My daughter (and apparently my son, too) loves Kurtis Conner. They kept saying his name as if I had heard of him. I had no idea who he was at all. Turns out he is a YouTuber with a billion fans.
My daughter tells me that they Holy Trinity is Kurtis Conner. Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden (whom he has toured with in the past). But without doubt, Conner (whose name is so simple and yet sound confoundedly hard to spell correctly with that K and the e) sits on top.
So what could Conner possibly do if he has made his career based on commenting on YouTube videos (or something). And, I wondered aloud to both of my kids if I would enjoy this gig or not know what he was talking about. I decided not to watch anything before hand s that I would have no expectations whatsoever.
So I glad I didn’t read this review beforehand
A big aspect of Conner’s set was integrating some of his classic jokes from his videos into his in-person stand-up punchlines. Of course he did it flawlessly, and I — along with everyone in the theater — loved it. Because prior knowledge of his jokes is needed, though, many of his references wouldn’t be understood by someone who didn’t watch Conner’s YouTube.
I have to say, aside from a few times when he said a line or catchphrase that people applauded (and I had no idea why), there was nothing about his show that I didn’t get. And, best of all, I thought he was really funny. (more…)
I saw this book at work and rolled my eyes. I thought well, here’s another book about musicians talking about music.
Really, most musicians aren’t very interesting and it was probably just the same old same olds talking about albums that have been praised to high heaven already.
But then I saw a few names that intrigued me. So I read it. And it was fantastic because Eric Spitznagel did a magnificent job with this task.
Not only because he chose diverse people (some hardly even rock stars, really) who had interesting things to say, but because of the way he followed up his questions with better questions–questions that the musicians seemed excited to answer.
And also because the list of people turned out to be really interesting. I didn’t recognize a number of names, but that’s because they might have been the guitarist for a famous lead singer). And this made it really interesting.
I don’t know if it’s worth stating the why’s of each person here (each interview is basically four pages) but I will state each person’s favorite record (with a few extra comments here and there). (more…)
[ATTENDED: August 20, 2021] Green Day: Hella Mega Tour: Green Day / Fall Out Boy / Weezer / The Interrupters [rescheduled from August 29, 2020]
I loved Green Day’s Dookie when it came out. I also really liked American Idiot (and a bunch of stuff in between). But it was pretty wild when my teenage son became a big fan of Green Day (especially American Idiot). I’ve never seen Green Day live before–which I’m guessing I now regret since they were fantastic live.
The most interesting thing to S. and myself was that they opened their part of the set by playing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” over the speakers at full concert volume. Not Green Day playing it, but the actual original version. And the crowd went utterly bananas. Singing along at full volume. The lights even went bright and dim accordingly. It was a pretty amazing moment to hear an entire arena singing along to a song. And it really got everyone pumped. It was a pretty genius idea and I’m surprised more bands don’t do it.
They followed this with Ramones’ “Blitzkreig Bop” which went over although not quite as well, but it segued into a kind of mashup of “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, “Blitzkrieg Bop”, and “We Will Rock You” played behind a series of clips from Green Days shows old and new. It was clear they were preparing for A SHOW.
They came out on stage to lights and video and started out with two songs from American Idiot. And the crowd was berserk. “American Idiot” and “Holiday” was like a one-two punch of wonderfulness for my son. And there were fireworks and explosions and big lights and it was a great start.
I never knew that Billie Joe Armstrong was such a great and engaging front man. I was especially delighted that he acknowledged that many of the fans there were from New Jersey. I mean, sure we were in Philadelphia, but there were lots of NJ folks there and he really won us over by dividing the crowd into the Philly and NJ sides to see who could be louder. This was especially cool for my kids, I think. (more…)
[POSTPONED: June 11, 2021] EOB [rescheduled from June 8, 2020; moved to ???]
No new date listed yet, but this one has definitely been postponed again. Let’s anticipate a fall show.
I used to be the kind of fan who would listen to anything that a band member released (blame Kiss for that four solo albums stunt back in the 70s).
But not every solo project is worthwhile. And some of these solo shows are even more heavily attended than the main band.
So I didn’t really need to see Thom Yorke on his solo outings. But the new EOB album sounds really good (from what I’ve heard of it). I’d be curious to see what the third best known member of Radiohead was like live. I’m not certain I was going to go to this, but it was certainly intriguing.
I do hope the tour gets rescheduled.
UPDATE: This is the first show that has been rescheduled to a new date on which I already have tickets to a rescheduled show. Now, do I want to see EOB or King’s X?
[POSTPONED: June 8, 2020] EOB [moved to June 11, 2021]
I used to be the kind of fan who would listen to anything that a band member released (blame Kiss for that four solo albums stunt back in the 70s).
But not every solo project is worthwhile. And some of these solo shows are even more heavily attended than the main band.
So I didn’t really need to see Thom Yorke on his solo outings. But the new EOB album sounds really good (from what I’ve heard of it). I’d be curious to see what the third best known member of Radiohead was like live. I’m not certain I was going to go to this, but it was certainly intriguing.
I do hope the tour gets rescheduled.
UPDATE: This is the first show that has been rescheduled to a new date on which I already have tickets to a rescheduled show. Now, do I want to see EOB or King’s X?
One of the fun things about Stumptown is Dex’s car–an old beat up Ford that she loves.
It has a cassette stuck in the player and the player goes on and off seemingly at will. I don’t think the show has explored all of the music on the tape yet, but it keep the soundtrack squarely in the 1980s.
This Spotify playlist has 90 minutes worth of music that could easily fit on the cassette in the car.
The only discrepancy I have it is that “Yellow Ledbetter” from Pearl Jam didn’t come out until 1992. We haven’t heard it in the car yet, although we have heard it in her house, so we’ll just consider that song a bonus cut.
Here’s the track list
SIMPLISTICS-Heat of the Night
BLONDIE-Heart of Glass
ELTON JOHN, KIKI DEE-Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
TIFFANY-I Think We’re Alone Now
BLUE SHOES-Hey
NEIL DIAMOND-Sweet Caroline
THE O’JAYS-Love Train
ASIA-Heat of the Moment
CAPTAIN & TENNILLE-Love Will Keep Up Together
PRETENDERS-Brass In Pocket
HALL & OATES-Private Eyes
CHAKA KHAN-I’m Every Woman
KISS-I Was Made for Lovin’ You
SNAP-Power
AIR SUPPLY-All Out of Love
PAT BENATAR-We Belong
PLAYER-Baby Come Back
EURHYTHMICS-Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves
CYNDI LAUPER-Girls Just Want to Have Fun
MISSING PERSONS-Walking In L.A.
WILSON PHILLIPS-Hold On
XTC-Dear God
PEARL JAM-Yellow Ledbetter (1992)
What’s great about the soundtrack is that the rest of the show is contemporary and very cool, with some really good song choices. But I love that they can have this unexpected throwback musical story running through as a commentary.
[READ: March 20, 2020] Stumptown Volume 1
I had heard promising reviews of a new show called Stumptown. It is based on this graphic novel series from Greg Rucka (who has written some amazing books over the years). When I saw that the graphic novels were still available (possibly with new covers–the publishing history is a little confusing), I knew I had to check it out.
I have since watched most of the episodes (I’m a little behind) and I am hooked.
This book is more or less the start of the first episode of the show, but the show has changed things (and basically made the ending very different).
But before I get to the story I want to comment on Matthew Southworth’s drawings which are really terrific. His style is realistic but rough around the edges which works perfectly for this storyline. There’s a lot of impressionistic moments where you can feel the person moving (or being moved) without the need for action lines. Also, the casting of the show was really perfect. Cobie Smulders is a dead ringer for Dex Parios in the book and Cole Sibus is amazingly cast as Ansel (Southworth does a great job showing Ansel’s Down Syndrome). Cole Sibus is really outstanding in the role–his comic timing is excellent. The only character who looks nothing like the book is Jake Johnson as Grey. However, Jake Johnson is awesome and he is absolutely perfect for the role–I feel like he’s far more interesting than the comic book character (although in fairness, Grey doesn’t have that much to do in the book). (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: DANKO JONES-Garage Rock! A Collection of Lost Songs From 1996-1998 (2014).
Danko Jones has released nine albums an a bunch of EPs. Back in 2014 he released this collection of songs that he wrote and recorded before his first proper single (1998).
This is a collection of raw songs, but the essential elements of Danko are in place. Mostly fast guitars, simple, catchy riffs and Danko’s gruff voice, filled with braggadocio. With a cover by Peter Bagge!
He describes it:
Back in the 90’s,the Garage Rock scene, as I knew it, was a warts-and-all approach that favoured low-fi recordings and rudimentary playing over any modicum of musical prowess in order to glean some Rock N’ Roll essence. However, once a band got better at their instruments, songwriting and stage performance, the inevitable crossroads would eventually appear. Deliberately continuing to play against their growing skill would only evolve into a pose. There were a lot of bands who did exactly this in order to sustain scenester favour. We did the opposite.
What you hold in your hands is a document of what we were and where we came from. We didn’t know how to write songs and could barely play but we wanted to be near to the music we loved so badly. We ate, slept and drank this music. We still do. That’s why we have never had to reunite because we’ve never broken up. After 18 years, we’ve stayed the course, got tough when the going did and, above all else, we have never stopped. This album is the proof.
The first two songs are the best quality, with the rest slowly deteriorating with more tape hiss.
1. “Who Got It?” a big fat bass sound with lots of mentioning of Danko Jones in the lyrics. [2 minutes]
2. “Make You Mine” is 90 seconds long. With big loud chords and rumbling bass Danko says “one day I’m going to write a book and let everybody know how to do it. Seems to me there a lot of people around who want to see if I can prove it. I been a rock prodigy since the age of 20 and my proof… my proof is right now.”
3. “I’m Your Man” is a bit longer. The quality isn’t as good but the raw bass sound is great.
4. “She’s Got A Bomb” is good early Danko strutting music.
5. “Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue.” He would name an album this many years later. This song is fast and raw and only 90 seconds long.
6. “Dirty Mind Too” This is a fast stomping one-two-three song that rocks for less than a minute.
7. I’m Drinking Alcohol? This is funny because later he says he doesn’t drink. I don’t know what the words are but the music is great–rumbling bass and feedbacky guitars with lots of screaming.
8. “Love Travel Demo” and 9. “Bounce Demo” are decent demo recordings. “Bounce” has what might be his first guitar solo.
10. Sexual Interlude” “ladies it’s time to take a chance on a real man. I’m sick and tired of seeing you women selling yourselves short, going out with a lesser man.
11. “I Stand Accused” Unexpectedly he stands accused of “loving you to much. If that’s a crime, then I’m guilty.”
12. “Best Good Looking Girl In Town” a fast chugging riff, “oh mama you sure look fine.”
13. “Payback” This one sounds really rough but it totally rocks.
14. “Lowdown” Danko gives the lowdown: “You want a bit of romance? I got you an bouquet of Flowers and a box of chocolates. Why you crying for? That ain’t enough? Me and the fellas wrote this song just for you.”
15. “One Night Stand” garage swinging sound: Danko is a one woman man and you’re just his type.
16. “Instrumental” is great.
17. “Move On” is a long, slow long bluesy track about love.
It’s not a great introduction to Danko, but if you like him, you won;t be disappointed by this early baby-Danko period.
[READ: August 10, 2019] I’ve Got Something to Say
In the introduction (after the foreword by Duff McKagan), Jones introduces himself not as a writer but as a hack. He also acknowledges that having something to say doesn’t mean much. He has too many opinions on music and needed to get them out or his insides would explode. He acknowledges that obsessing over the minutiae of bands is a waste of time, “but goddammit, it’s a ton of fun.”
So this collection collects some of Danko’s writing over the last dozen or so years. He’s written for many publications, some regularly. Most of these pieces are a couple of pages. And pretty much all of them will have you laughing (if you enjoy opinionated music writers).
“Vibing for Thin Lizzy” [Rock Hard magazine, March 2015]
Danko says he was lured into rock music by the theatrics of KISS, Crue and WASP. But then he really got into the music while his friends seemed to move on. Thin Lizzy bridged the gap by providing substance without losing its sheen or bite. And Phil Lynott was a mixed race bassist and singer who didn’t look like the quintessential rock star. What more could Danko ask for? (more…)
[ATTENDED: February 20, 2019] YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN
I had heard of YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN on NPR. They played a song off of their latest album Dirt and I was stunned by how cool it was. It was heavy and rocking with prog elements and a chorus that was pure J-Pop. It was magical.
Then I read a little about them. From their website:
They’re a “Noh-Wave” prog collective, a black-and-white (and sometimes red) theatre company, an operatic psych cult, and the speculative prophets of humanity’s impending doom.
The new album Dirt:
was conceived as the soundtrack for an unreleased Haudenosaunee and Buddhist themed Anime produced in 1987. Like UZU [their previous disc], it takes place on the planet Pureland, now 10,000 years after the planet has flooded. The surviving people live within bubble domes floating in orbit. A team of mercenaries descends into the drowned wreckage of the world to receive the last sample of uncorrupted soil.
Though the name of their fantastical universe is derived from a strand of Buddhism and Haudenosaunee that first blossomed in China, its narratives are inspired by the Iroquois story of the creation of North America. The members of Yamantaka//Sonic Titan keep the history of indigenous people close to them and their work, even incorporating hand drums and traditional rhythms into songs
SOUNDTRACK: MAJOR HIT-Robert De Niro at the Tony Awards Remix (2018).
Who is Major Hit? No idea.
Is this remix very good? Not really. It’s only a minute or so.
Is it hilarious? Yes.
Is it satisfying? Hell Yes.
Will you listen to it more than once? Probably not.
But will you feel a little bit better about your taxes after hearing this? Well, probably not.
Actually, it might make you feel a little better. And you probably find yourself quoting De Niro, too.
[READ: April 4, 2019] The Awakening of My Interest in Advanced Tax
Madras Press publishes limited-edition short stories and novella-length booklets and distributes the proceeds to a growing list of non-profit organizations chosen by our authors. For this particular book, proceeds to benefit Proceeds to benefit Granada House.
Originally appearing at the heart of The Pale King, David Foster Wallace’s posthumous semi-novel, this extended monologue brilliantly rambles its way around the circumstances that brought its narrator out of his ‘wastoid’ childhood and into maturity at the IRS. Along the way, he falls under the spell of a fake Jesuit, considers the true meaning of a soap opera station break, and narrowly escapes a gruesome death on the subway.
This is the final Madras Press book that I had left to read. Since I has already read The Pale King, I was in no hurry to read this one. But now it’s nice to say that I’ve finished all of the Madras Press books. And that I could post this just in time for the massive Republican tax scam in which thanks to trump and his evil puppet mcconnell, my tax return dropped over $3,000. Bastards. May they all rot in prison. And then hell.
Interestingly, back when I read this during Pale Summer (2014), this entire section was one week’s reading. So my post from that week is still relevant. It is posted almost in its entirety below:
This book is an excerpt from The Pale King. In the book, it is almost 100 pages of one person’s testimony. Without the novel for context, this excerpt stands on its own just fine. It is basically an unnamed person’s introduction. This narrator is so detail oriented that everything gets the same amount of importance–snowfall, the way to score drugs, the effects of drugs, Christian roommates, his father’s death, his mother’s lesibianism, oh and taxation.
So much of it is “irrelevant,” that I hate to get bogged down in details. So this is a basic outline of ideas until the more “important” pieces of information surface.
For the most part, this is all inside one man’s head as he talks about his life in college, after college, and into the Service. Mostly this is simply a wonderful character study, full of neuroses and problems that many people face at some point (to one degree or another). The interviewee states that “A good bit of it I don’t remember… from what I understand, I’m supposed to explain how I arrived at this career.”
Initially he was something of a nihilist, whose response to everything was “whatever.” A common name for this kind of nihilist at the time was wastoid. He drifted in and out of several colleges over the years, taking abstract psychology classes. He says that his drifting was typical of family dramas in the 1970s–son is feckless, mother sticks up for son, father squeezes sons shoes, etc. They lived in Chicago, his father was a cost systems supervisor for the City of Chicago. (more…)
In the early 1980s Y&T had a couple of albums that made it onto my radar. This one, Mean Streak, had this song which I liked enough. It’s got some cool riffs and Dave Meniketti’s raspy but distinctive voice.
I remember liking this song, even though I really had no idea what was going on in the lyrics. The chorus where everyone sings “mean streak” behind his lyrics was certainly the catchy selling point. But this is hard rock more than metal and is not really my thing.
I may have bought this album, but I know I have the follow up In Rock We Trust, which was more poppy (and they were more pretty). I had forgotten all about “Lipstick and Leather” yet another cheesy pop metal song about, well, lipstick and leather.
People who were fans of Y&T (like Posehn) were die-hards, but even listening now I see why I never really got into them, even if I liked them for a bit. Maybe it was a California thing.
[READ: January 2019] Forever Nerdy
S. got this for me for Christmas after we saw Posehn on a late night show and he talked about his nerdy obsessions, including Rush. It seemed like an obvious fit. And it totally was.
Posehn is a few years older than me, but if he had lived in my town we would have totally been friends (except I would have never talked to him because he was older). Anyhow, we had more or less the same obsessions and the same nerdy outlook. Although I was never really picked on like he was so perhaps I was a little cooler than he was. Although I never smoked or drank when I was in high school so maybe he was cooler than me.
Things to know about before reading this–Posehn is a vulgar dude–there’s not much kid friendly is in this book. Also this book isn’t really an autobiography exactly. I mean it is in that he wrote it and its about him, but if you were dying to find out fascinating stories about his crazy life, this book isn’t really it. I t’s more about the things he was obsessed with–in true nerdy fandom.
Although, Brian, what nerd doesn’t have an index in his own book? (more…)
My daughter (and apparently my son, too) loves Kurtis Conner. They kept saying his name as if I had heard of him. I had no idea who he was at all. Turns out he is a YouTuber with a billion fans.
No new date listed yet, but this one has definitely been postponed again. Let’s anticipate a fall show.
