Been a busy, busy year. I didn’t get every show reviewed, but I did get a number of the highlights.
In an effort to wipe the slate clean, here’s a list and a word or two about each one. And, a hope that I can keep up better in 2013!
January:
Kool and the Gang – PCMA – reviewed
Joe Bonamassa – Baked Potato – reviewed
February:
Frank Turner – SLO Brewery – reviewed
Estelle – Anthology – My niece is in her band, so I was there to have fun and relax.
Frank Turner – Slidebar – reviewed
Frank Turner – Fox Pomona – reviewed
April:
Springsteen – IZOD Center – reviewed
Springsteen – Madison Square Garden – reviewed
Springsteen – Sports Arena – reviewed
Springsteen – Sports Arena – reviewed
Coachella – Three days, four posts…and still didn’t cover it all. Interesting experience…but not sure I’d do it again. A few good bands stick out in my mind. The Head and the Heart, Dawes, Pulp, Bon Iver, M83, Madness, Kasabian, Givers. And others….like Radiohead really didn’t do much for me. Coupled with the hit-and-miss, the long walks and the heat. This will stay on my “glad I did it list”, but not my “I want to go again” list.
May:
Jackson Browne – Largo – Took a good friend to help give him a break and sadly we had to leave early to rush home for an ill family member. What I did see was personal and moving. The last song before the set break really sticks in my mind. A version of Leonard Cohen’s “Thousand Kisses Deep”. There’s a version on iTunes you can buy (not from this show, but live….I highly recommend it.)
June:
Head and the Heart – Observatory – reviewed
Beach Boys – Irvine Meadows – Took my nephew and just hung out. They played a generous and overall fun show. Nothing to review though.
Spyro Gyra/Lee Rittenour – Hyatt Newporter – Seen both numerous times over the years…always fun and always the highest quality.
Dukes of September – Universal Amphitheater – Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald….what else can I add to that line up. Great show, great fun.
July:
Howard Jones – Coach House – Doing two of his best albums complete. Human’s Lib and Dream into Action. I went on a whim, my sister passed away the day before I just needed some music. Not in any shape that night to review, but it was a good show.
August:
Weird Al – OC Fair – I was supposed to see another show at the Fair that missed due to my sister.
Delgado Brothers – Brea Street Fair – Good friends, good music, but not really a show to review…just one to enjoy.
September:
Jack’s Show – Irvine Meadows – Joe Walsh, Pat Benatar, Toto, Mc Hammer, Gin Blossoms and Missing Persons. Pretty cool show with friends. The only real miss was MC Hammer, late and not a very good show. Everyone else was fun. The Gin Blossoms, Toto and Benatar all totally killed it. Jow Walsh was a little self indulgent, as was Missing Persons.
Frank Turner – HOB Anaheim – reviewed
Estelle – Greek Theatre – Another trip to see my talented niece perform with Estelle….however LA traffic limited us to the last two songs…We didn’t stay to watch Anthony Hamilton headline…
October:
Elvis Costello – Irvine Barkley – reviewed
Head and the Heart – Wiltern – My third time seeing them this year….and of the same quality as the two shows I’d reviewed.
Joe Jackson – Orpheum – Doing mostly Duke Ellington from his new album, it was a very good and crowd pleasing show.
November:
Counting Crows – Grove of Anaheim – Wish I’d reviewed them…a great show, really a surprise how good they were live. Loved it.
(I was supposed to see Steve Windwood at the Greek and I was so sick that I had to pass…disappointing.)
December:
Graham Parker and the Rumor – Wilbur Theatre – reviewed
Graham Parket and the Rumor/Lindsey Buckingham/Ryan Adams – Roxy – reviewed
Delgado Brothers – Harvelle’s – New Years Eve show tomorrow night!
It’s weird how doing something you love can become a task. And once you delay that task it begins to loom and becomes a bigger and bigger “thing” that you eventually don’t want to face because it seems like work instead of fun. Well, I missed a couple reviews and felt like I couldn’t really come back until I caught up. At the same time I’ve been starting a new business and under a lot of stress to make that work. So, posting here became both too important to do and at the same time one of those things I could push aside as optional while I was enmeshed in my start up.
