47West63rd

Joan Didion goes to Washington

2011-09-02T09:21:00.001-04:00

the noted author will be doing a book signing at politics and prose on November 10.. she's promoting her first new book in a while...

Michael Brecker

2011-04-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

I saw Michael Brecker live a few years ago a year or two before he died (with Herbie Hancock)...I was not impressed.. he seemed to be trying to make a lot of noise a la John Coltrane.. I love Coltrane but not the far out crazy dissonant stuff.. but Brecker's sax solo on Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years couldn't be a more perfect exercise in use of notes, restraint, and economy in setting up the "punch line" and song's goose bump moment: "...but I wouldn't be convicted by a jury of my peers.."

Wild Flag at the Black Cat Washington DC 3-10-11 pictures

2011-03-11T13:08:00.000-05:00

Wild Flag at the Black Cat Washington DC 3-10-11 pictures

2011-03-11T13:07:00.000-05:00

bardo pond coming back to dc

2011-02-24T11:51:00.000-05:00

Bardo Pond
Surf City
Black Cat backstage
4/10

TV on the radio 4-10 ramshead live

2011-02-24T11:50:00.000-05:00

presale

TV on the Radio @ Rams Head Live 4/10 - $31

presale: http://tixx1.artistarena.com/tvontheradio/

Show headsup!

2011-02-23T12:33:00.000-05:00

I'm showing Larry King at the Hippodrome 5-13..

current reading

2011-02-22T20:17:00.001-05:00

Guess I been reading a lot of rock and roll books. What can I say? They are fun and very easy to get through!.. guess they're kind of like my harlequin romance novels or something. Read the Pearl Jam bio Five against one. Who knew Eddie Vedder was a child actor? That his real father had MS and died at 40 and he won't talk to his adopted father, or the whole Ticketmaster imbroglio in detail (Thanks Janet Reno!)? Then I plowed through a book about Babes in Toyland.

Earlier this week I roared through "A&R" by Bill Flanagan.. a book I bought about 11-12 years ago... a novel about the music industry as it was circa year 2000 (pre-shit hit the fan)....found it very enjoyable although a bit strange at first (reading about made up bands is weird even if they seem real)... I guess I originally bought it cause it had some hype blurbs in the back by Tom Petty, Lou Reed and Elvis Costello praising it.. anyways just got his "Evening's Empire" and its got this blurb on the back jacket "'If you thought you knew something about rock-and-roll management, then wait till you read this book.' -Bob Dylan" and this "'Evening's Empire is an alternative history of the sixties generation that feels truer than what really happened. This is a funny, sad testament to the lost boys who wouldn't grow up.'- Bono" Its not every day you buy a novel that has both Dylan and Bono recommending it! Thats not even mentioning the people he thanks for having helped him learn more about how it really was: Costello, Dimitriades (Petty mgr I believe), Allen Klein (lawyer who managed SAM COOKE, owns the Stones catalog up to 1971, and had some serious dealings with the Beatles), Ahmet Ertegun, Buffet, JT, Chris Blackwell, Robert Plant, Toussaint..shit its like the rock and roll hall of fame.

kind of a hoot listening to Tito playing bossa nova on the marimba/vibes such as on Joao Gilberto's "El Pato"

2011-02-20T19:37:00.001-05:00

Review: Pearl Jam at Bristow, Virginia (Jiffy Lube Live) May 13, 2010

2010-05-16T11:36:00.001-04:00

I think its vox populi by this point- 20 years into their career- that with Pearl Jam you know you're going to get a very solid show every single time. If you don't like their music well they can't do much about that but they're going to take care of business and give you new songs, classics, surprise covers (who else ...will play snippets of George Clinton, the English Beat, a cover of the Dead Boys, toss you a lyric from U2's "Bad" in the middle of one of their bigger hits and end the evening with a fellow Seattle musician's- Hendrix- solo rendition of the star spangled banner on guitar ALL on the same night?), some Eddie Vedder opinions:"If you're a lobbyist why don't you do us all a favor and kill yourself?" (He took it back but..), dedications of songs to sick but recovering children and Sean Penn ("Better Man" for his work in Haiti) etc... All of this within a very unpredictable set list delivered by five consummate professionals-Ament, Gossard, Mcready, Cameron and Vedder- who will give you 100%. No 90 minute show here folks. Nope.. you get 29 songs and if they stopped its cause the promoter turned on the house lights and told them it was time to end it (curfew). Vedder will even throw in a comment about how hard it was for you to get out there and the long drive back you face; a veiled reference to what a nightmare it is getting out to and back from the venue?... This from a band that will arrange deals for fans with local hotels for discount rates while hooking up their sizable fan club with pretty much all the great seats. There's a lot to like with these guys and worse ways to spend a Thursday night. And they didn't even play "Rearview Mirror"! Oh and why was Eddie Vedder wearing a PiL shirt you ask? You silly, cause he was at the 930 Club the night before with the rest of the DC cool kids checking out Johnny Lydon aka Sex Pistol Rotten with Public Image Limited,of course!

The Buzzcocks at the Black Cat (Washington DC) May 11, 2010

2010-05-16T11:14:00.001-04:00

The Buzzcocks are one of those bands that I never in a billion years expected to see perform live. Then came word they'd be flying in from across the pond to the Black Cat- a great choice given the club's punk roots and aesthetic (club owner Dante walks the talk)! They'd be playing their first two albums in their entirety plus tacking on a few contemporaneous sides eventually assembled for one of the great Greatest "Hits" out there ("Singles Going Steady"). When you haven't heard anything the band has done in the past 30 years or even looked at a picture much less seen a youtube video you go into it not knowing what to expect. Perhaps you are even a bit worried: can they hack it or is this a "take the money and run" affair?. For me the Buzzcocks are the third greatest punk band (1 & 2 have to go to the Clash and Sex Pistols not in that order) that came out of the UK in the heady days of 1976. They were a bit different from pretty much all the others I've heard (no expert) except perhaps Ireland's Undertones: less political, poppier with lyrics concentrating on being a teenager and growing up. They were from Manchester before Manchester had so much to answer for and Madchester, touring extensively with other local bands like Joy Division... Well of course hearing Pete Shelley who wrote most of the tunes singing Sixteen Again, written and originally sung from the perspective of a 21 year old, as a 50 something -from five feet away- is pretty bizzare. I found myself being able to more fully appreciate the performance- at times earlier in the show- by simply closing my eyes because Pete Shelley Version 2010 looks a bit like that relative thats kind of let himself go, put on some weight, used to wear the cool clothes but now wears something resembling a bad Tommy Hilfinger knockoff from Walmart. A bit into the show as tends to happen in these cases you grow up in a hurry, accept the reality that even rock gods age, forget about such silly things, and join the fiesta which after all is being given in your honor. In any case, that distinctive Shelley voice with its strange pitch and intonation is still quite there. Thankfully next to the water bottle sipping rather staid Shelley we had the other original Buzzcock the frenetic Steven Diggle who did more windmills than Pete Townsend and chugged champagne between songs all the while managing to look about 15 years younger than Shelley! His songs unsurprisingly also tended to more closely resemble the classic anti-establishment English punk ("Autonomy" and my personal favorite "Harmony in my Head" which he rocked all the way to Tibet). This was the tour opener and it was clear Diggle was there to party like a rock star and could you blame him at a sold out tour opener in front of a happy raucous crowd of all ages? One could sense certain tension between Diggle and Shelley (ying and yang) and it really was a case of the true Punker with the Pop songwriter that happened to get going when Punk was the only game that mattered. The originals were complemented by two capable kids (including a Prince Harry look alike on bass) who one hopes are having the time of their lives. Buzzcocks songs are short and sweet and the live performance was no different flying by surprisingly quickly for two and a half albums. The songs compiled on "Singles Going Steady" from the two albums and on the five song encore were the one that got the crowd moving and excited but they were all excellent to some degree and if you didn't particularly care for one it was over pretty soon (no jam out of hell to worry about here). If you closed your eyes you could kind of imagine yourself being at punk show in 1977 but not at the punk show focused on the outside world ("White Riot", "Anarchy in the UK", etc.) with spit flying around you. A punk show more a la Ramones if you will, that is to say focused on the same things and issues that young kids have focused since time began ("Orgasm Addict", "Ever Fallen in Love (with someone you shouldn't have)", etc.). Getting Shelley and Diggle to autograph my LP from the stage as they said goodnight was the icing on the cake for what was a privileged glimpse at a bygone era but by a band still firing on all cylinders and very relevant. No less a band than Green Day has cited them as their biggest influence.

"New" old Roberto Bolano novel

2010-03-09T23:12:00.001-05:00

Bolano's "Third Reich" apparently written in 1989 and discovered amongst his papers after his passing has been published and released today. I've got my copy courtesy of Amazon (issued in Spanish in the US) and am excited to read it!

Toots and the Maytals (live video) at the 930 Club July 22 2009

2009-07-24T14:17:00.002-04:00

Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals 7-22-09 at the 930 Club!

2009-07-23T10:25:00.000-04:00

Ween @ the Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach July 17, 2009 "What Deaner was talking about" live video

2009-07-21T01:12:00.001-04:00

The Dead Weather (live video) 930 Club July 13 2009 "Cut like a buffalo" (Jack White)

2009-07-21T00:44:00.003-04:00

Raul Alfonsin has died

2009-04-01T00:44:00.002-04:00

So Raul Alfonsin Argentina's president from 1983-1989 has just died.. His legacy: gross incompetence and complete failure.. He goes down as one of the most pathetic democratically elected president's in Argentina's modern history.. The only one since 1862 that was worse is Fernando de la Rua.. Alfonsin was so pathetic that he had to leave power early amid inflation and riots..Other than lasting a few years in power I'm hard pressed to think of any achievements... Compared to him Carlos Menem, Duhalde and even Nestor Kirchner are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams...

