2006-11 Vital Source Mag – November 2006
Joanna Newsom
By Erin Wolf When one insists on being called a “harper” rather than a harpist and becomes peeved when told that one sounds “childlike” (“Bjork-ish,” too) even though the description is nail-on-the-head, it’s obvious one’s perception of oneself is a tad bit off-kilter. Some would call this stubborn, some would call it quirky; most would call it self-absorbed. This self-absorption, though, is just what makes Joanna Newsom’s music work. Her first two EPs and full-length album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, were studies of self-absorption, created from a world not known to anyone other than the 24-year-old herself, characterized by music and lyrics straight out of the writings of Homer and a “childlike” voice more like a infantile gnome with a bad cold piped in between harp pluckings. To write music that sounds centuries old, the writer must obviously not be spending too much time watching television. Going from the intriguing base that is her first album, Newsom’s latest, Ys, is a wash of strings and rich orchestral sounds, surrounding the ever-plucky “harper’s” own string manipulations and warbling. Ys was produced and mixed by Steve Albini (!) and Jim O’Rourke, and adding even more magical elements with string arrangements was Van Dyke Parks of Beach Boys fame. Blending lyrics that are pure poetry (“there is a rusty light on the pines tonight / sun pouring wine, lord, or marrow / down into the bones of the birches and the spires of the churches”) and music arranged in a manner that resembles an old school Disney score takes incredible patience and craft. It also takes incredible patience on the listener’s part, as most of the songs clock in between 7 and 17 minutes long. It is worth it to be patient with Ys, though. It is an album meant to be reflected upon, for it has definite stories to tell. There’s a slim to none chance that the five songs featured here will ever make it to Top 40 radio, but this is just exemplary of the diamond in the rough quality Ys possesses.
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
Anders Parker
By Frank Olson On his self-titled album, former Varnaline frontman Anders Parker displays a knack for capturing a lonely highway vibe not dissimilar to The Rolling Stones on their old country songs. Parker, though, is neither as engaging as Mick Jagger nor as good a songsmith as the Glimmer Twins, which, while not a criticism in itself, casts a long shadow for Parker to sidestep. The end result is a singer-songwriter album with dreary, light-grunge singing and forgettable songwriting. There are a few decent songs here, including the opening “Circle Same,” which uses a looping structure to give the standard going-nowhere lyrics more weight, and “False Positive,” which marries a tightly-coiled verse section to a George Harrison-esque chorus. But even these bright spots seem more the work of a good producer (Adam Lasus, who has worked with Clem Snide) and a good band (including former members of Uncle Tupelo and the Jayhawks) than of the spotlight talent. The album’s best moments are the ones that allow the band to stretch out and reshape the generally uninteresting songs. A dramatic electric guitar/steel pedal duet ends the otherwise dull “Dear Sara;” instrumental breaks change up the pace of “Airport Road;” thundering percussion underlines a sensitive pedal steel solo in “Under Wide Unbroken Skies.” But these moments are few, and most of Anders Parker is dominated by generic alt-country songs and lyrics that often literally sound like Hallmark cards.
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
Matthew Schroeder
By Blaine Schultz + Photo by Kate Engeriser Matthew Schroeder, guitarist and department chair at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, has traversed the entire spectrum of music, from guttural electric with local rock groups Pet Engine and The Barbeez to Signal, his recently released debut solo album of original acoustic finger-style compositions. On November 18, Schroeder will launch the Midwest Guitar Summit with longtime friends and collaborators Dan Schwartz and Ben Woolman at the WCM. Find tickets at www.matthewschroederonline.com. 1. With instrumental music, do you have certain images that come to mind for songs when you play them? Imagery is central. In composing it helps you stay the course, and in performing it takes you where you need to go emotionally to best play the piece. If you play well, you create art in the mind of the listener, and much like a good book, it’s a bit different for everyone. Many times someone will know just what the tune is about, and what’s best is when they add surprise details to the picture. 