Saturday 31 October 2009

Countdown to Steve Earle

Only five days to go now, the gig at the Barbican is sold out, but not excited about it now as I was when I purchased the tickets. Lets hope my new found technique of taking photos at gigs works out....taking them in RAW format and adjusting afterwards.

Sunday 25 October 2009

Shepherd's Bush Empire



Back in the early eighties, I used to live a stone throw away from this great venue when it was in the hands of the BBC. Never went in, no reason to, going next door to the Bush pub, for its lounge Bar, or the strippers in the public, or upstairs to the Bush Theatre, and sometimes all three in one evening. Now it is a music venue.
It started life in 1903, the first performers being The Fred Karno Troupe and even Charlie Chaplin appeared in 1906 before crossing the pond. In 1953, the Empire was sold to the BBC, which put it to use as a television studio–theatre, renaming it the BBC Television Theatre. Among the programmes produced there were Crackerjack, Hancock's Half Hour, The Old Grey Whistle Test, That's Life!, The Generation Game, The Basil Brush Show, Juke Box Jury, This is Your Life and Jim'll Fix It among others., The BBC vacated the building in 1991 and in 1994 again became the Shepherds Bush Empire.
The Empire has a capacity of 2,000, but it has been chosen as a venue for small gigs by such leading performers as, David Bowie,, Erasure, Elton John, The Rolling Stones and The Who. The most talked about gig to take place there on March 10, 2003, when Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines made her famously controversial remark against George Bush. "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
We have now been three times, Lucinda Williams twice and from Thursday The Felice Brothers. For us in Oxford, its location is pretty ideal, whether we stay over at the Hilton the other side of Shepherds Bush Green, drive in from home. We managed to be seated to being home in bed in 75minutes after Thursdays gig, or if you are so minded, catching the Oxford Tube bus which stops outside the Hilton.
We have sat twice up in the circle finding a great location in the wing where you are on top of the performers and down in the stripped out stalls, standing. The interior still has its original features and stacked vertically in four layers is as intimate a large venue could be.

Saturday 24 October 2009

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus


Terry Gilliam up to his usual fantasies in a cross between fairy story/Ken Russell/Monty Python. Very watchable, with a couple of very good moments. Tom Waits cast as Old Nick a masterstroke but otherwise forgettable (but not in a bad way).
Not a touch on Brazil, The Fisher King or 12 Monkeys.
6/10

Thursday 22 October 2009

*** The Felice Brothers ***


"Bloody Excellent! and much better than I was expecting. Did not believe they were going to be that animated. "Frankie's Gun" was the only disappointment, and "Whiskey in My Whiskey" turned out to be a mass sing a long. My other half said they were a 'breath of fresh air' and I must concur with her.
Ian is so slight when compared to his brother James, a big bear of a man who looked as if he was wrestling with his accordion at times and did liked the way they all interchanged roles with even Greg Farley playing lead and singing a new song.
Was also impressed with A A Bondy who opened and played with the band on a number of numbers"
A first rate concert and very memorable.

A review from another on songkick
"So, so, so good! Really a must-see-live kind of band. I was feeling really under the weather, but I'm so glad that I still went. Even sitting way up in the second tier balcony of Shepherds Bush Empire, I could feel the energy of the band. Don't think I've ever seen the audience at that venue as engaged as they were with Felice Brothers!
Highlights included "Helen Fry", "Take This Bread", "Murder By Mistletoe", a cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Two Hands", and of course, "Love Me Tenderly" and "Frankie's Gun". During the latter two you could tell that they were a bit bored with playing them -- Ian Felice rushed through a lot of the lyrics, but they were still good. I was really hoping they would play "Ruby Mae", which, unfortunately, wasn't included in the lengthly 20-song + encore set.
It's been a long time since I saw a band that was infused with such energy and charisma - they just looked like they were having so much fun on stage. There were stage antics aplenty, complete with multi-instrumentalist Greg Farley bashing his washboard into the drummer's ride symbol, and Ian doing laps around the entire stage during the keyboard solo or standing on top of the kick drum.
Ian Felice is so slight, he looked almost like a puppet at times -- doing a sort of Charleston dance-step, sometimes rocking back and forth so much he looked like he was waltzing. His Dylan-esque rasp is so perfect for the songs, it was hard not to feel like you were in a world of speakeasies or the small-town Catskills.
Highly recommended, I'd love to see them in a smaller venue (or at least closer to the stage) next time!"