The lesson for Argentina is clear: do not ever elect a member of the UCR party as president.. these people cannot govern.. they talk nice about politics and the value of institutions but they will leave you cleaning up rioted streets and hunting for day old bread...

Thoughts on Alex Rodriguez ESPN interview

2009-02-11T02:14:00.000-05:00

its very interesting watching the entire ESPN Gammons/Arod interview.. the press for some reason is only focusing on the first minute but there's another 29 minutes...and there's a lot of interesting things said!....it does seem pretty clear Arod did take stuff and it also seems clear that he's a pretty smart guy and knows how to "talk" and how to say he's sorry..too bad for him no one is even remotely interested in what he has to say.. All the columns and reactions are of the immature "BURN HIM!" variety...his credibility may be shot but if people are really as intersted as these poseur journalists say they are about the game of baseball perhaps they could actually watch the interview.. you can learn a lot not only from what he says but from what he doesn't say....and how he says things...

maradona (argentine soccer great) had a very interesting phrase years ago (he's always coming up with these phrases) "la pelota no se mancha" (ie., "you can't stain the ball" ..Meaning you can't "stain" the sport of soccer no matter what you as an individual may do.. the sport is the sport.....i'm not sure why US sports "journalists" are so bent in trying to turn this into a "baseball is ruined" thing... to me the fact that there was an era where steroid use became more widespread doesn't mean baseball is not a great game.. it doesn't mean that those games we watched weren't enjoyable..it doesn't mean that every home run these guys hit they wouldn't have hit...or even that the summer of 98 wasn't fun!....The fact that records/stats- such an integral part of the game- have been turned on their head is very unfortunate but it is what it is and what was WAS...

I'm not sure why no one is trying to be a bit more positive... its a race to the bottom really.... I mean if we love baseball as much as these journalists say we do then why do we want to act as if the game is now worthless because some players used certain substances...even admitting some players cheated I still don't see why that makes the game a bad game... Life is imperfect.. Many other players have cheated in the past.. Are we forgetting all the amphetamine use or the junkball pitchers using grease or what have you or the corked bats or whatever....Are we to believe no one hit a home run cheating ever before steroids? baseball is not perfect... its this constant need to believe it is that is problematic.. thats why Bouton was so crucified when he pointed out some albeit now considered mild imperfections in his book "Ball Four"

I find sports journalism leaving much to be desired on this issue.. I said so when the witch hunt on Bonds was on and I will say the same thing now... I would welcome players no longer use steroids although i believe developments in terms of masking for testing the use of performance enhancing substances means that its likely people will continue to use these things..its a competitive world and people will do what they feel they need to do to make a living..lets not even talk about genetic engineering... but I don't think its the end of the world.. I could use all the performance enhancing drugs in the world and I wouldn't even make contact with a 90 mph fastball! Why don't journalists focus more on some real solutions like creating a mechanism to fund an independent testing agency financed by a tax on player salaries and team profits or some such? with state of the art testing.. you better believe its going to take money to keep up with masking...and ballplayers knowing baseball means business with respect to testing would provide at least some limited deterrent...

Its also a big fiasco how this whole thing has played out..These results would have been destroyed as they should have been had it not been for the fiasco of the never ending Bonds witch hunt wherein the Feds apparently seized computers with these results and then now someone has released Arods info and not that of the other 103 players... This is pretty low and criminal anyway you look at it!. Lets think for a moment that Arod failed a test when there was a legal agreement- for the good of the game as determined by MLB and the players union- to test players but not reveal the results in order to gain information to see I suppose how to move forward with instituting some sort of testing regime...(negative interpretation: cover up).. Well if a player tested positive and he had no recourse to even appeal its always possible that a mistake could have been made.. I doubt it but what I'm saying is that the player such as Arod was tested under the agreement that the result would not be released and because of this there was no real reason for the player(s) to insist on an examination/appeal/clarification or even an explanation of what had been failed... If you failed and knew there were no consequences would you ask for a report and leave a paper trail about having failed?? would you call and expose yourself to someone perhaps taping the call??.. What happened to Arod is not the same thing as say the guy who won the Tour de France and then had an additional "B" sample tested and then there was an appeal etc... It just seems to me that there are some issues of due process here and I don't really like it...It would seem to me that if you were going to damn an entire ballplayers career and even the entire game of baseball it would take more than that kind of testing...

Joe Harley, Steve Hoffman and the gang at Music Matters

2009-02-05T23:40:00.002-05:00

I was over at the Steve Hoffman board and its amazing how dismissively people speak of the job Rudy Van Gelder did in recording the legendary Blue Notes/Impulses etc.. I wrote a response but they do not take kindly to differing opinions so I will just post it on my own blog here:

But the original impulses sound so GOOD!

I guess someday I'll pay $50 for one of these reissues and check it out but I have to say I have many original impulses and they sound- to my ears- simply wonderful....A record like Lorez Alexandria the Great, or Coltrane and Hartman.. those are some of my favorites and I just love the way they sound.. ANd when I read some of the stuff on this thread its almost like "Is there something wrong with my ears?" I mean I have some records that sound horrendous but I would never say that about the Impulses..those were well done jobs IMHO.. Same with Blue Note..Right now I'm listening to Hodges "Creamy" (original Norgran) and it too sounds good to me..

And I guess what people are saying is that they can sound EVEN BETTER and thats cool but there's something to be said- at least for me- about playing the original LP that came out in 1955 and Johnny Hodges himself took a copy of it home. I understand someone like me is not the market audience for these reissues and thats cool.. I appreciate anything that gets more vinyl out there...These classic albums deserve to be reissued forever... I wouldn't call myself a just a collector but more so an "originalist".. I like the classic stuff.. Sometimes stuff was done well the first time around and there's value to be attached to an item/product that still can give one great pleasure 54 years later. Its the real deal to my mind.

Also it would be interesting- because I do read some stuff about Van Gelder - if people think they could have done a better job if they had been in his shoes.. To my mind his contribution to recorded jazz is incredible. He was basically recording - I think- two or three jazz classics a week for a long stretch... Albums that I think its fair to say at least in some small part owe their classic status to the fact that they sound really good... There's a reason people love those Blue Notes and part of it is that they sound darn good. Now a new generation of sound engineers or whatever they are called spend their time reworking Van Gelder's original work and of course they say they are doing it better... But Van Gelder's contribution to the recording of jazz I don't think will ever be even close to touched and it would be nice to see him get a little more recognition instead of having him kind of dismissed as being "clever" in dealing with the rickety limitations of recording technology at the time.. I think he did a great job! Those old Blue Notes sound great. period.

Finally, the endless repetition about how great the Music Matters reissues are and how they blow the originals out of the water seems to me excessive. I mean is there a need to say it in every single thread about jazz LPs?

Live Wire AC DC Tribute band video footage (Jailbreak/Walk All Over You/Have A Drink On Me) January 31 State Theatre Falls Church Virginia

2009-02-02T12:12:00.004-05:00

Live Wire AC DC Tribute Band at the State Theatre Falls Church Saturday January 31 2009 photos

2009-02-02T10:54:00.006-05:00

Dean Martin- Everybody Loves Somebody & Dean Martin Hits Again

2009-01-25T21:13:00.003-05:00

There's something about Dean Martin singing that I find very relaxing...I guess he didn't sweat the small stuff much... Anyways Dean Martin had recorded for Capitol Records and when Sinatra started his Reprise label he jumped ship like many other Sinatra friends (Sammy Davis, Nelson Riddle, Keely Smith, Rosemary Clooney,etc.).. From what I've read he also invested in the company.. Anyways, by 1964 the Rat Pack had probably lost a bit of its Kennedy Era glamour but Dean Martin still had a few tricks up his sleeve like the monster hit single "Everybody Loves Somebody" which in August 1964 took over the top spot on the pop charts from none other than the Beatles "Hard Day's Night"! Prior to this Dean had recorded a couple of great albums that had not sold particularly well although they sure sound great (proof they didn't sell much is the fact that you never find them in the bins while the stuff pictured here is a dime a dozen)... I'm thinking of albums that featured Dean singing country songs or french songs or of course italian songs.. ANyways by this point in 1964 I think Dean hadn't experienced much in the way of hits but that changed with Everybody Loves Somebody which was actually a re-recording of a song he'd originally cut for Capitol Records.. I suppose also that Jimmy Bowen the producer had something to do with developing a sound for Dean that worked on the charts.. After this hit single Dean recorded incredibly prolifically. He cut almost 20 records in the next five years! And you can tell listening to these albums just how relaxed, loose and comfortable these recording sessions were! Legend has it Dean would come in record a few songs and head to the golf course and the entire album would basically be completed in a weekend! Easy-going is what comes to mind when I think of Dean.. I've read many descriptions of him as the King of Cool but I tend to think of him more as easygoing... Shortly after he hit with Everybody Loves Somebody this album was released probably culled together from a few singles etc to capitalize on the situation (on Reprise R-6130) and it charted all the way at number 2 on the album chart... Then a few months later (following another release sandwiched in between and released November 1964) Dean Martin came back with "Dean Martin Hits Again" on Reprise 6146 which featured another hit in a very similar vein to "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You", released February 1965 and which charted at number 13..I mean this was how quickly Dean was cutting albums! By this point producer Jimmy Bowen had found a formula for producing and framing Dean's voice working with Ernie Freeman as arranger/conductor..the formula is described by William Ruhlmann of the All Music Guide as "employing a 4/4 beat, piano triplets, female backup vocals, and swooping string effects to the songs."...Dean would release another three albums in 65 and another FIVE in 1966..Most critics nowadays tend to be fairly dismissive of the albums but to my ears they hold up.. They're not too ambitious and yes they are fairly similar but its a good formula for Dean Martin and helped him lengthen his career until the early 1970s no small feat for someone that had begun performing in the 1940s! I found these two LPs for the taking in front of a record store. Free/Free

