Our friends at the venerable Amoeba Records out in California are hosting two events worth noting in the next few weeks.
First is a chance to win tickets to one of Paul Weller‘s Hollywood shows. On Monday, February 5th, Weller will close his three-night run at the Avalon Theater with a selection of songs from his years with The Jam, The Style Council, as well as his solo years; a sort of “Best Of Paul Weller” if you will.
And, on a slightly odder note, the Amoeba in San Fran is hosting a meet & greet from Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee Herman. Going down this Saturday, Reubens will be in-store to sign his DVDs. It’s 3pm to 5pm at the Amoeba on Haight.
While you wait in what sounds like a long line (they advise arriving early), for your listening pleasure you can enjoy the zany musical stylings of Deejay Panatomic-X. Reubens is in town to be interviewed at Sketchfest on Monday the 22nd, followed by questions from the audience in the Palace of Fine Arts.
I can’t even imagine the assortment of fans (and, potentially, costumes) that will turn out for that one. I’d totally be ready to scream real loud. And you? Oh, you know how to dance to this one:
Tequila (The Champs) – Pee Wee’s Big Adventure soundtrack
A few weeks ago I posted a fantastic recording of Jeff Buckley singing Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” over the phone for WMFU radio, with the help of some friends. One of those friends of Jeff’s was Michelle Kinney, who sang and played the accordion in the studio that day. Through a series of events, we’ve been corresponding by email – and she’s let me know of a great new project she’s working to develop, using a cleaned-up version of that arresting and blissful recording.
Michelle writes, “Being in Jeff’s company whether he was singing or not was transcendent (most of the time). You could feel him coming from blocks away.” Her husband was also a friend of Jeff’s, and played guitar on that recording of “I Shall Be Released” (as well as backing Jeff at the St. Ann’s tribute for Tim Buckley in 1991). Michelle has developed an artist’s record label called Sugarfoot Music which has received permission from Jeff’s estate to officially release that incredible recording on a compilation CD benefitting a musicians’ village in New Orleans.
Jeff’s song will join 30 other artists on this album to help raise funds to build homes for musicians displaced by the hurricanes in 2005. The idea of a Musicians’ Village was conceived by Harry Connick Jr. & Branford Marsalis, and will house musicians and families whose lives were devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. With the support of others, including a $1.5 million challenge grant by musician Dave Matthews, Habitat for Humanity has already begun rebuilding a neighborhood of music players and music lovers.
Among the contributors: Dan Wilson (of Semisonic), Natalie Merchant, Indigo Girls, Marshall Crenshaw, Gary Louris & The Jayhawks, and more. Sugarfoot Music’s benefit CD includes a 36-page booklet featuring a photo and a thought on New Orleans from each artist; I love liner notes that possess thought and depth — it’s like getting a great book along with the CD and adds so much to the experience.
In thinking back to the day that the song with Jeff was recorded, Michelle remembers; “We were all goofing around in a very low-key kind of way, and Jeff was so far from being a star. Aside from the pure joy of playing with Jeff over the phone, no one knew that this would become a special thing. On the CD, we edited out most of the other remarks — the preference of the show’s producer, Nick Hill. It’s mostly just the song, with Jeff’s comments at the end.” When Jeff lets out an ebullient laugh and thanks everyone as the song ends, what sticks with me (and always makes me break into a huge smile) is the refreshed elation in his voice, the untarnished joy of being involved in such a beautiful singalong.
It will be great to have this version in my collection, and to support a worthy cause. You can order the CD on the Sugarfoot Music website. In the short time I’ve had that amazing song in my collection, it’s become my absolute favorite cover that Jeff ever recorded, and is a fitting and affirming addition to the theme of this album.
And as Michelle says, “I know that Jeff would have been down there hammering nails himself.”
