This was one of those shows that took me completely my surprise in how amazing The Pretenders were, how hauntingly beautiful Cat Power comes across live and how badly Juliette Lewis wants to look like Karen O and try to wail like Janis Joplin.
Beginning with Juliette Lewis, the intensity was never lacking, but I felt it was mostly an act, it didn’t seem entirely genuine and lyrically, it was rather bland. That and call me crazy, but I found it a little on the showy side for a band to take two curtain calls as an opener after a five song set.
With that aside, let me confess my admiration and appreciation for Cat Power. I’ve been a fan of her covers for awhile now, but getting to hear them live, takes it to another level, especially in such an intimate setting, her voice is allowed to shine. I was particularly impressed by her ability to transform a song into something completely. Most covers are done to replicate the original band, Cat Power makes them her own and for that, I thank her a great deal.
As for The Pretenders, let me say how completely impressed I was by how Chrissie Hydne as the only original member left of the band breathes new life into their catalogue of classics with a new backing band full of amazing showmanship by the drummer and lead guitarist. The soaring riffs and beats complimented Hydne’s vocals as she ripped through the band’s catalogue, barely taking a breath between cuts, trying to cram in as many songs as possible and I for one, was not complaining.
My only gripe with the show was the photo rules for the show, which barricaded photographers stage left and right, and did not allow us directly in front of the stage, making for cramped conditions and poor angles. All in all, I had one hell of a good time and I suggest anyone to see The Pretenders and you will not be disappointed.
Setlist:
01. Break Up the Concrete
02. Message of Love
03. Talk of the Town
04. Love’s a Mystery
05. Kid
06. My City was Gone
07. The Nothing Maker
08. Rosalee
09. Angel of the Morning
10. The Last Ride
11. Back on the Chain Gang
12. Don’t Get Me Wrong
13. Don’t Cut Your Hair
14. Boots of Chinese Plastic
15. Thumbelina
16. Night in My Veins
17. Precious
18. Mystery Achievement
///
19. Watching the Clothes
20. Brass in Pocket
21. Middle of the Road
Cat Power likes covers. And, it turns out, so does everyone else. If the success of her cover-filled Jukebox is any indicator, fans will receive her new EP The Dark End of The Street just as warmly.
The record opens with the title track, an Aretha Franklin cover. While I don’t care for the way she pronounces certain words, or the slightly nasal quality in her voice, she still has an incredibly warm and inviting tone. Certain elements of the song remind me of Procol Harum‘s “A Whiter Shade of Pale”. The whole song is very shoegaze-y and heavy on the reverb.
Next, and ridiculously appropriate for the current state of affairs is Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Fortunate Son”. Power gives us a glimpse of the soul we know is inside her, but still doesn’t completely let loose. The rich harmonies over piano and strings is captivating.
I found a Poguescover to be an interesting choice, but Cat Power makes the right choice with “Ye Auld Triangle”. An absolutely beautiful viola line carries through the tune, adding to the utter loveliness the song already possesses. Something in this song grabbed me, and it won’t let go, making it my personal favorite on the record.
Leave it to Otis Redding to get someone to let loose. On “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)”, Power finally lets the song almost control her. While her voice is beautiful, it’s always so very controlled, and those moments where you would expect a voice like hers to take over and knock the world on its ass are still so restrained. However, this disappointment doesn’t hinder the rest of the song. Her smoky tone is perfect in the sexy, soulful melody and the drum work is delectable.
With an introduction that sounds like a snowstorm, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?”, originally by Fairport Convention, is nice, but not as captivating as the rest of the EP. The tune has a Colonial feel to it, with a nice piano line and a haunting organ.
Closing the album, (and rounding it out as well) is another Aretha cover, “It Ain’t Fair”. As I listen to the soulful and bluesy cut, and relish the brushes being used on the drums, I wonder what makes Cat Power choose the songs that she does. I wonder why she won’t let that rich voice of hers off of its leash so we can see what it’s really capable of. But even if she never does, and still continues to put forth these deliciously lo-fi gems, Cat Power will still be sitting pretty. After all, she’s indie rock’s Queen of Covers, and who doesn’t love a good cover?
