waltz will turn until the endKiller tune.
A.A. Bondy – Lovers Waltz
Austin City Limits and a Band of Horses
I think I have enough energy to muster up an ACL post tonight. There’s so much to get transferred from brain to keyboard that it’s a little overwhelming. So I’m starting with baby steps, people.
First, who did I see? Well, it goes exactly like this:
Friday: The Jones Family Singers, Dan Dyer, Rodney Crowell, Yeasayers, Strange Boys, Vampire Weekend, Gogol Bordello, David Byrne, Antibalas, and Manu Chao.
Saturday: Old 97’s, the Fratellis, Back Door Slam, Erykah Badu, John Fogerty, Robert Plant & Allison Krauss
Sunday: Octopus Project, Against Me!, Blues Traveler, Band of Horses, Foo Fighters
I’ll give you a day by day breakdown later. Tonight, I focus my brainpower on the highlight of my weekend: Band of Horses.
BAND of HORSES
Okay, anyone who knows the music geek in me is aware of my fondness for this band, and therefore won’t be surprised when I say BoH was the highlight of my trip to Austin. Until Sunday, I had never seen BoH live, and quite frankly, this set stood out since I first saw the ACL lineup earlier in the year. So my expectations were pretty damn high. And? Well, they jumped leaps and bounds beyond those expectations with their Sunday night set.
I managed to squeeze my old(er) butt down to the front of the stage, about four rows back. Yup, nuts to butts. I was looking straight on to center stage. I was primed.
Just after the sun set, the band strode out on stage, and singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell – shades on – squatted on the stool before his pedal steel. The first song of the night was, well, “The First Song”, from their debut Everything All The Time. That was all the sitting Ben would do for the set. He grabbed his guitar, launched into my 2 year old’s favorite tune, “Is There a Ghost”, and we were off…
For the next hour, the band showed us why they’re so great – building up and launching into those great guitar-driven crescendos on songs like “The Great Salt Lake”, “The Funeral”, and “No One’s Gonna Love You”, and slaying the crowd with the gorgeous, ethereal harmonies of Bridwell and keys-man Ryan Monroe on songs like “Marry Song” and the new ditty “Why You Never Get Older” (see the video below).
We got Bridwell banging away on his tambourine for the fun “The General Specific”. And we got great tunes like “Island on the Coast” and “Ode to LRC”. I don’t have the set list yet. If anyone can help me track it down (or a recording of the show), I’d appreciate it.
The final tune was a great one called “Am I A Good Man”, a cover by an R&B group called Them Two, who have no web presence at all, it seems. In the final moments, Ben jumped down among us, right in front of me (the person holding the camera in this picture probably took this video).
The live Band of Horse experience was everything I wanted, folks, and left me and the thousands and thousands of others fully satisfied. There’s something about their energy – and Bridwell’s voice in particular – that taps into my soul. Sounds about as corny as you can get, but it’s true.
We stumbled over to the Foo Fighters with smiles on our faces.
The Morning After: So the next morning, I guess it was about 10am, I was sitting at my gate at the Austin airport. I put my feet up on my carry on bag, and launched into ‘Cease to Begin’ (the second and latest Band of Horses album) on my iPhone. I think I was listening to “No One’s Gonna Love You”, having some great flashbacks to the night before, when who walks by? Ben Bridwell.
Have you ever been sitting around listening to one of your favorite artists, when he walks by right in front of you? It’s pretty cool, let me tell ya.
So, I decided not to be shy, and I followed Ben, his wife/girlfriend (?) and cute little infant over to the food stand. I walked up and asked politely – and rhetorically, I guess – “Excuse me, are you Ben Bridwell?” I told him there were some cosmic forces at work, and showed him my iPhone with the ‘Cease to Begin’ album cover, telling him how strange it was to watch him walk by as I listened to his music. He really could not have been cooler. He was very gracious and appreciative, and was kind enough to snap a photo with me (taken by his wife/girlfriend).
It was the morning after ACL, so you have to excuse our exhausted demeanors…
Lots more to come on ACL, just a few things here…
Check out some live vid-action I shot of their unreleased tune “Why You Never Get Older” (which I’m only assuming is the title).
Check out some more photos of their ACL set at Brooklyn Vegan.
If you want a great video introduction to Band of Horses, watch their entire in-store performance at Amoeba Records in Hollywood from last year.
Visit their web site: Band of Horses.com
Yes. I am a fan.
Oh, biggest regret of the weekend? Missing the Band of Horses surprise gig at the Parish on Saturday night – a club I walked by every night on my way back to the hotel! Bill Murray was there hanging out too (big BoH fan, I hear)…
