The Decemberists: Down By the Water

See this ancient riverbed, see where all our follies are led, down by the water and down by the old main drag... (The Decemberists - Down By the Water)

The reason for this post is 2 parts: (1) I wanted to check to see how Soundcloud worked (2) I really love this song; I just realized that that is Gilian Welch singing with The Decemberists. This is one of my favorite songs of the year so far.


The Decemberists: Down By The Water by TheMusicFile

Bob Dylan is 70

How does it feel to be on your own; With no direction home, like a complete unknown... (Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone)

Bob Dylan was born as Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941. Happy Birthady Bob! Here are 10 of my favorite Dylan covers.


******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

The King is Dead

Had a dream you and me and the war of the end times... (The Decemberists - The Calamity Song)

I bought the new Decemberists cd The King is Dead based on hearing the fine song Down By the Water. After repeated listens I have to put the cd in my early list for best of 2011. The King is Dead is so solid with no weak spots and a lot of high points.

Down By the Water is sort of a cross between a Springsteen & R.E.M. song, musically along the lines of The One I Love; The Calamity Song reminds me of Murmer era R.E.M., a song about the end of the world (come to think of it didn't R.E.M. do a song about the end of the world...); Rox in the Box is a nice work-sing along song about a working in a granite mine; another high point is This Is Why We Fight; I highly recommend the King is Dead.


*******************************************************************

*******************************************************************

All The Best

I wish you love and happiness; I guess I wish you all the best; I wish you don't do like I do and ever fall in love with someone like you… (John Prine – All the Best)

This month I have had the privilege of seeing two of the best in concert on the University of Kentucky’s campus; John Prine (4/1) and My Morning Jacket (4/17). Last year My Morning Jacket recorded one of John’s songs All The Best for the Prine tribute album Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows (a line from the John Prine song Souvenirs written by Steve Goodman). Neither artist played the song in the April concerts though.

However in a video from The Late Show with David Letterman, John Prine and My Morning Jacket’s front man Jim James (AKA Yim Yames) perform All The Best. I have seen John sing the song in previous concerts. This is a favorite of mine and John would introduce the song as his divorces song.

MMJ at UK

If we holler loud and make our way we'd all live one big holiday (My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday)

I saw My Morning Jacket on the University of Kentucky's campus at Memoiral Coliseum on 4/17/11. The band played a high energy set that spanned their 10 plus year career. Frontman Jim James jumped around and shook his head in youthful exhuberance. James having attended U of K for a few years in the 90's talked about the city reminiscing about living on campus, walking around the city and working fast food.

The rest of the band was very solid; guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Carl Broemel was impressive playing alot of the key parts all the while singing perfect backup; drummer Patrick Hallahan came off like a modern day Keith Moon; Two-Tone Tommy & Bo Koster were on their game as well.

Highlights of the concert: on the epic Dondante, Jim James improvised along as the song built into a crescendo, exploding at the end; I'm Amazed was awesome; Golden, Mahgeetah and One Big Holiday all from 2003's It Still Moves were crowd favorites; Jim James donned on a cape during Wordless Chorus hiding his face like a vampire; both of Touch Me I'm Going To Scream were great, as well as Highly Suspicious.

Setlist:
Mahgeetah
Anytime
Off The Record
Evil Urges
I’m Amazed
The Way That He Sings
Gideon
Circuital
Golden
Lowdown
Dondante
Butch Cassidy
Wonderful (The Way I Feel)
Lay Low
What A Wonderful Man
Dancefloor
Smokin’ From Shootin’
End of Run Thru
Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 2
Encore:
Wordless Chorus
Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 1
Highly Suspicious
One Big Holiday



*****************************************************************


Consequence of Sound review

John Prine: Singletary Center, Lexington, KY

Now my grandma was a teacher went to school in Bowling Green; Traded in a milking cow for a Singer sewing machine... (John Prine - Grandpa Was a Carpenter) I had the privilege of seeing John Prine at the beautiful Singletary Center on the University of Kentucky's campus on Friday (April 1). This was my 5th John Prine concert since 1995. It seems like every 3 years or so old John comes around and I try to go see him. John is 64 years old and you hope he's around for a long time, but you never know. As a friend of mine told me that when she saw Bonnie Raitt in concert a few years ago, Bonnie called John a "national treasure". On this evening John was backed by his fantastic musical mates Jason Wilber on guitar and David Jacques on bass. The song selections for the show was pretty standard; the set started with as alway Spanish Pipedream and ended with Paradise. John played mostly songs from his earlier albums including 8 songs from his 1971 debut album.

