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November 26, 2006
The Detours 11-24-06
At The Mort
Words and Pictures by Kevin Hillskemper
The Detours have been doing some reunion shows lately. Check their website for a history lesson. You probably know some of their songs. The Adolescents recorded a few and DI recorded a few more when former Detours passed through their ranks. The last time I saw the Detours was about 25 years ago at a backyard party in Anaheim. No, I don't expect you to care.
This was likely to be the last show that will be at The Mort, a rehearsal and performance space in a run-down industrial park in Orange. It's rumored to be haunted. That's probably why my pictures came out all spotted.
The set got off to a shaky start when the PA system quit during the first song. Singer Gordon Cox conducted the crowd in a sing-along until the sound came back. He is equal parts Huey Long. Robert Goulet, Cal Worthington, and Joe Piscopo. He could have also sold them a car, had them speaking in tongues, and sold them acreage of California Pines. He's pretty darn good.
The set was short and action-packed. I'll throw out a few songs titles in case you want to catch any - "OC Life", "The Saint", "No Way", "Creatures", and so on. I'm not sure if they played "Falling Out" or not. It seems to be stuck in my head for some reason.
Rikk Agnew certainly let his presence be known. The small size of the room emphasized his guitar-hero theatrics and usual antics like thwacking himself on the forehead with a microphone.
Halfway through the bands performance of "Hang Ten in East Berlin", he suddenly abandoned his guitar and stormed offstage. After retrieving his grocery bag full of liquid refreshments, he ran up to me and grabbed me by the shirt collar. He pulled me toward him and started us both in a swirling death-spin. Not being much of a hoofer myself, I did not reciprocate on his offer of a personal slam dance. He then tossed me aside and disappeared into the night.
I admit that it caught me off-guard, but I wasn't really surprised. If you put yourself anywhere in the proximity of Rikk Agnew, stuff like that is going to happen.
Rikk Agnew drops his pants for the camera.
Posted by Big Kev at 10:48 AM
November 25, 2006
Shut Up and LISTEN
I remember exactly where I was when I first heard a Dixie Chicks song. I mean, not just heard on the radio as background noise, but really, truly heard their music. It was the fall of 1998; I was in my freshman year of junior college, off-roading with my friend Joe in his gray Jeep Cherokee through the orange groves after class (and you thought there was nothing to do in Riverside). He put Wide Open Spaces in the CD player, and said, "There's this really good song you have to hear," as the opening chords of "You Were Mine" filtered through the truck's speakers. The lines, "He's two and she's four, and you know they adore you" ripped through my heart like nothing else ever had, and the very next CD purchase I made was Wide Open Spaces.
Much later, I realized that that was one of the defining moments that made me want to work in music. I wanted to be that person saying to others, "You have to hear this song." I remember purchasing the subsequent Chicks albums (Fly and Home) the day they arrived in stores. By the time Taking the Long Way was released, I was high enough on the radio food chain to not only get a free copy, but an advance, even. A nice little bookmark for career progress.
And while some would critize the Chicks for the progress of their own careers, many more would celebrate their progress as artists, as evidenced by their just-about-sold-out show at the Staples Center Friday night. In short: they've come a long way from the days of "pink feather cowboy hats," as Martie put it. Their audience, which four years ago, would have been comprised primarily of droves of fifteen year old girls linked arm in arm, or seven year old girls accompanied by their mothers, is now made up of a much more mature, NPR - type audience, gay men, hipsters, and plenty of stars, including Gregory Peck's wife, Benjamin Bratt, and Laura Dern. Reports were that Natalie Maines' husband Adrian Pasdar had bought 400 tickets for stars and staff of his TV show, "Heroes," and two windows at the box office were devoted exclusively for "Adrian's Heroes" to pick up their tickets.
Although the show opened with an instrumental rendition of "Hail to the Chief," before launching into "Lubbock or Leave It" from Taking the Long Way, this was not a political show, outside the music, and with the exceptions of Natalie's fleeting references to "The Incident."
This was also not a show about theatrics, spectacle, or pyrotechnics. Production elements, although not sparse, were relatively simple, and did nothing to distract from the music. No flying over the audience, no costume changes, no magic acts. Likewise, Natalie spoke calmly and quietly between songs, but again - nothing to detract from the music.
Not surprisingly, "Not Ready to Make Nice," was the highlight of the show, performed with as much personal passion as ever, earning the Chicks a standing ovation and a full minute of thunderous applause. While the audience was clearly not as familiar with the music from Home, and even less so with the music from Fly (the title track was the only selection from Wide Open Spaces performed). Clearly, the folks in the audience were the type who had maybe one or two Chicks albums in their collections previous to Taking the Long Way (if you'll recall, there was certainly a time when, even if you weren't a fan of mainstream country, even if you weren't a fan of anything remotely country, it was cool to own a Chicks CD), but had never really appreciated the genius of the band until "The Incident."