Tracklisting: 1. Dark End of the Street
2. Fortunate Son
3. Ye Auld Triangle
4. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
5. Who Knows Where The Time Goes
6. It Ain’t Fair
Fleetwood Mac, 1977: original version from Rumours From as early as I can remember I have always loved Fleetwood Mac. Their sound, their music, reading about the torrid love affairs between bandmates and declining marriages that created some of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. I’m talking pre-Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal (No Doubt) shit. True love and despair, threats to quit the band, drugs, world-wide tours, managing professionalism in the studio when you literally want to kill the very person you depend on to lace your lyrics with chords. The reasons to quit are trumped by the reasons to stay because although you were driven to new realms of heartbreak, at least you got a hit record (Rumours) out of it all and cemented your place in music history. Not to mention, Stevie Nicks can still say she knew a love that shook her very core and changed her life forever.
Speaking of despair, while Lindsey Buckingham wrote “Go Your Own Way,” Stevie Nicks wrote “Dreams” as her eight-year love affair with guitarist Buckingham was coming apart at the seams. Once considered a “package deal” when signing on as new members of FM, it seems years later Buckingham wanted his package shipped elsewhere, much to the dismay of both. But they chose to rise above petty break-up feelings and instead channeled their frustration into creating the beautiful song, “Dreams.” It’s somber, it’s sweet, it’s melancholy, it’s uplifting, it’s sad… it basically is the kind of song that encapsulates all the feelings people feel when their heart is breaking. Instead of keying your ex-boyfriend’s car, or spreading Rumours (get it?!), just put this song on in the background and those bad feelings will instantly disappear. I promise.
Letters To Cleo, 1995: from Spirit of ’73: Rock for Choice Much of my adoration for this version stems from the fact that it was the very first “Dreams†cover in my collection. Lead singer Kay Hanleyis such a master of lacing sweetness with just a hint of edge during the chorus when she really begins to grow impatient with her dude’s trifling ways. The soft, jazzy guitars complement her during the tender vocal moments but wailing guitar riffs burst into a bout of heaviness with impeccable timing just as she begins to wax angry. Her vocals are perfect on this track and range from whispery, breathy, angst-ridden, yet sweet as she goes all out or holds back throughout the song.
Much like Hanley’s look in the 1990′s (blonde bombshell locks and ultra-feminine dresses that still manage to show off strategically placed tattoos), she is able to juggle lots of different personalities in her vocal delivery. She’s all girl next door with puppy dog eyes as she sings “it’s only me who wants to wrap around your dreams†that even I have a hard time resisting her pleas to stay and work things out. I especially like the intonation when she starts to string out a little during “have you any dreams you’d like to sell? / dreams of loneliness like a heartbeat / drives you mad.†And this continues when she gets angrier during “players only love you when they’re playing†in a way where she’s already predicting that he’ll be back when he comes to his senses, except it’ll be too late since she will already have come to hers.
The Corrs, 1997: from Talk On Corners If you have a jones for Celtic instruments, upbeat numbers, and top 40 sounds, then this track is for probably for you. Not only is Andrea Corra ridiculously beautiful Irish woman, but she has a lovely voice too (where’s the justice?). Along with some flawless vocal harmony of her equally stunning sisters, they’ve created a danceable number that takes the classic “Dreams†to completely different heights of listening pleasure. This track makes me want to dance around the room, even if I don’t actually get up to do so. Gifted vocalists as well as musicians, I hear a whole mess of piano, guitars, drum beats and violins here. And since this is The Corrs, my instincts tell me someone is probably playing some tin whistle on this track. Andrea changes up the notes to steer their music to a more dance-friendly and happier place, thus venturing pretty far away from the melancholy and bittersweet nature of the original that I love so much. While this makes for a good upbeat number, I’m skeptical how this track fares as a cover because it takes away the beautiful sadness that made the original as good as it is. Readers, you decide.
Cat Power (live): November 1998 I saw Cat Power open up for Interpollast year and was literally counting down the minutes until her set was over. Maybe Madison Square Garden is the wrong venue for her intimate and laid-back vocal performances, but I wasn’t ready to give her the benefit of the doubt just yet. Plus, she’s notorious for songs that start and stop with no real indication of when either is going to occur! I didn’t know whether to boo or applaud, but left realizing I’d eventually want to give her a fair chance and chalk this one up to inappropriate venue selection since she’s received much praise from respectable music sources of mine.
