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Rhian Daly, thefortyfive.com [reviewing the April 15, 2023 show]:
Huddled around one microphone, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker sing in beautiful harmony ‘Without You Without Them’, the opening song from their debut album ‘the record’. It’s a moment that sets the tone for the rest of the show - the three musicians always united, even if they’re spread across the stage.
Lyrically, ‘the record’ is full of intense emotions and seeing boygenius bring them to life on stage is all the more impactful; like that punch in the stomach Bridgers sings of in ‘Letter To An Old Poet’. But, instead of leaving you feeling triggered and bereft from your own personal trauma the songs remind you of, the band have a way of making you feel comforted. They barely say a word on stage, but seeing these women turn their own experiences into such a moving, flawless performance is like them throwing their arms around you and letting you lean on them, just like the billboard poster.
When they do take a moment to speak, it’s to deliver an important message – and another kind of support. “I don’t know if you’ve seen the tomfoolery that’s been going on in Florida and Missouri and some of the other places, but trans lives matter, trans kids matter,” Dacus tells the crowd to big cheers. “We’re going to fight it and we’re going to win.”
Before they continue with the music, Bridgers adds an extra point. “And abortion rocks, and fuck [Florida governor] Ron DeSantis.”
A few songs later, ‘Not Strong Enough’ begins, bright guitars spooling through the PA. “I don’t know why, I am/The way I am/Not strong enough to be your man,” they sing as the chorus hits. Tonight, though, boygenius are pillars tough enough for themselves, each other, and all of Coachella, inadvertently forming the best support group around.
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Once Natalie Merchant had decided to leave the band and told them so, they embarked on one of the busiest years they had ever had and I have over ten boots from this year alone not counting official items like the ‘Unplugged' album and 'Our Time in Eden' itself. Having so many from this period is challenging for the boot collector but patience pays dividends and this just yesterday from the brilliant So Many Roads is a peach and possibly the best from that year (ever?). Their second (at least!?) appearance that year in Berkeley they had played in Feb and now here in May. Very bass heavy to a degree but nothing an equalizer can’t twitch! It is well worth it. As it’s a radio broadcast the quality is truly exceptional
10000 Maniacs Live in Berkeley May 93 - So Many Roads
Speedy says
"In September 1992, 10,000 Maniacs released the album Our Time in Eden, which featured the singles These Are Days, Candy Everybody Wants and Few and Far Between. The disc would be the last that the band would record with original lead singer Natalie Merchant. While recording of the disc in 1991, Merchant had informed the other members of the group that she would be leaving with the next 2 years to start a solo career. This FM broadcast captures 10,000 Maniacs on their last tour with Merchant on May 29, 1993, 3 decades ago today, in Berkeley. Just a little over 2 months later, on August 5, 1993, Merchant formally announced her departure from the band on MTV."
01. Radio Introduction02. These Are Days03. If You Intend04. What's The Matter Here05. A Campfire Song06. Like The Weather07. How You've Grown08. Jezebel09. Eat For Two10. Trouble Me (end applause spliced, tape flip)11. Gun Shy12. Stockton Gala Days13. Candy Everybody Wants14. Hey Jack Kerouac15. Few And Far Between16. My Sister Rose17. Everyday Is Like Sunday18. City Of Angels19. Let The Mystery Be > radio outro
Crikey TWO hours of it here from St Louis of that year!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAESTRO!
Paul Brady is celebrated at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, Ireland on their Facebook page and check out ‘The World Is What You Make It’ on the Jools Holland show link
Dead Flowers - Townes Van Zandt
There is something almost unbearably funny about an American covering the Stones’ ‘Dead Flowers’ as it itself is a gentle piss take of the genre of Merkin country songs anyway! Having one of their own, known for his songwriting skills, the genius Van Zandt cover it totally straight faced is a stroke of genius and made me LOL!
Thanks as so often to Alice over at Reds1981 (O My Soul)
Normally associated with a range of Stratocaster’s (an occasional Gibson Flying V! sic) but rarely a Les Paul, here is his first
"Jimi started using a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar around April 1968. The earliest photos date to April 5th, 1968, which could possibly mean that this is something Jimi acquired at Manny’s Music shop, which is just a 30-minute drive from the Symphony Hall. At that time, the guitar seemed the have been used exclusively on the song Red House, and it seemed to have some sort of a white sticker on the top of the body.
The Les Paul was however most famously used at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East venue in New York on May 10, 1968, and at the Miami Pop Festival on May 18th. Aside from these two, Hendrix apparently hasn’t really played the guitar that much, since it was spotted during only a handful of gigs around this period.” Ground Guitar
-GroundGuitar
Photo Elliott Landy - Jimi Hendrix Fillmore East, NYC, 1968
Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, 1970
The "Whoosh" Picture. From photographer Jorgen Angel:
"On 28 February 1970 I took this picture at a Led Zeppelin concert at K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark. I was 18 years old and working free-lance as a rock photographer. It was an amazing concert. The photo is the most popular among all my photos and it has become my signature photo. The biggest recognition came when Jimmy Page himself chose the photo as one of five best taken of him. Jimmy included it when he made an exclusive collection of art prints in a Limited Edition, long sold out. It was Jimmy who named the picture The Whoosh Picture. The image is included in the National Portrait Gallery in London.”
another from Phoebe Bridgers and it is worth saying that I was turned on to her through my daughter* and that is part of what is so cool when your children suggest listening to someone who we both end up enjoying . . . . . . Phoebe is right up top there!
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American indie rock musician Phoebe Bridgers is best known for her work as a solo singer-songwriter. She is also a part of two supergroups: Boygenius with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus; and the other, Better Oblivion Community Center (with Conor Oberst). Bridgers has received critical acclaim for her music, with her songs being described as “exquisitely raw and revealing” and “wise beyond her years.” - wikipedia
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Track 01. Smoke Signals 6:07
Track 02. Funeral 5:04
Track 03. Georgia 5:24
Track 04. Demi Moore 4:17
Track 05. Killer 3:55
Track 06. Scott Street 7:10
Track 07. Motion Sickness 4:56
Track 08. You Missed My Heart (Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle cover) 8:22
46 mins
Phoebe Bridgers 2018 - Big O here.....
* and coincidentally by Emily Barker who sang her praises (sic!) earlier on when she was doing her coffee broadcasts from her home in Gloucester! (click the Phoebe links for that includes lovely youTube clip of Emily making us coffee!) 😉
Jeepster || T. Rex
Song of the Day - A Little Less Conversation
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. Peel was one of the first broadcasters to play psychedelic rock and progressive rock records on British radio. He is widely acknowledged for promoting artists of multiple genres, including pop, dub reggae, punk rock and post-punk, electronic music and dance music, indie rock, extreme metal and British hip hop.
Another gem from Kostas and well worth checking out for fans of the Peel!
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Jeff Beck and The Big Town Playboys 1993 - soundaboard
The National Live 2018 - Big O
Dan Gentile, austinchronicle.com:
“I’m not actually that tired,” joked the National frontman Matt Berninger after crawling on the ground during “Graceless” from 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me. “That’s just showbiz stuff.”
Berninger’s tongue-in-cheek stage antics centered attention during the National’s late-afternoon set on Friday, but the guitars were the real standout, even amidst the addition of a trombone, trumpet, auxiliary percussionist, and guest vocals from Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry. Although the Cincinnati-born five-piece remains known best for gloomy Americana, its vintage guitars - looking like they’d been through a few car wrecks - sounded pristine, especially on a festival stage. The riffs alone make an argument for the National as unlikely heirs to U2’s arena rock throne.
Although the instrumentation sounded immaculate, Berninger’s professorial sense of self awareness deflated the emotional power of the songs. When he leaped beyond the crowd barrier to take a selfie video during “Day I Die,” the move felt like a parody. He was having fun, but it felt like it was at our expense.
Naturally, his signature vocal style of deadpan ennui is better suited for dark rooms than sunny fields. As such, the contrast between a beautiful day, Berninger’s bemused attitude, and the obtuse seriousness of his lyrics weren’t always an obvious fit.
As they tore into their breakout 2007 single “Fake Empire,” that dissonance made me think, what the hell does it even mean to be “half awake in a fake empire”? Based on the enthusiasm of the huge crowd singing along, I seemed to be the only one who didn’t know.
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Cover picture by Gary Miller, posted at austinchronicle.com.
Sara Fulcher's vocals are quite strong and powerful, besides being a fascinating musician, Sarah is the missing link between Jerry Garcia and the ‘70s Memphis scene, as well as Texas rockabilly hero Roy Head. In 1971, she released her solo debut on the excellently named TMI Records, a subsidiary of Columbia, under the not-very-well-named “Sarah and Friends.” Included is her version of Dan Penn and Don Nix’s “Like A Road Leading Home,” which Jerry Garcia would learn from her. Produced by Booker T. and the MGs guitarist (and famed Stax session musician) Steve Cropper, Sarah Fulcher’s last name does not appear on the album packaging. No wonder she was so elusive.by Jesse Jarnow, December 17, 2019
Tracks1. Fly By Night (Walter Ramsey Jr.) - 4:552. Cycles (Sam Samudio) - 3:423. Big City Eye (David Mayo) - 4:084. The Natural Order Of Things (Eric Mercury, Carson Whitsett) - 3:345. I've Told You For The Last Time (Steve Cropper, Delaney Bramlett) - 3:156. Antique Age (Mary V. Williams, Mack Rice) - 3:247. She Who Steals My Man (Mary V. Williams, Mack Rice) - 4:288. Take It Like You Give It (Ted White, Aretha Franklin) - 3:279. Like A Road Leading Home (Don Nix, Dan Penn) - 4:2310.I'm Sticking With My Man (Eddie Floyd, Mack Rice, Steve Cropper, Chester Simmons) - 2:5311.Lord I Wonder Why (Betty Cropper) - 3:24Musicians*Sarah Fulcher - Vocals*Steve Cropper - Guitar*Paul Cannon - Guitar*J. Spell - Piano, Organ*Jim Johnson - Bass*Richie Simpson - Drums*David Mayo - Organ, Guitar, Backing Vocals*Walter Ramsey - Piano*David Beaver - Backing Vocals
The whole album here:*Pat Taylor - Backing Vocals