Frank Sinatra- Swing Easy and Songs for Young Lovers

2009-01-25T20:34:00.004-05:00

Allright SINATRA!!!!!!! Can't get enough of this guy and while he sold a billion records they got play and there are a lot of considerations when buying Sinatra used LPs and trying to get that true first original pressing... For example from what I understand the system used by Capitol Records was such that in the deadwax you can see a stamp that at the end will have a number starting with either a "D" or an "N".. "D" means it was pressed in the West Coast where Capitol Records was based while "N" is not supposed to sound as good... Now the number following the letter tells you something - from what I can tell (this stuff is really discussed much better at the Steve Hoffman Music forum) - about the stampers used with the lowest number- presumably "1" being the original stampers.. Now in the case of this LP which really was a compilation of two separate 10 inch albums that had come out the previous year in 1954- "Songs for Young Lovers" which had kickstarted Sinatra's musical comeback and has been discussed elsewhere on this blog and its follow up "Swing Easy!" both produced by the great Nelson Riddle who was rewriting the book on production/arrangement- and came out in 1955 as catalog number W587 or only six issues behind Sinatra's first actual 12" original LP release which was "In the Wee Small Hours" at W581 (and had has from what I understand a concurrent release as two 10 inch lps and 4 45 eps).. Anyways, the original label is of course the gray label with circular gray line on the label framing the song titles and the word "Long Playing" below it.. Criteria met by this LP as pictured but here's where it gets a bit more interesting: 1) I had never seen a Capitol LP with the sticker (as pictured) on the opening reading "Sealed-In Quality" and on the back "Cut Here with Scissors" and "To Remove Seal, Peel Tape Carefully Start 'Peel'ing from Corner".. I'm not sure what this means? Was this a used copy? I don't believe labels where shrinkwrapping LPs at this time although they may have been bagging them..2) The record itself came in a rice paper sleeve which I believe was present only up to a point relatively soon after this when Capitol Records began using sleeves which would advertise either Capitol Records, other Capitol releases or both and 3) The stampers read "D1" on Side A - i.e., the first and earliest possible numbering and "D3" on Side 2... In other words I believe this copy dates from the initial release run about April 1955.. The label and record looked to be in near mint condition but unfortunately when played it turned out to have some surface noise but them's the breaks.. I don't think I need to say much about the quality of the music itself.. This is about as good as it gets from "I get a kick out of you" perhaps the first Sinatra song I fell in love with- on an 1980s cd reissue of this which proved my introduction to Frank Sinatra- to stone cold classics such as "get Happy" , "All of Me"... I note the presence of many songs that had been also performed by Billie Holiday (i.e., "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter", "My Funny Valentine", "Violets for Your Furs) both before and after Sinatra's version... While it was more common for Sinatra to perform songs that Billie Holiday has first performed its also true, for example on "Violet for your furs" which Billie Holiday performed on what was by her own account her favorite album- the string laden Lady In Satin the final album released in her lifetime- that Billie Holiday as was the case for Dexter Gordon was listening to Frank Sinatra..at least I think so..$10

Solid State Presenting Thad Jones Mel Lewis &"The Jazz Orchestra"

2009-01-25T20:10:00.004-05:00

Here's an interesting one...ALthough it should be catalog number Solid State 16003 this was apparently put out by the Capitol Records Record Club as SMAS 90890.. In 1966 producer Sonny Lester (who had been producing for other labels) sets up his own record label with Phil Ramone and calls it Solid State..It was distributed by United Artists which provides the inner sleeve for this recording.. The idea it seems was to record jazz in a high quality audio setting and with deluxe gatefold packaging..Sort of an Enoch Light Command Records except with a little more highbrow jazz music... This release introducing what amounts to a Thad Jones Mel Lewis big band- in an age where big bands were largely not viable (only the Clarke Bolland big band recording in Europe comes to mind) and what a big band it was! First of all there's the great trumpter/flugelhorn player Thad Jones who had been around for a while and recorded a few amazing albums on Blue Note including "The Magnificent Thad Jones" but check out some of these names: On saxophone Jerome Richardson, a very young Joe Farrell, Jerry Dodgion, Eddie Daniels and no less than Pepper Adams, Bob Brookmeyer on the bone, Richard Davis on bass, and on piano the still kicking Hank Jones..The record has a few notes on the technical recording credited to Phil Ramone who was obviously the engineer but is listed as the "Audio Director"..Sonny Lester would go on to put out some great records on Solid State including the more critically acclaimed Mel Lewis Thad Jones Orchestra with Joe Williams LP..In the 1970s Sonny Lester would found another label - Groove Merchant- which specialized in funky music particularly organmeisters like Jimmy Mcgriff and Richard Groove Holmes..Mcgriff recorded on Solid State (i.e., The Worm) too and in fact his "Electric Funk" LP I think was produced for Solid State and I'm not sure why it came out on Blue Note..$1

Mary Wells- Greatest Hits

2009-01-25T19:59:00.002-05:00

Mary Wells' "Greatest Hits" on Motown 616.. Mary Wells is the one great Motown artist that got away from the label... From what I've read she was their first big hitmaker and when she turned 21 she left the label for what she assumed would be greener pastures and a nice record advance but I guess you can't replace songwriters like William "Smokey" Robinson or the Holland-Dozier-Holland team.. Truth be told what I find most interesting about this album - and it sounds great much like most of the early Motown mono LPs (this was originally released in 1964)- is that the last song "Bye Bye Baby" I've heard a million times performed by Detroit garage rock revivalists the Detroit Cobras "Life Love Leaving" LP from 2001 which is to this day one of my favorite records.. Anyways on the Cobras LP lead singer Rachael Nagy kicks the living daylights of "Bye Bye Baby"..$1

Don Ellis- Music From Other Galaxies and Planets

2009-01-19T12:01:00.003-05:00

Don Ellis, a jazz trumpeter, recorded the first "jazz" version of Theme from Star Wars in the middle of the Star Wars craze that had swept the world on the Atlantic SD 18227 LP from 1977.. According to the All Music Guide's Scott Yanow "This LP is the only complete misfire of Don Ellis' career.... In addition to "Star Wars" and "Princess Leia's Theme" (also from the film), Ellis performs eight rather lightweight originals, all of which were given outer space names to try to capitalize on the movie's success. Ellis' big band has little to do other than play mundane ensembles and take occasional short solos. This is the one Don Ellis record that should be skipped." Enough said. $0.25

The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix

2009-01-19T11:30:00.002-05:00

This is an interesting album on RCA CPL1-0667 from 1974 that has always peaked my curiosity.. The story goes that Gil Evans had spoken with Jimi Hendrix about recording an album where Hendrix would play his guitar while Gil Evans would create orchestral arrangements to back him up.. Given Gil Evans' track record for example creating the highly succesful partnerships with Miles Davis (i.e., Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain, etc.) this would have seemed like a very interesting partnership..Its also of note that supposedly Miles Davis himself had been talking with Jimi about working together.. In any case Jimi passed on before either partnership could happen.. Fast forward a few years later and Gil Evans put together an album of orchestral versions of the music of Jimi Hendrix... Its always interesting to hear these adaptations of material one is so familiar with...I note that the arrangements for most of the songs were done by members of the Gil Evans orchestra and not the svengali himself who only arranged "Castles Made of Sand" and "Up From the Skies".. I've never enjoyed Gil Evans' work and find his critically acclaimed work with Miles Davis to be snoozer and this album did nothing to change my opinion... Fun to listen to once or twice and put away..maybe if I were a DJ it would be fun to place this somewhere in the set and wait for people's faces to light up with "I got it!" recognition but thats about it..$5

Jamiroquai- Cosmic Girl Promo 12" inch single

2009-01-19T11:10:00.004-05:00

Its hard to remember but there was a time in the mid 1990s where Jamiroquai's brand of environmental hippie acid jazz dance funk was commercially popular and even got the occasional critical props...One of my bigger regrets is having passed on a Jamiroquai show at the intimate 930 club here in Washington DC.. I was essentially at another party and chose to sell my ticket and return to my friends... In retrospect it was a rare opportunity and I should have seized it..Pretty quickly though Jamiroquai, after the ubiquitous cat in the hat videos featuring ferraris and gorgeous models, became very unhip very uncool.. Particularly in the United States for some reason people turned against him and his fans seemed to move on.. In other countries like Argentina though his new single is always to be heard pumping from the local radios and truth be told his music hasn't changed that much in quality or style...Its just that in the US many of his fans it seems to me where more of the jam band Dave Matthews birkenstock wearing variety and they "grew up" and became boring people in the suburbs raising their boring offspring and hardly ever even listening to music anymore.. at least thats the way I see it...This 12 inch single on Sony S2 XPR 3087 may have been a promo only release which helped kickstart along with the more important MTV videos Jamiroquai's conquering of America... The sticker on the cover says the single is provided by the "Compliments of Promotion Lift The Promotion Alternative" from New York City..Wonder if they are still around?... I like the Classic Mix remix version on this...$1

Mott the Hoople debut album Atlantic SD 8258 test pressing

2009-01-19T02:26:00.006-05:00

Extremely rare.. I venture to guess this is one of the rarest records I own.. the US Atlantic white label test pressing (pressed at Presswell) of Mott the Hoople's debut album from 1970.. this record had initially come out on Island in the UK and Island had some deal for Atlantic to release Mott in the US.. as the years pass I get more interested in Mott and the earlier less glam oriented albums... This one has Motts first hit Rock and Roll Queen (presaging glam? or just a coincidence "queen"?), one or two first contributions by Ian Hunter, a song by the producer Guy Stevens who had basically created Mott as his baby (the Clash were so into Mott they hired Guy Stevens a few years later to produce their records), and some choice covers including a kicking "you really got me" instrumental , a doug sahm tune, and even sonny Bono.. on this album Hunter's vocal style and even lyrics are visibly influenced by Bob Dylan...Its topical to post a Mott LP given they have announced they will be reuniting for two shows in London towards the end of 2009..this is the first reunion in 35 years and all five original band members will participate (Ralphs went to greater financial returns with Bad Company)..I am really hoping some smart promoter will lure them to America's shores but am not holding my breath....$16 (including a $15 credit from vendor).

Nina Simone- Sings the Blues

2009-01-18T23:03:00.003-05:00

I suppose Nina Simone's career can largely be divided into four periods based on the record labels she was working with: 1) Colpix Records, 2) Phillips, 3) RCA, and 4) retirement... This album catches Nina Simone as she's ending phase 2 and I believe is her first record on RCA..a lot of her Phillips recordings I think featured her with big orchestral productions/awash in strings etc while her RCA recordings it seems to me feature her performing- generally- a larger share of more contemporary material (i.e., Bob Dylan) with smaller jazz combos.. "Nina Simone Sings the Blues" on RCA LSP-3789 from 1967 (german LP issue) surrounds her with some of the more talented session musicians of the day: Eric Gale (guitar), Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (drums), etc. and the material be it Nina Simone songs or standards is top notch with Nina Simone's presentation as uncompromising and true to the bone as always... whet.One of the things about Nina is that when she sings you really believe her whether its political or sexual and I think while she's always been hard to pigeonhole and categorize she may just be the last of that great line of singers that began with Bessie Smith and went through Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington..."Nina Simone Sings the Blues" features "Buck" and "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl" which are both favorites of mine..On this LP you can really hear Nina's fine piano work...$1

Stan Getz at Large

2009-01-18T22:42:00.002-05:00

Now here's a treat.. I found this at a junk shop.. you know the kind of place... it smells..its basically a bunch of garbage on sale for more than you would pay to get the stuff new at Macys.. the records are full of mold and scratched up and you're lucky if you ever find anything but you stop by every once in a while because as a record hunter you just never know when you will get that one record you're looking for.. this time I found this double lp called Stan Getz at Large on Verve MGV 8393 (with some mold issues of course! But once cleaned up it actually plays great).. This is a "live" recording of Getz in Copenhagen probably a year or two before the seminal Getz/Gilberto in other words a year or two before Getz went into his bossa nova period... Its a quartet setting with Getz apparently backed by some local musicians who are not even credited in the notes in the inner gatefold.. So enough with the intro you say, how's the music? This is exactly the kind of jazz record I live for.. Getz literally floats on top of the unobtrusive accompaniment..I like quartet dates with only one horn... The set begins with a gorgeous version of one of the greatest American songs ever written: Cole Porter's Night and Day...There's some cool original tunes which I think are only on this album such as "Pammie's Tune" and "Cafe Montmartre Blues".. Although this was supposedly recorded at the Cafe Montmartre (site of famous Dexter Gordon residency) I think it may have actually been recorded in some church in Denmark..not sure on that...Getz apparently settled in Denmark like many musicians (Gordon) to escape from his heroin addiction and the IRS... This LP was one of the last LPs issued by Verve before Norman Granz sold the company to MGM and has the deep groove silver Verve labels that came after the Trumpeter labels..$2

Pink Moon LP labels/inner gatefold/full cover gatefold

2009-01-17T13:23:00.004-05:00

Nick Drake - Pink Moon

2009-01-17T12:36:00.003-05:00

Whoa Nelly! This is of course a picture of Nick Drake's final LP - "Pink Moon" - released in the United States as Island SMAS- 9318 through Capitol Records...in 1972... This is the first American issue of this and I believe is in fact the first issue of any Nick Drake original full length album in the United States..Unfortunately my copy has the lucky previous owner's name drawn on it- Chester Goggin was smart enough to buy this album when no one else would even if he felt a need to deface the cover art- now Nick Drake is the hippest thing going since the San Francisco treat.. Anyways this has the original Island Pink Rim labels.. at SMAS- 9318 it sits right before Henry Wolff/Nancy Hennings: Tibetan Bells; Island SMAS-9319 on the US Island issues catalog...just 10 issues before The Wailers Catch a Fire original zippo lighter cover at SMAS-9329.. Island Records at this time was just beginning to get really going...many of its releases of British folk and various permutations of Free members or Rabbit Bundrick well they weren't selling very much... but help was on the way in the form of Bob Marley and the Wailers... Anyways at this time Island was distributed by Capitol and I don't think they managed to make much of an inroad with Nick Drake although this album has the works packaging wise.. a gorgeous cover by Michael Trevithick.. a great hologrammed full panel picture of Nick Drake by Keith Morris and full lyrics on the other panel AND of course just incredible music... I notice this issue has a cutout punchout hole probably like most US issues of this LP..this stuff just didn't sell until maybe 15-20 years later when a new generation of artists started covering this stuff (Lucinda Williams, Sebadoh, etc.) and turning on people to its power and majesty...The story behind this album is that by this point Nick Drake was dealing with a lot of issues his ego having taken a beating with the reception to Five LEaves Left and Bryter Lyter which had failed to make a dent in the charts, anxiety issues, depression, inability to perform live to promote himself properly etc.. anyways one day he walks into the Island Records office and without saying a word drops of the master tapes for Pink Moon concealed in a brown paper bag.. walks right out of there.... He would make one more stab to record in 1974 by which point he could hardly play guitar and that would be that...But I hate to overplay the previous 8 lines I have written because I find the mythology that has developed around Nick Drake pretty disturbing.. Ultimately what is compelling about him is his music which stands on its own... This album is Drake at his most naked, fragile and spiritual...From the inner cover I observe that Nick Drake played the gorgeous piano on the title track...because the talent of Nick Drake is such one can't help but be drawn back to the fact that he's no longer with us.. why couldn't he be - like say contemporary folk artist Richard Thompson- playing the Birchmere this year? $30

Dizzy Gillespie Plays

2009-01-17T12:26:00.003-05:00

Here's some classic jazz on a 10 " LP from 1956 on the Allegro Elite label Long Play 4108.. Allegro looks like some sort of shoddy poor quality bootleg company or something but upon further inspection I see "Record Corp. of America, Union City, N.J." on the back which I think means it must have been some sort of RCA subsidiary releasing poor quality cheap LPs for people that wouldn't buy the more expensive regular issues... The price printed on the back jacket is $1.98... The thing about this LP is I have not yet been able to identify where the songs come from..they have varying sound quality and don't seem to all be from the same session...The packaging on the Allegro covers/jackets is pretty flimsy - this isn't the first one I've run across- and the LP itself seems kind of thin. I notice Allegro- from the catalog listed on the back which takes up the entire back cover..all you get here is pretty much the music and don't expect any explanation of who the musicians are etc....- seemed to have released mainly classical music pieces along with these interesting issues: 4007 Mildred Bailey Sings, 4016 Jimmy Lunceford Plays, 4027 Leadbelly's Sinful Songs, 4031 Teddy Wilson and his All Star Sextet, 4040 Mildred Bailey Sings, 4050 Slim Gaillard Plays, 4101 Kay Starr, 4106 Sarah Vaughan Sings, 4117 Mel Torme Sings....The songs on this Dizzy 10 incher include some classics or songs I've seen and heard before such as Groovin High, Dizzy Atmosphere, He Beeped When He Shoulda Bopped (one of those typical funny Dizzy songs about bop), and One Bass Hit...$1

Afrique- Soul Makossa

2009-01-17T12:11:00.006-05:00

This is an interesting album on Mainstream MRL 394 from 1973 (I notice the Mainstream label had some interesting stuff going on in the 70s) and not one I would expect to find in a dollar bin... When I first saw this the thing that popped into my head was "Oh, another generic cover trying to capitalize on Soul Makossa" which I knew had been a pretty big hit in the early 70s.. I guess by a guy named Manu Dibango... but then when I flipped it around I saw the roster of musicians and two names jumped out at me : Charles Kynard on the organ and Chuck Rainey on bass.. Add to that five percussionists including Chino Valdes (latin percussion is always good). Anyways looks like its an album made by a bunch of great New York city session musicians... Its a pretty funky record (even some wah wah guitar) with titles such as "Let Me Do My Thing", "Hot Mud", "House of Rising Funk" and "Hot Doggin'" sort of the follow up type of record to the great soul jazz Blue Note/Prestige sessions of the late 60s very early 70s... I live off this stuff... I read Chuck Rainey was essentially the bass player on all of Steely Dan's records so that tells you something while Kynard played with my favorite guitarist Grant Green on "The Soul Brotherhood" so that tells you something about the quality of the musicians... I'd probably give this 3/4 stars as some of the tunes are surprisingly placid but its worth checking out...$1

