Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? has told you before, and is taking this opportunity to tell you again: Solid Sound, Wilco’s music and arts festival at MASS MoCA is one of the best music festivals ever. We’ve attended the first two editions and have no intention of missing V3 this year — on June 21-23 at the museum in North Adams, Mass.
Posted in Art, Blues, Concerts, Contemporary, Country, Folk, Jazz, Music, News, Pop and Rock
Tagged Foxygen, MASS MoCA, Massachusetts, Neko Case, North Adams, Os Mutantes, Solid Sound, White Denim, Wilco, Yo La Tengo
Jamie Block
Nothing about Jamie Block suggests he’s a man of few words — just a man who doesn’t waste words.
For years, it even showed in his performance identity: Block. Not Jamie Block, just Block, thank you very much.
Jamie Block’s new Whitecaps on the Hudson
It seems that he was saving the words for his songs, which on his latest (and long-overdue) album, Whitecaps on the Hudson, are perfectly crafted stories of a man whose life has had some twists and turns.
It’s a memorable work that reminds us why the music world has been much poorer during Block’s overlong absence.
Posted in Concerts, Folk, mp3, Music, News, Pop and Rock, Preview Tracks, Recordings, Review
Tagged anti-folk, Block, Chapel Hill, Claudia Marshall, Hoboken, Jamie Block, Lead Me Not Into Penn Station, Lou Reed, Music From the Hive, Northern Soul, Rockland County, Rockwood Music Hall, The Last Single Guy, Timing Is Everything, WFUV-FM, Whitecaps on the Hudson
Alice Smith was all about the casual vibe on Jan. 29, 2013, Night 1 of her three-Tuesday residency at Rockwood Music Hall in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. (Photos © 2013, Steven P. Marsh)
It could have happened to anyone. Someone who wrote about Alice Smith‘s first night of a three-Tuesday residency at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall made a mistake. In describing Alice’s set at the tiny Lower East Side venue, the writer said “she did a few covers of a few classic Motown tracks.” (We won’t name the blog or link to the post, but if you really want to see the whole thing, we’re sure you know how to find it.)
Sure, it’s a big mistake. But who knew that Alice read her notices? And who would have expected a critique?
Watch starting at 7:30 tonight on Livestream (link after the jump)
Tom Rush (Photo by Michael Wiseman).
It’s hard to believe that singer Tom Rushhas been performing since 1962, but the calendar doesn’t lie.
Tom Rush onstage in 1962. (Photo by Jim Eng)
Tonight he’s marking the milestone with an intimate gathering at a little place in Boston – not far from his old stomping grounds at Club 47 in Cambridge – called Symphony Hall.
It’s a venue where Tom has held forth with his friends many times over the years. It can hold upwards of 2,600 people. Not bad for an old folkie to sell out a joint like that.
Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? is planning to make the trek to Boston for this incredibly special show.
Posted in Blues, Concerts, Country, Folk, Music, News, Pop and Rock, Recordings
Tagged Boston, Buskin & Batteau, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Club 47, David Buskin, Dean Adrien, Dom Flemons, Eric Lilljequist, Joe Mennonna, Jonathan Edwards, Marshal Rosenberg, Nanci Griffith, Paul Guzzone, Robin Batteau, Symphony Hall, Tom Rush, Trevor Veitch
Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? was pleased to see a relatively young local band, Real Estate, on the bill for Night 4.
We love the old favorites, like The Feelies. But there are more than a few upstarts out there, and some of them are really good. Real Estate qualifies. The band’s singer-guitarist, Martin Courtney, clearly loves many of the same musical influences that Yo La Tengo‘s members revere.
Real Estate did a solid set and gave us our first opportunity ever to see them perform. We already liked their recorded sound. We need to see them again.
Todd Barry gave a perfectly timed, just-long-enough performance. He’s a musician’s comedian whose wry humor fit well with the feel of the evening.
Yo La Tengo.
We have dozens out more images from last night’s show after the jump, including a gallery of an Ira Kaplan organ freakout!
But before we get there, take a moment to check out the new video from YLT’s upcoming album, Fade, which drops on Jan. 15.
Good stuff, with the ever-wonderful Georgia Hubley on lead vocal, and great animation by her sister, Emily Hubley.
