:: So far this long weekend, I've seen Open Range, Bend It Like Beckham (2nd time), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, and Capturing the Friedmans. I'm trying to catch up on letters to be written, and a bit of sleep. I finally finished Eyes Wide Open: A Memoir of Stanley Kubrick, by Frederic Raphael, Oscar-winning screenwriter and author, who co-wrote the screenplay for Eyes Wide Shut with Stanley Kubrick. The book, published after Kubrick's death, enraged his family, and apparently legions of fans, but I found it fascinating. This review sums it up quite well for me. More insight is available in this brief 1999 interview of Raphael.
I'm also frustrated about having registered on Sat morning for another hosting service for my site, but have yet to hear back from them with any instructions or information... :-(
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:: I'm going to take Geoff's lead, and take a few days off from blogging. That said, don't be surprised if something turns up here within a day or two.
:: One of the great hot dog stands in NYC loves Al Franken. BTW, I like Al Franken, too.
:: Moose and Squirrel Go Digital! My favorite cartoons have always been those produced by Warner Bros, and I reported recently that a 4-DVD set of classic Looney Tunes will be released in October. Next to Bugs & Co., I loved the Jay Ward cartoons, led by Rocky and Bullwinkle, and including Mr Peabody and Sherman, Fractured Fairy Tales, George of the Jungle, Hoppity Hooper, and many other brilliant creations. I learned today that Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends: Season One is now available on DVD as well. Reviews I've found have been very favourable. Another item to add to the always lengthening wish list...
:: I forgot to mention that a highlight of the weekend in Calgary was visiting an old friend: dr T, aka Terry K, my first roommate in Edmonton. We met in residence in 1978, and shared an apartment from Dec 78, for about a year, until he moved on to bigger and better things. Terry and I played much gee-tar together "in those days", and he still has the chops. I met his wonderful wife Bev (also a guitar player, of the classical variety), and their beautiful daughter, Nicole. I was amazed that he remembered the words to a song I wrote that year - dr T, I bow in your general direction!
The past two years have seen me re-establish contact with many important people from my past. I reconnected with my dear friend Cathy G last year in Winnipeg (hadn't seen her since 1973 or so), and this past July, with dozens of old high school friends, most of whom I hadn't seen since 1971. I hadn't seen Terry since the early 80s. It's nice to know that one can go home again, in the sense that true friendships last a lifetime.
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:: I returned from Calgary this morning, having attended bits of two days of the Blues and Roots Festival. Los Lobos, Richard Thompson and Solomon Burke were the acts I caught, all exceptional performances. Los Lobos rocks with the best, and began their set by inviting fans down from the stands in Burns Stadium (a baseball diamond) and onto the grass, right up to the stage. It made sense. They played with energy and conviction, and with smiles on their faces - they had fun. They closed with a great version of Mas Y Mas, and encored with a blistering take on Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl, a song which they may have now co-opted as their own. Thompson's songs are powerful, and he weaves magic on his guitar. He performed one of his signature pieces, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, leaving me almost breathless as he played a solo that featured twists, turns and surprises not heard on the recording. Burke, the King of Rock 'n' Soul, surrounds himself with a great band, and is in true love with the audience - he hands out red roses to dozens of women while he sings, and each show ends as a big on-stage love-in. I learned from his harpist, Julia Cunningham, that their previous gig, in Beirut last Tuesday, was a great success. However, they were 35 hours in transit, arriving in Calgary on Friday quite exhausted, and without their luggage or instruments! Nonetheless, they played a great show for the last stop on their current tour.
:: I saw Dirty Pretty Things today, an exceptional new thriller from Stephen Frears, director of films including Dangerous Liaisons, High Fidelity, The Snapper, and the tv version of Fail Safe, broadcast live on US television in 2000. The movie explores the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by a Nigerian illegal alien living in London, when he learns that the hotel in which he works is being used for the harvesting of human organs in exchange for fake passports and safe haven in the UK. Trained as a doctor in Africa, he is on the run from Nigeria, and cannot practice medicine in the UK. Instead, he drives a car for hire, and works the front desk night shift at The Baltic Hotel. The movie finds time to develop a gentle but powerful love story that does not detract from the central concerns of the story. Highly recommended, featuring great performances from Audrey Tautou (Amélie), Sergi López, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
:: I published my first fanzine in 1969. I can't remember why, other than it seemed like the thing to do when I was 15 and interested in sf. I published again in the mid-1970s, with a little more fervor and enthusiasm at the time, burning out in 1978 or so. In the meantime (and maybe before), the word "zine" has been, well, co-opted by the online community as if the term either always belonged to them, or originated with them. Neither is true, of course, the term and the activity having originated in sf fandom in the 1930s.
