The Live Music Thread

[postjack]

About to see Neutral Milk Hotel at the Riv in Chicago. I basically know nothing about this group - definitely one of Allison's picks.

the music snob community at large shits themselves over NMH. I myself have never quite understood the appeal, but I'm open minded to the possibility of one day "getting" them.

Hope you enjoy the show, let us know how it was.

Edited February 7, 2014 by postjack

[Voltron]

I like NMH a fair bit.  I hope you like the show Bryan.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Voltron

[acidbasement]

I/we recently got confirmation that our bid to promote the Winnipeg stop of the PaganFest tour was accepted.  It'll be on May 5.  Really looking forward to this.  I doubt if we'll make much (if any) money, and our co-promoter was leaning away from doing the show before I offered our investment.  However it shakes down, I'm happy to be part of it - I've been a Korpiklaani and Turisas fan for a long time.

 

 

Here are the rest of the tourdates/venues, in case you're in the areas.  Turisas alone are worth the price of admission and then some.

 

04/25 - Empire - Springfield, VA
04/26 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
04/27 - Theater of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
04/28 - Irving Plaza - New York, NY
04/29 - Imperial - Quebec City, QC
04/30 - Metropolis - Montreal, QC
05/01 - The Opera House - Toronto, ON
05/02 - Alrosa Villa - Columbus, OH
05/03 - Mojoe's - Joliet, IL
05/04 - Skyway Theater - B - Minneapolis, MN
05/05 - Zoo Cabaret - Winnipeg, MB
05/07 - The Republik - Calgary, AB
05/08 - Rickshaw Theatre - Vancouver, BC
05/09 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
05/10 - Toxic Lounge - Portland, OR
05/11 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
05/12 - Ramona Mainstage - Ramona, CA
05/13 - House of Blues - West Hollywood, CA
05/15 - Summit Music Hall - Denver, CO
05/16 - The Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
05/17 - Harpo's - Detroit, MI
05/18 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA

Edited February 25, 2014 by acidbasement

[Voltron]

SF Jazz this week was quartet heaven.  The Spring Quartet on Wednesday featured Joe Lovano (sax), Leo Genovese (piano), Esperanza Spalding (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums).  They were all excellent, played well together, and were very entertaining.  But then Saturday was the Superstar Quartet with David Sanborn (sax), Joey DeFrancesco (B3 organ), Billy Hart (drums), and Bobby Hutcherson (vibes).  Whoa.  Bobby had the good oxygen running into his cannula that night.  At age 73 he had the most energy I have seen in a couple of years easily, and when he did his trademark single note slam toward the end of a song he stared down at the key looking cocky and proud like Ali standing over a fallen opponent.  He was amazing.  Sanborn was really quite awesome and impressed me again as a great and powerful player.  Billy Hart was rock solid also at age 73 and had a great style that varied from pounding to plush brushing.  The most enlightening performance was Joey D.  I have seen him before and liked but did not love.  In this quartet he was awesome laying down bass lines and leads alike.  Completely amazing on the B3 and completely in awe of his fellow musicians.  The best news of all is that everything we heard will be on a Blue Note record being released in June.  I can't wait.

[Absorbine_Sr]

Drinking a Martini at the Lyric Opera waiting to see The Barber of Seville.

[VPI]

Watching the Cowboy Junkies

[grawk]

Nice

[Voltron]

Very nice indeed.  Let us know how the show is.  Trying to remember the little bar we saw them at in Ithaca.  That was amazing.

[VPI]

Show was pretty good.  Margo was sick so she was not on her game but it was still pretty great.

 

 

 

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Poor Jeff was the youngest one there, other than the staff.  When Margo described a song as older than the young woman in front of her, his ears pricked up.  His best hope was that someone would bring their daughter.

[Grahame]

Damn!

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kate-bush-to-perform-live-for-first-time-in-35-years-20140321

http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/21/kate-bush-announces-first-tour-dates-for-35-years-twitter-erupts-in-excitement-4671561/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10713468/Kate-Bush-announces-first-tour-for-35-years.html

 

EDIT: and at the, as was, Hammersmith Odeon.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Grahame

[Voltron]

Saw the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis last night at SF Jazz and it was tremendous.  They played Monk tunes, and Wynton did an intro for each song with a little background and Monk anecdotes.  Great players and amazing solos by essentially every one of the 15 players.  The encore was a sextet of drum/basss/piano/sax/trombone/trumpet playing Crepescule With Nellie and that was great too.  I'm not the biggest big band fan, or even a big Wynton Marsalis fan, but they were introduced as the best big band in the world and I have to agree.

