Lots of Thrill Jockey-related purchases on eBay. Last month I finally finished my Tortoise LP collection! I found a guy who was selling Thrill 013 aka the first Tortoise album who had “TNT” as well. He runs a small record shop in Washington and apparently gets Tortoise vinyl from time-to-time! The only vinyl missing from my Tortoise collection at this point is the “Gamera” 12″ and Rhythms, Resolutions & Clusters.
Tortoise – Tortoise (LP, Thrill Jockey thrill 013, 1994) ($20) This is not the first pressing Fireproof Press brown cardboard with brown screening and tab close cover. This is not the 1996 white with green screen sleeve either. This copy is a light grey plain sleeve with orange screening. I have seen this version frequently on eBay, but I don’t know if this is also the second pressing or if it is a third one.
Tortoise – TNT (2 LP, Thrill Jockey thrill 050, 1998) ($30) This release is probably the most popular release from Tortoise, and as such seems to be driving the price of the vinyl up. Expect to pay upwards of $40 without shipping for a copy of this. I can now rest easy having finished this collection!
Tortoise – Universal Buzz presents… Tortoise (CD-R, Universal Buzz Radio / Quantegy, 2001) ($9) This is a CD for a syndicated radio show called Universal Buzz Radio. This seems to be a show from the 1998 tour. Unfortunately, there isn’t any information on the CD or a tracklisting or what venue or city. An interesting piece for my collection.
Chicago Underground Duo – 12 Degrees of Freedom (CD, Thrill Jockey thrill 060, 1998) ($4)
Chicago Underground Duo – Synesthesia (CD, Thrill Jockey thrill 077, 2000) ($4)
Chicago Underground Duo – Axis and Alignment (CD, Thrill Jockey thrill 106, 2002) ($4)
Chicago Underground Duo – In Praise of Shadows (CD, Thrill Jockey thrill 168, 2006) $4) All four of these came from one auction which closed around $17 after shipping. Chicago Underground Duo is the pairing of Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor. These albums range from just the duo to albums with sidemen including Jeff Parker.
When I was at the Thrill Jockey 15th Anniversary shows back in December Bettina Richards told me that there was a cache of out-of-print Thrill Jockey vinyl that was discovered at their UK location. She said there was some Tortoise available among other titles.
Last Friday Thrill Jockey sent out an e-mail announcing that these titles are in stock and available for order. Some of these are impossibly rare and it’s pretty cool that they are back for a limited time. In addition to the vinyl, there are copies of Tortoise’s The Lazarus Taxon 3 CD / 1 DVD boxset that are priced lower than the original $19 price because they have some slight wear from shipping.
Don’t miss out on getting these, there won’t be another chance like this! The titles are limited to two per customer. The following titles are back:
Arbouretum – Rites of Uncovering – Arbouretum put on a great set at the Anniversary show. I reached out to David Heumann, who is also part of the great instrumental group Human Bell– to purchase a copy. The vinyl for Rites of Uncovering has been out of print for a bit with the only other vinyl in existence available from the band on tour.
Extra Golden – Ok-Oyot System – You’ve read some about Obama’s favorite Benga band on playbsides before. This is the group’s debut release on vinyl and a regular spin of mine from 2006.
Gray Market Goods – Soldier of Fortune / We Live in the Future– This is early Tortoise member Bundy K. Brown’s project from 2003. Apparently sample-based. I’ve not heard anything from it.
Daniel A.I.U. Higgs – Atomic Yggdrasil Tarot– 900 copies available from this solo release from Lungfish member Daniel A.I.U. Higgs.
Nobukazu Takemura – 10th This is one of the eclectic electronic artist’s more notable releases. This album includes “Fallslake” which Tortoise covered for the Plum box set (you can hear Tortoise’s version on their MySpace page currently). A Stereolab-sounding song, I think. update: this is now back out of print… SOLD OUT!
Chicago Underground Duo – In Praise of Shadows This is one I’m interested in picking up. Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor’s project.
