josh ritter, park west - chicago 2/11/07

Last night I saw Josh Ritter play a solo acoustic show at the Park West in Chicago. ***edit*** I attended the show with my über awesome concert buddy, James, Jim, and the late-arriving, but candy toting, Renee. ***edit*** It was a seated show, with the tables lined up cabaret style, angled towards the stage. Stephen Kellogg was the opener, and he played a lively set, without the usual backup of his band the Sixers.

The stage was set with empty picture frames hung on the back wall. A string of lights snaked across the floor creating a warm, glowing circle. An old end table with an antique lamp and a glass of whiskey waited for the troubadour to take the stage. The general effect was that of a theatrical parlour.


I didn't write down a setlist, because I was too busy enjoying the music. Well, that and taking pictures. If someone to ask me my favorite album of last year, I would reply without hesitation, Josh Ritter's The Animal Years. He is undeniably one of the best live performers I have ever seen, and quite possibly the best songwriter of our generation. He composes lyrics with a poets ear, and he exudes pure joy and gratitude every time he steps on stage.























More photos at my flickr page.

If you get the opportunity to see Josh live, definitely go see him. And if you don't yet own any of his albums, rush out and get those as well. And if you have the time after a show to say hi to him, do it. He is incredibly attentive to each and every person who takes their time to talk to him. Truly a beautiful person, and beautiful music.

wings

if i had to pick one song i want to hear josh ritter play at his solo acoustic show this sunday, this would be it. it's songs like this that take him past singer to the realm of travelling bard, telling stories to enraptured listeners.

Wings by Josh Ritter

at night we crossed the border following a Black robe
to the edge of the reservation—to Cataldo Mission
where the saints and all the martyrs look down on dying converts
what makes the water holy she says is that that it's the closest thing to rain I stole a mule from Anthony—I helped Anne up upon it
and we rode to Coeur d'Alene—through Harrison and Wallace
they were blasting out the tunnels—making way for the light of learning
when Jesus comes a'calling she said he's coming round the mountain on a train
it's my home—last night I dreamt that I grew wings
I found a place where they could hear me when I sing
we floated on to Hanford on a lumber boat up river
past the fisheries and the milltowns like a stretch of future graveyards
she was driven to distraction—said I wonder what will happen
when they find out they're mistaken and the land is too changed to ever change
we waded through the marketplace—someone's ship had come in
there was silver and begonias—dynamite and cattle
there were hearts as big as apples and apples in the shape of Mary's heart
I said inside this gilded cage a songbird always looks so plain
it's my home—last night I dreamt that I grew wings
I found a place where they could hear me when I sing.
and so they came with cameras—breaking through the morning mist
press and businessmen—tycoons—Episcopal philanthropists
lost in their appraisal of the body of a woman
but all we saw were lowlands—clouds clung to mountains without strings
and at last we saw some people huddled up against
the rain that was descending like railroad spikes and hammers they were headed for the border—walking and then running
then they were gone into the fog but Anne said underneath their jackets she saw wings

there is healing in your hands

I'm not sure how music affects most people. I think the majority of people go through life with music as a background noise. Something they hear on the radio; maybe they have a favorite song by an artist because it reminds them of a loved one or it reminds them of a party or a summer.

Other people, myself included, have a more intrinsic need for the music. When a song comes on, it triggers sense memories: the smell of someone's hair, the first taste of wine, the feel of the sun as it dries water to salt onto your skin. A song can leave you refreshed or energized, aching with loneliness, angry.

Recently I'm finding out that the reason some music is my favorite is because it heals my soul. Leading up to a concert, I generally overdose on the artists music, filling up with it so I am primed for the show. For this last Ryan Adams concert though, I found that I was just listening to Glen Phillips. I couldn't listen to Ryan at all. Talking to a friend, I realized that it is because listening to Glen sometimes heals up the tiny little cracks in my soul, like a salve upon my loneliness.

Seeing Ryan live, I was full of the energy created onstage, and I started to binge. I put all my Ryan Adams cds in and listened to them in order. I listened to dozens of live recordings. And I've been drowning in sorrow for two days straight. Where Glen's music calmed and soothed me, Ryan's music scoured my nerve endings, leaving them raw and defenseless. I can't say that one is better than the other. We need all our emotions for balance. Maybe I just need to learn not to overdo it.

