Audio Nerdvana

So after a long hiatus I am back and live on the internets.
I will not close this blog ever again, because if what I comment on here is reason for people to try to do me real harm, then "bring it".

So I'm on vacation and I'm geeking out over some new audio gear. The two photos are of the system - pre-upgrade - and I'll post new pics as soon as the new speakers arrive. Some folks have guns. Some folks have planes, trains and automobiles. Some have boats. Some do art. I do audio/video/music/movies and tech.

Anyway, last night I was rediscovering some of my music through a pair of speakers I'm demoing and I discovered a hidden psychedelic gem of a tune by John Hiatt. It's called "Further Stars" and it's from his 2001 album "The Tiki Bar is Open" .

It's not what you'd expect from John if you know any of his hits like "Drive South", "Have a Little Faith in Me", or "Thing Called Love".

I recommend it highly. This live video doesn't do the studio version justice, but maybe you'll be intrigued.

While we're on the subject of unexpected sounds, Pentatonix, the 21st Century Acapella quintet Supreme, covered Gotye's "Somebody That I used to Know" and their rendition is amazing. Again, I highly recommend it.

This time the video is great. I think a hi-def download of this would be killer on a decent system.

And in closing, I seem to discover just how good something is when it comes up in a genius mix while we're travelling. I just can't seem to get enough of the pop/rock sound Neon Trees serves up on their album "Picture Show". Here is a guilty pleasure that I always crank right up. It's called "Mad Love". Audio only, but it's all you really need.
Enjoy peoples!

New Music

So I caved in and ordered HiFi on my Telus Optic TV subscription.  They gave it to us for free over Christmas and sure enough I was hooked like a weekend cocaine addict.  Marketers and Drug Dealers - soulless devils!

I basically subscribed so I can watch "Later...With Jools Holland".  Weekly he hosts an eclectic (truly worthy example of how that word should be used) line up of musical acts.

A couple of weeks ago the band whose CD art graces this blog were on.  So was Bryan Ferry - seminal leader of the '80's art rock mega-band Roxy Music.  I'm a big fan of Ferry and Roxy so imagine my dismayed delight when Two Door Cinema Club wiped the studio floor with them!

TDCC is a thoroughly up to date quartet who embody '80's pop sensibilities with 21st century skill and technical prowess.  Think Devo meets Metric and you might be getting warm.  The tunes are tight, precise, frenetic, crafted, ironic, jaw dropping in execution and fun!  It's a combination at once familiar and wholly unlike anything I've ever heard - and I've heard a lot!

So get your Google on and check them out.  Summer is awkwardly shambling towards us and we all need some tunes to bop the winter blues away.  TDCC could be your ticket to a summer double-feature fun-fest.

Shalom

New Music - To Me

If you've been following this blog you'll know that one of my passions is music.  Recently I did something luxurious and a bit unusual.  I walked into HMV and browsed for some new CD's.  Now you can check out my archives here and find me giving HMV a pretty hard time.  I've been frustrated in the past with not being able to find titles I'm looking for, or not getting good service, but this time it was different.  And although I'm still not convinced that music retailing is experiencing a new renaissance, I will admit I had a pretty good time this time, and I may be back.  Good assistance; opportunity to hear stuff before I bought it; and for once it seemed they had some stuff I was interested in.  HMV at the Mall in Medicine Hat - thank you.

Now to the new titles:

Recently my brother in Christ, Kevin, has been trying to educate me in the spectacular virtuosity of one Joe Satriani.  OK - so I'm really late to the dance here, but I am impressed.  I just picked up "The Essential Satriani" two disc compilation and al I can say is "WOW"!  For those of you out there "in the know" I accept your derisive sniggering.  I deserve it.  If you can appreciate guitar virtuosity, musical genius, hard rock stylings and instrumental as opposed to lyric-based music then dive on in.  The music is fine.  Try track 9 on disc 2 - "If I Could Fly" and just go from there.

Levon Helm passed away recently - April 19.  His seminal work with Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Rick Danko - otherwise known as "The Band" should be well known by most.  If you don't know what I'm talking about stop here, go get a copy of "Songs From Big Pink" and listen.  It's OK - I'll wait.  Levon continued making music after the Band completed "The Last Waltz", but he also pursued acting and other artistic pursuits.  Recently, Levon experienced a welcome comeback on the strength of his Grammy Award winning 2007 CD "Dirt Farmer".  I already have a copy of his follow-up Grammy Award winning 2009 CD "Electric Dirt".  I'm sorry it took me till now to rediscover his music, but I'm glad that people record stuff and make CDs.  "Dirt Farmer" is rootsier, folkier, more acoustic and bluesy than "Electric Dirt".  Think "O Brother Where Art Thou".  Still it is very well produced and hypnotic at times.  I recommend both.

Bonnie Raitt walked away with 3 Grammies in 1989 with her album "Nick of Time", and she's won more accolades since.  I admit I haven't bought one of her CDs since, but when I saw her new CD "Slipstream" in the HMV and that she had covered Gerry Rafferty's "Right Down the Line" I had to give it a try.  Her reggae influenced cover of Rafferty's tune is excellent, but what struck me overall were two things - her voice hasn't lost an iota of it's sweet and gruff presence 23 years after "Nick of Time" - and her guitar playing is even better than ever.  Maybe it's just that her producers are highlighting her guitar even more, but I found myself repeatedly being amazed by the tasty licks on this new recording.  Bluesy, playful, gritty, edgy, slick, artful, confident and fresh are just some of the ways I'd describe her playing.  The rest of the band contributes without overbearing.  Check it out - "Slipstream" is Bonnie as good as she ever gets, maybe even better!

When the Cranberries released "Everybody's Doing it So Why Can't We..." in 1993 I was 33 years old, working for Sony of Canada and fully engaged in pop culture.  I always felt I had an internal filter that helped me separate the "great" from the "everything else".  I was around music all day and I hope I was able to pick out good stuff.  "Everybody's Doing It..." was and still is great.  I can't stop pulling it out almost every time I have an extended listening session.  I know I missed 3 other really good albums from them in the 90's so I'll be doing some back catalogue buying eventually, but their new CD "Roses" is currently making me smile.

In fact, it was because the clerks at HMV let me listen to "Roses" before I bought it that I have it now.  As I said in the shop, "They made me smile by the 4th song."  It wasn't that the first 3 weren't good, it was just that on the 4th track I went "Ahhhh!"  Dolores O'Riordan's voice is as magical as ever and the band was doing that thing that only they seem to be able to do - one part Roxy Music; one part Depeche Mode; one part New Order; a hint of Steeleye Span and of course a whole lot of whatever is the Cranberries.  "Roses" is a Cranberries album in every sense of what that means that is good.  The accompanying live CD recorded in Madrid in 2010 is less compelling, mostly for sonic reasons.  It is however, a testimony to the continuing power of the Cranberries to reach their fans.  Repeatedly the concert becomes a sing-along conducted by O'Riordan and the band, but that's OK.  Still, if the Cranberries ever made you smile - they will again when you listen to "Roses".

I've been a fairly constant fan of Carlos Santana since the early 70's when I started buying my own albums.  I've worn out at least three copies of "Abraxas".  I drifted away when Carlos and John McLaughlin got a bit self-indulgent, although I do own a copy of "Welcome" which has the song "Love, Devotion and Surrender".  I came back to Santana when he covered one of my favorite Canadian songwriters - Ian Thomas - recording Thomas' "Hold On" on the 1982 album "Shango".  Since then I have let Santana wander in and out of my musical collection.  I picked up "Supernatural" (1999), "Shaman" (2002) and "All That I Am" (2005).  Now I have a copy of his 2012 release "Shape Shifter".  I have to admit that I listened to "Shape Shifter" right after having given myself a crash course in Satriani and my initial response was "Oh dear!"  But on another listen I have recovered somewhat.