Well, she got her chance. Enter this live “Dreams†cover (wow!) that may as well be titled “Redemption Song†since I am now a believer. This minimalistic, raw, emotive performance is so intimate that I feel like I’m hiding in her bathroom, listening to her sing this in her shower with her acoustic guitar. Her voice, in its most primitive state, is bluesy and jazzy. And I like how I can actually hear every nuance in her intonation, every crack in voice. The sparse guitar only accentuates this slow, stripped-down, and bare-boned version, showcasing breathy vocals that somehow still manage fortitude. Her timing is completely off from the original and she changes Stevie Nicks’ notes completely, creating almost a brand new song that still resonates with the same magic of the original.
The New Pornographers, 2005: live from NYC Supposedly there’s some New Pornographers bootleg out there with a cover of “Dreams†on it, but they played this live version at Webster Hall a few years back and the crowd went nuts the moment that recognizable Fleetwood Mac bass line kicked in. Speaking of, that bass line is so awesome and I’d even be as bold to say it rivals that of David Bowie/Queen’s “Under Pressure.†But I digress…
Holy musical orgasm! Nothing excites me more than hearing one legendary female [Neko Case] covering another female rock goddess [Stevie Nicks] during an impromptu live cover. Case channels the trademark raw sexiness of Nicks so perfectly and does her an incredible amount of justice in this cover. Even the music increases the coolness factor in ways I don’t even feel like writing about because I’d rather just listen to this version again instead. Cool, calm, and unaffected, I like how Case casually laughs in between verses during a performance that plays like a musical “Fuck you, please. I don’t even need you.†And the backup male vocals of “lonely, oooh, ahhh†that tie in with Case’s “when the rain washes you clean, ohhh, you will know†are superb and just make me wonder why I wasn’t there? Damn.
– Snowden, 2006: from Fuel Of The Celebration (remix EP) What the hell is going on here? I’m all for males covering this female empowerment anthem for the irony factor, but at least do it well.Lead singer Jordan Jeffares lends vocals here that are so removed, so strange, so stoic, so foreign I find it hard to believe this band even hails from Atlanta because I had my money on Z-list German electro-rockers aiming for the American musical market. There’s a whole mess of electronic beats here that are so scattered that I actually had to turn this mp3 down a few times since I thought I missed a phone call and the answering machine was recording someone’s message. But you guessed it, no one had called and it was just some errant electro-beats that Snowden forgot to lace in seamlessly with their others. If you’re into electronica give this a listen since I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of the genre, but please listen at your own risk. I can’t be held responsible for listener’s remorse.
Yo La Tengo, 2007: live from San Francisco Bombastic spoken-word vocals, an electric feel, edgy vibe and heavy distortion always makes the perfect noise-jam. Yeah, this pretty much sums up Yo La Tengo’s cover of “Dreams.†Known for a huge repertoire of cover songs, I’m not at all surprised they performed this during a live show at Bimbo’s 365 Club last year. Lead singer Ira Kaplan marries his raw vocals with (actual wife and bandmate) Georgia Hubley’s sweet background “ooh’s” and “ahh’s.” This might blow some minds of long-time Yo La Tengo fans, but personally this is not my favorite cover. Had I been to this show I might have been super excited to witness it, but the quality pales in comparison to the original and even the live cover versions of The New Pornographers and Whiskeytown(also a male vocal). There comes a point in this song where it just becomes too noisy that I start yearning for the clarity and simplicity of the original. Basically, Yo La Tengo fan or not… this one is only good for once in a while rocking out, but not everyday listening.
The Morning Benders, 2008: from The Bedroom Covers Where does the best indie dream pop hail from these days? Well, since I’m referring to The Morning Benders I guess the answer would be Berkeley, California. Lead singer Chris Chu has such innocent and resonant vocals that are so clean and clear.Toss in some equally dreamy background vocals and this acoustic cover shines in its sweet simplicity. I especially love the fret-tapping and gentle humming throughout the track that definitely help set this version apart from the rest. I’m really grateful that Popwrecker Bethany turned me onto this one since it’s been on loop ever since. There’s so much yearning, so much feeling, so much honesty in Chu’s musical sighs that I actually believe he’s mourning the loss of the person he is singing about. This song is arguably my favorite version of recent times and now I can’t wait to see if their original music delivers the same way this cover does.