Archer Prewitt – Three Archer Prewitt– from the venerable Sea and Cake’s third release, and debut on Thrill Jockey (his previous two LP efforts In The Sun and White Sky were released on Chicago label Carrot Top). Usually known as the silent partner in that band, he kicks his vocal talents to the fore and shows that his Anglophile pop whiles are as worthwhile a listen as Prekop, in my opinion.
Trans Champs – Double Exposure The Trans Champs are a combination of Thrill Jockey artists Trans Am and part of The Fucking Champs. This album was made via sharing tapes between the band.
Tortoise – It’s All Around You Wow, don’t miss out on this! It’s safe to say that this is the only Tortoise vinyl in print. Thrill Jockey is only asking a paltry $11 for this, and recent eBay auctions are creeping into the high $20’s. Update- Out of Stock!
While you’re putting your order together, don’t forget to pick up the amazing Plum 7″ box set— there’s only 50 left! The 15th Anniversary MegaMix by Trey Told ‘Em is still around, too.
Per the folks at Pitchfork (who heard from NME) Air’s landmark album Moon Safari will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a deluxe reissue. This reissue will bundle the original album, plus a disc of bonus material, and a DVD documentary ( Air:Eating, Sleeping, Waiting & Playing directed by Mike Mills, who did the cover art and some of the videos for Moon Safari). The release will happen March 31st on Virgin in the UK and April 15th on Astralwerks in the US.
So, as excited as I am about this release– when this album came out I had a pretty big crush on the lush French sounds– it’s missing songs. For a while I was collecting anything that sounded like Air (Dmitri from Paris, DJ Cam, Mellow, etc.). So, naturally, I have all of the import singles associated with Moon Safari, plus any of the tracks that showed up on compilations like the tres groovy Source Records compilations (Source was the label Air was on initially). It has some of the tracks from the singles, but not all. Here is the tracklist as advertised with where the track came from notated by moi:
Moon Safari:
01 La Femme d’Argent
02 Sexy Boy
03 All I Need
04 Kelly Watch the Stars
05 Talisman
06 Remember
07 You Make It Easy
08 Ce Matin Là
09 New Star in the Sky
10 Le Voyage De Pénélope
Moon Safari Remixes, Rarities and Radio Sessions:
01 Remember (David Whitaker version) (“Kelly Watch the Stars” Single)
02 Kelly Watch the Stars (live at the BBC 1998)
03 J’ai Dormi Sous L’Eau (live at the BBC 1998)
04 Sexy Boy (live at the BBC 1998)
05 Kelly Watch the Stars (Moog Cookbook remix) (“All I Need” Single)
06 Mabrouk (live on KCRW 1998)
07 You Make It Easy (live on KCRW 1998)
08 Bossa 96 (demo)
09 Kelly Watch the Stars (demo)
10 Sexy Boy (Beck ‘Sex Kino’ mix) (“Sexy Boy” Single)
DVD:
01 Eating, Sleeping, Waiting & Playing
02 Videos: “Sexy Boy”, “Kelly Watch the Stars”, “All I Need”, “Le Soleil Est Pres De Moi”
03 Album graphics
So, the rest of the tracks on the bonus disc are new– even to me. That’s enough of a reason for me to buy this.
But, What’s Missing?
“Sexy Boy (Etienne de Crecy & The Flower Pistols Remix)” (“Sexy Boy” single)
“Sexy Boy (Cassius Radio Mix)” (“Sexy Boy” single)
“Jeanne (with Francoise Hardy)” (“Sexy Boy” Single)
“Kelly Watch The Stars (American Girls Remix by Phoenix)” (“All I Need” single)
“Californie” (promotional flexi-disc, although this did get issued on the 1999 reissue of Premiers Symptomes. I consider this a Moon Safari period track)
“Cosmic Bird” (with Jean-Jacques Perrey) (SOURCELab 3 compilation)
Former Jayhawk Gary Louris’s solo album Vagabonds was released on 2/19. From a collector’s perspective this is a pretty interesting release in the bonus releases and tracks that exist.
First there was the Limited Edition 180g vinyl gatefold release which came out ahead of the CD release on January 29th. I couldn’t find how “limited” the release is– at least not from the press releases. I suppose this will only be one pressing.
On the release day last Tuesday, if you visited your local independent record store they might have had a promotional 6-track CD called Acoustic Vagabonds. Based on what I read, the tracks on this CD are based on the tracks from the CD and LP except stripped to Gary’s vocals and acoustic guitar. The songs are “True Blue,” “Omaha Nights,” “To Die A Happy Man,” “She Only Calls Me On Sundays,” “We’ll Get By,” and “Vagabonds.”
Additionally, iTunes and Amazon got in on the action by having digital versions of Vagabonds with unique bonus tracks! The really great thing about these bonuses is that if you wanted just the bonus tracks (like if you purchased the album from other means) you can purchase them individually! The only bummer is that the bonus tracks from iTunes aren’t “iTunes Plus” which means that they– unlike the Amazon tracks– are copy protected.
The Amazon bonus tracks are “Baby Let Me Take Care of You,” and “Fall Day (Demo).” “Baby Let Me Take Care of You” reminds me a lot like Nashville Skyline Bob Dylan with it’s pedal steel. “Fall Day” is a nice layered acoustic guitar instrumental.
The iTunes bonus tracks are psychedelic Byrdsy “Three Too Many,” and a beautiful Simon and Garfunkel falsetto in “Working Girl.”
I think it’s great that Louris and Rykodisc are being so generous with the outtakes and bonuses for Vagabonds– I’d like to see more labels and artists doing this.
Mark Olson as one of the founding members of the Jayhawks provided an early prototype of the revival of country-folk that would shape today what gets generally labelled “Americana” although he doesn’t necessarily believe in limiting his music by giving it that name. With his touring accomplices multi-instrumentalist Ingunn Ringvold and violinist Michele Gazich, Mark is back on the road supporting his brilliant 2007 release The Salvation Blues following a short break after last year’s run through the US and Europe. It was during his break in the middle of catching up on errands that Mark graciously accepted the invitation to talk to me from his current home in Joshua Tree, CA about collecting records.
Me: Thanks for talking to me today, Mark. Can you share with us some details about your record collection?
Mark: I’m a bit of a record collector from way back. I don’t do it so much now but. There is this Italian in the group who is, like, totally insane about going to bookstores and record stores and he buys way too much stuff for us to be on the road with it!
But, I did it at a certain point in my life and I guess it influenced my music all the way along and that’s collect records and stuff. I have a bunch of ’em. And books and things like that. I love to go into those kinds of stores. I’m one of those guys that wishes there were still more record stores around– and book stores. I get tired of the Borders and that kind of stuff.
There used to be a really, really cool record store– I forget the name, I’m sorry– it could have been part of Cheapo’s but I don’t think so– it was on Lake Street in Minneapolis down by the river and it was just in a grungy storefront. But, what they had that was SO different– they had all these BRAND NEW gospel records from like the Sixties and the early Seventies still in– and this is in the Nineties– still in the wrappers! They were on the Nashville Label and the Nashboro label and Folkways. I got a bunch of them for like a buck-fifty of people I’ve NEVER EVER heard of– you know? All this really neat stuff. So I bought a bunch of those back then. There used to be a lot of like little hole in the wall used record stores around there. I got a lot of neat records, there. I think that people made off with them, too. I think Karen [Grotberg– keyboardist of the Jayhawks– Ed.] and the Jayhawks they made off with one of my favorite ones.
Me: Of these gospel records?
Mark: Yeah. It had this piano and organ going at the same time and it blew her away. So, I dunno. I haven’t seen that one in a long time. (chuckles).
I’ve just got a lot of really wierd, rare records. Like the Glaser Brothers (Tompall & the Glaser Brothers- Ed.) they were really GOOD when they first started out. They had these three-part harmonies and they were singing kinda folk-country stuff. [Tompall Glaser] actually wrote “Streets of Baltimore” that ended up on the Gram [Parsons] record (his 1972 release G.P.– Ed.). So, I’ve just got a lot of wierd Sixties, country, folk gospel records. That’s the first place I would go to look– in those sections.