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – HOB Chicago 1/18/07

I saw Ryan Adams and the Cardinals play at the HOB Chicago this Thursday. I had seen Ryan play in the past, and his performances were either phenomenal or left people scratching their heads wondering what the hell his problem was. Well, this show was 2 1/2 hours of non-stop (and I literally mean NON -STOP – they did not take a single break once they started playing) ass-kicking, mind-blowing, otherworldly rock and roll.

Setlist:
1. Magnolia Mountain
2. A Kiss Before I Go
3. Please Do Not Let Me Go
4. Tears of Gold
5. Peaceful Valley
6. Easy Plateau
7. New York, New York
8. Let It Ride
9. Bartering Lines
10. To Be Young
11. Cold Roses
12. Shakedown on 9th St >
13. Carribean Queen >
14. I See Monsters
15. You Don't See Me Crying (Neal Casal)
16. Dear John
17. Harder No That It's Over
18. The End
19. Two Hearts
20. Trouble On Wheels
21. September
22. Blue Hotel
23. Freeway To The Canyon (Neal Casal)
24. Arkham Asylum
25. Beautiful Sorta
26. Mockingbird Song
27. Typecast
28. What Sin Replaces Love

Ryan said almost nothing during the show. The band took the stage without a word and just ripped into the songs. There were a few exchanges between the band members themselves, but no interaction with the audience at all. It was like they were putting this show out there, and you were invited to watch, grab the energy and make with it what you will.

This would be the first time I've seen Ryan looking completely happy on stage. Even when something would mess up, he just let it go and went on with his mission. The show ended with a freakish death metal riff that seemed to last forever with all the band members shredding on their instruments while Ryan repeatedly screamed into his microphone. It sounded to me like he was yelling "rockstar" but someone else said he was yelling "what sin". The lights were swirling around and flashing and I'm certain that if I had been on drugs I may have gotten another level out of that whole moment. But I wasn't. So, after about the tenth time he yelled it, I internally hoped they would overload the circuits and the entire place would lose power. I think my ears are still ringing just a little.

My lessons are as such: When you go to a Ryan Adams concert, expect nothing more than a glimpse into the complex universe that he seems to have created around himself. Bring ear plugs if you treasure your auditory organs. Prepare to walk out feeling like someone has hit you with a car so hard that it knocks you out of your shoes. Yeah. It's that good.

Dick Prall at the Fat Bean

myspace.com/dickprall

snow, polar bears, and dylan mcdermott

We spent Christmas and New Years in Albuquerque this year. Wouldn't it figure that Albuquerque received record-breaking snowfall while we were there, and we didn't pack snow gear? Anyways, here's a photographic review of my trip.

They say the sky is bluer in Albuquerque than other places. Something to do with lack of moisture in the air and light refraction. Judge for yourself.



The morning we got in town, the clouds were just sitting on top of the mountains.


Snow + cacti = awesome.


I love the Flying Star Cafe. They had matzoh ball soup when I was sick. (Or is it matzo?)


We got 22" of snow in a 48 hour time period.


We went to the zoo to watch polar bears wrestle.


And mountain lions lick themselves.


Even the orangutans were in a festive mood.


My favorites from the aquarium:
Puffer


Jellies


And the Slippery Dick.


I found a dragon


and a dinosaur biker


This was the runway at the airport the day we left:



We left on New Years Day. Flights hadn't entered or exited the airport for days due to the snow and dense fog from the evaporating snow. Luckily, my flight was neither cancelled nor delayed. Unluckily, it meant that there were lots of people stranded in the airport, so we got stuck sitting on the floor. I'm a people watcher, and I saw a man walk by who looked just like Dylan McDermott. Since I was with two kids under the age of 8, I couldn't exactly nudge one and ask their opinion, so I checked the NM Film Office site, and guess who is filming in NM? That's right. McDermott. Sadly, no photo, as I was unprepared for a celebrity sighting at the Albuquerque Sunport. He was looking pretty raggedy though. Maybe he was amongst the stranded.

auld lang syne - my best of 2006

2006 is creaking to an end. It's been an interesting year for me, music-wise. I've probably been more involved in music this year than ever before. I attended SXSW in March, which was quite an adventure. It was a bit overwhelming for me, as a first time attendee. I hope to schedule myself better for it in the future. Did I say the future? Oh yes, I will be going back. Not in 2007. Maybe 2008.