King Cole Trio - Volume 4

2009-01-17T11:53:00.004-05:00

Probably in the past few years - after having fully absorbed the greatness of Frank Sinatra- my greatest discovery has been Nat King Cole.. I say discovery in mock tones as you can't discover the guy who built Capitol Records (Its often been said of Capitol that its "the House that Nat built"... But I think it took me a while to realize that Nat King Cole was more than one of the greatest singers of pop or even standards.. He's really one of those three tool allstars. He can hit, run, field, you name it.. Not only is he not just a singer but one of the greatest JAZZ singers (when he wanted to be..before shifting market tastes probably ushered in his change towards the poppier productions such as lazy hazy days of summer or what have you) but he was also an incredible piano player.. who also probably helped bring about the whole concept of what the modern band should be made up of.. I mean I don't know who was first but Nat was probably first to become so pervasive- so of the ether- with the piano/bass/guitar/drums lineup which is arguably still what most bands are.. I just saw Outer Body Llama on Wednesday and thats what it looked like... Well anyhow, Nat King Cole could play the piano like nobody's business and if you need any evidence of that listen to the great Norgan LP titled Lester Young-Buddy Rich which credits the piano -probably for contractual reasons - to AYE GUY (Nat). Anyways this album which I think is made up recordings from 1946 demonstrates much like all of Nat's work where he is featured on the piano that the guy sure could play... Eventually Nat would give up the piano and I guess the trio too BUT in the 1940s and early 50s the King Cole Trio ruled and this 10 inch LP on Capitol H 177 which came out about 1950- in the very early age of the LP..only a year or so into it- collects some of the many many tunes the King Cole Trio had been putting out in the 1940s... One of my great regrets is having got rid of the Mosaic set of the Complete Nat King Cole Trio recordings... anyways this 10 inch lp is but a small taster.. Looking at the back of the 10 inch LP I'm struck by the fact that it looks like the drummer was white which would be interesting as you'd have to wonder if this was one of the first integrated bands or not?? ANyways to get back to the point: I'm glad to have discovered the greatness of Nat King Cole and I think its a shame that he's become a sort of unknown forgotten figure among the young.. unlike say Frank Sinatra who retains a certain hipster/coolness cache it seems to me that Nat King Cole is considered your grandparents music.. and that he was- which should mean a lot- but I find his music to have an enduring quality to it that lives on continually invigorating.. As Tony Bennett said at Wolftrap in reference to the "old" standards he was performing and I paraphrase "The old songs are just so incredible I just can't help but keep playing them.." Well Nat King Cole's music is just incredible and I find it continually invigorating...$1

Hank Crawford- Soul of the Ballad

2009-01-17T11:41:00.002-05:00

Here is something that is kind of interesting.. an Atlantic fairly early jazz lp from Hank Crawford with the Marty Paich Orchestra on Atlantic 1405...This came out in 1963 and includes back cover notes from Nat Hentoff...I think Hentoff- who together with a few others such as Ira Glitter- has to be one of the contenders for most liner notes written..I'd love to see his jazz collection! ANyways Nat tells us how it is "He (i.e. Crawford) also succeds in surging through and above the string backgrounds provided by Marty Paich becuse he has such a firm sense of self that the strings do not muffle nor deflect his story lines. I am not yet a convert to strings in a jazz context, but I will grant that Marty Paich's arrangements here are not obstrusively ornate. Paich has left Crawford ample space..." ANyways, I get the sense Nat did not really like the strings which at times can sound schlocky....The guy at the record store I bought this happened to be playing a more recent Crawford LP which sounded cool and funky but obviously that one wasn't going in the dollar bin.. Anyways Hank by this point had been playing saxophone for Ray Charles for 7 years and he does remind me of those great southern soul saxophone players.. I am thinking of King Curtis here.. The track listing is a strange hodge podge of classic standards (the number one american song ever "Stardust", "Stormy Weather", "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You", etc.) and newer songs such as "Blueberry Hill", "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and even "Have a Good Time" by Boudleaux Bryant and Felice Bryant who I am familiar with for their work writing hits for the Everly Brothers...$1

Willie Nelson- Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2009-01-16T23:50:00.003-05:00

WILLIE! "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on Columbia PC 36883 in shrink..looks new in fact...This is a third standards release apparently "Mona Lisa", "Over the Rainbow", "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter", and even "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".. These releases by Willie sold bucket loads of records and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy...$0.25

Johnny Mathis - Warm

2009-01-16T23:40:00.003-05:00

Johnny Mathis! Thrift store gold!!!!!!!!! For some reason although there is a lot of Mathis in the trifts and junkyards of America whenever I find it its trashed... So given this is an early original Columbia pressing with the beautiful six eye labels (boy do these sound great or what?!) at the handsome price of $0.25 I decided to take the plunge... Its of course Mathis' third album...From 1957 on CL 1078 nestled nicely between the Satchmo the Great soundtrack (CL 1077) and Tony Bennett's wonderful The Beat of My Heart (CL 1079) which of course included Blakey..ANyhow the story according to the all music guide is that Columbia tried to make Mathis a jazz singer on his first album and having failed Mitch "King of Schlock" Miller decided to make him into a "pop" star bathing his voice in Percy Faith's strings.. But the truth is that its pretty good romantic music...And some of the songs how can you argue with them?? This album has one of my alltime favorites "My One and Only Love" which I"m of course familiar with from the superlative Coltrane and Johnny Hartman version... this album also has "A Handful of Stars" which I think Serge Chaloff played (with none other than Sonny Clark) on the masterpiece "Blue Serge" album...No this album does not reach the heights of either of those but if this is pop schlock man I wish it was 1957 all over again because this is quality music compared to what passes for pop schlock these days!

The Wondeful World of Antonio Carlos Jobim

2009-01-16T23:32:00.007-05:00

Somewhat neat score... Jobim's 1965 Warner Brothers LP (his second) On Warner W 1611 with arrangements by none other than Nelson Smock Riddle..In fact as a sign of the kind of respect Riddle commands he gets his byline "The Brazilian Mood - With Nelson Riddle".. ANyways this is the original mono issue...The liner notes on the back cover by Stan Cornyn are kind of ridiculous.. you can tell they were trying to position him as a pop star: "His brown hair tumbles over...He sings. His eyes peer out over his music stand, seeing the beaches of Brazil, the soft girls, the pale winds. His eyes, as if unaccustomed to the bright studio day, blink frequently."...$1.00

MECO: Star Wars and other Galactic Funk

2009-01-16T23:22:00.002-05:00

Allright.. in the midst of the Star Wars and disco mania MECO came out with an album of disco versions of Star Wars and a few other things... The cover sums it up perfectly..This was actually a fairly popular item from what I can gather..It was released on Millenium Records (subsidiary of Casablanca Records) MNLP 8001 in 1977... $0.25

Record purchases

2009-01-16T23:15:00.003-05:00

New feature I've decided to keep track of the records acquired (be they stores or ebay).. this way I will actually remember.... Chuck Mangione Quartet "Alive!" on Mercury SRM 1 650.. This is before Mangione hit it big with a more adult contemporary sound... This band featured Gerry Niewood on saxophone, and two greats: Tony Levin on bass and Steve Gadd (aka Paul Simon's drummer) on the sticks....From the inner sleeve and record looks to be a late 70s pressing.. ANyways this is a pretty jamming live record... . $0.25

Oasis Set List Patriot Center Fairfax Virginia December 12 20 2008

2008-12-21T12:35:00.001-05:00

For those that come over looking for the set list I thought I might as well post it although its the same set list as every other single show on this tour! ALso note that Bushes is really the band coming on as the song is played over the PA.

Oasis Set List:

Fuckin' In The Bushes
Rock 'n' Roll Star
Lyla
The Shock Of The Lightning
Cigarettes & Alcohol
The Meaning Of Soul
To Be Where There's Life
Waiting For The Rapture
The Masterplan
Songbird
Slide Away
Morning Glory
Ain't Got Nothin'
The Importance Of Being Idle
I'm Outta Time
Wonderwall
Supersonic
Don't Look Back In Anger
Falling Down
Champagne Supernova
I Am The Walrus

Oasis at the Patriot Center Fairfax Virginia December 12 20 2008 pictures/photographs

2008-12-21T01:54:00.007-05:00

Oasis at the George Mason University Patriot Center Fairfax Virginia Live Concert Video "Shock of the Lightning" December 12-20-2008

2008-12-21T01:38:00.002-05:00

Show and tell: Mose Allison Trio's "I love the life I live" Columbia CL 1565

2008-12-17T11:59:00.004-05:00

Sometimes you find some neat stuff... This weekend I found a copy of this Mose Allison LP (albeit on the 2 eye label not the original 6 eye) and when I looked on the back I saw Mose looked like he'd autographed it... When I checked on the internet I saw that one of Mose's identifying characteristics is that when he autographs records he'll preface it with a "Hello 'fill in name'". In fact I found a record that had the same exact handwriting but instead said "Hello Pete" or something! The record itself is great stuff and in great shape... sounds much like all of Mose Allison's stuff: very laid back and jazz which those cool vocals. I read the review on the ALl Music Guide and they note this album came out early in his career (1960) before he was writing many of his own vocal songs.. this one has four instrumentals he wrote and the rest are covers sung by Mose.. but he really makes them his own! It must be said that the Columbia 2 eye's sound pretty killer...

the Gene Ween Band Black Cat Washington DC December 12-12-2008 "Sledgehammer" live concert video

2008-12-15T12:31:00.002-05:00

the Gene Ween Band live concert video Black Cat Washington DC "Eye in the Sky" December 12 2008

2008-12-14T11:55:00.003-05:00

the Gene Ween Band at Washington DC's Black Cat December 12-12-2008 pictures/photos

2008-12-14T11:34:00.007-05:00

Grace Potter (and the Nocturnals) live at the 930 Club December 6 2008 (opening for Loretta Lynn) pictures

2008-12-06T23:35:00.011-05:00

Loretta Lynn live video at the 930 Club in Washington DC "Portland Oregon" December 6 2008

2008-12-06T23:32:00.001-05:00

Loretta Lynn at the 930 Club in Washington DC December 6 2008 pictures

2008-12-06T23:03:00.010-05:00

Now playing: Jimmy Smith- In A Plain Brown Wrapper (Verve V6-8800)

