Seen & Heard vol. 3

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 – Citizen Cope at Center Stage Theater (Atlanta, GA)

I know that the ladies love cool James, but they also have an affinity for Clarence Greenwood.  Maybe not his guitar playing, but his unmistakable, bluesy voice and delivery had the predominantly female crowd paying attention to every lyric.  Enough that the women sitting across the aisle “shushed” me for talking during a song early in the set.  However that all changed when a man sitting about 5 rows back from the stage got the audience participating with hand claps on the 2004 song and crowd favorite, "Bullet and a Target".   But hand clapping was about all we would get for beats at this show.  Even though the show was billed as solo acoustic, based on the fun rhythms of a lot of the songs in his catalog, I was surprised that he did not use more looping or a drum machine.  Instead he treated the 400+ in attendance to his honest, well thought out tunes and focusing on the lyrics.

As a visitor in Georgia and seeing my first show, it was at no surprise that Mr. Greenwood worked a veteran move by making local references.  He discussed how he had recorded songs off his 2002 debut album (“Citizen Cope”) 30 miles outside of Atlanta in Alpharetta.  He also talked about his previous life of being a “ticket scalper” and how a night in an Atlanta jail led to his song “Salvation”.   Other highlights of the show included “Son’s Gonna Rise” and “Healing Hands”. 

And for the record the man in the 5^th row never sat down again for the rest of the show.  Thank you Rival Entertainment in Atlanta for the tickets.

THURSDAY, MAY 12 – Avett Brothers at Stage AE (Pittsburgh, PA)

When I first moved to Pittsburgh, my wife worked at Schenley High School where we had fun watching DeJuan Blair lead Schenley to the 2007 state basketball championship.  It was also very cool to see him playing in a NBA game for the San Antonio Spurs in 2009.  Similarly, it was an amazing experience to once see the Avett Brothers play at Club Café in 2004 and then in 2016 to a sold out show outside at Stage AE.

I know the band has not been a 3-piece since cellist Joe Kwon joined the band in 2007, but the band has really expanded.  Now appearing with a drummer, piano/organist and fiddle player (making the Brothers a party of 6), the band’s sound has magnified for a classic like “Talk of Indolence” and the new foot-stomping, hand-clapping “Ain’t No Man”.  That does not mean the band has forgotten their roots, since they are still not your grandfather’s bluegrass music.  The band also impressed me with 2012’s “Down with the Shine” and another fresh jam called “True Sadness”.  Considering that the new album is not scheduled to be released until June 2016, it was fun seeing the crowd throughout the venue singing along to every song.

So after a solid night of music, I am excited to see what the album brings for the Avett Brothers in 2016.  They joked throughout the evening that they would retire and play Pittsburgh every weekend, but I believe a day off in one of their adopted “favorite” cities will have to suffice.

Hard to believe that this was the first concert I attended with my wife since we saw Smokey Robinson together in September 2014, but maybe being treated like royalty by the staff at venue and getting a solid show from a band that is now been playing live since 2000, will get us both out more as we approach the summer concert season.

SATURDAY, MAY 21 – The Milk Carton Kids at Carnegie Lecture Hall (Pittsburgh, PA)

Like a Mitchell & Ness throwback, warm-up jacket in hip-hop, The Milk Carton Kids stepped onto the stage last night as if they were ready to perform on the WWVA-1170 AM Wheeling, WV  “Jamboree” radio program.  Comparing themselves to Simon & Garfunkel before anyone else in the crowd could, the band with their stripped-down equipment of two acoustic guitars, one microphone and a mysterious bag sitting on a stool launched into a 75 minute set with what I thought was well-rehearsed stage banter, but filling in “Pittsburgh” in all of the right spots.

I was initially introduced to the band by way of their regularly performed, closing cover song of the Pink Floyd classic, “Wish You Were Here”, and was extremely interested to see them live with Jon H. when he approached me back in December 2015 to see the Grammy Award winning duo.