Ironically, when songs from Fly are played right next to songs from Taking the Long Way, one realizes exactly how much times have changed for the Chicks. Not sure what I mean? Listen to "Some Days You Gotta Dance" from Fly, and then "Easy Silence" from Taking the Long Way. These are clearly not the girls who once wore pink feather boas to awards shows.
On the other hand, some lyrics from their previous albums prove to be erie forecasts of what was to come. There's a bittersweetness to the line "Room to make her big mistakes" that didn't previously exist in "Wide Open Spaces." Likewise, a certain sadness in their remake of Stevie Nicks' "Landslide." At the same time, a triumph when Natalie pumps her first when she sings, "You don't like the sound of the truth comin' from my mouth" in Patty Griffin's song, "Truth No. 2" from Home.
Although the Chicks' set lasted almost two hours, it was barely enough time to scratch the surface of their material. The course of their set included a new song inspired after they saw a rough cut of the documentary Shut Up and Sing (co-written by opener Pete Yorn), and their rendition of "Mississippi" makes me want to like Bob Dylan. On the other hand, I wouldn't have minded the aforementioned "You Were Mine," or Maria McKee's "Am I the Only One" (also from Spaces), or Radney Foster's "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)," or "I'm Gonna Let Him Fly" or "Favorite Year" or "Voice Inside My Head" or...I could go on.
The Dixie Chicks may have traveled a hard road to get to this place, but it's been well worth the wait. In regards to "The Incident," Martie says, "It's the best thing to ever have happened to me."
It's the best thing to ever have happened to their fans, too.
Posted by darlin at 3:49 PM
November 11, 2006
Raul Malo @ Roxy: November 8, 2006
The only time I've ever seen chairs set up at the Roxy is when Raul Malo performs, which works for his mellow, romantic style. Unfortunately, they did not work for Raul's opener Mother Superior, whose loud aggressiveness was quite a contrast to Raul's melodiousness. (Side note: Mother Superior is the most recent recipient of the Faith Hill Award for Poor Sportsmanship, for having allegedly made fun of him as they were loading out their equipment).
Like his latest solo album You're Only Lonely Raul's set was very ballad-driven, showcasing the smooth purity of his voice, but occasionally feeling a little sleepy. It was the kind of show to attend with your significant other. Raul's set list included mostly stuff from You're Only Lonely (which is largely an album of covers), and a handful of Mavericks staples like "O What a Thrill", "Dance the Night Away," and "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down."
Not a show that'll get you all wound up, but a calm, lovely night of very romantic music.
Posted by darlin at 5:26 PM
November 9, 2006
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Eagles of Death Metal, ThrowRag @ the HOB, Anaheim: November 8, 2006
David and I couldn't agree on whether or not Joan Jett has "had some work done." I say yes, probably Botox, maybe more. He says tons of foundation and clean living (hey, she's a vegetarian). But we could agree on the following:
1) Joan's hot. Whether you're a guy or a gal, you'd do her.
2) The band sounds impeccable. David credits this to "low stage volume." I say they practice (hey, she's a Virgo).
3) Great harmonies. (see above)
4) Every song is great. From the old standards ("Cherry Bomb," "I Love Rock n' Roll") to the new tracks off the "Sinner" album, there is really no filler here. And it's not all the same song either. She is one great songwriter and a terrific performer.
5) Joan Jett has amazing arms. Better than mine, certainly, and even better than David's (and his are great). She's got amazing triceps, and you know that's hard to do. I stood there envious every time she raised her arm to pump her fist (and that happened a lot).
6) Joan Jett and the Blackhearts played for only an hour and you thought it was longer (in a good way), then came out and did an amazing encore of COVERS. Who the hell can close with a cover? Joan Jett, that's who. She shows every rock star I've ever seen how it's done (with the exception of say, Tom Jones).
7) The Eagles of Death Metal are amusing, but every song is the same.
8) When Throw Rag opens, they set the bar pretty high.
9) The crowd was incredibly mixed. Aging rockers, soccer moms and pre-teen punks rubbed elbows with rockabillies and OC wannabes. And it was a good thing.
10) Anyone who doesn't like Joan Jett is stupid.
Posted by DJWanda at 10:34 PM
America, Land of the Pee
I am rapidly becoming one of those crazy old ladies that yells out "This is America!" at every turn. I know this because I want to shout this at panhandlers, kids who want me to buy candy outside Sav-On, people who want to discuss religion with me on my doorstep, and my neighbor across the street, who shall be henceforth known as "Wee Willie Winkie."