Up-and-coming and hard to classify, the Cold War Kids are one of the more interesting acts to surface this year. I wrote about their Robbers & Cowards album back in October and today I am pleased to learn that they also like to try their pipes on varied cover songs, which we all know I can’t resist.
Check out the free Benefit At The District EP with their versions of six wildly different songs. Here are three tunes from that EP, along with the original in two cases and some gratuitous Pearl Jam content. As usual.
As Fast As You Can – Cold War Kids (I think this is the most successful of the bunch, they pull off Fiona’s borderline crazy-but-beautiful sound surprisingly well) As Fast As You Can – Fiona Apple
The Littlest Birds – Cold War Kids (this one is not good, at least not compared to the original which I adore. I’m posting their cover just so I can post this original, which is one of the best kid songs ever that doesn’t sound too hokey. Thanks Chris!) The Littlest Birds – The Be Good Tanyas
I recently stumbled across a nice little repository of live Elliott Smith and I am loving this little 4-song set of Kinks covers that Elliott performed 8/3/03 at the famed Derby in Los Angeles, just a few months before he sadly died. It would be one of his last shows.
Sound is just a little bit fuzzy, but it’s so cool that I count it as worth it. One often thinks of Elliott with breathy whispered tunes, rich in that lovely sadness, but he could also bring the rock. Details of the show (which was a multi-artist affair) are quite sketch, but it doesn’t sound like he’s singing on all of these; some he’s merely playing on I think. But he’s definitely singing on Big Sky, and I enjoy the loose vibe to all of these:
I don’t watch The OC (well, maybe once out of morbid curiousity, plus it’s totally no good anymore since Marissa died, right?) but they have a pretty solid history when it comes to the soundtrack mixes that they put out, and the upcoming #6 is no exception.
This album is a inventive bunch of indie rockers covering indie rockers, including some covers of songs that are barely old enough to drive yet, much less be considered for cover material. I am looking forward to hearing these.
OC Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks Goldspot – “Float On” (Modest Mouse) Rock Kills Kid – “I Turn My Camera On” (Spoon) Lady Sovereign – “Pretty Vacant” (The Sex Pistols) Mates of State – “California” (Phantom Planet) Pinback – “Wasted” (Black Flag) John Paul White – “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” (ELO) Rogue Wave – “Debaser” (The Pixies) Syd Matters – “Hello Sunshine” (Super Furry Animals) Tally Hall – “Smile Like You Mean It” (The Killers) The M’s – “Come Into Our Room” (Clinic) Band Of Horses – “The End’s Not Near” (The New Year) Chris Holmes – “Into Dust” (Mazzy Star)
PREVIEW: Here’s a live version of San Francisco’s Rogue Wave covering “Debaser” on 8/11/06 in Boston:
And speaking of Rogue Wave, that benefit a few weeks ago for drummer Pat Spurgeon was a sold-out home run success, thanks in part to those of you readers who contributed to the fund and the other bloggers who responded to my call to post up a little something about the fundraiser. Every little bit definitely helped.
The band writes, “Thanks to everyone who came out to see us this September, and thanks to all of those who donated to the Pat fund. We have raised a lot of money to help Pat through this difficult time, and you are a huge part of that.
In addition, world famous rock photographer Peter Ellenby photographically documented the night (shown here), and you can purchase copies of his prints here. All proceeds will be donated to Pat.”
John Lennon would have been 66 today (had he not been shot by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman in 1980). He was only 40 when he died, and I’ve sometimes wondered what other wonderful music he had still within him.
I figure the occasion of his entrance into this world (with a bang – he was born during a German aid raid over Liverpool the night of October 9-10, 1940) is a fine reason to post some covers off the Working Class Hero: A Tribute To John Lennon album (1995, Hollywood Records). It’s an eclectic little snapshot of the musical environment of the mid-90s, with some spiffy covers & interesting interpretations.