My good friend Robert Runté recently weighed in on topic of zines, with "Why Publish? A Sociological Analysis of Motivation in Youth Avocational Subcultures", featured in Broken Pencil, "the magazine of zine culture and the independent arts." Yes, Robert has a blog, too.
:: Aww, geez. Fox lost its lawsuit against Al Franken. Well, DUH.
| TrackBack (0):: I'm in Calgary, to attend two days of the Blues and Roots Festival, and visit a few old friends. Have a nice weekend.
| TrackBack (0):: I absolutely love it! I mentioned earlier that Fox News is suing Al Franken, one of my favorite comedians and political satirists, for using the phrase "Fair and Balanced" in the subtitle of his new book, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look At The Right." Now Paul Newman has joined in the discussion, with a short but brilliant op-ed piece in the NYTimes. Paul Newman is still HUD! (ID and PW: podbay) Full text of the editorial is below:
Unreliable sources report that the Fox suit has inspired Paul Newman, the actor, to file a similar suit in federal court against the Department of Housing and Urban Development, commonly called HUD. Mr. Newman claims piracy of personality and copycat infringement.
In the 1963 film "HUD," for which Mr. Newman was nominated for an Academy Award, the ad campaign was based on the slogan, "Paul Newman is HUD." Mr. Newman claims that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, called HUD, is a fair and balanced institution and that some of its decency and respectability has unfairly rubbed off on his movie character, diluting the rotten, self-important, free-trade, corrupt conservative image that Mr. Newman worked so hard to project in the film. His suit claims that this "innocence by association" has hurt his feelings plus residuals.
A coalition of the willing — i.e., the Bratwurst Asphalt Company and the Ypsilanti Hot Dog and Bean Shop — has been pushed forward and is prepared to label its products "fair and balanced," knowing that Fox News will sue and that its newscasters will be so tied up with subpoenas they will only be able to broadcast from the courtroom, where they will be seen tearing their hair and whining, looking anything but fair and balanced, which would certainly be jolly good sport all around.
Paul Newman, an actor, is chief executive of Salad King."
What is it with the right, anyway? It's ok when they dish it out, but when it's tossed back at them, they have the thinnest of thin skins.
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:: Some interesting NYC bits from the recent Blackout of 2003.
Farai Chideya, founder of Pop and Politics, initially thought she was responsible for bringing down the power grid in NYC by turning on her AC, and describes the "Top Ten Things to Do in a Blackout"
NYC bloggers Jenny and Fiona describe their lives at 4:11 pm on Thursday, Aug 14, in NYC, and what happened to them later that day.
:: Astrology has been debunked, according to a study published in the v10, n6-7, June-July 2003 issue of Journal of Consciousness Studies, a peer-reviewed journal published by Imprint Academic in the UK. The authors of "Is Astrology Relevant to Consciousness and Psi? ", Geoffrey Dean and Ivan W Kelly, concluded the following:
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:: I have subscribed to Time Out New York since Feb 1999. Although it consistently arrives 3-6 weeks late in my mailbox, there are always articles and news of interest to me within each issue. Its late arrival would prevent me from using it as a guide to NYC for that week of publication, but I don't live there, so it doesn't matter.
TONY has created an online archive of their past issues, and begun posting the contents of each issue one month after publication - a brilliant move, and one that supports the concept of open access, to some degree anyway. In TONY's case, it makes sense: consider that the "current event info" in each issue of TONY is good for that week only. Once the week is over, the events are in the past, and the need to refer to and use that particular issue of the magazine as as such is over. However, the articles do not (necessarily) outdate themselves.