Let me explain: "This is America!" is shorthand for "I'm Free! I don't have to buy your candy, give you money, or follow your religion!" As the child of first-generation immigrants and grandparents who survived the Armenian holocaust, this declaration of independence is nothing short of patriotic, an anthemic glorification of rights.
Lately it has come to mean more.
While folding clothes one evening in my bedroom, which faces north, by the way, I witnessed my elderly (60-ish) Filipino neighbor open his garage, back out his Mercedes (it seems important that I identify the car here), and then close the garage. As if in afterthought, he exited the car, walked to the side gate separating his yard from the street, and lifting the leg of his shorts PEED ALL OVER THE SIDE OF HIS HOUSE!
And while doing so, he sort of looked around, as if to see if anyone had observed him. Which I did.
Now, we live on a busy street. There are cars driving up and down all the time. Our street is crossed by another street that bisects two large avenues which feed onto the freeway. There are a school and a park at the end of the street, and although it was Saturday, there is always a lot of traffic coming and going to the schoolyard and park, which are used for adult softball. Really. What was he thinking?
And my response? I wanted to run to the window and yell, "Hey, this is AMERICA!" Which in this case would have been shorthand for, "We don't pee in the street like dogs, we don't pee on our $750,000 houses, we don't live in a Third World country, you pig! My ancestors fought to get here so I wouldn't have to see some guy peeing on the side of a house!" Which is not very patriotic, but you get my drift.
I was raised with really strict manners and no where was I ever taught to pee on the side of your house when you are five feet away from the door of your own home which presumably has working plumbing. Really. I've also been taking some classes in conflict resolution and how to Conduct Tough Conversations. One of the first things they teach you is not to jump to conclusions, in other words to "Master Your Stories" and find out objectively why someone has done what they did without accusing them of ill intention. So, I tried to think about why someone would pee on the side of their own house. Maybe he has prostate cancer, maybe he's incontinent, maybe he's in a big hurry, maybe his plumbing is broken. MAYBE HE'S A TOTAL PIG.
Maybe his parents or he himself came to this country and worked hard to buy a suburban house just so he could pee on the side of it whenever he wanted. Hey, this is America, Land of the Pee. My Country Tis of Pee, Of Pee I Sing.
Posted by DJWanda at 10:29 PM
November 4, 2006
A Blue Night
So I went to the House of Blues Wednesday night not to see the Gin Blossoms, who were headlining, but to see his support Shawn Mullins. Somehow, I'd gotten it into my head that Josh Kelley was opening, but when I got to the HOB, someone else's name was written on the bill. Well, that someone else (whose name escapes me at the moment) had to cancel due to a death in the family, and Evan and Jaron opened instead. The duo (two cute boys and their guitars) reminded me a bit of Hanna McEuen, minus the Roy Orbison influence, and with a very funny song called "Leave Your Wife in the Truck," which included a very intentional dig at Rascal Flatts, which of course only made me love them more.
I just saw Shawn Mullins, the former Thorn, less than a month and a half ago at his showcase for the Americana Music Association Conference in Nashville, and his show there was so good, I couldn't pass up the chance to see him again, even if it meant he'd probably be playing an identical set, which he did. Shawn has for sure had some success in the pop world with his song "Lullaby," but even that song, I think, has an Americana feel to it, and the songs on his latest CD 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor, even more so. Accompanied only by multi-instrumentalist Clay Cook, I couldn't believe how much sound came out of only two instruments at a time. My friend Pam described Shawn's voice "like a pillar, and everything else in the room surrounds it," and he plays his guitar in the same manner. His song "Santa Fe" makes me want to live there, and the line, "I'd drink a whole bottle of my pride" from "Shimmer" stops me dead EVERY time I hear it. I'm also not tired of hearing his story about how the third verse of "Blue As You" was written by Matthew Sweet, who they'd woken up to participate. The story goes that Matthew woke up, groggily muttered the verse while Shawn wrote it down, and then Matthew promptly went back to sleep (look up the verse yourself if you're really interested). Shawn mentioned, "I don't know what this song's about, but I like how it makes me feel when I sing it." I could listen to "Beautiful Wreck" forever, and there's nothing like a good murder song like "Cold, Black Heart" to endear you to your audience. Also touching was his cover of "House of the Rising Sun," also from 9th Ward, which was named after the New Orleans studio in which about half of the album was recorded.
I was a bit surprised that the show wasn't sold out; I thought the Gin Blossoms had a pretty good following, but I also embarrassingly had them confused with the Goo Goo Dolls when I learned I'd be going to this show. Although I only recognized three or four of their songs, they reminded me of a very mild Son Volt. VERY mild, mind you. The highlight of the show for me was obviously Shawn Mullins, but I can't say I didn't appreciate the chance to expand my horizons.
Posted by darlin at 4:55 PM