"Shape Shifter" sounds more like an early Santana album than many have in recent years.  In the early years the music was melodically shaped by Carlos' guitar and by Greg Rolie's keyboards layered over,under and woven through by the rhythm section.  The 80's, 90's and 2000's saw Santana albums focused more on lyrical songs and more guitar focused instrumentation.  "Shape Shifter" has long guitar solos and equally long keyboard responses.  I hear more of the experimentation and interplay I heard in the early years.  I saw Carlos, Tom Coster (who replaced Rolie) and most of the lineup who recorded "Welcome" live in 1974 in Edmonton. The band played for over two hours without ever stopping making sound.  Each song flowed into the next. "Shape Shifter" took me back there.  And it was worth the trip.

As always, I find reason to thank God for music.  While it can be argued that a lot of music doesn't glorify God, I really believe that when musicians play with skill, creativity, genius and heart it is impossible to deny that a loving and benevolent God created all things and gave us music as a gift.  I believe that true artists who pursue truth inevitably address God because He is Truth.  I hear Truth in these new albums.  Fingerprints of God everywhere.  He is so good, and I have much to thank Him for.  Now I think I'll spin some discs and give thanks.

Shalom  

John Hiatt & Los Lobos

On Sept 3 I was privileged to enjoy an evening with John Hiatt & "The Combo" - his touring band and the guys who recorded "The Open Road" with him earlier this year - and the indefatigable Los Lobos at the Regina Casino Show Lounge.

It was a wonderful concert as far as I was concerned.

My main reason for attending was to see John live for the first time since I became a near-rabid fan of his music in the '90's (and yes, I was a bit late to the dance). John and The Combo were all I had hoped for and more. The ten song set list they played included the requisite hits like "Thing Called Love", "Drive South" and "Slow Turning".

John was in fine voice, often treating us to extended gospel-infused vocal runs at song's end with wild swoops from his gravelly alto up to the heights of his falsetto and back again. The Combo was tight, spare and focused, but also able to leg it out with authority too. Perhaps no more so than on their masterful accompaniment of John's newest blues tour de force, "Like a Freight Train". I can honestly say I've never experienced such a stunningly well-played blues song before, and that includes a night in the presence of no less than B.B. King. King, had he been with us, would have smiled his trademark grin and clapped for joy. The boys did it RIGHT!

Exit John after a guitar soaked but still moving rendition of "Have a Little Faith in Me" - a new reading that won me over even as I missed the gospel choir of what is still the best version, as far as I'm concerned, of that classic Hiatt tune.

Enter Los Lobos.

Why I haven't been a constant fan of these guys is a mystery to me. I blame commercial radio for pummeling us all with Los Lobos' version of "La Bamba" in 1987. I left the band behind after that. It's a shame because I didn't know what I was missing. Well I'm making up for lost time now.

Their new CD - "Tin Can Trust" - is a fantastic album. I like every song on it and I'm starting to love a couple of them. Nearing the top of my list is their deft cover of The Grateful Dead's "East L.A. Fade Away". While it might be too easy to call Los Lobos East L.A.'s answer to The Grateful Dead, it is (and was at the concert) obvious that these two bands are linked by more than mere genre and influence. Call them the two best sides of the Southern California experience.

It is also no small feat that the four original high school buddies are still together, along with their add-on friend, Steve Berlin, who joined them for their highly acclaimed 1984 LP "How Will The Wolf Survive" - which has earned a spot on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums list. I own a copy that I picked up at a garage sale a couple of years ago for a toonie. That might explain some of the context for what I'll be ranting about in a minute. In any case Los Lobos has stood the test of time, weathered the ups and downs of the music biz and come out better, stronger and more creative for it. Such longevity is beyond rare in their world. When it happens magic does too.

I said before that the concert was wonderful "as far as I was concerned". My only problem was the crowd. They were almost to a person

lame

Lame

LAME!

Now I've been to dozens of shows in my life and I've seen shows where the audience wasn't into it - for good reason! The artists weren't into it either. But this is one of the few times, if not the only one, where the musicians were working their butts off and the crowd was either too old, too distracted (by WHAT I wonder) or too uneducated to know what they were missing. Maybe I should have been worried when the lady DJ from 105.9 FM took nearly 5 minutes to introduce John Hiatt. This is the man who recently won the "Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwiting" from the American Music Association. He shouldn't need an intro to anyone who can call themselves a music aficionado with any level of self respect.

I know Regina has recently sprung up on the music tour map after the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Bon Jovi all had successful shows here, but if all we are going to be able to appreciate is the juggernauts of the corporate music biz because that's all we know - outside of a fairly well-rounded appreciation for country artists thanks to events like the Craven Country Jamboree - then our future entertainment landscape is going to get pretty bleak pretty fast.

Here's a tip - if you don't like, love or even know who the artist is that you're going to go see - DON'T GO! If you wanna be seen "stylin'" go to The Drink. Those of us who want to be entertained, want to be so in the presence of like-minded folks. We want the love in the room to be palpable. We want the artists to know their fans are with them. We want to be a part of something special.

John Hiatt & Los Lobos were very special in Regina on the 3rd of September, 2010. The audience was nothing special.

'Nuff Said!

Great Expectations

Well I've recovered from the loss of Michael Spenser as much as I expect I can for the foreseeable future. Time to get back into the flow.

I guess I'm going to cement my newly acquired "curmudgeon" status with this post. I never really expected to "win friends and influence people" with this little spasm into the blogsphere, but this should surely keep me true to my tagline - "writing for an audience of one - reaching even fewer".

I just can't get excited about much in the pop music world these days. What is passing for excitement and new directions just falls utterly flat for me. Shakira and Rascal Flatts on American Idol on Wednesday night kinda became my poster children for what's wrong with the industry at this point in time. That the Brazilian diva actually had the temerity to quote Franklin D. Roosevelt provided the non sequitur icing that topped the ironic pop culture cake the show's producers had attempted to bake. Ostensibly celebrating the music of Shania Twain as interpreted by the contestants of the show, the performances of the American Idol hopefuls and the guest "artists" laid bare the irony of how talented she was is as a songwriter and artist, and how utterly insane it seems Robert "Mutt" Lange had to be to divorce her.

Oh, and to the guys in Rascal Flatts - you're not a "real" band if you don't have a permanent drummer. You're just a vocal trio who can maybe play some. Thanks to Gary Le Vox (seriously?!?) for at least appearing to be slightly embarrassed to either be on the show or singing with Shakira or both.

Yet, in spite of the cultural wreckage all about us I am filled with hope and great expectations as I see The Corporate Music Machine (TCMuM) slowly grinding itself into the dust it so richly deserves to be. Radio, the once-proud herald of TCMuM has long ago relinquished its claim to be the voice of "good new stuff". It has fallen to the hosts of late night TV to fill the gap - at least a bit. David Letterman did so for me recently when he debuted John Hiatt's newest tune - Highly recommended BTW! But more and more I'm getting my news from the 'net.

So it is for two new upcoming albums from two established artists. They won't get radio play because - well - radio mostly plays crap. Even the so-called "we play everything" stations (Yes, I talkin' to you JACK FM!) have woefully narrow playlists, and don't venture much away from top-40 hits of yesterday and today. Sheesh guys! There's more to Fleetwood Mac's catalog than six tunes, OK!?!

Hooo....OK, I'm calm enough to get through this (I hope). Meat Loaf and Jimmy Webb both have new albums in the offing and I think they will both be worth your while to check out.

Hang Cool Teddy Bear is Meat Loaf's tenth album. Yes, gentle reader it's been 35 years (!) since he sang "Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul (I Really Love That Rock 'n' Roll)" in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and its been 33 years since he and the "Mad Genius of Rock", Jim Steinman, brought us Bat Out of Hell. Meat (or should I refer to him as Mr. Loaf?) has been up and down and up and down and mostly up lately. And HCTB could be just the thing to keep it all rolling for the Texas troubadour. The guy is always thinkin' and the single is - well - just what you might (or might not) expect. I'm thinking he could have been one heckuva pulpit-poundin', Bible-thumpin', go-to-town, tent-meetin' preacher. I guess we'll never know - but he still is pretty young. OK - he's 63 this year, but old rockers never die.

