The Legend, McCoy Tyner at the One World Theater

Originally, I had thought I had last seen McCoy Tyner in 2008. I did a double take when I discovered that almost 7 years had passed, since I last saw him play at Hogg Auditorium. Time sure flies.

I arrived at the One World Theater early, and was not surprised to run into many people I knew. One of them, Ric Furley, had mentioned that McCoy was looking very frail, and played a short set, excusing himself to rest between shows. Hearing this, I was anxious to get upstairs and get in as many minutes listening as possible, just in case he had to cut that show short, as well.

The Trio

• McCoy Tyner - Piano
• Gerald Cannon - Bass
• Francisco Mela - Drums

The late show started on time, and as McCoy was helped out on stage, he did look very frail. Nothing like the man that I had a drink with at the Town Crier in Brewster, NY, back in 1990 or 1991. He seems unable to walk without assistance, and his speaking voice is very soft now. At times, it is hard to discern what he is saying, even with a microphone.

When he sats down at the Piano however, it's was a whole 'nother story, all together! It was like switch had been clicked. His playing is still very powerful, and fluid. Still, I am hoping that this doesn't end up being one of the last times I get to see him play.

The show lasted about an 70-80 minutes, and his band mates talked him into one encore song. In all, they played 7 pieces. They did play some Coltrane material, but none of the hits like Favorite Things. I actually thought he was going into that during the encore, since he was doing the E Dorian vamp, but the melody never arrived.

I must say the bassist and drummer were exceptional, and they both did an outstanding job.

Set List

Out of the 7 songs, I recognized these 3.

• Blues on the Corner
• Aisha
• Duke Ellington's, In a Mellow Mood

Here's hoping there's more McCoy shows in my future.

Dodgers at the Orioles

Baseball is Back in Baltimore

Most of my friends know me as a Ravens football fanatic. While this is true, my first sports love has always been the Baltimore Orioles. As a little kid, I was a Jr. Oriole. During my college days, I would average 20-30 games a summer. Now, I watch from afar.

Unfortunately, this once great franchise had slide into mediocrity. For years, I have been quietly watching my O's on MBL.tv, hoping that they would right the ship. (Preferably, with a new owner).

Two years ago, the team hired Buck Showalter as the new manager. Quickly thereafter, the team showed signs of turning it around, culminating in their first playoff appearance in 15 years, last season. Buck had this team advance into the 2nd round of the playoffs, so baseball was in fact back in Baltimore.

Planning a trip back home to see Steven Wilson, this weekend was also near my nephew Stephen's birthday. He is also a big sports fan, so it seemed only natural to take him to a baseball game, after the NFL game around Christmas.

After talking to my friend in Baltimore about getting tickets, we eventually had 9 people going, including myself, my brother in-law, and all 4 of my nephews. We sat in the Picnic Perch. It was basically a set of Club Level seats out in Left Field, accompanied by an all you can eat selection of hotdogs, popcorn, peanuts, nachos, and soda.

The game was a little bit of a disappointment since it was the O's only loss of the weekend. But the weather was nice, and I really enjoyed myself. I've already planned an trip back around my birthday in October, hoping that I will be able to catch the Ravens and an MLB playoff game.

On the way out, we stopped in the outfield plaza, to look at the newly installed statues of Jim Palmer, Cal Ripken, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray, and Earl Weaver. All players from my youth.

Steven Wilson at the Howard Theater

The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)

Eighteen months ago, I was fortunate enough to have caught Steven Wilson's Grace for Drowning tour, in Philadelphia. After completing the European leg of that tour, and the Storm Corrosion project, Steven quickly returned to the studio to record his third solo album, The Raven That Refused to Sing, with essentially the same band.

Predictably, the tour announcement came in the wake of the album release, and once again was limited primarily to stops on the East and West Coast of the US. Looking over the tour schedule, I noticed this show on Saturday night in Washington, DC. It would allow me to head back to Maryland and see my family, and also catch an Orioles game.

I called an old friend and fellow musician, Joe Schaedler, and talked him into going. I was somewhat anxious to hear his opinion of the music, since it was new to him. I felt it was both Poppy and Artsy enough to appeal to him. My guess was correct, since he enjoyed it, and described it as Hannibal Lecter meets Sergeant Pepper.

After meeting my friend in Reston, at his place, we headed into town, arriving at the Howard with about half an hour to spare.