My highlights were Angel From Montgomery; Jason Wilber's slide guitar and David Jacques bass fiddle made the song hauntingly beautiful; Grandpa Was a Carpenter, on the introduction John said he originally debut the song at a family reunion and his aunts later cornered him to point out the mistakes in the song - Grandpa smoked Kools not Camels and Grandma went to school in Berea not Bowling Green, at which John replied that they didn't have to rhyme Berea with singer sewing machine; Lake Marie is always a treat; Clay Pigeons, That's the Way That the World Goes Round and In Spite of Ourselves were also excellent. On In Spite of Ourselves John sang the boy part and girl part which was quiet funny.

Complete Setlist:

• Spanish Pipedream


• Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore


• 6 O'Clock News


• Aimless Love


• Souvenirs


• Grandpa Was a Carpenter


• Far From Me


• Fish and Whistle


• Glory of True Love


• Angel From Montgomery


• Oldest Baby in the World


• Clay Pigeons


• In Spite of Ourselves


• Dear Abby


• That's the Way That the World Goes Round


• Sam Stone


• Bear Creek Blues


• Crooked Piece of Time


• Humidity Built the Snowman


• Hello In There


• Lake Marie


• Encore:


• Please Don't Burry Me


• Paradise

Comeback Collapse

It happened today. Hooray! Hooray! It happened. Hip, hip, hooray!... (R.E.M. - It Happened Today)

It did happen. I bought a new R.E.M. cd in over a decade. After being a big R.E.M. fan in the 80's; slightly less of a fan in the 90's; not really at all in the 00's; I read a good review on R.E.M.'s Collapse Into Now and thought I would give it a try.

I first heard R.E.M. in about 1983 when a friend played me the Murmer album. It was like something totally new. Peter Buck's jangly guitars sounded to me like at least 2 if not 3 guitars. Michael Stipe's singing was mumbly with the lyrics being indecipherable. Mike Mill's bass and Bill Berry's drums were solid. The harmony vocals were soaring to the point of making the hairs on your arms stand up.
******************************************************************

Each album in the 80's after 1984's Reckoning saw a slight change in the sound; 1985's Fables of the Reconstruction was bit more murky; 1986's Life's Rich Pageant was more straight ahead rock; 1987's Document was a little harder; and then their major label debut 1988's Green was more popier. Each of these stand on their own. Around the end of the decade Rolling Stone magazine declared the band America's Best Rock and Roll Band.
******************************************************************
******************************************************************
******************************************************************

The 1990's saw R.E.M.' s popularity grow which peaked around 1992's more acoustic Automatic For the People. In 1994 the band did a 360 with the guitar heavy Monster, a very solid album. The subsequent tour was plagued with some health issues; Bill Berry collapsed on stage with a brain aneurysm and Mike Mills and Michael Stipe also had health issues. Bill Berry recovered after surgery, but decided to leave the band. R.E.M. has never been the same.
******************************************************************
The post Berry R.E.M. further removed the band from the sound that I fell in love with in the 80's. The 00's albums have been more atmospheric, less jangly; the drums burried.

Just released Collapse Into Now is a return of sorts to R.E.M.'s 90's sound. I like the cd quite a bit. Mine Smell Like Honey (I hate the title, but love the song) is classic R.E.M.; when the song kicks into the chorus the harmonies lift you off the ground. Same with the harmonies on It Happened Today which include guest vocals from Eddie Vedder. Uberlin recalls Drive from Automatic For the People; Blue could have come off of 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi. I'm still taking in this disc, but it's nice to hear from an old friend.

******************************************************************

Being Clarivoyant and The Future

Take a picture of this: The fields are empty, abandoned '59 Chevy, Laying in the back seat listening to Little Willie John; Yea, that's when time stood still...(Robbie Robertson - Somewhere Down the Crazy River)

It feels like that finally a long winter may be coming to an end. The days are getting warmer and longer. The sun has been peeking out and finally some new exciting music is being released. It seems that artists either get their music released for the Christmas season or they wait until March or April. Recent releases include Radiohead's download only King of Limbs, Lucinda William's Blessed, R.E.M.'s Collapse Into Now, The Baseball Project's High and Tight, etc...

