A Double Helping of Steven Wilson

Tour Announcement

After anxiously awaiting the release of Steven Wilson's latest solo album, Hand Can Not Erase, he announced the North American tour dates. My friends and I picked these shows because they were on the weekend, and within close proximity of each other. The shows were in Anaheim, and LA, on 6/12 and 6/13 respectively.

Band Lineup

For the European leg this spring, the band lineup was essentially the same as the Raven that Refused to Sing tour. The only person missing this time around were Theo Travis, on woodwinds.

For the North American leg, Marco Minnemann, and Guthrie Govan, also dropped off, because of their commitment to their own project, the Aristocrats. (I'll be seeing them perform here in Austin, on 8/21.)

The current lineup of the band is:

• Steven Wilson - Vocals and Guitar
  
• Adam Holzman - Keyboards
  
• Nick Beggs - Bass and Chapman Stick
  
• Dave Kilminster - Lead Guitar
  
• Craig Blundell - Drums
  

I was already familiar with Kilminster's work, he has played with the Keith Emerson band in the past, and also was the guitarist on Roger Water's tour for the Wall.

Blundell apparently won some sort of drum clinic contest, and doesn't seem to have a very long resume. I will say, he is quite good, and certainly held things down.

Friday 6/12 - The National Grove in Anaheim

Even though Anaheim was only 35 miles away, we had to leave LA around 4:30 PM. With LA traffic, it ended up consuming approximately 90 minutes. I certainly didn't miss this aspect of LA, which I used to experience when I was contracting in Orange County 15 years ago.

The venue is actually at the edge of the parking lot of Angels stadium. So there were a lot of people in the area with baseball paraphernalia on.

Inside I estimate that the venue held somewhere between 1.5 to 2K. Sight lines and acoustics were good, and the seating was comfortable.

The concert started approximately at 8:30, and finished up two half hours later. The setlist was focused mainly on the new album, but also included covers of two PT songs. In all honesty, it would be very difficult for a live music performance to ever get much better than this.

Saturday 6/13 - The Wiltern in Los Angeles

Night 2 was at the Wiltern. It is located just a few blocks away from the La Brea tar pits, has a larger seating capacity than the Grove, and is an older building. Although we had floor seats, the pitch of the floor was essentially flat, making it a bit more difficult to see. The seats were also cramped, but I had no complaints about the acoustics.

This show was actually streamed by Yahoo for free, and was on a somewhat tighter schedule than the previous night. The show started promptly at 8:00PM and finished up within the allotted two hours. I am hoping that perhaps it will be possible to purchase a video copy of the show in the future. As you can see, the setlist was a little different.

As the show progressed, you can see that my friends and I opted to go upstairs, in order to see better. Other friends at home were commenting on Facebook about how good the show was. I obviously look forward to more albums and tours by Steven in the future. (I'm just hope Porcupine Tree is eventually returned to action).

Bert Lams and Fabio Mittino at MOCHA

MOCHA at Monterey Oaks

My good friend Bruce Stofft has hosted several concerts at a church in South Austin. The common thread has been Bert Lams, who has appeared here with Tom Griesgraber, California Guitar Trio, and now, Fabio Mittino. Best of all, this show was free.

Kem Watts

The opener was a very talented Americana, Singer Songwriter, named Kem Watts. She played for approximately half an hour.

Bert Lams and Fabio Mittino

Bert and Fabio were introduced to each other by Robert Fripp. Fabio had worked for years on reducing piano arrangements by De Hartmann, of songs that Gurdjieff had captured, while traveling throughout Asia and the Middle East.

Originally a solo project, Fabio contacted Bert and they converted the pieces into duets. They recorded an album funded through Kickstarter, and are now on a small tour consisting of small venues and house concerts.

The music is simple, but hauntingly beautiful. It incorporates both polyphonic and polyrhythmic playing, which is difficult to describe. I highly recommend their album, however, Long Ago.

Rush at the Austin360 Amphitheater

This is the seventh or eigth time that I've seen Rush, since 1981 or so. I describe myself as a fan, but not as rabid or fanatical, as their core demographic. In fact, I've really taken to seeing every other tour, and unlike my friends, I would not travel to go see them, or go to multiple shows on a tour.