But, I saw Frank Tuner tonight and Jody who I know from his website forums mentioned having read some of my blog. Which hit me with a sense of pride and also a feeling that I just had to get back here, even if it was to dip a toe back in the waters of writing.
Started the evening off by meeting Jody and her mom who drove up from San Diego for the show as well as my friend Elizabeth who had agreed to come and use my extra ticket since Julie was out of town….and I’d talked so often about Frank on Facebook and to her. We all went to the beer garden and had dinner on their pre show patio. Wasn’t bad really….not the best food ever, but a cut about bar food at least. I ended up checking my camera and not hassling with trying to take it in. But, because of my knees we took a seat upstairs rather than stand all night on the floor. (One of my least favorite things about this venue is the lack of seats).
The first act Jenny Owen Youngs did a brief and well received set in the sort of standard singer/songwriter vein. At one point at least she reminded me a little of Amanda Palmer of Desden Dolls (at least vocally). Nice opener and set a good tone.
Next up was Larry and his Flask.
Totally out of control, in the best ways possible. Flatt & Scruggs on speed by way of early Oingo Boingo…with maybe a touch of the Hot Club of Cowtown. I loved them, would go see them again in a heartbeat. Bonus points for a tuba AND a trombone….Lots of fun.
Here’s a sample:
They were wild, as was the crowd…who knew that kids still had mosh pits?
Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls were up next. This was the 5th time I’ve seen Frank in just over a year. So yeah, I guess I like his shows. This was his biggest headlining show in California so far and his first time headlining a House of Blues. It was also a very spirited crowd with a lot of singing, dancing, moshing and general mayhem. I was sort of glad to be seated above it to observe from a distance.
He played a near perfect set, a great mix of his most popular songs with some new songs mixed in and nice Tom Petty cover near the end.
Here’s the setlist:
If ever I stray
The Road
Peggy Sang the Blues
Long Live the Queen
Glory Hallelujah
Reasons not to be an Idiot
Time Machine (new)
Wessex Boy
Substitute
Wherefore Art Thou, Gene Simmons (new)
Fastest Way Back Home
I Knew Prufrock Before he was Famous
I am Disappeared
One Foot Before the Other
Four Simple Words (new)
Try this at Home
I Still Believe
Encores:
American Girl (Tom Petty)
Love, Ire and Song
Photosynthesis
It was a crowd pleasing solid 90 minutes of fun.
Here’s a video of one of the older songs from the set. And honestly, who can resist a good TS Eliot reference?
Great evening of music and fun with friends new and old…and isn’t that the whole point of all this? I just know that I come home from a show like this feeling happier and less stressed from work, startup companies and all the rest of the day to day stuff. Thanks Frank!
“If your too cool to play an imaginary instrument in a darkened room full of drunken strangers, then you’re at the wrong F–king show….”
That was there gist of the message presented midway through this (and really any that I know of) Frank Turner show. He’s up there having a damn good time, and it’s his personal mission to assure that everyone in the crowd is as well. If that means coaxing a few hundred people to make funny noises through their hands during “Dan’s Song” or making everyone sing “…I won’t sit down, and I won’t shut up, and most of all I won’t grow up…” to close the show, then that’s what he’ll do.
But don’t mistake him for the court jester or some novelty act. There’s real bite behind most of his songs…religion, politics, revolution and death are all fair game and he’s not shy about voicing his opinions about each. But no matter if you agree or disagree with his views, the ultimate goal is positive, fun and mostly about savoring the moments of life that rush by us all.
It’s such a pleasure to see someone who is obviously doing exactly what they were put here on earth to do. Frank Turner belongs on stage as much as anyone I’ve seen at his age and stage of their career. It honestly wouldn’t matter if there were four or forty thousand in the crowd. (Both are sizes of crowds he’s reported played to already in his solo career). His commitment to performing won’t vary.
There is an infectious joy to his performance that I hesitate to compare to anyone…because that sort of thing is just flat out unfair to both sides. (A classic example is of course the whole Springsteen = New Dylan thing from the 70’s)….
