At John Wesley Harding's wildly entertaining "Cabinet of Wonders" show Wednesday night in Portland, the theme was love songs. The Decemberists served as the house band, joined by a variety of singers, including kd lang, Sallie Ford, Laura Veirs, Scott McCaughey and others.
The entire show was spectacular, but a major highlight was Colin Meloy and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) sharing the vocals on R.E.M.'s "You Are The Everything" which Meloy introduced as one of his favorites. Peter Buck's mandolin playing gave it an extra dose of authenticity.
You Are the Everything from vivian johnson on Vimeo.
You Are The Everything performance
The show was a benefit for My Music Rx, a terrific organization that brings music to children undergoing serious illnesses. Check them out.
R.E.M.'s web page mentioned the event and gave a nice shout out to the WYMA blog - much appreciated!
Showing posts with label R.E.M.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label R.E.M.. Show all posts
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Monday, February 13, 2012
Update: Patterson Hood & the Downtown 13, "After It's Gone"
Athens, Ga is an idyllic Southern college town, with a cool vibe, successful locally owned shops, a few good restaurants, the venerable 40 Watt Club and a great tradition. And more than a little good local music.
Some of Athens' finest musicians, led by longtime WYMA favorite Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers), with help from Mike Mills (R.E.M.) and many others (members of Widespread Panic, Futurebird, Hope For a Goldensummer, and more), put out a new song, "After It's Gone", to raise attention to the grassroots movement to protect downtown Athens' character and economic vitality.
It's a pretty song, with Hood's characteristically honest and heartfelt lyrics. The issues raised in it are hardly unique to Athens.
The Athens music community has long played an active and effective role in local politics. There is a lot of pride the musicians take in their town. Musicians at the level of Patterson Hood and Mike Mills rarely stay residents of small towns like Athens. So I applaud their commitment and deep civic engagement.
You can read more about the issue and download the song for free here: http://protectdowntownathens.com/
Sunday, September 25, 2011
R.E.M. - Reconstruction of the Fables
Pilgrimage Has Gained Momentum:
The first time I saw R.E.M. was in Nashville in 1980 at a tiny basement club called Phranks'N'Steins. Maybe 5 songs into the first of their two sets, I concluded they were my favorite band in the world.
I went that night because my Vanderbilt law school pal Curtis had gone to U. of Georgia as an undergrad and spotted a poster for the show as we were walking on campus: "Appearing Friday From Athens GA - R.E.M." Curtis said something to the effect that he had not heard of them, but we had to go because if they were from Athens they had to be great, especially with such a cool name.
About 15 people were at the show. Turns out it was the 2nd show R.E.M. had ever played outside of Athens and one of the first shows they had headlined. They were raw and exciting and even then had a completely distinctive sound. Sure there were some touch points - The Byrds, The Ramones, Lovin' Spoonful, and 60's garage rock. But what struck me was the weird touch of Southern soul that was hinted at in the band's remarkable rhythm section, played by 2 Georgia boys - bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry.
At that point, Peter Buck was the visual center of their performances - all Pete Townshend kicks, windmills and jumps, with a propelling and infectious Rickenbacker guitar sound. The singer was shy, to the point of barely looking at the audience, but oh man, what a voice. And as somewhat reticent and completely unconventional as he seemed, there was a quality to Michael Stipe that you couldn't take your eyes off.
Something really special was at work, even though a third of the songs they played were covers and you could tell they were pretty new at this. I went home that night thinking - what a collective, 4 guys making their own new sound their own way, a real band.
Curtis recognized Peter from Wuxtry Records in Athens where Peter had worked and we chatted between the sets. The next time they came through Nashville, Curtis threw a BBQ dinner for them and we dragged every cool person from the law school to see them that night at a larger club.
Soon I graduated and moved to Chicago, and helped them get their first show there (Club C.O.D. on Devon near Loyola). It was the night before Thanksgiving in 1981. They had a bunch of new songs, every one better than the one before. I couldn't believe how much they had improved in less than a year. Stipe and Mills' vocal harmonies were unbelievably great. And Stipe was now a whirling dervish on stage, shaking and shimmying his way through the set.
Here's an early live clip (with future sideman Peter Holsapple from The dBs sitting in):
An early TV performance - note how Stipe hides from the limelight:
I have tracked their career closely, followed them around the US and Europe, had some amazing experiences as a result of all of it, and through R.E.M. met some of my favorite people in the world.
Their decision to stop forever right now has hit me hard, feels like a transition in my own life, the end of something special. But of course it isn't the end because the music and experiences survive. I could spew my thoughts on various records, but plenty of writers will do a fine job with that.
The first time I saw R.E.M. was in Nashville in 1980 at a tiny basement club called Phranks'N'Steins. Maybe 5 songs into the first of their two sets, I concluded they were my favorite band in the world.
I went that night because my Vanderbilt law school pal Curtis had gone to U. of Georgia as an undergrad and spotted a poster for the show as we were walking on campus: "Appearing Friday From Athens GA - R.E.M." Curtis said something to the effect that he had not heard of them, but we had to go because if they were from Athens they had to be great, especially with such a cool name.
About 15 people were at the show. Turns out it was the 2nd show R.E.M. had ever played outside of Athens and one of the first shows they had headlined. They were raw and exciting and even then had a completely distinctive sound. Sure there were some touch points - The Byrds, The Ramones, Lovin' Spoonful, and 60's garage rock. But what struck me was the weird touch of Southern soul that was hinted at in the band's remarkable rhythm section, played by 2 Georgia boys - bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry.