2. What makes for a good instrumental guitar tune? There are no particular elements that need to be present. I simply need to enjoy hearing and reacting to it. I do like tunes that incorporate something slightly off the beaten path in note choice or technique. A tune that succeeds in the imagery category is John Fahey’s “The Approaching of the Disco Void.” Recorded live in Tasmania, it will scare you! In the groove/melody area, Leo Kottke’s “Orange Room” is pure fun. 3. What drew you to this music? Coming from a rock background and looking for more, finger-style guitar was a means of expression outside of the traditional classical or jazz guitar idiom. Along the way I fell in love with the style. Many people keep searching for what they should be doing with their life. I feel I’ve found it. 4. What is the Midwest Guitar Summit? The Midwest Guitar Summit is a finger-style guitar concert featuring myself, Dan Schwartz and Ben Woolman. We all met in the early 90s while attending the cooperative guitar program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee/Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and received BFAs in American finger-style guitar performance. We enjoy each other’s music and friendship, and have stayed close over the years, so doing some shows together is a natural result. A typical MGS performance will consist of each player doing a short solo set, some duets, and culminate with all three guitarists onstage together, displaying their versatility by including other instruments such as lap steel, bass and electric guitar. 5. How do you define success as a musician? I currently teach and perform. When my students are learning, and I am moving people with music, that is success for me as a musician. VS
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
By Erin Wolf Polyvinyl must love Boris, seeing as the respected indie label is presenting a freshly remixed and remastered version of their original 2005 release, Broom. To give this album a review so late in the game is almost ridiculous, but the fact is that SSLYBY hasn’t been playing by the particular rules that govern indie-rock publicity. SSLYBY only recently surfaced from the depths of their homemade environs (originally recording Broom in an attic) when they placed a few songs on the World Wide Web. Then, Magic Blog-land whipped itself into a frenzy of admiration for the band and their album and hastily posted criticisms, which admitted that although SSLYBY did sound an awful lot like Olivia Tremor Control, Beulah, The Shins, Of Montreal, Weezer, Elliot Smith, Bright Eyes, Ben Kweller, etc. … that gee, they sure could write a nice song. After being background-checked and deemed inoffensive copycats, Broom became slightly legendary. Just like the original release, Broom is filled with unintentionally precious and breathy off-key vocals and yodels, strummed guitars and the air of relief for not being a political band, despite the name. The songs slip one by one down a string of lyrics ranging from travel songs revolving around packs of cigarettes to girls named Anna Lee. Pleasant and familiar, like reading a well-worn book of short stories in the sun, Broom isn’t a half-bad way to pass a half hour. Now that they’ve ventured a bit further from Internet notoriety, perhaps they’ll become more adventurous in other ways as well.
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
Look back and laugh
By Howie Goldklang I want to tell you a little story ‘Cause it makes me warm inside It’s about some friends growing up And all the things they tried I’m not talking about staple shit They went for something more I guess it was too much dreaming Too much to hope for One day something funny happened But it scared the shit out of me Their heads went in different directions And their friendship ceased to be Minor Threat, “Look Back And Laugh” From Out of Step (1983, Dischord Records) “Today’s kids are missing the point, man. They need to take out the iPod headphones and log off of fuckin’ MySpace and listen up.” Steve Blush, on the phone from his New York apartment, is emphatic. “This film is the story of American hardcore.” Blush is the author of American Hardcore: A Tribal History. After publishing his book in 2001, Blush and fellow scenester and music video director Paul Rachman spent four long years tracking down musicians, fanzine writers, girlfriends, promoters, photographers, indie label owners, fans, college DJs and club owners: anyone that helped define the hardcore movement; a short-lived, riotous era in punk rock music whose lasting effects are what makes up the dirt under the nails of rock and punk music today. The result: the landmark documentary film American Hardcore – The History Of American Punk Rock 1980-1986, which stands as an unflinching, 100-minute lightning bolt of hardcore history featuring 115 interviews, highlights culled from over 100 hours of rare stock performance footage and hundreds of photographs of hardcore heavyweights in their prime. American Hardcore made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year and was immediately picked up by Sony Pictures Classic. “They haven’t changed a single frame of the movie,” says Rachman, also checking in from New York. “It’s all there.” Data Control Making American Hardcore American Hardcore is a film of non-stop cuts and clips, seamlessly mixing vintage live performance footage of Bad Brains, MDC, Minor Threat and Black Flag with numerous contemporary interviews with the grown-up versions of the scene’s major players. “The film is very direct, with a first person point of view,” explains Rachman. “That was very important; to get the story told from the people who shaped it.” “We were able to get the interviews because between Paul and I, we know people all over the country from the hardcore network, and we never fucked anyone over, you know?” recalls Blush. “Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat) and Keith Morris (Circle Jerks) never return half the calls they get, but they know we’re legit. We were a part of the scene. We started with a set of interviews in Boston in late 2001 and just kept it rolling from there.” Using the book “as a roadmap,” Blush and Rachman set out with bare equipment essentials: a DV camera, a few microphones and a laptop for editing. “I did shop the book around,” admits Rachman. “But it’s hard to sell a project […]