Jimmy Webb is the guy who writes the songs that make the whole world sing - forget about Barry Manilow. With immortal gems like "Rhinestone Cowboy", "By the Time I Get To Phoneix", "Up, Up and Away (In My Beautiful Balloon)", "Wichita Lineman", "MacArthur Park" and "Highwayman" plus many, many more produced during a career that started in 1967(!) it is certain you have heard more than one Jimmy Webb song in your life if you listen to music regularly. His latest release, due later this year, is called "Just Across the River" and will showcase a number of his best songs recorded with guest stars as diverse as Mark Knopfler, Billy Joel and Lucinda Williams. Here's the full story.

So there's life and music beyond radio and TCMuM. And I think the best is yet to come. So keep on listening.

Shalom

When Everything Old Is New Again - It's Great!

I promised a word on Eric Clapton's & Steve Winwood's 2009 live collaboration "Live From Madison Square Garden". Recently Clapton has been going this route more than flying solo. Beginning - as far as my collection is concerned - with the stunning 2004 "Crossroads Guitar Festival" DVD, his triumphant live concert reunion with Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker as Cream in 2005 and then the utterly superb "Road to Escondito" CD with J.J. Cale in 2006, Clapton has been indulging himself in playing with whomever he wants whenever he wants. I say indulgence is very good in these cases. "Live From..." is no exception.

I was fortunate enough to see Winwood live in 2008 in Edmonton, AB as the lead act with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. What surprised me was what an accomplished guitarist he is. My previous experiences with 'the man, the myth, the legend' were firmly planted in his string of relatively successful albums in the '80's including "Arc of a Diver" (1980), "Talking Back to the Night" (1982) & "Back in the High Life" (1986). On those recordings Winwood performed primarily as a vocalist/keyboardist. In Edmonton he wowed me with his guitar prowess, but I can be forgiven as I was still largely ignorant of his earlier career, of course with the obvious exception of "Gimme Some Lovin'". The bits I did know about via television always had Winwood seated behind his ubiquitous Hammond B-3 organ. So be it - at least I'm still learning.

To say Winwood keeps up with Clapton on this superb double CD doesn't even come close. Opening with the wondrous trilogy of "Had to Cry Today", "Low Down" & "Them Changes" with nary a fulsome organ chord in any of them, Winwood goes chord for chord and note for note with his old friend. When the organ finally comes to the fore in "Presence of the Lord" we all understand why the Hammond instrument left the dusty confines of the local church to enter the smokey environs of the local club. And it just gets better and better as the album goes on.

Clapton is as smooth, relaxed and on target as I've ever heard him. Sliding from bluesy authority to incendiary riffing to meaty rhythm to chunky punctuation he is always in the groove. He makes space for the other players to contribute better than I've heard before, yet holds the spotlight - when he is called on to - with a deft touch that speaks volumes of how he has mastered his art and his demons. Assurance, accuracy, emotion, investment, connection, soul, truth - these are just a few of the descriptors that apply to his playing on these songs

Speaking of the 'other players', the contributions of Willie Weeks on bass, Chris Stainton on keyboards and Ian Thomas on drums are all more than up to the task of constructing the foundation that Clapton and Winwood stand on while they spin their magic. Showing the innovation that set them apart originally in Blind Faith comes across particularly well in their version of Buddy Holly's "Well All Right" - a treat worth the whole purchase price of the CD in my never-to-be-humble opinion. The new players become a part of that song as if they were there when their leaders first tangled with it in 1969. But in the case of this version, time and better recording techniques plus love and appreciation have done very good things for the music. Indeed that combination has infused the whole recording with something quite special.

The set is sprinkled with songs from both Clapton's & Winwood's solo careers plus most of their Blind Faith songs. It is a well crafted set list that shows all of the dimensions of this duo's musical prowess, highlighting clearly why we and so many others love what they do. The result transcends the past, their separate journeys and previous successes and re-frames the music within the new context of their amassed skill and experience. Their obvious respect for each other and the songs brings reverence and joy in equal parts to their playing and making this much, much more than it might have been in the hands of lesser artists.

As live albums go, this one is at the top of the heap from a production standpoint. I suspect this is so because the boys new this was going to be a one-off event and the decisions that needed to be made to ensure a sterling outcome were made early on and without flinching. The technical & production staff and crew deserve a big 'thank you' for helping to get it right.

So this stuff isn't "contemporary" by most standards, but it is timeless. In may ways it should humble current artists who strive to make music that is emotional and rooted in the long-standing forms of the blues/rock genre. There really is something to be said for the results of artists who practice their craft long and well. It just "keeps getting better all the time" (thanks Paul & John). Although it is a long set, it doesn't wear thin anywhere along the way and once on the iPod one is inclined to cue up both CDs in succession and just let 'er rip.

Most of us won't get to witness something like this magical set of concerts - the live moment being relegated to the affordability and exclusivity of owning an exotic automobile or luxury yacht. This is why it is such a miracle and blessing that microphones and other recording equipment exist. And why it is such a miracle that we can experience the next best thing to being there - maybe a better thing than being there because we can visit it time and time again. And as a final thought, very often projects like this can lead to a "wish I was there" nostalgia for times past. I think in this case, could we send a copy of this recording back to where it all began in '69, the folks there might wish they were here. Time and patience can result in wondrous things.

I think I'm gonna have to buy the DVD, too.

Shalom

He Plays a What?

"Unique" is a word often thrown around the music biz that stands in for phrases like "not commercial" or "we can't categorize it so we can't sell it" or most usually "doesn't play by our corporate rules so we hate it". As any of you who have been perusing this blog know, I often comment that the cognoscenti of the music world wouldn't know a good recording if they were struck across the noggin with it tied to a Fender Strat. But that happily doesn't stop good stuff from getting made. And so often it takes the hand of another artist to get it going - like in the case of this blog entry's featured artist.

In 1981 I had no idea who David Lindley was. As it turned out I heard his nitro-fueled version of "Mercury Blues" at a show in Edmonton during their summer exhibition - then called "Klondike Days", now called "Edmonton's Capital Ex". Although "Klondike Days" was a fairly ghastly name, the new name sounds like it's an ode to the ultimate ex-partner. Well living that far north does strange things to a body - but look at me, I lived there for 25 years so who am I to talk?

Self-serving digressions aside, I'm sad to say that I didn't see David and his band El Rayo-X live. The aforementioned song was the soundtrack to a synchronized water fountain and lightshow that preceded the main act - who may have been "Teen Angel and the Rockin' Rebels" - sort of Canada's answer to "Sha Na Na". They were, in my fuzzy recollection, quite good as a '50's/'60's cover band. But that David Lindley driven water fountain lightshow - that really stuck in my mind. I suspect the designer/developer of that little demonstration went on to be involved with the design of the fountain at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, or at least was one of the first to use the technology - the fountains and lights were wicked fast for their day. But it was the song that got to me.

My only previous experience with "Mercury Blues" was the California-slick and slightly swampy version done by Steve Miller on his equally excellent but nothing-at-all-like-Lindley album, "Fly Like An Eagle". That version had been firmly burned into my brain for at least 5 years, including a run in 1976/77 when I'm pretty sure I listened to the whole album once a day for at least 10 months. In 3 minutes and 33 seconds Lindley shredded my connection to the Miller version and I was hooked, never looking back. Sorry Steve - I still like the rest of "Eagle".

The very next day I had me a copy of "El Rayo-X" and the rest is future history. It turned out I had been hearing Lindley before - I just hadn't noticed. Thanks to Jackson Browne, whom Lindley had done session work for, and who co-produced the album, I was getting the pure source. It also turned out that Lindley was connected to another west coast wunderkind - Warren Zevon - who also was connected to Browne. I was listening to a lot of California produced stuff at the time, but David Lindley sounded like he had dropped in from another planet. By now, you've probably noticed the meandering style this post has taken - well that's just a metaphor for what David Lindley does with a tune.

I'm going to recommend two albums for you and I'll bet that the third one I'll mention is a keeper, too - although I don't have it - yet. The first I've already named above - the second is "Win This Record" (1982) - both originally released on the Warner/Reprise label. The third "El Rayo Live" will satisfy the completists reading this - and while those three don't encompass even a tenth of Lindley's recording career, they do represent the sum total of the El Rayo-X period. And it was a wonderful and all too short spasm of creativity the music biz couldn't categorize, control or contain.

