(no subject)
"This next one is the first song on our new album!"
Yes indeed, you're looking at a picture of Budokan, which I happened to spot while on the sakura trail awhile back. But that aside, this is a break from the Japan entries (not that there's many more - I think 2 or 3 more) to talk about Terrastock since nobody else on my friendslist seems to have reported yet.
So I was in Providence this weekend for the 3-day festival (with a pre-fest night on Thursday). I flew in to Boston and intended to take a train down to the capital of Rhode Island, but my flight came in late and not only did I miss the train but by the time the bus rolled in I missed most of the Thursday night lineup. I did see most of the rest of the weekend though, barring a few missed groups due to tourism syndrome, eating, or buying CDs. The 2 venues that hosted the fest were great and I had a blast the whole time I was there (although not so much when it started to rain Sunday night and we were all outside waiting for the doors to open to see Ghost). I roomed with ikahana and MW of Frank's APA fame, and I got to meet pilote and tabletop & I talked on the phone to lokilokust. And I got to caress the T-shirt of the drummer in Avarus, but that's another story. Anyway, there doesn't seem to be much word posted yet about the festival so I'll throw some "concise" words forth (only those lucky Franks people will see me elaborate any more):
THURSDAY
Abunai! - heard the last 1.5 songs of them, which included that long dubby version of the "Two Brothers" song from what I believe was their final album, not normally a fan of theirs but pretty decent stuff
Acid Mothers Temple - I'm so out of touch with this band that I didn't realize Tsuyama was back in the group. They did more or less the same setlist that they've done for the other 3 shows of theirs I've seen ("Pink Lady Lemonade" & "La Novia" both comprised a decent chunk, although "La Novia" stayed a capella only) but it always satisfies. They also modified "At The Hop" into "Let's Go To The Shop", which looked like pretty solid subliminal advertising if the merch table was any indication.
FRIDAY
Tanakh - missed 'em
Green Pajamas - saw the last 10 minutes which included "Kim The Waitress." Never really been a fan of their style of music but they do have a loyal fanbase and they lapped it up.
St. Joan - I think I enjoyed this set a LOT more than both ikahana & MW. I had only heard one song before & had billed them as a guitar-less Bardo Pond with a torchier lead singer, only to have them sound absolutely nothing like I had described (the two guitars being the first giveaway). Maybe more like a cross between Mazzy Star and Movietone? It must be said that I had probably walked about 6 miles that day on the sightseeing trail, up and down some fairly heavy duty hills too, and my pleasure factor may have increased as I blissed out listening to them, sitting on the floor and letting the draft Red Hook IPA work its wonders on me.
Kinski - missed 'em because dinner called
Urdog - missed all but 2 minutes heard outside the club. ikahana gave praise
Major Stars - I hate to say it, but the most disappointing set of the weekend for this Major Stars fan. They've now expanded to a 3-guitar lineup and they've brought in this female lead singer to nail down the "sex"tet approach. Admittedly, I prefer to hear Wayne Rogers speak with his hands, but the mix made him imperceptible. The relatively new bass player reminds me of a jackass who fronts a local band here in Atlanta which didn't help. And as I had secured a spot down front, close enough to the action to get some pesky ejaculation stains on my pants from the guys who were spazzing out when the girl (who was in LA Drugs, I think?) would walk out into the audience. Ah well...The band was really rocking out despite the muddy sound though, so it might have been great if only...
PG Six - the man himself augmented his sound with several Tono-Bungay members among others, so it was a bit more in an early 70s laid-back rocker mode (Mr. PG himself referenced Terry Reid at one point) than his solo troubadoursy sound typically gets. Not bad, but as usual a bit too pleasant for me to lose myself in the sound.
Bardo Pond - you'll hear it here and only here, but I have to be true to myself & admit it. I think I was the only person who heard this sludged-out set and didn't get moved by it. Everyone else will tell you this was one of THE sets to remember, and they're probably right, but it just didn't work for me. Then again, their T5 set was much the same, with me saying "I don't get it" only to follow a few months later with my clear favorite studio album of theirs, On The Ellipse. I guess I have to be in a mood to hear them, and when I'm in that mood they're about as good as it gets but when I'm not...
Sharron Kraus - on the other hand, I'm ALWAYS in the mood for the pagan British folk sound, and she delivered. Furthermore she brought my beloved Fursaxa on at the end for even more sonic goodness. I briefly passed out at parts during that set I must say, but don't take that as an "I'm bored" slam but rather as a compliment to the blissed-out etherealness of it all. And of course I was pretty frickin' tired too and the 3rd beer had taken its desired effect as well.
SATURDAY
Cul De Sac - never really been a fan of this group, but I thought the pieces they played from their score to the silent film classic Faust weren't bad.
MV/EE & The Bummer Road - like my Major Stars comment, I'd rather hear MV devote himself to his guitar but the group environment worked out pretty well. The term "free folk" really does fit in this case, with a finale cover of "Powderfinger" that was faithful. Their dog was up on the stage with them, and it was pretty precious to see EE smile over at him when she wasn't singing, but I started to really feel sorry for the doggy when MV slapped on the fuzzbox because his mood seemed to change.
Thought Forms - loud rock bands with miked drums never really do it for me
Landing - their set didn't really fit right as it was a lot of gentle rhythmless floating music performed in front of a huge crowd that had been reprimanded for trying to sit down. But AS220's coffee worked well with them & they're always enjoyable in that serene spacerock mode.
Tom Rapp - I had never really heard what others have heard in One Nation Underground, but this set made me want to go back and reappraise it (and every other album in the Pearls Before Swine discography). Of course it may have helped that he had members of Ghost & The Spacious Mind sitting in, but all the same he was a charming guy who sang some great songs.
The Magic Carpathians - beautiful, just beautiful, and its nice to finally see this band live after a brief temptation that didn't come to pass in 2003. I likened it on the routes mailing list as "show and tell at the avant-garde elementary school" and as I should be getting ready to go home I won't try to improve on that. My set of the weekend, I believe.
Avarus - another of my most anticipated sets, but it didn't really connect with me except near the very end - watching the floor drummer (Jan Anderzen?) connect with the guitarist on this tribal thing going on was pretty damned sexy.
Brothers Of The Occult Sisterhood - by the time I finished my burrito, the crowds had swarmed the stage and I couldn't see jack. As such, I couldn't really get into it. ikahana and I then left after we incorrectly thought they had finished playing, only to walk over to the other venue & see a remote broadcast that showed them still onstage and rocking out with dual drummers in what looked to be a frenzy. Damn.
Fursaxa - ...but we did get to see Fursaxa soundcheck so how can I complain? She played a great set, really getting into those ancient medieval drone possessions. Sharron Kraus played with her too at the end in payback for the previous day.
Glenn Jones - I stayed after a bit to ask Fursaxa about her recent show in Atlanta that I had missed, and as such I showed up to see Glenn way too late. But he sounded good in his solo acoustic Fahey hand-me-downisms. I like his music best in its solo form as opposed to Cul De Sac.
Damon & Naomi - I bought a Japanese phrasebook in the Brown University bookstore that specialized in kinky/profane translations. I told ikahana that I should've looked up "I'm just using you for sex" and modified it to say "I'm just using Damon & Naomi for Michio Kurihara." D&N's music is just too plain to me, but Kurihara makes it listenable to my ears.
Windy & Carl - after their set at T5 that involved an inappropriate drummer (the guy from Paik, if I remember what ayahuasca told me) and an even more inappropriate film that explored a naked playstation girl in explicit detail, we got a more traditional ambient soundwash from the veteran couple. Great stuff & it was beautiful music to shut down to for 40 minutes or so.
The Spacious Mind - my favorite discovery of T5 came back with an equally impressive set of Meddle-era dynamics, but I grudgingly split early to guarantee a good spot for the next one.
