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February 16, 2006
Jessi Colter @ The Viper Room: February 15, 2006
In preparation for the release of her first album in over twenty years, the legendary Jessi Colter graced the stage of The Viper Room Wednesday night, joined by Tony Joe White and her son Shooter Jennings, who are also featured on her forthcoming CD Out of the Ashes. The widow of Waylon Jennings performed for a wide array of fans of her own, her husband's, her son's, as well as Tony Joe's, and her producer's (Don Was). It was not only a night of country music super-stars, but also a night for Hollywood's celebrities; among the attendees were Matthew McConaughey, Penelope Cruz, and Rick Schroeder.
Jessi was seated for most of her rather short set, but was warmly welcomed nevertheless. She performed a good mix of her own music (most notably her career song "I'm Not Lisa"), music from her new album, and a cover of her late husband's "Storms Never Last." Son Shooter joined her for "Please Carry Me Home," from Out of the Ashes, which was originally recorded for Songs Inspired By the Passion of the Christ. The tenderness between mother and son was touching, and the inspiration they draw from each other, undeniable.
Out of the Ashes will be released in stores February 28 from Shout! Factory Records.
Posted by darlin at 11:03 AM
February 4, 2006
Record Weirdo - Going Out Of Business Sale
CD Warehouse in the city of Orange went out of business last week. They had been there almost 18 years and were one of the first stores to sell CD’s exclusively – meaning that they were never a “record” store. Anyway, they’ve always had a pretty good selection of used CDs at fair prices. They had a large budget bin but I never really bothered with it. Ever since I started getting bad CD’s for free, I’ve had less interest in buying them.
The store announced that they would be closing about a month ago. As the end approached, the store started getting serious about clearing out their inventory – first it was 50% off used CD’s and 25% off new ones, then it was 50% off new CD’s and 3 for $5.00 on the used ones, then a buck. And so on. I had stopped by a couple of times and picked up a few things but nothing worth mentioning. I’ll mention some anyway – a new Iggy Pop “Live on Avenue B” DVD, a used Velvet Underground “Live at Max’s Kansas City” CD, a reissue of William Shatner's "A Transformed Man" – you know, stuff like that.
Towards the end of the month the racks were pretty much picked clean.
I wasn’t until their very last day of business that I finally combed through their budget bin. All used CD’s were 50 cents. I went nuts and spent almost six bucks. Here are the gory details in no particular order.
Jimmie Dale Gilmore “Spinning Around the Sun”
This guy has a weird-ass voice. It’s also very effective. Most fans of real country music agree that the music lost its spark when it lost its twang. Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s voice is ALL twang. This was released in 1993, but it sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday or 50 years ago.
NRBQ “Message for the Mess Age”
Another timeless one. It will never be out of fashion because it was never IN fashion. Perfect pop songs, slightly loose mid-tempo rock songs, and a couple slightly annoying novelty songs. “A Little Bit of Bad” and “Designated Driver” – thumbs up. “Big Dumb Jukebox” and “Girl Scout Cookies” – thumbs down. Overalll – a bargain.
Gone “Country Dumb”
Gone was an instrumental combo led by former Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. If you like discordant hard rock but don’t want to hear a bunch of dumb lyrics, this is for you. Some of the song titles are very dated, like “Filegate” or “Paula Jones Clinton”, but they’re instrumentals so who cares? I like it.
I would have gladly paid two bucks each for those, which means that my investment of $5.93 (tax included) was justified. But wait – there’s more.
Big Audio “Higher Power”
Why, Mick Jones, why? How could you besmirch the legacy of the Clash with this?
Dropping the “Dynamite” from “Big Audio Dynamite” didn’t help anything, it's still BAD (sorry). There might be some decent songs buried in here somewhere but I can’t get past the electronic bells, whistles, and doo-dads.
One Hit Wonder “Who The Hell is One Hit Wonder”
There’s a lot going on here. A punk band with two lead guitars – and good ones too. At first listen, it sounds like your basic fast and hard whatever, but the songs creep up on you. There’s no poetry or anything here but there shouldn’t be.
Mr. Marainga
This band had roots in Orange County bands like HVY DRT, Doggy Style, and D.I. Apparently one of these songs was a hit. I can’t tell you which one though. I just don’t get it.
Roger Daltrey “Rocks in the Head”
I like The Who. I’m not a completist, but when I see something like this I have to get it. It’s not as good as any Who album, or even as good as a John Entwistle solo album, but it’s mine now. This CD is severely water-damaged. The insert is all fused together and I had to scrape some of it off the disc. I can’t open the booklet to read the credits or the lyrics, but I guess that’s just as well.
How does it sound? Although it was made in the early 90's, it has a very 80's sound to it - big electric sounding drums, keyboards, processed guitars - not very good.
Soul Asylum “Candy From a Stranger”
Remember the “Minneapolis Sound”? Not many people do anymore. These guys ran a distant third to the Replacements and Husker Du. Their 1987 album “Hang Time” was a big favorite of mine. In the early 90's they got a big fat MTV hit with the worst song they ever recorded. That basically ended their career right there, but they kept at it for at least a couple more albums. By the time this one came out in 1998, most of their fans (including me) had cruelly abandoned them. It’s not very rocking, but it’s not bad. It’s mostly catchy, well-thought-out, melodic, cleverly-worded songs that can mean only one thing – commercial suicide.
History should be kinder to Soul Asylum.
Crowded House “Weather With You”(single with 4 live bonus tracks)
I have no explanation for this.
The Law “Profiled”
This is a minor footnote in the sad demise of major-label old-school classic rock. I couldn’t resist this. The Law was an attempted “supergroup” built around former Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers and former Faces/Who drummer Kenney Jones. This disc is a promotional fake interview/infomercial for their debut (and only) album from 1991. My favorite part of this disc is a series of station liners such as “Don’t touch that dial, you could get into big trouble with The Law”, “Open up, it’s The Law, if you don’t have our new record it’s a crime,” and “This is your morning wake-up call. It’s time to rock”.
I think they look quite irritated on the cover. Just think, in the 70’s they had shaggy hair, beards, and filled stadiums. How did they one day find themselves in a photo studio all gussied up like Wham!?
Various Artists “21 Golden State Greats From the Covers of BAM – California’s Music Magazine”
This comp is from sometime in the late 90’s. It features Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Muffs, The Donnas, Mark Eitzel, Fu Manchu, Mr. T Experience, and Victoria Williams. I haven’t listened to it yet but I probably will.
Posted by Big Kev at 10:33 AM
February 3, 2006
James McMurtry @ The Troubadour: January 26, 2006
What's with The Troubadour and all these great acts lately? Shooter Jennings, Rodney Crowell, James McMurtry, and Kris Kristofferson coming in March?! Big props to the booker at the Troubadour...Good job!
James McMurtry put on a solid show on the 26th...featuring local band Shurman as the opener. This is a band that accurately describes themselves as "too rock for country, and too country for rock;" however, Shurman never disappoints in their live shows. James played to a packed crowd, the largest he's ever played to in Los Angeles, thanks to the unstoppable efforts of Cary Baker and Conqueroo Music Publicity. James played a nice balance of earlier work, as well as plenty of material from his politically-charged "Childish Things." An obvious audience favorite was "We Can't Make It Here Any More," a very left-leaning tune.
So which Hollywood celebrity would you expect to see at James' show? Well, it seems that Matthew McConaughey purchased eight tickets for the show, and occupied the front and center floor space, singing along with every word. Penelope Cruz, who was in tow, seemed bored and unimpressed, but Matthew's enthusiasm more than made up for that.
Posted by darlin at 12:39 PM
