last night i saw …

[rambleon]

alright ! never heard of them before, but they sound worth checking out :aliensmile:

[FlyingCloud]

last night I saw the Twilight Singers, Afghan Whigs’ singer Greg Dulli’s band.
when I heard they’ll play in a club quite next to my door, I listened to their last year’s album for some times & decided to like them enough to go over.

…and what a right decision it was! I was surprised how much I liked them!

I’m not familiar with the Afghan Whigs’ oeuvre, and even though I listened to that Twilight Singers album, I couldn’t distinct the songs from each other… well, but for me, that wasn’t necessary to enjoy the show in a big way. I really liked their dark, melancholic, dense and tight sound a lot. even more in the show than on record …or I can appreciate the records more, now that I’ve seen them live.
especially the guitar sounds were awesome!

they did a very short tour with only 1 Germany gig — to promote their upcoming new album, I guess at least there were several guys w/ big expensive looking cameras.

Greg Dulli was quite relaxed, talking & joking around, sipping whiskey & chain smoking. only when some guys talked very loud during a quiet song, he got angry and told them to shut up
sometimes I wished, more bands would do that, because loud chatter can really spoil the more quiet sounds.

the club was full, but not unpleasantly packed, and the crowd enjoyed the show, and fortunately it didn’t have that "press&friends only" feeling about it.

…looking forward to the Mark Lanegan show tomorrow

[rambleon]

cool, i always liked the afghan whigs … :aliensmile:

[FlyingCloud]

yeah, the Twilight Singers gig is a very good reason for me to check the Afghan Whigs more closely! and it’s weird, after almost half a year of no cool gigs here, these days there is one after the other…

…last night I saw Mark Lanegan in the Logo club in Hamburg, Germany

Mark Lanegan has been the singer in the Screaming Trees and is said to still be part time member of the Queens of the Stone Age. His solo stuff is far more mellow, though. in the past he has been recording his solo records closely together with Mike Johnson, Dinosaur Jr’s bass player
In a recent Mark Lanegan interview I read, that Mike Johnson, who added a lot to Mark’s previous solo albums, wants to concentrate on his own recordings these days, so he didn’t play on "Bubblegum" (except of the song "Hit The City", a song where also PJ Harvey added some vocals)

Mark Lanegan has just released a great new solo album, "Bubblegum" (well, it’s said to be by the Mark Lanegan Band, although I guess this should rather indicate, that it has been recorded with band musicians, not solo acoustic)

The show was sold out and packed, but as the crowd was quite calm, the heat & density was to handle ok. well, people weren’t calm because of boredom or disinterest, but more because of fascination/appreciation…
there was just Mark Lanegan w/ his band playing, no support. and it was just a bit longer than an hour, so all in all it was very short. the stage was all dark w/ just a few dim green spots, it looked a bit like the band wanted to hide

but the show was just great. the sound of his last solo records was quite well produced on stage, with cool guitar sounds (which were mixed very far in the background, though).
and of course there was Mark Lanegan — his singing voice just threw me over …he sounded like on record, but even lower. they played most songs of the great Bublegum album, but they left out my current favourite song, One Hundred Days…
The female background singer, or do I have to say co-singer was wonderful, she added a lot to the songs. (whoever she is, I tried to find out more about her, but no success, yet. she’s pretty, but with lots and lots of tattoos everywhere…)
some of the new songs rock, but many are more contemplating or quiet, with some merely devotional moments.
Mark is not the big talker to the crowd, it seems. apart from some thankyous he didn’t drop a word.

it was obvious that Mark Lanegan is a pro, who knows very well what he wants to and how he wants the songs to sound like, and it’s great to see everything worked out so amazigly well on stage. I also liked the older songs they played, where former Dinosaur Jr bass player Mike Johnson’s sound arrangements still were quite obvious

so this gig was impressing & enjoyable, although way too short. but I’m glad I went ….well, I even find myself considering to check the Screaming Trees & QOTSA again

[crazycloud]

a big fight at a bar. some homeless types fought with some college students and then the po-lice came and took them away.

[Bucky Ramone]

Lambchop – Zomerparkfeest, Venlo – 8/26

The ‘Zomerparkfeest’ is a very nice 4-day event in a beautiful park right in the middle of the town of Venlo, combining theatre, music, movies with a kind of fun fair, open air restaurants and ‘biergartens’, best thing of all: entrance is free….

Lambchop played a very beautiful one-hour set in a large tent, with a perfect sound, you could hear every detail of the ‘Lambchop big band’, with instruments ranging from bass-saxophone to vibraphone and pedal-steel. At times they rocked hard with 4 electric guitars, the next moment they were the most quiet band dB has seen in years, playing their unique ‘ambient coountry-soul’ , the only problem was that during those quiet moments the sound of the 10,000 people in the open-air biergarten next to the tent was louder than the band , but well, that’s what you can expect at this kind of fest….

Also seen:
Think of One: the idea of some Belgian musicians from bands like Zita Swoon to team up with some traditional Brazilian percussionists and singers sounds cool on paper, but a catastrophic mix combined with a volume that reached painful levels made them sound like a pale fifth-rate Sepultara-imitation….

24-7 Spys Soul-funk-metal pioneers or Living Colour-clones? I didn’t know they were still around, but their set rocked, with a special mention for an 85-year old break-dancer

Roy Pacii & Aretuska Mafia-Ska from Sicily, with a singer singing in English, but not as we know it…. , great party-atmosphere, with ska-versions of a couple of famous filmthemes, the biergarten was dancing!

[rambleon]

Quote:

and it’s weird, after almost half a year of no cool gigs here, these days there is one after the other…

yeah, you’re like the queen of the hamburg clubs right now … :aliensmile:

[rambleon]

well, this wasn’t last night, but last wednesday night (aug 25) when i went to see the preview screening of the new mc5 movie, ‘sonic revolution.’

i am on the mojo mailing list + when they sent an email saying, “if you want tickets to a free screening of the above mentioned movie – then please send us your detailsâ€? i said, “yes please !â€? … but it wasn’t until i received the tickets in the post that i realized there was going to be a q and a session with the band that night as well …

well, we got there pretty early … hung out in the drinks lounge for a while + then we were all invited up to the screening room upstairs … i guess the theatre could hold maybe 200 or 300 people max, + by the time it started the place was maybe 2/3 full – if that …

anyhow … up at the front of the room there were some seats + cordless mics resting on those seats + this guy came in + said that 1st we’d be watching the film … then the band would come in for some questions + then for those of us who weren’t going to run off to the MC5/DKT show that night – they would be showing the film recording of the100 club show – from march of last year, in its entirety – as well … bonus !!

the film was great … it was short + sweet – maybe 1/2 an hour or so … 45 mins tops … + it was mostly based around the levi’s sponsored 100 club show that went down last year, but included some history of the band as well … plus there were interviews with some of the famous + non famous fans @ the show + of course w/the band themselves … anyhow … it was v.enjoyable in + of itself + i would have been happy w/just that …

but then the same guy (who he was, i don’t know … maybe he worked for mojo ?) well, he came down again + said that the band – who had been stuck in traffic – had just arrived + called them down … after lots of applause from the varied audience — young + old … some press, some normal punters – everyone got a chance to ask questions … + there were so many, i just can’t remember them all …

i know there was mention that the drummer had worked w/ron asheton at some point in his interim career … + someone asked them if they had seen the reformed stooges play live … + they said no … + then the same guy said, do you have any plans to, + strangely enough they didn’t answer … why do you think that was ? are they trying to distance themselves from being associated w/the stooges ? do they not get along ? do they have some bad history or something ?

someone else asked them what they had been doing in the time they 1st broke up + then got back together again + the bassist — who was really spaced out …said, he had been living in the desert … trying to find himself … + it was an ongoing process … but it was just the v.slow deadpan type way in which he said it, which made everyone in the audience laugh …

let’s see … there was another question about bootlegs + which ones were good … + wayne kramer said they owned them all now + put them out themselves … but then someone mentioned one that he hadn’t really heard of, so he was v.interested to find out WHO was putting that put + i bet he’s already been on to them about that !!

one of the final questions was about the possibility of recording new material + they said, they honestly didn’t know … + the bassist said – 1st they had to get thru the rest of the dates on their tour (but again, in that deadpan voice – so there was more laughter) … he was like everyone’s favourite stoner friend … v.honest + funny w/o trying to be …

+ i remember thinking the whole time how youthful looking (not to mention highly articulate) wayne kramer is, especially compared to the other 2 guys ! ha … anyhow … + my other overhwelming thought was how priveleged we were to be there w/these guys !!!

… after maybe 20 mins or 1/2 an hour of Q + A they had to go … but not before an impromptu signing session ! people brought up posters + our tickets (which were v.cool looking to begin with) + there was some camera crew there interviewing the three guys (one by one) … + they were MORE than happy to sign autographs + when people said things like, “oh, sorry to bug you like this, etc.â€? they were like, “hey, we’re just sooooo happy to obligeâ€? … i just wish i knew more about them, to ask something more vital + interesting than … “would you mind signing this for me, please ?â€?

then they left – along w/most of the audience – + only maybe 20 people were left to watch the 100 club show on film … + that was awesome ! + b/c it was being screened in a cinema, it was kind of like we had been there too … alright !!!

+ afterwards i was on a total high for a few days b/c it was such a cool + unexpected experience … + of course i was thinking … well, why wasn’t the place packed to the rafters … + then i realized … oh yeah, b/c they had never advertized the fact that the band themselves were going to be there … isn’t that weird ?

[rambleon]

Quote:

I also liked the older songs they played, where former Dinosaur Jr bass player Mike Johnson’s sound arrangements still were quite obvious.

cool, i hadn’t realized they used to work together … sometimes i wonder how this stuff passes me by

[rambleon]

oh yeah … that reminds me … they (MC5) were asked who their favourite guest singer was + the bassist w/o hesitation said,"mark arm" …

they were also asked who their favourite bands were (who they had influenced) + wayne kramer said, "rage against the machine."

[FlyingCloud]

sounds like an awesome event, even though or just because it was so unexpected to meet the band! thanks for the many details, it was an interesting read 🙂

[FlyingCloud]

last night I saw Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! here in Hamburg, in a pub called Astra Stube. It’s a rather small place which is quite well known (among those who are interested) for the newcomer bands that perform there.

Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! are a band from NYC with a melodic casio keyboard based indie pop sound (a three piece band w/o bass) I got their album in advance from soulseek, and liked it a lot. I prefer to quite know a bit of the music of a band I’m going to see. If I don’t know anything, the set tends to rush by me, without leaving any but very general impressions.

so I was glad that I knew the album quite well, to follow the charming songs, despite the non-ideal room acoustics. Towards the end it became better and better and the audience, who just stood around at the start, started to move a bit. Well, at least as far as I could see, because I stood in the first row and was quite absorbed of the happenings on stage.

It was quite a short gig, mostly beacuse of their rather small number of songs, for the band has just that one album out. I liked the choir/canon singalong parts most, and also a charming fairy tale which was told with images on posters during the indrumental song "Firebombing London", which I already liked a lot before

After the show, there was a little cd/ t-shirt sale by the band themselves, and, like I had planned before, I bought the album
then I went over to the drummer and guitarist with the request to sign the CD for me, and all 3 band members were so nice to sign it, with some personal dedications and in front of the club we talked a bit about the current tour etc. I also told the drummer, that I got the album out of the ‘net in advance, but that it has been my plan to buy it at the show, and he was very cool about it

that’s what I like about that kind of smallish gigs, the low-threshold atmosphere
…but of course I wish them good luck, to return & play in bigger places next time.

[Robert]

ah casio-pop, that brings back some nice memories
if you ever find an album by a group called Remington Super60 you’ll have to get it.
A landmark album from the casio-pop peak 3 years ago!
Great band name, think I’ll have to check it out just based on that.

[Hansione]

""
that’s what I like about that kind of smallish gigs, the low-threshold atmosphere
…but of course I wish them good luck, to return & play in bigger places next time.
""""

You are right cloud, I like it a lot too this way, and in a strange way I wish them well and on the other hand I wish them to stay small, so we are still able to talk with them in a normal and natural way. On sunday I will see Ron Sexsmith the first time at a bigger venue. I’m sure that there will be no small talk afterwards and although I wish him the best, I will mis that!
Another nice thing about small halls is….€..

[Robert]

Have you checked the ticketprice for Waits, is it really 100 euroes?

[Author]

Posts