Kemialliset Ystavat - and a good spot I got, literally front and center (if any of my pictures are salvageable, these will be the ones). Great freaked-out crap from the band, which was basically Avarus minus the drummer and with Miriam from Black Forest/Black Sea on cello (who sat in with a number of bands this weekend).
SUNDAY
The Kitchen Cynics - missed 'em because I was at the RISD museum
Salamander - missed 'em because I was having my obligatory clam chowder lunch
Black Forest/Black Sea - missed 'em because Mudboy was playing in the record stalls that were in between the 2 venues. The Mudboy set was pretty weird, not in what he was playing but in that here was this guy doing all of these spooky things on his synth while the noise of people buying records and CDs was equally as loud. But it was nice & I've got a new CD of him to check out later.
Charalambides - just a beautiful set. I've read several mentions of the tension on stage but it really was nothing like their set at the Million Tongues Fest in Chicago several years ago (which stopped just shy of disturbing), at least to me. Several songs performed off of Market Square, so maybe they'll reissue that damned thing soon and my life will be complete.
Larkin Grimm - my major discovery of this fest. Dahlonega, GA turned out music like THIS??!! Wholly otherworldly and not at all what I was expecting, with her on stage with an Indian lady (from Cumming??!!) and her "Beautiful Babes Of Spring" (I tried to get some photos for geebs) who all had wonderful voices as well. The sound? At the time, the only thing I could think was Joanna Newsom scoring a Bollywood film, but I need to hear the CD to give you something better than that.
Spires That In The Sunset Rise - I've got their first LP but haven't played it in a long time. They reminded me that I need to do so, and I bought another CD just in case that'd be an easier format. The notorious Nashville Dave told me that Comus is a lazy comparison, but honestly its a pretty appropos one from what I heard. And who wouldn't want to be compared to Comus?
Bridget St. John - Its nice to see someone like Bridget in this fest, showing the diversity of what's offered (especially when she's paired between creepy acid folk and full on loud rock). Just a set of her on guitar with another guitarist, almost a bit like the performers at a swanky art gathering at times. I'm not too familiar with her back catalog & identified more covers ("Just Like A Woman" being the first one I heard) than stuff of her own. Again, nice and pleasant stuff.
Paik - full-on rock, complete with the strobe light at the end. These guys are Kiss in some alternate universe.
Lightning Bolt - I know they've built their reputation from refusing to play on stages, but I need to see some visual stuff for something like this when I see it live. As a result I just decided to go record shop one last time during their set. Although to their credit, one of their albums provided a great soundtrack to my "Gotta get to the airport now!" moments on Thursday afternoon.
Marissa Nadler - I can't actually see what the fuss is about Marissa but I have numerous friends who really like her so obviously there's something. I got 2 songs into her set and my cellphone buzzer went off so I exited the club and couldn't make it back in to see. Which perhaps was just as well since it gave me time to brush off another ESB.
Ghost - another set that everyone will talk about, and while I couldn't call it my favorite I'm almost tempted to do so because of the historic nature of it. After all the rumors, Masaki Batoh pretty much spelled it out when he stepped on stage and said "We will play America never again. Enjoy." and then concluded the set by saying "Goodbye America." I didn't recognize anything but was later told that they did a bunch of their old songs, just in different stylings (same as T5). Apparently it'll be out as a live album eventually.
Jack Rose - and we all felt sorry for Jack, who had the double-whammy of not only following Ghost but closing the whole festival out. But he did great with his ragtime & blues playing, and his joking around & storytelling really livened it up a bit. A nice way to go out.
Nothing else to say about Providence, other than it was a very lovely place to stroll about. I got enough exercise walking from one side of the city to the other enough times that even with about an average of 4-5 beers in the evening & some rather unhealthy cuisine I actually dropped a few pounds. I think I just get so excited when I visit somewhere that doesn't require an automobile that I go all out. I also bought 39 CDs while I was there & I took about 100 pictures - I'll be posting some of those up soon, I'm sure.
But as for now, I'm going home. I'll probably get back to Japan next time...
