krj
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response 27 of 34:
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Oct 29 19:59 UTC 1998 |
*sigh*. After two months when I had to pick and choose my Ark shows
to fit my time budget, the November schedule looks like more of a
drought for my tastes. I'm curious about Bulgari, "Authentic Folk
Music of Bulgaria;" they are not an ensemble which has any presence
in the US market but Balkan folk stuff always interests me.
Beyond that, I *could* see myself going to Patty Larkin or
John Hartford, but neither are must-see shows.
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krj
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response 29 of 34:
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Nov 19 21:53 UTC 1998 |
The American release, RANT AND ROAR, which is compiled from the two
Canadian releases UP and PLAY, is issued on some imprint distributed
by Time/Warner, so you should be able to get it "at any decent
record store:" Tower, Borders, WhereHouse, possibly SKR.
The Canadian releases are listed in www.cdnow.com, and two of them are
also listed at www.amazon.com. Or, if you want to travel, I would try
Dr. Disc in Windsor.
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krj
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response 31 of 34:
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Dec 9 08:12 UTC 1998 |
Last Friday I took Leslie's visiting family to the Ark. The point was
more to show them the house -- Leslie's family has a 30+ year involvement
with folk music, and they had been to visit Ark #2. Michael Cooney was
playing. He's a venerable figure at the Ark; he used to open every
season there, but after his car accident he seems to have cut back
touring a lot. Leslie's mom said she remembered when Cooney would pull
a couple of hundred people in the old days, but the crowd was maybe
sixty that night. Cooney is a bit of a relic: a solo acoustic performer
doing mostly American traditional material. He also draws heavily on
the comic songs of Lou & Peter Berryman.
I enjoyed it. I really need to get out for more small acoustic shows.
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anderyn
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response 34 of 34:
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Dec 9 19:04 UTC 1998 |
Okay, I'm going to tell folks to see Billy Bragg there tomorrow night.
Thurs. the 10th.... I prolly won't get to go, but here's why I say
you should go...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------D
ate: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 00:54:00 -0600
From: Mickey Ferguson <mickey@eden.com>
Subject: Bloody Brilliant Billy Bragg!
Twila,
By the gods, that was a rockin' show! :-) I can't think of a time in
recent memory when I've been *this* uplifted and zinged from a night of
music. It was sooooo cool. (there doesn't seem to be enough
superlatives in me
vocabulary tonight :| )
He started off with "World Turned Upside Down" and "St. Swithin's Day" &
"Saturday Boy" ('I don't want to change the world....) all solo with
just his hook-ended petite electric. Two of my favorites, right off the
bat.
<you'll have to forgive me; I'm still shaking from the Experience;
didn't get the time to scratch all the songs down, either, so this is
from my
memory>
There was lotz of crazy political-driven banter and good-natured
compliments on Austin --- he called it a great place for a
laundry-stop!--- His fourth time to be in town this year. He was joined
by Ian McLagan (our own adopted son & keyboard genius) for some songs
off of "Workers Playtime" ... first off with "Must I Paint You a
Picture" which is *such* a brilliant song with a lovely Hammond organ
donated by Mc --- they also threw in a little of "She's Got a New Spell"
Then the 'bouncing blokes' came out: Ben _somebody_ playing a loud
little steeel guitar; drums all over the place, bass was stoic and
strong, an amazing Eastern mandolin and electric banjo-thingy and
backing vocals, too & of course, Ian McLagan on the Hammond B3 &
keyboards. They proceeded to smoke through lots of songs on the latest
album: She Came Along to Me (a feminist start sounded *great* really
different than the album [backed by
Wilco on the CD of course]) Eisler on the Go; Christ for
President(insert hilarious Clinton banter <here>); "I Guess I Planted";
and then, such a completely wonderful version of the big hit,
"California Stars" different style, and rhythm was *exactly* what I
needed to make the song fresh for me.
All of the new songs were different than the recorded versions, like
utterly so. Wonderful.
Then The Blokes left *to check their e-mail*, and Billy & Mc played
"Tank Park Salute" which had me tearing up. ;-) and, um (hazy memory
here) oh yeah(how could I forget) "A Lover Sings"
there was prolly lots more that I'm forgetting in here...'twas a
*jam*-packed affair
The first call-back was for "Ingrid Bergman" and two new ones from the
archives of Woody Guthrie (didn't know all this before...songs were
written with Nora, Woody's daughter and Arlo's sister, there are over
2600 songs in the archives. None of the music was ever recorded. When
Billy recorded "Mermaid Ave" he also cut 40 other tracks that *are on
their way to your CD players* The entire band played another of these
fantastic songs, "My Flying Saucer" which Woody described the tempo as
"supersonic boogie" the inscription on the lyric (written in L.A.) was
something like *to Mamma, in NYC, 3500 miles away* -- like he was
hitchin' a ride! :) and all this in 1951! Billy said he was convinced
that, had Woody not become ill, he would have gone electric at the
Newport FF in 19*5*5, instead of Dylan's 1965 electrification.) another
song ahead of it's time when written was something about kicking the
Fascists out, and that had a whole lot of Pinochet talk associated with
it.
The band played, "Waiting For the Great Leap Forwards" and of course
Billy had all new politics to espouse in that one, too. Managed to say
something about the salamanders in Barton Springs Pool, too :-) He's
really a brilliant performer. The adjective just *fits* him so well.
The big finale encore that wouldn't end (the band kept ducking out and
then Billy would run back on stage and start it all over) was "Way Over
Yonder in the Minor Key" which is soooo country on the album (the guys
at work absolutely *loathe* the line "Ain't No Body Who Kin Sing Like
Me" but with the band, it was middle eastern, electro-techno-funky and
some distortion banjo thrown in there, but Ian McLagan's smokin'
keyboards really topped it all off.
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