Frank isn’t the “new” anyone. He’s just a guy who writes some awesome music and (pretty obviously) loves performing those same songs. That being said, I told Julie (who I hauled 200+ miles with me to see the show), that he does remind me of a young Springsteen…but not so much in musical style…but, in that he has that same passion and love for what he’s doing that I saw in 1978 at my first Springsteen show on the Darkness on the Edge of Town tour. I recall being floored by the energy and connection to the crowd that Bruce had, in fact…that show still remains my single favorite show I’ve seen ever. I see some of that same sort of potential in Frank. In some ways seeing Frank now feels to me a little like having been lucky enough to have seen Bruce in the Stone Pony around 1972 or Pink Floyd at the UFO on Tottenham Court Road in the 60’s. Someone who is on the cusp stardom, with only a small core of early adoptors who are there right now to experience the potential first hand.
Now, I know how the music industry chews up and spits out people. But, I really think that he has a good chance to overcome the hazards and carve out a long career.
So, about the SLO show.
Milow, a Belgian singer/songwriter opened with a half an hour of decent solo guitar music. Nothing that totally grabbed me, but pleasant enough. He had a nice engaging personality and filled the opening slot just fine. The was supposed to be a second band “The Sharks”, but it was explained they through some schedule mix up had begun the day in Las Vegas and were unable to make it to San Luis Obispo in time for the show. I can’t say they were missed that much, as it allowed more time for a full set by Frank.
Pretty much he played a setlist that I could have written if I’d sat down an listed out my favorites from the new CD “England Keep My Bones”, a smattering of older classics, a couple rarities, a new song and a cover. A well paced and thought out set.
Opening (as the new CD does) with “Eulogy” leading into “Peggy Sang the Blues”. From there he headed into his back catalog to pull out a song from each of his previous CD’s, “The Road” and “I knew Prufrock before he was Famous”.
“I am Disappeared”, one of the most interesting cuts from the new CD was up next. With its interesting references to Dylan, Hemingway it’s grown to become my favorite cut on the new CD. “Love, Ire and Song” then lead into “Substitute” and then the rarely played “Nights Become Days”. I suppose I should mention that Frank was hampered a bit at this show by a severely twisted ankle that relegated him to bar stool for the show. He apologized for not being able to move around, but I found the music compelling and the band engaging enough that it really didn’t matter a whole lot. There’s more to rocking out than jumping around, and Frank had plenty of energy playing from his center stage perch.
Another rarity followed “The Fastest Way Home”, then Dan’s Song with the previously noted air harmonica solos by the entire crowd. “Long Live the Queen” (his wonderful ode to a friend who passed away) was followed by his mission statement “If Ever I Stray” and the new song “Polaroid Picture” which is (amongst other things) about the tearing down of the Astoria in London to build a commuter rail station.
“Glory Hallelujah” (which I spent some time on in a previous review), “Try this at Home”, “I Still Believe” and the closer of Queens “Somebody to Love” brought the set to rousing close. Due to his injury, Frank simply turned around with his back to the audience rather than hobble off stage.
Turning back to face us, he played a rare version of “Sunshine State”, written from London about his California girlfriend who (apparently) really messed him over, thankfully he seems to have forgiven the rest of the state. Another rarity followed in “The Next Round” and he closed the set with a rousing version of “Photosynthesis” having played a solid near two hours, bad ankle and all.
I honestly didn’t figure he’d come out and mingle with the fans, but after a short break he hobbled out and posted himself center stage to pose for photos and chat with anyone still in the bar. This is what I mean about him getting it….he totally seems to love connecting with folks, interacting and just chatting. When I walked over he remembered me from Pomona and greeted me by name. He even recalled that I’m a Springsteen fan and recommended that I listed to some friends he’d toured with called Lucero. Just a totally nice guy, who loves playing, performing and music in general.
How can you not root for someone genuine like that to achieve success in a world full of pre-packaged pop?
I’m seeing him twice more this week, so not sure what else I may be able to say. Except, go see him….see him now before he’s playing huge venues and you won’t have the chance to interact and hang out with a very talented guy.
Here’s a semi-live version of “I am Disappeared”…chosen for better sound quality.
Here’s my 2011 list of concerts. A little shorter than some years, but I had a lot of work distractions in the past year, so it’s actually a pretty good tally all things considered. There’s a lot of quality there and a few once in lifetime shows. I’ll make a few individual notes where appropriate (But, of course there’s a review of each if you’re so inclined to read more.