2008-12-03T13:04:00.004-05:00

Lately I've been going through a bit of a late 60s/early 70s funk/soul/acid jazz kick again...You always hear about Jimmy Smith's Root Down album but you never hear about the one that came out right before it which seems to have just dissapeared from the radar.. Its an odd album with Jimmy Smith singing on all 8 tracks which were all written, produced and arranged by a Larry Williams.. By this point in Jimmy Smith's career one gets the sense that his sales/popularity had sort of peaked...The same could be said for Verve records which was really arguably on its last legs with the few 8800 series jazz lps that remained to be released (four by Smith, one or two by Getz and then a few reissues). This was released in 1971 and according to www.jazzdisco.org five of the eight tracks were probably cut July 16, 1971 with the other three unclear.. a year later his live performance of Root Down would be released an also generally ignored..It was only when cratediggers/dj's/beastie boys picked up on Root Down that it suddenly became a very hot item but its interesting that the two albums that sandwich root down are still largely ignored: in a plain brown wrapper and bluesmith which is also a great album.. Anyways In a Plain Brown Wrapper features some real funky jazz songs with some pretty good/appropriate vocals..they are almost speak sung but they work.. the first song is particularly fitting for the current times we live in ("Recession or Depression") if only slightly dated by Jimmy Smith singing about hanging out in the White House with (Spiro) Agnew (then Vice President) and there's even some great Jimmy Smith boasting on "Number One" and some cool female backing vocals in addition to the strings which do not detract from Jimmy Smith's workout...We don't know who the other funky cats where on this although it was probably some other Los Angeles cats as this was recorded at the MGM Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.. the packaging is minimal..so minimal this probably didn't make much of an impression but its a very enjoyable listen and there are few periods in Jimmy Smith's recording career where he managed to put together three consecutive solid albums as In a Plain Brown Wrapper/Root Down/Bluesmith.. in fact they would make a great soundtrack for a party in that order with Bluesmith being the chill out album.

Argentina and its government living on fantasy island

2008-11-26T10:37:00.003-05:00

It is remarkable watching the Argentine government under the Kirchner government... Lets review some of their actions over the past few years: 1) decision to offer argentine debtholders (i.e. creditors) lowball repayment offer on take it or leave its all you're going to get terms, 2) what essentially amounts to a confiscation of a private company with the argentine flagship carrier, 3) what essentially amounts to a forcible conversion of private pension plans into a public pension program, 4) increasing confiscation of rents derived from agricultural exports (to call these taxes seems a bit rich given that the money actually is taken before it even makes it into the pocket of the farmers). Against this backdrop and with a historical context wherein the argentine government has repeatedly not honored its obligations with respect to creditors (this is a story that goes back to the 19th century), and has confiscated people's bank deposits as in the case of the famous 2001 "corralito" (corral) where people were suddenly told they could not take out their dollar bank deposits which were forcibly converted to argentine pesos rendered worthless by the accompanying loss of faith in the local currency. With this backdrop and in this context the government is now encouraging people to bring their money- which people took out of the country to protect themselves from what in essence is outright theft- back to argentina. It is unbelievable that with the one hand the government is busy stealing the private property of its citizens and corporations and with the other its telling people to bring their money back. It remains to be seen but one really has to question whether people are going to in effect repatriate their capital in this scenario. I don't see it..

Tina Turner Washington DC Verizon Center November 24 2008 set list

2008-11-25T11:15:00.002-05:00

It was pretty much identical to this except Lets Stay together was switched up one spot and played after "Help."
Set list

Steamy Windows
Typical Male
River Deep, Mountain High
What You Get Is What You See
Better Be Good To Me
The Acid Queen
What's Love Got To Do With It?
Private Dancer
We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)
Help
Lets Stay Together
Undercover Agent For the Blues
I Can't Stand The Rain
Rolling Stones Medley:
Jumpin Jack Flash
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
Goldeneye
Addicted To Love
The Best
Proud Mary
Encore:
Nutbush City Limits
Be Tender With Me Baby

Tina Turner Verizon Center Washington DC concert video Whats Love Got to Do With It November 24, 2008

2008-11-25T02:36:00.001-05:00

Tina Turner Verizon Center Washington DC 11-24-2008 concert pictures/photographs

2008-11-25T02:26:00.006-05:00

2008-11-23T18:51:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Guillermo Barros Schelotto: A winner.

2008-11-23T18:03:00.008-05:00

Winner. That is the word that comes to mind when I think of Guillermo "El Mellizo" (i.e., "the twin") Barros Schelotto.

Being a huge supporter of Argentine club Boca Juniors I watched him for over a decade win games, league cups, and international competitions. You name it and Barros Schelotto won them. Now it is true that he was surrounded by other great players including Riquelme and Palermo but when they left for spells in the more profitable european leagues he remained and he kept on winning. And whenever Boca played its bitter rival River Plate in what is the equivalent of Argentina's Super Bowl Guillermo Barros Schelotto always it seemed found a way to score a goal or deliver a timely and key pass. Another word that comes to mind when I think of Barros Schelotto is "clutch."

I remember him first coming up through Argentine first division club Gimnasia y Esgrima de la Plata, along with his brother Gustavo who also excelled those first years before dropping off and out, and how Boca bought the both of them. From 1996 to 2007 as pretty much every other name player in the league left to go play elsewhere in the world- including the really tough period of Argentina's economic depression in 2001-2002- Guillermo stayed and I often wondered why. I suppose Boca knew just how valuable he was as they were always willing to get rid of any of the other pieces of their winning teams but not Guillermo and I also think he just wasn't ready to leave Boca. When I heard that he was coming to Columbus I understood that by that point in his career (he was either 33 or 34) Boca was letting him go partly because he had fallen out of favor with Boca's new coach but also partly as a way to let him go cash in and earn some money abroad before he retired. I'm also sure that Guillermo was attracted to the idea of living in the US. He didn't have to play for Columbus he wanted to play for them and look at what he's done for them and how its all worked out in his favor with him now being called the new "poster boy of the MLS".

At the same time because he didn't play abroad while in Argentina with Boca Juniors it seemed to me that he wasn't given much of a chance with the national team whose coaches always had a bias for the players that played in the sexier international leagues the feeling being that if an international club bought you for millions of dollars you must be good. These coaches always forgot or failed to account for Guillermo Barros Schelotto's intangibles which include a total commitment to win regardless and an uncanny knack for making things happen or for being at the right place at the right time or for taking advantage of a little tiny window opened up to you. Guillermo was always the guy who would initiate that quick restart and catch the opposition flat footed or steal the ball and run into open space to score or set up that quick unexpected goal. A very opportunistic player if there ever was one. He wasn't and isn't the most naturally gifted player but when he darted down the right wing crossing towards the center and lofting a ball to the center of the box for say a Martin Palermo's header well boy was he effective and in his prime he was incredibly quick or rather he had a quick acceleration rate. The Guillermo/Palermo tandem is legendary in Argentine soccer and he's been pretty much setting up goals in Columbus the same way. He just knows how to loft a ball to find that open header in front of the goal. Well Guillermo never got to play on any of Argentina's World Cup teams but seeing the paltry results Argentina has obtained in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups one has to wonder if maybe some of Guillermo's winning pixie dust was just what the team needed to compensate for the loss of that other great argentine soccer "winner" Diego Armando Maradona. We'll never know but when a guy is always winning it does make you wonder.

It wouldn't fair to speak of Guillermo Barros Schelotto without at least a mention to his other characteristic that I and anyone who is a fan of a team he plays for will chuckle at while most everyone else will be driven insane by: his constant complaining, protestations and canny working of the referees! Watching a game with Barros Schelotto you will see a master complainer who constantly throws up his hands in disbelief when just about anything goes against him, wildly gestures the referee as if to say "Didn't you see that??? Are you blind??".. But in the end after one has watched him play a few years one understands that this is nothing more than the incredible INTENSITY (and that is another word that comes to mind when I think of Barros Schelotto) he brings to the pitch and that often times he is standing up for his team mates.. This guy wants to win badly and is wound very tightly and he can go off easily which can lead to the occasional red card or issues with the referees here or there... But to those that watch him week in week out its just another endearing quality like winning, and his penchant for the clutch and opportunistic play.

Winning is of course exactly what he's been doing for Columbus leading the league in assists this year and it couldn't happen to a more deserving guy. Fresh off winning the MLS MVP award this week and leading the Crew to victory over the New York Red Bulls today just minutes ago in the 2008 MLS Cup with three assists to three different Crew players for the 3-1 scoreline its hard to imagine the Crew not exercising the option which will mean he'll make a nice chunk of change next year. Often when I think of David Beckham I laugh at the thought that there is a much better player in fact a much better number 7 in the MLS that doesn't grab all the fanfare but gets the job done. While David Beckham is off filming his television commercials Guillermo Barros Schelotto is winning trophies.

There are two club teams in Argentina which can't wait for him to return: Gimnasia and Boca the former would like him to play and lead him out of the doldrums they've been in as their city rivals Estudiantes have been winning the past few years while the latter will surely some day soon count with him on the sidelines as their manager. People in Argentina appreciate Guillermo for his tremendous ability to win and get results. Its nice to see him getting the recognition he's getting in the United States. By all accounts the Crew will retain his services for another year or two. They'd be crazy not to as the guy even at the age of 35 is a winner through and through!

Eagles of Death Metal at the 930 Club in Washington DC Concert Set List

2008-11-19T13:22:00.002-05:00

Note they added quite a few songs including Bag O'Miracles/Cherry Cola and a stomping cover of the Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar... rocking show and a great time!

Eagles of Death Metal at the 930 Club in Washington DC November 18 2008 live concert Video Midnight Creeper/Bag O' Miracles/Cherry Cola

2008-11-19T12:59:00.001-05:00

AC DC Verizon Washington DC Whole Lotta Rosie live concert video November 15 2008

2008-11-18T18:42:00.001-05:00

AC DC Verizon Center Washington DC November 15 2008 pictures

2008-11-16T19:44:00.009-05:00

AC DC live concert video Verizon Center Washington DC November 15 2008 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

2008-11-16T11:08:00.002-05:00

David Byrne Warner Theatre November 9 2008 set list?