To say that Lindley's arrangements of tunes - especially covers he did - were "different" would be like saying "Nickelback's" music is only slightly formulaic and predictable. But Lindley, for all his unique approach (how about a reggae version of "Bye Bye Love"?) is one of the most musical players I have ever heard. Some of my ab-so-lute-ly personal favs are "She Took Off My Romeos", "Twist and Shout", "Talk To The Lawyer", "Ram-A-Lamb-A-Man" & "Make It On Time". You'll need both albums to hear all of those. But in every case you will be confronted by a man and a band who know exactly what they are doing - even as you are trying to figure out just what it is.

Lindley plays pretty much anything with strings on it that can be plucked or strummed. The fact that he uses an electric steel guitar to create the power chords on "Mercury Blues" was a revelation when I finally saw Lindley and most of El Rayo-X (at least percussionist extraordinaire Ras Baboo was there) on the TV show "Later...With Jools Holland" hosted by the ex-Squeeze keyboardist.

And even though Robert Randolph - the newest proponent of a very un-traditional sounding approach to the standard and pedal steel guitar - never heard of Lindley or other 'secular' bands when he was growing up, I like to think that it was Lindley who was in the vanguard of breaking down some of the barriers that relegated certain instruments to certain genres of music and made Randolph's career an inevitability.

Anyway, you owe it to yourself to give Lindley a try. He takes a bit of listening to get full value from, but it's well worth it. Just start with the tunes that grab you and give the others a chance, and then you'll find yourself hearing those same sounds in other musicians' repertoires. And that brings us meanderingly to the point of why David Lindley matters - he made those sounds first, and then others followed him. And that is the best definition of "unique" I can think of. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Imitated, yes. Bettered, never!

Shalom

The Perfect Album

In 1994 Mary Chapin Carpenter released "Stones in the Road" the follow-up to her highly successful pop/country crossover album "Come On, Come On". It is much to my chagrin that I only just ordered my CD copy of this remarkable recording this week, having spent the last 16 years content to listen to my pirated cassette tape recording of the original CD. (Please forgive me Mary!)

This 13 song tour de force extends beyond 45 minutes by two songs - I know because I had to put them on the "B" side of the tape along with some Eagles tunes from their "Hell Freezes Over" CD, also released in '94 (and yes, I DO own the CD of that album so calm down Glenn!). I cherry picked the tunes from the Eagles CD, but I couldn't from Carpenter's recording because they were - and still are - all exceptional songs.

"Stones in the Road" is one of those rare "perfect storms" of music recording were the songwriting, musicianship, recording and production all are as near perfect as God allows in this world. It remains among the very few albums I would absolutely have to take on my desert island exile and it would, I am sure, be listened to in its entirety on every occasion even under those circumstances - even if my stash of albums was quite meager.

The music and lyrics on this album are so mature, so assured, so honest and so believable that I suspect younger listeners will not be able to fully appreciate them. Some experiences are complex and nuanced and cannot be fully enjoyed until personal experience and maturity makes it possible to access the deeper truths they contain. For instance, before I was a father I could watch TV-borne pleas for aide on behalf of disadvantaged children feeling little emotional impact - this is not so anymore. "Stones in the Road" is that kind of album - like a truly fine wine or accomplished painting or sculpture - the depth to which it can be appreciated is directly proportional to the depth of the person experiencing it. And then miraculously, it takes you to deeper levels of experience and understanding as you resonate with its honesty and truth.

Carpenter infuses her songs with brevity - "the soul of wit" - honesty and delivers each song with a fluidity and grace few artists can muster. Her dusty alto is perfectly suited to the folk/country/rock arrangements and instrumentation. Each song - with the possible exception of "John Doe # 24", which is more like a jazz/tone poem - has a strong melody and, in the majority of cases, a captivating musical hook. It simply must be said that this album is one of the strongest ones I have ever heard in 40+ years of listening when considered from a purely musical perspective. Every tune is "right" and is played and recorded "right". It seems impossible to imagine anyone covering any of these tunes without owing much to the original.

She covers the gamut from loves lost ("House of Cards"), to coming of age in historically significant times ("Stones in the Road") and facing the adult ennui that ensues, to the humor and anticipation of new romance ("Shut Up and Kiss Me"), to spiritual and relational healing ("Jubilee") - all without ever succumbing to being the slightest bit maudlin or overweening. If there is anything that is to be called disarming about this set of songs, it is in the way Carpenter opens herself up and allows us in with such easy grace that we might find ourselves overwhelmed by the immersive intimacy she creates.

If you are mature enough to engage this music - and well read enough as it does require knowledge of mid to late 20th century North American history and culture to be fully appreciated - then dive in and immerse yourself in the experience. It is truly a blessing that this album is still available, as it was popular but not in the extreme sense.

My wife and I listened to it in full last Monday at the end of an extended music session wherein I had covered playing a lot of songs by artists whom we have listened to and appreciated over the years as well as some newer stuff too. After the last song on "Stones in the Road" it was time to end our session and as I commented to Susie I said, "I don't know if we own a more perfect album than that one. I can't believe we still don't have it on CD." She agreed and it was understood that this gross oversight was to be corrected immediately.

In the song "Why Walk When You Can Fly" Carpenter writes:

In this world there's a whole lot of trouble, baby
In this world there's a whole lot of pain
In this world there's a whole lot of trouble
But a whole lot of ground to gain
Why take when you could be giving, why watch as the world goes by
It's a hard enough life to be living, why walk when you can fly

When the Amazon order gets here we're gonna hook up the iPod in our car and fly away.

Shalom

Music & Faith

As a person of faith I constantly find wonder in the world because I see the hand of God in action everywhere. For whatever reason I was created to be particularly sensitive to music - and I know I'm not the only one. My appreciation of music has undergone several times of rediscovery as I have been able to integrate personal experience, emotional understanding and a widening perspective into my experience of enjoying music.

Perhaps this whole process is becoming more poignant as I develop difficulty in hearing. Time and some audio abuse seems to have worked its harsh consequence upon my sense of hearing. I strongly suspect that I will outlive my ability to hear properly - but there are no hearing aides in my ears yet. And while that is not yet the case, I have decided to keep on listening.

Music reviews were a staple of my earlier pursuit of this life long love. Finding a reviewer whose taste and sensibilities complimented my own while still being able to introduce me to new musical experiences was a discovery that I would savour. Radio DJs were also useful before playlists were corporately programmed - designed to meet content requirements (thanks sooooo much CRTC) and reach advertising demographic groups (NONE of which I belong to!). These days corporate media hustling, narrowcasting and the proliferation of musical genres, which most folks seem to strictly confine their listening within, have pretty much killed most of the good reviewers.

I am convinced that a good recording can - when the artist honestly pursues the truth - bring us an appreciation of the divine and the human and the place they intersect. It is no coincidence that the Psalms (songs of the Bible) are among the most quoted ancient Scriptures in the New Testament. I find I cannot memorize more than a few lines of prose - the post-modern equivalent being reciting movie catch phrases - from important sections of Scripture, speeches or books & writings. But I can easily commit to memory a large catalog of songs, poems and music. Ideas wrapped in music have a staying power beyond the mere spoken word.

So I'm going to spend a number of posts reviewing the very best recordings I have ever experienced. Some will seem quite old - what the HECK IS old anyway? - some will be newer. All will, I hope, hold the common thread of having the air of truth about them, even if they make the list because they are essentially just great fun as opposed to being deep and transcendent musings on the human condition.

I hope to cover a wide range of genres, but I won't cover everything because there are some music categories that I just don't - and probably never will - appreciate. So be it. I am biased, as we all are. I hope my bias is a useful bias. Anyway, I'm not too worried - Perez Hilton I'm not, THANK GOD - so my little scribblings will not in all likelihood do much damage or cause much of a groundswell. Never the less - enjoy!