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
November Record Releases
By Erin Wolf November 7 …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead So Divided Interscope Bowling for Soup The Great Burrito Extortion Case Jive Foo Fighters Skin and Bones Roswell/RCA JJ Cale & Eric Clapton The Road to Escondido Duck/Reprise Josh Groban Awake 143/Reprise Kenny G I’m in the Mood for Love: The Most Romantic Melodies of All Time Arista Talib Kweli Ear Drum Blacksmith/Warner The Long Blondes Someone to Drive You Home Rough Trade The Magic Numbers Those the Brokes Heavenly/EMI MoZella I Will Maverick/Warner ODB A Son Unique Damon Dash Music SugarLand Enjoy the Ride Mercury Keith Urban Love, Pain & the Whole Damn Thing Capitol Nashville Dionne Warwick Me & My Friends Concord Lucinda Williams The Knowing Lost Highway November 14 Army of Anyone self-titled The Firm/EMI Bad Astronaut Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment Fat Wreck Chords Depeche Mode The Best of Volume 1 Sire/Reprise The Game Doctor’s Advocate Geffen Jamiroquai Greatest Hits Epic Luciano Pavarotti The Ultimate Collection Universal Nanci Griffith Ruby’s Torch Rounder Maroon5 TBA Octone/J Brian McKnight 10 Warner Mya Liberation Universal Motown Joanna Newsom Ys Drag City Joan Osborne Pretty Little Stranger Vanguard Robert Plant Nine Lives Rhino Damien Rice 9 Warner Styles P Time is Money Ruff Ryders Sublime Rarities Geffen Tamia Between Friends Gallo Record Company/Image Tenacious D Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny Epic Kenny Wayne Shepherd 10 Days Out: Blues From a Backroad Reprise Neil Young Live at the Fillmore East 1970 Reprise Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens) An Other Cup Ya/Atlantic November 21 Patti Austin Avant Gershwin Rendezvous Crowded House Farewell to the World Parlophone Incubus Light Grenades Epic Jay-Z Kingdom Come Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Killswitch Engage As Daylight Dies Roadrunner Oasis Stop the Clocks Epic Our Lady Peace A Decade Columbia Rock Star Supernova TBA Epic Snoop Dogg Blue Carpet Treatment Doggystyle/Geffen Sufjan Stevens Songs for Christmas Asthmatic Kitty Throwing Muses House Tornado (Remastered) Wounded Bird Tom Waits Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards Anti-/Epitaph Lee Ann Womack Finding My Way Back Home Mercury Nashville November 28 The Early Years self-titled Beggars Banquet
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
The Who
By Jon M. Gilbertson Strictly speaking, Endless Wire is the first full Who album in 24 years. But strictly speaking, it’s not an album made by the Who. And while it may be true that nobody is absolutely irreplaceable, the dearly departed Who rhythm section of drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle come close. So what, or Who, remains? These days it’s just singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist, songwriter and general mastermind Pete Townshend. With the support of a few other musicians, politely listed in “Principal” and “Guest” classifications, they continue the group name. The recognizable group sound is another matter. Age is a sigificant but not overwhelming part of the complication. Daltrey has never had an overtly beautiful voice, but he’s always had a hoarse sort of expressiveness, and that hasn’t changed. Townshend has, for obvious reasons (hearing impairment, for one), muted his power chords, but can still find a precise electric blues line or an eloquently simple acoustic progression. Townshend does less well, however, when trying to frame the songs that rely for support upon whatever melodies he can wrest from his guitar(s). The latter half of Endless Wire is taken up with “Wire & Glass,” a mini-opera (not a la “A Quick One While He’s Away” ) that seems constantly to be looking back on old, familiar themes: rock & roll, the deceptive innocence of youth, the inexorable decay of years. The themes are not without interest, but Townshend can’t make them coalesce. He never really could, as proven by Tommy and Quadrophenia and even his solo album White City, but that music was strong enough to leap the narrative and intellectual gaps. This music – even the first half of Endless Wire, which is given over to more various thoughts and more varied songs than “Wire & Glass” – favors sub-thematic structure over genuine artistry. The most glaring difference between the modern Who and the old Who, besides the absent cohorts, is that their music now offers moments and flashes rather than journeys and explosions. It presents the lovely bitter folk music of “A Man in a Purple Dress” and the soft coda of “Tea & Theatre.” In another 24 years, Who’s Next and Empty Glass will probably remain in the collective memory. Endless Wire probably won’t.