I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier – Mad Season (featuring Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees)
Power To The People – The Minus 5 (Scott McCaughey with members of R.E.M., The Posies, and Wilco & The Decemberists – in various incarnations)
Also, you may be interested in reading my post on the 25th anniversary of his death last year, which has an active download link to a demo version of my favorite Lennon solo song — one of the most gorgeous recordings you will ever hear: earnest and yearning and raw and perfect.
Okay, this could be the most entertaining site I’ve come across in a while. Gizoogle.com will translate any website into “jive” (and yes, the silver rims spin on the real page header). So for example, my recent post on Tom Luce becomes the following:
“…A fizzy gutted tha apartment of lead wannabe gangsta Tom Luce (izzy is truly one of tha funky assst & sincerest guys you’ll meet) cuz I put gangsta rap on tha map. They is appear’n at a benefit concert tomorrow nizzay, W-H-to-tha-izzich I am pleazed ta report is sold out. Tom Luce appeared on tha KFOG Spendin’ Show on Monday n tha response ta they upcom’n shizzow has been phenomizzles.”
See, I never knew I had all that in me. Think of all the fun we can have with this site. Aweshizzle.
THIS WEEK’S TUNES:
Cartoon Music For Super Heroes Albert Hammond Jr. Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. cuts into solo mode with a thoroughly enjoyable upcoming album Yours To Keep. While there is still a Stroke-ing feel to this collection, it is definitely NOT a Strokes record. Someone has been listening to a lot of Beach Boys, and the retro melodic inflections throughout this album are a very nice touch. Guest artists include fellow Stroke Julian Casablancas, Ben Kweller, Sean Lennon, and Jody Porter (of Fountains of Wayne), so the flashback goodness is not totally unexpected. The album comes out October 9th in the UK on Rough Trade Records, and in Europe & Japan later this year. We Americans must wait until further, unspecified notice for our release. You can stream three more tracks from the album on his MySpace to sate you.
Crazy (Patsy Cline, live cover) Fiona Apple On 6/28/02 Fiona Apple played one of her covers-filled sets at the Largo in Los Angeles. I can only find a middling-quality version of a few songs, but man, does she work them. Two Patsy Cline covers – this bang-up sultry version of “Crazy” (originally by Willie Nelson), and “Walkin’ After Midnight”, as well as “Cry Me A River” (Julie London) and “Half As Much” (George Jones). If anyone knows where I can get a clean copy of this or other Largo sets, please let me know! In the meantime, here are three other songs from a 2003 Largo show, including a Buddy Holly cover with Jon Brion.
She Does Locksley This unsigned Brooklyn band (originally from Wisconsin) rips through song after song of spot-on 1960s rock, but with a gritty punk edge that recalls the Libertines or even some of the aggressive recent riffs of the Arctic Monkeys. It’s sloppy guitars, handclaps, and harmonies throughout, and they’ve even got a McCartney lookalike (pic, right). Their MySpace has several other tracks for download. They’ve opened for everyone from John Vanderslice to OK Go to The Dandy Warhols, and they score points with me for their spirited reinvention of the best of the British Invasion. A fun romp, from their upcoming Don’t Make Me Wait album (out Nov 21, preorder coming next week on their website. In the meantime, get their 2005 EP here).
So Weird Veruca Salt Stereogum posted this mp3 a few weeks ago, reminding us all that Veruca Salt (well, part of Veruca Salt — Nina Gordon left to pursue her softer side in music) is still here and ready to rock and squeal and yowl your socks off with their particular brand of kickass girl rock. Released a few weeks ago (on the Sympathy For The Record Industry label), IV picks up satisfactorily where Resolver left us 6 years ago. It’s a solid, sexy effort overall, and I’m glad to see them back.
No Complaints Beck I am so glad that we have Beck to do what he does and fill the uniquely funky & diverse musical niche that he occupies. I am not aware of any other albums that sound like Beck’s ambitious productions. On this thrumming acoustic guitar jam with the standard trippy lyrics about spaceships and factory radiation, Beck is back in fine style. When the mothership comes, he will be ready to kick it with the Mr. Roboto sounds and garbled electronic affects that he is so fond of. The Information comes tomorrow on Interscope.