2008-11-11T19:34:00.002-05:00

For the people that keep coming here for the set list.. while I don't have it I really think this set list lifted from Wikipedia for the first night of the tour comes pretty close with the exception that Burning down the house was played next to last.

The set list for the first night:[6]
Set
"Strange Overtones" (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
"I Zimbra"* (originally from Fear of Music)
"One Fine Day" (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
"Help Me Somebody" (originally from My Life in the Bush of Ghosts)
"Houses in Motion"* (originally from Remain in Light)
"My Big Nurse" (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
"My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)"* (originally from The Catherine Wheel)
"Heaven" (originally from Fear of Music)
"Home" (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
"The River" (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
"Crosseyed and Painless" (originally from Remain in Light)
"Life Is Long"* (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
"Once In a Lifetime"* (originally from Remain in Light)
"Life During Wartime" (originally from Fear of Music)
"I Feel My Stuff"* (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
Encore
"Take Me to the River" (recorded by Talking Heads for More Songs About Buildings and Food)
"The Great Curve"* (originally from Remain in Light)
Second encore
"Everything That Happens" (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)

David Byrne Warner Theatre Washington DC concert live video "The Great Curve" November 9 2008

2008-11-10T09:51:00.001-05:00

David Byrne Warner Theatre Washington DC November 9 2008 concert pictures

2008-11-09T22:55:00.007-05:00

Cassandra Wilson Dust My Broom (live audio) Warner Theatre Washington DC November 8 2008

2008-11-08T23:12:00.002-05:00

Cassandra Wilson Warner Theatre November 8 2008 Washington DC pictures

2008-11-08T22:31:00.004-05:00

Barack Obama art on U Street and about 8th NW Washington DC

2008-11-07T14:48:00.003-05:00

I saw this one October 26th 2008... Just gorgeous street art rendering with religious overtones...Of course U Street has an incredible heritage for african americans.. this street art was but a block or two from the remains of the Howard Theater and Howard University not to mention where Duke Ellington grew up... I see many parallels between Duke Ellington and Barack Obama actually...

Barack Obama poster on 14th Street, NW Washington DC

2008-11-07T14:28:00.002-05:00

Bob Weir Ratdog Warner Theatre November 6 2008 live video Lady with a fan > Terrapin

2008-11-07T13:50:00.001-05:00

Bob Weir Ratdog Warner Theatre Washington DC November 6 2008 pictures

2008-11-07T11:51:00.003-05:00

Barack Obama elected 44th President of the United States

2008-11-04T23:16:00.001-05:00

I have a peaceful easy feeling...........

Cafe Tacuba at the State Theatre November 11-2-2008 Falls Church Virginia Live concert video

2008-11-03T00:20:00.002-05:00

Cafe Tacuba November 2 2008 the State Theatre Falls Church Virginia pictures/photographs

2008-11-02T23:11:00.012-05:00

Outer Body Llama at the Hawk and Dove (Obama Room!) for Howard Park's 50th birthday- Action Kid/Rocketship Live Video

2008-11-01T12:44:00.005-04:00

AC DC more Wilkes Barre October 28 pictures

2008-10-29T22:59:00.005-04:00

AC DC Wilkes Barre photographs October 28 2008

2008-10-29T22:51:00.010-04:00

AC DC Wilkes Barre October 28 concert pictures

2008-10-29T22:45:00.005-04:00

AC DC Wilkes Barre 10 28 2008 Tour Opener Set List

2008-10-29T15:59:00.000-04:00

Rock & Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place
Back In Black
Big Jack
Dirty deeds
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hells Bells
War Machine
Anything Goes
You Shook Me
TNT
Rosie
Let There Be Rock

encore

Highway To Hell
For Those About To Rock

AC DC October 28 2008 tour opener concert Wilkes Barre Highway to Hell live video

2008-10-29T15:53:00.001-04:00

Black Crowes- Notes from last nights concert October 25 2008 930 Club

2008-10-26T13:20:00.004-04:00

yawn..boring show last night.. they were great when they stuck to the rock and roll but way too much of the evening was like watching a bad phish/dead cover band..

are they trying to turn into a jam band? maybe they are already there? that shit was boring...preferred their show at wolftrap a few months ago..

interesting they were allowing people outside to smoke..usually there is no reentry.. the cop presence was bordering on the obscene...i mean come on it was 1000 kids having a little fun on a saturday night..

all in all i got lucky that i got to hear three songs from southern harmony including remedy/sting me... also it was nice to hear the slightly cheezoid she talks to angels..of the three shows i definitely got to see the one with the best set list for me..

but overall this concert was a wankfest...too many boring long solos that went nowhere...really it was like watching a band with a split personality.. sometimes wanting to the grateful dead while at other times staying true to their original stones/faces vibe...we even had a really boring drums interlude...

at the show at wolftrap they had done far more channeling of the stones...also i got to say chris robinson looks like shit... get it together bro! stay off the hard stuff and eat more..

the Black Crowes October 25 930 Club Washington DC Set List

2008-10-26T13:04:00.001-04:00

For those coming here for the set list from last night's concert:
GOODBYE DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION
STING ME
GO TELL THE CONGREGATION
BALLAD IN URGENCY
WISER TIME
SHE TALKS TO ANGELS
POOR ELIJAH/ROBERT JOHNSON
COLD BOY SMILE
WHOA MULE
LAY IT ALL ON ME
WEE WHO SEE THE DEEP
THORN IN MY PRIDE
FEATHERS
REMEDY
WOUNDED BIRD
- encore -
DON’T DO IT

the Black Crowes "Remedy" 930 Club Washington DC October 25 live video

2008-10-26T12:44:00.001-04:00

the Black Crowes at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC October 25 pictures

2008-10-26T12:00:00.008-04:00

Crystal Ball Edition

2008-10-20T16:17:00.001-04:00

Yes the $64,000 question..what is going to happen!!!?!?! Well I am no expert but I have some thoughts...

I think the United States- and whatever else people disagree on I think there is a concensus on this- is going through a crisis in its political leadership product not just of Bush's incompetence but also a paralysis/gridlock in government product of an almost perfect democratic/republican split since 2000. Once Barack Obama is elected president I have to believe that we will see a boost in confidence on the part of americans. At this point however people are depressed and unhappy about the direction of the country- particularly the economy- and they are not spending and as you know when people here in consumerland stop spending everything grinds to a halt. There is also less spending because there is a contraction in credit with people, for example, finding it harder to get bank loans to buy cars...This is all compounded by a sizable drop in home values which is making everyone feel poorer...

However, we have not yet even began to see the full impact of this reduction in spending/contraction in credit work its way through the economy as it has really only been happening in full for the past couple of weeks.. Anecdotically - on the street- you hear a lot of "I am cutting down on my spending" and "I was going to but now because of the economic crisis.." when in reality there is still little direct impact on many Americans but this very cutback on the part of most americans is what is going to make sure that we do go into a deep recession with pain... This is going to come though particularly around the end of the holiday season and particularly the first quarter of 2009 (nice inauguration present for obama). I have to believe we will have retail numbers being announced for Christmas that will be abysmal and this will feed the pessimism- of course by this point Obama will have been elected with a clear mandate and this should counteract the pessimism somewhat- I would not be surprised to see some sort of active early transition or at least involvement of Obama's economic team....

Of course the government is trying to combat this drop in consumer confidence and spending by injecting as much liquid as it can but that too will take time to work its way through...

In as far as the longer term questions of how the US gets its financial house in order I have to believe we are heading -eventually- for a reduction of defense spending..There is also concensus about the need to move up the retirement age (to improve the social security segment of the budget) but we will have to see if that can be done).. But we are essentially heading towards the end of the American "Empire".. Pat Buchanan- who for every strange idea has many more with common sense- just wrote a column about how the US can no longer afford its empire... Too much of the government spending cannot or will not be cut leaving defense as the necessary source of cuts.. I think America's creditors and the international financial community are going to want to see some seriousness on the part of Obama because they are becoming worried about the mess that has developed and this fantasyland debate about lowering everyone's taxes along with increasing government expenditure on bailouts etc has to be scaring them a bit..

Having said all that, I am optimistic that once Obama wins he will be able to provide people with some confidence that they have a government.. the problem currently is that there is no real government.. Bush is pretty much absent and there is no confidence in him or his administration - or their policies- so we are waiting on standby for the new president while we debate whether Obama is a socialist, terrorist, or what....I think the fact that the democrats will have control in both houses of congress means he should be able to take the necessary steps and more importantly perhaps give people the impression that somebody is in charge at the helm and is steering the ship... I also expect Obama to appoint a team of very competent, trusted, and experimented people to run the economy and signal Wall Street to get on board.. I am thinking of people who already proved their bonafides under Clinton (Rubin, etc..).

There is a lot of doom and gloom around here but I continue to think that the US economy is very dynamic and that the necessary adjustments will be made... There will be a period of time until the recession fully takes hold and then there will be an additional period of time until the measures taken by government work themselves through the economy but in the end I just don't see this being anything on the order of what is being talked about (i.e., a new "great depression", etc.).

Obviously there are real problems with the mortgages, the deficits, etc.. but ultimately I think this is more about a lack of trust on the part of Americans and US creditors..It is that lack of confidence that is the biggest problem and as Alsogaray would have said we need a "shock"!

These are my scattered thoughts but I remain optimistic for the medium term and although the challenges are sizable I wouldn't bet against the United States just yet.....No doubt my optimism is to a large extent influenced by my belief that Obama is going to win the presidency..