Whiskeytown, 2008: from Strangers Almanac (Deluxe Edition Reissue) Oh Ryan Adams, can you ever do any wrong? Whining, soap operatic and drama queen ways aside, pre-Cardinals Adams took his well-known love of Fleetwood Mac to new levels of appreciation by covering “Dreams†in 1997 with his now defunct alt-country outfit Whiskeytown. With his husky vocals that wail, rock, croon, and moan all at once, he makes it impossible not to “feel†what he himself is feeling on this track. Plus, fans of The Replacements (like myself) will enjoy his particularly Paul Westerberg-esque voice here, since it’s no secret that Adams is a huge Replacements fan and has been greatly inspired by them. Save this alt-country number for a bad day when you’re feeling low and just want to lay on the couch, turn out the lights, kick off your shoes, and just dream… perhaps, about a Whiskeytown reunion tour? (Fingers crossed!)
Beck‘s sold out September 20th show at the Hollywood Bowl will mark yet another milestone in the multi-platinum Grammy winner’s long and storied career. In addition to being Beck’s biggest ever hometown headline engagement, the show will now commemorate the first time he and his father arranger-conductor David Campbell have performed on stage together, when Campbell conducts the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Strings as they accompany Beck’s performance.
David Campbell’s work appears on more than 400 gold and platinum albums. Over the course of his career, his work has received no less than 50 Grammys and two Oscars. As a performer, he has played on historic sessions with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers andCarole King, while his arrangements can be heard on music by everyone from Paul McCartney, James Taylor,Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond and the Rolling Stonesto Cat Power, The Mars Voltaand of course on several of Beck’s albums.
Although Campbell has written string arrangements on most of Beck’s albums, Septmeber 20th will be the first time father and song will have performed together.
This year marked the 2nd Annual Virgin Mobile Festival, and while I wasn’t at the first, I think it’s pretty safe to say that this year’s topped last year’s. V-Fest 2008 was expanded to two full days with over 40 bands and DJs performing in 2 different locations. Hot indie acts, superstars and living legends all played the 2-day festival held at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course.
PopWreckoning photog Ajay Malghan attended last year and accompanied me this time around. Saturday morning proved to be very directionally challenged, so we didn’t show up at Pimlico Race Course until halfway through the Swell Season’s set, but check out what the day had in store:
Gogol Bordello – 1:20-2:10 // South Stage
Due to some bad directions from a gas station attendant who clearly hated her job, Ajay and I missed
Gogol Bordello
The Swell Season – 2:15-3:05 // North Stage
No pictures are available of The Swell Season’s set, but they played beautifully to an eager crowd.
Lupe Fiasco – 2:30-3:25 // South Stage
One of the main reasons I headed down to Virgin Mobile Festival was to see Lupe Fiasco and it was not short of absolutely worth my time and effort. He opened up his set with the energtic “Kick/Push” and played other favorites off last year’s The Cool including “Hip Hop Saved My Life” and the super infectious “Go Go Gadget Flow.” On the latter, Fiasco’s guitarist played with his teeth, which was quite impressive.
Halfway through the set, Fiasco experienced problems with the monitors, but hardly let the issue affect his hyper energy and resumed the set with hit single “Super Star” once the matter was resolved. Lupe got the crowd riled asking, “Can I get an ‘Amen!’ Can I get a ‘Shalom!’” before performing tracks from his debut Food & Liquor, most notably the drawn out “Daydream.” Definitely a must see.
Lupe Fiasco
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings – 3:25-4:15 // North Stage
I’d seen Ms. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings at The Roots Picnic in June and there was no way I was missing their set at VFest. Jones was her sassy self, shakin’ it on stage and constantly telling the Dap Kings to kick it up. At one point, she brought a young man on stage and sauntered up to him telling him that she was going to teach him how to love his girlfriend “slow and easy.” In addition to her cheeky demeanor, Jones can sing! Don’t miss out on seeing Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.
Sharon Jones
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
Bloc Party- 3:45-4:35 // South Stage
No pictures are available for Bloc Party’s set, but rest assured that their set was both crazy and fantastic.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela – 4:35-5:25 // North Stage
This duo played a beautiful acoustic set with a welcomed exotic tinge.