At that point, Peter Buck was the visual center of their performances - all Pete Townshend kicks, windmills and jumps, with a propelling and infectious Rickenbacker guitar sound. The singer was shy, to the point of barely looking at the audience, but oh man, what a voice. And as somewhat reticent and completely unconventional as he seemed, there was a quality to Michael Stipe that you couldn't take your eyes off.
Something really special was at work, even though a third of the songs they played were covers and you could tell they were pretty new at this. I went home that night thinking - what a collective, 4 guys making their own new sound their own way, a real band.
Curtis recognized Peter from Wuxtry Records in Athens where Peter had worked and we chatted between the sets. The next time they came through Nashville, Curtis threw a BBQ dinner for them and we dragged every cool person from the law school to see them that night at a larger club.
Soon I graduated and moved to Chicago, and helped them get their first show there (Club C.O.D. on Devon near Loyola). It was the night before Thanksgiving in 1981. They had a bunch of new songs, every one better than the one before. I couldn't believe how much they had improved in less than a year. Stipe and Mills' vocal harmonies were unbelievably great. And Stipe was now a whirling dervish on stage, shaking and shimmying his way through the set.
Here's an early live clip (with future sideman Peter Holsapple from The dBs sitting in):
An early TV performance - note how Stipe hides from the limelight:
I have tracked their career closely, followed them around the US and Europe, had some amazing experiences as a result of all of it, and through R.E.M. met some of my favorite people in the world.
Their decision to stop forever right now has hit me hard, feels like a transition in my own life, the end of something special. But of course it isn't the end because the music and experiences survive. I could spew my thoughts on various records, but plenty of writers will do a fine job with that.
I'd rather highlight something in R.E.M.'s history that I think gets a bit overlooked - they didn't just make music, they managed to build a movement and a community. And that community was a far better place than the world at large. You didn't just get to listen to R.E.M., you could join them. Which is a big reason why there has been such an emotional outpouring of love to the band this week.
Can't Get There From Here:
Even though neither Peter nor Michael were natives of the South, the band wore their small town Georgia roots proudly. And they blazed a new path for Southern rock music and more importantly, for progressive and outsider kids in the South. As far from rebel flags, Freebird, wanky guitar solos, and dumbshit good old boys as you could get, R.E.M. instead were all well read guys, whipsmart, with a kudzu album cover, a song about Howard Finster, a love of Big Star and some super hip country twang on one of their most popular early songs "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville". They wore Future Farmer of America jackets in publicity photos and talked about Flannery O'Connor in interviews. They were both as Southern as, yet as far from, Lynyrd Skynyrd as one could be.
Their first LP Murmur was and remains a masterpiece. It was the American Astral Weeks - evoking Southern rather than Irish mysticism and literature - weird, soulful, oblique, timeless and utterly compelling. It was like Flannery O'Connor's version of jangly folk rock. Later, Fables of the Reconstruction, though recorded in the UK, doubled down on the band's New South sensibilities and became the soundtrack to college life in the South for years afterwards.
The South was a lot of things in the late 70s-early 80's, but one thing it wasn't was cool. Yet seemingly overnight after Murmur was released , R.E.M. was suddenly the coolest band in America, the one that the New Music Express in the UK, the New York Times, and perhaps more importantly, the most influential fanzines like The New York Rocker and Matter Magazine were fawning over in every issue. And R.E.M. served as a beacon, source of pride and a lifeline for many kids in the South - the artsy kids, politically aware types, gay kids, music nerds, and the smart kids who got bullied at school. R.E.M. gave the outsiders a place to belong.
Let's Start a New Country Up:
Being a fan of R.E.M. early on was closer to joining a club than simply liking a band. Everything about this band was different, even their tee shirts with monkeys on bicycles, stick men or old maps. When you met someone at a party who liked R.E.M., you became friends with them. And it was a big deal when R.E.M. came to town, which in their extended barnstorming period of 1982-89 was maybe twice a year if you lived in a big city or many college towns. Every time they came back, they played a bigger club or theater, and very soon in some markets, arenas.
And when the band hit it big, they avoided and even spoofed the rock'n'roll cliches. With the help of a very shrewd and creative set of internal managers/advisors, Jefferson Holt and Bertis Downs, R.E.M. beat the industry at its own game, made the industry adjust to R.E.M. rather than the reverse. As Peter Buck once famously stated, R.E.M. was "the acceptable edge of all the unacceptable stuff."
R.E.M.'s first big arena tour, the magnificent Green tour of 1989, was as one friend of mine put it, more like German expressionist art than a conventional arena rock show. As Stipe unleashed his inner Iggy Pop, fans were treated to backdrop film by avant filmmakers or random words like "Hello", "Government" or "Hi, it's great to be be back in (your city here)."
R.E.M.'s biggest hit, and one of its very best songs, "Losing My Religion", prominently featured not a ringing guitar but a mandolin, while its ubiquitous video featured Caravaggio images. Somehow R.E.M. held on to their unconventional outsider art status even as they became one of the biggest bands in the world.
The band was well aware of its community-organizer influence and began to promote progressive causes, being among the first bands to set up information tables for social justice and environmental organizations in the lobbys of its shows. By 1986-87, the increasingly more confident Stipe began to speak out on various issues - the death penalty, environmental protection, local and national elections - flying in the face of the reactionary and sickening Reaganism of the mid-80s. As common place as that activism seems now, it was not then and especially not in the South.
But the band members spoke from their heart about the issues of the day and didn't fret the consequences (and there were some). But to the throngs of outsiders in its fan base, R.E.M mattered, and for many of its rabid followers, being a fan stood for something bigger than the music.