Shalom

Owl City - Ocean Eyes

Adam Young had insomnia while working for a Coca-Cola warehouse. Coincidence?!? We think not! However, this affliction turned into a creative stream of self-produced music videos that Adam recorded in his parent's basement in their home in Owatonna, Minnesota. He uploaded them to his MySpace page, building a steadily growing fan base and allowing him to self-produce and release his music. Creative therapy for his insomnia, indeed!

The practical outflow of this was that he was 'discovered' by Universal Music and released his third CD, Ocean Eyes - his first major label release - last year and saw his tune "Fireflies" climb to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the UK charts as well.

As I have said before, I'm not a great fan of electronica/dance but there is an engaging and infectious quality to Adam's music that I believe is universally appealing. Then there is the fact that the CD is currently on sale at HMV for a mere $9.99 and you have an irresistible musical antidote to the winter blahs.

The reality of pop music like this is that it often has a short shelf life, but Adam has something real and substantial happening here and I think this CD might yield a couple tunes that will climb into my medium rotation. The real potential lies in the fact that Adam is so young and has so much more time to develop as an artist. The mind boggles at the possibility. I'm not given much to predictions, but this man has possibly a very bright future in scoring movies. A Grammy might be hard to achieve, but an Oscar may definitely be in the future for Adam Young one day.

As long as he can still dream and realize those dreams into his unique musical vision - insomnia notwithstanding.

If you haven't heard/seen "Fireflies" then here you go:

"Fireflies"

Shalom

PS

Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood created a live concert CD/DVD package of their 2008 collaboration concert series in Madison Square Gardens. It's on my "to buy" list and will be the subject of my next review.

2009 Music Highlights

As you all know music is one of my great passions. 2009 offered up a plethora of awesome musical experiences and here are a few - some you can share and some were of the "you had to be there" variety.

In the "live - you had to be there" category, I have to place worship at Balgonie Baptist Church (BBC) in the #1 spot. We are blessed with an over abundance of talented people and I can honestly say that not a month goes by without my being awed on at least one Sunday morning by what our worship people offer up. My highlights this year were experiencing a new level of musical expression develop between Luke Ashton and Jared Schroeder. On at least two occasions they created near "pin-drop" moments with mesmerizing offerings. We also had the blessing of Marina Dovell joining our regular soloists - Brenda Kramer, Denise Lindenbach and Daphne Morris by providing several wonderful special music numbers And I was able to get involved too, as a percussionist - including my first live hand drum performances using an excellent djembe the Schroeders picked up for a song during their visit to Jamaica.

All of our worship leaders & musicians did wonderfully all year. Our Christmas cantata - directed by Denise Lindenbach - was great and we had everyone from kids on up offer us musical worship, encouragement and joy in 2009. 2010 is only going to be better I am sure!

Concert-wise we backed off a bit this year, despite being tempted by Aerosmith (who didn't make it to Regina ultimately because of Steven Tyler's antics and misfortunes) and ZZ Top (whom I love, but who I also don't trust live after the really poor show we saw them do in the 80's). Chantal Kreviazuk was very good, but we really went to see Dala who were beyond superb as they opened for her. Unfortunately they were allotted a short amount of time and we still have not seen them with a band - so we have yet to hear live what the CD's promise so tantalizingly - maybe in 2010.

So here is my top new music choices for 2009 in no particular order:

The North Mississippi Allstars - "Do It Like We Used To Do" (2009) - double live CD & DVD combo - Songs of the South Records - SOTS-009. I stumbled across these boys through following John Hiatt's work. Jim Dickinson produced John's last two CDs. Jim is the father of Luther (guitars) & Cody (drums) who along with Chris Chew (bass) make up the core of this band. These guys are the most exciting southern/blues/rock players I've heard in ages! "Do It Like We Used To Do" is an excellent way to get to know them, especially the loose and quirky documentary on the DVD that chronicles the musical lives and growth of Luther & Cody. The best song that encapsulates what these boys do is "Po Black Maddie/Skinny Woman" a 12+ minute marathon in which they cover musical styles that range from The Fabulous Thunderbirds to Stevie Ray Vaughan to The Allman Brothers to Lynyrd Skynyrd. If you like any of those folks try the Allstars. You'll LOVE 'em! But forget HMV - they are totally clueless - so order it online from Amazon.ca.

Dala - "Everybody is Somebody" (2009) - Campus Music/Lenz Entertainment - 0001. I am really running out of superlatives for both the songwriting abilities of Sheila Carabine & Amanda Walther and their musical talent as players & singers. This is their fourth CD of original music (they also participated in a charity Neil Young tribute CD called "Borrowed Tunes II"). This is their strongest showing yet - and that's saying something. I recently tweaked my system to coax better sound from it and this CD is now in my "let me play something to impress you" list. Try it and again, don't take your $ to HMV - you'll only encourage 'em. Google 'Dala girls' instead and follow the links or go to the ever-reliable Amazon.ca.

Ian Hunter - "Man Overboard" (2009) - New West Records - NW6167. Ian Hunter made his bones as the permanently "hidden behind huge sunglasses" frontman for the British R&B-influenced glam-rock group Mott the Hoople. When no less than David Bowie wrote "All the Young Dudes" for them in 1972 (I was 12! Sheesh!) they climbed to the top of the charts and got some attention on this side of the Atlantic as well. Despite their fame coming from a song penned by someone outside of the band, they developed a catalog of strong tunes - the majority of which were written by Hunter. Hunter has continued his career since, regularly putting out albums but staying out of the mainstream (where I like to be listening). He is to my mind as strong a songwriter as Warren Zevon, John Hiatt, Randy Newman, Mark Knopfler or Bruce Springsteen. Lyrically, "Man Overboard" is filled with Hunter's trademark quirkiness, humor & deft emotional truth. Musically, it has some of the best hooks I've heard all year - listen to "River of Tears", "Flowers" or "Arms and Legs". If you don't have any Hunter on your CD shelf this is a great one to start with.

Speaking of Mark Knopfler he released "Get Lucky" and I bought the "Deluxe Edition" - Vertigo Records/Universal Music - 0252708671 which contains a DVD with several musical portions and a very interesting (if you are an electronics gear nerd like I am) tour of British Grove Studios which Mark designed and built with help from his long-time American producer Chuck Ainlay. I was fascinated by the details of the studio (as an example Mark has the 24 channel recording/mixing console that Paul McCartney used to record "Band on the Run"). It's not a name-dropping, self-congratulatory video by any means - in fact Mark and Chuck are so laid back it's a wonder they ever get anything done - but it's a nice addition and a real "peak behind the scenes". One word of caution though - my copy was incorrectly formatted so it wouldn't play in my Sony DVD players. I had a devil of a time getting customer support from Universal but eventually they sent me a replacement so if you order it you should get one that works. If not let me know - I saved the contact info - just in case.

Now to the music - Mark is mining his Celtic side again (Yay!) which shows strongly on "Border Reiver" & "Piper to the End". "Cleaning My Gun" is a solid bluesy number and the rest fall neatly into Mark's growing catalog. While this CD doesn't quite measure up to the high water mark of 2004's "Shangri-La" it is, never the less, a very strong collection, superbly recorded and wonderfully played by Mark's incredible band - comprised of Guy Fletcher, Danny Cummings, Richard Bennett, Matt Rollings, John McCusker & Glenn Worf - who may be the best collection of players anywhere, anyway, anytime! I say "get it" and you might "Get Lucky", too!

I just can't stop listening to Metric - "Fantasies" (2009) - Metric Productions Inc. / Last Gang Records - Q2 00871. From the funky and overblown riff in "Stadium Love" to the addictive hook and confident swagger of "Gimme Sympathy" to the hypnotic, sinewy rhythm of "Twilight Galaxy" to the raw power and propulsion in "Satellite Mind" all hanging deliciously on Emily Haines' luxurious vocals this CD has legs that won't quit! While I have to note a minor language warning, I can say that the words chosen aren't gratuitous or flagrantly used. Add to the fact that this band is Canadian and world class to boot and how can you go wrong? Only if you buy it from HMV! So don't! Remember - make a big enough order on Amazon.ca and the shipping is free.