Issue 406, 10-17 July, has (at least) three fascinating pieces.
2) Weapons of Mass Communication details the frightening grip of Clear Channel, a media conglomerate based in San Antonio TX that, within its growing empire, owns or operates 1,248 US radio stations, and promotes ~25,000 concerts, sporting events and stage shows, many of them in 41 amphitheaters it owns (not The Gorge, however - that belongs to the House of Blues.) Clear Channel's presence in NYC is strong, although not everyone on the street knows about the long reach of CC.
3) Friendster or foe? Friendster is an online social network that allows people to meet each other via their friends and contacts who are already in Friendster. To join you need to be invited. A friend in NYC invited me to join, then another in Edmonton as well. Through three friends, I'm "connected" to 124,938 people as of today. No, I haven't met any of them. The article notes that Friendster began as a more discriminating alternative to online dating sites, but has grown to over 750,000 users in 200 countries, with 50,000 users in NYC alone. The idea of the site is that you meet new people on the word of a friend, who might almost function as a virtual chaparone. A feature on Friendster appeared in July 2003 in Wired.
:: Next weekend I hope to be in Calgary to attend The Blues and Roots Festival, and see, among others, Los Lobos and Solomon Burke.
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:: The document described in the entry below, from the current issue of The Scout Report, details the destructive power of Spam. We all hate spam.
Spam by Numbers [pdf]
:: The power failure on the eastern seaboard, through to Detroit and Toronto, is incredible. How could this happen in 2003? Check out the photos on The Gothamist for a peek at life in NYC this afternoon.
A moblog (mobile blog) is up already, with photos from various blacked out areas. See my NYC page for links to other NYC media.
Nine months after the Great Blackout on November 9-10, 1965, in the same area (NE USA and Ontario), the number of babies born in the region was higher than normal. Was the blackout the cause?
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:: When I was in high school some 32 years ago, I played lead guitar in a rock band called Ram. (The Paul McCartney album of the same name appeared some months afterwards, btw.) We were an eleven-piece band: bass, drums, 2 lead singers, 2 guitarists, Hammond organ, and saxophone, trombone and two trumpets. The first song we learned to play was "Vehicle", by the Chicago-based group, The Ides of March. Now Rhino Handmade has issued "The Ides Of March - Friendly Strangers: The Warner Bros. Recordings", a limited edition release of 2,500 numbered copies.
From the above web site are these words: The Ides spent most of 1970 on the road, opening for Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, and Iron Butterfly (one entertainment headline read "Ides Of March Steal The Show" after an off night for Zeppelin). I can report that I saw The Ides of March play on that tour, sans Joplin, but with The Youngbloods, led by Jesse Colin Young, on August 29, 1971, in Winnipeg, at what was called the Man-Pop Festival.
The festival began in the Winnipeg Stadium earlier that day, but rain forced 18,000 of us into the Winnipeg Arena - a decision made behind the scenes so as to allow the concert to continue. Imagine the sound technicians having to move the equipment in the rain from the stadium into the arena on a few minutes notice! I still am in awe of how they did it. I was 18 at the time. I can't remember how it was that we didn't trample each other trying to get into the arena. I remember ending up sitting in a chair on the arena floor, watching (in order): The Youngbloods, The Ides of March, Iron Butterfly, and Led Zeppelin. Tickets were $5.50, and if we turned in a receipt or something, we got a dollar back.
I don't remember much about the show. I recall that after moving into the arena, The Youngbloods almost put the audience to sleep. Remember: "C'mon people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another, right now.. " A great tune, but gentle country rock wasn't what we needed right then and there. The Ides followed, and rocked out the arena. I remember Led Zeppelin coming on around 2:00 am, opening with "Immigrant Song" (which no one knew, as their third album had yet to appear), and moving right into "Heartbreaker", which we all knew at that time - a big FM hit from LZ II.
When the show was over, around 4:00 am, we left the arena, not sure how we'd get home, only to find dozens of Winnipeg Transit buses waiting to take us home.
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:: What follows are my observations from attending and volunteering at the 24th Edmonton Folk Music Festival this past weekend. I apologize for continuing confusion regarding previous posts on PBD.