And as the lyrics became more decipherable and direct, so did the messaging. To this day "Fall on Me" is one of my favorite songs of all time, R.E.M. at the absolute top of their game:
There's Lots of Room for You on the Bandwagon:
The center of R.E.M.'s new community was other musicians. A lot has been written this week about how R.E.M. essentially invented "alternative music" and "alternative radio" and paved the way much later for Nirvana and Pearl Jam, both of which adored R.E.M. All true. But while R.E.M.'s success certainly did send the record company lemmings searching for "the next R.E.M.", R.E.M. themselves were promoting their peers, always with their finger on the pulse of the best bands out there.
Starting on its earliest national tours in 1982 and continuing through the Accelerate tour two years ago, the band carefully selected its opening bands, not like everyone else picking bands who might help them sell more tickets, but instead selecting bands who had not played in such big rooms, deserved broader exposure and that R.E.M. thought their fans would appreciate. Here's a short list of what were underground bands when they opened for R.E.M. - 10,000 Maniacs, Husker Du, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, even Radiohead and Wilco, and most recently The National. I recall seeing the then unknown west coast band Camper van Beethoven playing "Take the Skinheads Bowling" in an arena in conservative Grand Rapids, Michigan in the mid-80s, and thinking, I can't believe this is actually happening.
And in every print interview, the band plugged other far less known bands. Peter Buck's impeccably tasteful year end Top 10 lists became a regular feature in magazines like Rolling Stone, and his list generally consisted of bands that Rolling Stone wouldn't write about for 2 more years.
And when a fellow musician was in need, R.E.M. was there to help. They never made a big deal out of their good deeds so I won't here either, but injured, sick and down on their luck musicians could count on R.E.M. for assistance.
The loyalty both to and from R.E.M. in the underground music community helped them greatly over the years. Almost never did you hear anyone grousing about R.E.M.'s success, instead it was a source of pride for the fans which included many many other bands. I was at countless backstage after parties at R.E.M. shows and many times it was a who's who of the local music scene in that city.
Time I Spend Some Time Alone:
I'm still getting my head around this breakup announcement. Their comments were elegant and I accept them at face value: http://remhq.com/news_story.php?id=1446.
Ironically the paradigm that R.E.M. successfully maneuvered despite their outsider and unconventional approach - record, tour, build base to sell records, get singles to radio to sell records, make a new record and repeat - toppled. To be a band now is to tour and license your music to commercials, TV, films and video games (kill me now). Other than touring, not much room for community building there. And I am exactly those guys' age, and the idea of riding on a bus (albeit a really nice one) for 5 hours or more a day, checking into a different hotel (albeit a really nice one) 4-5 days a week, being away from family and then jumping around on stage for 150 minutes seems somewhere between thoroughly unappealing and impossible.
After R.E.M. hit the big time, they continued to push the envelope and make challenging and distinctly original records, some of which people loved and some of which mystified people, but every one of which had some great songs. I listened today to both their first LP Murmur and their 15th and now final one Collapse Into Now, and both sounded fantastic.
So I reluctantly accept this unexpected decision of my favorite band and will continue always to love their music. I am so proud of them for their amazing 31-year career, and deeply thankful that they let me and so many like me come along for the ride.
Any other band in their position would take a victory lap "Farewell Tour" and the heartfelt goodbye from its fans and the huge multi-million dollar payday that would accompany it. But R.E.M., fittingly, walked out exactly as they walked in - through the back door. Right on fellas.
Can't Get There From Here:
Even though neither Peter nor Michael were natives of the South, the band wore their small town Georgia roots proudly. And they blazed a new path for Southern rock music and more importantly, for progressive and outsider kids in the South. As far from rebel flags, Freebird, wanky guitar solos, and dumbshit good old boys as you could get, R.E.M. instead were all well read guys, whipsmart, with a kudzu album cover, a song about Howard Finster, a love of Big Star and some super hip country twang on one of their most popular early songs "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville". They wore Future Farmer of America jackets in publicity photos and talked about Flannery O'Connor in interviews. They were both as Southern as, yet as far from, Lynyrd Skynyrd as one could be.
Their first LP Murmur was and remains a masterpiece. It was the American Astral Weeks - evoking Southern rather than Irish mysticism and literature - weird, soulful, oblique, timeless and utterly compelling. It was like Flannery O'Connor's version of jangly folk rock. Later, Fables of the Reconstruction, though recorded in the UK, doubled down on the band's New South sensibilities and became the soundtrack to college life in the South for years afterwards.
The South was a lot of things in the late 70s-early 80's, but one thing it wasn't was cool. Yet seemingly overnight after Murmur was released , R.E.M. was suddenly the coolest band in America, the one that the New Music Express in the UK, the New York Times, and perhaps more importantly, the most influential fanzines like The New York Rocker and Matter Magazine were fawning over in every issue. And R.E.M. served as a beacon, source of pride and a lifeline for many kids in the South - the artsy kids, politically aware types, gay kids, music nerds, and the smart kids who got bullied at school. R.E.M. gave the outsiders a place to belong.
Let's Start a New Country Up:
Being a fan of R.E.M. early on was closer to joining a club than simply liking a band. Everything about this band was different, even their tee shirts with monkeys on bicycles, stick men or old maps. When you met someone at a party who liked R.E.M., you became friends with them. And it was a big deal when R.E.M. came to town, which in their extended barnstorming period of 1982-89 was maybe twice a year if you lived in a big city or many college towns. Every time they came back, they played a bigger club or theater, and very soon in some markets, arenas.
And when the band hit it big, they avoided and even spoofed the rock'n'roll cliches. With the help of a very shrewd and creative set of internal managers/advisors, Jefferson Holt and Bertis Downs, R.E.M. beat the industry at its own game, made the industry adjust to R.E.M. rather than the reverse. As Peter Buck once famously stated, R.E.M. was "the acceptable edge of all the unacceptable stuff."