When Johnny Cash gave his daughter Rosanne the list of 11 songs that appear on her new CD - Rosanne Cash - "The List" - Manhattan Records - 509996 96576 2 7 - he wasn't suggesting she record them - only that she need to know them to gain, as Rosanne said later in an interview, "my musical education". Her education seems to have attained the highest level imaginable with this collection of superb songs made even more wonderful by Cash's stunning performance and the production and arrangements provided by her new husband John Leventhal. As previously with ex-husband Rodney Crowell, Rosanne seems to do her best work with the one or ones she loves around her. My favs on this disc are her versions of "500 Miles", "The Long Black Veil", "Miss the Mississippi and You" & "Girl From the North Country". You might have different ones, but that's OK because every single song on this disc is worthy of loving because they were passed from father to daughter in love and from daughter to us in that same spirit.

Christmas allowed me the means and excuse to obtain "The Beatles" - The Stereo Box Set (2009) - EMI. All I can say is WOW!!. 220+ songs! The vast majority of them written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney and recorded in just 7 short years between 1963 and 1969. When you are faced with the sheer volume and brilliant quality of their songwriting output all at once it is truly amazing. The set is lovingly remastered into stereo when that was the best choice although some tunes are presented in mono. The individual CDs are packaged with the original artwork and liner notes plus included productions notes - often from fifth Beatle, producer George Martin. Each CD contains a mini documentary about the making of each album, filled with studio out takes and comments from John, Paul, George, Ringo & Martin. The sound is excellent and the inclusion of all of the singles including German renditions of - "She Loves You" & "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" are an absolute treat! I got mine on sale at Costco which has it at the lowest price I've seen anywhere. After the $25 'instant rebate' they have on it currently each CD will cost you less than $10 per disc - less than downloading. If you are a pop/rock music fan of any level you owe it to yourself to get this into your collection.

As you have no doubt noticed, I'm no fan of HMV. It's not just them - I'm down on all corporate record stores as of 2009. I do urge you to support independent shops and specialty stores, but for the most part the chain stores have lost it badly and HMV is only a few years (if not months) away from serious financial trouble. How do I know? Look at their product mix. They have added books, games and who knows what else. At the end of days with Kelly's Stereo Mart/ House of Stein they were selling gas barbecues! These are classic signs of a retailer who has lost their clientele and their corporate direction. My advice? Get really familiar with shopping for your music online. Find websites or publications that can help you find the music you want to listen to - radio is still some help here. Support LIVE music and musicians by attending concerts and buying their CDs - especially if they are marketing directly. And keep listening! There is GREAT music out there once you get past the corporate dreck being foisted on us.

Have a Happy 2010 and ROCK ON!

B

Autumnal Dance

I have always loved Autumn best.

One friend/mentor/teacher summed it up perfectly saying, "It's that delicious feeling of impending doom."

Northerners get it. I lived in Northern Alberta. Pretty way north. Autumn, like spring, was nearly - but not quite - instant. Palpable and ephemeral. As soon as the first hard frost happened Mom & Dad would plan our annual "leaf drive". It was an afternoon excursion into the hills and valleys (coolies) of the Peace Country in northern Alberta. A constantly undulating low-level flight that shifted from golden-gray harvested fields to riotously glowing stands of poplar, birch, willow and aspen shot through with the eternal green of conifers grown black-green with summer sun.

The trees either stood in tight copses on hills and along windbreaks or else filled the steep-sided ravines and coolies. The gravel roads we traveled would pitch and weave through this landscape as we "ooed" and "ahhed" when each new splash of defiant color hove into view. The Sun, now becoming perpetually low in the sky, would dazzle our eyes and make them water through our gleeful grins. Moments of peace, joy, unity and love in our family now flash frozen in my memory and gently cooled by the passage of time.

No music accompanied these trips - "AM radio only, please" in my parent's frugal cars. Just the soundtrack of gravel crunching and rapping under our car and our endless exclamations and comments.

"Oh, look there!"

"Nice reds!"

"It's a sea of gold."

We will go out for our new "leaf drive" soon. Our "version 1.2" of this family tradition incorporated music. I'd usually try to choose evocative favorites. We'd still comment - like we did on those "Christmas Light" drives, too. "Leaf drives" are better. We'd bask in awe of the handiwork of God, reminded of the gentle, powerful, creative and wise hand that shapes everything we experience. Even the agnostic and the atheist must respond with some sense of wonder, I suspect, when faced with such naked beauty and divine radiance.

This year will be different though, perhaps it's now "version 1.3". No children in the backseat. No warm family babble before, during or after. Like the leaves drifting from the trees, our children are dancing ever farther from our reach.

The delicious feeling of impending doom rises.

I will program some music for our drive though. Some companions are constant. Surely some Jack Semple from his wonderful instrumental album "Qu'Appelle" - one place we will surely drive to and through.

New Dala will be played from their summer 2009 release "Everyone Is Someone". Their fourth original CD and my second acquisition - better than the last one, which was better than most anything else I've heard in a very long time.

I'll choose some Mark Knopfler from his wide catalog and especially his new release "Get Lucky".

And there will be new and old favorites too. Some Joshua Radin, some Willie Nile, some Jerry Proppe, some Dixie Chicks, some Ian Hunter, some Emmylou Harris, some Robert Plant with Alison Krauss, some Jon Bauer, a smidgen of Tinted Windows and some John Fogerty.

And we'll dance the Autumnal Dance in a brand-new old-fashioned way.

Why don't you make your own playlist and join us? Can't you feel it rising - that feeling? Don't you want to dance too?

Shalom

Music Reviews For Summer

No one commented on my last note over at facebook so I'll try again. It's summetime peoples and time to get your groove on. Now I have fairly eclectic tastes in music so I really think there is something here for everyone. So, are you sitting comfortably? Good! Let's begin -

Willie Nile has been writing songs, playing, singing and recording them for more than 25 years. And he has avoided being a huge commercial success by being way better than the vast majority of so-called "artists" that get peddled to you by "the machine" as Pink Floyd aptly named it. What's Willie's music like? Well some have compared him to Dylan & Springsteen. I'd add that there's a healthy dose of Lou Reed, Tom Petty and John Hiatt in there somewhere too. This album was recorded in New York City and that fabled musical locale oozes through every jangly guitar chord and joyfully shouted chorus line. Willie rocks, writes solid melodies, has a peculiar voice, dares lyrics that would make most songsmiths blanch in fear and has a way lot of soul. Visit his website for a free download of "Give Me Tomorrow" which is a great song but only one of my favorites, including "Run", "Doomsday Dance" and the title track, from his new album "House of a Thousand Guitars".

I listen to everything I get and rate it all. Every song on "House" got 5 stars from me except two which got 4 each. I developed a keen sense of "good" after 5 years at Kelly's Stereo Mart and House of Stein where I had to ignore the music constantly playing in the record department in order to work. It developed in me a sensitivity to better music which would penetrate my defenses. If Willie Nile had been playing, I'd have stopped dead in my tracks to listen. You should too.

http://www.willienile.com/main.html

Joshua Radin is relatively new on the music scene - his debut album appeared in 2004 - compared to Willie. Joshua is also from another part of the musical spectrum, although a closely connected part to where you find Willie Nile. Some of Nile's tunes and lyrics could be embraced by current folk aficionados, or earlier ones too (check out "After The War is Over"). Joshua is much closer to the folk world. His predominately acoustic arrangements and personal, introspective approach conjure up images of Simon and Garfunkle, James Taylor and Harry Chapin. But Joshua has a tuneful way with a song and a thoroughly 21st century perspective. You can hear clips from three songs from his new album on Mom & Pop Records - "Simple Times". I just can't accurately describe how infectious his songs are and it's a shame that one of the clips isn't for his tune "Vegetable Car". Still, if you want to enjoy about an hour with a truly gifted songwriter who can put you "in the story" with effortless grace as he plays, you owe it to yourself to listen.