The Sound System

As the crowd waited for the show, Bass Communion was being played through the Surround Sound PA. My friend noticed this immediately, and was blown away by the effect. He said that this show was forcing him to reconsider and think about the manipulation of the stereo field during a live performance.

Band Members

The line up for this show was almost identical to the Grace for Drowning tour. The only difference being the guitartist.

• Steven Wilson - lead vocals, guitar, and keys
• Guthrie Govan - lead guitar
• Nick Beggs - bass, Chapman Stick, and backing vocals
• Adam Holzman - keys
• Marco Minneman - drums
• Theo Travis - flute, saxophone, and clarinet

The Show

The actual show started promptly at 8PM, a consisted of a single set lasting 2 hours, and an encore. The actual setlist was up and available within 12 hours of the show.

It was a wonderful evening of music, I am hoping that they may perhaps do a second North American tour before the end of the year.

Yes - ACL Live at the Moody Theater

First, RIP Peter Banks

Lost in my preparation for SxSW, I noticed but forgot to blog the passing of the original guitarist from Yes, Peter Banks.

The latest incarnation

Months ago, my friends Ron and Alissa, got me this ticket. I had always been a Yes fan growing up, and had seen them multiple times prior to 1993, the year I moved to Austin. In fact, this is the first time I have seen Yes, since the Union tour.

To me, it's not really Yes without Bill Bruford, and a lineup without Jon Anderson on vocals is at the very least, suspect. I didn't mind the Drama lineup, but I was never a big fan of the 90125 era.

Band Personnel

For this tour, the Yes lineup would be:

• Jon Davison - vocals
• Chris Squire - bass
• Steve Howe - guitar
• Alan White - drums
• Geoff Downes - keyboards

Jon Davison was the only newbie in the lineup, but all reports indicated that he sounded eerily close to Jon Anderson, when he sang.

Set List

The premise of this tour was for the band to play three Yes albums in their entirety. For our show they were played in this order:

1. Close to the Edge
2. Going for the One
3. The Yes Album

Encore

• Roundabout

The performance

Honestly, there were some problems with this band, particularly with the tempo. I'm not sure if the root of the problem was that the band was under rehearsed, or that there were monitoring problems. Throughout the night, it never seemed like Howe or Downes were on the same page as the rhythm section of White and Squire.

It seems I expected more from this show than the band was able to deliver. Hopefully they'll get this worked out before the end of the tour.

The night ended mercifully with Roundabout.

SxSW 2013 - Day 10

BBQ

Once again, I went to the BBQ on Sunday. It serves as a psychological anchor, letting me know that SxSW is over.

Having finished my 9th straight year of attending SxSW Music, and 5th straight attending as Platinum, I have managed to make some friends. Here are some pics of myself, and a few of my SxSW friends.

SxSW 2013 - Day 9

A beautiful last day

As you can see in this picture taken from the fourth floor of the Hilton, the weather on the last full day of SxSW was fan-fucking-tastic.

CLE: The Politics of Music and Future Copyright Battles

I sat through this panel wishing that Sandy Pearlman (Dr. Doom) had been present. Some of these people needed some sense slapped into them.

Canzoniere Grecanico Solentino

Walking by the stage in the convention center, I heard this wonderful band. They were from Italy and were playing some sort of folk music. The singing was partially polyphonic, and some of the stringed instruments were playing quarter tones.

My ears perked up, and I listened for a while. I found them very enjoyable, my non-musician friends would probably not agree.

So We Won SOPA

A frank discussion about what is next on the SOPA battlefront. There was an EFF lawyer on the panel. She convinced me that there is still a glimmer of hope. We can hold off the continual advances being attempted by old Turkey-neck, Chris Dodd, and his cohorts at the MPAA and RIAA.

Good Ol' Freda

As the movie synopsis said, The Beatles were together for 10 years, Freda Kelly was their secretary for 11 years. A truely unique documentary, Freda Kelly has broken her silence after 50 years, and has the full support of the two remaining Beatles, Paul and Ringo.

This film documentary has some astounding footage of the Beatles.

Cello Fury

Heading over to St. David's, the first band of the night was a trio of cellists and a drummer from Pittsburgh. Imagine Metallica with this instrumentation, and you'll get the basic idea.



Here's a video of them playing:

Paul McDonald & Nikki Reed

Heading over to the Sanctuary at St. David's I caught what is apparently the new Hollywood Power Couple. It was well done, but they have invoked martial law in this room with respect to taking pictures.

George Clinton and Parliament

This was my main mission for the night. The venue was an old auto garage. I was secretly holding out hope that George Clinton would somehow get Bootsy and Bernie Worrell on stage with him, for a complete P-Funk reunion. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

Have no fear, they still gave up the Funk!

SxSW 2013 - Day 8

Conversation: Bootsy Collins and Chuck D

What better way to start off the morning than an interview with Bootsy Collins? The man played with James Brown and George Clinton, what else do you need to know?

Interview: The Zombies

The next panel was an interview with 2 more legends, Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone, about their band, the Zombies. In hindsigt, I really regret was not getting over to their showcase.

Iron and Wine

After two excellent interviews, I cruised by the day stage and caught a great singer-songwriter act, Iron and Wine.

Pulenta

Walking over to the International Stage, I caught a few songs from an excellent Argentinian band, Pulenta.

APIs: How Do We Foster and Support Competition In A Highly Competitive Sandbox

I wish I could say I heard some encouraging things at this panel. It seems however, that the music industry remains at an impasse.

Pickwick

Back to the day stage for a pop band with a Retro sound, and some very good keyboard work. They were from Seattle and were called Pickwick.

Shout Out Out Out Out

I didn't get to see Savage, a band recommended by Sound Opinion's, Jim DeRegotis. However, he also recommended this band, and their homage to Kraftwerk, among others.

Berklee Party

I stopped briefly by Brush Creek Park tent to catch some of the Berklee School of Music Party.

Twenty Feet from Stardom

This day went by fast, but it didn't matter, because it led up to the best Film of SxSW for me, as well as one of the finest musical experiences. Twenty Feet from Stardom is an unbelievably good film. Strangely, the Paramount was only 3 quarters full, but the people behind said, to trust them, something very wonderful was going to happen after the screening.

In a nutshell, this film follows the history and careers of several acclaimed backup singers. As the movie progresses, you realize that you have heard every singer in the film, and they have appeared on your favorite songs.

During the documentary, one of the singers noted that Most people sing along with the backup singers, when they sing along to their favorite songs. So true!

After the screening was over, two of the stars of the film performed on stage at the Paramount. All I can say is that Judith Hill and Darlene Love knocked the audience on their collective asses. The took us in a musical rapture.

Judith Hill

Darlene Love

Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside

Leaving the Paramount, I walked over to Antones to check it out for the first time during SxSW. Normally, I would have dug a roots rock effort like Sallie Ford and the Outside. However, I was still recovering from Judith Hill and Darlene Love.

Charlie Mars

I decided to close out the night at the Central Presbyterian Church, another great listening venue. I had heard Charlie Mars last year at the same venue. I enjoyed him then, and this time.

Natalie Maines with Ben Harper

Staying put, I didn't realize at first that it was Natalie Maines (of Dixie Chicks fame), because she had her hair cut short and dyed black. She was joined on stage by a very good male singer, who also played lap steel guitar. It turned out that it was Ben Harper.

The set was a eclectic mix of things with a strong Americana feel. One of the highlights was her cover of Pink Floyd's, Mother, from the Wall. The other highlight was her being joined on stage by her father Lloyd Maines, pedal steel player extraordinaire.

I guess I lucked out on this venue choice.

SxSW 2013 - Day 7

Black Violin

On the way into Ballroom D, for Dave Grohl's Keynote Speech, there was an amazing band playing called Black Violin. The core of the band is a violin and viola player from South Florida. When they finished, the entire packed Ballroom gave them a standing ovation.

Later in the week, I actually got to speak to the leader of the group, "Kev Marcus" Sylvester, and found out they went to the U. They are a very talented group, and I have a feeling that we will be hearing more from them, in the future.

Dave Grohl Keynote Speech

Unlike Bruce last year, the main take away from this speech that I got was that Grohl still approaches music with same sense of wonderment and awe, that he did before he wss famous. Needless to say, I left the Ballroom wanting to make music again.

In Your Dreams - Stevie Nicks

This was the first stinker for a music documentary. I went into this screening expecting to see a documentary about Stevie's life, and showing intimate details of her creative process.

Instead, this film was a 1980's MTV video, a promotion for selling her latest album. Nothing felt real in this film, most scenes seemed staged and contrived. I was really annoyed by this to be honest, and expected more. (Perhaps if I hadn't already seen Muscle Shoals, Sound City and the Punk Singer, my expectations would have been lower).