Phil Vassar – A nice little private show at the PCMA conference for people with a CMP designation. Fun and loose show.
Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Chromeo – A bit of a letdown, but I’m still hoping to see them again and see how they evolve.
Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine
Delgado Brothers
Jeff Beck & Imelda May – Once in a lifetime and one of the best shows I saw all year.
Prince – Another show that for all the hype was a bit of letdown.
Doheny Blues Fest – Tedeschi/Trucks, John Fogerty, Experience Hendrix, Mavis Staples, The Blasters, Funky Meters, Big Head Blues Club, (Plus others) – Two great days on the beach. A couple misses, but mostly hits. Tedeschi/Trucks being the very best of day 1 and the Blasters the best of Day 2
KSBR Birthday Bash – Brenda Russell, Kieko Matsui, Brian Bromberg, Dan Siegel, (Plus others) – A really cool gift from my friend Eliott.
Eels – Confounding and complex. It was great in some very unexplainable ways.
U2 & Lenny Kravitz (2x) – Night 2 was the better of the two nights, both were strong but night 2 has the edge (pun intended).
Weird Al
Kansas & Blue Oyster Cult – Not very good, one of the most disappointing shows of the year for me.
Rock Candy Funk Party – Going back in January, a top five evening and surprisingly it’s not once in a lifetime, looking forward to it very much.
Barenaked Ladies – Good, but not great. More and more I miss Stephen Page.
Return to Forever & Zappa Plays Zappa – I’d say that along with Jeff Beck this were the most amazingly talented musicians I saw all year…or in many years.
Frank Turner – My best find of 2011. Seeing him in February once again!
Fountains Of Wayne – I wanted this to be better, bit it wasn’t up to the pervious levels I’d seen them perform at.
Airborne Toxic Event – Another cool find of 2011 and this was the Filmore show in SF that was really cool.
Big Head Todd w/Ruthie Foster and Charlie Musselwhite – Again, a sort of letdown show and slightly disappointing overall.
Airborne Toxic Event, Tokyo Police Club, Built to Spill – Good headliner, the rest of the bill was hit and miss.
Bob Segar – Just reviewed, the man still has it! Great show.
So there you have it. My 2011 in a nutshell.
Looking ahead to 2011 I already have four shows slated. Joe Bonamassa, Frank Turner, Social Distortion and Roger Waters. Plus, I know Springsteen is touring. So, lots to be excited about in the coming year. Thanks as always for reading! Happy New Year!
I’ve been looking forward to seeing Frank Turner for months. I have sort of a weird history with him. I originally heard his name during my Glastonbury trip prep, but I never got him fully onto my radar and listened to any of his music before I headed to England. He opened for Green Day and Joan Jett at Wembley, but I arrived late because of the long train ride and missed his set. Then, he played a couple different stages at Glastonbury and I was just never in the right place at the right time to see him.
But, I kept hearing some buzz and finally looked up his live iTunes stuff from 2010. It sounded pretty good, so I picked up his newest disc “England Keep My Bones”….and I was hooked. Loved the writing, loved the passion and loved the music. So, that backstory in place…here’s how things became even cooler.
A few weeks ago I signed up on his website forum and found that he actually self moderates the board and answers questions….very nice. As anyone who has read the blog knows I love shooting concerts. So, I decided to take a shot and ask if it was allowed to bring an SLR into his shows and shoot. Some artists are a bit protective of that sort of thing. Well, his answer was to send him an e-mail and he’d work something out. So, I ended up exchanging e-mails with Frank himself and with him leaving a photo pass for me at the door. Suddenly I’m allowed center stage, inside the barrier to shoot with the press and the professionals….wow!
After a brief detour on the way…(I totally forgot the exit and went about ten miles too far and had to circle back…oops) I parked and got my photo pass and went inside. I was allowed up front to shoot the first three songs of all acts. So, I took my place and shot the opening act “Into It, Over It”.
“Into It, Over it” is basically a nice kid from Chicago who told a few interesting stories…the best about a former friend who used inside information from their friendship to date one of the singers ex-girlfriends. The music was okay, but I can’t say hugely memorable. Nothing really grabbed me and made me think…”I need this guys CD”. Sort of your generic opener….style matches close enough and music doesn’t suck….but, not going to make you stand up and forget the headliner you came to see.
