13 posts tagged “kate”

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Sorry this week's episode is an outtakes show because I was out all all weekend. I'm finally home, chillaxing with pajamapants and going to put on Messenger 2: The Scarecrow on the TV.

I am hoping to put together a semi-regular Britpop Podcast show - please send me name suggestions. I'd like to have the word 'britpop' in the title, but not necessary.

The good news is that we actually have enough material to last for a few weeks (!!), so I don't actually have to do any real work as it's all recorded and processed (I just need to copy and paste it into a 10 minute show).

So, in order of appearance on the first outtakes: Ryan, Goodnight, States, Graeme K, Kate and Lara. Bonus: Devi.

Hopefully next week, we can bring on Raconteurs expert Christopher.

vxting ♥ art by vu

Let me tell you: street parking is insane on a Friday night on Cedar. I thought I was late at 9 o'clock, even though the first band, the Thundercats-loving Magic Black Pumas (myspace.com), didn't go on until closer to 10. Off topic: there are no pumas in the original Thundercats crew.

The Escape Artists (myspace.com), previously known as MonthNumberColor, where singer Collin, through the power of his Three Wolves T-Shirt, tells us that he is "a mysterious loner who knows how to 'howl at the moon' from time to time."

Ada Jane Setlist ♥ 400 Bar, Minneapolis (8/21/09)

Ada Jane (adajane.com / myspace.com) seems comfortable on stage at the 400 Bar. I get the impression that they've frequently play or have attend shows here. Their fans seems to be an army of young dancing women, which is obviously a bonus.

Since this is a CD release party, they basically play the entire the new album, Again... Again, live - with the exception of "Near Mrs". Bonus "classic" songs from their Never Been Better album was also played: "On Your Level", "The Wayside" and "Show 'Em Your Teeth".

The highlight of the show was Dan on horns for "Down The Highway", and drummer Charlie Wilson singing on, I believe for the song "The Right Wrong".

Again... Again was recently released on CD and downloads, please refer to Lara's review. I couldn't quite figure out how their flashy website adajane.com (there's no information on how to buy the new album under the "merch" section), but thankfully there's always amazon. I see on their tour information that they are playing Arlene's Grocery in New York, which I discovered is actually not a grocery store.

Remember when rock bands had long hair and wore flannel for comfort, not irony, and remember when they’d stumble around doing crazy things like PLAYING GUITARS WITH BEER BOTTLES and SPRINTING FROM ONE END OF THE STAGE TO THE OTHER?  Fuck the 80s revival, the 90s was obviously a superior decade.  Allow me to list the evidence:  fashion-stagnant icons (“grunge”), Winona Ryder’s snatch (been there, done that), glorified nasal tones, and, most importantly, a general dismissal of happiness in favor of talking about doing important things while doing nothing (see “Reality Bites” for reference).

On Saturday, Our Lady of the Lake Church hosted The Greatest Band Ever…to Come out of Minnesota between the Years of 1992 and 1995.  That’s right, mofos, I’m talking about Soul Asylum.  This band not only fulfills every 90s era requisite, as listed above*, but as a bonus singer Dave Pirner still appears to be living in the 90s, as confirmed by his torn jeans and Aquaman t-shirt.  It was—and I’m being completely sincere—an amazing night. 

The Honeydogs at OLL Blast!, Mound, Minnesota (05/02/09) ♥ photo by Kate

The show opened with another local favorite, the Honeydogs, who brought horns for the occasion.  Like many bands of a certain age and ilk, the Honeydogs are best heard live.  As a studio group, their music is straightforward mature rock with an unusual lyrical edge over similar acts (early song themes include race relations and cultural alienation).  Fussy twenty-somethings may not appreciate the band’s tame anthemic style or the crowd draw of mostly L.L Bean-clad professionals, to which I say “fair enough, but how many mid-90s bands can lure hundreds of fans to Mound, Minnesota (population 9,435, birthplace of Kevin Sorbo) and pull off a slim jean designed for men half their ages?”  (The answer is:  at least two.)  I should also mention that the quote of the night goes to Adam Levy who charmed the (presumably conservative) audience with a few deliberate “support your troops” cheers:

Levy:  (after informing us that his once-teenage son had intended to enlist) “By the way, my son never went to Iraq.  He discovered mushrooms instead.”