Yes indeed, you're looking at a picture of Budokan, which I happened to spot while on the sakura trail awhile back. But that aside, this is a break from the Japan entries (not that there's many more - I think 2 or 3 more) to talk about Terrastock since nobody else on my friendslist seems to have reported yet.
So I was in Providence this weekend for the 3-day festival (with a pre-fest night on Thursday). I flew in to Boston and intended to take a train down to the capital of Rhode Island, but my flight came in late and not only did I miss the train but by the time the bus rolled in I missed most of the Thursday night lineup. I did see most of the rest of the weekend though, barring a few missed groups due to tourism syndrome, eating, or buying CDs. The 2 venues that hosted the fest were great and I had a blast the whole time I was there (although not so much when it started to rain Sunday night and we were all outside waiting for the doors to open to see Ghost). I roomed with ikahana and MW of Frank's APA fame, and I got to meet pilote and tabletop & I talked on the phone to lokilokust. And I got to caress the T-shirt of the drummer in Avarus, but that's another story. Anyway, there doesn't seem to be much word posted yet about the festival so I'll throw some "concise" words forth (only those lucky Franks people will see me elaborate any more):
THURSDAY
Abunai! - heard the last 1.5 songs of them, which included that long dubby version of the "Two Brothers" song from what I believe was their final album, not normally a fan of theirs but pretty decent stuff
Acid Mothers Temple - I'm so out of touch with this band that I didn't realize Tsuyama was back in the group. They did more or less the same setlist that they've done for the other 3 shows of theirs I've seen ("Pink Lady Lemonade" & "La Novia" both comprised a decent chunk, although "La Novia" stayed a capella only) but it always satisfies. They also modified "At The Hop" into "Let's Go To The Shop", which looked like pretty solid subliminal advertising if the merch table was any indication.
FRIDAY
Tanakh - missed 'em
Green Pajamas - saw the last 10 minutes which included "Kim The Waitress." Never really been a fan of their style of music but they do have a loyal fanbase and they lapped it up.
St. Joan - I think I enjoyed this set a LOT more than both ikahana & MW. I had only heard one song before & had billed them as a guitar-less Bardo Pond with a torchier lead singer, only to have them sound absolutely nothing like I had described (the two guitars being the first giveaway). Maybe more like a cross between Mazzy Star and Movietone? It must be said that I had probably walked about 6 miles that day on the sightseeing trail, up and down some fairly heavy duty hills too, and my pleasure factor may have increased as I blissed out listening to them, sitting on the floor and letting the draft Red Hook IPA work its wonders on me.
Kinski - missed 'em because dinner called
Urdog - missed all but 2 minutes heard outside the club. ikahana gave praise
Major Stars - I hate to say it, but the most disappointing set of the weekend for this Major Stars fan. They've now expanded to a 3-guitar lineup and they've brought in this female lead singer to nail down the "sex"tet approach. Admittedly, I prefer to hear Wayne Rogers speak with his hands, but the mix made him imperceptible. The relatively new bass player reminds me of a jackass who fronts a local band here in Atlanta which didn't help. And as I had secured a spot down front, close enough to the action to get some pesky ejaculation stains on my pants from the guys who were spazzing out when the girl (who was in LA Drugs, I think?) would walk out into the audience. Ah well...The band was really rocking out despite the muddy sound though, so it might have been great if only...
PG Six - the man himself augmented his sound with several Tono-Bungay members among others, so it was a bit more in an early 70s laid-back rocker mode (Mr. PG himself referenced Terry Reid at one point) than his solo troubadoursy sound typically gets. Not bad, but as usual a bit too pleasant for me to lose myself in the sound.
Bardo Pond - you'll hear it here and only here, but I have to be true to myself & admit it. I think I was the only person who heard this sludged-out set and didn't get moved by it. Everyone else will tell you this was one of THE sets to remember, and they're probably right, but it just didn't work for me. Then again, their T5 set was much the same, with me saying "I don't get it" only to follow a few months later with my clear favorite studio album of theirs, On The Ellipse. I guess I have to be in a mood to hear them, and when I'm in that mood they're about as good as it gets but when I'm not...
Sharron Kraus - on the other hand, I'm ALWAYS in the mood for the pagan British folk sound, and she delivered. Furthermore she brought my beloved Fursaxa on at the end for even more sonic goodness. I briefly passed out at parts during that set I must say, but don't take that as an "I'm bored" slam but rather as a compliment to the blissed-out etherealness of it all. And of course I was pretty frickin' tired too and the 3rd beer had taken its desired effect as well.
SATURDAY
Cul De Sac - never really been a fan of this group, but I thought the pieces they played from their score to the silent film classic Faust weren't bad.
MV/EE & The Bummer Road - like my Major Stars comment, I'd rather hear MV devote himself to his guitar but the group environment worked out pretty well. The term "free folk" really does fit in this case, with a finale cover of "Powderfinger" that was faithful. Their dog was up on the stage with them, and it was pretty precious to see EE smile over at him when she wasn't singing, but I started to really feel sorry for the doggy when MV slapped on the fuzzbox because his mood seemed to change.
Thought Forms - loud rock bands with miked drums never really do it for me
Landing - their set didn't really fit right as it was a lot of gentle rhythmless floating music performed in front of a huge crowd that had been reprimanded for trying to sit down. But AS220's coffee worked well with them & they're always enjoyable in that serene spacerock mode.
Tom Rapp - I had never really heard what others have heard in One Nation Underground, but this set made me want to go back and reappraise it (and every other album in the Pearls Before Swine discography). Of course it may have helped that he had members of Ghost & The Spacious Mind sitting in, but all the same he was a charming guy who sang some great songs.
The Magic Carpathians - beautiful, just beautiful, and its nice to finally see this band live after a brief temptation that didn't come to pass in 2003. I likened it on the routes mailing list as "show and tell at the avant-garde elementary school" and as I should be getting ready to go home I won't try to improve on that. My set of the weekend, I believe.
Avarus - another of my most anticipated sets, but it didn't really connect with me except near the very end - watching the floor drummer (Jan Anderzen?) connect with the guitarist on this tribal thing going on was pretty damned sexy.
Brothers Of The Occult Sisterhood - by the time I finished my burrito, the crowds had swarmed the stage and I couldn't see jack. As such, I couldn't really get into it. ikahana and I then left after we incorrectly thought they had finished playing, only to walk over to the other venue & see a remote broadcast that showed them still onstage and rocking out with dual drummers in what looked to be a frenzy. Damn.
Fursaxa - ...but we did get to see Fursaxa soundcheck so how can I complain? She played a great set, really getting into those ancient medieval drone possessions. Sharron Kraus played with her too at the end in payback for the previous day.
Glenn Jones - I stayed after a bit to ask Fursaxa about her recent show in Atlanta that I had missed, and as such I showed up to see Glenn way too late. But he sounded good in his solo acoustic Fahey hand-me-downisms. I like his music best in its solo form as opposed to Cul De Sac.
Damon & Naomi - I bought a Japanese phrasebook in the Brown University bookstore that specialized in kinky/profane translations. I told ikahana that I should've looked up "I'm just using you for sex" and modified it to say "I'm just using Damon & Naomi for Michio Kurihara." D&N's music is just too plain to me, but Kurihara makes it listenable to my ears.
Windy & Carl - after their set at T5 that involved an inappropriate drummer (the guy from Paik, if I remember what ayahuasca told me) and an even more inappropriate film that explored a naked playstation girl in explicit detail, we got a more traditional ambient soundwash from the veteran couple. Great stuff & it was beautiful music to shut down to for 40 minutes or so.
The Spacious Mind - my favorite discovery of T5 came back with an equally impressive set of Meddle-era dynamics, but I grudgingly split early to guarantee a good spot for the next one.
Kemialliset Ystavat - and a good spot I got, literally front and center (if any of my pictures are salvageable, these will be the ones). Great freaked-out crap from the band, which was basically Avarus minus the drummer and with Miriam from Black Forest/Black Sea on cello (who sat in with a number of bands this weekend).
SUNDAY
The Kitchen Cynics - missed 'em because I was at the RISD museum
Salamander - missed 'em because I was having my obligatory clam chowder lunch
Black Forest/Black Sea - missed 'em because Mudboy was playing in the record stalls that were in between the 2 venues. The Mudboy set was pretty weird, not in what he was playing but in that here was this guy doing all of these spooky things on his synth while the noise of people buying records and CDs was equally as loud. But it was nice & I've got a new CD of him to check out later.
Charalambides - just a beautiful set. I've read several mentions of the tension on stage but it really was nothing like their set at the Million Tongues Fest in Chicago several years ago (which stopped just shy of disturbing), at least to me. Several songs performed off of Market Square, so maybe they'll reissue that damned thing soon and my life will be complete.
Larkin Grimm - my major discovery of this fest. Dahlonega, GA turned out music like THIS??!! Wholly otherworldly and not at all what I was expecting, with her on stage with an Indian lady (from Cumming??!!) and her "Beautiful Babes Of Spring" (I tried to get some photos for geebs) who all had wonderful voices as well. The sound? At the time, the only thing I could think was Joanna Newsom scoring a Bollywood film, but I need to hear the CD to give you something better than that.
Spires That In The Sunset Rise - I've got their first LP but haven't played it in a long time. They reminded me that I need to do so, and I bought another CD just in case that'd be an easier format. The notorious Nashville Dave told me that Comus is a lazy comparison, but honestly its a pretty appropos one from what I heard. And who wouldn't want to be compared to Comus?
Bridget St. John - Its nice to see someone like Bridget in this fest, showing the diversity of what's offered (especially when she's paired between creepy acid folk and full on loud rock). Just a set of her on guitar with another guitarist, almost a bit like the performers at a swanky art gathering at times. I'm not too familiar with her back catalog & identified more covers ("Just Like A Woman" being the first one I heard) than stuff of her own. Again, nice and pleasant stuff.
Paik - full-on rock, complete with the strobe light at the end. These guys are Kiss in some alternate universe.
Lightning Bolt - I know they've built their reputation from refusing to play on stages, but I need to see some visual stuff for something like this when I see it live. As a result I just decided to go record shop one last time during their set. Although to their credit, one of their albums provided a great soundtrack to my "Gotta get to the airport now!" moments on Thursday afternoon.
Marissa Nadler - I can't actually see what the fuss is about Marissa but I have numerous friends who really like her so obviously there's something. I got 2 songs into her set and my cellphone buzzer went off so I exited the club and couldn't make it back in to see. Which perhaps was just as well since it gave me time to brush off another ESB.
Ghost - another set that everyone will talk about, and while I couldn't call it my favorite I'm almost tempted to do so because of the historic nature of it. After all the rumors, Masaki Batoh pretty much spelled it out when he stepped on stage and said "We will play America never again. Enjoy." and then concluded the set by saying "Goodbye America." I didn't recognize anything but was later told that they did a bunch of their old songs, just in different stylings (same as T5). Apparently it'll be out as a live album eventually.
Jack Rose - and we all felt sorry for Jack, who had the double-whammy of not only following Ghost but closing the whole festival out. But he did great with his ragtime & blues playing, and his joking around & storytelling really livened it up a bit. A nice way to go out.
Nothing else to say about Providence, other than it was a very lovely place to stroll about. I got enough exercise walking from one side of the city to the other enough times that even with about an average of 4-5 beers in the evening & some rather unhealthy cuisine I actually dropped a few pounds. I think I just get so excited when I visit somewhere that doesn't require an automobile that I go all out. I also bought 39 CDs while I was there & I took about 100 pictures - I'll be posting some of those up soon, I'm sure.
But as for now, I'm going home. I'll probably get back to Japan next time...