So, this tour is being billed a R40, for their 40th anniversary. Actually, they have been around for longer, 2014 was the 40th anniversary of Neil Peart's joinging the band. in 1974.

In typical fashion, they started the show with a video montage including an animated section, depicting the band through its various eras, hair and fashion styles. The whole accompanied by the Rush music of that time period.

The show kicked off shortly after 8PM, and consisted of 2 sets and an encore, wrapping up around 11:30. The setlist consisted of selection of music covering their entire career. (Of course, I didn't even bother to note the songs because I knew someone else would capture the set list.

So the question now, is this their Swan Song? The band can still play, but Geddy is no longer able to hit the high notes like he once did. To be honest, I'm wondering whether he is doing damage to vocal chords now, because he clearly struggles.

Still it was an excellent night under the stars, watching a good show. In general, I'd say the venue (which holds about 14K) is average, particularly because of the parking situation. The pitch of the seating is far from ideal, because it is extremely difficult to see, if anyone is standing in the next 4 rows in front of you. For Rush in particular, this is bad, because there are always a bunch of the Neil Peart wannabes, who stand during the entire show playing air-drums.

Lastly, since it was already warm and a bit humid, I'm starting to wonder whether it will be more unbearable in July when I return there to see Steely Dan and Elvis Costello. Truth be told, I would have preferred to have seen this show at the Erwin Center.

Beards n' Beck at the Cedar Park Center

Jeff Beck

So I'm never one to pass up a Jeff Beck show, one of my favorite guitarists. This show was a double dinger, and also allowed me to catch ZZ Top for the first time.

For 2015, Jeff is touring with some new and some familiar face. His band included the following personnel:

• Jimmy Hall - vocals
  
• Rhonda Smith - on bass, and backing vocals.
  
• Jonathan Joseph - drums
  
• Nicolas Meier - guitar
  

I had seen Rhonda with Jeff before in Houston. She was awesome. The surprise of the night was the singer, Jimmy Hall. He totally blew us away. Jeff rarely plays with singers, but when he uses one, they are always exceptional.

This part of the show went by way too quickly. The setlist included a mix of old and new stuff.

ZZ Top

It was good to see ZZ Top for the first time. I'll say that their show was exactly what I expected. I'm not a huge fan, but I did enjoy their set.

As with the first half of the evening, it was easy to find their setlist on-line.

Encore

The highlight of the night came when Jeff joined ZZ on stage for the encore. This was memorable, and very fun to watch, to boot.

Requiem for a friend

I decided to wait a while before writing this post. Since October of 2000, I have had two companion cats, Pumpkin (an Orange Tabby) and Sacagewea (a Calico). They were farm cats; sisters from the same litter. I got them from a friend, right after they had been weaned.

This post is for Saca, a very beautiful and sweet animal. She was very empathetic, and seemed very attuned to me. The last 5 years of her life were challenging from a health perspective, including two bouts of Lipidosis.

When she recovered the second time in the Spring of 2014, I thought she might manage to survive to a ripe old age. Unfortunately, this was overly optimistic. Just before the Holiday season, she lost a significant amount of weight, and began to show signs of Kidney failure. She passed away on February 19, 2015.

I miss her greatly, and I think that one of my friends put it best,
Cats have a way of sneaking into your heart, curling up there and napping.

SxSW 2015 Wrap-up

File this in the better late than never category

Day 0 - Badge Pickup

So, this year was a bit different. For the first time since 2010, my
little brother Sean was unable to make it here. We usually have a
good time getting our badges Thursday night, and then going somewhere
for dinner. I didn't realize how much I would miss this time, but I
did.

He said he intends to come next year, so things will return to normal.

Day 1

The highlight of the first day from a SxSWi perspective, was the
Charles Barkley interview. He is as funny in person, as he is on
TV.

After some forgettable panels, I saw two great documentaries, City
of Gold, and For Grace.

City of Gold

Jonathan Gold is a food critic who lives in LA. I felt a certain
affinity with him, because he appreciates the same sort of low
brow, ethnic, street cuisine that I do.

For Grace

This was a documentary was about the amazing chef, Curtis Duffy. A troubled youth who managed to rise in the world of cooking, opening an restaurant that eventually acheived a Michelin 3 Star Rating.

Day 2

I spent most of this day attending screenings, including:

• Frame by Frame - an excellent documentary about photo journalists in Kabul, Afganistan.
  