Rodrigo
y gabriela
Wilco- 7:00-8:15 // North Stage
Wilco is just amazing and not much else needs to be said on how wonderful their set was.
Wilco
The Silver Beats / Chuck Berry – 6:30-7:30 // South Stage
From the way the line-up was arranged, it was assumed that Chuck Berry’s backing band would be the Silver Beats, a Japanese Beatles‘ cover band. This, however, was not the case. The Silver Beats played a half hour set of meticulously well-played Beatles songs including “Daytripper” and “Hey Jude” which, though unexpected was rather enjoyable, before legend Chuck Berry hit the stage in a red sequined shirt, bolero and sailor hat.
The Silver Beats
Despite fashion choices I would neither make for myself nor suggest to others, the 82 year old Berry totally owned the stage and showed every other guitarist at the festival just how the guitar should be played. It was nothing short of an honor to be able to watch Chuck Berry perform, even for just a half hour.
Chuck Berry
Foo Fighters – 8:15-10:00 // South Stage
Pictures for the Foo Fighters are unavailable, but they were hands down the most impressive act of the night. They owned the festival as the crowed rocked hard and cheered along as Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and a handful of tour performers powered through their hits [think of a Foo song on the radio, yeah they played it] and some randos. Grohl is hilarious on stage and his banter/mocking is reason enough to attend the Foo concert nearest you.
An overzealous fan threw his car keys on stage during a particularly rowdy song and Grohl picked them up saying, “Who’s the jackass who threw his keys on stage?” He then went into how the keys and car (an assumed Toyota Celica) were Grohl’s 2008 bonus. He also informed the crowd that drummer Taylor Hawkins’ real first name is Oliver and proceeded to call him ‘Oliver’ and ‘Ollie’ for the remainder of the night.
Having never seen the Foo Fighters before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I can now honestly say that it’s got to be one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
Jack Johnson – 8:45-10:00 // North Stage
I wasn’t missing a second of Foo Fighters, especially as Ajay and I worked our way as close to the front as possible, so I missed this set. The thing about Jack Johnson, though, is if you’ve heard one song, you’ve really heard them all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but I’m just sayin’.
Jack Johnson
Photos: all photos provided by Virgin Mobile USA Media
Despite some rain late Thursday night, the weather in Chicago’s Grant Park was perfect for this year’s 2008 Lollapalooza festival. A nice breeze off the lake made this the perfect weekend to host the excellent and diverse lineup of music. The park was kept in pristine conditions as crews constantly walked around encouraging recycling and a cleaner environment. This festival knows what it’s doing and is one of the best organized and most considerate (they even had lots vegetarian options at the food booths!) shows in the business.
Lollapalooza by Jeff Gentner
The whole weekend was sold out for the first time in the history of the festival. Friday had a record-breaking turnout as headliners Radioheaddrew a sold out crowd of 75,000. Although, the earlier portion of the day wasn’t quite as packed, a solid crowd showed up to see the fine bands performing at the different stages leading up to Radiohead.
Starting off my day was Butch Walkeron the PlayStation 3 Stage. Walker started his set solo with some fun loops on two new songs off his highly anticipated new album Sycamore Meadows before his band joined him on “State Line.” Walker performed a solid set showing that he is just as good an artist as he is a producer. If the new songs from his set are any indication of his new album, it is going to be phenomenal.
Any act following up the strong set by Walker would have a hard time not falling a little flat. Sure enough, the next act on the Bud Light Stage The Go! Teamdid just that. Maybe it is all that jumping around, but just because you want to be energetic in your presence doesn’t mean you should let the vocals suffer. Instrumental tracks like “Junior Kickstart” were just fine, but anytime Ninja would open her mouth I kind of wanted to go ninja and karate chop her throat.
After the poor pitches of the Go! Team, Welsh singer Duffy‘s soulful vocals were a welcome refreshment at the PlayStation 3 Stage. The young singer definitely has some pipes, but her stage presence could use a little work. Her hand motions quickly got repetitive, but maybe with a little experience, her set will get a little fresher.