In fact, is not too often when a band plays an ideal venue.  And with approximately 500 loyal-listening fans in attendance the very Everly Brothers-esque duo entertained at a lecture hall turned theater style setting into a fantastic place to hear live music.  Songs that stood out were “Honey Honey” and “Memphis” which both appear on their 2013 record, ‘The Ash & Clay’.  And speaking of the city of Memphis, their overall performance reminded me of what is now known as the "Million Dollar Quartet" - the impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash from December 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, TN.

Touring in support of 2015's “Monterey”,  I will be interested to check out the next chess move by TMCK as they navigate the current landscape of neo-folk music.

Thank you for reading!

8 Hour Work Day.

I had a moment recently where my 20 year old self would have laughed at my 40 year old self.  It occurred when I realized just how excited I was to have seats for a show that I attended in March.  I also have to admit that at that same moment, I was admiring the contour of the wall and how it deflected some of the volume of the band onstage.   In defense of my 40 year old self, I like to think that going to concerts keeps me feeling young.  I am not looking to recapture my youth through long boisterous nights on the town but I am striving to find a “work / life balance”.   Even though I have been behind the scenes of the music industry for close to 20 years, the act of seeing live music can still be a great, care-free release.  And as I try to navigate the waters of my life at 40, I have been finding myself wondering if I share any personality traits with Peter Pan, the legendary character created by Scottish novelist J. M. Barrie.

Clearly I am not the only associating The Lost Boys (and not the 1987 Thriller/Teen film of the same name) with the world of music.   Peter Pan, the character, is a mischievous boy who can fly and never grows up.  I worked/toured with bands for over 2 years and it was exhilarating not being in an office.  Not having a regular 9-to-5 job was not lost on me.  The freedom of making my own hours and meeting new people out at shows 5-7 nights per week never got old but there was also the reality of not knowing when I would receive my next paycheck.  Not surprisingly a popular music joke is:  

Child: “Mom, when I grow up, I’d like to be a musician.” 

Mother: “You can’t do both.”

Most recently I heard a Peter Pan connection in Ruth B’s 2015 song, “Lost Boy”.  The lyrics “Neverland is home to lost boys like me / And lost boys like me are free”.  It also jogged my memory for Edwin McCain’s 2004 song, “Farewell to Tinkerbell” in which the protagonist in the song is desperately trying to convince himself that he has grown up.  Although I am still searching for my ideal “work / life balance”, I would like to think that I am close.  On Thursday, May 12, I will be a fan at the Avett Brothers concert at Stage AE where I will be joining the “kids” on the lawn and then on Friday, May 13 I will be earning a steady income working onsite for the Dierks Bentley show at First Niagara Pavilion.   Now if I can only remind myself why a current United States Senator once said, “Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.”

Thanks for reading. 

The SATs.

I struggled with the analogy section on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). You viewed a pair of words, and then you were asked to choose from five other pairs of words which relationship most closely resembled that of the first pair.   For example, “Paltry is to significance as _______ is to _________.” where the blanks are the two words in one of the answer choices.

PALTRY : SIGNIFICANCE

A. redundant : discussion

B. austere : landscape

C. opulent : wealth

D. oblique : familiarity

E. banal : originality

For those scoring at home, the correct answer is E.  Now in light of the recent death of Prince, and listening to his music, I am left thinking about a musical analogy.  SouthSide Johnny & the Asbury Jukes is to Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band as Morris Day and The Time is to Prince.  The sound (a mix of soul & rock n roll), home cities (Minneapolis, MN & Asbury Park, NJ respectively) and of course multiple collaborations (live and in the studio).  I do not think these are examples of emulation or that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  To say the least, the music left behind by Prince and the catalog of songs that continue to live with Springsteen are on another level.  However, I believe that there can be a time and place in which music can do something more than overlap. 

