Wow, this jogged my memory

I followed a link over at the DGM site to Trey Gunn's site and stumbled across this entry about the formation of KTU:

Seeds for KTU took root at SXSW in Austin Texas in March 1999 when Kimmo Pohjonen shared a billing with Mastelotto/Gunn/Fripp's Project Three at the Electric Lounge.

I then had my holy-crap moment, since I was there. I clearly remembered seeing ProjeKct 3, but had forgotten about the opener, Kimmo, until just now. Everyone in the crowd was raving about him. I guess he made an impression on Trey and Pat too! (or is that tu?)

To complete the circle, I was able to catch KTu last year at SxSW.

Fripp announced ...

that Gavin Harrison (presently the drummer of Porcupine Tree) will be the newest member of King Crimson. I can't wait to see this show.

Tool at the Frank Erwin Center

I saw Tool live for the first time live, last night. Rumor has it, that this tour may be their swan song.

In general, I have a great distaste for large Arena shows ever since seeing the Police at Shea Stadium in 1984, and this concert did nothing to change that outlook. My seats were up on the upper level, stage left, pretty much even with the front of the stage. As a result, the sound was so-so, but not particularly loud. It also allowed me to see the stage floor, which was a white surface and used throughout the show as a projection screen. This was used throughout for displaying arcane Sacred Geometry figures.

The light and video portion of the show was pretty awesome, although my view of the screens behind the stage was somewhat hindered. The band is tight, and Maynard seemed to be on. However, after the Zappa Plays Zappa show the night before, this show was a bit of a let-down. The 2 hour duration almost seemed like a rip-off, after Dweezil's 3 1/2 hour marathon.

One of the strangest things about this show was that they brought out Terry Bozzio to jam with the band on a song. He played percussion, a couple of Timbales, a Dumbec and a Cymbal. I guess I was surprised, because I had thoroughly scanned the house the night before at the Zappa Plays Zappa show, and did not spot Terry anywhere. Perhaps he was back stage at the Hogg, I had assumed that he wasn't in town.

Tool play a mix of material from their 5 albums. I specifically remember Schism, 46 and 2, and Prison Sex. I was disappointed that they didn't do Aenema. Good show, but not great.

Zappa Plays Zappa - Part Deaux at the UT Hogg Auditorium

For the second time in less than a year, I saw the Zappa Plays Zappa show at the UT Hogg Auditorium. This time, the special guest was Ray White.

There were several surprising things about this show:

• At various times, including the opening number, the Mystery Man, the band accompanied a video clip of Frank. They also accompanied his vocals on Dumb All Over, and one other song that I can not remember now.
• The set lasted approximately 3 1/2 hours again, but there was no intermission this time around. Dweezil did not leave the stage at all.
• There was virtually no overlap in the set list, with the show I saw last year. This time around there was new material from Zappa in New York, You Are What You Is, and Joe's Garage.
• There was a song improvised from phrases submitted by the audience. This worked very well.
• Terry Bozzio was surprisingly not visible. (Perhaps he was backstage?)

I can't say much else other than Ray White is fucking amazing, and this show is one of the best things going right now. I'm still kicking myself for not noticing the DVDs from the 2006 ZplaysZ show on the Merch table. Hopefully, I can snag one via another method.

The biggest chuckle I had this night was a young couple. The woman was wearing a Titties and Beer T-shirt and her SO had one that said Pussy and Coffee. Unfortunately, Dweezil resisted the urge to play Frank's most requested song immortalized on her shirt.

Porcupine Tree at the Meridian in Houston, TX

Two nights ago, I was able to see Porcupine Tree perform for the second time on the Fear of A Blank Planet tour. With all the turmoil from the move, I contemplated not going to this show, but then decided otherwise. So, I made the 3 hour drive, with my friend Biggie, following some other friends Alissa and Ron from AMF.

As before, the opening band was 3 from Woodstock, NY. Three has progressed quite a big, and sounded much tighter than the last time I saw them. In addition, I was able to talk the Joey and Joe from the band and do some reminiscing about my days in the MHV playing Woodstock.

I estimate PT played about 2 hours this time around, with a set list very similar to what I heard in Boulder back in May. The sound was good, but not as good as the Fox Theater. Sight lines however, were excellent since I was able to spend the first half of the show about 4 rows from the stage.

Afterwards, it was interesting to see that Steven Wilson was outside signing posters, and taking pictures with a group of about 30 fans. Other interesting tidbits were a verification (I won't say how I found out) that Gavin Harrison is the fifth member of the new King Crimson lineup. All in all, a great show.