Soul Asylum at OLL Blast!, Mound,   Minnesota (05/02/09) ♥ photo by Kate Soul Asylum - Runaway Train Soul Asylum

I think you know you’ve “made it,” or in Soul Asylum’s case, “made it, lost it, and re-made it,” when you have a man whose sole responsibility is to hand you your guitar (or in Soul Asylum’s case, physically position the guitar in your arms).  Dave Pirner has (re)made it.  Another testament to your lasting fame is the number of women available to carry your child (at least one; she knocked me in the head while frantically waving her arms in what I determined to be code for “please infiltrate me with your love tool”).  Dave Pirner still has it.  Regardless of the holy location, Soul Asylum rocked the Devil’s music in a hard way, pulling out all the stops; never have I seen middle-aged men attempt—and almost succeed at—sweaty, dated stage acrobatics like Pirner’s hip gyrations (still sexy) and Dan Murphy’s awkward guitar slide.  At one point I turned to my friend and said “I feel as though I’m having a childhood experience that I never actually had” (this was likely during “Misery”).  And yes, I know what you’re wondering:  they still play “Runaway Train.”  In fact, despite years of heavy substance intake, Pirner’s voice sounded pretty good.  He looked pretty good too; moving about in a youthful manner, as I mentioned earlier, as well as telling some jokes, smiling, acting gracious and friendly…it seems that the bratty rock star grew up. 

The band played a full set plus encore, where Kraig Johnson, formerly of the Jayhawks, joined in for a few crowd-pleasing covers (“My Generation,” “Should I Stay or Should I Go”).  Johnson made a hasty exit after some trashy bitch threw a plastic beer cup at him (don’t worry, Tommy Stinson was ready with a hug**) and the show concluded with Pirner inviting his roadies onstage to play a few notes and later to pack up the instruments.

I have no idea if Soul Asylum are touring.  Their website hasn’t been updated since 2008, but feel free to dream.  The Honeydogs are a bit more prolific, with local shows later this summer (go HERE or HERE for more information).

UPDATE:  Soul Asylum has a handful of upcoming shows, as per their Myspace.

* Dave Pirner had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in “Reality Bites”
** Stinson (The Replacements) joins the band on bass and Michael Bland (Prince) replaces former drummer Karl Mueller, who passed away in 2005.

I attended a Bob Dylan (official/myspace) tribute event last night at the Red Stag Supper Club, in Minneapolis. The event was also a listening party for Dylan's 33rd studio album, Together Through Life (released today, April 28^th on Columbia Records). The turnout was pretty good (although I will confess most of the people there - they were there to eat dinner), and a few W♥M locals turned up: Brody, Carl, Kate (not to be confused with new Kate), and Lara.

As the name of the 'venue' suggest, this is a restaurant - so the sound of people chattering and eating is really not ideal for a show (especially when the majority of the acts are singer/songwriter acoustic sets). I don't know what the noise ordinance was for that area, but everyone agreed that they should've turned up the mic and sound system and really blast it.

Local musicians turned up to do Dylan covers, including Martin Devaney (myspace) , Sam Cassidy from At Any Speed and Shoreline (official/myspace), Andy Ulseth (myspace) and Derek Helland from Victory Ship (myspace).

We have previously mentioned two of the band on the bill, Victory Ship and Andy Ulseth - so be sure to check out our previous articles.

Incidentally, lady luck must've been shining on me last night because I ended up winning one of the contest: a book by Bob Dylan and Barry Feinstein called Hollywood Foto-Retoric and an EP called Things Have Changed. The book is a Dylan poetry book, with Feinstein photos. Some of the pairings are questionable, like the Charlie Chapin photo with "Madness" by Dylan. I wish the photos were printed on larger pages (it's such a rare glimpse into the lives of Hollywood stars and I wish the black and white images are in greater details). Either way, I am very happy with my winnings, and am very glad I showed up.