There has always been talk of there being a “Seattle sound” (aka grunge music) which revolved around Seattle's independent record label Sub Pop, but if you look at the different bands of that 1990s era, they do not embody the same analogy. I do not believe that Nirvana's “Nevermind”, Pearl Jam's “Ten”, Soundgarden's “Badmotorfinger” or Alice in Chains' “Dirt” fit together like Bruce Springsteen does on the Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes 1991 album, “Better Days” or even the Prince produced Morris Day and The Time’s 1981 album “The Time”. 

When I listen to the song, “Cool” and close my eyes, I feel that I could be listening to Prince.  I am now unable to listen to Sinead O’Connor’s version of “Nothing Compares 2 U” without thinking of the Prince (with Rosie Gaines) version that was eventually released.  Then there is the seamlessness of Springsteen & SouthSide John Lyon’s voices on “It’s Been a Long Time”  and knowing that they each happily know the next line coming in the song.  Or that it will never be too long before they both grace the stage at the legendary Stone Pony.

I will never know why Morris Day and John Lyon did not reach the same heights as their musical counterparts, but in light of their being so many tribute bands around these days, it is nice to know that the music will live on.  And of course to bring it full circle, Bruce Springsteen opened his recent performance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with Prince’s epic song, “Purple Rain”.  RIP – Prince Rogers Nelson. 

           

Thanks for reading.

Putting the band back together.

"The Only Living Boy inNew York", a song that I have grown to love from the soundtrack of “Garden State”, was Paul Simon's not-so-veiled breakup song with Art Garfunkel. "Tom, get your plane ride on time; I know your part will go fine" specifically referencing Garfunkel (their original group name was Tom and Jerry) taking off for a movie role, leaving Simon to work on material for ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by himself.   Some music critics believe this incident is what caused their musical separation.  Unfortunately, money can also contribute to the reasons bands break up.   But there are also the clichés, like “creative differences” or “clashing personalities” that contribute to a band's demise.  And for some artists, after years of not being in a band, finding satisfaction in reuniting can be easier for some and not others. 

I had a reunion with my friends in late February in Washington DC and music (as usual) was a constant topic of conversation.   Discussions began on bands from our college days like The Empty’s or G. Love & Special Sauce, then shifted to new music.  My friends and I are always trying to one-up each other (possibly to prove that we are still in the know) and bands like the Allah Las (Los Angeles, CA band channeling The Doors) or Twin Peaks (Chicago, IL band channeling the Rolling Stones) came up in conversation (well done Jason F.).  These new artists are hopefully years away from a reunion tour, but an article from PerfectSoundForever reads, “for as long as there have been musical eras that inevitably expire, there have been band reunions”.  So while we continued to banter about old and new music, I started thinking about which defunct bands, I would pay to see on a reunion tour.

Unlike many rock bands from the 1970s who have a constantly changing roster of musicians, Led Zeppelin has only ever had four members: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. When drummer Bonham died in 1980 the remaining members decided to break up.  However, in 2007, Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham’s son Jason came together for a one-off charity show at London’s O2 Arena. More recently, Guns N' Roses has confirmed an upcoming reunion tour with members of the band's classic lineup Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan.  The party kicked off at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA this past Friday but to quote Art Tavana of the LA WEEKLY, it is too early to tell how long this “chapter will last”.  

Do the bands need to worry that these reunions will only represent a shell of what the band once was?  Many music critics have still not forgiven the Pixies for EP1-EP3 or the Outkast reunion tour in which Andre 3000 admitted to "peddling" songs in his 30s that he originally recorded as a teenager.  I know not all reunion shows can be as successful as “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead" at Chicago's Soldier Field this past July 2015, so it is definitely challenging to remain positive. 

I would also be remiss if I did not mention the fact that the Replacements could not keep it together long enough on their “reunion tour” for the Pittsburgh date this past May 2015.   Now I just need to decide if I want to see Living Colour at Altar Bar on Wednesday, April 13 or be content to know that nothing will top their Ritz Theatre sets from the late 1980s.

Thanks for reading.

Seen & Heard vol. 2

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16 – Dr. Dog with The Districts at Stage AE (Pittsburgh, PA)

Perched in what I will affectionately call the Statler and Waldorf seats, I had the chance to see two bands I have liked from afar for the very first time.  In fact, not since Max Talbot was cheered wearing a Flyers jersey upon his return to Pittsburgh in 2011, has anything from Philadelphia gotten as many cheers in the Steel City!   On the very same night in which The Who was playing CONSOL Energy Center we got all the rock ‘n roll distortion that we needed at Stage AE.  The Districts loved their pedals, and highlighted their set with the songs “Long Distance” and their closing jam on “Young Blood” which resulted in lead guitarist Pat Cassidy hanging his guitar on his amplifier.  It was great to see the opening band play to a big, appreciative crowd and I believe the headliner heard the encore chants and came out swinging.  

Not to be outdone, the dueling lead vocals of Toby Leaman (vocals & bass guitar) & Scott McMicken (vocals & lead guitar) of Dr. Dog kept me on my toes for their entire set.  Knowing songs but not too many actual song titles, I was hoping for setlist.fm to populate in front of me during the show but that would have diverted my attention from the music taking place in front of me.  I really enjoyed the layers of instrumentation, the band’s contagious energy and the musical quirkiness that is Dr. Dog.  “That Old Black Hole” was a song that I recognized and that jumped out at me and overall, it is quite possible that those in attendance might have witnessed an early-frontrunner for concert of the year.   

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 – Galactic at Rex Theatre (Pittsburgh, PA)

Being a touring musician can be a grind, however, the core of musicians that make up the band Galactic has largely remained intact for two decades.  The band has released over 10 albums and can annually be found headlining a stage at Jazz Fest in New Orleans when not touring.  However, there was something about their recent performance at the Rex Theater that did not allow me to make a connection with the music.

The version of the band that I saw, while extremely talented, still had me racking my brain for what I really wanted to be hearing.  Coming right out of the gate with a funk jam that got the sold out crowd moving, the band’s set seemed to cool off just as quickly when they added vocals.  I knew it would not be a full instrumental set, but I believe that is where the band was at its best last night.  Drummer Stanton Moore, keyboardist Rich Vogel, saxophonist Ben Ellman and arguably the only rapping trombonist, Corey Henry lit up the room with their solos. 

These observations led my friend J.J. and I to contemplate how many bands/artists do you want to go see perform live after years since hearing them for the very first time?  It has been 19 years for me since first hearing the funky beats from the song “Go Go” at a record store in New Orleans.   And while Galactic continues to be a great band and evolve (check out their new single “Into The Deep” from their new album of the same name) there is part of me that wished that I had passed my tickets along to the kids outside who were looking to capture their first Galactic moment.  

Thanks for reading.  RIP - Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor. 

Don’t quit your day job.

Am I the only person who has ever wondered what Fred Flinstone was listening to as he hopped into his car after a long day as a "bronto crane operator" at Slate Rock and Gravel Company?  I like to think that he was hearing Workingman's Dead, the fifth album by the band the Grateful Dead.   According to one interview with legendary front man Jerry Garcia, the title of the album comes from the band returning to the Pacific High Recording Studio in San Francisco to record the album in nine days, after taking approximately 7 months of studio sessions to record the album's predecessor, "Aoxomoxoa".  And on some days, maybe Mr. Flinstone was hearing the Rush song, "Working Man" which includes the lyrics, "I get up at seven, yeah/And I go to work at nine/I got no time for livin'/Yes, I'm workin' all the time".   There are many artists who work extremely hard to become full-time musicians: some wearing many hats to get there and others who show a diverse skill set to maintain their place in the world of music.

My friend Jeff S. called Stone Gossard the working man’s musician.  Primarily known as the rhythm and lead guitarist for Pearl Jam, but he is also a songwriter.  8 of the 11 tracks on Pearl Jam's debut album, "Ten", were musically written or co-written by Gossard, including "Alive" & "Even Flow".   Gossard is also a lyricist.  He penned the "Yield" song "All Those Yesterdays" and the "Binaural" song "Thin Air".   Not limited to being in the spotlight, Gossard's credits also include working as a producer.  His most notable production roles with the bands Satchel, Green Apple Quick Step and Critters Buggin’.  And to top it off, all of his production work comes from within the walls of his own recording studio, the prestigious Studio Litho, in Seattle which still operates today, with Gossard as the owner.