• The Boy - a fictional account about a young boy becoming a psychopath.
  
• and ...
  

Son of the Congo

Son of the Congo - a documentary about Oklahoma Thunder player, Serge Ibaka. Which I enjoyed, even though I'm a Spurs fan.

Moonwalkers

Moonwalkers - a film with stars Ron Perlman, and Rupert Grint. I found this one generally uninteresting other than the chance it afforded me to star gaze.

Day 3

It seems as though every year, I get more and more immersed in SxSWf. I spent another day watching 4 screenings. The choices for this day included:

Mavis

I had circled this one in advance. Like 25 Feet from Stardom, this film had the added bonus of Mavis in person.

Peace Officer

An important documentary. The escalation of SWAT teams in the country is out of control. This film hits you in the face with the facts, in case you've been asleep.

A short break during the day. Can't remember what was being promoted, but this campaign had lots of St. Bernards walking around town, and also in a pen on 5th Street.

Babysitter

I found this independent movie enjoyable, but flawed. Some obvious problems with the plot and writing.

Rolling Papers

A documentary about the legalization of Marijuana in Colorado. I think this film could have been better, as well.

Day 4

• Knock, Knock, It's Tig Notaro - a entertaining look at comedienne, Tig Notaro, as she went on a House Show tour.
  
• Krisha - Kudos to the writer and director for making a movie with a real plot, I liked it.
  
• Best of Enemies - Buckley and Vidal. A highly entertaining look at their famous debates.
  
• They Will Have to Kill Us First - A real tear jerker. A band continues to play despite the attempts of religious extremists to eradicate them.
  

Day 5

• Wild Horses - Robert Duval's film. I would highly recommend it.
  
• A Poem Is A Naked Person - a film tangentially about Leon Russell. So, I got see Leon in person, can't say I would recommend this film, however. A bit boring.
  
• The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson - Interesting documentary about a musician having to face his own mortality, after finding out he had a terminal illness.
  
• Jaco - No other words than fan-fucking-tastic. I have new found respect for Rob Trujello after this screening.
  
• He Never Died - Like the Perlman film, I got to star gaze again. This time it was Henry Rollins. Not bad, but not good either.
  

Day 6

• Deep Web - as a documentary director/producer for the Internet age, Alex Winter is a home-run hitter.
  
• The Damned: Don't you wish we were dead? - a documentary about the Damned. Captain Sensible was in the house.
  
• The Last Man on the Moon - Gene Cernan was present to discuss Apollo 17, the last mission to the moon.
  

Colm Mac Con Iomaire

An acoustic singer/songwriter type. Very enjoyable, perfect for the acoustics of this room.

Mother Falcon

A local Austin band actually. Most people would describe these guys as a Jazz band. Don't get me wrong, there are some exceptional musicians in this band, but having spent all of those years around NYC, I have more stringent requirements improvisation-wise, before I award that title.

Black Violin

I had seen and met both of these players a year before at SxSW. I finally got to see them play. Like Mother Falcon, they are very heavily Classically trained. Very entertaining, and a bit more dynamic on stage than the previous band.

Day 7

So, my buddy Adrian Belew was in town with Daniel Rowland (Adrian's sound engineer), and Nick Mueller (developer) promoting Adrian's mobile app, Flux and Flux.fx. I've spent quite a bit of time with Ade and Daniel at TOAPP camp. Since I was also a Beta-tester for the Flux apps, I had exchanged emails and NDA's with Nick.

Adrian was interviewed for SxSW, but did not play. Team Flux spent most of their time on the floor at the Gear Expo.

I did manage to catch former STP frontman, Scott Weiland on the day stage.

Since they were in town, fellow camp alumnus, Cedric Theys and I, had dinner with the guys that night. Despite missing the showcases that night, it couldn't have been a better night. The Margaritas were flowing.

Day 8

So to start off the last day, I got early to see Snoop Dog's keynote. For the opener, he had the very awesome Hypnotic Brass Ensemble from Chicago.

Su:m

One pleasant discovery this year was this band from Korea, on the day stage, Su:m. Unbelievable stuff, very relaxing, and intriguing.

Ryan Bingham

Jaco - Film panel

Breaking A Monster

Wynonna Judd & the Big Noise: Stories & Song

Day 9

Landfill Harmonic

First I saw the film. I won't lie, it made me cry, while simultaneously obliterating every excuse I've ever had for not making music.