I got to meet quite a few of my favorite singers this year, discovered some new music, increased my back catalogue of cds, designed promotional material for my favorite singer, gained some fantastic new concert buddies, and attended shows in five different states.

total new cds: 42. (19 new releases, 23 back catalogue)
total shows: 30+ (i can't recall all the sxsw shows.)
total artists i went fangirl on and took pictures with: 7

And because no year end wrap-up is complete without lists....my top 6 of 2006!!!!

Favorite songs:
1. Thin Blue Flame - Josh Ritter. This song is epic. Full of sweeping vistas, rumbling crescendos, and some of the most well-written lyrics I've ever heard. You can almost smell the fields and hay as he sings about them.
2. The Hole - Glen Phillips
3. Song for You - Alexi Murdoch
4. The Believer - Rhett Miller
5. Don't Want You to Wake Up - Teitur
6. Vampires in Blue Dresses - Margot & the Nuclear So and So's

Favorite lyrics:
1. "I got a girl in the war, Paul, her eyes are like champagne. They sparkle, bubble over, and in the morning all you got is the rain." Josh Ritter, Girl in the War.
2. "Her jaw aches from wanting and she's sick from chlorine" Neko Case, Margaret vs. Pauline
3. "Talking to you girl, is like long division." Rhett Miller, Singular Girl
4. "I'm trapped in the orbit of your rolling eyes." David Mead, Hard to Remember.
5. "I close my eyes to see if I can feel you in the air. I want to breathe you in me, it makes me dizzy, but there's nobody there." Glen Phillips, Marigolds
6. "Time is contagious, everybody's getting old." Damien Rice, Coconut Skins

Favorite concerts:
1. Glen Phillips - SXSW party bus, Austin. There's something incredible about hearing an artist sing without amplification, without a stage. Less than 20 people sat on a bus and just listened to him sing.
2. Dick Prall/David Berkeley house concert, Chicago.
3. Duran Duran - Sears Centre, Chicago.
4. Over the Rhine/Josh Ritter/Jamie Cullum - Paste Magazine SXSW Party, Austin.
5. Autumn Defense - Schubas, Chicago.
6. Tobias Froberg/Teitur - Double Door, Chicago.

Favorite new finds (artists I started listening to this year):<
1. Josh Ritter
2. Patty Hurst Shifter
3. Autumn Defense
4. David Mead
5. Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
6. David Ford

Favorite back catalogue pick-ups. (Okay. I admit it. I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. But these are the cds I picked up this year that came out pre-2006 that I'm kicking myself for not buying sooner.)
1. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans. What a genius album.
2. Dick Prall - fizzlebuzzie
3. Leona Naess
4. Josh Rouse - Nashville
5. David Ford - I Sincerely Apologise for All the Trouble I've Caused
6. Josh Ritter - Hello Starling


Favorite New Releases:
1. Josh Ritter - The Animal Years. I knew within days of first hearing this album that it would be difficult for any other album to surpass it as my favorite of the year. It is not only the best album of this year, but one of the best albums I've heard this decade. The songs are lush and rich. Josh Ritter courts you gently at first, then pulls you in for a long slow dance. The music is masterful, and the lyrics are like a painter's vision inviting you into his world. Simply gorgeous.
2. Glen Phillips - Mr. Lemons
3. Teitur - Stay Under the Stars
4. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
5. Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence
6. David Mead - Tangerine

Music highlights:
1. Glen Phillips @ Schubas 5/21/06.
2. SXSW - Live Music all damn week. The dust bowl. Leaky vitamin water. Meeting dozens of amazing people.
3. Awesome new concert buddy James. He drives and brings the snacks.
4. Josh Ritter - so many memories linked to da Ritter. SXSW, Julie spitting on James, plus he was soooo cool to my kids. A special thank you to Erica for educating me on the importance of da Ritter.
5. David Berkeley & Dick Prall singing "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" while we all sang along.
6. Schubas in general. Sansone's socks, Julie being a cat, Autumn Defense, an explanation of Chodaboy, and the photo booth.

Here's to 2007 being just as random and amazing.