Well, this floored me

With all the hassles of moving, I have been more than a little frazzled. Reading this entry by Adrian Belew really put things back into perspective.

Happy Bday?

Well I celebrated the week leading up to my birthday, finding out that I may have to move unexpectedly. It seems my Apt was actually a Condo, and it is alleged to have been foreclosed. So rather than going back to MD, I ended up starting to preemptively pack. ;(

Fortunately, the Ravens helped me today by winning. The offense was effective but not impressive, the defense was punishing. Samari Rolle was finally back! One more week until our bye, and then Trevor Pryce is hopefully back. Watch out NFL, you haven't seen the full strength Raven's defense.

Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush at Antones

Well I had made a mental note to try and catch Umphrey's McGhee at Stubbs, but didn't realize it conflicted with the Frank Marino show. Frank won because I already had the tickets.

I estimate that Antones was filled to 80% of the capacity last night, and started thinning out about 2 hours into the show. The average age of the crowd was about 44 years old. Nothing unexpected here.

Frank's band consisted of a rhythm guitarist (who played a Strat and also played Electric Violin), bassist and drummer. The show lasted a little over 3 hours, but I can honestly say that I would have been happy if he had stopped at the 2 hour mark.

There was nothing wrong with Frank's playing, he's very accomplished. He's an encyclopedia of 70's and 80's rock guitar technique. Basically, extended guitar soloing, over grooves. Honestly though, I found him repetitive after a while. Robert Fripp deliberately moves his students to NST, to avoid pattern playing (among other reasons), Marino's playing reminded me why this is.

For most of the night, he played a Gibson SG and I estimate he sang on only 4 songs. He needed to sing more. He performs a lot of covers, of which I specifically remember Voodoo Child and Red House. He also did a somewhat interesting version of Amazing Grace (making the guitar actually sound like Bagpipes in spots). Surprisingly, he did not play Strange Dreams, which might have been interesting without a keyboard player.

All in all, a good show, but not great.

Interesting KC news

Well I'm still stinging from the Raven's loss to the Poop Stains yesterday, but Monday is a new day and I was excited to hear about line-up 8, of King Crimson. I followed a link from the DGMLive Site, where Pat Mastellotto has given away the fact that this line-up will be a 5 piece.

The quote: We will be a 5 piece and i think you know 4 of us. In fact I'm sure you know the 5th man too (an incredible drummer that i will be delighted to work with). I think you'll have to tune in to Robert's diary over at the DGM site and await the official announcement.

My first guess and hope is Terry Bozzio, based upon the comment about the tour being restricted to the US. However, these other possibilities come to mind:

• Danny Carey - particularly if I were betting on this
• Jerry Marotta
• Eric Slick
• Bruford? - maybe the hatchet has been buried again

I was tempted to add Gavin Harrison, but I think he has way too much going on with Porcupine Tree and 05Ric. It also occurred to me that this might be a trick, where the 5th member is not the drummer, Belew is the drummer, and it's someone like David Cross or David Sylvian.

Alien Time Ensemble

I ventured out last night to see an Austin Music Foundation (AMF) friend, David DeMaris, play with Alien Time Ensemble. The gig was at the Salvage Vanguard Theater off of Manor Rd. I unfortunately caught only the last 4 songs of the show, primarily because of my late start, and inability to find the place.

None the less, it was enjoyable despite not being able to listen to the whole set, and missing Carlos Villareal/One Umbrella, the opening act. It was nice change of pace from the Elephant Room crowd, with a heavy dose of post-bop improvisation. A little reminescient of the 2nd Coltrane Quartet (when Alice Coltrane was playing piano). It was somewhat interesting as well, since the Acoustic Bass was all done on keyboard.

Will have to go see more acts like this and I am encouraged that I discovered a new venue/scene that focuses on genres other than Texas Blues or Americana. I think the time is ripe for trying to jumpstart a Knitting Factory scene here in Austin.

Fripp Skipping TX again ;(

Hoping to be an audient, once again, I was somewhat happy to see that the League of Crafty Guitarists had announced a tour of the US. Once the realization set in that there would be no TX dates, I was disappointed. Given the turn out for the CGT (with Austin supposedly being one of their favorite places) and with PM living here, you would figure that Austin would be a no-brainer.

Damn, I was anxious to see LCG again, since close to 20 years have passed since I last saw them at the Chance, in Poughkeepsie. Over 10 years have passed since the ProjeKct 3 shows here in Austin, making me regret not trying to fly and catch KC, on their last 2 tours. It's been quite a while since I've been able to catch Fripp live.

Let's hope that more US dates are announced for early next year.

