Touring to support his latest solo release These People,Richard Ashcroft, former frontman of The Verve, performed at New York’s Terminal 5 on Monday evening and treated a packed house of dedicated fans to a night of music that spanned the prolific artist’s catalog—both old and new.
To say the New York stop on Ashcroft’s current tour was an excellent, flawless performance would be a dramatic understatement. Nearly every song in Ashcroft’s set on Monday had some degree of improvisation lending his live show a genuinely unique tone and experience as he led his backing band in a myriad of directions.
Ashcroft himself stated at the beginning of his set that watching some bands perform you’d do just as well watching a hologram, and given Monday’s performance, by comparison I’d have to agree. Ashcroft truly gave his New York fans a gift that will linger in memories for some time. I only hope he returns to play again.
Big Wreck is a very special kind of band. One that has a truly unique sound, an unrivaled live show, and a frontman who does a remarkable job transporting the listener through storytelling and thought-provoking lyrics.
Formed by Ian Thornley in Boston back in 1994, Big Wreck released a stellar piece of work in the form of their debut album In Loving Memory Of. This record spawned a couple of minor radio hits for the band. The folks who got it know that Big Wreck never really got their fair share in the clouded and confused major label clusterfuck of mediocre rock at the time. But more importantly, it was just enough to lay a foundation for the band to build upon for the next decade.
I haven’t seen Big Wreck since 1994 back in my hometown of St. Louis as the band rarely tours the lower States because they remain quite popular in Canada and the New York/ New England area with a rabid fan base. During a business trip to New York City last week I saw that the band was playing a show at the Gramercy. I extended my trip by one day to see this one, and holy hell was it worth it.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 50 years since ZZ Top formed back in Houston Texas. For one reason or another, I’ve never seen the band live and thought it was about time I do so. That opportunity came during a recent work trip to New York City where I found out the band would be playing at the legendary Beacon Theater. Even though I had to deliver a speech the next day at a tech marketing conference, I jumped on the opportunity. On top of that, I was able to score a photo pass to get my gear inside.
Having never shot at the Beacon before, to say that it was a challenge is an understatement. We were limited to the far sides of the stage and with all the photogs piled up on one side, I ran to the other and had stage left all to myself. I quickly realized that the duo of Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons tend to cater toward stage right, so I was in quite a difficult position. Regardless, I did what I had to do to get some decent shots. Did I miss the big EPIC ones? Yeah, maybe. But there were half a dozen photogs on the other side to get those shots. I was going to pull a George Constanza (and do the opposite).
You would never guess that these guys have been jamming for close to five decades as they came out on fire with “Got Me Under Pressure” as the opener. Up next was “Waitin’ for the Bus,” right into “Jesus Just Left Chicago.” Then it was time for a couple of hits before diving into a blues extravaganza including a slowed down, boozy version of the Hendrix classic “Foxy Lady.” The rest of the set was a jam-palooza of ZZ Top staples old and new, topped off with a finale of the King’s signature track “Jailhouse Rock.”
A few weeks ago, we sat down with Delicate Steve and listened to his new album start to finish, talking process and inspiration.
This Is Steve launches with a riff straight from the gut. Day 1 in the studio, he walked up to the mic and thought, “Tame Impala is a big band,” and let it rip. After 5 years, 3 studios and still unsatisfied with the results, Steve Marion, aka Delicate Steve, had arrived at Outlier Studios in June of 2015 intentionally cold with nothing written, embarking on a journey of automatic writing, musical free association.
He’d come to realize he felt most happy with the first Delicate Steve album, and it had been recorded with the simple goal of finishing an album within a set period of time. Thus was the mantra at Outlier. “I’m going to go up there and just do the first thing that comes to mind. I need to finish this album because I know if I don’t finish it, I’ll get in my head.”
We were floored by this idea. Jeff literally stopped the record, exclaiming, “Are you kidding me? That’s f’ing crazy? Are you hearing this?” Obviously this could have easily backfired, and you end up like Some Kind of Monster-era Metallica standing around in the studio without a single lick. We are often trying to remember that place in the mind where the songwriting spark happens. It’s hard to recall, vague and illusive, but here it is captured on tape.