I also think of Ahmir Khalib “?uestlove” Thompson who has written, performed and produced for his own Grammy Award winning band The Roots.  Known for a jazzy and eclectic approach to hip-hop featuring live musical instruments, The Roots have risen from the streets of Philadelphia (a well-intended nod to blue collar musician Bruce Springsteen) to record a Top 40 song,  "You Got Me" and are now the house band on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  And although he is best known as the drummer and joint front man, Thompson also works as a DJ, journalist, arranger and record producer.  He has produced for such heavy-hitting artists including Elvis Costello, Erykah Badu and Jay-Z.  He has also played drums on John Mayer's song "Clarity" and he has arranged and drummed on Joss Stone's cover of the White Stripes' "Fell in Love with a Girl".

It appears that it is this non-stop work ethic that separates those musicians just happy to create their own music and those driven to take it to another level.  Those artists willing to recreate themselves and lend a hand to all parts of the music making process.  “Yabba-Dabba Do”. 

Thanks for reading.

Super Bowl halftime show.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were on their way to winning their first Stanley Cup in Bloomington, MN on the night of May 25, 1991.  At the same time, 872 miles away at the Coca Cola Star Lake Amphitheatre in Burgettstown, PA, AC DC’s lead vocalist Brian Johnson stopped mid-song to announce that the Penguins had a 6-0 lead in a clinching Game 6 to an already excited crowd of Pittsburgh sports fans.  On Saturday night, January 16, 2016 at CONSOL Energy Center (also in Pittsburgh, PA), the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show was “delayed” 25 minutes until the completion of the New England Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs AFC Divisional Playoff Game.  Sometimes, the world of sports and music intersect each other without trying.

I know that there is typically a lot of anticipation for the artists/bands asked to perform at the Super Bowl or when athletes join bands.  Who can forget the late Wayman Tisdale, one-time professional basketball player in the NBA who turned into a smooth jazz bass guitarist?  Also in the world of jazz, former baseball player Bernie Williams is a classically trained guitarist who has released two jazz albums and nominated for a Latin Grammy.  Not leaving the diamond, pitchers Jack McDowell and Bronson Arroyo, both past and current Major Leaguers, book shows and play guitar both as solo performers and with bands.  I would also be remiss if I did not mention the music career of Shaquille O’Neal.  In addition to his basketball career, O'Neal has released four rap albums with his first ‘Shaq Diesel’ going platinum and gifting us with the lyrics, “In other words you better make a funky decision/Because I'm a be a Shaq knife and cut you with precision”.

On the flip side, Boyd Tinsley who is certainly most known for being the violinist of the Dave Matthews Band plays tennis. He has his own tournament, the Women's Clay Court Classic held annually in Charlottesville, VA and once played doubles with John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.     There was also Percy “Master P” Miller’s short lived career as a professional basketball player for both the Charlotte Hornets during the 1998 pre-season, and the Toronto Raptors in 1999 pre-season.  Jack Johnson meanwhile is known for being a singer-songwriter, but before giving the world “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” he was sponsored by Quicksilver and entering prestigious competitions for surfers.

I am happy that there is synergy between music and sports.  I am always wondering what players are listening to on their headphones pre-game when the cameras show them entering an unnamed arena.  And it has been a lot of fun to play in pick-up basketball games with band members on the hoops sometimes set-up outside of live music venues.  As people, we need more than basic knowledge to be successful in the paths that we have chosen. And according to the University of Rochester (NY) Medical Center, “a full and productive life also requires social skills, discipline, cooperation, and creative thinking. These are all learned from the training involved with sports and music. . .”.

Thanks for reading.