Wednesday 21 October 2009

Felice Brothers

Now less than 24 hours away, they were guests on Rad and Macs radio 2 show tonight. Need to get to grip with the camera and how to get a decent exposure in a gig situation. Annoyingly as many years ago I did the gig photos in Black and white for the Poly's gig. Weather Report and Stranglers spring to mind.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

There has to be a first time.
returning home last night and fell asleep in the train. We came through Didcot slowly no doubt following the stopper, and off I nodded.
I woke up just catching the end of an announcement that went....the first three carriages'
That did not ring bells with me, and when the train gave a lurch to the left at some point which was never there before I knew something was wrong. This was confirmed a minute or two later when we pulled into Hanborough station.
I got out there, rang my wife, then found a pub to have a quick drink whist she drove the ten or so miles to pick me up.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Monday 19 October 2009

Eilen Jewell



Eilen Jewel evening turned out to be a good-un. In drips and droves we all turned up one after the other at the pub opposite Tingewick Village Hall where she was playing, The door of which displayed in bold red letters, TONIGHTS SHOW SOLD OUT. An excellent pint or three of Timothy Taylors Golden Best was consumed, the third of which was taken over the road into the hall. Some gig goers were carrying pitchers of beer over. A quick chat with the promoter Mike Trotman and then we sat down for a quick Chinese meal cooked in the pub which had for the evening set up for phone orders to the local area. 10 of us around the table and with added drink on top of it all came to the grand total off £83, not bad, and as I don’t like Chinese, even I liked it. This was probably because it was on the sweet side.
9pm came along so we all walked over to the hall, paid our entry dues, although I was on the guest list due to daughter No1 throwing out the tickets I had paid for some months earlier. Slight disappointment as four rows of seats had been placed in front of the stage and these were occupied already, fair enough as we were in the pub during the first act, but I was expecting to get a lot closer.
And then the band came on. And duly performed a great little set. I imagine she must have done 20 odd numbers of which I reckon six were covers. All songs were no more than 3-4 minutes long and as the reviewer below says, the first four were predetermined and then it was open suggestions.
They obviously had some difficulties on the M18 coming down from North Yorkshire, so Eilen said what a drag it was and that they were still affected by the two stationary wait on the motorway. She mentioned that it had some affect on them so I piped up ‘High Shelf Booze’ as it is a up tempo number and a drink was what she needed. Which is exactly what she did, and taking cue from me said something on the lines of good idea, and off they went to play it. After that it was a dialogue with the audience as to what to play next along with numbers that she wanted to do. Just very classy, changing her mind what to play as the mood, or the audience took her. The lead guitarist was very good to say the least, I just wonder if he is the same Jerry Millar from Moby Grape, also playing a Gretsch too. One small niggle, I think she needs either a keyboard or violinist to supplement the band as per her records just to give an extra dimension to the sound, but on the shoestring that they must make out of the touring, it has another person to divie it all up to.

It proves again that there is bloody good music going on in places you would never think of, and then at the same time millions are watching the non talented non entities that ‘perform’ on the X Factor. Why are the British public so gullible .but then why should I complain, it makes it easier for me.

Here is a review of one of her earlier London gigs at the Luminaire by a record collector, compiler and reviewer Roger Dopson, it could have been written for Tingewick


You have GOT to go and see Eilen Jewell! I saw her last night, at The Luminaire - awesome!! Those records really don't do her - or, more pertinently, her BAND - any real justice.

Live, the songs have a considerably harder edge to them and the band really rock. For example, 'If You Catch Me Stealing' - which on CD comes across as a mournful, doleful, reflective song - was played as heads-down Rockabilly. She's got her regular, long-time backing band with her, and - as you'd expect from American Country pickers - they're very much the Real Deal.

It's a trio: guitar, stand-up slap bass & drums. The guitarist is a kinda James Burton/Albert Lee/Dick Dale hybrid; the bass-slapper is classic doghouse (i.e. more slap than pluck!); and the drummer played most of the set on the snare and hi-hat. Pure Countrybilly!!

They made for an incongruous looking lot. Eilen (pronounced 'eelen') is a funny little thing. She came onstage with a 1920's haircut, wearing a dark grey twinset & pearls with cowboy boots, whilst the band looked just like a bunch of grimy truckers. They played for about an hour and three-quarters, including a couple of encores.

The place was rammed - and it was all people who were clearly familiar with her albums. She was a bit like Dale in that she opened with four or five songs, which she'd obviously pre-determined, but after that went with the flow, playing whatever people called out for. She even did a couple of Gospel numbers!

A genuinely memorable night!! You'll love her!

Saturday 17 October 2009

Stanley Clarke


Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951 in Philadelphia, PA) is a jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores. He is best known for his work with the fusion band Return to Forever.
During the 1970s he joined the jazz fusion group Return to Forever led by Chick Corea. The group became one of the most important fusion groups and released several albums that achieved both mainstream popularity and plaudits from critics.
His well-known solo album is School Days (1976), which, along with Jaco Pastorius's self-titled debut, is one of the influential solo bass recordings in fusion history.

Annoyingly I never saw him for Return to Forever played our college and we walked past the back of the stage when they were playing, not being bothered to go in and see them.
Have School Days in my vinyl collection but that has not seen the light of day for a decade or so.
The sadly missed Jaco Pastorius is still the greatest modern bass player and his influence, along with Clarke's in the wings has shaped bass playing ever since.

Weekend

Well its now 7:30am, Saturday morning and its the weekend, 48 hours time I will be on Oxford station waiting for the train to start next week rolling again. Two days is not enough time to recuperate, oh for a three day weekend. Not that work is interesting enough, thats fine, its just come the weekend I really want to wind down.
Anyway, Eilen Jewell to look forward to tonight, we have a party of ten going and with a bit of luck a couple of stragglers too. Then its The Felice Brothers on Thursday and a day off work too....a four day week and I have so much holiday left to take before the year is out.
Daughter No1 coming back from Uni feeling unwell today but no doubt will be back in Bristol for Monday, and taking daughter No2 down to Bournemouth Sunday to see what she think of the Uni. Oh and some 'pj' to get on with in some shape or form as well.

Monday 12 October 2009

Real or Fake???


Well it must be fake, but if its photoshop they have done a good job.

Saturday 10 October 2009

Countdown to Eilen Jewell and The Felice Brothers

Jewell now a week away, must remember to get tickets organised as daughter no1 managed to throw out the originals.
The Felice Brothers now just under two weeks away and down at the Shepherds Bush Empire and have taken the day off work in honour of the gig.
Need to borrow a small camera as my Nikon D50 a bit large for these occasions.

Stan Marsh


Stanley "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by the series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman. He debuted on television when South Park first aired in 1997, and featured in the feature length South Park, Bigger, Longer & Uncut dating from 1999. Some were not amused, but this little soul was.

Sunday 4 October 2009

Aerodynamics


The 2010 Toyoto Prius is claiming a cd factor of 0.25. With only the Merc E class coupe and quite unbelievably the Audi A2 anywhere near it this is where all car design should be going. We must banish all those SUVs and 4X4 to the scrapheap of profligacy where they deserve to be sent.

Saturday 3 October 2009

All About My Mother (and Volver)



Tonight, dear old Blockbuster provided us with All About My Mother, which was terrific, and unknown to me had Penelope Cruz in it, unlike Volver which we saw a few weeks back which again was equally as good. Cruz is good, god knows what she saw in that dwarf Cruise. Beats Hollywood any day.
All About My Mother 7.5/10
Volver 7.5/10

Friday 2 October 2009

Last day of Summer, Red Skies and Sun Dogs


Today felt like the last day of summer, certainly in London today, although did not have much chance to enjoy it. By mid afternoon the sky was clouding over from the north west and the journey home on the train was not as spectacular as the other four journeys taken this week. It was an hour earlier and so the sun had not chance to sink .
Monday this week produced the most spectacular red sky I have seen for quite some time. I'm afraid the photo is from elsewhere but it was on this scale, if not better. The next three days were good too but not like Monday where the juxtaposition of the clouds at varying heights produced the impressive sight.
But today, on the train into London between Didcot and Reading we were treated by the classic pair of Sun Dogs. But not only a pair, as again because of the position of the clouds that became the screen that the broken rainbow was being projected onto, split, and the pairs were being divided again, first into two and briefly into three.
Most if not all the other passengers on the train were blissfully unaware of the natural phenomenon happening on the other side of the window.

Thursday 1 October 2009

Countdown to Eilen Jewell



17 days and counting, trust I'm not as knackered as I am tonight.