Here’s the set list, courtesy Frank & Earthy:
Spec Bebop
We’re An American Band
The Crying of Lot G
20th Century Boy (T-Rex)
Out the Window
The Point of It
The Summer
Don’t Have To Be So Sad
Double Dare (acoustic)
Big Day Coming (fast)
Nothing To Hide
Decora
Mushroom Cloud of Hiss
*(encore)*
Burnin’ For You (Blue Öyster Cult) (with Todd Barry on drums)
Our Way To Fall (with Martin Courtney of Real Estate on vocals)
Posted in Concerts, Jazz, Music, News, Pop and Rock, Review
Tagged Alex Bleeker, Before We Run, drums, Emily Hubley, Fade, Frank & Earthy, freakout, Fred Armisen, Georgia Hubley, Hanukkah, Hoboken, hurricane, Ira Kaplan, James McNew, Jesse Jarnow, Kid Millions, Martin Courtney, Matt Mondanile, Maxwell's, menorah, Oneida, Our Way to Fall, Real Estate, Ridgewood, Sandy, set list, Superstorm Sandy, Todd Barry, Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo jammed with Fred Armisen on a second drum kit. (Photos © 2012, Steven P. Marsh)
Yo La Tengo continued its massively wonderful holiday tradition, kicking off the first of eight shows — one for each night of Hanukkah — on Saturday night. The proceeds from tickets and most merchandise goes to charity. (This year all the charities support Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts.)_
Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? managed to score tickets to four of the eight nights — not an easy thing to do the way TicketFly is set up.
Our first night was Night 2, when the amazing Sun Ra Arkestra (imagine a DOZEN musicians on the tiny Maxwell’s stage!) was the opener and Fred Armisen of “Saturday Night Live” and “Portlandia” was both the comedian and a musical guest.
Night 3 featured Hoboken’s hometown heroes The Feelies, which opened with a very strong set, and the members of which sat in at various points of YLT’s set. Guitarist and vocalist Glenn Mercer was absolutely on fire all night. And Brenda Sauter did a great job on vocals for “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” “SNL” writer John Mulaney was the comic for Night 3.
We’ll be back tonight, but wanted to share some images of nights 2 and 3 with you now.
This is a tradition that has been going on for 11 years, YLT’s Ira Kaplan pointed out last night. We hope it continues for many years to come.
Click through to the jump for lots of photos from Sunday and Monday nights’ shows.
Posted in Concerts, Jazz, Music, News, Pop and Rock, Review
Tagged "Portlandia", Bill Million, Brenda Sauter, claves, Dave Weckerman, drums, Fred Armisen, Georgia Hubley, Glenn Mercer, Hanukkah, Hoboken, hurricane, Ira Kaplan, James McNew, John Mulaney, Marshall Allen, Maxwell's, menorah, Sandy, Saturday Night Live, Stanley Demeski, Sun Ra Arkestra, Superstorm Sandy, The Feelies, Yo La Tengo
Jihae performs at the Mercury Lounge. (Photo © 2012, Steven P. Marsh/willyoumissme.com)
Rebecca Perrin of Eileen Fisher.
As predicted, Jihae did the unexpected last night at the Mercury Lounge.
She didn’t put on an artsy opera, and she wasn’t (except for one song) in girl-with-a-guitar mode.
Instead, she was a proud rock chick, complete with a leather motorcycle jacket that somehow didn’t manage to violate her Eileen Fisher fashion style. (And yes, at least one person from Eileen Fisher, the designer for whom Jihae is a key model, was in the audience. It was Rebecca Perrin.
Click through to the jump to hear what Jihae sounded like last night.
Posted in Concerts, Music, Pop and Rock, Review
Tagged Eileen Fisher, Jihae, Mercury Lounge, Rebecca Perrin
El Vez: This is not what we had in mind for the Yule Log!
Talk about short notice!
Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? just realized this morning that Mex-Mas is upon us. December chill is in the air, and the scent of corn tortillas baking on the stone is everywhere, along with bags of oranges in red plastic stockings.
And you know what else Mex-Mas brings:
A visit from the one, the only El Vez (aka The Mexican Elvis).
That visit for New Yorkers is tonight (Wednesday, Dec. 5) at Littlefield, 622 DeGraw St., Brooklyn. Tickets are $20 and available by clicking this link.
Doors are at 8 p.m. Comedian Jessica Delfino opens, followed by Corn Mo. And then, at 9:45, Mex-Mas will arrive!
Sorry for the late notice, but El Vez didn’t keep us posted on his tour dates this year. El Vez has done an annual Merry Mex-Mas tour for a long time. (El Vez 4 Prez is is other specialty, but that’s really only every four years.) Continue reading
Posted in Blues, Concerts, Country, Folk, Music, News, Pop and Rock, Punk
Tagged Christmas, El Vez, Littlefield, Mex-Mas, Mexican Elvis, Robert Lopez, The Zeros
Jihae and her “Fire Burning Rain” cast at (Le) Poisson Rouge. (Photo © 2010, Steven P. Marsh)
We have no idea what exactly what Jihae was trying to do when she made a musical with playwright John Patrick Shanley out of her Fire Burning Rain album a couple of years back.