THURSDAY 7 AUGUST 2003
:: Tonight was the first night of the 24th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival. I work backstage on the Performer Hospitality Crew. Tonight I was assigned to Mariza, a fado singer from Portugal. It was a pleasure to work with her before and after her performance on the main stage. Mariza is graceful and charming, and has a sweet sense of humour. She and her band appreciated our efforts to make them feel welcome and at home at the EFMF, and working with them as such was very rewarding.
FRIDAY 8 AUGUST 2003
:: This is the time during the festival when my body gets angry: trying to move on 6 hours of sleep after partying until 2:30 am. Yesterday was a rewarding day again at the EFMF: I was on site in early evening to establish contact with Norah Jones and her band and crew, and watch legendary musicians make incredible music.
Last night saw The Funk Brothers take the main stage late in the evening, and they rocked the hill like nothing we've seen before. Featuring the remaining members from the 60s, and augmented with a number of additional musicians, including two local horn players, three singers, a drummer, and two guitarists, the band played many legendary Motown hits from the 60s, including My Girl, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, I'll Be There, and Stop! In The Name of Love. One of the best shows I've ever seen at the festival.
Earlier in the evening, I met and visited with Bob Babbit, the bass player, and said hello to a number of other members as well. As with Norah Jones' entourage, they were all friendly and happy to be here. At one point, one of the them asked us, "Is the entire city of Edmonton as friendly as everyone is here at the festival"? Of course we said yes, but noted that it's in our constitution to be nice!
BTW, anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who suggests this festival is too expensive for the product it offers is completely insane. A weekend pass is a mere $99 - try to find such a bargain anywhere else, one where you can watch 60+ acts in a four-day period. Not going to happen. Many acts of the calibre brought to this festival might charge between $50-$100 for a solo show anywhere else. Kudos to Terry Wickham and the Board for keeping the costs to the public beyond reasonable, and easily affordable.
SATURDAY/SUNDAY 9-10 AUGUST 2003
:: The final 48 hours of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival as I experienced it are, at this point, somewhat blurry! Call it lack of sleep. But the festival for me was one of the most rewarding ever. I've volunteered on the Performer Hospitality Crew since 1992, and performed at the festival in 1991 and 1994, and the 2003 festival ranks as one of the best, and one of my all-time favorites.
One of the highlights on Saturday was spending some time discussing guitar work on the Norah Jones album with guitarist Adam Levy. I asked him whether there were any different tunings or capo settings on some of the songs, and he mentioned Capo 6 for her big hit, Don't Know Why. We exchanged contact info, and he said he would send me further chord and tab details.
The Saturday evening lineup at the festival this year was one of the most diverse and powerful: Dar Williams, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Taj Mahal & The Trio, Norah Jones, and Solomon Burke. Add Kathleen Edwards' 2:00 pm performance, and it evolved into one of those days of musical memories for the ages.
But because I worked from 6:00 pm until closing that night, I was not able to watch most of the acts, but instead, heard them from backstage. I was able to catch bits of Norah's performance as she offered her brand of soothing, bittersweet music for the very appreciative crowd. Afterwards, I spoke to Adam Levy again, and asked about his thoughts on the band's performance. He told me it was the best show, for him, on the tour.
I can't forget the parties, and on Saturday night at The Ramada Inn, I stayed until about 2:30 am.
:: On Sunday, I made it down to the site by 11:30 am, wasted from lack of sleep, but eager to watch Kelsey Fry and 4-Life perform at Stage 7. I met Kelsey on Thursday, and learned that she was a young, upcoming performer from Edmonton. I caught the final four songs of her show, and was duly impressed. This is a 16-year old with much confidence in her abilities, and eager to further herself as a musician. She surrounds herself with - how shall I say it? - older musicians, at least twice her age, with years of experience. The tunes I heard were straighforward pop, but solid and nicely arranged songs, and sung with power and conviction by Kelsey.
My shift on Sunday began in the early evening - preparing for Caitlin Cary and her bandmates. (NOTE: This is what we do at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival: make the performers feel welcome, comfortable and appreciated. More than ever, I found myself happy to work hard on the Festival's behalf when dealing with the performers. After all, when we work one-on-one with a performer, we are representing the Festival to them at that moment. But I digress...)