I have a rager of a head cold today and I’m thinkin’ that staying up til 2:30am last night certainly didn’t make me feel any better this morning. I am considering inserting a home IV drip of orange juice, or maybe buying Emergen-C in bulk.
Wish me luck and be patient with updates. I have a lot to say, but little clarity of mind with which to say it.
Happy birthday to Mr. Otis Redding, the patron saint of soulful southern gorgeousness in music (in my mind, he’s the one and only). Born September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia, he would have been 65 today. Redding died in a plane crash just three days after recording “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay,” which would come to be likely his best-known contribution to the American musical lexicon.
Do you realize that his recording career only lasted seven years? Although he grew up singing, his first professional tracks were laid down in 1960 with the group Otis and The Shooters, and he died in 1967 at the age of 26; only seven years and such an impact in music.
In addition to being completely floored by the body of work that he left behind –so many of his songs just absolutely slay me in the best way possible– I’ve always felt a bit of a fond connection with Otis because our families both come from the same town of Macon, Georgia. My Grampy was born in Macon, the son of a Baptist minister, and Otis moved there at the age of 5 with his Baptist minister daddy as well.
Macon is a city of (currently) about 325,000 people (although it was less than half that in the ’40s) southeast of Atlanta. In 2002, Macon unveiled a commemorative statue to Otis in Gateway Park, recognizing his impact as one of their best-known native sons. When Otis was growing up he attended and sang in the choir at the Vineville Baptist Church.
I asked my Grampy about the Redding family and he replied via email (but picture him saying all this in his deep Southern drawl because this is how he actually speaks);
“That is all familiar geographic territory for me but I do not know the name, Otis Redding. My Dad’s sister, Ruth, was a member of the Vineville Baptist Church where this young man sang. I lived in Macon in 1946 when he first moved there and I attended the Vineville Church at times with my Aunt Ruth and her husband, Frank.
I also remember the Roxy Theater in Macon and Nell and I went there a few times. I was still a student then (1943) and we had very little money in those days and a milk shake and a waffle was our idea of a big night out. It probably cost at least 50¢. Movies were only 25¢. Nell was the Post Mistress at Mercer and she was paid $50 per month. She also ran the university book store! I drove a mail truck making the evening pickups from all the mail boxes in one section of Macon. My route took me by the apartment where we lived and I often stopped there and Nell would climb into the back of the truck (quite illegal!) and I would drive back to the post office, dropping her off at a nearby cafe where we later had a milk shake and a waffle.
So, your question brings back a few memories but none about Otis!
Love, Grampy”
I smile when I picture the possibility of my Grampy sitting in a church pew next to a little Otis Redding, completely unaware (even to this day) who he was or his contributions to music.
Oh, play me some Otis Redding. The time is always right :
Tramp – Otis Redding Before a friend of mine completely blew my mind with this song last year, I naively had no idea that Otis could rock it like this. One often remembers his slow songs, his soulful raspy wailing grooves, but the drumbeat alone in this is enough to make anyone get up and shake it. Add the brass and it’s just almost too much for one to bear. And I love the lyrics, the playful give and take between Otis and Carla Thomas, the female co-lead;
“Carla: You’re straight from the Georgia woods! Otis: That’s gooooooood.”
But the best part of this song is beyond words; it’s at 0:52 when Carla launches into the allegations against Otis (he needs a haircut, he wears overalls) and Otis just lacks the words to respond to her allegations so he just trails off into a trademark “oooh….” – It must be heard to be understood, but it’s my favorite part of the song.
A Change Is Gonna Come – Otis Redding Even though this is Sam Cooke’s song, and Sam caresses it with his silky pipes, I vastly prefer Otis’ version (recorded in the Spring of 1965). This version fairly drips with aching as Otis sings about the thick swelter of racial oppression in the South. You can almost feel and see the tension, like heat rising up off the August sidewalks.
You Left The Water Running – Otis Redding From the intro: “-Two – one, two, ready, play” this song combines uptempo soulful grooves with lonely musings in the best tradition of all the “she done left me” tunes. I love the title lyric, the unfinished imagery of water left running and all the metaphors you can associate with that rushing, wasted splashing.
Satisfaction – Otis Redding Monterey Pop Festival, 1967 This performance at the legendary watershed event of the Monterey Pop Festival was one of Redding’s last big shows, as he died in December of this same year. Some call this the performance of his career, captured on a record I own which pairs a (literally) incendiary set from Jimi Hendrix (recognize this picture from the event?) with Redding’s. I picked this up on vinyl from the famed stacks at Amoeba Music in San Francisco, it is one of the best records I own. Here’s a cool scan from the back:
Cigarettes & Coffee – Otis Redding I wrote in an earlier post that “The Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice was the best 3am song ever written. Well, as Otis says in the lyrics here: “It’s early in the morning . . . about a quarter to three. I’m sittin’ here talkin’ with my baby, over cigarettes and coffee.” This is therefore the best 2:45am song ever written – it’s smoky and sleepless, all sorts of restlessness and beautiful insomnia tied up in these notes.
BONUS TRACKS: Listening To Otis Redding At Home During Christmas – Okkervil River A really lovely song from modern Austin, TX indie band Okkervil River, with various images that evoke home — one of which is Otis Redding: “Home is where beds are made, and butter is added to toast . . . I know that it’s home ‘cos that’s where the stereo sings.” Then it kicks into the chorus, which masterfully blends in the Redding refrain, “I’ve got dreams . . . dreams to remember” and made me smile wide the first time I listened to it one night in bed, in the dark.
Just Like A Woman – Bob Dylan Just since we are on a Dylan kick around here lately (see last post), there is an interesting Otis-related story attached to this song. According to Mickey Jones (drummer of The Band), Dylan had played this freshly-written song once for Redding, who loved it and expressed the desire to record it himself as soon as possible. He died before he could do it, but every time I hear Dylan’s factual delivery in this song, I half picture Otis wailing it instead. Redding also recorded “Respect” first, before Aretha busted it out as her trademark tune.
(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay – Pearl Jam 3/26/94 in Murfreesboro, TN And come on, you knew I’d work Pearl Jam into this somehow. This was the one and only time they’ve ever played this song live (complete with whistling) and did it with the help of co-author of the tune, Steve Cropper (of Booker T. & The MGs).
So if you find yourself out and about this weekend near a record store, and you are tempted to duck in and browse the bargain bin (as I am wont to do), here’s one of those great tribute CDs that you should definitely pick up:
This Is Where I Belong: Songs of Ray Davies and The Kinks (2002, Rykodisc) is an excellent little collection of covers by many artists that I enjoy. The variety of folks selected to contribute to this CD serve to illuminate the literate and consistently superb songwriting of Ray Davies, regardless of the musical lens you choose.
The great Pete Townshend is quoted as saying: “The Kinks were . . . quintessentially English. I always think that Ray Davies should one day be Poet Laureate. He invented a new kind of poetry and a new kind of language for Pop writing that influenced me from the very, very, very beginning.”
It’s a treat to read the liner notes, as they are written by Davies himself; join him as he talks about his recollections of each song, when it was written, who it was written for. He also muses on the artists covering the songs with interesting results (“I haven’t eaten a lambchop since 1975 but I really miss the mint sauce.”)