That being said, I went to his Soundcloud and gave his new CD a listen to be fair. I think he improves in a full band setting. There’s some potential there and he came across as a decent guy…so if you’re interested, here’s a link to stream a track called “Where your nights often end”:
Next up was Andrew Jackson Jihad, a Phoenix based duo who served a nice undercurrent of humor with their punk based material. There’s always been room for some humor in punk music and personally I think it really works when a group can find the right balance. To me Andrew Jackson Jihad did just that. For someone who wasn’t familiar with any of their songs I walked away able to recognize a few of them and thinking generally “hey they’re not bad…”
Sample lyric from “Hate, Rain on Me”. “….I hate songs about the summer and I hate everyone…” (Sort of sums it up, doesn’t it?)
Anyway, they were nicely slotted between the “opening ernest guy who can’t afford a tour band yet” and “the headliner that you came to see”. Basically filling the role of “the slightly better known band with a bit more polish and deeper catalog….”
Here’s a link to their latest CD off their website where you can even download “Hate, Rain on Me” and “American Tune”….(Which is decidedly NOT a cover of Paul Simon). And one more tip….I wouldn’t recommend streaming those tunes at work…unless your boss is an old punk at heart or VERY open minded about music…
After a short wait it Frank and his band the Sleeping Souls hit the stage. Playing “Eulogy” from his newest release then segueing into “Try this at Home”, his call for everyone to pick up pen and paper and make their own music. It also contains one of my favorite lines…”There’s no such thing as rock stars, there’s just people who play music….some of them are just like us, and some of them are dicks….” Having met a few musicians over the years…that line totally rings true to me. That quote also speaks to one of the things that has really hooked me about Mr. Turner. There is a very direct honesty to his lyrics that seems to grow from his punk background. And, even though he describes his music as “Folk-Punk” anyone looking for Mitch Miller isn’t going to find it here….although I will add that you are very encouraged to sing along with Frank. Folk music, just like Punk music was/is at it’s heart story telling and protest again injustices of all types. So to me it’s really a perfect fit and a balance that he deftly pulls off. (Although I won’t say effortlessly, the man works his butt off on stage.)
Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls
“I Still Believe”, his salute to the power and history of rock music came next followed by “One foot before the other” and “Love, Ire and Song”. Then came one of the best one-two punches of the set…”Peggy Sang the Blues”, a salute to his late grandmother with the brilliant line “…No one gets remembered for the things they didn’t do…” followed by “I am Disappeared”, a haunting song that is as enigmatic to me as any great Bob Dylan song (who is referenced in it)…and while I haven’t figured it out, I am totally drawn into it by the piano hook during the chorus in the song (played quite ably by Matt Nasir of the Sleeping Souls). The thing is, I’ve always loved songs that don’t just slap you in the face, but reveal themselves over time. Some of the best stuff I’ve ever heard I’ve reevaluated multiple times on multiple hearings and “I am Disappeared” has that sort of effect on me.
Then came a terrific slice of storytelling “I knew Prufrock before he was famous”. A great reference to T.S. Eliot who I have a connection to via my roots in the same village his family hailed from (East Coker if anyone cares.) The title made me love this song from the moment I heard it. But beyond the cool title reference it’s a wonderful vision of youth and idealism that could be set in any place that a bunch of students gather, drink and plot how they will be the ones to fix the screwed up world that they’ve been handed.
A new song “Polaroid Picture” shows that the well of talent is still quite full and I’m anxious to hear how it develops and hopefully someday makes it onto a record. “Substitute” (Not the Who song, but a song about music taking the place of love) and “English Curse”, a concise history lesson of why you shouldn’t steal from or piss off an Englishman…those both lead to “Dan’s Song” where we were all implored to play our best air harmonica and join in…so, picture a whole room of folks humming through their hands and you’ll have a vision of the moment….Fun stuff and it shows the relaxed charisma Frank can project. He’s one of those guys who really works to connect with the crowd and you totally get the feeling that those two hours on stage are the very best part of his day. I’m a sucker for music played from the heart by someone who’d do the same show if there were 15 or 15,000 people in the crowd. When I see that passion and heart it totally connects and is really the point of why I go to so many live concerts. It’s a spirit that can be hinted about but never captured by a recording.