On the Horizon:

• Broken Bells will release an EP Meyrin Fields on March 29
• My Morning Jacket is releasing live music from their web site each week until the April 12th release of their new CD Circuital.
• Steve Earle's new CD is I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive will be released on April 26th
• Old 97's will release The Grande Theater Volume 2 some time in May.
• Robbie Robertson's How To Become Clairvoyant which is to be released on April 5.

Robbie Robertson is familiar to alot of folks as the guitarist for the Americana roots pioneers The Band (although 4 of the 5 members were Canadian). The Band toured and recorded with Bob Dylan, played at the Woodstock Festival and made several great albums in the late 60'/early 70's before breaking up in 1978. Their final concert was filmed and released as the movie The Last Waltz. The concert film included many of their contemporaries and friends such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young, to name two.

Robertson has recorded several solo albums since the breakup, but they have been far and few between. In 1987 Robertson released his self-titled solo debut, co-produced by super producer Daniel Lanois and Robertson. Some "Band purists" panned the album, but I thought it was brilliant. The record had that Lanois sound and featured U2 and Peter Gabriel (whom Lanois had also produced). The album contained several great songs including Somewhere Down the Crazy River which featured additional vocals from The BoDeans singer Sam Llanas. Fallen Angel, a tribute to bandmate Richard Manuel who had died in 1986, is another winner. Other standouts include Showdown at Big Sky, Sweet Fire of Love, American Roulette, and Broken Arrow which became a hit later for Rod Stewart.

In 1991 Robertson released Storyville, recorded in New Orleans. I have not heard that one. In 1994 Robertson recorded music for a televsion documentary called The Native Americans. In 1998 he continued along this road with another Native American influenced record Contact From the Underworld of Redboy. These records are inspired combining authentic sounds, chants with modern sounding music.

I have already read a negative review about How To Become Clairvoyant but I want to listen for myself. Robbie Robertson has not followed a straight career path since leaving the Band but his limited outputs have been fun.

******************************************************************
******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

The White Stripes: 1997-2011

But I can't help but wonder if after I'm gone will I still have these three hundred mile per hour, finger breaking, no answers makin', battered dirty hands, bee stung and busted up, empty cup torrential outpour blues... (The White Stipes - 300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues)

I was saddened to hear the news Wednesday of the breakup of The White Stripes. It's obvious that we haven't heard the last of Jack White, but the White Stripes were one of the most original rock bands to come along in some time. The duo from Detroit popped up at a time when it seemed that rap and hip hop had taken over and that rock was on it's last leg. Here are a few of my favorites over the years:


******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

From Texas to Tennessee

I'm going to take it to the United Nations or to a rock and roll radio station... (Old 97's - Please Hold While the Train in Moving)

I've been listening to Bruce Springsteen's The Promise quiet a bit lately, but I wanted to talk about a couple others that are also on my current playlist.

First to leave the station from Texas, the Old 97's and their latest release The Grand Theatre Volume I. The Old 97's play rock and roll with a twist of Texas country. They are lead by charismatic front man/lead singer Rhett Miller, with Murry Hammond on bass and vocals, lead guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer Philip Peeples.

The Grand Theatre was recorded in Austin Texas after the band had rented out the Son of Herman Hall in Dallas and played the new songs to see how they would sound in concert. A couple of dozen songs were recorded. A second volume is to be released this spring.

At any rate, The Grand Theatre is the Old 97's besting outing since probably 2001's Satelite Rides. The cd starts off with the title track, a rocker with interesting lyrics; Every Night is Friday Night is instant likable breakup song; Champaign, Illinois is a rewrite of Bob Dylan's Desolation Row (Dylan is given half the writing credit); The Dance Class and Please Hold On While the Train is Moving are highlights; on Let the Whiskey Take the Reins gutiarist Ken Bethea is the star as Rhett Miller sings in a low voice; Murry Hammond takes over the lead vocals on You Smoke Too Much and You Were Born To Be In Battle with winning results.

*****************************************************************

*****************************************************************

Second up from Tennesee are Kings of Leon and their 5th album Come Around Sundown. After a change in direction on their last album Only By the Night from garage rock to stadium rock the Kings continue in that direction. Sundown is again produced by Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King and leans a little in the direction of U2 with it's atmospheric sounds.

The cd opens with the very atmospheric The End; Radioactive, the fine lead single follows; Mary has a 50ish feel to it; the highlight is the ode to southern hospitality Back Down South. Come Around Sundown may not pack the punch of the Kings early work or have the mega hits of Only By the Night, but it is a fine listen.

*****************************************************************

*****************************************************************