Savages is one of the numerous bands playing at FYF Fest in 2 weeks. I don’t know if I will have the opportunity to see them, there are about 60 bands to catch in 2 day, but the all-female band left a strong impression on me when I had the chance to catch attend their show at the El Rey, two years ago… These girls were dark, aggressive, and a bit authoritarian? They actually scared me a bit…
Stand By Your Man – Tammy Wynette – Not Billy Sherrill’s greatest moment as a producer, but great enough for anybody else’s lifetime, Tammy seems to cry and hold and swear by and women can believe what they want but any woman who lives by “and if you love him, be proud of him” will be well loved in return. Love isn’t weakness jerk – A
The stage was filled with lights, and the stands were filled with smiles!!!! All I did was scream and dance. When we left my legs were killing me, no wonder. Some of the designs on the stage were like doodles, and there were so many lights…it was an amazing balance of creativity and this might be a different point of view, calmness. i thought that some of their songs were calm. When we all started screaming that got them going.
Frank Gilford died yesterday. A utility player in every single meaning of the word, not least, his entire twelve year football career as a Giant culminating in 1956 when he lead the team to the NFL Championship. Put it this way: he went to the pro bowl eight times in THREE different positions: defensive back, running back, and wide receiver. Gifford was 84.
Since the FYF fest is approaching, let’s revisit a few acts that I have seen before and may see again during this very busy weekend… Dinosaur Jr. is playing at one point and I may catch their set, the set times are not published yet, and if they play at the same time than Jesus and Mary Chain, Thee Of Sees or Metz for example, the choice is gonna be hard to make…
At Hearst Plaza, it is the Familial that comes closest. The reason it worked better for me here than at City Winery was because the environment was conducive for songs about home and family and nature, -whether or not the songs were specifically happy, they were of a place and a way and time, compassionate and sharing.
Nothing here thrills me much, it feels like one of the worst summers in immediate memory for singles, albums are OK, as always all over the place but not a terrible year. Still, the singles have had too many weeks like this. Still, congrats to One Direction, who seem cpable of rebounding from anything that is thrown at them.
I realize The Descendants is a piece of crap but as far as pieces of crap goes it is solid enough, really. The songs are catchy and silly and compared to, say High School Musical, it is genius. PS # 1 with 42,000 EAUs? Come in music business, your time is up.
, Prince is a fool comparing recording recording contracts to slavery. Indentured servants, maybe, it is a little extreme in 2015 but OK, but SLAVES??? This is offensive to me and my ancestors weren’t slaves. The comment doesn’t stand up to any scrutiny whatsoever and if it was taken seriously by people who think more than ‘oh, it’s just Prince being Prince’, I think the world would listen to him more seriously if he managed a “Baltimore” more than once every 20 years.
(I had been a huge Brad Paisley fan since seeing him open for Loretta Lynn at the Town Hall in 1999, that was a couple of months before his debut album was released. I clearly remember going to the Tower Records on West 4th Street to buy it the day it was released. But here I am, ten years later, and things have changed.
The Presidential Race: Forget Donald Trump for a moment, the man is a clown and a danger to any chances the GOP may have had to get a Republican Presidency, but whatever. This hatred of women, this anti-choice rhetoric, this build a big wall anti-immigration, all this stuff: it is too much, why are they forcing Americans to hold their nose and vote for Hillary. Can’t they find one candidate who isn’t out of their mind?
Mr. Harris – Aimee Mann – Aimee takes on ageism and beats it, spelling out the joys of romance with a man older than her father and Aimee handles it with so much dignity it makes you ache: “and you’ve waited so long and I’ve waited long enough for you” she claims, and a beautiful flute takes you on an instrumental. She can’t do this any more, you know – A
Dwight Yoakam gave us quite an arena show on Saturday night, with a long set of honky-tonk and rock songs, putting some rhinestone in country, literally, as his denim vest was decorated with a sparkling music notes on the back and each member of his band was shining in black sparkling vests.
The first thing they mentioned was Billy Zoom’s absence because of his cancer treatment, ‘He’s gonna be good,’ said John Doe with a firm confidence. Jessie Dayton, a regular in the John Doe Band, was filling in for Zoom and the band sounded as authentic as ever. They were selling some ‘Support Billy Zoom’ shirts to help him get on his feet again but the mood of the show was definitively optimistic as they were browsing their large catalogue of punk anthems.
How such essentially lighthearted stuff can be played like Eugene O’Neill is easy to answer, it can’t be done. Why they tried? That’s a bafflement indeed. Certainly Kate Mara looks as though she has spent her entire life smelling the Things farts and not enjoying it. Oh and Miles, who lives and dies by his smirk, is fanstatically miscast as Reed. The only Fantastic thing about this disaster.
It must be extremely difficult to write for dance while remaining true to yourself, Wainwright does it. The entire evening was a tribute to people working together and how the low brow rock culture and high brow world of a ballet share a common ground in the art of empathy.