As for Dylan's album, Together Through Life, I do have a copy here and listening to the first few tracks, you'll notice one thing: Dylan's voice have dramatically gotten more and more rustier (in a good whiskey-hearing way). Check out the new single "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" to know what I mean. If you like the song, head over to beyondhereliesnothin.com to use the lyrics of the song to create a portrait.

Songs from the album seems to be Dylan love songs, reminiscent of his semi-recent albums Modern Times and Love and Theft, so if you enjoyed those albums, you will love the direction this album is heading in.

The album comes in four major formats: a standard CD (all original Dylan songs), a 2CD/1DVD set (the second CD includes songs written by other people), digital MP3s (c'mon, just pay a little more and get the CD), and 180 gram vinyl - for the old school fans. As usual, I would recommend the 3 disc set, for even casual fans.

Starting in July, Bob Dylan and His Band, John Mellencamp, and Willie Nelson, are going on a national "Minor League Baseball Park" tour. You can either buy tickets for field tickets or a seated bleacher (which I will suggest you bring binoculars).

It should be loads of fun, and children under the age of 14 can get in free with an adult. Tickets doesn't officially go on sale until May, but I believe fans signed up for his email list gets first dibs on pre-sale tickets.

ALSO: Out today is The Black Crowes' Warpaint Live album on Eagle Rock Entertainment. The live album are live songs of every song (in the correct order) from the Crowes' previous studio album Warpaint. The album also comes with a bonus live CD, you can read more details on our news.weheartmusic.com website.

I like to begin reviews with a clever anecdote to draw in my readers.  It’s fun for everyone, but especially fun for me because I consistently amuse myself.  When Farewell Milwaukee played the Fine Line, I knew singer Ben Lubeck looked really familiar; not in the sense that I had stalked him on Facebook or met him IRL (In Real Life) or even that I’d seen the band perform before (I had).  The reason why he looked familiar is because he is Shaggy from Scooby-Doo.  I kid you not, readers; Ben Lubeck is tall, lanky, shaggy-haired Shags.  The resemblance is uncanny, although I sincerely hope that he doesn’t take offense by this comment (I don’t know why he would since Shaggy drove an amazing green van AND solved mind-boggling mysteries). 

Farewell Milwaukee may not frequent haunted houses searching for ne’er-do-wells and secret treasure maps or whatever, but they do make sprawling roots rock, which is basically the same.  The band was born “Montreal” about five years ago, released one album, briefly split to dwell and deliberate, reappearing in 2008 with a new name and a new direction.  “Farewell Milwaukee” is homage to the boys’ Midwest loyalty (interestingly, I like to call Milwaukee the “Montreal of Wisconsin,” for its diversity of things to do and the fact that there are things to do).  The band is comfortably settled in, going so far as to state that “while most bands are fleeing their homes for the coastal cities of New York and Los Angeles, [they embrace] the role that their Midwestern towns have played in shaping them artistically.”  As artists, their music has a slight twang that could probably be attributed to that indefinable Midwestern panache.  A friend of mine, who lives on the East Coast, is always quick to point out that Minnesota’s music scene is comprised of bands with a distinct, unifying sound; regardless of whether a musician labels himself as “indie rock” versus “Americana” there’s something, some common connector, that appeals to everyone.

Farewell Milwaukee at Fine Line, Minneapolis (03/20/09) ♥ photo by Kate

Farewell Milwaukee has this something in spades.  I’d say that their crowd-draw feature is beautiful, flawless harmonization.  Seriously, these fellas know how to drop a jaw.  There was a moment during the show when all five musicians took the mic, a capella style, and a sort of a collective hush grabbed the audience, as if everyone was unconsciously holding their breath (I’m 99% certain there was at least one person doing the eyes-closed-in-the-groove sway).  This mass stimulation speaks highly of the band’s chemistry, not only on stage, but as technical artists.  At the risk of sounding like an after school special “moral of the week,” I want to point out that even the casual music fan can tell when a band has a positive relationship—they’re either in sync or off balance; no amount of practice can mask ambivalence (obvious, right?). 