When we saw it at (Le) Poisson Rouge in 2010, we were thoroughly entertained by its A Midsummer Night’s Dream-like characters and just as thoroughly puzzled by its inscrutable plot.
But it certainly was ambitious. That’s a word that seems to apply to just about everything Jihae (birth name Jihae Kim) does.
Jihae in an Eileen Fisher ad.
You may know her better as the lanky, dark-haired model for Eileen Fisher’s clothing. She’s been featured in Fisher ads for years, and is the most recognizable non-supermodel we can think of.
Tonight she’s back to music. She has an album coming out in the spring, featuring collaborations with her wide circle of friends, including the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart. But who knows what she’ll be performing at the Mercury Lounge for an early show tonight. She’s made three albums and one EP in her career, so she’s got plenty of material to draw from.
This could well be one of most unusual shows you’ve ever seen at the Mercury.
Jihae at (Le) Poisson Rouge in 2010. (Photo © 2010, Steven P. Marsh)
Or it could turn out to be a classic girl-with-guitar gig.
If the rehearsal pictures are any indication, she will have a string section on stage for at least part of the show.
While we wouldn’t count on Stewart making this show, you never know who might show up — whether someone from the fashion world or from her wide circle of musical and theatrical friends.
“Rehearsal for next Tues show at Mercury Lounge (Credit: jihaemusic on Instagram)
It’s an early show, with doors at 6:30 and the music scheduled for 7:30, with the Doorbells as her opening act. Tickets are just $12. Snap them up online or at the door. You’re in for a real adventure.
Posted in Art, Concerts, Music, Opera, Pop and Rock, Theater
Tagged (Le) Poisson Rouge, Dave Stewart, Eileen Fisher, Jihae, Jihae Kim, John Patrick Shanley, Mercury Lounge
A view of the Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA.
We felt a void this year. After staging the Solid Sound Festival for two years in a row on the campus of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, Mass., Wilco decided to skip 2012.
It was disappointing. But that makes today’s news all the more delicious.
I suppose it’s no surprise. The fantastic three-day event requires an enormous amount of planning and commitment from every member of the band and it support staff. And while I’m sure the band didn’t lose money on the festival, it’s unlikely that it was a huge moneymaker, either.
Wilco perfoms on the main stage in Joe’s Field at MASS MoCA.
Wilco promised to return to the beautiful Berkshires in 2013, and the band is keeping that promise. “Early Worm” tickets for next year’s festival — running from June 21-23 — are available right now.
Those tickets are just $99, and well worth it. Click here to get tickets now.
Once they’re sold out, a limited number of “Early Bird” tickets will be available for $124 — still a relative bargain.
If you wait too long, you’ll have to settle for the $149 regular three-day passes.
Solid Sound is a family friendly event, with three-day passes for children ages 7-10 priced at a mere $50, while kids 6 and under are free.
If you can’t go all three days, or think you won’t want to (bad idea, in our opinion), there will be a limited number of one-day passes.
The festival promises two headlining Wilco sets on a fabulous field next to the factory complex that houses MASS MoCA. Wilco side projects and bands and comedians curated by Wilco members also will perform. You can also count on art installations, probably some films, and definitely a lot of great food and drink. Plus, in the past there have been pop-up stores, a coffee shop imported from Chicago, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy in a charity dunk tank and falconry demonstration.
Oh, and we shouldn’t forget about access to the amazing exhibitions in the museum itself. The people who run the museum are fully invested in this festival — they’re not just renting the space out to the band.
The first two editions featured acts such as Mavis Staples, Levon Helm (RIP), Mountain Man, Thurston Moore, The Books, Syl Johnson, The Handsome Family, The Baseball Project, Here We Go Magic, Autumn Defense and many more.
While the 2013 lineup won’t be finalized for quite awhile, we guarantee this will be a great festival for anybody who likes Wilco.
You don’t need to be a super-fan to enjoy this festival. Jeff Tweedy and the other members of Wilco have diverse tastes in music and art, and all of those tastes have been on display in previous editions of the festival.
Camping and transportation from New York City and Boston is also available.
Posted in Art, Blues, Concerts, Country, Folk, Jazz, Music, News, Pop and Rock, Punk
Tagged Jeff Tweedy, Joe's Field, Levon Helm, Massachusetts, MassMoCA, Mountain Man, North Adams, Solid Sound, Solid Sound Festival, the Berkshires, Wilco
Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? 