Body On Me -Rita Ora and Chris Brown – Rita seemed to have the promise of a little more than a cookie cutter EDM gal singing faux-soul disco over beats, whereas Chris Brown was always one of the crowd. Together they took a relatively smart beat and did nothing much with it. Works on the dancefloor, no doubt – C
A strange week, that seems stronger on paper, Iris and Dre new releases, surprising and should be year making, are neither quite where we want them to be and though Worriers are better than expected and Danny Brown, Lil B and Chance The Rapper, and Melanie Martinez are pleasant surprises, they don’t quite make up for it.
The defense said Holmes would plead guilty two years ago in return for life imprisonment, so in effect the prosecution wasted two years, not to mention money and most importantly, heartbreak. A terrible verdict however it has been a week for people decisions based upon conscious.
Come See About Me – The Supremes -The drum roll into this track snaps you awake and the handclaps are all there and the phrase is… who says “come see about me”? It sounds wrong and not vernacular but ageless and cool as hell and Diana sounds sort of vulnerable and in control at the same time – A+
The whole show seemed like a repetitive explosion of rainbows, with multicolor lights reverberating in the fog, giving us some kaleidoscopic visions and the tie-dye ambiance of the 70’s, but at the same time there was nothing nostalgic in Tame Impala’s show, it was as modern as it was electronic, and the vocals were so deep in the mix you couldn’t discern them from the rest of the expanding and layered sound
Following in the footsteps of contemporaries and friends Morrissey and Elvis Costello, this should be a very big deal in the world of rock and, how you say?, roll. If it is half as good as Moz’s memoir (I consider it genius but I realize I am in a minority) it will be great but it won’t be anything like it: I am assuming a lot of acerbic putdowns and exceedingly little we don’t know about Ray Davies
I stumbled on this story and it took me a while before realizing it was not a joke…. Is Ryan
Yes, it is a rerun, you’re right. But it is a rerun of a show I missed featuring one of my favorite rappers, Vince Staples, so I am going with Fallon on Monday. I just got a ticket for what hits me as the top new rappers show of the year, at Theatre At Madison Square Garden, and it will be a good setup for the show. PS: Beirut on Seth Myers?
Yesterday, the two most important albums were not on Spotify, Iris DeMent wasn’t streaming anywhere and Dre was on Apple Play. I am still getting a real handle on both of them but while DeMent deepens but the new Dre? -the first day, just the thrill of the new made it sound awesome, today? eh… it is like getting drunk, sleeping with a cute guy, and waking up next to Steve Tyler.
I Remember You – Frank Ifield – Love the harmonica which works a hook, underlining the words, and Ifield, who could yodel like nobody’s business on this apotheosis of easy listening, and a hit in both the US and the UK in 1962. It remains a clearly beneficent idea perfectly executed – A
Kenny Chesney has in the past and Jason Aldean might get me be to Madison Square Garden separately, but both together will get me to Metlife, which they’ve come close to selling out so you gotta think mainstream country fans embrace the wacko and the wannabe, and hard. I am not sure Jason is ready for Arena rock but Kenny? Yeah, Kenny is ready for his close up and on a Saturday… ps doubles as a concept act for male strippers everywhere.
After all the action last week (er, I mean yesterday), this seems a little on the “when nothing happened” side of life, unless you’re in the market for play the sleeve (er, picture on the cover) and throw away the album Grace Potter side of life. Maybe , for no really good reason though “Sippy Cup” is a different type of pop song.
I really read this one wrong, I’ve had a pretty bad year reading the charts (I thought Demi would be the song of the summer) and I predicted 1D disaster last week and instead they have one of their biggest hits ever, I’d be surprised if it isn’t at the top of the US Charts next week. Plus the fans are as maniacal as ever (hits me as though Zayn was not a fan favorite).
Those Led Zep boys must be regretting streaming as we very speak, with these two decades old albums, and not even fan favorites,and with a deluxe version that isn’t so ‘luxe at all -especially Presence, which has nothing much going on, still entering the Top 10, Also, not crazy about the Maccabees but I’ve seen a lot worse at # 1
Every year, Australia rocks the pier at Santa Monica during their Twilight Concert Series, and this year DMA’s and Ben Browing were representing their country in the most eclectic way.
With all the will in the world, I find it impossible to take the Republican candidates for the Presidency very seriously. They are all like the supervillains in Marvel Comics. And I would really like to, I would like an alternative, a fiscal conservative libertarian. If they could find one, people might actually listen. Instead they have Ted Cruz…
Half Odd Future and half Fool’s Gold, and really very very strong stuff, this is what I love to listen to when I listen to rap. It is a pretty good time for hip hop overall, the only problem I see is the constant gragging, at a certain point it sounds a little desperate to me.