www.joshuaradin.com/

LIGHTS is an enigma wrapped in a mystery and tied up with a riddle. OK, that may be a bit too much but there is very little biographical info (from trustworthy sources) available currently about this extremely talented, multi-instrumentalist from (supposedly) Toronto. Her latest self-titled EP notes inside that she is managed by none other than Jian Ghomeshi - host of CBC radio's pop-culture daily show "Q", and former "King of Spain" as a founding member of Moxie Fruvous. Jian has been around Canada's pop music scene for a while and he knows people. He also obviously knows a good thing when he hears it and LIGHTS is VERY good. Now I have come to the temple of pop/dance/techno only recently, mostly because I was put off by the heaps of trash piled up around the doors left by no-talent also-rans who thought they could craft a good tune. But, there is some real gold in those halls and I'm a sucker for a well crafted pop song. LIGHTS gives me the same feeling I got the first time I heard Fountains of Wayne play "Stacey's Mom". If you listen to radio you have already heard "Drive My Soul". Every time I listen to this 6 song EP my estimation of each song goes up a notch. Good fun. Clean fun. Canadian fun. What more could you ask for?

http://www.iamlights.com/

I first heard The Stills when they opened this year's highly disappointing Juno Awards show with their killer tune "Being Here". To say the show went downhill from there would do downhill skiing a nearly irreparable disservice, but The Stills shone - brightly. Their penultimate album "Oceans Will Rise" has the feeling that that may be a joyful response to attending one of their live shows as opposed to some sort of ecological prophesy of doom. Some critics have labeled them as having an "80's sound", but that pigeonholes them too tightly. They definitely have a rock presence, but they also layer their sound with acoustic guitars, piano and rich harmonies. The songs swagger, strut and sway with hypnotic rhythm and purposeful intent. Echoes of The Clash, early U2, Simple Minds - before they we co-opted by the movie biz - and hints of The Cure waft tantalizingly through the music The Stills produce. They also easily stand toe-to-toe with current bands like The Killers, Matchbox 20 and My Morning Jacket. This year's Juno Awards caused me to despair that not much good was happening currently in Canadian music - but The Stills are shining a ray of hope. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, after all Great Big Sea did a KILLER version of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" to close the show - waitaminit, that song is around 40 years old. Yep, it's a long walk, across dry land to find something "good" AND "new". Speaking of "new", The Stills have a new album available now - "Without Feathers".

http://www.thestills.net/2006/main.html

OK it just cleaned up last year and it was on sale on Amazon.ca so I bought it. Yep I'm talking about Coldplay's "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" (Ever notice how feminists never complain when "Death" or "The Devil" are referred to using male pronouns? But god has to be a "she" - so let's tear down the double standard and erect a brand new one on top of its bones - but I digress.) What can I say - this time the "great unwashed" and those who lead them got it right. I won't add much to what has already been written, spun, gushed and otherwise bellowed from the rooftops about this one except to say this is the first Coldplay album I've heard where I've really, really liked more than one song. In this case LOTS more than one song. Coldplay are the current standard bearers of the ongoing "British Invasion". I think they have finally landed for good - certainly better. Oh, and did I mention that it's currently on sale?

http://www.coldplay.com/

And finally in the "This Just In Department": Dala has just released a new album. I was introduced to this exceptionally talented Canadian duo at "Stuart McLeans' Vinyl Cafe Christmas" show last year. My best attempt at describing the amazing two-part harmonies these girls create is to say that if the Everly Brothers had been sisters they would have been Dala. Their 3rd album "Who Do You Think You Are" is still in very high rotation on my playlist after 6 months. Their new album "Everybody Is Somebody" arrives on June 6th. If you frequent the movies you'll see an add spot for it. My suggestion - buy "Who Do You Think You Are" and "Angels and Thieves" (their fist album) on Amazon.ca because they are a package and pre-order "Everyone Is Someone" (on sale for only $9.99). Trust me, you'll love their stuff. Have I ever been wrong before?

Trust me!

http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/dal/default.asp

http://www.dalagirls.com/

By my count that's two Yankees, a band of Brits and three Canadian acts. Balanced music coverage for your listening pleasure. I've done all the hard work so it's your turn now. And I'd like some feed back this time IF you're not TOO busy.

So "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!". It's summertime! Music time!

Shalom

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad - But it Still is Disappointing

OK.

It's taken me a long time to come to terms with my disappointment in the sound at the Dylan concert at the Brandt Center in Regina on November 1st.

Here is my opinion on the subject. The band was tight and musically capable. Dylan was obviously in control of the set - the band was LOCKED onto him in a way that I haven't seen since watching Tom Coster, Michael Shrieve, Jose Arreas, and the rest of Carlos Santana's band follow his lead for over two hours of non-stop music in 1974. Magic!

Dylan was calling the shots on November 1st. That was very obvious - and you could NOT understand MOST of what he was singing.

The only logical conclusions to be made are that he, and his sound crew, were unable to make his vocals clearer or that he, and his sound crew, were unwilling to make his vocals clearer. I could clearly hear Dylan's keyboards and harmonica. I could clearly discern each solo played by the band's guitarists. I could hear the bass line and the drum fills. If all of that was possible then hearing vocals should have been no problem. I could not hear Dylan clearly for much of the show.

If the reason for the poor sound was the first explanation suggested above then Dylan can stop touring - now! It's over. We don't need any more demonstrations that the "authentic voice of a generation" has literally lost his voice. If the reason was the second explanation it may be an artistic choice. I may not know art, but I know what I like - and I did not like what I heard at the Brandt Center.

Dylan may be an artist who has risen so far above his medium that he doesn't have to pay attention to what he's doing - but in the end if art is inaccessible, I believe it loses its transformative power. I will not stop being a Dylan fan, but I believe the artist always has a responsibility to his audience to present his art in the best and most accessible way he or she can. If Dylan is only playing for an audience of one then he doesn't need my $80 or my ears - which were actually hurt by the poor sound.

Anyway, I was there. I bought the t-shirt, and the pins. I'll buy more CDs over time to fill in my collection. I'll check out any new releases to hear if they can speak to me. I'll continue to hope that Dylan creates art that I and others can appreciate, but I won't try to experience his art live again. I'll have to remain content with video and audio recordings, and forget "live".

So be it.

As Meat Loaf would observe - "Two out of three ain't bad."

But it is sad.

Arts & Culture Roundup

So we took in the "Andy Warhol - Larger Than Life" exhibit at the MacKenzie Art Gallery on Saturday. The best part of the experience was being with the Ashton family, especially Beth who is their "arts" child - now living in the BC lower mainland - who was back to visit for the Easter weekend. We miss her but it was good to catch up and fun to see art together and discuss it. I like Warhol because, for me, he made modern and abstract art more accessible. When it comes to fine art and visual stuff I'm pretty much a philistine in a trendy t-shirt. I will say that the exhibit is quite good, well conserved and displayed with interpretive tours available. I say it's worth the $12. So check it out. (BTW the pic on this entry is attributed to Warhol but it came from the World Wide Weird Web so who really knows.)

The CBC just took their radio orchestra (the last such ensemble in North America) out behind the barn and shot it according to a report I heard on CBC radio this morning. My fav quote was from an emotional and understandably upset orchestra member, "They're taking this away so they can pay banjo players!" (This isn't verbatim but it's the best my shaky memory can do.) I love all kinds of music, and music is supposed to be the universal language of acceptance and peace, but take away an oboe player's meal ticket and it's every sensitive artist for themselves. Banjo players vs. cello players, the brass section vs. the percussion section, vocalists vs. the strings, rockers vs. folkies.... Oh, the humanity! Where will it end?

And once again the CBC management manages to live down to the reputation they have earned for being insensitive, heavy handed, myopic and artless. As a final point, the annual budget for the radio orchestra is under one million dollars. That's about what Rick Mercer has in his spare change holder on his bedroom dresser. Let's add managerially inept to the descriptive list above. Monkeys could figure out a plan to keep the radio orchestra going inside the CBC budget. If the CBC worked like public TV does in the US - even just a little bit - the listeners in Canada could be approached to help fund this and I bet they would.