Lyle Lovett at the Warner Theatre Washington DC October 19 2008 "Her First Mistake" live video

2008-10-20T11:24:00.002-04:00

number of argentines leaving argentina doubled in 2007

2008-10-19T19:21:00.001-04:00

thats what happens when people see a country is going nowhere fast.. when there is no belief in the leadership (I'm talking to you Cristina and Nestor Kirchner).. PEOPLE JUST LEAVE.

here's the story on it

http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/10/19/um/m-01783676.htm

The Wailers (with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer) Catch A Fire LP

2008-10-19T16:47:00.001-04:00

Man is this like the greatest album ever or what? I could listen to this all day! I am doing so in fact.. Just got through the original US zippo lighter cover and I'm now listening to the Jamaican LP.... Aston Familyman Barrett is just awesome on this... he's mixed in really nice with that extremely fat bass...This record first came out as a "Wailers" record but I guess was subsequently released as "Bob Marley and the Wailers".. the question of course is this: was the zippo case the only issue under "The Wailers" and it sold its as rumoured 20,000 run, then Burnin' came out under "Wailers" and only then was Catch a fire released with the Bob Marley smokin' a joint cover and credited to "Bob Marley and the Wailers" or is there an issue with the Bob Marley smoking a joint but credited to "The Wailers"? Why the change from "The Wailers" to "Bob Marley and the Wailers" and when did this change happen? Also the original zippo cover LP of Catch A Fire features a different mix/slightly longer mix of "Baby we've got a date" apparently... Either way whatever the history this is just a wonderful album. the issue is if it peaked at around Billboard 150 how many copies sold say in the first year? Where all the copies sold the first year the lighter copy?

The Wailers with Al Anderson Them Bellyfull October 8 2008 State Theatre Falls Church live video

2008-10-09T11:21:00.000-04:00

The Wailers at the State Theatre October 8 2008 pictures Falls Church Virginia (set list)

2008-10-09T11:13:00.008-04:00

Nick Cave Stagger Lee live video 9:30 Club Washington DC October 5 2008

2008-10-07T09:51:00.000-04:00

Nick Cave 9:30 Club October 5 2008 Washington DC concert review

2008-10-06T12:15:00.000-04:00

A little background helps understand the author… I first came across the music of Nick Cave- much like a lot of great music- about 1994 when I purchased “Let Love In” no doubt spurred by the usual fawning reviews that accompany his releases… If positive reviews translated into sales Nick Cave would be the best selling musician of the modern age… In any case what great luck to begin with Let Love In which I still think may be his peak in a career full of them…It has all the great Cave trademarks be it that creepiness/gothic vibe (Red Right Hand), the rave up post-punk tunes (Jangling Jack) and the lyrical ultra romanticism (Nobody’s Baby).. Its accessible yet uncompromising… I played this one into the ground –literally… Also, one listen and you new that the musicians – the Bad Seeds- were top notch… After this I very quickly purchased an almost contemporaneous and somewhat limited “Live Seeds” which I was to learn was a live recording from the previous tour (1992 Henry’s Dream)… This introduced me to his “classics” and some of these were beyond astounding powerful performances were the sound just built into a crescendo and you thought the whole thing was just going to pretty much come undone/explode… Played that CD to death… Later that summer or next summer we drove off to West Virginia and unfortunately Nick Cave pretty much opened the Llollapalooza.. I cannot think of any less fitting stage to see Nick Cave than in the hot summer sun about 1 pm at Llollapalooza….Even worse we got there late so we caught about 1 or 2 songs as we wandered in..at least that’s how I remember it…. To this day I don’t consider that I saw or heard Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds that day…. I think Mr. Cave was so put off by the whole bit of Llollapallooza that he pretty much ignored the United States for many years.. then when he did make it back I had to be out of town.. then a few more years passed…Anyways, I continued listening to his music and loved things like Murder Ballads, Boatman’s Call , the Lyre/Abbatoir (I do think there was a slight dip..but it was slight between Boatman’s and Lyre/Abbatori) and the new one Dig Lazarus Dig which I have been enjoying as I anticipated finally seeing him on this tour at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC.. it helps when there are songs on the new album such as Lotus Eaters or Midnight Man which hold up against the best of the man’s vast body of work… I had little doubt that Nick Cave would deliver the goods.. I was saddened of course that Blixa Bargfeld left the Bad Seeds a few years ago but I new that Warren Ellis, Mick Harvey et al would bring their A game… Still I don’t think I was quite prepared for what a great show we got last night… I’m not much for reviewing concerts but I suppose the set list had to help…Night of the Lotus Eaters is a great creepy vibe Cave track… Dig Lazarus Dig is just classic Cave speak song (an update on one of my favorites “Jangling Jack”).. The band was very tight and Cave’s voice was just about as good as it is on any of their records… he moved around the stage making eye contact and even physical contact with the crowd (particularly those close up)..he’s got an interesting and distinctive look going which almost makes him look like a character out of Zorro with that mustache and increasingly thinning/balding up on top but with plenty of hair on the sides… all very dark..the show was all dark.. not much light… people kept yelling “Release the bats!”…Then Cave tackled some classics like Weeping Song/Tupelo… Blixa was of course missed on Weeping Song but I was still glad he played it.. Following these he played what in my opinion is the more immediate and to my ears best track from the new album: Midnight Man and this positively rocked the house.. A rather pedestrian Love Letter followed.. never have quite gotten the hold of this one and there are far better Cave romantic tracks.. The Mercy Seat was a big highlight of the evening…the power of the song and the words magnified by Cave putting life and limb into the delivery… He definetly does a good job of almost acting out the delivery.. musical expressionism…or musical theater call it what you will..watching him at work it was clear that this was a man at the peak of his powers and I was gladdened to be able to say that while I missed him over the years when I finally got my chance to see him it was top notch…The DC crowd at the 9:30 was about as good a crowd as you’ll se in DC.. into it, singing the choruses and fist pumping (particularly up front)..giving Cave some energy that is often missing from DC shows…Other highlights were Deanna, We Call Upon the Author (another great track from the new album) which was well served by some organ/keyboard lines.. by the way it looked to me like there were three keyboard/organ’s on stage… Cave played on two of them including Into My Arms… The last song of the main set Papa Won’t Leave You Henry was probably the highlight of the evening… really raved up stomping loud much like the version on Live Seeds… Cave came out again and played the aforementioned Into My Arms then joked about going into Ship Song.. I know some people detest this song but everyone seemed to want to hear it but Cave I realized was not going to follow one slow ballad with another and sure enough he faked us- at least me- out and went into Get Ready For Love.. The Lyre of Orpheus followed that and I thought maybe Cave was surprised the crowd didn’t know it better but who knows..some schmuck who asked for it mispronounced Lyre as Lir and Cave had some fun with that.. Who calls it Lir? Cave then closed the concert with a wonderful Stagger Lee.. I had not expected to hear this one and thoroughly enjoyed it…What a malleable song..when you compare Cave’s version to that of the Grateful Dead they just have pretty much nothing in common..Cave’s is harrowing/violent/sexual while the Dead’s is more of fun good time party song….and with that Mr. Cave bade us farewell…

Nick Cave 9:30 Club October 5 Washington DC Pictures

2008-10-06T11:40:00.004-04:00

Nick Cave October 5 Washington DC 9:30 Club set list

2008-10-06T09:56:00.000-04:00

1. Night of the Lotus Eaters
2. Dig, Lazarus, Dig
3. Tupelo
4. Weeping Song
5. Red Right Hand
6. Mignight Man
7. Love Letter
8. Hold On To Your Love
9. Moonland
10. The Mercy Seat
11. Deanna
12. Hard On For Love
13. We Call Upon the Author
14. Papa Won't Leave You Henry

15. Into My Arms
16. Get Ready for Love
17. The Lyre of Orpheus
18. Stagger Lee

Nick Cave "The Mercy Seat" live video 930 Club Washington DC October 5 2008

2008-10-06T09:46:00.000-04:00

Taj Mahal- National Mall Duke Ellington Jazz Festival October 5 2008

2008-10-05T19:37:00.006-04:00

Letter to David Broder who is in the tank for John McCain

2008-09-28T01:28:00.001-04:00

Mr. David Broder,

Your column on the debate made me sad and somewhat mad.. to write that someone is an alpha male because he acts like a bastard and is rude to the nth degree begs the question: when is a jerk called a jerk?.. McCain wasn't an alpha male broder...thats an asshole..he was dripping with contempt... he was angry and he was rude.... there's nothing alpha male about not being able to look your fellow debater in the eye! thats just as arguably fear and insecurity as it is "alpha male"...he couldn't even look barack obama in the eye while he spewed distortions and lies.. and you consider that strength?

Moreover, does it not strike you as ridiculous to write a column based on who is the "alpha male" candidate? even if what you posit were in fact true so what? are we electing a president or looking for the towel snapper in high school thats now working at 7-11? are you saying that americans prefer an "alpha male" to a president who is tough but fair, honest, principled and competent? i see no evidence for this conclusion and its sad that you seek to perpetuate this horribly counterproductive myth and in effect seek to make it a self fulfilling prophecy..in fact, your column is deeply insulting to the american voter.. to look at a presidential debate through the prism of "alpha male-ness" is pretty paltry political analysis..

really.. pull it together and try to retain some shred of relevance....very dissapointed in your column.

A great man has passed on.

2008-09-27T13:57:00.001-04:00

It is obviously true that Paul Newman was one of the great actors in the history of film. He gave me great pleasure on the screen. For some reason (maybe my parents?) I grew up watching his movies from Butch Cassidy to The Sting. As I got older I saw some other movies which confirmed to me his greatness: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Long Hot Summer, etc... Just wondrous performances...

But what I think of today upon learning of his passing is that Paul Newman over and beyond everything else was a great human being. He is truly missed. His work on behalf of the downtrodden and the poor- and not his remarkable films- is his great legacy and it will continue because he made sure it would. My condolences to his loved ones on this sad day.

I am truly moved by the passing of "Blue Eyes". The world- at least to me- feels a little empty today and I am deeply saddened. He was a great American in every sense of the word.