Following Duffy, I caught a few songs by rockers Louis XIVover on the Citi Stage. Despite a few technical difficulties, the crowd went wild over radio single “Finding Out True Love Is Blind.” I didn’t stick around too long for Louis XIV because I didn’t want to miss a second of gypsy punk group Gogol Bordelloover on the AT&T Stage and this was definitely not the set to miss. This raucous set was exactly what the crowd needed as an energy boost to get through the rest of the day. After walking around all morning in the sun, Gogol Bordello brought the crowd back to their feet for a big dance party as the band played through their accordion rock set.
Gogol Bordello by Chase Agnello-Dean
Next up was Lawrence, Kansas indie rockers Mates of State. Their gentler set on the MySpace Stage was beautiful and it was a nice touch when the couple was joined by some strings. The crowd loved them, but it was hard to settle into their set after jumping around with Gogol Bordello.
Playing at the same time as Mates of State across the venue at the PlayStation 3 Stage was songstress Cat Power. Cat’s voice was just as great live as it is recorded. It is a shame that her set had to be the same time as Mates of State because they attract the same crowd.
Toward the end of Cat Power, the crowd quickly scrambled for a place to see The Raconteurs perform on the Bud Light Stage. Jack Whiteand crew sounded great, but there was something a little off about their set. It could have been that they weren’t in their usual uniform, but street clothes or it could have been the technical difficulties causing Brendan Benson to drop out during the vocals of “Level,” but it just wasn’t as tight as their club performances.
Jack White of the Raconteurs by Stephanie Janisch
I stopped at the Citi Stage for a few songs from Brazilian electro group CSS. Lovefoxxx must be tired of looking sexy because she sported a bright red spandex outfit with ruffles wrapping around it. CSS sounded a lot better live than their recording, surprisingly, and the crowd loved dancing around to their beats.
CSS by Abbey Braden
Radiohead closed out Friday on the AT&T stage. Thom Yorke and the rest of the guys thrilled the crowd by combining their tight instrumental skills with an amazing light show and fireworks as they performed songs like “Airbag,” “Fake Plastic Trees” and “There, There.” Friday’s crowd went home pleased after Radiohead’s double encore.
The crowd during Radiohead by Alberto Trevino
Radiohead by Alberto Trevino
Radiohead wasn’t the only reason to attend this festival and Saturday looked just as packed. British group The Ting Tings was the perfect start to the day. Katie White (Interview at Diesel U Music Lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel) easily draws the eyes of the crowd as she energetically moves around singing their hits, but Jules de Martino should not be overlooked as he plays and sings with precision.
The Ting Tings by Alberto Trevino
There was a little lag after the Ting Tings. Dr. Dog took to the MySpace stage, but was unmemorable. Foalsplayed some fun dance songs over at the Citi Stage, but didn’t stand up to the high standard for other electro dance groups set by the Ting Tings. MGMTsounded phenomenal live, but their disinterest in a majority of their own set detracted from the performance. They finally loosened up and started bantering by the end of their set.
Brand New was the band to beat for best performance of the day, although Jesse Lacey‘s attitude may have detracted from the musical experience causing many to quickly forget just how good this performance was in actuality. Joined by Kevin Devinefor their first song, they took to the AT&T Stage and put on the most powerful performance of the day. Jesse Lacey’sperformance is better than ever, but he appears just as moody.
He seemed to be in a good mood at first as he seemingly jokingly told the crowd, “You should all be at Explosions in the Sky. You’re all fools.” But as the set progressed through “Sowing Season,” “Sic Transit Gloria,” “Jesus Christ” and a new song (tentatively called “Bride”), Lacey grew more and more frustrated with a pocket of disinterested crowd members before finally climaxing and throwing his guitar into the drum set and leaving the stage a full fifteen minutes before the set was meant to end. Despite this mishap, this was still one of the best performances of the day and the part of the crowd that was interested was left confused and chanting for an encore.
After Brand New, I caught some of Okkervil River‘s set across the venue at the PlayStation 3 Stage and their sweet indie rock was a nice respite. They were followed by Broken Social Sceneover on the Bud Light Stage, but BSS is more suited for a smaller setting where their fun instrumentations can completely engulf the listener. As great as Okkervil and Broken were, they just couldn’t match the amphitheatric power of Brand New’s set.
Okkervil River by Amrit Singh
To be quite honest, the crowd gathering for Saturday’s headliners Rage Against the Machinedidn’t really appeal to us and we headed out early to get a head start home, which is lucky we did because the Chicago Transit system got backed up by three hours from the large crowd leaving Lollapalooza.