Ravens vs. the Cards

Well, we had another ugly win today, blowing a 23-6 lead, but winning with a walk-off Stover Field Goal. I found myself asking during the 4th quarter, Who is this team on the field and what did they do with the Ravens' defense? The drop-off in our pass rush, with Trevor Pryce out, is big ;( Worse, with Samari Rolle out, our mutated 46 defense is not all that effective. Having our Nickle or Dime back cover a #2 receiver is dangerous.

That said, Kyle Boller, in relief of McNair, saved the day, with a good drive to put us in FG position. In the last 3 games, he is starting to look like a legit NFL starter. I'm actually happy for him, since he has been generally vilified in the past.

Henry Rollins: Provoked - Spoken Word Show at La Zona Rosa

Last night I went with a friend to see famed musician, Henry Rollins, do his one man, spoken word show at La Zona Rosa, Provoked. I had seen Henry perform live on TV, caught a few of his shows on the Independent Film Channel, and watched a Punk Rock documentary, that he had hosted. I can't really say I was a big fan of his music, but he always left me with the impression that he was an articulate and a deep thinker. His viewpoints were often anti-authoritarian and contrarian.

We arrived around 7:15 or so and there was already a respectable crowd of approximately 200 people. It was surprising to see a merch-table with multiple books for sale, rather than just the normal fare of T-shirts and CDs. I picked up one of his books and realized that we were exactly the same age, both from the Baltimore/Washington area, and listened to a lot of the same music in the late 70's (such as Devo). My expectations for the night had been elevated.

Henry walked out promptly near the advertised 8PM start time, and launched into his monologue which lasted close to 3 hours. He spent the first few of minutes talking to the crowd like his friends, and about his great love of Austin with its unique quirkiness and the number of kindred spirits. This praise seemed very genuine, and he claimed that he didn't hand this type praise out very often or lightly.

He covered a lot of politics and the action in Iraq, his invitation to fill-in as leader singer for a reunion of the Ruts in London, his USO tours, and travels in the Middle East to Iran, Syria, and Lebanon (He seems to target places he's not supposed to go to). In all the 3 hours went by way too fast, and nobody left early. He is very engaging, sometimes self deprecating, and extremely humorous.

Great show. I will gladly go see him perform Music or Spoken Word again, when the opportunity presents itself. Will also have to look and see if his IFC show is available on DVD, from Netflix.

Ravens vs. Jets

My Ravens beat the Jets in their home opener, yesterday, but it looks as though there's much to worry about. Two more injuries, Trevor Pryce and Demetrius Williams. Ouch!

In addition, the Defense gave up 177 yards passing in the fourth quarter and almost blew the game. Our ability to hold on to a victory was in doubt, up until the last minute. On the plus side, the much derided, Kyle Boller had a respectable outing and Figurs looked good returning kicks.

ACL for the 3rd and Final Time

I decided today to catch the Ravens game in its entirety, before trekking down to Zilker Park today. As a result, I was only able to catch 2 acts since I arrived at 6PM, and unable to catch a third.

As I entered the grounds, Austin native, Guy Forsyth was playing the BMI stage near the front gate. He was already halfway through his set. He always sounds good, and did last night, as well. I have heard him enough locally, that I decided to attempt to get near Ziggy Marley's show.

After seeing the crowd about 100 rows deep outside of the WaMu pavilion, I gave up. So, rather than fret, I went to go find a decent position for Bob Dylan. Not having a chair, I managed to get about 150-200 ft from the stage. I could have gotten closer, but I don't enjoy standing shoulder to shoulder.

Dylan played for over 90 minutes. He started the set with Rainy Day Woman #12 and 35 (aka. Everybody Must Get Stoned). Other recognizable songs for me were Tangled Up In Blue, and Like A Rolling Stone. His voice was even more gravelly than even I remember, and he spent the bulk of the set playing an Organ. His band was absolutely phenomenal, and I would have liked to have found out who was in it. I unfortunately opted to start heading out of the park 9:50, and heard the last 2 songs headed towards the shuttles back to republic square.

All in all, ACL was good this year. Other than the heat, the weather mostly cooperated.

The Front Gate

The ATT Stage 2 Hours Before Bob

Bob Dylan Closing ACL 2007

It's pretty difficult to get a good shot at night, I see

ACL Day 2

I stayed for a much shorter time today, because the heat was stifling. I saw the following acts today:

• Sylvia St. James
• Dax Riggs
• Back Door Slam
• Railroad Earth
• Stephen Marley
• BeauSoliel
• and a smidgen of Artic Monkeys

The highlights of the day were Back Door Slam, Railroad Earth and Stephen Marley. The only thumbs down went to Dax Riggs. (I'm mystified how he was booked for the festival to be bluntly honest).

Stephen Marley sounds eerily like his father, Bob. He did a full hour of Reggae with his own music, as well as three of his father's songs, Buffalo Soldier, No Woman No Cry, and Could You Be Loved. The band was tight, and the very large crowd was into it.

I don't hate Bluegrass, but I don't listen to a lot of it either. If all Bluegrass Bands sounded like Railroad, I would listen to a lot more. There was some shredding going on with between the mandolin, banjo, and violin players. They were trading 8's like it was going out of style.

Back Door Slam was an English Blues Rock Trio, reminiscent of Cream. The leader of the band, sings like Jack Bruce and plays like Clapton. I'd go see them in a heartbeat again, too!

Railroad Earth

Stephen Marley's Band

ACL Day 1

Well I just returned from my first grueling day at the Austin City Limits Festival. I'm covered with sweat, tired and have blisters on my feet. I saw the following bands:

• One Mississippi
• The Greyhounds
• Asleep at the Wheel with Austin Celebrity, Ray Benson
• Jesse Malin
• Heartless Bastards
• Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
• Blonde Redhead
• Big Sam's Funky Nation
• Joss Stone
• Spoon
• Andy Palacio and the Garfina Collective
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Gotan Project
• The Killers

For me the highlights of the day were Bela Fleck, Gotan, Big Sam's, and Andy Palacio. Bela and company are still amazing, with Future Man appearing to have some new tricks. At times during their set, he now plays a traditional drum kit with his right arm and foot, while keeping his left hand on the Drumitar. All I can say is wow!

Gotan was another surprise. They're a unique fusion of Tango, Nu Jazz, and Electronica. They drew a big crowd and with good reason. The other two bands were Funk/Gospel groups that just kicked ass, and took no prisoners. Everyone was bopping along.

I enjoyed the rest of the day. Although I would be hard pressed to say what I liked about Hearrtless Bastard and One Mississippi. The Killers were good, but had a larger buzz than I thought they deserved. I'm not sure what the fuss is all about.

I had wanted to see Bjork, but found myself too tired to last it out for the end of the night show. I know now that I will be exhausted when ACL ends in two nights.

The Calm Before the Storm

Asleep at the Wheel

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones setting up

T-minus 5 hours

I have my wristband, and ACL starts in approximately 5 hours. Will hopefully be able to report on things daily. My main objective today is to catch Bela Fleck.

More to follow ...

MNF Follow Up

The NFL acknowledged that the ref made a bad call in Monday's game. To add to the week1 strangeness, the Patriots were busted this week trying to intercept the Jets' defensive signals and were fined heavily by the league and docked a draft pick.

In both cases however, the L stays put for both the Ravens and the Jets. Gee, thanks NFL, I know fans in Baltimore and NY are much happier now!

RIP: Joe Zawinul

Another of my Jazz heros passed away on this past Tuesday (9/11), Joe Zawinul. Once again, the hustle and bustle of normal life resulted in my missing the news, two days ago. Thanks to the Sonic Talk Podcast for mentioning this.

Fortunately, I was able to see the Zawinul Syndicate once. I would have loved to have seen him with Weather Report and Cannonball Adderley, however! I'll have to listen to Birdland and Mercy, Mercy, Mercy sometime this weekend.

NPR did a wonderful job looking at his life and art.

Ravens vs. the Bengals on MNF

Well my Ravens opened their season with a Prime Time game this past Monday, against the Bengals. In keeping with their recent tradition of playing shitty on MNF and in the rain, they managed to turn the ball over 6 times and amass a ton of injuries. B.J. Sams our ProBowl caliber kick returner, has had a season ending injury at Paul Brown stadium for the last 2 years. (Talk about Bad Kharma!) Unfortunately, the special teams drop-off will hurt us.

Despite all of this, our D played fantastically in the 2nd half, and the Ravens took the lead in the 4th quarter, only to blow it on a stupid interception. Then, they almost tied the game with less than 90 seconds with a TD Pass from Kyle Boller to Todd Heap. Unfortunately, in what will go down as the worst fucking call I have ever seen in an NFL game, Heap was called for Offensive PI. The referee responsible needs to go back to officiating Pop Warner games. Of course, Billick sealed the deal, snatching defeat from the jaws of a tie, with some very questionable play calling.

For now, I'm telling myself it's only the first game of the season. The Jets are next, and are one of the few teams in the NFL worse off than the Ravens, injury wise. (Actually, both NY teams are in trouble already).

On the positive side, Willis McGahee looks like an upgrade from Jamal. And, the Austin City Limits Festival is less than 2 days away now!