‘It’s about the hubris of a man who sees himself, undoubtedly, as a Marquee Man, above that of even Brando or Sinatra. He has blind ambition and confidence in his looks and aptitude.’
The late Russian poet Anna Akhmatova’s words are translated, put to music, and then made to rhyme, leaving you twice removed from the originals. Though with an adopted Russian daughter, Dement has more reason than most to change though respecting Anna’s words -she could hardly do a crib sheet. Which she does, on an album that while a relative disappointment, and slow, thoughtful, and did I mention slow?, has enough songs with the brilliance of a “Broad Gold” and “Listening Is Singing”, to make it more than rewarding enough. Or would you rather listen to Luke Bryan? – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – B+
If you are not watching the Republican Debates hie thee to Apple Play where Dr. Dre’s insanely anticipated third album will be dropping early, 9pm tonight. It might be more fun you, it has been a long long time between albums, hasn’t it?
Thursday is death day for recorded music, unless you are in the market for Macklemore’s lachrymose “Growing Up” -a stomach churning little pop smarm for his poor baby girl. The only way this song matters to the kid is if Macklemore dies in a plane crash before she’s six months old. Yeah, I am listening to Street Hassle for no good reason except somebody mentioned Lou the other day and I thought, you know, his name doesn’t show up in conversation as much as it use to.
‘I feel like I wasn’t ready to be friends with [West] until I felt like he had some sort of respect for me, and he wasn’t ready to be friends with me until he had some sort of respect for me—so it was the same issue, and we both reached the same place at the same time.
I became friends with Jay Z, and I think it was important, for Jay Z, for Kanye and I to get along. . . . And then Kanye and I both reached a place where he would say really nice things about my music and what I’ve accomplished, and I could ask him how his kid’s doing.’
Growing Up (Sloane’s Song) – Macklemore – With Ryan Lewis and Ed Sheeran – It is hard to be so cynical about this song for his newborn daughter, the sadly named Sloane Ava Simone Haggerty, as he takes the poor wee thing through all the moments of her life. It is pleasant enough, absolutely, but really it is also creepy and overdone. I bet she spends a lot of her life squirming over this stuff – C
Lil Dicky ended an average album so strongly that if I ever get the chance I will listen more closely, and both Romano and the Mynabirds are revelations for me. Didn’t know one and not crazy about the other, they both came through.
Walk With Me -Bugzy Malone – This is where 2Pac meets grime, the dramatic violin track is the setting while a first rate spit out very focused rap takes on urban overdose from Foot Locker to Mac computers, and is completely overwhelmed by the end – B+
If the Tao of 1D is indeed the fans, the fans were simply rapturous. The screams are still rinigng in my ears and the sight of young girls and their friends forging friendships that will last a life to songs that, well, probably won’t, is good enough a reason to applaud all concerned.
Ok, we’re all patiently waiting for guitarist alumni Larry Carlton’s solo on “Kid Charlemagne” and since this is “The Royal Scam” night where Steely Dan are to play one of their classic albums from beginning to end before a second act of greatest hits and it is as remorselessly perfect as on the album
It is Rod’s fault, he dicked around too much and they kept on dropping dead on him. Let’s hope there is a tour anyway, I mean if they can substitute Stewart with Mick Hucknall, even without Mac and Plonk it should be an improvement.
What? After making so much noise about his Tidal streaming service, TechTimes is reporting that he is reporting he is planning an exit strategy? Is it a rumor or is the rapper giving up? Wow that would be Jay Z’s first failure? Actually with his Made in America festival cancelled downtown LA this year, it would be his second failure!
Live: My good friend (and once upon a time rock nyc scribe) Marie Lynn regarding me going to see the boy band at Metlife in a couple of hours: “Somewhere in New York City, a little girl is crying her heart out because you took her ticket to One Direction
Worth It – Danny Brown And Clams Casino – I love Danny’s voice and it is always great to hear him perform a new song and this one with New Jersey Producer Clams Casino is excellent, a very hot piece of self examination with a techno weird sound effects and a clipped half beat – B+
Ratatat is a band apart in this very crowded music world, they are not purely making electronic music, more rockelectronic, though they were part of Hard festival, among many more purely electronic to EDM acts… But the two guys seemed totally carefree about this, they sure are on their own road and have a sound of their own as they were about to demonstrate it to the crowd which was insanely sweating because the air conditioning system of the studio had just broken off.
Given all the way James Taylor’s life might have gone, his brother Alex, sweet baby James pop, died of a drug overdose decades ago, that James could have lived through it all and reached this place better than ever? It is a testament to the possibility that life may redeem you, if you’re lucky… not a bad description of James Taylor’s songs, either.
CBS SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN….CBS SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN…We are sorry to interrupt this article but we have just had a report that Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll has been seriously wounded. Our sources report that Elvis was in the process of arriving at a “meet and greet” for some of his top fans in Dealey Plaza in Dallas this afternoon.