Lollapalooza continued on to Sunday and featured the usual buzz acts like Black Kids, but the real buzz swarming the venue all weekend was the suspected appearance of democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Unfortunately, Obama didn’t put in an appearance, but there were still plenty of special guests present at the festival. While Starsmember Amy Millan joined the boys in Broken Social Scene on the Bud Light Stage, guitarist Slash joined festival co-founder Perry Farrell for a few songs. Plus, there were plenty of celebrities to spot like Lindsay Lohanand the Wentzes if you just kept your eyes open. This festival was filled with fun surprises and definitely not a weekend to miss.
There’s nothing to feel guilty about if you find yourself loving the new Beck album Modern Guilt because it really is a great album.
The album kicks off with the ambient track “Orphans.” Combined with the haunting vocals of Cat Powerand thought-provoking lyrics like “I stand beside myself so I’m not alone,” Beck sets a beautiful, but eery mood that lasts throughout the album.
The airiness of the vocals, reminiscent of Radiohead, form a tension with the distorted effects and constantly changing tempos. This tension causes the listener to slightly cringe, but become ensnared in the delicate balance of this combination. By the end of the album, Beck brilliantly recreates in his listener the feelings of helplessness and guilt that he sings about on the album.
This tension is especially apparent on “Walls.” A track where the repetitious sound of the descending notes mimics the effect of falling walls, while Beck chillingly sings over the cool bass line, “Hey what you gonna do when these walls are falling down, falling down, on you?”
Although Beck’s traded in his signature acoustic guitar for this electronica-laden sound, this is one of Beck’s strongest releases to date. He still shines lyrically as is shown in lines like, “I’ve been drifting on this wave so long, I don’t know if it’s already crashed on the shore.” His multi-instrumental talents are also present in full force as the instrumental layering of drum effects, strings, keys and trumpets builds with each track. Beck’s techniques are the same, but he manages to create a completely different sound than before.
Modern Guilt is released by Interscope on July 8, 2008. This is not an album I would miss. Although it doesn’t deal with happy subjects, it will still make your ears happy.
Tracklisting:
01. Orphans
02. Gamma Ray
03. Chemtrails
04. Modern Guilt
05. Youthless
06. Walls
07. Replica
08. Soul Of A Man
09. Profanity Prayers
10. Volcano
Tour Dates:
Aug 21 – Grand Sierra Resort and Casino / Reno, NV
Aug 22 – Golden Gate Park / San Francisco, CA
Aug 24 – Les Schwab Amphitheater / Bend, or US
Aug 27 – Royal Theatre / Victoria, BC, Canada
Aug 28 – Orpheum Theater / Vancouver, Canada
Aug 30 – Bumbershoot / Seattle, WA
Sept 19 – San Diego Street Scene Festival / San Diego, CA
Sept 20 – Hollywood Bowl/ Los Angeles, CA
Sept 27 – Austin City Limits / Austin, TX
This article ended up in our inbox. It’s rather interesting, so we thought we’d pass it along. It was writtin by Andy Tennille for San Francisco Weeklyand was published April 9, 2008. Jessie Mae Hemphill: Left out of the credits.
Despite near-ubiquitous praise for Chan Marshall‘s Jukebox covers from the songwriters and performers interviewed for this story, there is one artist whose friends believe Marshall cheated her.
In the album’s liner notes, “Lord, Help the Poor and Needy” is credited as “Traditional, by Jessie Mae Hemphill, arranged by Chan Marshall, Public Domain.”
Olga Wilhelmine Mathus, a San Francisco-based blues musician and founder of the Jessie Mae Hemphill Foundation � a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the northern Mississippi hill country blues tradition � says the song isn’t in the public domain and that Hemphill owns the copyright. Mathus believes Marshall owes royalties to the late singer’s estate.
“The money from that song should go to Jessie’s estate and be divided up among her relatives, who, much like Jessie, are poor, elderly black people, many of whom are living off welfare,” Mathus said. “This isn’t anything new. It’s unfortunate that most of the originators of blues music died in poverty because of situations similar to this.”
Hemphill, a W.C. Handy Award�winning electric guitarist, songwriter, and singer, was born in Senatobia, Mississippi, in 1923. She spent decades playing on Beale Street in Memphis before releasing two albums in the 1980s and ’90s. In 1993, she suffered a stroke that paralyzed her left side, leaving her unable to play guitar for the remaining 13 years of her life.