At the end of the film, I then walked with the entire cast to the Driskill in order to see them perform. An absolutely transformative experience, and one I will probably never forget. Sometimes the universe delivers a message when you're most receptive, and need to hear it.

Qarabagh Ensemble

There's no way to describe this band from Azerbaijan other than fucking incredible. Despite talking to their manager here in the US, I still do not know where I can purchase a recording ( or twenty).

Day 10 - BBQ

So, for the past 5 or 6 years ago, I have been going to the BBQ, after hearing my friend Frank Souders describe how it helped you ease back into normal life. Multiple years ago, I also met two gentlemen, Marvine Harris and Hillery Robinson, because they noticed I was wearing a Baltimore Ravens t-shirt walking around the convention center. Marvine is a fellow Baltimoron, and Hillery is from TX and now lives in Pflugerville, but he also lived in Baltimore for a while.

We have become good friends, and have run into each other every year for the past 6 or 7 years. We all have the same passion for music, and are all musicians. I always make it a point to get a picture with my buddies, at the BBQ.

Normally, Marvine plays softball, but the games were cancelled, and the location was moved to Fiesta Gardens this year. It turns out however, that it didn't rain after all, and the weather was quite nice.

Here's my pic from 2013

Phil Alvin and the Blasters at the Continental Club

About a week ago, I was recently having a conversation with a friend about Rockabilly music. I happened to have mentioned the Alvin Brothers, and the Blasters.

Then in a moment of serendipity, I was listening to KUTX as I was driving home from work Thursday evening, they played the Blasters, and mentioned that they were doing 2 straight nights at the Continental Club. Since it had at least 15 years since I had last seen either of the Alvin brothers, I decided to catch the Friday show.

Although Dave and Phil are touring together this year, only Phil plays with the current incarnation of the Blasters. Phil fronts a five piece band consisting of on guitar and vocals, accompanied by a lead guitar, bass, piano, and drums.

I arrived at approximately 11PM, and caught a bit of the opening act. The Blasters started promptly at Midnight, and delivered a solid 90 minute set of Rockabilly goodness to a very appreciative crowd.

Living Colour at the Belmont

After watching my Orioles lose the second game of the ALCS, I was more than ready to head downtown for some music. Surprisingly, Living Colour was playing the Belmont, rather than Emos. This was the first time I had ever seen an act of this size, at this venue. I was also surprised at the fact, that this show was scheduled during the second ACL Festival weekend.

Temple Underground

This time around, the opening act was local Austin band, Temple Underground, led by local drummer Brannen Temple. I have seen Brannen perform a number of times, and he is a formidable talent. This band plays a unique style of rock/funk/jazz fusion similar in feel to Living Colour.

They played for about 45 minutes, and I was impressed with the level of musicianship. My only complaint was that the vocalist's singing hard to discern in the mix. Of course, this may have been compounded by the fact that my friends and I, were watching from the balcony, upstairs, as you can tell from the photos below.

Living Colour

Eventually, Living Colour took the stage. They clocked in at about 2 hours, with the following setlist.

As always, they delivered the goods, and played a good mix of old and new material. The latter coming from a new album, which they are about to release.

For the encore, Cult of Personality, the energetic Corey Glover grabbed the wireless Mic, and travelled through the crowd, eventually working his up the steps right next to where we were standing.

After the show, I was impressed, because once again, the band was graciously available for the meet and greet. I was able to one again talk with Vernon a few minutes, about our one degree of separation through Arthur Rhames, John Esposito, and Jeff Siegel.

All in all, it was a great night of music, on a cool autumn night in Austin. What could be any better?

Tears for Fears at the Austin Music Hall

So, tonight I completed a study in contrasts. Four days after traveling to Philadelphia to see the King of Prog Rock, I'm now on the other end of the spectrum watching Tears for Fears.

The show started right at 8PM, and consisted of 1 set and an encore clocking in at approximately 2 hours. Of course, the Austin Music Hall was populated by a large amount of 40 somethings.

Curt and Roland played a wide selection of songs, including their big hits, as you can see from the setlist. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that both of them still had their voices, and could still hit the notes.

