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
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
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
When the doors open at 7 o’clock tonight at The Turning Point, the venerable music club in Piermont, there will be a greater sense of urgency and community than ever inside.
Tom Chapin
A slew of local favorites, including Tom Chapin, a longtime Piermont resident, will rock out starting at 7:30 p.m. to raise money to help get the village back on its feet in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The Old No. 7 Band, Joe Grunfeld from the Riley Etheridge Band, Becky Deloatch and Billy Procida are also on the schedule. And other guests and favorites are sure to show up and join in.
Tickets are just $25, and available here and at the door. Bring extra cash for a 50/50 raffle, too.
The Turning Point is at 468 Piermont Ave. in the heart of Piermont. Call (845) 359-1089 or click here for more information.
It’ll be a lot of fun and will help a really worthwhile cause.
Posted in Benefit, Classical, Country, Folk, Jazz, Music, News, Pop and Rock
Tagged 50/50, benefit, Piermont, The Turning Point, Tom Chapin
September is way early for sugaring season. The sap in sugar maples is at its best for just four to eight weeks in the spring.
But don’t tell that to Beth Orton. The beautiful, stylish folk-pop singer will be back with Sugaring Season, her first album in six years — supported by a U.S. tour — this fall.
Here’s the first video, for a song called “Something More Beautiful”:
During the six years since her last album, Comfort of Strangers in 2006 (the year daughter Nancy was born), the U.K.-born Beth has kept a somewhat low profile.
Sam Amidon and Beth Orton at Rockwood Music Hall in December 2011. (Photo © 2011, Steven P. Marsh)
Daniel Breaker and his crew at Joe's Pub. (Photos 2012, Steven P. Marsh)
The inimitable Daniel Breaker at Joe's Pub.
We’re hoping Daniel Breaker is going to be a regular on the Joe’s Pub stage. His performance there Sunday night, April 22 — his second cabaret show there — showcase the winning singer/actor even better than the first. He seemed more comfortable in his role as a front man, and less like an actor putting on a show.
Jo Lampert kills it at Joe's Pub, with drummer Christian Cassan in the background.
With the help of a dozen or so musical compatriots — including drummer Christian Cassan and music director/guitarist Jon Spurney from his time in the hit musical “Passing Strange” — Breaker put on a great show.
He sang original and classic cabaret numbers, and even dipped into rock with Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” charming the crowd all evening.
Breaker’s special guest vocalists once again gave him a run for his money. In Breaker’s last show at Joe’s, guest Condola Rashad threatened to steal the spotlight altogether with her amazing power and charming stage persona.
Breaker clearly didn’t feel threatened. He chose equally intense guests for this show. Jo Lampert, who not long ago was a production assistant at Joe’s Pub and who was involved in the Public Theater’s incarnation of “Passing Strange,” blew the doors off with her rendition of Beyonce‘s “Halo,” and also filled in superbly on backing vocals.
Morgan James, currently in the cast of "Godspell" on Broadway, at Joe's Pub.
Morgan James, who’s in the ensemble with “Godspell” on Broadway, also did a great job.
Kelvin Dinkins Jr. and William Jackson Harper (a must-see in our book after his amazing work “The Total Bent” at the Public Theater) helped out on backing vocals.
Jenny Scheinman, right, and her Mischief & Mayhem bandmates. (Photo by Michael Gross)
Brooklyn’s own Jenny Scheinman has long been a strong side player, fiddling for lots of rock and pop heroes, from Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Rodney Crowell and Carla Bozulich to Bill Frisell, Vinicius Cantuaria and Ani DiFranco.
She’s straddled the divide between “popular” music (rock, folk and country) and contemporary experimental sounds.
Posted in Concerts, Contemporary, Jazz, Music, Pop and Rock, Review
Tagged (Le) Poisson Rouge, Ani DiFranco, Bill Frisell, Bleecker Street, Brooklyn, Carla Bozulich, fiddle, fiddler, Jenny Scheinman, Jim Black, Lucinda Williams, Mischief & Mayhem, Nels Cline, Norah Jones, PJ Harvey, Rodney Crowell, Todd Sickafoose, Vinicius Cantuaria, violin, Wilco
Wilco (Nels Cline, Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt and Pat Sansone, from left) on the first night of Solid Sound 2011. (Photos © 2011, Steven P. Marsh)
Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? got off to a late start for the 2011 Solid Sound festival in North Adams, Mass. So we missed Purling Hiss, the first band of the weekend, on Friday afternoon, June 24.
Sharon and Neil Finn's Pajama Club.
But we made it to MASS MoCA in the Berkshires in plenty of time to catch the two big shows of the day, Neil and Sharon Finn‘s Pajama Club and the headlining set by Wilco, the band that made the festival happen.
The Pajama Club plays fun, no-worries pop. We didn’t know much about the band before arriving in North Adams, but discovered to our joy that the New Zealand band’s drummer is Alana Skyring, who until the beginning of this year was a member of one of our fave bands The Grates from Australia.
Posted in Concerts, Country, Folk, Jazz, Music, Pop and Rock, Review, Uncategorized
Tagged Alana Skyring, Australia, Glenn Kotche, Jeff Tweedy, Joe's Field, John Stirratt, MASS MoCA, Mass., Mikael Jorgenson, Neil Finn, Nels Cline, New Zealand, North Adams, Pajama Club, Pat Sansone, Sharon Finn, The Autumn Defense, The Grates, Wilco
Last year's Solid Sound Festival kicked off with beautiful skies. (© 2010 Steven P. Marsh)
Are you joining Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? in North Adams, Mass., today for the beginning of the second annual edition of Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival?
If you haven’t decided yet, it’s NOT TOO LATE. So all of you last-minute types should definitely keep reading.
Wilco at the 2010 Solid Sound Festival.
As it did last year, it’s taking over the campus of MASS MoCA, the fantastic contemporary art museum that has made this struggling former factory town a destination for lovers of art and music.
And the best thing for you last-minute types is that passes are still available for $124.50. Unlike last year, single-day tickets are also available at $65 for today or Sunday and $78 for Saturday.
Click through to the jump for more photos from last year’s festival and more info about this weekend’s activities.
Posted in Art, Blues, Concerts, Contemporary, Country, Folk, Humor, Jazz, Music, News, Pop and Rock, Punk, Theater, World Music
Tagged Greg "G. Wiz" Wieczorek, Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, MASS MoCA, Nick Zammuto, Pat Sansone, Solid Sound, The Autumn Defense, Wilco
Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? 