“Sons of Liberty” one of his more political songs of set came next. Hey, anyone who can write a song that’s both melodic and can name check Watt Tyler and King Alfred (Sending me to Wikipedia in the process) has some pretty cool reference material that he’s pulling from. Powerful stuff.
Of course he still has a bit of punk in him that wants to call out the establishment and rage a bit against injustice. Which is why linking “If Ever I Stray” between the previous “Sons of Liberty” and “Glory Hallelujah” (more about that in a moment) made such perfect sense. Lyrically it bridged the politics to the religion (or lack of religion) by the need for friends and a support system no matter which quixotic path you follow. And, damn…if I don’t love when an artist does that, takes a bunch of songs and slots them together in a clever way to tell a greater message. I’ve watched Bruce Springsteen do it for years and I find it really awesome to see a new young guy who is aiming at such lofty goals.
“Glory Hallelujah” is one of those songs that gets an artists records piled up and burned by right wing radio stations. It’s basic premise…there is no God….Yeah, see if you can sell that record at WalMart…I dare you. Of course the brilliant twist (regardless of whether you agree with the premise) is that the actual message is more about putting fear and dogma aside and taking responsibility for our own lives and how we live and treat each other. Ambitious agenda…I’ll say that about the song…
Here’s the lyrics:
Glory Hallelujah
Brothers and sisters, have you heard the news?
The storm has lifted and there’s nothing to lose,
So swap your confirmation for your dancing shoes,
Because there never was no God.
Step out of the darkness and onto the streets,
Forget about the fast, let’s have a carnival feast!
Raise up your lowered head and hear the liberation beat,
Because there never was no God.
No cowering in the dark before some overbearing priest,
No waiting till we die until we restitute the meek.
No blaming all our failings on imaginary beasts,
Because there never was no God.
No fighting over land your distant fathers told you of,
No spilling blood for those who never spread a drop of love.
No finger pointing justified by phantoms up above,
Because there never was no God.
I know you’re scared of dying man, and I am too,
But just pretending it’s not happening isn’t going to see us through.
If we accept that there’s an endgame and we haven’t got much time,
Then in the here and now we can try and do things right.
We’d be our own salvation army and together we’d believe
In all the wondrous things that mere mortals can achieve.
I’ve known beauty in the stillness of cathedrals in the day,
I’ve sung “Glory Hallelujah, won’t you wash my sins away!”
But now we’re singing my refrain and this is what I say:
I say there never was no God.
There is no God, so clap your hands together.
There is no God, no heaven and no hell.
There is no God, we’re all in this together.
There is no God, so ring that victory bell.
As you can see, he’s not one to mince words or pull his punches. And, like some of his other songs, this one keeps evolving as I listen to it. From there came one of the best songs written about dying since Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart”. “Long Live the Queen”, which despite being about dying is much more a song about living and celebrating life while you are here. The best line of the song (in my opinion) being: “You’ll live to dance another day; it’s just now you’ll have to dance for the two of us. So stop looking so damn depressed and sing with all your heart that the queen is dead.” Having lost a number of people through the years I understand the love behind those lyrics and connect with the song.
The set finished with “The Road” (basically a mission statement of someone compelled to travel) and then a fun cover of “Somebody to Love” by Queen.
The first encore was “The Ballad of Me and My Friends” performed solo followed by a raving full band version of “Photosynthesis”…both songs about not getting old without fight and not letting go of your dreams because you’re not a kid anymore….
“…I won’t sit down, I won’t shut up and most of all I won’t grow up…” And, if you need a motto, well…you can do much worse than that.
I stayed a bit after and thanked him for the photo pass. He was obviously tired (they had played Jimmy Kimmel, then rushed to Pomona) but he graciously stayed, posed for photos and chatted with anyone who wanted. Another sign to me that he totally “gets it” on how to build a fan base. And, he’s willing to do the hard work it takes. I would (and have already) recommended him to many of my friends. And, I’ll do so once again here. Check his music out, read the lyrics and catch him on the way up because if there is any justice in the world he’ll have a much larger audience the next time he comes through town.
Glastonbury & Beyond 