I have a feeling that the band will remember this show for a long time for several reasons:

• Although there were cell phones, the audience was very attentive, and about 95% of the audience was singing along with the band, particularly during Mad World, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and Head Over Heels. You could tell that this invigorated the band, and they responded accordingly.
  
• This was the first show that I had been to in Austin in a long time, that had that vibe that I remember from 20 years ago. It was good to see it again; it was what always made Austin a special Music town.
  

It was a great night of music. Despite seeing my favorite band twice last week, I still had a fantasatic time. One that successfully allowed me travel backwards in time about 30 years, if only for one night.

King Crimson at the Kimmel Center

So my original plan was to just see this one show, since it was on a weekend. Like the 2008 tour, I chose to fly in during the evening of the day before, since thunderstorms are common this time of year. In hindsight, this ended up being a good choice.

Of course, I was able to meet with some of my fellow campers before the show, and we went to dinner.

The venue itself was very impressive, with outstanding acoustics, and excellent sight lines, as you'll see in the pictures below.

Humorously, the merch table was run the same person who has done the merch for Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson. Looking back at the history, I found my post from 2007. People were audibly complaining about the length of the line for the merch, saying it was the longest they had ever seen at a show.

Chuckling to myself, I was happy I loaded up on merch during the dress rehearsal show at the Egg, when the crowd was small. I guess some things don't change. ;)

The show itself consisted on a single set with an encore. As before the setlist had been already posted when I checked back at my hotel.

So, now that the tour is underway, I'll talk briefly about the music. As you know, the players are arranged in an unorthodox fashion, with the 3 drummers in the frontline, and the Sax, Bass/Stick and 2 Guitarists in the back.

The songs were selected mainly from the early albums, before the Adrian Belew/Discipline era. In particular:

• In the Court of the Crimson King (21st Century Schizoid Man)
  
• In the Wake of Poseidon (Pictures of a City)
  
• Islands (Sailor's Tale, and the Letters)
  
• Larks' Tongues in Aspic (LTIA pt1 and pt2, and Talking Drum)
  
• Red (Red, One More Red Nightmare, and Starless)
  

The only new vocal songs were 2 selections from the Scarcity of Miracles, and instrumentals from Thrak, the Power to Believe, and the ConstruKction of Light.

Other than that, the two shows differed in this way:

1. The ConstruKction of Light Part 1 was played during the rehearsal show, but not last night.
   
2. The show last night featured Vroom and Coda Marine 475.
   

This show will be a treat for any KC fan, and for me the highlights were hearing LTIA part 1, One More Red Nightmare, and Starless. All classics in my mind, and songs I had thought I would never get to hear played live.

Here's hoping for a second leg of the tour in the near future, although there is something in my gut telling me that this may be Robert Fripp's Swan Song.

As Before

Tony Levin's road diary contains some excellent shots, at the following link.

King Crimson Rehearsal at the Egg

So as TOAPP Camp ended ...

I signed up for Tony's guest-list for the final Rehearsal Show of King Crimson, at the Egg, in Albany, NY. Since it was a Monday night, I thought that I might not be able to go, but the stars aligned properly, and it became a reality.

Preshow Dinner

My camper friends and I, all agreed to meet at the Hill Street Cafe prior to the show. Brian McGuinness gets the award for being invited to the show twice, once directly by Tony Levin, and indirectly by Tony, through Uncle Funk member, Joe Beesmer.

It was fun sitting with Joe and Brian, and reminiscing about the late 80's era Woodstock.

After dinner, we drove the short distance over to the Egg, for the show. Here the biggest challenge was figuring out where to park. For some reason, I forgot to take some pictures from the plaza in front of the main entrance, since the venue is very impressive.

As I walked up to the main entrance, there were even more people from camp. What a wonderful group of people.

The Main Course

The actual show commenced promptly at 7:30 and lasted a bit over 2 hours. Of course, no photography or recording was allowed, and I would have never dreamed to violate this request. The best you're going to get is this picture of the stage.

I was also going to wait until the first show tonight to post my setlist, but someone had already done it. You can browse the setlist here. If you don't want a spoiler, then I would say, don't click it ;)

I will say my favorite KC album was well represented in this setlist.

Post Show

Afterwards, I was able to briefly say hello to Tony and Pat. Robert surprisingly came out and spoke with some of the guests, but was eventually ushered off to safety, by the tour manager, as some started requesting autographs.