Many performers expressed how impressed they were with the event. While driving her from one stage to another, Kathleen Edwards opined that it was the best festival at which she'd played, and Jay Davidson of the Funk Brothers echoed her sentiments.
On Sunday afternoon, Julia Cunningham, the harpist for Solomon Burke, whom I had seen about the site earlier but hadn't met, was backstage, and we started discussing Steely Dan (I was wearing my Steely Dan Tour 2K shirt). We talked for quite a while about her work as a harpist, and she autographed a stunning picture of herself for me (it's on her website). Julia will return to Alberta with Solomon at the Calgary Blues & Roots Festival on August 23, 2003.
The festival ended with a bit of rain falling during the Bruce Cockburn set, but no one's spirit was dampened. Traditionally, many volunteers come on stage at the end to sing Four Strong Winds, by Alberta legend Ian Tyson. Following that, the crowd disperses, and many of us head home, or leave for parties at the hotel.
Around 3:00 am, as I was set to leave, I met Andrea England, a singer/songwriter from Toronto. We decided to pull our our guitars, and we jammed until 4:20 in the morning! I had a great time playing with her, and it was a fitting and very satisfying way to end this year's festival.
:: The 25th EFMF will be 5-8 August 2004. Mark your calendars now. Tickets should go on sale on Tuesday, June 1st, 2004. Miss this event at your own peril. It's one of the reasons that living in Edmonton is so rewarding.
:: Images from the 2003 festival have begun to appear on the FF site.
| TrackBack (0):: From Blogcritics comes word about a review by Mark Bernstein of Rebecca Blood's book, The Weblog Handbook. Read "A Romantic View of Weblogs" for an different view of why people blog. I read Blood's book last year, and found it a valuable resource with which to begin a blogging experience.
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:: The earlier entries describing my weekend at the EFMF, and others yet to be posted, have been withdrawn from PBD. My apologies for any inconvenience or misunderstanding caused by the entries. I'll leave it at this: the 24th festival was and will remain one of the best EFMF's I've attended and at which I've volunteered. The reasons are too numerous to mention. Please continue to support the festival - it's worth the cost of admission many times over. Thanks.
If you wish to see photos, check the Image Gallery at the EFMF web site.
| TrackBack (0):: Like I needed research to confirm this: Researcher confirms existence of 'earworms' - 98% of people have had songs stuck in their head. (From: Shifted Librarian.)
| TrackBack (0):: Fox News is suing one of my favorite writers, comedians and commentators, Al Franken, for using the phrase "fair and balanced" as part of the subtitle of his new book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look At The Right. The New York Times reported on the story, and it's been discussed on CNN. Even better, it made the Op-Ed page of the NYTimes (ID/pw: podbay). My favorite line from the editorial: "For years now, liberals have wrung their hands over the fact that the right wing had a monopoly on acerbic, unfair and entertaining political commentators. Mr. Franken is clearly attempting to fill the gap, and for some reason the Fox people appear to be doing everything they can to help pave his way."
With this lawsuit, Fox News, never known for being fair and balanced, has helped push the book (not being released until September 22, to #1 on the Amazon Best Sellers List (at least today, August 13th).
I saw Franken perform in NYC last November. He is brilliant, funny, and accurate in his observations. Go, Al, go!
| TrackBack (0):: Had a two-hour meeting with a nutritionist today. It's the first step in my attempt at a permanent lifestyle change in my eating habits.
:: Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com has founded a new company called Blue Origin, a company whose focus will include space tourism. (Don't expect much from the website, though.) It's Bezos' new space programme. (From: Bill Maher)
| TrackBack (0):: The Steely Dan concert at The Gorge Amphitheater in George WA, was outstanding, brilliant, wonderful, a concert for the ages. My review and observations are posted below, also available at blogcritics.com.
:: I'll write more when time permits. The trip had a few bumps in the road, and we also stopped at Crowsnest Past, where firefighters are dealing with the Lost Creek Fire. Smoke was everywhere, and some of the helicopter airtankers visible at all times. I was able to obtain a number of major maps of the fire's progress for the U of A map collection.
:: Yesterday, my brother and I drove from Moses Lake WA to Calgary. Moses Lake is about 50 klicks from The Gorge. When we arrived in Calgary, I decided to drive back to Edmonton, arriving here about 12:30 am on Sunday. A long day of driving, to be sure.
:: Note to self: be prepared to spend money when you walk into an American Wal-Mart store the size of three Costcos (or more), thinking you'll buy one or two small items and leave immediately.
:: Krispy Kreme doughnuts rule the world. They blow Tim Horton's out of the water. Easily. What a pity that they don't have stores in western Canada yet...
Steely Dan Concert Review
The set opened at 7:16 pm PDT, with the band playing the Ray Bryant instrumental, Cubano Chant. Our "principals", as Donald would describe Walter and himself at the start of Set Two, arrived shortly afterwards. Donald sat down, and the band began Aja.
SET ONE:NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:
1. Cubano Chant (Ray Bryant Tune)
2. Aja (Aja)
3. Time Out Of Mind (Gaucho)
4. Godwhacker (extended "mix") (EMG - Everything Must Go)
5. Caves of Altamira (Royal Scam)
6. Blues Beach (EMG)
7. Babylon Sisters (Gaucho)
8. Slang of Ages (EMG)
9. Peg (Aja)
10. Home at Last (Aja)SET TWO:
11. The Steely Dan Show
12. Janie Runaway (2VN)
13. Hey Nineteen (Gaucho)
14. Haitian Divorce (Royal Scam)
15. The Things I Miss The Most (EMG)
16. Parker's Band (Pretzel Logic)
17. Josie (Aja)
18. Kid Charlamagne (Royal Scam)
19. Don't Take Me Alive (Royal Scam)ENCORE:
20. My Old School (Countdown to Ecstasy)
21. FM (FM Soundtrack)
SET ONE:
1. Cubano Chant: Nice, smooth opening for the band, allowing the members to flex a bit of muscle and get their chops working!
2. Aja: Outstanding, brilliant execution, with Keith Carlock channelling Steve Gadd and adding his own touches. The audience is already spellbound with this brilliant musician.
3. Time Out Of Mind: Nicely done, out of left field, not a tune I thought I'd ever hear, loved it
4. Godwhacker: Donald brings out the melodica, and the band cooks into high gear. Jon Herington provides the bed guitar track, allowing Walter to solo throughout the tune. The girls, all stunners as usual, bring their b/u vocals into high gear. The tune gets an "extended mix" to allow some of the players to solo, including Cornelius Bumpus, Jim Pugh, Michael Leonhart and Walt Weiskopf.
5. The Caves of Altamira: What a surprise! The horns opened the song, of course, and "blew" me away! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
6. Blues Beach: The catchy number of the new album, a fun tune, great harmonies, with Carolyn Leonhart taking the solo line during the extro section
7. Babylon Sisters: I'm dying in my seat at this point. Watching and hearing Carlock count it in, I'm beside myself (no, I had'nt sees any previous set lists so didn't know it was the next tune). I SO love this song. And the girls' "you gotta shake it baby" harmony was bang on.
NOTE - By this time, the band had already received 4 or 5 semi-standing o's after the tunes.
8. Slang of Ages: Donald, who by this time was riffing with the crowd, introduces Walter, who does a great job on the tune. Afterwards, he introduces every band member to raucous applause and approval. Someone from the crowd screams, "SHOW BIZ KIDS"!, and two second laters, they begin:
9. Peg: Regular crowd pleaser, well done, Herington interprets the Graydon guitar solo differently each time.
10. Home at Last: I'm beside myself again. Such a brilliant tune, Ted Baker is bang on with his intro, the band smokes, the audience is in heaven.
SET TWO:
11. The Steely Dan Show: the girls (Cynthia Calhoun, Carolyn Leonhart, and Cindy Mizelle - the Three Cs, as I call them) sang this number, along with Jim Pugh and Michael Leonhart. A treat for the crowd, this tune was written during the Europe portion of their 2000 tour, self-promoting themselves, and a welcome back for Don and Walt as they walk on stage near the end of the tune.
12. Janie Runaway: nice tune, nothing spectacular, but it went right into:
13. Hey Nineteen: a great rendition, and in the midst of the song, Donald starts talking about "remembering when we were young, and we had those cool summer nights, with a sleeping bag, under the stars, and we were drinking something, can't remember, what was it called, girls", as he looks over at the Three Cs, and they respond, "The Cuervo gold...". Nice touch. BTW, in the original, Donald sings: "Hey Nineteen, that's 'retha Franklin", but instead chose to sing "Hey Nineteen, that's Otis Redding.."
14. Haitian Divorce: Walter sang this, and Jon Herington cut loose on the riffs throughout the song.
15. Parker's Band: outstanding, and sung by the Three C's. Herington flies on the solos.
16. Josie: Predictable perhaps (that the song would be played), but Carlock absolutely kills on a drum solo for the ages. Good God, this guy is outstanding!
17. Kid Charlamagne: great tune, same arrangement as in 2000, and Jon gets to rip a few more brilliant solos. I think Donald forgot to sing right at the beginning of this tune.
18. Don't Take Me Alive: Herington Rules and the band rocks. Jon, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy. And damn you for making it look so effortless. (I've been a guitarist for almost 37 years...the man makes me weep for myself).
ENCORE:
19. My Old School: What can I saw? Another all time favorite. Baker tinkles the ivories until he hits the opening notes, and the crowd is standing. Jon Herington rules, and then rules more. A reminder why Becker and Fagen are among our most brilliant songwriters, ever.
20. FM: Predictable, Don and Walk thank the crowd, leave the stage, and the band continues on for a while until they finish.
THOUGHTS AFTERWARDS:
- The band was hot as can be. Where in the name of God(whacker) did they find Keith Carlock? Migod, this guy can play the drums! (Also annoys me that he looks about 15 years old!) What a backbeat combo, Carlock and Tom Barney. They laid the foundations for every tune with energy and drive and consistency.
- I'd give the show an 8.5, maybe a 9 out of 10. It is difficult to find many faults with a show that borders on flawless.
- What I'd like to see dropped from the show: FM, Josie or Peg, Kid Charlamagne, Janie Runaway. Then again, with Peg and Kid Charlamagne, we get to hear Jon Herington rip brilliant solo after brilliant solo, and the same applies to Walter on FM and Josie;
- Walter's lead playing was tasteful and nicely done
- In other shows, they've done Reeling in the Years (as opposed to their other hit, Reelin' in the Sheeves - check out the DVD, also on line, Steely Dan Confessions, for more about that song), Do It Again, and The Last Mall. Would've loved to have heard those tunes in lieu of the others listed above; but in shows where Do It Again is performed, they aren't playing Babylon Sisters, so it's a win-win situation anyway;
- Missed Donald singing Haitian Divorce (another all time favorite), but was thrilled to hear it nonetheless;
- Donald was really having fun on stage, more so it appeared to me than at the 2000 Gorge show;
- Keith Carlock is a drumming god; Tom Barney is a bassist god; Jon Herington is a guitar god;
- the Three C's are singing goddesses
- Jon Herington never really was allowed to cut loose until the second set, but when he did, wow!
- having the Three C's sing The Steely Dan Show and Parker's Band were two strokes of genius
- was surprised not to hear more from 2VN, given its Grammy award-winning status, and such.
Songs performed by album: Can't Buy a Thrill: 0; Countdown to Ecstasy: 1; Pretzel Logic: 1; Katy Lied: 0; Royal Scam: 4; Aja: 4; Gaucho: 3; Two Against Nature: 1; Everything Must Go: 4; Other: 2
Bottom line: Miss this show at your own peril. The tour just began, and ends in Hawaii in October. The band is truly amazing. Tight, brilliant executions of every song - I've been a musician for 37 years, and continue to marvel at the sound these people generate on stage. It's a bonus that Becker and Fagen are having so much fun in their 50s, making music for the ages.
And I slept with Diane. ;-)
Randy Reichardt
randy@podbaydoor.com
http://podbaydoor.com
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