In Your Dream Trailer

Delorentos

While over in the Convention Center, I stopped by the Day Stage and caught a fairly good, Pop band from Dublin, Ireland, Delorentos.

Stevie Nicks Interview

Just to give things a fair shake, after a sub-par film, I decided to go to Stevie's Interview. This was a bit better, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that all of the questions had been approved by her publicist, beforehand.

Before There Was Punk There Was A Band Called Death

I was glad to put things back on track, with another excellent music documentary. I have been aware of Death for several years, and actually had their album. The story of the rediscovery of this band is amazing, and just adds to the legend.

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Randomly walking into the Stage on Sixth, I just happend to find Ray Wylie Hubbard. Typically, I try to avoid local acts, but Ray was mowing them down on this occasion, so I stayed.

Jason Monseur's band at the Dogwood

Walking west down 6th street, I headed towards the Dogwood, a non-official SxSW venue, to see a friend from Atlanta, from the TOAPP Camp, Jason Monseur, who was playing drum with his band. They played a set of Electronic dance music that was very solid. Unfortunately, the entire card at the Dogwood was running an hour late, so I couldn't stay for Jason's whole set.

Prior to Jason's band, there was another band, Skin, that was very good. I was really taken with their bas player, a young African-American woman that played her Fender Precision Bass in a manner reminiscent of Daryl Jones. She was a bad ass.

Death

During the documentary screening, it was announced that Death would be performin at the 10Oaks. This was obviously something that I couldn't miss, so I ended the night at their gig.

SxSW 2013 - Day 6

Panel: Top Ten Web Music Companies of 2013

This was my first music panel of 2013. I wanted to hear about something fresh and new. Unfortunately, I really didn't. The Music Industry is still lost and wondering in the desert.

Finding the Funk

Another great music documentary. It has Sly, George Clinton, Bootsie Collins, and Bernie Worrell. Parliament, Funkadelic, and the Ohio Players all in one movie! Need I say more?

I defy anyone to go see this movie, and try to not tap their feet. It isn't possible.

Finding the Funk Trailer

Canadian Music Party

After the movie, I made my way back to the Convention Center area, and checked out the Canadian Music Party in the Brush Creek park.

Nick Lowe Panel

Heading inside, I caught a panel with included Ron Sexsmith, Kathy Valentine, and Chris Stamey about the music of Nick Lowe. What made this extra special, was that each artist got up and played their favorite Nick Lowe song. Just heavenly.

In the photo below, you can see Ron Sexsmith taking his shot, at the mic.

Depeche Mode Interview

I had pencilled this interview in, on my schedule in advance. It was what I expected. I was hoping I would have a stroke of luck, and also win the lottery for the small show they were putting on in the Brazos theater, on Friday.

I found the band to be surprisingly unpretentious and very accessible, as did the rest of the crowd, I'm fairly sure.

Sound City

Another fantastic documentary, about another legendary recording studio. This time it was Sound City, in Van Nuys, CA with its legendary Neve Console.

I'll be honest, I was never a Nirvana fan. However, after seeing Dave Grohl multiple times, I have a new found respect for him. He gets it, and only someone who got it would have been able to produce a film like this. I would love to have a beer or two with him some time.

Let me just say that all of these documentaries about recording studios has really gotten my creative juices flowing again.

Sound City Trailer

Olafur Arnalds

After leaving the Paramount for the Sound City screening, I headed towards my favorite showcase venue, St. David's Bethel Hall, a fantastic listening room. When I arrived, there was a 3 piece ensemble (piano, violin, and cello). Their original compositions mixed chamber music with some atmospheric electronic music

I found the harmonic rhythm of this music to be painfully slow. Given my sleep deprived state, had some difficulty, staying awake during their performance.

A.J. Croce

The next act at Bethel was fantastic, it was Jim Croce's son. A.J. Croce is a singer songwriter par excellence, with an outstanding voice, and impressive chops on both piano and guitar.

They say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Well, in this case, the apple is right next to the trunk. During the set A.J. performed his father's song, Operator. As A.J. performed, it seemed as though Jim had crawled out of the grave, and was standing there. My friends all commented that the experience gave them goosebumps.

Summing this showcase up in one word, it would be, Wow!

Chris Stamey and Tosca Strings

Former Alex Chilton collaborator and Southern alt-pop, godfather, Chris Stamey, had the last set at the Bethel, with the Tosca String quartet. This was a very enjoyable set of music, and was the perfect material for this room.