But for me the highlight might have been being able to talk Jakko Jakszyk, after the show. Jakko had changed into street clothes, and very nonchalantly returned without bringing much attention to himself. Myself, and two others had a great convo with him.

I also took a few quick pics of some old friends.

The Next Morning

The 5:30AM flight out of Albany to Chicago was slightly more bearable, with my two fellow campers from Texas, Mark Cook and Mike McGary. Now, to repeat this all again this weekend. ;)

Update

Tony Levin has posted a nice account of last night's show here.

Terry Bozzio at the One World Theater

So, this was the third time that I've seen Terry perform solo. He is without a doubt, a unique creative talent.

The first thing I was presently surprised at, is that the One World had resumed selling a dinner option with the tickets. I had forgotten, but when I looked at my ticket, I discovered that I had purchased the food. A great decision in hindsight, it was superb.

The show last night started promptly at 7PM. Terry played most of the show inside of his monsterous trap kit.

This time around he had two stations to either side of the trap kit. On the left there was a Cajon. Terry did a very amazing improv, showing off incredible hand and finger technique, worthy of a Tabla master.

Later in the show, he first thanked many of the people present, reminiscing about the years he lived in Austin, just before beginning an improv on a Korg WaveDrum. Once again, he showed off some amazing finger technique.

Two and a half hours, later the show concluded after two sets with an intermission, and a single piece encore. I attempted to catch of some of the setlist, but Terry neglected to mention names for some of the pieces.

Three of a Perfect Pair Camp 2014

August 11-15, 2014

So, I'm sitting in my Living Room a day after returning from my third TOAPP camp, absorbing the experience, and dealing with the inevitable exhaustion. Just like anything else, things evolve, and that includes the camp. So, I'm only going to talk about what was new, you can read more in depth accounts of my previous camps here and here.

• Like 2012, Pat, Adrian, Tony, and Markus were there all week. This time around, all 4 were very focused on teaching. Once again, Markus provided scheduled one on one lessons, which were very informative. In my case, I picked up with the son and daughter on a U8 Touch Guitar. I made sure to attend one of every session type, and that included doing drum stroke rudiments with Tobias and Pat, which was a blast, BTW.
  
  
• Every morning of camp, a dedicated few convened on the lawn with Markus, and did some polyrhythmic movement and clapping exercises. These got to be very challenging, and were also great fun. I came to the realization that while I had internalized some polyrhythms in my hands, things were a lot more difficult starting with the feet and legs.
  
  
• The group jam, was replaced with a set of smaller jams spread over two nights. Tony, Pat, and Ade selected two songs each, such as Red, Walking on Air, Larks Tongue II, Happy with what you have, Elephant Talk, and Schizoid Man. Campers could then sign up for the individual slots. I played keys backing Adrian and some others on Walking on Air, and sang lead vocals for Happy with what you have to be happy with. I really enjoyed this.
  
  
• Pat and Adrian had some shorter group recording sessions, which were intended as samples for a project in Pat's case, and Flux, in Adrian's. I attended both. I really enjoyed the chance to display my cymbow chops.
  
  
• This year, the show at the Bearsville Theater was Friday evening, after camp finished, rather than Thursday. This meant that there was one additional full night, and we were able to do more things Thursday.
  As a result, the last night, Adrian and Gary Slick (Julie's dad) sat around the campfire with us, and led us in a whole slew of Beatles songs.
  
  
  

Other matters

This time, I shared a vehicle with Cedric Theys, and chose not to rent a keyboard from Alto Music, figuring that there were plenty around the last two camps. Well, I won't make that mistake again. There was only one keyboard in camp in the Roadhouse. Perhaps next camp, I will have a touch guitar. I'm not sure, but am leaning heavily that way.

I also didn't contact John Esposito this time, and am regretting not staying an extra day, because he was playing a gig with Jeff Seigel in Woodstock, last night. But, I would have been forced to choose between his gig, and a gig Markus did in Beacon. Instead, I saw neither, returning to home to find the AC on the fritz.

Conclusion

Rather than attempt to do the equivalent of Dancing about Architecture, I'll just say that there is a great vibe around the camp, and it unbelievably refreshing to spend some time with some old friends, and make some wonderful new acquaintances, as well. I wish you could be there to see it!