[Dusty Chalk]

Thinking of seeing Hilary Hahn on Wednesday, in a violin/duet format.  She plays "normally" -- I.E. facing the audience, with the violin held out in front of her and to the left (most of the audience's right).  Pianist is usually facing stage left.  There are some sweet choral seats (behind the performers), and several to the sides.  Where should I sit?  If I sit in the choral section, probably will have her back partially towards me (definitely don't want the one seat which is stage right and to the back -- she'll definitely have her back towards me the majority of the evening, though I would be able to see the pianist's hands).  If I sit to stage left, I'll probably be facing her and the pianist (not able to see the pianist's playing), and if I sit to stage right...yeah, I think I just talked myself into the choral seats.  Any thoughts?

[Dusty Chalk]

So I sat to stage left, could see her perfectly

As to the pianist...well, I could see his face.

Music was wonderful as always, a nice mix of 20th and 21st century more experimental composers and older more traditional fare such as Mozart and Schubert.

Sent from mah phone-blet via Tapatalk

[jpelg]

The Both (Aimee Mann & Ted Leo) -

 

At small, local music performance space/dive-bar called "Toad's Place". Very good show, despite the so-so sonics of the venue. The one word that keeps coming to mind when I think about this pairing is "organic". These two seem to gel together very nicely, both in song writing, and on stage, such that it is bringing out the best in both (no pun intended). And they seem to get on personally, as well.

 

Classic Mann fans will have enough familiar content to grasp onto, while those of us looking for a real progression beyond her Magnolia/Lost-In-Space era will finally have something to nosh on. Leo's physical energy & infectious guitar licks have infused a newness to Mann's music that is both fresh & classic at the same time.

 

Tickets to their fourth show on this tour were only $20 each, and they have an opening act. So they are definitely not making money that way. I picked up a signed copy of the new CD, which I have not listened to yet. But I suspect it will sound better than the NPR stream I heard last week. But they both seem truly happy to simply be playing out, & trying new material (as well as some occasional nods to older stuff), and connecting to the audience. They & their drummer produce a lot of sound for three people.

 

If they come your way, check 'em out.

[acidbasement]

Saw two concerts in the last week:

 

We invested in the PaganFest show with an established Winnipeg promoter, and while we didn't make any money, we didn't lose much, I don't think (final numbers still to be crunched).  In any event, it was a blast.  Turisas were just amazing, and I predict good things from Winterhymn as they mature.  They're probably the first folk metal band I've heard from this side of the Atlantic that has the right idea (IMO of course).

 

 

And just last night, I saw this:

 

 

I'm not an Iced Earth fan, so I didn't stay for them (had to drive 3 hours to get to work this morning, and sleep was a priority).  ReVamp were very impressive, though it always bugs me when metal bands rely heavily on ProTools for their live shows.  You've got a five-piece band behind you - why not get a few of them to harmonize with you?  Sabaton were stupendous, but again, since their keyboardist left, they haven't gotten further than replacing him with a computer.  

 

All in all, a great show, except for one other thing that pissed me off:  when you get Iced Earth sharing a bill with Sabaton, apparently you get Nazis at the show.  What the fuck?

[Absorbine_Sr]

Sitting on the lawn at Millenium Park with wine and noms waiting to see Richard Thompson. Acoustic and with his electric band.

[Voltron]

Waiting for Zoe Keating to start. Stage is pretty bare and yet exceedingly cool.

Edited June 21, 2014 by Voltron

[shellylh]

Have fun Al!

[Dusty Chalk]

Nice. I Zoe.

Sent from mah phone-blet via Tapatalk

[Voltron]

Oops, pic added above. Here is another from the beginning of the concert entitled "HDR Gone Awry"

[grawk]

Saw Adam Lambert with Queen tonight.  It was fun.  Not as much of a greatest hits as I expected, and Adam holds his own.  I left more impressed than other tours of this sort in the past.

[Aura]

In the city with Allison at a pre-Lollapalooza show. About to see Courtney Barnett at Schuba's.

[cetoole]

Jazz at the Pawnshop with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

[Dusty Chalk]

Who are you and why are you using Colin's account?