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
A brief history of whiskey
By Nate Norfolk Whiskey is so important in Celtic culture that the word itself is derived from the Gaelic phrase for “water of life” – uisge beatha to the Scottish and uisce beatha to the Irish. There are four basic types of whiskey, named for their countries of origin: Irish whiskey, Scotch whisky, American whiskey and Canadian whisky (note: the Irish and Americans spell whiskey with an “e,” while the Scotch and Canadians spell it without). Each carries many subtle variations, they all begin with a mash of water and grain to which yeast is added to induce fermentation. All whiskey is aged in wooden barrels while some, most notably Scotch, require an extra first step of malting before creating the mash. The pride of Scotland Using peat fires to dry the germinated (malted) barley is unique to Scotch whisky and responsible for its strong smoky, earthy flavors. A single malt Scotch is always the product of one distillery, whereas a blended Scotch is made from a variety of Scotches. Scotch whiskies are further differentiated by region: Islay, Highland, Lowland or Campbeltown. Whisky from the island of Islay has both the strongest smell and the most heavily-peated flavor, capturing the aromas of both the ocean and the peat bogs in the region. If you’ve ever heard someone say a Scotch smells like the sea, this is what they are talking about. Two great examples of peat-influenced Islay whiskys are Lagavulin and Laphroiag. Expect to drop at least $40 a bottle for either. The Lowland whiskies are generally lighter and more uniform in flavor. Whiskies from the Northern Highlands are sweeter and more mellow than Lowland. They possess a richer flavor and, in some cases, a peat-like dryness as well. Whisky from the Eastern Highlands possesses a fruitiness with a hint of smoke. Campbeltown malts are traditionally full-flavored and full-bodied, with a slightly salty tang in the finish, which earns them a comparison to sea mist. Whiskey, not whisky Though sharing a common Celtic heritage, pronounced differences in taste and style distinguish Irish Whiskeys from Scottish. We’ll never know who invented the “water of life,” but what is known is that Ireland and Scotland each developed their own interpretations of the art of distilling long before the first Roman ever trod on British soil. Irish whiskey differs from Scotch whisky from the malting stage. While the barley used for Scotch whisky is dried over open peat fires, the malt in Irish whiskey is dried in sealed ovens to ensure that only the pure malt flavor exists in the final product. Irish whiskey is distilled three times (as opposed to twice for Scottish whisky), which further adds to its smoothness. To be called Irish, whiskey has to be distilled from native grains and stored in wooden casks for at least three years. Born in the U.S.A. America also produces its share of whiskey, notably bourbon and rye. The principal difference is that rye is made almost exclusively from rye grain, while bourbon […]
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
Dance
By CATCH AS CATCH CAN Janet Lilly hosts an evening of work by her, Sean Curran, Heidi Latsky and Peter Sparling with the Danceworks Performing Company from Nov. 10 – 12. 414-277-8480 or www.danceworks1661.org. BLESSED OFFERINGS Ko-Thi Dance performs its annual harvest dance concert Nov. 10 – 11 at Alverno College’s Pitman Theatre. 414-382-6044 or www.ko-thi.org. IMPROSCAPING Susan Carter presents improvised choreography designed to create a visual landscape. A one-woman dance featuring live jazz guitar Nov. 12 and 19 at the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts. 414-871-1523 or www.carterproductions.com. INCA SON The rich, colorful dance and music of the native cultures of the Andes comes to Wisconsin Lutheran College on Nov. 14. 414-443-8802 or www.wlc.edu/arts. IN FROM THE CHILL: YOUR MOTHER DANCES Danceworks hosts an evening of new works featuring Elizabeth Johnson, David Parker, Sara Hook and more. Nov. 17 – 19 at the Danceworks Studio Theatre. 414-277-8480 or www.danceworks1661.org. VARIOUS STATES OF UNDRESS Wildspace Dance performs new pieces by Artistic Director Debra Loewen and Katie Sopoci. Nov. 29 – Dec. 2 at the Stiemke Theater. 414-271-0712 or www.wildspacedance.org.