RIP: Tommy Ramone

Well hopefully there's not a third shoe about to drop. The last Ramone has passed away, since Tommy Romone (aka. Thomas Erdelyi) drummer and producer for the band, is now no longer with us. It appears that after listening to Charlie Haden and Ornette Coleman, I'll have to queue up Blitzkrieg Bop.

RIP: Charlie Haden

Well the Jazz world lost another great today, bassist, Charlie Haden.

I'll have to look through my collection, and find some suitable recordings from his vast discography to listen to this evening.

Devo at ACL Live

So, I was anxious to see Devo on this tour, since they were featuring music from the earliest days of the band. I was familiar with some of these songs, since I loaded up on a fair of amount of bootleg albums, in highschool. It's hard to be believe that 36 years have passed since I first saw them play, at the Painter's Mill Music Fair, on 12/29/1978. Amazingly, most of the material during this tour, predates even that show.

This show didn't disappoint, with the only low note being the absence of Bob Casale (aka. Bob 2). The show went by fairly quickly, and I was able to capture the setlist.

The encore included an appearance by Booji Boy.

In closing, the only other thing I was going to say is, "I am always amazed at the following Devo has here in Austin." It was a full house, as you can see in this picture.

California Guitar Trio at the One World Theater

My three crafty friends returned to Austin, and played the One World Theater, once again. I must say, it was a much needed respite from my day to day worries. The muse walked into the theater Sunday night, and sat with me for several hours, as we enjoyed the show. I can't say enough good things about this group.

Sticking to my usual pattern, I attended both shows. I highly suggest doing that, as they often play different sets. I have included both setlists, here and here.

Tool at the Cedar Park Center

Almost Missed It

For some reason, I had forgotten that about the date of this show, thinking it was in May. I was about 5 minutes away from heading out the door for a meetup at Capital Factory, when my friends called and reminded me.

There were several reasons I wanted to go to this show. One, it was Tool. Two, it would be the first concert I had attended at the Cedar Park Center.

Getting there seemed easy enough, although it is somewhat challenging to stay off of the Tolls Roads. The parking situation at the Center leaves a lot to be desired.

Failure

The opening band was Failure. I can't speak for my friends, but I found this band to be boring. They were tolerable, but I can't say I would feel compelled to listen to any more of their music.

Tool

Fortunately, Tool was on stage soon enough.

The lineup

As you probably know, Tool has had the same lineup for over 20 years.

• Danny Carey – drums, percussion
  
• Adam Jones – guitar
  
• Maynard James Keenan – lead vocals
  
• Justin Chancellor – bass
  

The setlist was posted immediately after the show. Since they have not released a new album in 8 years (10,000 Days), the show contained no new material. The show was broken into 2 sets, with an intermission between them. Like Porcupine Tree, they displayed a clock on the screen behind the stage at Intermission, and had it count down the 12 minutes.

I really enjoyed the show, but the sound left a little to be desired. In particular, there was an annoying amount of rumble and distortion in the bass register throughout the set.

The multi-media display and the lighting however for this show were up to the typical excellent standards for a Tool show. Tool is unsurpassed in this area, and on the same footing as Pink Floyd/Roger Waters, and Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree.

All in all, it was a good night of music, and it helped take my mind off of other things.

SxSW 2014 Wrap-up

This year, SxSW was a bit a letdown for me. With a sudden change in employment status, my focus changed from casual enjoyment to job hunting and networking. As a result, even with a Platinum Badge, I was forced to miss several mornings, and two complete days of music. (Thanks Ginni!)

Film

When not preoccupied with other things, I spent a majority of my time at film screenings.

Here's a quick list of what I was able to see:

That Guy Dick Miller

A great film. I was flabbergasted by how many movies I had seen with Dick as a character actor.

The Infinite Man

An interesting Aussie film with time travel and lots of plot twists.

The Heart Machine

Poignant commentary on young romance in our modern social media world

Harmontown

This was just plain fun. I love Dan Harmon's comedy.

Penny Dreadful

Going in, I didn't realize this was a pilot for Showtime series. In my opinion, dreadful is an apt description.

I Believe in Unicorns

A interesting drama about a young girl who runs away from home, on a romantic fling.

Animals

Basically, what if Trainspotting had taken place in America?

Raid 2

Yet another projector fiasco at the Paramount! It seems like that this has been the case for 3 out of the last 4 years. My brother and I finally made it the rescheduled screening the next night, not sure that it was worth the trouble. Not as good as Raid Redemption.

Silicon Valley

Mike Judge always seems to find your comedic nerve. This time, he has Silicon Valley start-up culture in his gun-sight.

A Wolf at the Door

An engaging and suspenseful, but very disturbing crime drama from Brazil. Unlike typical U.S. crime dramas, this one seemed too realistic, and probable.

Wetlands

After failing to get into Wes Anderson's premier, My brother and I ended up here, because it was the only screening with seats. All I can say is that this was close I as I ever want to get to seeing a German Shizer Flick. ;)

The Internet's Own Boy: The Aaron Schwartz Story

A fantastic documentary about the prodigy, Aaron Schwartz, and his contributions the to Internet, particularly his fight for online privacy. After watching the film, his suicide seemed even more tragic.

The 78 Project

This film was a documentary about connecting modern musicians to the past. In particular, the 1930's when the 78 rpm record was king.

The main story line involved taking a vintage, portable rig on the road, that was able to cut 78 rpm discs, to make live recordings of modern musicians. Also included in the film were trips to multiple archives and collections containing 78's.

The coup de grace for this screening however, was that they actually had a musician cut a 78 recording on stage during the Q&A.

Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton (This is Stones Throw Records)

Great documentary about an influential Indie record label. Kudos to the film maker for showing how it was waning in this new era of the Music Industry.

The Winding Stream

The Carter family, Johnny Cash, Roots Music, what's not to like about this film? As they said in the film, the Carter family ignited the Big Bang that created the Country Music Industry. I learned some fascinating things about Border (aka. Mexican) Radio, and there was a lot of previously unreleased footage of the Man in Black.

Music

For Music this year, I only really went to things on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, I started out the evening with my friends Cedric Theys and Jakes Srinivasan for the GlobeFest showcase at the Speakeasy. As that started filling up, I opted for a more serene experience at the St. David's. The acts I saw included:

• Lo'Jo from Angers, France at the Speakeasy - All I can say was this band was fantastic
  
• Imarhan from Timbuktu, MALI at the Speakeasy - Interesting, but a little thin on the musicianship
  
• Tennis from Denver, CO at St. David's Sanctuary
  
• Gungor from Denver, CO at St. David's Bethell Hall - A very good band playing out of the element, acoustic.
  
• Vance Joy from Melbourne, VIC at St. David's Sanctuary
  

For Saturday, I was able to catch the following:

• Ramesh from Austin (whoops) at the Central Presbyterian Church - A good pop band, once you got past that, they weren't very interesting.
  
• Andy Shauf from Regina, SK at St. David's Bethell Hall
  
• The Wood Brothers from Nashville, TN at St. David's Sanctuary - Chris Wood from Medesky, Martin and Wood teamed up with his brother, Oliver. These two are fantastic.
  
• Kumbia Queers from Buenos Aires, Argentina at the Russia House - I went here to catch up to Jakes. Was a bit underwhelmed by this band, although others seemed to be getting into them.
  
• Pigpen Theater Company from Pittsburgh, PA at the 18th Floor - Outstanding Irish influenced stuff.
  

BBQ

I managed to get over to the BBQ. It was a bit anti-climatic this year, because it felt like I had attended half of a SxSW. I did run into my good buddies Hillary and Marvin, once again.

Here's to SxSW 2015, and hoping that things are much better then.

Fred Frith at the North Door

This was my first trip to the North Door, and it appears the show's producer, Epistrophy Arts is trying in ernest to bring experimental, improvised music to Austin. I applaud the effort

I arrived about half an hour early, and was able to get seated and situated for the hour long set. I ran into my friend, Austin Composer, Graham Reynolds, waiting in line. I was surprised there were very few other people I recognized, even though it was a full house.

A bare footed, Fred Frith basically played one improvisation that lasted about a solid hour, then stood up to take a round of applause. I took the opportunity to run to the men's room, and when I returned he was in the midst of a shorter improv lasting somewhere between 7 to 10 minutes. That concluded the show.

Frith isn't necessarily one my favorite artists, but it was interesting, and afforded me an opportunity to visit a new venue that is taking some interesting risks.