It pleases me to emphasize that Shags and the gang sound every bit the handsome gentlemen that they are, even when lying to ladies (“Liar”).  Dressed like average dudes, their tunes are accessible, with a comfortable, familiar base appeal (music like this is timeless; perhaps it’s called “Americana” because there will always be a place for rustic, dirty-pretty rock in American culture, East Coast naysayers be damned).  I think that the climactic quality of “Liar” sticks the most, but “Make ‘Em Smile” is an equally strong track, from its stark opening to Lubeck’s wistful vocals.  Lyrically, the songs don’t deviate much from love, heartbreak and life woes (the holy triptych of songwriting), but sincerity lends itself to unanimity—we can all relate to these themes—and the live presentation is what’s going to solidify the band’s talents.

Farewell Milwaukee is Ben Lubeck (vocals, guitar), Adam Lamoureux (vocals, Hammond, Wurlitzer, piano, Rhodes, mandolin), Aaron Markson (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Brad Fox (drums, percussion), and Kyle Magstadt (bass).  The band has local shows this month, playing April 16 at the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis.  For more information on shows, or to stay updated on the release of their first full-length album, “Autumn Rest Easy,” visit their website at www.farewellmilwaukee.com, or Myspace and Facebook.

Hey ya’ll (that’s an homage to Vu’s travels down south).  I’m sorry, this review is grossly overdue, please don’t be a hater.  Fortunately, this was an interesting night, and besides the wealth of minors that obstructed my view, the music was pretty good.  Let’s talk about the music.

Openers Resplandor are from Peru, not Beirut*

Hopefully this doesn’t sound like I’m making a cultural stereotype, but all five members had that dark, brooding elegance that I associate with South America.  Similarly, their music was also dark, brooding, and slightly off-putting.  Singer Aracelli Fernandez is just a wee thing up on stage; all crazy with the hair and the New Age hand movements.  The band lists a lot of shoegaze influences, like My Bloody Valentine and the Stone Roses, but if I were to belittle their artistic merit with inane categorization I’d call it “Innocuous Art Rock,” meaning they lacked that careful balance between humdrum drone and ephemeral brilliance that My Bloody Valentine, for example, achieved in aces.  I’d say Resplandor has potential, which isn’t meant to be condescending in the way you might call something bland “nice,” just a courteous suggestion to push forward (after all, this is certainly the genre to challenge conventions).  Resplandor has a few summer dates in Toronto (NXNE music festival); Myspace or Website.

Bell at the 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (03/07/09) ♥ photo by Kate

The crowd had probably doubled by the time BELL came on, an irrelevant statistic (nobody ever shows up early) that, in the moment, seemed odd, since I assumed BELL’s following would be minimal.  I guess I was wrong (and also not cool).

Fellas:  Olga Bell is a cutie. 

Half-way through BELL’s set Kate admitted that the smiley singer’s stage persona was sort of unsettling (because she seemed happy and to be enjoying herself), a sad statement on today’s bitter frown-y music scene.  Why do we find comfort in vulgarity and self-loathing?  Why are pleasant, well-adjusted artists turn-offs?  Something to explore in therapy, I suppose.  But since music can be therapy, I will freely disclose that Bell’s smiling made me smile.  So what if her clear, soaring vocals channeled early Bjork?  So what, We Heart Music.  BELL’s thing (her je ne sais quoi) was so charming that every snide aside I felt obligated to share just went “poof” when she pulled out that cute little mini-keytar!  And, you know, the girl kind of kicked ass.  Despite this being their first tour, the band sounded sharp—Bell on keyboard, doing her samples and loop-de-looping and blippity blipping, her two drummers adding a necessary and impressive rhythmic oomph—the result was effective.  I know BELL inspired at least one dude in the room to shake his groove thang because he did so right behind me.  If a band can make the whitest white man gyrate his hips in such an alarming, graceless, amazing way, while simultaneously drinking a pint of beer, then that band can probably say “we’ve made it.”  BELL will be starting the East Coast leg of her tour at the end of April.  For a full list of concert dates, visit Myspace.  If you’d like to buy a copy of BELL’s EP, go here:  Website.

Asobi Seksu sex you.

I’m sure I don’t need to remind Asobi Seksu fans that the band’s name roughly translates as “fun sex,” so I won’t, even though I did.  Teeny tiny Yuki (small singer night!) is Asian (obvious) and they all call New York home.  So, sexy name + Asian singer + New York ÷ Minnesota = A LOT of underage Asian girls + their white boyfriends.  Seriously, Asian invasion.  Resplandor and BELL may have brought the young and hip, but Asobi Seksu brought the fever:  YELLOW FEVER.  And let me tell you, Yuki rocked it.  Right away the audience was treated to a full dose of pint-size fury, as Yuki thrashed about on stage, barely visible over the top of the microphone stand.  The combination of her dreamy, albeit often indecipherable voice and the forceful instrumentation was impressive live (studio polish really doesn’t befit these noisy bands).  It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the wave of sound, as it basically crushes that small part of your brain that responds to creative stimulation; conversely, the same effect makes it difficult to consciously distinguish one sound wave from another.  A few times during the night I lost my train of listening and drifted (something that is neither good nor bad).  Happily, Asobi Seksu played favorites from Citrus (i.e. “Strawberries,” “Thursday”) along with selections from their new album Hush, including the first single “Me & Mary.”  The band is currently on tour.  Full dates on Myspace and Website (apparently the website redirects back to Myspace).  Hush is available now; purchase HERE.

* When the band introduced themselves I thought they said ‘Beirut’ instead of ‘Peru,’ so I loudly remarked “Beirut!  Zach Condon eat your heart out!” or something equally tactless.  Now I am embarrassed for myself.

After a long day of schmoozing and being obnoxiously charming, I couldn’t have looked forward to Fujiya & Miyagi’s show any more than I did.  (My real job involves niceness.)  Turning F&M way, way up on the drive into Minneapolis, I was itching to dance and be in the company of friends.  And luckily, in this case, the build-up made the delivery deliciously satisfying.

School of Seven Bells opened up the sold-out show.  I’d heard them on the radio a few times before and was entertained but not intrigued.  Never had that urge to Wikipedia them or play hooky in order to pick up their album.  And, for me, that feeling carried over to their live performance.  Identical twins, Alejandra and Claudia Dehez, are gorgeous and have the voices to match; guitarist Benjamin Curtis is obviously very talented (and under-utilized, in my opinion) but their set, on the whole, left me with a general feeling of indifference.  If I can say this without sounding like an after-school special, I think SoSB has enormous potential and just doesn’t realize it yet.  Keep your eye on them, though. 

Surprisingly, the crowd thinned out a little after School, which was alright with me since I couldn’t see nor breathe. 

Let’s move on to shakin’ it. 

Fujiya & Miyagi.  Yes, yes, yes.  The fine English gentlemen opened with “Sore Thumb,” a scene-setting song from their most recent release, “Lightbulbs.”  A song that says, “You’re going to need your sexy dance pants for us.”  And that crazy talkin’ song speaks the truth.  Next up was “Ankle Injuries” from 2007’s Transparent Things, featuring (gasp!) a real, live drummer!  Prior to this tour, F&M were a trio with a drum machine.  The addition of said drummer, Lee Adams, was a wise choice, resulting in fuller, cruder sound (there is such a thing as too precisely perfect, you know).

With that excellent and promising start, the boys led us through an evening of spellbinding entertainment, perfectly transitioning from high energy crowd-pleasers to stare-off-into-space soundtracks to your silly little daydreams.  Both Lightbulbs and Transparent Things were well represented.  And with the crowd being so tight, the sound being so together and my hips having a mind of their own, I felt like I had invited all of my friends (and their friends and their friends) into my living room for a spontaneous drunken dance party.  Something about this show felt more intimate, more comfortable than most.  I guess that’s what happens when everything comes together perfectly: David Best’s sultry whispers and complex guitar work, Steve Lewis’ hard beats and fancypants technological skills, Matt Hainsby’s hot bass grooves, and an overcrowded room of eager hipsters.  Damn.

Fujiya & Miyagi are not the guys to listen to when you want to relive your most recent break-up or explore your sensitive side.  I don’t think most people could say they feel an ‘emotional connection’ to this noise but I prefer it that way.  Sometimes you need to turn your head off and move.

This is music you feel in your tailbone; these are songs that dare you to stand still; this rhythm is seriously going to get you (yeah, I just said that).

Fujiya and Miyagi are on tour in support of 2008’s Lightbulbs.  Don’t miss them if you can help it.

Tour dates can be found on their Myspace page at: http://myspace.com/fujiyaandmiyagi.

 11/28/2008 19:39:28  ♥ written by kate ()

After listening to Love is All’s sensational debut album, Nine Times that Same Song, I immediately looked forward to its follow-up.  This was music I wanted to whip out quirky dance moves for—some awkward thrashing and lively kicking.  It was scratchy, dirty, balls-to-the-wall and contagious.  It’s been three years and I’m happy to say that the sophomore album, A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night, is anything but slumpy.

I’m a girl so let’s talk about feelings first.  Josephine Olausson seems like the type of lady I’d like to share a beer with.  Despite the band’s name, bitterness and loneliness are the prominent emotions of this album.  Olausson squeaks and chirps in her noisy, adorable way about the sad truths of life and love with shiny little gems like: “Forget I ever mentioned my heart”, “In a taxi going home, way too early, on your own” and “Threw my money in a wishing well, but nothing got better, only slightly wet.”  Yep, wrap that up in a sparkly, yippy, post-punk box, give it to your favorite unhappy gal pal this holiday season and watch her reaction.  She’ll be sure to call Josephine immediately to say something like, “Oh honey, I know.  These things keep all of us up at night.  I’m exhausted too.”

You know the sparkly, yippy, post-punk box I mentioned?  Yeah, that’s the sound.  Continually inspiring that awkward thrashing, A Hundred Things features a much cleaner production than Nine Times, although it is still plenty dirty.  The four men backing Olausson provide messy riffs and hot sax (SAX) that’ll make you swoon, bat your eyelashes and then throw something breakable against the door.  This is the bi-polar excellence that Love is All is known for. 

I’ve thanked Sweden before and I’ll do it again.  Thanks, Sweden.  You’re the best!  Stay sweet, never change!  Math was brutal, have an awesome summer!  Keep in touch!  (I’m done with that now.) 

Love is All is currently touring the US.  Get out and show some affection for a band that seems to need it.  I’m guessing hugs would be welcome.

 10/08/2008 21:07:12  ♥ written by kate ()

Rachael Yamagata - Duet Rachael Yamagata 1 comment Tour Dates 10/10/08 Borders Los Angeles, CA 10/28/08 9:30 Club  Washington DC 10/29/08 World Cafe Live  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 10/30/08 Bowery Ballroom New York 10/31/08 Paradise Rock Club (Hotel Cafe Tour) Boston, Massachusetts 11/01/08 Music Hall of Williamsburg  Brooklyn, New York 11/03/08 Bogart’s Front Room (Hotel Cafe Tour) Cincinnati, Ohio 11/05/08 Park West Chicago, Illinois 11/06/08 The Varsity Theater (Hotel Cafe Tour) Minneapolis, Minnesota 11/07/08 High Noon Saloon (Hotel Cafe Tour) Madison, Wisconsin 11/08/08 Blueberry Hill (Hotel Cafe Tour) St. Louis, Missouri 11/09/08 Liberty Hall (Hotel Cafe Tour) Lawrence, Kansas 11/11/08 Bluebird (Hotel Cafe Tour) Denver, Colorado 11/12/08 Avalon Theater (Hotel Cafe Tour) Salt Lake City, Utah 11/13/08 Knitting Factory Concert House (Hotel Cafe Tour) Boise, Idaho 11/14/08 Doug Fir Lounge (Hotel Cafe Tour) Portland, Oregon 11/15/08 Chop Suey (Hotel Cafe Tour) Seattle, Washington 11/17/08 Great American Music Hall (Hotel Cafe Tour) San Francisco, California 11/18/08 Henry Fonda Theater (Hotel Cafe Tour) Los Angeles, California Read More Rachael Yamagata - Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart - Vox http://weheartmus... Rachael Yamagata - Elephants Today marks the release of Rachael Yamagata's Elephants...Teeth Sink... My two lovely dates and I arrived at the Fine Line on Thursday to an overly crowded room of sweaty and shouty douches.  I have to admit that I wasn’t very interested in being there at all on a weeknight as I am old and crotchety; but I also have to admit that, apart from the guy on crutches who seemed alright, the majority of the people at the show on Thursday seemed to be transplanted from a Taylor Swift appearance at the State Fair.  Needless to say, I started out the evening feeling grouchy and superior, a combination of feelings I don’t often step into.  It might get better though, so keep on keepin’ on. The opening act was a man named John Devine (pronounced “divine”), another little soapbox singer born of the hipster womb that’s located these days in Brooklyn.  Devine sang songs, like many before him, of protest, love, infidelity and cute girls who grow up to be hot.  I liked this guy and his guitar but only for a few minutes.  Eventually the singing/yelling got painful and the self-indulgent banter between himself and the audience made me a little sad.  At one point, after a song attacking the War on Terror, Devine got into a long, awkward conversation with a soldier in the audience.  The rest of us could only hear Devine’s tactful (and a little frightful, honestly) responses.  I was ready to sit down on the ground and drink myself into oblivion.  Okay, so it’s not better yet.  Just wait. We decided to go outside for some fresh air and good conversation in between acts, which turned into cigarettes and talking about periods (sorry about that).  After a bit, some real pretty sounds started to waft out into the frigid night air.  Rachael had finally started.  She began by apologizing in advance for her voice as she had come down with the flu.  And if you’ve heard Rachael sing before, you know that her sultry, raspy voice already sounds a bit sick (in a good way).  The addition of actual illness caused her to sound like Bryan Adams (and I mean that in the nicest way possible; I really do) but she trudged on.    Recently, Vu, the boss man here at W♥M confessed that he totally has the mega-watt hots for Ms. Yamagata and after Thursday night, I get it in a big way.  She’s lovely, lovely, lovely--the kind of performer who oozes sex appeal even while deathly ill.  And she oozes that sex appeal because she is believable, is not the plasticized version of sex we see 99.764% of the time.  Her words are honest; her smiles are honest; those drops of sweat and brow furrows are honest (at least I’m convinced they are).  These songs come from a very real place inside of her and to see that place represented so beautifully is brilliant and rare.  Yamagata gives a voice to emotions that so many of us have felt after love gone sour and the voice she gives them is sensational. (Take a look at Jason’s review here of her most recent album for a little more background.) Cute anecdote: for the encore, it was just Yamagata and her keyboard which turned out to be a little more than her vocal chords could handle as I’m sure they were exhausted and full of mucus.  So, some sweet, fan-girls in the front row belted out the notes she couldn’t hit, proving their teenage devotion.  Rachael seemed genuinely grateful and wheezed out more thanks than necessary, showing off a gorgeous smile and making those girls sing even louder.  (Maybe a bad move brought on by fever.  Just kidding, girls!) So, in the end, Kate the Grinch returned Christmas and joined all the Whos in Whoville as they sang their creepy Whoville song.  That is, until a drunken 40-year-old named Tom whistled so loudly in her ear that it throbbed the rest of the night.  Then she stole Christmas all over again. Rachael Yamagata is currently traveling the U.S., spreading all kinds of sickly germs.  Yum!  See her website for tour dates and learn her songs in case you need to help her.

 09/30/2008 09:21:20  ♥ written by kate ()

Matt Keating - Louisiana Matt Keating 1 comment Tour Dates 10/08/08 Momo’s Austin, Texas 10/09/08 Fairmount Ft. Worth, Texas 10/10/08 Java Cabana Memphis, TN 10/11/08 Jim Apel’s Barbeque/House Concert Alexander, Arkansas 10/13/08 WDVX Blue Plate Special Knoxville, TN, Tennessee 10/14/08 The Cave Chapel Hill, NC 10/15/08 Eddie’s Attic Decateur, GA 11/02/08 Zuzu’s Beacon, New York 12/06/08 Mocha Maya’s Shelburne Falls, MA, Massachusetts Read More Matt Keating http://weheartmus... When I first saw that this was a two-disc release (23 tracks) for Quixotic, I must confess, I wa...