So I’m in New York City for a speaking gig at a marketing conference called ClickZ Live, and Ace Frehley is playing down the street at B.B. King in Times Square. Having just witnessed the epic David Gilmour show the night before, I think what the hell, I’ve got to keep the rock ‘n’ roll momentum alive. What better way to do that then to see one of the greatest guitar players of all time?
I’ve been a KISS fan since I was a kid, 27 years a card-carrying member of the KISS Army. Growing up I actually thought that these guys had superpowers. Any why wouldn’t I? No one had ever seen KISS without their makeup in the ’70s, something that will never happen again in this real-time media world where virtually every person on the planet has a media studio in their back pocket. In the case of KISS though, they had the songs and the musical chops to not only sustain that mystique, but to take it to another level—and Ace was my favorite member.
It’s the second night of two gigs at B.B. King and the place is pretty jam-packed. The guy in front of me is wearing a GnR shirt from the shows last weekend in Vegas—he’s from Spain and went to both, and now he’s front row for Ace. That’s a fucking rock ‘n’ roll trooper for ya. He tells me there is a rumor that Paul Stanley is going to make an appearance, something that turned out to be just that, a rumor.
Will David Gilmour and Roger Waters ever tour together again as Pink Floyd? Gilmour famously said he is “done with Pink Floyd” during an interview in 2014, but dammit, if Axl and Slash can share a stage in 2016 then there really is no reason why Gilmour and Waters can’t put aside their differences. That’s just wishful thinking of course, but in the meantime, I’m quite happy with what Mr. Gilmour has going on currently.
A brilliant new record titled Rattle the Lock (released in September of 2015) and a handful of tour dates featuring songs from Rattle along with a slew of Pink Floyd classics. I was in New York earlier this week and caught the show at the legendary Madison Square Garden.
This was my first time to MSG and surprisingly the first time I’ve seen David Gilmour live. I’ve seen Roger Waters several times before, then again he tours much more frequently. Another thing to note is that as a photojournalist I absolutely refuse to use stock photo in my reviews and for the first time in several years I didn’t have a photo pass for this show. Apparently they are just impossible to come by. (For the record, Roger has always been very photog friendly so I’m not sure why management was so strict. Furthermore, I have no idea what the benefit is of having one photographer shoot every show.)
A short while back I went record-shopping with Dan Teicher, guitarist-producer-founder of pop-rock-plus-strings band The Ludlow Thieves. We decided to hit up Other Music, a high-end music store in Manhattan’s NoHo area.
The store takes vinyl seriously, selling brand-new records (amongst other items) of masterwork albums from yesteryear and yesterday, at exorbitant prices. Well, exorbitant for us vinyl enthusiasts whose sense of pricing halted its modernization when our musical taste did—i.e. 1994. Still, Other Music deserves kudos for matching lofty price tags with lofty musical principles, offering up a vinyl selection that Rob of High Fidelity could, theoretically, be proud of.
Teicher is quite into vinyl and quite into music history, which is evident in both his solo visual media scoring and the collective musical journey of his burgeoning band The Ludlow Thieves. He is the guitar guy and producer for the group—a band that has headlined the major venues in New York City.
The Thieves, an ensemble-first band that counts two vocalists and a violinist amongst its members, recently released their EP “Skyline” and will be celebrating yet another EP release entitled “Sing Me Back” this Friday with a performance at Webster Hall.
But there is more too—much more!—on the way. Teicher, like many of us, sees both the upsides and downsides of the digital age and its effects on musical consumption. Amidst our jaunt around Other Music, these up and downsides were discussed, as were the Thieves’ main influences, why modern-day listeners prefer intro-less songs, and what to do when your parents neglect to properly care for their own vinyl collections—the bastards.
Dan Teicher: I assume you must be a vinyl nut.
Well yes, but I don’t buy as many new records as I would like to—only because, look at these prices. Thirty dollars for one album? Like, what?!
It’s so cool to have vinyl. But—it’s hard to justify getting a new album unless you’re trying to seriously support a new band. My record player’s a shitty little record player too. It’s like a classic old-school player, and I’m trying to figure out a way to involve it in my studio set-up to get a better sound quality out of it. I’d almost rather listen to a CD if I’m going to support a band because for me and my audio set-up, a CD would have better sound quality. However, I’m all about raiding the racks for one-dollar used records. But it doesn’t look like they have too many of those here…
Yeah, this is pretty high-end. Which in theory is super cool—taking vinyl seriously. How did your band, The Ludlow Thieves, get started?
Well, I started performing under the name Ludlow Thieves by myself. I recorded something which will never see the light of day that I sang on. About two weeks after I recorded it, I listened to it with fresh ears and was like “Oh, I should not be singing at all.”
I tend to like guitarists’ voices though, even when they’re not typical singers, like when Keith Richards sings.
You like when Keith sings? Well, you know what—when we get to that Rolling Stones point, when we all go do our solo albums, maybe I’ll reconsider.
Genre-wise, Josh Rosenthal’s new book is a medley of memoir, music criticism, and a how-to guide on music listening.
Entitled The Record Store of the Mind, it loosely tells the story of Rosenthal’s musical life from his origins as a PolyGram intern right up until his recent-ish (2005) founding of Tompkins Square Records. Along that route, he had stints at larger operations—Columbia and Sony.
Rosenthal’s releases through Tompkins Square over the past ten years have largely consisted of reissued and long-forgotten musical material (i.e. Roland White’s 1976 album I Wasn’t Born to Rock’n Roll) and never-before-released-but-should-have-been-long-ago material (i.e. Tim Buckley’s Live at the Folklore Center, NYC – March 6, 1967). This chosen focus stays true to Rosenthal’s record collector character—forever seeking out a classic bit of vinyl that people have forgotten about and need to hear again right away.
This kind of mindset places worth upon history, it places worth upon the effects of passed time on a work of art. It places worth upon the voice of a narrow perspective that spoke directly from a given year, a year during which a myriad of events occurred, a year that was defined by statistics which determined its color and taste, statistics that could never be reproduced in that same way ever again.
The two time Grammy Award winner is preparing to release Lalah Hathaway Live on October 30th—available on vinyl, CD, and DVD from Hathaway Entertainment with distribution by eOne Music. This album was recorded at the Troubadour in Los Angeles this past April. It’s the same stage upon which her father, Donny Hathaway, recorded his Live album in 1972.
Several surprise guests joined LaLah Hathaway in NYC—jazz legend Chick Corea, Valerie Simpson (Ashford & Simpson), Freddie Jackson, Jonathan McReynolds, and songwriter James Day.
Check out Hathaway’s new video “Little Ghetto Boy” from her forthcoming Lalah Hathaway Live.
PHOTOS: DAVE BARNHOUSER | In the world of rock music today, there are a scant few bands still touring who can be categorized as “living legends.” The Stones. The Boss. McCartney. Yet even with the legendary history behind those great artists, none today have the sheer power—dare I say the “high voltage rock and roll”—of the mighty AC/DC. After four decades of the purest, no-frills heavy rock on the planet, the band is still at it and as heavy as ever.
On this stop at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the faces had changed a bit, but the rock stayed the same. Former drummer (Razor’s Edge-era) Chris Slade has rejoined the fold, stepping behind the kit for longtime drummer Phil Rudd, who is under house arrest due to some, well, legal issues.
The other change in the lineup, and the most disappointing one, would be the absence of founding member and band leader Malcolm Young. Retired due to debilitating health issues, the band kept it in the family, recruiting nephew Stevie Young to fill the void at stage right on rhythm guitar.
TVD photographer Doug Seymour traveled to the Brooklyn Bowl on July 18th to chronicle an evening with The Detroit Cobras. The Cobras blend obscure rock and soul classics with a gritty charm that make the songs all their own.
Lead singer Rachel Nagy owned the stage with a rock and roll swagger that was electric. Check out the balance of Seymour’s photos below—and the Cobras live.
Pete Donnelly’s musical resume is pretty damn impressive. He’s the bass player firmly associated with legendary rock band NRBQ. He’s the singer-songwriter with several solo releases to his name. He’s the co-writer of “I Can’t Imagine,” the title track of Shelby Lynne’s recently released album. And of course, he’s the founding member of phenomenal rock band The Figgs, having worked with The Replacements’ Tommy Stinson, as well as the great Graham Parker.
Along with Mike Gent, Donnelly founded The Figgs in 1987 and they are still going strong, with a recent album release that just might be their best yet. Other Planes of Here is an eight-track wonder of a record, a record that sets forth free-sounding tunes at once loyal to aurally stimulating melodies and compositionally new. While staying true to their rock-heavy roots, The Figgs have allowed their musicality to grow and their sound to evolve into one that incorporates and is influenced by a variety of instruments and genres. The result, manifested this year in Other Planes, is thoroughly, thoroughly good.
In conversation with Pete Donnelly, we learn more about The Figgs’ story and the making of Other Planes, as well as Donnelly’s numerous artistic influences and his warranted and well-articulated thoughts on the current state of the music industry.
First of all, congratulations on the new Figgs album Other Planes of Here, it’s really great. How did you devise its overall aural aesthetic? Because it seems to be a newer sound for you guys, incorporating more experimental musical components, more computerized effects.
Yeah, the Figgs certainly have an organic process. I think that we usually edit down quite a bit and focus on being sort of a pop band versus an experimental band. We tend to be tight and to the point, but we do have another side of us which is very experimental. I think in this case we decided to let it go and to not edit the process. We sort of wanted to take the audience into the process of recording, and I think the experimental side sort of opened a doorway into what gets our songs together. Often times we would edit that out of the final picture, but here we decided to leave it in.
How would you describe the band’s typical compositional process? Do you guys usually write together?
We do all kinds of things. I’d say that traditionally, Mike (Gent) and I write songs and come together in the studio or a rehearsal space, blast through a number of them and just see what clicks. As we’ve gotten older over the years, we’ve tried certain things where we’d write in the studio, come up with a theme or musical idea, just sort of experiment with it and write a song to it. It’s generally a more modern technique, making tracks and then writing to them. Sometimes we’ll have an unfinished song that one of us will come and finish. So it’s kind of anything goes. But because Mike and I write so much and come to the table with many songs, I think it’s the collaboration that makes it. Songwriting on paper is writing down a title, music, and lyrics, but the band contributes so much to, as you said, the aural picture. And I think on the new record, you can expect a lot more of that.
Five from Five is our recurring feature wherein TVD’s Mike Newman—he of Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records—shares with you all of the New York-centric things that he’s digging these days, from upcoming shows, to killer albums, to much more.
1. TONIGHT! Get thee to Rough Trade NYC for the magnificent Jacco Gardner! This Dutch pop-psych maestro and his band are amazing live…and will certainly will be playing great tunes from the brand-new Hypnophobia album.
I was just telling you about the Follakzoid show I went to a couple of weeks ago in this 5 from 5 post, and now I’ve got a copy of their latest album, III, to give away to one of you lucky TVDers…thanks to Sacred Bones Records!
“Föllakzoid began seven years ago as a trance experience between childhood friends. Their style comes deeply rooted in something much more substantial, meaningful and culturally significant, with grooves that are heavily informed by the heritage of the ancient music of South America’s Andes Mountains.
After breaking into our realm with II the group toured more than ever, playing across the world and taking in festivals such as Primavera, ATP, Lollapalooza, and SXSW. This time spent playing and experimenting solidified a deep-set musical bond that would ultimately act as the foundations for III.
Yo, hello. I’m starting this new Five From Five feature so I can share with you all of the New York-centric things that I’m digging these days, from upcoming shows to killer albums and much much more.
OK, not really “much much more,” because how much more do you need in life between live shows and pre-recorded jams? Not much, I would argue. And the great thing about it is we can tune out all that other bullshit people are talking about and listening to…and just concentrate on MY TASTE! (Disclaimer: other people listen to and talk about wonderful things.)
Anyway, I’ll knock it off and share with you the first Five from Five.
1. Dig this killer mind-fuck jammer, “Dutch Master,” from Brooklyn’s own Friend Roulette. Their new album I See You. Your Eyes Are Red comes out on June 2. Grab of it!
2. Annique Monet is brilliant. She’s from Florida, lives in Brooklyn, and made every sound on this album. Phantom Letters just came out last week on cassette/digi on Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records. Sit back and enjoy the “Relapse” song/vid and stream the rest of the album here.
