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Archive for the ‘WFMU 91.9 FM–Jersey City, NJ’ Category

Heron Oblivion (Monty Hall, Jersey City, NJ, December 6, 2018)

Posted in Garcia Peoples, Heron Oblivion, Jersey City, NJ, Monty Hall, Mountain Movers, Psychrock, WFMU 91.9 FM--Jersey City, NJ on December 6, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 6, 2018] Heron Oblivion

I had tickets to a different show this evening, but when I saw that Heron Oblivion, whom I’d assumed was no more, were playing a show in Jersey City, I gave up on the other show and headed to JC.

I liked the Heron Oblivion album a lot–screaming guitars, catchy melodies–although I realized I didn’t know what any of the band looked like.  So during the opening bands, when a guy excused himself as he snuck by me to put some devices on the stage (Recording? I assume.  He took them away for his set), I had no idea he was the bassist for Heron Oblivion.

Heron Oblivion is considered a supergroup, although I didn’t know any of the bands that the musicians came from. I just knew that I loved the record–the washes of feedback and guitars, the great basswork and the way the band scaled down to let the vocals shine through.  I also hadn’t heard the term psychrock specifically before, but the band perfectly encapsulates it. (more…)

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Evan Dando (Monty Hall, Jersey City, NJ, October 1, 2018)

Posted in Elvis Costello, Evan Dando, Hair, Jersey City, NJ, John Prine, Lucinda Williams, Mary Lou Lord, Misfits, Monty Hall, Nick Cave, NRBQ, Rolling Stone, Smudge, The Bevis Frond, The Jayhawks, The Replacements, Townes Van Zandt, Victoria Williams, WFMU 91.9 FM--Jersey City, NJ on October 1, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2018] Evan Dando

Back in 2015 I saw that Evan Dando was playing at the New Hope Winery.  I had no idea that there was a concert venue so close to me and that Evan Dando would be there.  For some reason, I was unable to make that show, (Thurston Moore was also playing there around that time and I couldn’t make that either, so we must have been away).

Since then I have monitored the Winery to see what other cool bands would be playing there.  Sadly, pretty much since that day, aside from Dar Williams (who is awesome) everyone playing there is a cover band.  Which sucks.

I have loved The Lemonheads since college and It’s a Shame About Ray is a stellar album.  I’d never seen him play, so when I saw he had announced one show (which has since turned into a small tour) at Monty Hall in Jersey City, I knew I had to go.

Evan came out pretty late by any standard.  But I wasn’t even sure if he was going to show up.  He seemed surprisingly discombobulated (he forgot his capo) and it took a pretty long time or him to get set up.  This was all fairly surprising since he’d been doing this forever.

He had a total artist look: pants that were filthy and a suit jacket that had a giant rip under the armpit (and which seemed too small for him).

He was wearing glittery flip flops!  (more…)

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The Sensational Country Blues Wonders (Monty Hall, Jersey City, NJ, October 1, 2018) [EVAN DANDO]

Posted in Evan Dando, Monty Hall, The Sensational Country Blues Wonders, WFMU 91.9 FM--Jersey City, NJ on October 1, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2018] The Sensational Country Blues Wonders

Evan Dando announced he would be playing a show at WFMU’s Monty Hall and it was so under-hyped that it was easy to miss.

Incidentally I love the name of this venue.  It’s funny to name it after the TV personality.  But it works because it’s on Montgomery Street.  So clever!

The show was announced with such short notice (two weeks, maybe) that I assumed there would be no opening act.  And then suddenly there was one, The Sensational Country Blues Wonders.

Right there in the name of the band was two genres of music I do not like all that much.  That didn’t bode well.

The trio (there’s normally a second guitarist apparently) got up on stage with John Warren (upright bass) wearing a porkpie hat, with the electric guitarist (either Malcolm Marsden or Jeff Sutton) wearing a beret (and looking a bit like David Crosby) and with lead singer and acoustic guitarist Gary Van Miert dressed as a real, old-fashioned country singer.

After a deliberate pause, Van Miert stepped up to the mic and in a real old-fashioned cowboy/preacher voice, he proclaimed “We are The Sensational Country Blues Wonders.”  They proceeded to play ten fanatics old-fashioned sounding country/blues/gospel songs.

And after two songs I was agreeing that they were sensational.  There’s no way that I should enjoy a band with this name playing this kind of music  But they sounded fantastic and had great stage presence.

Their bio says

“The Sensational Country Blues Wonders!” are a band that replicates the original instrumental lineup of acoustic rhythm guitar, electric lead guitar and upright acoustic bass used on the first rock and roll records recorded by Elvis Presley at Sun Studio. The “Wonders” are a group that has it’s own unique interpretation of American Roots Music – classic Country music from the fifties and sixties, down home spiritual songs from the Golden Age of Gospel, and time-honored Blues numbers that go back to the greats hailing from Mississippi and Chicago. We combine all these elements to create a “one of a kind” musical experience! 

The first song “Where is the Road That Leads Home” was so spot-on I as was sure that it was an old song but apparently all of their songs are original.  Van Miert’s voice was just perfect for this style of song–sharp and direct with a bit of a twang.

The second song “Mean Woman Blues” was a little questionable at this moment in history, except that the end of each chorus was “she may even be as mean as me.”

What was so interesting about the music was that it sounded like country and blues at the same time. The solos were all very bluesy and he played solos almost through the whole song, even though the sonsg proper sounded like country songs.

The humor continued with “My Baby Stabbed Me with a Steak Knife” and the delightfully profane “I’m Afraid of Every Goddam Thing”

A little later in the set Van Miert again complained “We are The Sensational Country Blues Wonders.  And don’y you forget it.”

As they got near the end of the set I was flagging a little (that’s a lot of counrty for me, although it was actually some of the more bluesy songs that I was most bored by (“Baby Blues” is pretty dull)) but when their song “Second Fiddle segued into “Folsom Prison Blues” I perked right up.

Their version was great.  And although he didn’t sound anything like Johnny Cash, he had the perfect voice for the song.

Before playing the final song, Van Miert said in his normal speaking voice (which hilariously sounded totally New York/New Jersey (they are based in jersey City) that he was really grateful that we came out to see them. And then he was right back in character for the final song.

After the show, he handed out Sensational Country Blues Wonders pins to anyone who wanted one (which I did).

It was delightfully fun surprise.

SETLIST

The Road That Leads Home
Mean Woman Blues
My Baby Stabbed Me with a Steak Knife
I’m Afraid of Every Goddam Thing
I Can Hear the Music Play
Baby Blues
I Won’t Change Anything
Kansas City
Second Fiddle/Folsom Prison Blues
One Night

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Clifford Riley–Operation Trinity [The 39 Clues: Cahill Files #1] (2012)

Posted in Adventure, Clifford Riley, Death, Fears, Greed, History, Jan Van Eyck, Mystery, Religion, Short Books, Spies, Threats, Travel, Violence, WFMU 91.9 FM--Jersey City, NJ on August 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

trinitySOUNDTRACK: GREASY KID STUFF–WFMU 91.9, New York City (1997-2006).

grekidIn my vast exploration of Greasy Kid Stuff (seriously, at least 15 minutes at work), I found the WFMU website.  It turns out that Greasy Kid Stuff, the radio show broadcast weekly from WFMU from 1997 until 2006.  Then they moved to Portland and couldn’t manage the remote connections properly, so the show ended on WFMU.

The good news is that you can hear weekly playlists of all of the shows from 2000-2006 on the playlist page.  They have playlists that date back to the beginning, but there’s only audio starting in 2000.  The bad news is that you the shows are all archived in Real Audio.  Which, I don’t know, may or may not really work anymore.

But for a historical look at a funny and weird kids show check out the archives, and if you still have Real Player, give it a listen.

[READ: June 17, 2014] Operation Trinity

The Cahill Files were a series of “books from the vault” of the Cahill family.  They were originally released as e-books and some of them have been collected as print books.  The first was Operation Trinity.  And like Vespers Rising, it chronicles the history of the Cahill Family.

The story is broken into three parts, each one chronicling the “life” of a painting.  The painting in question is Jan Van Eyck’s altarpiece (see bottom of post for picture of it). The first part is set in Ghent in 1566.  In reality, the painting was finished in the 15th century and was installed in the Saint Bavo Cathedral.

The story follows Matheus Jacobs, an ordinary, some might say even less than ordinary, boy whose family doesn’t seem to think all that much of him.  Until one day when his mother says that she wants him to become an altar boy so he can protect this altarpiece from the Vespers.  (His father doesn’t think he is worthy, but she disagrees).  He doesn’t know why his mother chose him, or what his mother has to do with anything like this, until she reveals that she can speak several languages and is well versed in the history of the Vespers.  He rides his untrusty mule to the church, where he marvels at the beautiful painting.

He soon meets Father Gerard who sends him on an errand.  While away, he hears a man inciting a mob against the church.  The mob grows incensed, as mobs do, and sets out trying to weed out the Catholics in the village.  Matheus is freaked because they are heading for his home village.  And when he arrives, he sees that the mob is trying to burn down his house.  In the fracas, one of his family members is killed, and the rest of his family insist that he head back to the protect the altarpiece because the Vespers are behind the mob and they are headed for the church. (more…)

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