SOUNDTRACK: LAKE STREET DIVE-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #199 (April 27, 2021)
I feel like I was meant to like Lake Street Dive. They seemed to get heavily promoted in the same breath as bands that I like. And yet I really don’t like them. I particularly don’t like this deep dive into “blue-eyed soul” as they call it.
Having said that, though the first song, “Hypothetically” is a very catchy song. The blurb mentions the addition of the new keyboardist and I was going go say that his keyboard solo is the one thing I don’t like in the song.
Lake Street Dive filmed its Tiny Desk (home) concert where the band is most at home: on stage at the “biggest little venue in NYC,” Pete’s Candy Store. All five band members managed to squeeze onto a stage no larger than the actual Tiny Desk to shine a spotlight on the Save Our Stages Act. Congress passed the $15 billion grant program last December as part of the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill.
I was starting to like “Same Old News” until the new guy started singing. So that’s two strikes against keyboard and vocalist Akie Bermiss. Although the keyboard sound he picked for the solo in this song is much better–and his backing vocals are a nice addition.
In the middle of the home concert, bassist Bridget Kearney recalls driving to the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn for a gig at Pete’s, then driving back to Boston the very same night, long before they ever sold out Radio City Music Hall on the other side of the East River.
I don’t really care for Rachel Price’s voice either, but I really like Kearney’s speaking voice. She plays a great upright bass, but I think I might like them if she sang instead.
“Anymore” is slow just keys and rim shots from Mike Calabrese to open. I’m quite intrigued by guitarist Mike “McDuck” Olson who stands there quietly playing and looking at his guitar neck the whole show.
“Making Do” ends the set and I found that I liked it best. It’s a little faster, more upbeat and while I don’t like the verses that much I like the way the song bounces into the chorus melody which is pretty tasty,
So I guess there will be a few songs from them that I like. And that’s okay.
[READ: February 15, 2021] Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo
I didn’t love Book 1 of this series, but I had Book 2 already. And when I heard it’s supposed to be a trilogy, I figured, oh why not finish it.
The first book doesn’t really come into play so much–mostly via some amusing cameos. Rather, our heroes are on the road, continuing their quest for Epoli and Rickety’s identity. But as it starts out we see them caught in a tree trap, hanging upside down. How does a goo get caught in a rope trap? No idea.
They fail to escape and then the Bogril junkman from book one happens upon them. Rickety is excited, but the Bogril doesn’t remember them at all. Nonetheless he is wiling to trade for their freedom. They try to follow him, but he is too fast and soon Rickety is captured by The Kobold Witch of Murbletoad Marsh.
She wants to use parts of him to bring her beloved pet back to life. But Shnookles comes back as a much bigger and scarier creature than she intended. And now he speaks for the Gloom King, telling Rickety that the Gloom King will come for him soon enough.
Since Rickety was taken apart, he attached other bones that were lying around to himself. Turns out the arm he attached is a master digger. This comes in handy in a few places later.
But right now it digs a hole that leads them into a mine. And the mine is run by Taskmaster Ghoulihan from the first book. He is now Overseer Ghoulihan. He forces Rickety to start digging with the rest (see, the hand came in useful). They uncover a gilded rock that appears to represent Epoli. Ghoulihan wants what’s behind it and he blows it up. Rickety is able to snatch a piece of tapestry which he keeps with him from now on.
They wind up in a small town where the wicked merchant Krog & Sons are looking for the deadliest blades to join them on a Middle-Route Run. He also wants musicians (he loves musicians) and Rickety is able to join them.
They are in search of the treasure chest that Rickety believes will lead to Epoli. Of course, everyone else on the ship wants the treasure chest too–it’s full of gold and what not. Including the marauders who attack the ship (it’s a giant boat on wheels).
There are many battles and songs until the final battle between a Black Knight and the Knight-Errant from Epoli. The Black Knight mocks her as the last ember of hope for Epoli–did she think a few trinkets could revive something that was lost?
As the book ends, the Knight-Errant puts her sword at Rickety, calling him a wretched lich (undead person). But when he explains that he only seeks Epoli she eases up on him. She tells him she wants to remind the people of Eem of their glorious past. And then she tells him that her name is Epopli, Knight of the Order of the Ember.
Now Rickety doesn’t know what he’s looking for, but at least he still has his band of musicians.
And we see the gloom King is going to hunt down Epoli.
I’m not sure why I enjoyed this second book so much more but I’m looking forward to the next book.
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