Some might dismiss Mathus’ fervor for Hemphill’s cause as sadness over the loss of a close friend and musical mentor, but it takes only a couple minutes of Internet searching to discover that “Lord Help the Poor and Needy” is indeed copyrighted to Jessie Mae Hemphill with Broadcast Music, Inc. and the United States Copyright Office.
When asked about the disputed credit on April 1, Matador Records cofounder Chris Lombardi seemed ready for the question. “We made a mistake and credited it incorrectly on the album,” he said. “It’s actually a Jessie Mae Hemphill song. I think we thought it was a traditional song and had not yet been registered, but her representatives contacted us recently and we’re setting up the mechanical royalties now.”
Dr. David Evans, a professor at the University of Memphis and Hemphill’s publisher, said he wrote to Matador informing them of the omission after Jukebox was released in January. Lombardi said he was aware of the letter and insisted the label had been in touch with Evans. But just twelve hours earlier, Evans told SF Weekly he hadn’t heard from Matador. When SF Weekly pointed out this discrepancy to Lombardi, he paused awkwardly. “Really?” he responded after a few moments. “Well, that’s weird.”
Shortly after the Weekly interviewed Lombardi for this article, Matador finally contacted Evans and Mathus, Evans confirms.
Evans, a specialist in African-American folk music, has produced more than 30 albums of field and studio recordings for the university’s High Water Records label and is often credited with exposing Hemphill to wider audiences. “I started producing recordings of Jessie Mae in 1978, and two versions of those recordings have been licensed, one to Hi Tone Records and one to Inside Sounds,” Evans explains. “Evidently, Cat Power heard one of these two recordings, as she makes mention of Jessie in the notes of her new album.”
Even with the paper trails in place, Evans acknowledges that the very nature of early African-American folk music makes it difficult to ascertain its true composers. With the conflux of folk spirituals, field hollers, African tribal music, and gospel songs in the Mississippi hill country serving as the birthplace of the blues, many artists of Hemphill’s era often borrowed a verse, chorus, or melody from a traditional song as a jumping-off point for their own material.
“American copyright laws go under the assumption that a work is wholly original in words and melody, or it uses words and melodies from another source that’s either under copyright or in the public domain,” Evans says. “But it’s not that simple with some African-American musical traditions.”
Nonetheless, Evans says other artists � singer-songwriters Mark Tolstrup and Kate Campbell � who have covered “Lord Help the Poor and Needy” knew enough about the song’s origins to ask Hemphill’s permission before recording it.
Even as Matador works to resolve the missing credit, the dispute raises an interesting question: Is the simple payment of publishing royalties enough recompense for copyright infringement? In 1985, blues legend Willie Dixon successfully sued and won credit and royalties from Led Zeppelin after alleging that their 1969 hit “Whole Lotta Love” was appropriated, without credit, from his “You Gotta Be Loved.”
So what is ample restitution for infringing on an artist’s copyrighted work? Mathus believes money is a good start, but hopes the attention Cat Power’s music receives could ignite a spark of interest in Hemphill and her fellow musicians. “I think it’s good that someone of Cat Power’s visibility covers a song like this, as it makes it more accessible for the more mainstream audience,” she says. “A lot of folks were turned on to R.L. Burnside after Jon Spencer came out with a record on him, so perhaps this will turn more people on to Jessie’s music, the music of the north Mississippi hill country, and the life and struggles of many of these artists.”
Promise of RedemptionWhen The Flowers Bloom…show review | interview Cat PowerJukebox review Dengue FeverVenus On Earth review DamemasLet Your Tape Rock review The WhigsMission Control review Depeche Mode Vinyl Reissues Evangelicals The Evening Descends Hello, Blue RosesHello Blue Roses Foxy ShazamIntroducing Foxy Shazam Jet Lag GeminiFire The Cannons review Love In OctoberPontus, The Devil And Me Primavera Primavera Steve SmithThis Town Zox Line In The Sand
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Concert Calendar
Nov 23, 2011
HaHa Tonka @ Recordbar, Kansas City MO
Nov 25, 2011
Thee Oh Sees @ The Granada, Lawrence KS
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