R.E.M.'s first big arena tour, the magnificent Green tour of 1989, was as one friend of mine put it, more like German expressionist art than a conventional arena rock show. As Stipe unleashed his inner Iggy Pop, fans were treated to backdrop film by avant filmmakers or random words like "Hello", "Government" or "Hi, it's great to be be back in (your city here)."
R.E.M.'s biggest hit, and one of its very best songs, "Losing My Religion", prominently featured not a ringing guitar but a mandolin, while its ubiquitous video featured Caravaggio images. Somehow R.E.M. held on to their unconventional outsider art status even as they became one of the biggest bands in the world.
The band was well aware of its community-organizer influence and began to promote progressive causes, being among the first bands to set up information tables for social justice and environmental organizations in the lobbys of its shows. By 1986-87, the increasingly more confident Stipe began to speak out on various issues - the death penalty, environmental protection, local and national elections - flying in the face of the reactionary and sickening Reaganism of the mid-80s. As common place as that activism seems now, it was not then and especially not in the South.
But the band members spoke from their heart about the issues of the day and didn't fret the consequences (and there were some). But to the throngs of outsiders in its fan base, R.E.M mattered, and for many of its rabid followers, being a fan stood for something bigger than the music.
And as the lyrics became more decipherable and direct, so did the messaging. To this day "Fall on Me" is one of my favorite songs of all time, R.E.M. at the absolute top of their game:
There's Lots of Room for You on the Bandwagon:
The center of R.E.M.'s new community was other musicians. A lot has been written this week about how R.E.M. essentially invented "alternative music" and "alternative radio" and paved the way much later for Nirvana and Pearl Jam, both of which adored R.E.M. All true. But while R.E.M.'s success certainly did send the record company lemmings searching for "the next R.E.M.", R.E.M. themselves were promoting their peers, always with their finger on the pulse of the best bands out there.
Starting on its earliest national tours in 1982 and continuing through the Accelerate tour two years ago, the band carefully selected its opening bands, not like everyone else picking bands who might help them sell more tickets, but instead selecting bands who had not played in such big rooms, deserved broader exposure and that R.E.M. thought their fans would appreciate. Here's a short list of what were underground bands when they opened for R.E.M. - 10,000 Maniacs, Husker Du, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, even Radiohead and Wilco, and most recently The National. I recall seeing the then unknown west coast band Camper van Beethoven playing "Take the Skinheads Bowling" in an arena in conservative Grand Rapids, Michigan in the mid-80s, and thinking, I can't believe this is actually happening.
And in every print interview, the band plugged other far less known bands. Peter Buck's impeccably tasteful year end Top 10 lists became a regular feature in magazines like Rolling Stone, and his list generally consisted of bands that Rolling Stone wouldn't write about for 2 more years.
And when a fellow musician was in need, R.E.M. was there to help. They never made a big deal out of their good deeds so I won't here either, but injured, sick and down on their luck musicians could count on R.E.M. for assistance.
The loyalty both to and from R.E.M. in the underground music community helped them greatly over the years. Almost never did you hear anyone grousing about R.E.M.'s success, instead it was a source of pride for the fans which included many many other bands. I was at countless backstage after parties at R.E.M. shows and many times it was a who's who of the local music scene in that city.
Time I Spend Some Time Alone:
I'm still getting my head around this breakup announcement. Their comments were elegant and I accept them at face value: http://remhq.com/news_story.php?id=1446.
Ironically the paradigm that R.E.M. successfully maneuvered despite their outsider and unconventional approach - record, tour, build base to sell records, get singles to radio to sell records, make a new record and repeat - toppled. To be a band now is to tour and license your music to commercials, TV, films and video games (kill me now). Other than touring, not much room for community building there. And I am exactly those guys' age, and the idea of riding on a bus (albeit a really nice one) for 5 hours or more a day, checking into a different hotel (albeit a really nice one) 4-5 days a week, being away from family and then jumping around on stage for 150 minutes seems somewhere between thoroughly unappealing and impossible.
After R.E.M. hit the big time, they continued to push the envelope and make challenging and distinctly original records, some of which people loved and some of which mystified people, but every one of which had some great songs. I listened today to both their first LP Murmur and their 15th and now final one Collapse Into Now, and both sounded fantastic.
So I reluctantly accept this unexpected decision of my favorite band and will continue always to love their music. I am so proud of them for their amazing 31-year career, and deeply thankful that they let me and so many like me come along for the ride.
Any other band in their position would take a victory lap "Farewell Tour" and the heartfelt goodbye from its fans and the huge multi-million dollar payday that would accompany it. But R.E.M., fittingly, walked out exactly as they walked in - through the back door. Right on fellas.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
REVIEW: The Baseball Project Volume 2: High and Inside
Baseball and rock'n'roll go extremely well together. Going to the ballpark to see your team is like going to your favorite club to see a great local band. You get to hang with your pals, drink a few beers, watch the action, and swap stories. But hey, word to the wise, when you are sitting in the baseball stands quaffing down the brew and talking to your boys Louie and Jackson there about your favorite new bands, don't forget to be paying attention for the screaming foul ball that might be headed your way (more on that particular risk later).
Baseball provides much superior stories and context for rock'n'roll than other sports - colorful figures, terrific jargon, quirky unwritten rules, a rich history, bizarre mishaps, managers in uniform, and timeless statistical milestones (.300 hitter, 20 game winner, etc.). And no one tells better baseball stories than the Baseball Project, the alternative rock version of the Traveling Wilburys - highly skilled, experienced craftsmen on loan from their day jobs and having a ball - Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate), Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey from R.E.M. and the Minus 5, and drummer Linda Pitmon (Miracle 3), with various all-star guests, including Craig Finn, Ben Gibbard, Robert Lloyd, Ira Kaplan and Steve Berlin.
Some songs here on the Baseball Project's second record center on an individual player: "Ichiro Goes to the Moon", "Pete Rose Way", "Here Lies Carl Mays", and "The Straw That Stirs the Drink" (a hilarious homage to Reggie Jackson, written in the first person and delivered perfectly matter-of-fact by Wynn, "There are superstars and then there's what I am"). Other songs here outline an aspect of the game or baseball culture ("Chin Music", "Fair Weather Fans").
One of the best songs here, "Panda and the Freak", a garage rock high-velocity fastball, touches both bases, starting with a celebration of the rich history of nicknames in the sport ("Goose, Bird, Penguin, Rooster, Vulture - and your bird can sing. And the greatest nickname of all time Death to Flying Things)", and then honoring in detail two current players on McCaughey's beloved San Francisco Giants. Seen here performed live last summer with pinch hitter guest Mike Mills from R.E.M.:
Fans of The Hold Steady (like say, me), especially those from Minnesota, will love Craig Finn's emotional ode to his beloved team "Don't Call Them Twinkies" ("The Minnesota Twins are making Minnesotans proud..... These are grown men, these are heroes, please don't call them Twinkies"). And for Mr. Minnesota out there, you get a double shot of your baseball love because Linda Pitmon grew up outside the Twin Cities, and in "Fair Weather Fans" she too passionately displays her undying loyalty to the Twinkies (oops, so sorry Mr. Finn, Tigers fan here and old habits die hard; "my bad!").
You can listen to "Please Don't Call Them Twinkies" inside this link: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/music_blog/archive/2010/09/dont_call_them.shtml
But the best story here is one I'd never heard. Did you know that Hall of Famer Bob Feller, the "Heater from Van Meter" himself, once threw a pitch that was fouled off and struck his own mother, and on Mother's Day no less?! More recently, the Twins' Denard Span ripped one into the stands and hit his mom (a Spring training game so at least not on Mother's Day, thank god). It's all true and now captured in song. Learn all about foul balls targeting in on loved ones in the wickedly funny cautionary tale "Look Out Mom".
Another bonus to this record - the fine explanatory liner notes for each song, as here where McCaughey recounts the Span incident and concludes "You figure, what are the chances? Hey, Richie Ashburn hit the same woman with foul balls twice in the same at bat. Heads up people!"
The song that may be the most biting and memorable is "Buckner's Bolero" where McCaughey painstakingly outlines every lapse in judgment by other Red Sox that preceded that fateful error in the 1986 Series (e.g. "If Jim Rice had twice taken an easy extra base....And Bob Stanley sure picked a bad time to uncork a wild pitch, and I'm sure he's still thinking that you could have blocked it, Rich.... If one play killed the Sox, can you please tell me which?"). McCaughey's sympathetic version of history paints Buckner as the ultimate scapegoat, whose solid 22-year career ("10,000 at bats and close to 3,000 hits") was obliterated by one routine, albeit historically untimely, fielding error. These lyrics are required reading for all you grudge-carrying Buckner haters out there: http://lyrics.wikia.com/The_Baseball_Project:Buckner
Here's an earlier live version of the Buckner song without the delicious spaghetti western/Latin drama (trumpet, pedal steel etc.) of the new recorded version:
Of course, being a diehard Detroit Tigers fan, I have an especially soft spot for the warm nostalgic lead track, Steve Wynn's "1976", a jangly ode to the great Mark Fidrych, sadly now deceased, but forever etched in our memories as the carefree pitcher who captured the nation in his magical rookie season, "Golden hair flowing down, on your knees grooming the pitcher's mound." I love the spirit and jangly sound of this one and have had this tune rattling around in my head for a week. Listen here:
As on their previous effort, the music and writing on Baseball Project 2 is so strong, that fans of The Dream Syndicate, R.E.M., the Hold Steady and smart guitar rock will find plenty to like here even if they don't care that much about baseball. It is a very good thing when you get an entire record of Steve Wynn, Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey going at it on guitars. But Volume 2: High and Inside is a baseball fan dream. The lyrics are remarkably well done, sure to warm any fan's heart with their detail and sharp wit.
Heads up people! The Baseball Project have outdone themselves. I find this a bit stronger overall than the debut record simply because the tunes are even better.
And by the way, with Opening Day upon us this week, I'm feeling, highly objectively of course, that despite Cabrera's off the field problems, Zumaya's most current injury, and a somewhat questionable starting rotation after Verlander and Scherzer, the Tigers could surprise people this year....and I've not lived in Michigan for 30+ years now, so, like Ms. Pitmon, "a fair weather fan is not what I am even though my zip code has changed."
Band web page, tour dates etc.: Baseball Project Page at Yep Roc Records
Official site: http://thebaseballproject.net/
Link at stevewynn.net
Baseball provides much superior stories and context for rock'n'roll than other sports - colorful figures, terrific jargon, quirky unwritten rules, a rich history, bizarre mishaps, managers in uniform, and timeless statistical milestones (.300 hitter, 20 game winner, etc.). And no one tells better baseball stories than the Baseball Project, the alternative rock version of the Traveling Wilburys - highly skilled, experienced craftsmen on loan from their day jobs and having a ball - Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate), Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey from R.E.M. and the Minus 5, and drummer Linda Pitmon (Miracle 3), with various all-star guests, including Craig Finn, Ben Gibbard, Robert Lloyd, Ira Kaplan and Steve Berlin.
Some songs here on the Baseball Project's second record center on an individual player: "Ichiro Goes to the Moon", "Pete Rose Way", "Here Lies Carl Mays", and "The Straw That Stirs the Drink" (a hilarious homage to Reggie Jackson, written in the first person and delivered perfectly matter-of-fact by Wynn, "There are superstars and then there's what I am"). Other songs here outline an aspect of the game or baseball culture ("Chin Music", "Fair Weather Fans").
One of the best songs here, "Panda and the Freak", a garage rock high-velocity fastball, touches both bases, starting with a celebration of the rich history of nicknames in the sport ("Goose, Bird, Penguin, Rooster, Vulture - and your bird can sing. And the greatest nickname of all time Death to Flying Things)", and then honoring in detail two current players on McCaughey's beloved San Francisco Giants. Seen here performed live last summer with pinch hitter guest Mike Mills from R.E.M.:
Fans of The Hold Steady (like say, me), especially those from Minnesota, will love Craig Finn's emotional ode to his beloved team "Don't Call Them Twinkies" ("The Minnesota Twins are making Minnesotans proud..... These are grown men, these are heroes, please don't call them Twinkies"). And for Mr. Minnesota out there, you get a double shot of your baseball love because Linda Pitmon grew up outside the Twin Cities, and in "Fair Weather Fans" she too passionately displays her undying loyalty to the Twinkies (oops, so sorry Mr. Finn, Tigers fan here and old habits die hard; "my bad!").
You can listen to "Please Don't Call Them Twinkies" inside this link: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/music_blog/archive/2010/09/dont_call_them.shtml
But the best story here is one I'd never heard. Did you know that Hall of Famer Bob Feller, the "Heater from Van Meter" himself, once threw a pitch that was fouled off and struck his own mother, and on Mother's Day no less?! More recently, the Twins' Denard Span ripped one into the stands and hit his mom (a Spring training game so at least not on Mother's Day, thank god). It's all true and now captured in song. Learn all about foul balls targeting in on loved ones in the wickedly funny cautionary tale "Look Out Mom".
Another bonus to this record - the fine explanatory liner notes for each song, as here where McCaughey recounts the Span incident and concludes "You figure, what are the chances? Hey, Richie Ashburn hit the same woman with foul balls twice in the same at bat. Heads up people!"
The song that may be the most biting and memorable is "Buckner's Bolero" where McCaughey painstakingly outlines every lapse in judgment by other Red Sox that preceded that fateful error in the 1986 Series (e.g. "If Jim Rice had twice taken an easy extra base....And Bob Stanley sure picked a bad time to uncork a wild pitch, and I'm sure he's still thinking that you could have blocked it, Rich.... If one play killed the Sox, can you please tell me which?"). McCaughey's sympathetic version of history paints Buckner as the ultimate scapegoat, whose solid 22-year career ("10,000 at bats and close to 3,000 hits") was obliterated by one routine, albeit historically untimely, fielding error. These lyrics are required reading for all you grudge-carrying Buckner haters out there: http://lyrics.wikia.com/The_Baseball_Project:Buckner
Here's an earlier live version of the Buckner song without the delicious spaghetti western/Latin drama (trumpet, pedal steel etc.) of the new recorded version:
Of course, being a diehard Detroit Tigers fan, I have an especially soft spot for the warm nostalgic lead track, Steve Wynn's "1976", a jangly ode to the great Mark Fidrych, sadly now deceased, but forever etched in our memories as the carefree pitcher who captured the nation in his magical rookie season, "Golden hair flowing down, on your knees grooming the pitcher's mound." I love the spirit and jangly sound of this one and have had this tune rattling around in my head for a week. Listen here:
As on their previous effort, the music and writing on Baseball Project 2 is so strong, that fans of The Dream Syndicate, R.E.M., the Hold Steady and smart guitar rock will find plenty to like here even if they don't care that much about baseball. It is a very good thing when you get an entire record of Steve Wynn, Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey going at it on guitars. But Volume 2: High and Inside is a baseball fan dream. The lyrics are remarkably well done, sure to warm any fan's heart with their detail and sharp wit.
Heads up people! The Baseball Project have outdone themselves. I find this a bit stronger overall than the debut record simply because the tunes are even better.
And by the way, with Opening Day upon us this week, I'm feeling, highly objectively of course, that despite Cabrera's off the field problems, Zumaya's most current injury, and a somewhat questionable starting rotation after Verlander and Scherzer, the Tigers could surprise people this year....and I've not lived in Michigan for 30+ years now, so, like Ms. Pitmon, "a fair weather fan is not what I am even though my zip code has changed."
Band web page, tour dates etc.: Baseball Project Page at Yep Roc Records
Official site: http://thebaseballproject.net/
Link at stevewynn.net
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
REVIEW: R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
R.E.M., rather than playing it safe or resting on their laurels, are still pushing themselves to make edgy and interesting new music. There's been very few bands that could be said about 30+ years into their career and after they've been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That instinct to keep pushing boundaries hasn’t been the easy road in the latter stages of their career when many fans kept waiting for Murmur 2 while R.E.M. issued experimental and cooly received records like Up and Around The Sun.
Website: R.E.M. HQ
Collapse Into Now, their 15th full release, manages to capture many of the elements that have made the band so beloved, without sounding like a throwback or safe journey on familiar ground. While the R.E.M. signature is stamped clearly on this effort -- pop melodies, big choruses, mysterious content, Michael Stipe’s distinctive vocals backed with prominent harmonies from Mike Mills, and Peter Buck’s chiming, infectious, signature guitar lines – the songs are so strong and varied that it sounds like they have something to prove. This is an experienced bunch that knows exactly what they are doing, and Collapse Into Now is a sophisticated effort, representing a great band furthering a significant legacy.
It being a varied collection of songs, more than some of the recent R.E.M. records that made more of a thematic or sonic single statement, we'll review them one by one in order. Since John and I bonded more than decade ago in no small part due to our mutual love of R.E.M.’s music, we thought it would be fitting and fun to celebrate our collaboration on John’s blog by each writing a little bit on each song. (Jim Desmond).
Trailer for making of the record here:
“Discoverer” –
JD: R.E.M. is generally thought of as a pop band, but they have written some great rock anthems like “Finest Worksong”, “Orange Crush” and “What’s the Frequency Kenneth?". Add “Discoverer” to the list. This picks up where R.E.M.’s last record, the hard driving Accelerate, left off. Except that this song is as good or better than anything on Accelerate. And “discoverer” is a terrific word, evocative in meaning and appealing in sound. “Discoverer” is a reminder of what a unique and effective lyricist Michael Stipe is. Who can't relate to this line: "Just the slightest bit of finesse, might have made a little less mess." A great opening track.
John: Yes, this is better than anything on Accelerate, and it certainly brings to mind those earlier songs that you mention. Their glam tendencies are well-represented on this disc, this being the first and probably best example.“All the Best” –
JD: What a one two punch out of the box! This song is pure rock’n’roll, a joyride. Love Stipe’s staccato vocal and the driving guitars of Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey (longtime collaborator and de facto 5th member). One of the best rock songs of their career. Simply wow.
John: To me, this song assumes a spot very high on the list of favorite R.E.M. songs, and I've only heard it three times! I think it's wonderful, and a terrific counterpoint to some of the more, uh, serious material on here...“ÜBerlin” –
JD: The record was partially recorded in Berlin, a city with a rich art and rock’n’roll recording history (Iggy Pop, Bowie, U2 etc.). This inspired mid-tempo song follows the 2 kickass rocker openers and changes things up perfectly, signaling a bold record not afraid to take some sharp turns. Beautiful acoustic guitar with strong electric bass lines, gorgeous melody, mysterious content. Then Buck throws his own curve with a noisy electric guitar bridge near the end. This one has grown on me tremendously since I first heard it, simply a terrific R.E.M. song.
John: To me, songs like this, where the acoustic guitar dominates but is embellished by rock instrumentation, have been highlights of R.E.M. records since "We Walk" on Murmur and "Seven Chinese Brothers" on Reckoning: is it a ballad, a rock song, are they channeling Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed or Jimmy Webb? Answer is "yes".“Oh My Heart” –
JD: This song continues the subtle travelogue feel of this record. When we first met the protagonist of this song in its prequel “Houston” on Accelerate, she had been evacuated from her New Orleans home and relocated to Houston. Now she has come back to New Orleans, as has R.E.M. who also recorded much of this record in the Crescent City where they have worked before. “I came home to a city half erased.” A heartfelt, beautiful and tender song with a New Orleans feel to it (accordian etc.). It conveys a strong sense of place and captures the gravitational pull of home. “This place is the beat of my heart.”
John: This song would not be the least bit out of place on Automatic For the People, and I mean that as a compliment... a very evocative and personal ballad that will elicit a reaction from everyone who hears it.“It Happened Today” –
JD: R.E.M. has a knack for occasionally capturing lightning in a bottle, coming in from left field and taking a risk that pays off big time (“End of the World”, “Feeling Gravity’s Pull”). This song stops all lyrics half way through to repeat a huge vocal chorus chant (Stipe, Mills, guest Eddie Vedder and perhaps others) that builds, soars and knocks you out - a hymn, R.E.M.-style, irresistible and moving. It has a vaguely New Orleans marching band funeral march feel, with great drums lines by Bill Rieflin. It’s not clear what’s happening here. The lyrics are first person and the 2nd line tells us “This is a terrible thing.” Soon after, a death is perhaps suggested: “I have earned my wings.” Terminal illness, sudden death, suicide? In any event, the life in question is honored, celebrated with joyous feeling. Fantastically well executed and deeply affecting. And wow does this sound great played loud in a car.
John: I don't get the sense that a death is suggested, but I'm just going on the overall feel of the song, which takes me back to some of my favorite R.E.M. songs throughout the years, in which you nearly overdose on gorgeous guitar lines and vocal harmonies. I almost see "earned my wings" as a reference to It's a Wonderful Life... so maybe it's an "almost death" that happened today. Either way, there's a celebratory feel to the song for sure...See a film made for "It Happened Today" at NY Times Website
“Everyday Is Yours To Win” -
JD: This record is smartly sequenced. That huge harmonic crescendo of “It Happened Today” leaves you exhilarated but emotionally spent, and thus a tough act to follow. They slow it way down with this almost lullaby. A fine composition, a bit reminiscent of “Everybody Hurts”, and a nice change of pace to the rockers and pop songs with huge harmonies that dominate this record.
John: This has a real nice intro, reminiscent of VU songs like "Candy Says", but of course R.E.M. makes it their own with Stipe's vocals and trademark lyrical passages... just the way he sings "the road ahead of you" overcomes all the disclaimers throughout the song (the sardonic "if you buy that I've got a bridge for you" and "with the war and the wounds and the subterfuge") and leaves you with a sense that, yes, every day is yours to win. There's a real artistry to the way Michael Stipe sings and this song is a perfect example. Nice fuzzy guitar break about halfway through, too, with, of course, some pretty harmony vocals.“Mine Smell Like Honey” –
JD: This song has every element I ever loved about R.E.M. -- fast and furious pace, killer chorus, Michael Stipe's voice, Mike Mills’ harmonies, Peter Buck’s distinctive guitar stylings. As an early reviewer once famously said about one of their first live tours: “like the Ramones pistol-whipping the Byrds.” Count me in for more of that. But I’m held back here (perhaps a sign of middle age fuddyduddyism?), finding “Mine smell like honey” to be anything but the lyrical hook that a great pop song demands. I’m not requiring anything profound mind you, just appealing, say for example: “Do you believe in magic?; California dreaming on such a winter’s day; If you believe they put a man on the moon; Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have fallen in love with?” This might have been one of my favorites on this record had they just gone with something like “Mine fly like airplane” or “Mine sound like Buzzcocks.” I want to hear Michael sing this one in Italian so I can quit my stupid bitching and just go with it.
John: Well, I have no idea what he's singing about, but this song does sound great and I can see myself driving along singing made-up lyrics, just like I did way back when... "Dig a hole, dig it deeper and deeper", does that not remind you of "Jefferson I think we're lost"? Just one of those soaring choruses you can sing over and over while Mills and Buck seamlessly carry you home?“Walk It Back” –
JD: Have we stated what a great singer Michael Stipe is? His voice is showing signs of age, but it is taking on more gravitas and character. Exhibit A: this mid-tempo, amazingly well sung song. An emotional dive into regret, reflection and forgiveness, with a perfect melody. I love everything about this song and keep hitting the repeat button every time it comes on. I could listen to this vocal all day long. And there's a really cool, high note, short vocal and keyboard harmony that sneaks in there too. An instant R.E.M. classic.
John: Very pretty song, certainly because of the vocals but also in no small part due to the keyboards. R.E.M. have always been good at using piano well, not overdoing it... and sometimes putting the piano right on the beat, even in a ballad like this.“Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter” –
JD: Damn, does this one rock. Iggy Pop meets the B-52s. Great guest vocal by Canadian extreme artist Peaches who hits it out of the park. And what a guitar sound – Peter Buck is on fire, joined by Lenny Kaye whose crazed psychedelic guitar flourishes take this track over the top.
John: I will echo what you said earlier and applaud R.E.M.'s sequencing on this record... we kind of needed a rocker at this point, didn't we? Of course, Iggy did once record with Kate [I stand corrected], so you've got a point of reference. Mashed potato, alligator, just having a little fun and throwing a little psychedelic dance music out there, right?“That Someone is You” –
JD: Another fast rocker, flirty and fun. I love the idea of R.E.M. updating and channeling the Ramones and Buzzcocks. I'm always all in when they go big on the Mike Mills harmonies. And how can you not love a song that includes this rhyme: “Sharon Stone Casino, Scarface Al Pacino, ‘74 Torino.” Cue the go go dancers! But why is this song just a minute and a half long? I feel cheated.
John: Of course, if you're channeling those two acts, you'd get past 1:44 and say "What the heck are we doing? This song is OVER!" And they did. I love the transition within the chorus and have always loved the way Stipe and Mills sing together.“Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I” –
JD: Mandolin, keyboards, a bit meditative, mysterious. I can tell this one is going to grow on me. Much less obvious than most of this record, and a solid song.
John: This is a real pretty song with a nice country-rock feel, not so much in the mandolin (which is beautiful) but something else. Maybe a little bit of reverb on the acoustic guitar? Honestly, it reminds me a bit of "Wichita Lineman" and again, I mean that as an extreme compliment.“Blue” –
JD: I hate to end on a negative note, but this is the only song here that doesn’t work for me. It is so different and striking though that I suspect many people will disagree with me. Stipe delivers a rapid pace spoken word vocal through something that sounds like a megaphone with Patti Smith prominently helping out. The guitars are noisy, the sound discordant. It sounds a bit like “Country Feedback” which I like, and "E-Bow the Letter”, which I don’t (inexplicable since I like Patti Smith a lot). The album then closes with a cool brief reprise outro from “Discoverer” (listen closely and you can hear Eddie Vedder singing). In my perfect world, say I were the, er, man on the moon or king of birds, I'd have saved "Blue" for a later B side and ended the record with a 4 or 5 minute version of "That Someone is You". But this is a quibble in the grand scheme of a very special record from R.E.M.
John: I swear, this didn't start out as "point/counterpoint" because JD and I agree on much more than we disagree on, but this song works for me. Maybe I'm a little more willing to follow on this strange tangent because I'm so happy with the fact that R.E.M. has just given us an album with 11 great new songs... if they want to take us out with a bit of Stipe/Patti Smith NYC street art, I'm going along. Nice of them to reward us with the outro, yes.Parting thought: R.E.M. have made an old school record album in the sense of a full collection of great songs that hang together as a whole that adds up to even more than the sum of its parts. So longtime fans should do an old school thing and get to their favorite record store this week and buy this CD (Grimey's in Nashville for John, and Music Millennium in Portland for JD)... or find a CIMS or AIMS store near you.
Website: R.E.M. HQ
Monday, January 17, 2011
R.E.M. - "Mine Smell Like Honey"... single out tomorrow, Collapse Into Now due out in March
Here's a trailer video for the album (recorded part of it in Nashville, apparently)...
I'd say something if there was anything original left to say about REM, and I can't imagine they need my support... but God bless 'em, they've made some of the very best music I have ever heard in my life. I'm looking forward to this disc.
Website: REM
I'd say something if there was anything original left to say about REM, and I can't imagine they need my support... but God bless 'em, they've made some of the very best music I have ever heard in my life. I'm looking forward to this disc.
Website: REM
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