Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Richard Thompson’ Category

Richard Thompson (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, May 18, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, Richard Thompson on May 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 18, 2023] Richard Thompson

I’ve seen Richard Thompson more than almost anyone else.

I had wanted to move him to my 2nd place list with one more show.

I love seeing him at McCarter, which is a great venue and has a lot of long time fans.  I’ve seen him there more than anywhere else.

But this show was on May 18, a night that I’d already had tickets for The New Pornographers and Acid Mothers Temple had announced a show for the same night.  And so did Kevin Devine.

So Richard would have to wait.  And since he lives in Montclair, I’m sure he’ll be playing again nearby soon.

Read Full Post »

Richard Thompson (Musikfest Cafe, Bethlehem, PA, May 17, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Musikfest Cafe, Richard Thompson on May 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 17, 2023] Richard Thompson

I wanted to see Richard Thompson, although we had seen him fairly recently.  Actually, I’d really like to see him with his band rather than solo.  But I’m not sure if he’ll be bringing a band with him on tour much anymore–maybe is he releases a full band record again?

When his first local show was announced at McCarter, I was pretty excited about it.  But it turned out to be the one night that I had other shows lined up.

Then he announced this show at Musikfest Cafe.  It’s a great venue and I would have loved to have seen him there.  But I had a few things going on this week and it just wasn’t going to happen.

I’m sure he’ll be playing nearby again soon–maybe even with his band.

Read Full Post »

Richard Thompson (Outpost in the Burbs, Montclair, NJ, January 14, 2023)

Posted in Fairport Convention, Montclair, NJ, Outpost in the Burbs, Richard & Linda Thompson, Richard Thompson, Teddy Thompson, Zara Phillips on January 15, 2023| 1 Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 14, 2023] Teddy Thompson

This was my eleventh time seeing Richard Thompson.  For a while we had been seeing him pretty regularly and then his habits changed.

I had been seeing him every chance I could, but I took a little time off from his tours, hoping that he would perhaps come back with an electric tour.  Sadly for me, he did in fact come around with an electric trio tour in 2018, but it coincided with a hike that we were scheduled to go on, so I had to miss it.

Back in 2020, he introduced a new component to his show, his new partner Zara Philips has been singing with him on many songs (often Richard & Linda Thompson songs, but sometimes adding backing vocals to Richard’s songs.

For a while it felt like Richard was playing the same basic songs at all of his shows, although as I look at his setlists I see that he always mixes in a few new songs every tour.  Indeed, in 2020, he threw in a whole bunch of songs that I hadn’t heard him play before.

I was super excited that he opened with Gethsemane, an older song (I can’t believe that album is 20 years old!) that I like a lot.  He sounded great and his guitar playing was, of course, outstanding.

During the pandemic, Richard released some online albums.  He played If I could Live My Life again from Bloody Noses (which he had played back in 2020, just before the shutdown).

He jokes about the age of the audience and said he would play a song from a Fairport Convention album.  He described the origins of Genesis Hall, and that it was a protest song, which I didn’t know.  He had played it before but not for more than seven or so years, so it was good to hear it again.

Richard recently played a few nights of all request shows in New York City, which I’d love to attend (al though I suspect people probably just request all the popular songs anyhow).   But I wonder if it makes him want to mix up his setlists at all.  Whatever the case it was great to hear him plat “Turning of the Tide” a song that I love and haven’t heard him play live for a long long time.

Then he played “Beeswing.”  I don’t think there’s been a show where he hasn’t played the song and yet this time it really hit me how beautiful it was.  And I was marveling about how Richard Thompson, creator of the song was merely thirty or forty feet away from us playing this song and how amazing it was to be so close to someone so creative.  I had a real moment.  (I’m going to assume it came from talking about how wild it must have been for my young kids to go to concerts and see their favorite bands up close like that, something I never got to do as a a little kid). (more…)

Read Full Post »

Teddy Thompson (Outpost in the Burbs, Montclair, NJ, January 14, 2023) [RICHARD THOMPSON]

Posted in Montclair, NJ, Outpost in the Burbs, Richard Thompson, Teddy Thompson on January 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 14, 2023] Teddy Thompson

This was our first experience with Outpost in the Burbs, a fun venue in Montclair.  The venue is actually in a church (I think it might be outside in the summer).  This Richard Thompson show was sold out.  But the tickets were first come / first seated.  In a church.  So, in a series of pews.

We arrived in what we thought was plenty of time, but we couldn’t find parking and wound up pretty far away, so by the time we got into the church, it was almost 8PM.  We walked in and the lights went down.  Luckily there were announcements to be had (which we missed), as we were sent looking for a seat.  We were told there were seats in the balcony, so we trudged up the stairs to the (very full) balcony.  We headed back down, having seen seats across the room.  We headed over there only to discover that these seats (strangely empty) ere positioned directly behind two massive speaker cabinets which entirely blocked the stage–thus, why they were empty.  Really they should not have even been available.

Luckily, right next to them was a pew bench against the wall that had a mostly unobstructed view of Teddy as he came out on stage.  If he backed away from the mic I couldn’t see him at all, but he didn’t do that very often so it was fine. In fact, it was actually quiet comfortable.  The bench had a cushion, and I was in the corner, so I had a corner edge to lean against.  And, plenty of leg room!

And, it must be said, the acoustics were outstanding, even in this weird eave.

I saw Teddy Thompson open for his father about ten years ago in Princeton.  He played songs from his then new album and sang some songs with his father. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Richard Thompson / Jonah Tolchin (McLaughlin Norcross Memorial Dell, Haddon Heights, NJ, September 14, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Haddon Heights, NJ, Jonah Tolchin, McLaughlin Norcross Memorial Dell, Philadelphia, PA, Richard Thompson, Summer Concert Series on September 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 14, 2022] Richard Thompson / Jonah Tolchin [rescheuled from September 7, 2022]

This show had been postponed by a week.  But it turned out to be the same night as Pearl Jam.  So, sorry Richard, I didn’t show up for your free show.

~~~~

I have seen Richard Thompson more than almost any other musician.  This is largely because for several years in a row he played McCarter Theater in Princeton which felt like a short enough distance for us to go when the kids were littler.

Now that I have seen him so often, I’m trying to making him my most-seen performer (although he won’t ever beat Phish since Phish does many multi-date shows near me).

I was pretty excited to see him for this show, especially since it was free!  I had been to this location for Kathleen Edwards a few weeks earlier (what a great summer line up!).  But as the day moved on, the rain proved to be torrential.  Since Richard lives nearby, he was able to postpone his show for a week.  To a night that I wasn’t free.  Alas.

I had not heard of Jonah Tolchin.  He’s a New Jersey native–his bandcamp says he’s from Princeton.

I listened to a few of his songs on bandcamp, and I rather like them.  He’s got an interesting mix of folk with a kind of punky attitude.  His earlier stuff (when he wa sa long haired hippy) is more folkie, but his latest album (2022’s Lava Lamp) is a bit more stripped down and raw, giving it a rougher edge, maybe like Nathaniel Rateliff.

This would have been a fun double bill (even if Richard would probably only have played his biggest hits).

Read Full Post »

Richard Thompson / Jonah Tolchin (McLaughlin Norcross Memorial Dell, Haddon Heights, NJ, September 7, 2022) [POSTPONED for RAIN DELAY]

Posted in Haddon Heights, NJ, Jonah Tolchin, McLaughlin Norcross Memorial Dell, Philadelphia, PA, Richard Thompson, Summer Concert Series on September 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: September 7, 2022] Richard Thompson / Jonah Tolchin

I have seen Richard Thompson more than almost any other musician.  This is largely because for several years in a row he played McCarter Theater in Princeton which felt like a short enough distance for us to go when the kids were littler.

Now that I have seen him so often, I’m trying to making him my most-seen performer (although he won’t ever beat Phish since Phish does many multi-date shows near me).

I was pretty excited to see him for this show, especially since it was free!  I had been to this location for Kathleen Edwards a few weeks earlier (what a great summer line up!).  But as the day moved on, the rain proved to be torrential.  Since Richard lives nearby, he was able to postpone his show for a week.  To a night that I wasn’t free.  Alas.

I had not heard of Jonah Tolchin.  He’s a New Jersey native–his bandcamp says he’s from Princeton.

I listened to a few of his songs on bandcamp, and I rather like them.  He’s got an interesting mix of folk with a kind of punky attitude.  His earlier stuff (when he wa sa long haired hippy) is more folkie, but his latest album (2022’s Lava Lamp) is a bit more stripped down and raw, giving it a rougher edge, maybe like Nathaniel Rateliff.

This would have been a fun double bill (even if Richard would probably only have played his biggest hits).

Read Full Post »

Richard Thompson (with Scott Timberg)–Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975 (2021)

Posted in 14 Hour Technicolor Dream, Arthur Brown, Autobiographies, Books about music, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, Graham Nash, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, London England, Pink Floyd, Richard Thompson, Rolling Stone, Sandy Denny, Scott Timberg, Soft Machine, The Band, The Beatles, The Hollies, The Shadows, Traffic, Yoko Ono on July 1, 2021| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: THE SHADOWS-“Apache” (1960).

In 1960, Cliff Richard’s backing band released this instrumental that shot to the top of the British charts.  The song was named after the 1954 film Apache.

The band had a signature sound.  Hank Marvin used an echo box and a tremolo bar on his Fender guitar.  The melodic bass was by Jet Harris.  Percussion was by Tony Meehan and Cliff Richard, who played a Chinese drum at the beginning and end to provide an atmosphere of stereotypically Native American music.

It has been cited by a generation of guitarists as inspirational and is considered one of the most influential British rock 45s of the pre-Beatles era because of the appeal of “that kind of Hawaiian sounding lead guitar … plus the beat.”

The song is really catchy with a surf guitar/Western riff and the rumbling drums.  There’s a few parts which create some drama and forward motion.

[READ: June 29, 2021] Beeswing

I’ve been a fan of Richard Thompson since about 1993.  I’ve seen him live about ten times and I’ve listened to most of his earlier work (including most of his Fairport Convention stuff).

I don’t love all the Fairport material.  I likesome of it, but I never really got into it that much.  And, I never really thought about what it was like being in Fairport back in the late 60s.  So this autobiography was a strange thing for me.  Seemed like an obvious read and yet it’s about an era that I didn’t have a lot of interest in.

Which proved to be the perfect combination.

Richard starts the book in the early 1960s. I was a little concerned because I really didn’t like the opening page–the style concerned me.  But the idea that dust and fog were so pervasive in London that it cast a haze over everything was pretty interesting.  Especially when he says that explains the state of London artistry–soft and fuzzy because of the haze.

Then he moves on to himself.  His family was pretty traditional–his father was a policeman.  He was not interested in school and a normal career. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Stuart Gibbs–Spy School (2012)

Posted in Adventure, Brothers Osborne, Children's Books, Coronavirus, Death, Funny (ha ha), Guns, Mysteries, Mystery, Ninjas, Quarantine, Richard Thompson, Robbery, Set at School, Spies, Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts, Tiny Desk Concert, Violence on June 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: BROTHERS OSBORNE-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #215 (May 26, 2021).

If Brothers Osborne were an instrumental band I’d really like them. Lead guitarist John Osborne is an amazing player whose riffs are amazing and even though they sound pretty country, he’s amazing to watch.

But when T.J. Osborne starts singing, you understand why they wear cowboy hats.

For their Tiny Desk (home) concert… Brothers Osborne–a country duo that’s long challenged the conventions of country and still managed to top the charts–scale to fit the setting – John’s wood-panelled Nashville living room furnished with plenty of guitars and a tiny desk featuring a Maryland flag mug – but refuse to dial down the intensity.

They open with “Muskrat Greene,” the instrumental that is so impressive.  T.J.’s guitar licks are flying, Adam Box’s drums keep a tight martial pace (and the drum sound is fantastic) and the song never lets up.  I love the backwards guitar part in the middle along with some cool keyboard soloing from Gabe Dixon.

Opening with the explosive instrumental track “Muskrat Greene,” Brothers Osborne and their collaborators use their set to showcase the very best of Skeletons. As on the record, they transition immediately into “Dead Man’s Curve,” a track that’s the ideal interplay between John’s fiery guitar and T.J.’s singular vocal stylings.

After two and a half minutes they segue into “Dead Man’s Curve” which sounds like a pretty great rockin’ roots song.  The main riff after the chorus is spectacular and T.J.’s solo smokes.  I’d like to hear it with different vocals.

“I’m Not for Everyone” is where the set falters for me.  It is such a standard country song–anthemic and familiar–I’m sure it sounds exactly like some other country song.  I might enjoy it more as a cover because the lyrics are pretty funny (country music self-deprecation).  The addition of “local legend” Matt Heasley on accordion is a nice touch.

“Skeletons” opens with some muted acoustic guitar from T.J. and some nice slide guitar work from Jason Graumlich.  Once again, if this song didn’t feel so “country” I would really like it.  Musically it’s solid (John gets another great solo) and lyrically it’s quite clever.  I just don’t like the vocal style.  When I imagine Richard Thompson singing it, I like it a lot better.

“Hatin’ Somebody” (never got nobody nowhere) ends the set with more clever lyrics.  This time John uses the slide for some more great guitar work.  The song has a fun riff and Pete Sternberg’s bass keeps the low end solid.  But the song is just too country for me.

I do appreciate how much fun they are having though.

[READ: June 1, 2021] Spy School

I read Gibbs’ Charlie Thorne books recently and really enjoyed them, so I thought it would be fun to check out his earlier series Spy School (which C. had read a few years ago and really liked).

This story had the same kind of clever wit as the Charlie Thorne books, which I greatly appreciated.  It was also a pretty exciting story.

It starts in the middle of nowhere.  Well, actually in the middle of Ben Ripley’s house.  Where, out of nowhere, a Federal agent has just told him that he has been accepted into spy school.  They’ve had their eyes on him for a while. He did wonderfully on the STIQ exams.  What are they?  He doesn’t remember taking them.

Standardized Test Inserted Questions.  The CIA places them in every standardized test to asses potential espionage aptitude.  You’ve gotten every one right since third grade.

So that’s pretty wild.  Of course everything about Spy school is secret so he can’t even tell his parents or his best friend. They al think he’s going to a super brainy nerdy math school (Ben is a super brainy math nerd after all).

The agent, Alexander Hale, is so cool, Ben can’t wait to hang out with him.  But when Alexander drops him off at school things are not good.  The whole school is under red alert–there seems to have been a security breach.  And Ben is now a target.  Why? because even the enemy has heard about him. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Richard Thompson (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, January 18, 2020)

Posted in Fairport Convention, Linda Thompson, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, Richard Thompson on January 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 18, 2020] Richard Thompson

After seeing Richard Thompson back in 2016 (three times in a short span) I decided I could take a break from seeing him a bit.  Although when he announced an electric trio tour I was really excited to check it out.  Sadly, I couldn’t make that show.  But when he announced another show at McCarter (I believe his 20th show there?) I figured it had been four years and was time to see him again.

This was my tenth time seeing Richard Thompson (first time in 1997).  I tend to focus a lot on the songs that Richard plays at every show.  I’m sure I’ve seen “Beeswing” and “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” ten times.  But in this set he played 13 songs that I hadn’t seen in at least the previous two shows and that’s pretty awesome.

We had some amazing seats (center stage about eight rows back) and we could see his fretwork absolutely clearly. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Madeleine Schwartz–“Nell Zink’s Satire Raises the Stakes” (New Yorker, September 2, 2019).

Posted in Badfinger, Book Reviews, Corporate skewering, Fred Frith, French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson, Funny (ha ha), Hakim Conrad Archuletta, Jonathan Franzen, Linda Thompson, Madeleine Schwartz, Nell Zink, New Yorker, Poetry, Poets, Political Humor, Religion, Richard Thompson, Ruins, Sufism, War on September 7, 2019| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: FRENCH, FRITH, KAISER, THOMPSON-“Bird in God’s Garden/Lost and Found” (1987).

The words are a poem by Rumi.   It is a slow droney song that is primarily drums from John French.  Thompson sings in his quieter style.

There are several different versions of this song. There’s an earlier unreleased version with Richard & Linda Thompson that is much quieter.  I especially like this version because after every other verse they brighten things up with a dramatic five note string riff (or maybe it’s Kaiser on the sanshin) that seems to come out of nowhere.

They spice up the middle of the song with a rollicking traditional Irish sounding fiddle melody from Fred Frith’s “Lost and Found.”  (Frith plays violin).  It adds a bit of zing to an otherwise dirgey song.

After about three minutes of the slow thumping there’s a wonderfully rocking instrumental section complete with fiddles and bass playing some wild melodies.

It was recorded on the album Live, Love, Larf and Loaf and also appears on Thompson’s collection Watching the Dark (1993).

[READ: September 1, 2019] “Nell Zink’s Satire Raises the Stakes”

I have really enjoyed the Nell Zink books that I’ve read. I’ve even read an excerpt from Doxology, the book that’s reviewed in this essay.

What I like about this essay though is the summations of her writing and her earlier books.

Schwartz says that Zink looks at life from the fringes.  She then summarizes her three impossible to summarize books in simple and amusing fashion: (more…)

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »