Continuing with my look back at a decade that for the most part we all would rather forget ever happened I will now spend my time on the subject that touches me most dearly: music. Over the next few days I will reveal my top 15 albums of the decade (because I just can’t bring myself to narrow the list down to ten.) To start however I will focus on a few that did not make the cut for one reason or another but deserve a special mention.
Chris Mills “Kiss It Goodbye” (2000): I guess if we have to call this the decade of anything we will have to call it the decade of emo, which is rather sad mainly for fashion purposes. Someone needs to tell teenage boys that having uneven bangs that fall into your face and wearing makeup doesn’t look nearly as cool a decade later as all of my friends who were really into the Cure had to discover. But the idea of emo, that style of emotionally raw songwriting, isn’t bad at all. It is just a bit too much teenage angst. Chris Mills isn’t emo but I never saw anyone perform lyrics that were so raw. No one wrote about screwing up relationships and being a complete fuck up quite like Chris Mills and outside of Chicago no one ever heard of him, which is an utter shame.
Neko Case “Blacklisted” (2003): If I had to name a female artist of the decade it would be Neko Case. She would probably be my artist of the decade as well because I can’t think of anyone else who was so consistently brilliant and who grew as an artist over that time. But for some reason none of her solo stuff made my top 15 though they would probably be 16-20. Her discs always seem a little incomplete though I love them and listen to them constantly. It’s also nice to know that Neko has gained popularity without selling out who she is. Here is one of my favorites of her.
The Ditty Bops “The Ditty Bops” (2004): This is still the most unlikely duo I came across in music this decade. Not only is this the only band I have ever seen that features a former fashion model but their musical style can only be described as part country, part girl group, part vaudeville and part circus sideshow. I’ve seen them perform dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz, in clothing made from plastic bags from Target and with a guy on stilts behind them. Listening to their music forces you to smile. Oh, and perform a cross country tour by going from city to city on bicycle. Abby and Amanda are the coolest people ever.
Fleet Foxes “Fleet Foxes” (2008): This is my choice for video of the decade. Bar none. Forget the dancing on treadmills. This is pure brilliance. Also, Fleet Foxes epitomize the nice trend of bands trying to do everything possible to sound as though they are not in the 21st century. They sound like they are from 17th century England and that is a great thing. Dark, mysterious and totally awesome.
Tift Merritt “Another Country” (2008): Sometimes music just hits you at the right time. 2008 started with me in the emergency room and quitting my job, two events that were not really unrelated. I was pretty much lost in life when I picked up Tift’s latest which was entirely about her being lost in life and having to go to Paris to find herself. I had to go to Delaware but I can’t complain about where that took me. This album, and this song in particular, pulled me through a hell of a lot that year.
Showing posts with label Neko Case. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neko Case. Show all posts
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Frosty is Legendary
Ok, if this isn’t the most awesome thing you see all day then that means either a) you are having a really awesome day or b) you are Neil Patrick Harris. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything, and I mean everything, is made better by the inclusion of Neil Patrick Harris.
Also, congrats to long time blog fave and vague acquaintance Neko Case on her two Grammy nominations today. Middle Cyclone was a killer album and she deserved the recognition for it. She gets added to a surprisingly decent sized list of people I’ve met who have gone on to some actual fame. Ok, not cover of US Weekly fame but at least famous enough to be nominated for shiny award statues.
I’m still following the Tiger Woods story if only to see what other reality stars are caught up in the mix. Oh what I would give for a way to get Tila Tequila involved in this. It would be the ultimate connection between my love of sports and my love of really bad reality shows. Anyway, the focus now is on the prenup agreement (see, always listen to Kanye) and what additional money may be headed Elin’s way. Apparently cheating sets up some sort of incentive bonus structure where simply not getting divorced will earn her tens of millions of dollars. So at this point she is being paid to be an actress, which actually ties to a point that I wanted to make.
Again people are still raising this issue as to whether this should be news or is it a private matter. I still point to the fact that Tiger is a billion dollar brand for being a man who can hit a small ball better than other people. Hitting a small ball does not equate to a billion dollars of income. That money is the cost of fame for the loss of privacy. Here is my example.
The cast of Friends each received roughly a million dollars an episode at one point. 6 friends times 25 episodes gives us $150 million dollars to do a job that isn’t technically that difficult. Yes, acting is challenging I know but I bet you could walk down the street in LA and find six other attractive people who would do the show for a thousand dollars a week and would not get incredibly fat over the course of a season like Matthew Perry. So here is my question, if I told you I was going to replace the cast of Friends with random actors who would work for a grand a week what would you contribute to the cause to keep the original cast?
At its peak, Friends averaged 25 million viewers a week. Every single one of those would need to donate $600 to keep the cast members on the air. The math just doesn’t add up. You can’t justify what you are paying the actors for what they are versus a cheaper equivalent. So what are you paying them for?
You’re paying them to deal with being famous. You are paying Matthew Perry to deal with the fact that pricks like me are going to spend a decade cracking jokes about him getting fat and having an issue with prescription meds. You are paying Courtney Cox to accept the fact that for some reason people will care about what clothes she is wearing to the mall. This fame and attention is all tied to the show. Since Friends has gone off the air have you seen any tabloid articles on Lisa Kudrow? Yes, Jennifer Aniston gets media play still but that is due to her former marriage to Brad Pitt. She is still caught up in Brad’s price of fame, made even worse because she isn’t getting anything for it.
When you become a celebrity you lose your privacy. It is part of the deal. That is what you are being paid for. I’m not saying that it is fair or even ethical but those are the rules of the game and you have to learn to live by them.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Comments...I got comments...
I have to say, the comments section on the blog has gotten quite a bit interesting as of late. Now I want to state up front that I really don’t care what people write in the comments. As long as they pass the human being filter I’m pretty much game for whatever anyone wants to share. This also means that I am open to people promoting their own work on my blog. Just when you do, at least make it clear that you actually read the posting. The writer from Ireland did that and it was one of the coolest things that has happened to me for a while. The comment promoting the Judy Garland newsgroup, not so much. Especially when you go to pitch.com and read their review of the same concert and see that the exact same comment posted there as well. I’m all for promotions, just as long as it is not the cut and paste variety.
(Actually, if you do check the Pitch review the pictures in it are Forester’s, one of the many trivia compatriots that I have assembled over the years. We are seemingly everywhere.)
On the other, more realistic comment, I wouldn’t say that Neko Case is my voice crush. She’s more along the lines of my “every ounce of my being” crush. The type where in the real world I claim to be smitten but what that means is that I’d follow her around like a sad puppy dog ruining any possible chance that I would even theoretically have. Obviously, I’m speaking from experience here. Basically, I’ve just always found Neko to be one of the coolest people around. She’s just so normal on stage and so cool and confident with so much talent it is incredible. I’m not joking when I say that the female lead in my novel (which I am going to start writing in, yikes, two months) is based partially on Neko. Which is more than enough of a reason to post another picture of her.
And I did see Julie making the top search terms in Yahoo, which was just hysterical. First, I have to point out that Yahoo doesn’t actually list the top search terms on their engine. You really wouldn’t want to see that list. Trust me, I know of which I speak. What they really show are terms that had a massive percent change from the previous day. Now I am partly to blame for that just due to my regular Julie Delpy web crawls but there is a more legitimate reason for her newfound popularity.
See, she has a new movie coming out called 2 Days in Paris that she wrote, directed and starred in as well as composed most of the music. It is about a young couple spending two days in Paris talking about their relationship, which seems to be the exact same plot as Before Sunset. I did read a review of it and the conclusion was “it doesn’t suck nearly as much as you would expect.” Because even as a fan I wonder about her writing, directing and acting at the same time. Remember, this is an actress who recorded a CD of original songs in something other than her native language. Julie writing songs in English is much like my writing my novel in French. Points for effort and style but the little mistakes make you wonder why you bought it in the first place.
Anyway, the movie is opening in KC at the end of the month so I’ll see it then. I mean, I still think she is an amazing actress and beautiful and I still have three movie posters in my apartment that feature her. As I get older and she gets older I still find her beautiful just in different ways. In Before Sunrise she was this ethereal French beauty, the type of girl you dream of seeing from afar. In Before Sunset she became the neurotic, somewhat flighty, woman whose flaws now accentuate her and give her depth. And what the hell, I’ll post a picture of her as well.
The five random CDs for the week (even though I still haven’t finished all the discs from last week):
1) Death Cab For Cutie “Transatlanticism”
2) Neko Case “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood”
3) Henry Rollins “Talk is Cheap Volume 4”
4) Wilco “Kicking Television”
5) The Subdudes “Primitive Streak”
(Actually, if you do check the Pitch review the pictures in it are Forester’s, one of the many trivia compatriots that I have assembled over the years. We are seemingly everywhere.)
On the other, more realistic comment, I wouldn’t say that Neko Case is my voice crush. She’s more along the lines of my “every ounce of my being” crush. The type where in the real world I claim to be smitten but what that means is that I’d follow her around like a sad puppy dog ruining any possible chance that I would even theoretically have. Obviously, I’m speaking from experience here. Basically, I’ve just always found Neko to be one of the coolest people around. She’s just so normal on stage and so cool and confident with so much talent it is incredible. I’m not joking when I say that the female lead in my novel (which I am going to start writing in, yikes, two months) is based partially on Neko. Which is more than enough of a reason to post another picture of her.
And I did see Julie making the top search terms in Yahoo, which was just hysterical. First, I have to point out that Yahoo doesn’t actually list the top search terms on their engine. You really wouldn’t want to see that list. Trust me, I know of which I speak. What they really show are terms that had a massive percent change from the previous day. Now I am partly to blame for that just due to my regular Julie Delpy web crawls but there is a more legitimate reason for her newfound popularity.
See, she has a new movie coming out called 2 Days in Paris that she wrote, directed and starred in as well as composed most of the music. It is about a young couple spending two days in Paris talking about their relationship, which seems to be the exact same plot as Before Sunset. I did read a review of it and the conclusion was “it doesn’t suck nearly as much as you would expect.” Because even as a fan I wonder about her writing, directing and acting at the same time. Remember, this is an actress who recorded a CD of original songs in something other than her native language. Julie writing songs in English is much like my writing my novel in French. Points for effort and style but the little mistakes make you wonder why you bought it in the first place.
Anyway, the movie is opening in KC at the end of the month so I’ll see it then. I mean, I still think she is an amazing actress and beautiful and I still have three movie posters in my apartment that feature her. As I get older and she gets older I still find her beautiful just in different ways. In Before Sunrise she was this ethereal French beauty, the type of girl you dream of seeing from afar. In Before Sunset she became the neurotic, somewhat flighty, woman whose flaws now accentuate her and give her depth. And what the hell, I’ll post a picture of her as well.
The five random CDs for the week (even though I still haven’t finished all the discs from last week):
1) Death Cab For Cutie “Transatlanticism”
2) Neko Case “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood”
3) Henry Rollins “Talk is Cheap Volume 4”
4) Wilco “Kicking Television”
5) The Subdudes “Primitive Streak”
Friday, August 10, 2007
Knock Loud I'm Home
(Hey, the video worked so the Wednesday Night Music Club is in full effect. See, it’s just like Sheryl Crow except that this is based on talent and skill and ability as opposed to solely good hair. I know people don’t like the fact that I rip on Sheryl Crow all the time but after what she did to Lance Armstrong I feel she deserves it. She really busted his ball….
[Crickets]
Oh, give me a break. It’s late.)
Yep, it’s a very late night post as I just got back from seeing Rufus Wainwright and the lovely and talented Neko Case. It was a casino show, which even made Neko comment on how a) this was her first performance in a casino and b) the free turkey buffet was mighty satisfying. To be honest, this was one of the best shows I’ve seen at Harrah’s. Sound was good, as it typically is, but I was also able to get a beet in a timely fashion and the crowd was really cool. There was a minimum number of refugees from the slot machines making their way to see the performance carting their bottle of oxygen and carton of menthol lights with them. In fact, it was more of a trivia night out on the town as I ran into four other regulars at the show. See, we can do more than just answer questions on celebrity gossip.
(Though did you hear the rumor that My Beloved Lindsay may be preggers? Who’s the father? And what are the odds that the baby would be born with either a tail or gills?)
Anyway, it was a great show. You can never really fault Rufus Wainwright for his performances because he will just go all out every time. It’s not just that he decides to do some Judy Garland songs in his performance. It’s that he’ll also cover them while dressed as Judy Garland, complete with high heels and a fedora. He had a slightly different band than I’ve seen with him before but the horn section was a very nice addition. Made for a different and much fuller sound. Not sure if it matches when he had Shannon McNally and Jane Wasser singing backup but just a really solid performance.
Neko was awesome as always. It’s not like I’ll ever say anything different; I pretty much adore everything that she does. There’s something about her voice that just hits me the right way. I could listen to it all night and it truly does sound better late at night in a dark smoky club. It needs that dangerous edge to bring out the sultriness. That ties in with the fact that her music is pretty simple. I’m not sure if simple is the right word (since Jon Rauhouse does some incredible pedal steel guitar for her), maybe clean is more of what I’m going for. There’s very little artifice going on. She takes the stage wearing jeans, the banter between the band and the crowd is natural, and the focus is really on Neko and her voice. There’s no bling to the show and that’s what makes it so cool.
So tonight was Neko Case (ranked 4th on my Perfect Mate list) and next week is Kelly Willis (ranked 3rd on my Perfect Mate list). Now all I need to do is run into Natalie Portman while grocery shopping and have Julie Delpy stop by because the mailman delivered a letter to the wrong address and my month will be perfect. Hey, if you dream it it will come true, right? Isn’t that what that book they keep on pushing on me at Border’s says? At some point the universe will have to come around to my point of view.
Until then, have a great weekend everyone.
[Crickets]
Oh, give me a break. It’s late.)
Yep, it’s a very late night post as I just got back from seeing Rufus Wainwright and the lovely and talented Neko Case. It was a casino show, which even made Neko comment on how a) this was her first performance in a casino and b) the free turkey buffet was mighty satisfying. To be honest, this was one of the best shows I’ve seen at Harrah’s. Sound was good, as it typically is, but I was also able to get a beet in a timely fashion and the crowd was really cool. There was a minimum number of refugees from the slot machines making their way to see the performance carting their bottle of oxygen and carton of menthol lights with them. In fact, it was more of a trivia night out on the town as I ran into four other regulars at the show. See, we can do more than just answer questions on celebrity gossip.
(Though did you hear the rumor that My Beloved Lindsay may be preggers? Who’s the father? And what are the odds that the baby would be born with either a tail or gills?)
Anyway, it was a great show. You can never really fault Rufus Wainwright for his performances because he will just go all out every time. It’s not just that he decides to do some Judy Garland songs in his performance. It’s that he’ll also cover them while dressed as Judy Garland, complete with high heels and a fedora. He had a slightly different band than I’ve seen with him before but the horn section was a very nice addition. Made for a different and much fuller sound. Not sure if it matches when he had Shannon McNally and Jane Wasser singing backup but just a really solid performance.
Neko was awesome as always. It’s not like I’ll ever say anything different; I pretty much adore everything that she does. There’s something about her voice that just hits me the right way. I could listen to it all night and it truly does sound better late at night in a dark smoky club. It needs that dangerous edge to bring out the sultriness. That ties in with the fact that her music is pretty simple. I’m not sure if simple is the right word (since Jon Rauhouse does some incredible pedal steel guitar for her), maybe clean is more of what I’m going for. There’s very little artifice going on. She takes the stage wearing jeans, the banter between the band and the crowd is natural, and the focus is really on Neko and her voice. There’s no bling to the show and that’s what makes it so cool.
So tonight was Neko Case (ranked 4th on my Perfect Mate list) and next week is Kelly Willis (ranked 3rd on my Perfect Mate list). Now all I need to do is run into Natalie Portman while grocery shopping and have Julie Delpy stop by because the mailman delivered a letter to the wrong address and my month will be perfect. Hey, if you dream it it will come true, right? Isn’t that what that book they keep on pushing on me at Border’s says? At some point the universe will have to come around to my point of view.
Until then, have a great weekend everyone.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Furnace Room Lullaby
Every once in a while you have days that can only be described as excellent adventures. Friday was one of those days. Talk about a day when you are totally out of sorts.
Woke up Friday morning in my usual stupor and start getting ready for work. My big issue was what to wear to work since I was heading to Lawrence Friday night to see Neko Case in concert (pictured above in an explanation of why she ends up either third or fourth on my Perfect Mate list). I typically don’t care that much about what I wear, a point that is plainly obvious to most people, but when I’m heading to shows the “Do I bring a change of clothes to work or not” question takes on real importance. So, I was running late already when I get down to the garage and my car doesn’t start.
This after having my car in the shop twice this week for things that had absolutely nothing to do with the engine.
I’ll admit that I did not pull the usual guy move of opening the hood and staring at the engine with a concerned look on my face. Mainly because I had no idea what was wrong and there were no women nearby that I needed to impress by acting like I knew anything about cars. Instead, I call in the tow truck and make my way to the dealer with absolutely no idea what is wrong with my car. Could be a battery, could be a fuel pump, could be the entire engine was removed when I wasn’t looking. All I know is that I need to get to Lawrence tonight and having a car would be very useful.
Get to the dealer and they look at it and tell me that “Your car thinks that you are trying to steal it.” Somehow, the security system in my car failed to the point that it wouldn’t recognize my key and let the car start. I didn’t even know that was possible. What it does mean is that 500 bucks later I was able to convince my car that I did in fact own it and was able to make it to the office. Though now I was looking at driving to a town an hour away with a car that I wasn’t certain would start once the show was over.
(Side note: This probably means that I’ll be in the market for a new car in the next few months. Up to now, everything that I have had to have fixed on my car was entirely my fault. Now I have random parts failing and with Pontiacs that is never a good sign. Any suggestions on what car I should get next? I’m looking for a car that says “I’m successful and sophisticated and while I am going through a mid-life crisis I don’t feel too showy about it. In a ‘You should look at me but you don’t have to’ sort of way”)
Anyway, I survive the day at work taking care of the few projects that I needed to complete for the week and made my way to Lawrence confident that a) the show would be incredible and b) my car would start on the way back. The show was at Liberty Hall and that is easily the biggest venue that I have ever seen Neko in. I was there early and walked in to make my way next to the stage and ran into Michelle, who owns Davey’s Uptown. We talked about some bands and Billy Joe Shaver getting arrested for shooting a guy in Texas. As the opening act took the stage I took a look at the crowd and went “There are way too many people here.”
Neko sold out Liberty Hall. There were as many people there as there were for Guster or The Shins or Rufus Wainwright or a whole bunch of bands I’ve seen there in the past three years. This just stunned me. I’ve been following her for at least seven years and have been at shows where there were forty of us in the crowd. What’s interesting is that, as opposed to Jack Ingram, I can’t really point to something where I would say that she sold out. Adding a drummer to your band probably doesn’t equate to being a sell out. But all of her touring and work with the New Pornographers have paid off with a really strong following.
The show was her usual amazing performance. She has a commanding if disarming stage presence. I don’t know of many other lead singers who I would describe as disheveled in appearance. But she has her dyed red hair flowing everywhere and she takes the stage in jeans and no makeup and absolutely no airs about her. It’s all about her music and her voice taking over the night. At times she can sound like a classic country torch singer though one with a lot of darkness lurking in her past. It’s just an incredible set and I got to be front and center for it once again.
And I even got my car to start on the way home. And dreamt really nice dreams that night. Sometimes music can really take all of your cares away.
The five random CDs for the week:
1) Damien Rice “O”
2) Bruce Robison “Bruce Robison”
3) Various Artists “Celtic Tides”
4) The Subdudes “Lucky”
5) Mike Doughty “Haughty Melodic”
Woke up Friday morning in my usual stupor and start getting ready for work. My big issue was what to wear to work since I was heading to Lawrence Friday night to see Neko Case in concert (pictured above in an explanation of why she ends up either third or fourth on my Perfect Mate list). I typically don’t care that much about what I wear, a point that is plainly obvious to most people, but when I’m heading to shows the “Do I bring a change of clothes to work or not” question takes on real importance. So, I was running late already when I get down to the garage and my car doesn’t start.
This after having my car in the shop twice this week for things that had absolutely nothing to do with the engine.
I’ll admit that I did not pull the usual guy move of opening the hood and staring at the engine with a concerned look on my face. Mainly because I had no idea what was wrong and there were no women nearby that I needed to impress by acting like I knew anything about cars. Instead, I call in the tow truck and make my way to the dealer with absolutely no idea what is wrong with my car. Could be a battery, could be a fuel pump, could be the entire engine was removed when I wasn’t looking. All I know is that I need to get to Lawrence tonight and having a car would be very useful.
Get to the dealer and they look at it and tell me that “Your car thinks that you are trying to steal it.” Somehow, the security system in my car failed to the point that it wouldn’t recognize my key and let the car start. I didn’t even know that was possible. What it does mean is that 500 bucks later I was able to convince my car that I did in fact own it and was able to make it to the office. Though now I was looking at driving to a town an hour away with a car that I wasn’t certain would start once the show was over.
(Side note: This probably means that I’ll be in the market for a new car in the next few months. Up to now, everything that I have had to have fixed on my car was entirely my fault. Now I have random parts failing and with Pontiacs that is never a good sign. Any suggestions on what car I should get next? I’m looking for a car that says “I’m successful and sophisticated and while I am going through a mid-life crisis I don’t feel too showy about it. In a ‘You should look at me but you don’t have to’ sort of way”)
Anyway, I survive the day at work taking care of the few projects that I needed to complete for the week and made my way to Lawrence confident that a) the show would be incredible and b) my car would start on the way back. The show was at Liberty Hall and that is easily the biggest venue that I have ever seen Neko in. I was there early and walked in to make my way next to the stage and ran into Michelle, who owns Davey’s Uptown. We talked about some bands and Billy Joe Shaver getting arrested for shooting a guy in Texas. As the opening act took the stage I took a look at the crowd and went “There are way too many people here.”
Neko sold out Liberty Hall. There were as many people there as there were for Guster or The Shins or Rufus Wainwright or a whole bunch of bands I’ve seen there in the past three years. This just stunned me. I’ve been following her for at least seven years and have been at shows where there were forty of us in the crowd. What’s interesting is that, as opposed to Jack Ingram, I can’t really point to something where I would say that she sold out. Adding a drummer to your band probably doesn’t equate to being a sell out. But all of her touring and work with the New Pornographers have paid off with a really strong following.
The show was her usual amazing performance. She has a commanding if disarming stage presence. I don’t know of many other lead singers who I would describe as disheveled in appearance. But she has her dyed red hair flowing everywhere and she takes the stage in jeans and no makeup and absolutely no airs about her. It’s all about her music and her voice taking over the night. At times she can sound like a classic country torch singer though one with a lot of darkness lurking in her past. It’s just an incredible set and I got to be front and center for it once again.
And I even got my car to start on the way home. And dreamt really nice dreams that night. Sometimes music can really take all of your cares away.
The five random CDs for the week:
1) Damien Rice “O”
2) Bruce Robison “Bruce Robison”
3) Various Artists “Celtic Tides”
4) The Subdudes “Lucky”
5) Mike Doughty “Haughty Melodic”
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