What`s up with the Ark? The calendar never gets mailed anymore until halfway through the month in question. Neither is it available at Schoolkids. I assume it's not even available at the Ark. Besides being annoying to us Ark goers, it seems inconsiderate to the performers. Last month Jonathan Edwards had a very low turnout; his concert was announced only a week ahead. He usually sells out, and many of my Jonathan Edwards fan friends were upset at havinf missed the show.34 responses total.
I see they booked comedian Louie Anderson. That struck me as odd.
Problems with mailing the calendar are likely to be the problem of the Ann Arbor Post Office, who have a terrible problem with the prompt delivery of date sensitive junk mail. I haven't noticed any horrible calendar delivery delays here in Ann Arbor, though. The Ark schedule is on www.a2ark.org. However, those pages will not work with Lynx, or even with an older version of MSIE. I gave up trying to argue with their web support people about it. The schedule also appears in the Ann Arbor Observer. Katie, you might write to them and let them know that they blew the publicity on Jonathan Edwards.
(Louie Anderson is doing a homeless benefit.) How do people feel about the Ark now selling some of the center section seats on a reserved basis, for $3 extra?
Are they reserved by seat or does the $3 just earn you the privilege of sitting in that section? I can't say the idea thrills me but I only go to the occasional show at the Ark.
I don't know about the schedule coming out late, but I did hear rumblings about the Jonathan Edwards concert. It may very well be that the Ark is concentrating on its on-line advertising. I don't know. I only volunteer there for certain shows, but I do know the Sept. Oct. shedule should be out soon. Alas, I'm working the Louie Anderson show, as well. I'm not sure I'm up for it!
I called today and the fellow on the phone (David) listed all the upcoming shows for me. I want to see Gillian, Martin, Lou & Peter, Greg, and Iris. I asked why Liv Taylor hasn`t been scheduled in 2 years and was told that he now charges $5000 per show because he doesn't want to tour anymore. The Ark can`t pay that. Bummer.
Reserved Seating Update Beginning September 1, 1998, The Ark will offer reserved seating for all ticketed shows. Ticketed shows are those where advanced tickets are available. Reserved seats may be purchased from the Michigan Union Ticket Office (MUTO) only and will be available up until one week prior to the show. An additional cost of $3 will be added to the posted ticket price. You may obtain tickets at the MUTO in person or by telephone. Gleaned from their Web Site. Me, I want to see the Paperboys, Great Big Sea, possibly Bela Fleck, and Christine Collister. But then, I'm a big Anglophile. So the fact that Archie Fisher is coming in October just made my year! YES!
When's Bela going to play?
Last gig of September. It's on the Ark web page.
When's "Great Big Sea" coming? After overexposure on my trip to Newfoundland (seemingly all they played on the radio there, which was OK by me after having spent so much time driving through Ontario and Quebec..) I feel somewhat obliged to see a show..
I love them. I have their records. The day before Bela Fleck.
Just a reminder: Swedish instrumental trio or quartet Vasen is playing at the Ark on Sunday. I hope to be there!
I`ll be there Fri for Gillian Welch, and Oct 4 for Martin Sexton.
I'm being a lump and not going to Gillian Welch. Mostly I'm disappointed that she's only doing an opening set. Katie, do bring us a report.
Okey doke. It's a crime (or should be) to miss Martin Sexton. He is amazing.
I heard that, but I'm not going. I am going to see Vasen on Sunday. And Bela Fleck, etc. at the end of the month.
Gillian and David and Guy and Jamie were awesome. Rather than Gillian opening for Guy, they each did a full 2 hr show, and then around midnight a few songs with all of them piping in.
Sigh. I always miss the good shows. Just a reminder that Great Big Sea is Tuesday, September 29, and Bela Fleck is Wednesday, September 30.
Saw Ken at tonight's Great Big Sea concert. I had a good time, though clearly there were people there whose enjoyment substantially exceeded my own. The crowd was wildly enthusiastic and the band themselves were extremely energized. It's a fine thing, I think, to watch people who are so obviously enjoying what they do. Considering that I've never owned one of their records I was amazed by the number of songs I recognized -- all the credit for that fact is owed to my travels in Newfoundland this summer. I'm not exaggerating when I say that their music gets an astonishing amount of airplay there, though rather than being annoying it's kind of cool -- the people in the Maritimes are obviously very into their local music scenes and I think that's good, whether it's the fiddle schools and performances that I saw signs of all over Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island or the enterprising musicians entertaining passengers in the lounge of the Marine Atlantic ferry on the trip to/from Newfoundland.
The price for Bela was a little high for me. Did anyone go?
Not I. But Martin Sexton was wonderful tonight. I saw him at Borders at 3 pm, then attended both the 7 and the 9 pm shows. Did I mention he was wonderful?
No, you didn't. Is he a friend of yours?
Katie, my friend at work said he was fantastic, wonderful, never better. He was very bouncy about the concert. He is going to loan me the new CD once he's got the "new" out of it.
I'm behind on my dinky little show reviews. As mcnally mentioned in resp:19 , I was at the Great Big Sea concert at the Ark at the end of September. The place was far more packed than I had expected, and Mike and I had a friendly dispute about how much of the audience had come over from Windsor. (My guess: about 80% of the approximately 350 in the audience.) GBS seems to be reaching for pop stardom in Canada; they even had a guitar technician along to take care of their instruments during the show, a luxury out of the reach of most folk bands. And yet they are still solidly based in traditional songs and tunes; I kept being reminded of The Kingston Trio. Their original ballads remain sappy. This is a chronic problem with Canadian folk bands. It was a fine show; the audience had a wild time, probably the most enthusiastic Ark audience since the Wolfstone shows. I hope things continue to go well for this band.
Does anyone know what or who is scheduled to replace Richard Shindell, who cancelled his show on Oct 28? Anya said it was too little notice to add an Open Stage, unfortunately.
The website (http://www.a2ark.org) just says "Richard Shindell - Cancelled." I would guess that if it was too late to book an Open Stage it was too late to book anyone else.
*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.
Sorry about the drift, but where does one find a Great Big Sea CD?
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.
I have been turning on several friends to GBS. They also now have discovered the Oyster Boys, which means more people to obsessover them.
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.
Michael Cooney was in the audience for the Arlo Guthrie show, and he was invited up to do one song. It was a Berryman song.;-) He sure looks different from his Ark photograph!
Michael Cooney's bushy beard is a recent development. I had never seen him with one before.
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...
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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.
You have several choices: