So three of us had the privilege of attending a free Guster performance at the University of Arkansas last night, and I’m sure that the other guys won’t mind me speaking for them when I say that we thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was my fifth time to see them, so most of it I had seen before, but even so, it made for a really fun evening. If you haven’t seen Guster live, you must put it on your to-do list. They are easily one of the best performing bands around. A big part of that is due to the fact that they just attract really great crowds. And last night was no exception. Even at a free show, the crowd was engaged and actually listening the entire time.
Throughout the night, they played three new songs off of their upcoming album. I’m not a huge fan of hearing bands play their new material live, but the songs were all really great and now I’m even more excited to hear the new album. They also played a lot of the classics, like “Demons”, “Fa Fa” and “Barrel of a Gun”. But the two highlights for me were “Red Oyster Cult” and “Come Downstairs and Say Hello.” “Red Oyster Cult” is one of the few songs where Brian leaves his bongo set, and I’m actually happy for him to do so. Joe and Adam just really let loose on the guitars for this one and it was pretty stinkin’ incredible. But what made it stand out was their decision to transition from this song straight into Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, which they were actually able to pull off really well. They didn’t really do anything special with “Come Downstairs and Say Hello.” That song just really gets to me. I get goosebumps every time I hear it live.
I also really enjoy the way they mock the whole encore tradition, by telling us exactly how many times they are going to leave the stage and then return. Their second and “real” encore (as opposed to the “fake” three song closing they did right before) was awesomely bad. Brian stepped out from behind his drums to sing a miserable rendition of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” Here is a wonderful example of the Thundergod’s amazing vocal abilities.
I was really hoping to get to another “Bloody Interview” last night, but unfortunately we were never able to get that set up. Although my good friend Will Skaggs was able to hook me up and get me backstage, where I was able to meet and talk with Brian for a little bit. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I just asked the one question that had been burning in my brain for a couple of years now. “Why don’t you guys ever play ‘Two Points for Honesty’?” I just let him know how disappointed I was that despite my numerous requests, I have yet to hear them play the song that first got me hooked on Guster. And you know what he actually gave me an answer. “That is the one song that our sound guy has told us that he will quit if we play it live,” says Brian “Thundergod” Rosenworcel. He then went on to explain that apparently the first like thirty seconds of the song is a lot of studio trickery that is really hard to reproduce in a live format. He also said that the song is in an octave that is pretty difficult for Ryan to sing well night after night, which seems very legit. I could never sing it and make it sound well.
Brian then informed me that they will actually have to learn to play the song live soon, because they are embarking on a short tour in the fall to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Lost and Gone Forever. So that would be real exciting if they were to actually come anywhere near here. Maybe I’ll be able to fit in a road trip. You never know. I hope someone, somewhere is making your ears bleed.
I’m a year late to discovering this magical Digitalism ep… but that doesn’t make it any less amazing!
Digitalism never gives up on a track, and has proved that they will forever keep pumping out new and improved versions of their stuff. The result of their hard work is a tweaked mix of one of my favorite songs of their album, Zdarlight. Originally an instrumental, this mix adds some seirous spin on the original flow and feel of the track.
They added some lyrics, and at first I was dissapointed. What made it so good to me originally was it’s instrumental-ness, but I’ve clearly come around to love it. The lyrics help paint a scene of a night to unwind and rewind (literally). This mix is superb, and deserves more playtime than I’m devoting to it.
To sweeten the deal today, I’m posting a bonus track from the same EP. Digitalism messes with themselves to give what can seem like a never-ending remix of Pogo. I love when a song fakes you out, and you think it’s over….. then BAM! Nope, not done yet!
The cover and title of Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle invoke images of the 43-year-old Bill Callahan loping through the stark countryside on horseback, watching and singing of the birds in his wise baritone. The actual music can be characterized in this way too: the warm string and brass arrangements are careful not to venture too far ahead of a song’s melody or rhythm and Callahan’s voice, as distinctive as Johnny Cash’s, is mixed up front, alone.
Eagle’s lyricism is environmentally considerate too. “Jim Cain,” the record’s opener, finds Callahan turning grimly to the natural world after failing in the material one. “In case things go poorly and I not return / Remember the good things I’ve done,” he croaks, recalling label-mates and fellow self-deprecators Silver Jews. The singers of both groups take poetic pause in the simplest of details, only Callahan is more concerned with carnal injustice than with growing old. “Too many birds in one tree…one last bird without a place to be,” he mourns on “Too Many Birds,” as if he’s endured this same cruelty many times before.
Since Callahan’s musings are the foundation of Eagle, instrumentation is sparse. Most of these songs sound like they were composed on an acoustic guitar and fleshed out by Brian Beattie, whose string arrangements sing and harmonize as well as cushion Callahan’s deadpan delivery. “My Friend” and “Eid Ma Clack Shaw” are the only tracks that are in any sort of hurry, the latter of which is the album’s best song. This a mostly languid work of art, a meditation on the wonder and uncertainty shared by all living things. Whether they shuffle or scurry, all of Eagle’s songs lead you around a different bend than the one you expected.
The lead singer of my favorite childhood punk band, has started a new project called Tumbledown. MxPx frontman, Mike Herrera has apparently been stowing away a set of country songs that he has written throughout the years while on tour. The Hank Williams and Willie Nelson influenced record is set for release on the 19th of May. Describing themselves as “pop-punk-a-billy”, Tumblown, will consist of Herrera as songwriter/lead vocals/guitar, along with lead guitarist Jack Parker, standup bassist Marshall Trotland, and drummer Harley Trotland.
Ballad Of A Factory Man/Mike Herrera’s Tumbledown from mike herrera on Vimeo.
Now I wouldn’t go as far as to describe the music as complete trash, but I probably won’t bother trying to find bootleg songs to download, and I definitely won’t be heading to the record store to pick this up. But I will put on Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo (easily one of the best punk albums of the 90′s), and reminisce about the good old days of rocking out to punk while on my way to the next youth group event. Why don’t you join me on this trip down memory lane.
So three of us had the privilege of attending a free Guster performance at the University of Arkansas last night, and I’m sure that the other guys won’t mind me speaking for them when I say that we thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was my fifth time to see them, so most of it I had seen before, but even so, it made for a really fun evening. If you haven’t seen Guster live, you must put it on your to-do list. They are easily one of the best performing bands around. A big part of that is due to the fact that they just attract really great crowds. And last night was no exception. Even at a free show, the crowd was engaged and actually listening the entire time.
I’m a year late to discovering this magical Digitalism ep… but that doesn’t make it any less amazing!