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
The Milwaukee Music Scene (TM)
By Matt Wild For those wayward souls either out of the loop or too tired to care, let’s review some of our humble scene’s defining characteristics: permanent inferiority complex, constant denial and counterproductive discussion of said complex; also small but thriving, erratic yet vital, too few clubs and too many people (or vice versa), ambivalent feelings for Chicago, ambivalent feelings for self, wearisome sighs when touring bands play a few bars from the Laverne & Shirley theme song, etc. etc. Yes, you’ve heard it all before, and no, you don’t need a sniveling putz like me to lecture you on it. After all, as a likely member of and/or contributor to the Milwaukee Music Scene (TM), you’re intrinsically part of the problem/solution, and therefore don’t need a “state of the scene” rehash. With that being said (and due to the fact that my past month has been filled with 16-hour work days and out of town DUI’s), I present to you a short, easy to read, easy to write, wholly random and non-exhaustive list of the good and the bad, the amicable and the peevish, the life-affirming and the just plain annoying aspects of the Milwaukee Music Scene (TM). (If it really needs to be noted: When I use the term “music scene” I unfortunately refer solely to the white, bespectacled, indie/punk/spaz-rock scene that betrays my sensibilities. If your tastes hew closer to Milwaukee’s thriving hip-hop scene, for example, my sincerest apologies for not accommodating you. If you happen to musically align yourself with groups like The Love Monkeys, U2 Zoo or Pat McCurdy, well, that’s between you and your God, isn’t it?) Let’s start with a few personal Pet Peeves. While certainly not unique to our fair city, these gaffes should nonetheless be both disparaged and avoided at all costs by each and every member of the MMS. 1. Begging The Audience Dear God, this is a sad one. Nothing says “deep-seated desperation” quite like asking the audience to a) Come away from the bar and watch your band, b) Cross the invisible band/crowd barrier and come to the front of the stage, or c) Dance to your un-danceable music. It’s amateurish in the worst sense of the word. Face it, kids: sometimes the audience is on and sometimes they’re not. The wisdom to know this and play on regardless is what separates the men from the man-boys. 2. Goofy Band Bios No, your band wasn’t created by a whiskey-drinking mad scientist from the Netherlands during the second week of Lent, and no, your band members aren’t really retro-cyborgs programmed to bring a heartwarming yet dangerous message of hope and rock to the denizens of Earth. We all know you’re just a bunch of schmucks from Brookfield that slapped together a few songs about girls and got an opening slot on a Thursday night at the Riverwest Commons. Seriously, this shit is about as funny and novel as a typical episode of Family Feud (the one with the guy […]
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
Just the way it is
By Jon Gilbertson On a late October afternoon, Hank Williams III is touring the East Coast and feeling poorly – not because of the fondness for John Barleycorn that supposedly afflicts all in his line, but because of the more banal bugs that don’t cure easily over a long stint on the road. He isn’t whining about a head cold, though. “I chose the hard road as opposed to the easy road a long time ago,” he mutters across the wires. “I got that drive and that’s what keeps me going.” Like much of what Hank III has said since he stepped directly into his legacy more than a decade ago, those lines require only a little editing to make fine country song refrains. But he’s spent a great deal of time mixing up that legacy with the punk rock and heavy metal he’s loved ever since he was a kid. “People do realize that I’m into many things besides country,” he says. “People see a realness. That’s what I hear a lot.” But not every fan shows equal appreciation for each of his facets. “There’s a certain breed out there that loves Slayer and David Allan Coe,” Williams says. “It might come from the same place, but some of the fans just don’t get it. There’s a bunch of snobs and you’ll never be cool because you’re not punk or country enough for ‘em. Each little group has its thing.” If Hank Williams III has a thing, then that thing would probably be lifelong defiance. Born Shelton Hank Williams in Nashville in 1972, he didn’t really get to know his father, Hank “Bocephus” Williams Jr., because he wasn’t around. While the two have crossed paths more often in recent years, it should be noted that during our entire interview, he referred to his father only once; as “Hank Junior” at that. Hank III didn’t really know his musical lineage, either, and was content to smoke weed and rock hard until a crushing and sudden need to make regular child-support payments sent him to the tourist town of Branson, Missouri to earn his keep imitating his grandfather. (The resemblance, vocally and physically, is eerie, and has been commented on so much elsewhere that it need not be dwelled on here.) Now, rather than imitating his grandfather, he seems to be cutting a parallel path, at least in terms of having a difficult relationship with the music industry. In 1996, Hank III signed with Curb Records and has been head-butting with the label and its head, Mike Curb, ever since. “I’ve been fighting in court to get off that label forever,” Williams says. “This goes back to a family name, back to spite. This is people holding us back. There are all these rich-ass motherfuckers who don’t want to let me go, even though they don’t understand me and will not market me.” It didn’t help that the label’s first use of Hank III was to put his voice together with […]
Nov 1st, 2006 by Vital Archives