As most of you know my real love is music, and usually popular stuff, by I am an eclectic listener so here's an overview of what I'm listening to and looking forward to listening to:

The Luther College High School Choirs Home Concert is taking place on Sunday, April 20th at Christ Lutheran Church, 4825 Dewdney Avenue, Regina at 7:30PM. Simply put this is an exceptional night of music from a program that always impresses and delivers a truly musical experience.

Nils Lofgren, guitar virtuoso and perennial member of the E Street Band is the source of my favourite quote about "The Boss". In the 1996 video released to support the EP "Blood Brothers" Lofgren says something to the effect that, "He (Springsteen) always has half an album in his back pocket. He's always got a few tunes he's working on and they're always good. Really, really good! I hate him." Obviously tongue-in-cheek, yet poignant and truthful from someone who should know and who has suffered and benefited from a long-running and tempestuous relationship with the guy I like to call the "rockin' Dylan". Still, Lofgren and the rest of the E Street Band has come together on Bruce Springsteen's latest album, "Magic", and my friends, it is.

I'll simply say this, if rootsy rock 'n' roll infused with cinematographic lyrics, virtuoso musicianship, killer production and acute social sensibility is your cup 'o' tea then this is it. I got mine for $9.99 on sale at HMV and frankly it was a steal because there isn't a bad tune on the whole disc.

The unlikely pairing of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss for the making of "Raising Sand" was one of those musical experiments that I was frankly a bit dubious about, despite all of the critical acclaim. I was wrong! (Does admitting that make me a 'bigger man', and will that question be a source of schadenfreude-based humour for many of you at my expense? Wait, why do I care? Nobody's reading this anyway. Whew - relief!) Anyhoo, the "Raising Sand" CD has been one of my recent happy discoveries and it also suggests to me that not every current music critic is a vacuous gasbag bent on shameless self-promotion or the pursuit of the sound of their own voice. (Hey, am I in that group? Naaahhh!) "Raising Sand" - try it, you'll like it.

Susie and I just purchased tickets to see Mark Knopfler in concert at the Conexus Arts Centre on Wednesday, July 9th. We saw Mark once before in Edmonton when he was still doing the "Dire Straits rock 'n' roll band" as he described it. All I could say to anyone who asked me about the show was, "Oh yeah! The boy can play!" If you want to see one of the greatest living guitarists and a fine, fine songwriter doing his thing then get on board. Mark may not be the "top of the pops" these days, but that might actually be a GOOD thing!

Months ago we also obtained tickets to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in Edmonton in August. We've been listening to Tom and the boys since we got married, so this, like the Knopfler concert, will be a nostalgic experience. I guess we're just a couple of middle-aged rockers now. (Hey, Hey, Hey!! No jokes about furniture here! I heard that!)

So we're getting some art into our lives. I am always moved, and amazed, and challenged, and disturbed, and inspired by these artistic encounters. I truly, truly believe that if an artist - whatever kind of art they do - is honest and steadfast in pursuing the truth they will necessarily encounter God, because ALL truth is God's truth. And so I find God playing with His children and intimately involved in their process of making art in the most unlikely and likely of places. I hope you find Him around you too.

"Coming Soon" - a review and discussion of "Horton Hears a Who".

Shalom people.

Of Crumbled Cookies and Bouncing Balls

I've been awash in stories of disappointment and discouragement of late. That's not what's kept me from blogging either; my own distracted nature managed that without much help from Brother Circumstance (a wonderful Corsican monk who makes excellent wine but suffers from habitually poor timing in all things social).

Too many people I know are either in the midst of the worst plague of seasonal affective disorder I have ever witnessed or else Mr. "Murphy" has gotten behind in his deliveries and is attempting to clean out the warehouse before inventory is to be done. And it seems all that happens in response is that some shoulders get shrugged, some tongues get clucked, some eyeballs get rolled and some countenances get set in steely poses as we all attempt push forward against the dour tide of misfortune and dismay. It's enough to drive a tee-totaling Baptist pastor to spike his coffee, it is!

Whither joy?

Whither glee?

Whither cheer and good humor?

Whither a decent hour of television - a pox on this 'writer's strike' I say!

Then a friend reminded me, in an officious, yet loving way - only a TRUE friend can do that - that it is our responsibility to choose the positive reaction. It is our responsibility to question and defy the stingy spirit within. It is our responsibility to change our perspective. The Psalmist questions his own motives and mood when he asks, "Why are you so downhearted, O my soul?"

Truth is I COULD whine and complain and go on and on about what's happened to me, to my family, to my friends and to my acquaintances as of late, but "it won't make it no better" as Tonio K would say. And despite the fact that I'm truly only about one more bad bounce away from writing a Grammy Award-winning country music song, I refuse to get swept up in this!

I'm going to put on Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" and disturb the neighbors while I quaff a beverage and thank the Good Lord that even when my cookies crumble wrong and my ball bounces down the sewer I'm still here and I'm still breathing!

'Nuff said!

Shalom.

Where I Find God

We were discussing the Nooma video "Trees" last night and I was really jazzed up by Rob Bell's question, "Where do you find God?"

I find Him in nature. Every day.

I find him in people of passion. Every day.

I find Him in art. Every day.

I find Him in well made and done things. Every day.

My wife is friends with a Prof. at U of R. He's got eclectic taste in music as we do, so we trade CD's from time to time to introduce each other to new music we hope we all will appreciate. He just lent me Elyza Gilkyson's new CD Paradise Hotel.

Do you remember when artists made albums that seems to have a thematic core because it was obvious that they were dealing deeply with very personal issues and compelling ideas - rather than just trying to make some "product"? Maybe you've never discovered such a piece of work.

Well Eliza has done this.

In spades.

And my life is richer today because God made Eliza and put her in the world and blessed me with the opportunity to hear her art. She probably won't win a Grammy, or a Juno, or an American Music Award, or an American Country Music Award - even though she should. But she has won my appreciation and if you give her a chance, she probably will win yours, too.

As Rob would say her art is "drenched in God".

Shalom

Just In Case You Didn't Know....

I have been exceptionally frustrated with the "music biz" of late. Shopping for stuff at the retail level has been an exercise in monumental futility.

"Music Retail. It's not about selling you what you want. It's about making you buy what we have!"

Anyway, despite my frustrations I have uncovered some music "gems" so I'll share them for your summer listening.

In the Blues category you need to pick up The Road To Escondido by J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton. Eric has posted on his website that he's taking a couple of years off starting now, so other than his ongoing work at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago each year there will be no tours or recording projects unless something extraordinary strikes his fancy. So get The Road To Escondido and be thankful that every single tune on it is a masterwork 'cause it's gonna hafta satisfy ya for a while!

Patti Smith always had - in my never-to-be-humble opinion - one of the most evocative and powerful voices in rock music history. Now she has released an album of cover tunes that demonstrates that she still possesses a voice of singular presence and power. "Twelve" is an addictive romp - as if anything Patti does could be characterized as a "romp" - through twelve carefully chosen pop/rock "standards". Her rendition of "Gimme Shelter" alone is worth the price of admission.

I'm going to get in trouble here because this next band uses some bad language - but if most Christians I know would be honest it isn't anything worse than what they might have already heard at the movies, theatre, read in books or listened to at the company water-cooler. And most importantly these guys are by far and away less offensive than dozens of other bands who use profanity or controversial subject matter to promote their careers, a manipulative tactic this group definitely does not use.

So if you haven't given Bowling For Soup a chance, this is the summer you should. I suggest you start with "A Hangover You Don't Deserve" which contains their ridiculously infectious Grammy Winning '80's nostalgia anthem "1985". Then if they get as far under your skin as they have mine you'll have acquired one of the most fun new musical obsessions money can be traded for.

Finally just go to http://www.davidusher.com/ and if you don't think "Ugly Is Beautiful" is a killer tune then I give up!

Now the trick is trying to find somewhere to buy these things. If you're patient the internet awaits to serve you AND it's not usually too busy to help.

Peace out children! It's summertime! Time to groove!

Shalom
*Music hath charms.....OH YEAH!*