TRACKLIST 1. “Better Things” – Fountains Of Wayne (Davies writes, “Who is Wayne, I wonder?”) 2. “Starstruck” – Steve Forbert 3. “Stop Your Sobbing” – Jonathan Richman (a ha! In a recent interchange I had about Jonathan Richman, I knew I had seen his name somewhere very recently. This is spirited rendition from Jonathan; Davies shares, “I nearly produced The Modern Lovers years ago, but unfortunately our schedule did not allow it. I hope Jonathan Richman has forgiven me.”) 4. “No Return” – Bebel Gilberto (an interesting flamenco-tinged interpretation; Davies writes, “‘No Return’ with Bebel Gilberto is quite ironic because I certainly wrote the song with her mother in mind to sing it.”) 5. “A Well Respected Man” – Josh Rouse 6. “Victoria” – Cracker 7. “Who’ll Be The Next In Line” – Queens Of The Stone Age 8. “Big Sky” – Matthew Sweet 9. “Art Lover” – Lambchop 10. “Picture Book” – Bill Lloyd & Tommy Womack 11. “Muswell Hillbilly” – Tom O’Brien 12. “Get Back In Line” – The Minus 5 13. “‘Til The End Of The Day” – Fastball 14. “This Is Where I Belong” – Ron Sexsmith (Davies writes: “I did get a sneak preview of [this track] and hearing it helped me rediscover it for myself.”) 15. “Fancy” – Yo La Tengo 16. “Waterloo Sunset” – Ray Davies & Damon Albarn (of Blur)
The Yo La Tengo track is a completely new invention, the Josh Rouse tune has that sly smoothness to it that I love about him, and the Lambchop (needs no mint sauce) version of “Art Lover” is fuzzy and melodic and extremely enjoyable. Matthew Sweet turns in an expansive cover of “Big Sky,” and Cracker rocks on “Victoria,” a la their best Kerosene Hat-era material. Overall this is a solid, quality album (and highlights really the best of the tribute album genre — how adventurous and diverse it can be).
As Davies also says in the notes: “Some of you may be discovering these tracks for the first time. In a way, as I listen to it I will be re-discovering part of myself.”
I absolutely love stories behind songs. Knowing a bit of the background illuminates the song in a whole new way. That’s why when I was reading an article about Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith, I found this irresistible (from Eye Weekly):
” . . .After chatting to his buddy Paul McCartney about Sexsmith, Chris Difford of Squeeze took Ron over to the ex-Beatle’s house for an impromptu jam session. Maybe you’ve heard this story, but you know you want to hear it again. Difford makes the introduction, they all have breakfast and before you know it, Ron’s singing ‘Listen To What The Man Said’ with Paul taking the harmonies.
‘Well, I didn’t know what to play,’ Ron says, ‘And [McCartney] does this thing when you talk to him — if you say something humorous, he’s got these huge eyes, and he sort of gave me this look like I was being a wise guy or something. Well, it’s a song I’ve always played for myself… and it was cool. I was singing lead and he was doing the harmonies and stuff.'”
I had to hunt down the cover, for me and for you. This version is live with Sexsmith only – I doubt a recorded version exists of them duetting. But I’ll bet that it would sound very nice because (although I have never realized this before) McCartney and Sexsmith have extremely complementary voices.
Name: Heather Browne Location: Colorado, originally by way of California Giving context to the torrent since 2005.
"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there's something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It's the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part..."
—Nick Hornby, Songbook
"Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel." —Hunter S. Thompson
Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. Rock on.
Our friends at the venerable Amoeba Records out in California are hosting two events worth noting in the next few weeks.
You can win tickets here.
While you wait in what sounds like a long line (they advise arriving early), for your listening pleasure you can enjoy the zany musical stylings of Deejay Panatomic-X. Reubens is in town to be interviewed at Sketchfest on Monday the 22nd, followed by questions from the audience in the Palace of Fine Arts. 
And speaking of 
I absolutely love stories behind songs. Knowing a bit of the background illuminates the song in a whole new way. That’s why when I was reading an article about Canadian singer-songwriter 
Name: Heather Browne