Me: Is this the segment you collect in, then?
Mark: Well, I do anything now, but back then I was totally obsessed with Sixties Country, Folk, and these wierd gospel labels. They were on small labels that weren’t in regular record stores and no one is going to see these records again! But, this one store had bought out this collection of records on really THICK VINYL.
My favorite albums– as far as albums go, the ones that had the biggest influence on me were the Doug Sahm Mendocino album and, then of course The Flying Burrito Brothers Sin City album. I like Jesse Winchester he’s kind of a folk guy. And, I like Fairport Convention. That’s the stuff I put on to just enjoy so to speak.
Me: You know, I never really got into Doug Sahm…
Mark: Oh MAN!
Me: But… I’m familiar with him through Calexico and their participation in that Border Radio tribute “Los Super 7.” (note: while songs from Doug Sahm are on both records, he only sang on the first one that was hosted by Los Lobos).
Mark: What’s cool about him is he could sing like nobody else– he had one of the most soulful voices. He came out of Texas doing all the different styles of Texas music– he could do R&B, blues, country… But then what he did was move to San Francisco for a while and that totally opened up his music into all kinds of different directions and he made this album called Mendocino that isn’t the most- ah– he made another one that’s even crazier– but this one is just the beginning of that. It’s not like albums that are made today– that are VERY LOOSE in the performance level, okay? There’s mistakes being made, there’s tempo changes, there’s all that stuff going on. But, his voice is so COMMANDING that it doesn’t really– and the recording quality is not that good, really, compared to modern records where everything’s CLEAN at the perfect levels and all that stuff.
Me: So, what label was he on?
Mark: He was on Smash and they put out a bunch of good albums! They put out all of the Jerry Lee Lewis records that were country– that are INCREDIBLE! But, no one played and sang like Doug– very loose– just incredible stuff.
Me: When you say “loose” like that, it makes me think of Howe Gelb from Giant Sand.
Mark: Yeah, sure! I really liked that “Sno” album (Howe Gelb’s 2006 release ‘Sno Angel Like You)! That is SHOCKINGLY GOOD! I can’t believe that that isn’t like a HUGE album! It’s just so fricking GOOD. Lyrically, musically, there is so much going on there, it’s just intense.
Me: Do you collect mostly vinyl, then?
Mark: Today, I’m about 50-50 vinyl and CD’s. But, leaving Minnesota– moving a lot is really rough on a record collection. We had a flood at one point. It’s unbelievable but there was a flood in the desert– if it rains too much it can flood. And, I lost about a quarter of my record collection. It was impossible to save them because there was too much silt.
Me: So you just wrapped up a tour of Europe?
Mark: Yep, three months– well we did two months in America and we did three months in Europe pretty much back-to-back. I’m home for a couple of weeks and then it’s back out.
Me: Yeah, you’re coming to Cedar Rapids, IA! I’m planning to be at that show. I had intended to go to the show at the Mill last Fall…
Mark: That was a CRAZY night. There was lightning everywhere It was seriously dangerous to be outside.
Me: I talked to a guy who went to the show and he said there was only like 20 people there.
Mark: I think that people decided to keep their life in good order and not step out into the lightning. Meanwhile we’re out in the middle of it playing!
Me: What are you doing in this little break?
Mark: Well, you go out on tour, come home and pretty much things have fallen apart– your vehicle, your house. I’m trying to put everything back together, clean up. I have a list of musical equipment I need to get. Then go back out again. I’m more used to touring, now, than being at home.
Me: It seems like you’ve been on tour a long time!
Mark: The album came out in June and the tour started in August. I feel like we just got through the first phase of it now and now we’ll go back out and see how it’s going. It used to be that you would go out for a promo thing and the record company would support that and then you’d go out on tour. Now, the tour is kind of like “promo.” That’s a business thing that has changed. I feel like we’ve done the touring, the promoing and now we’ll go out and see what’s going on– if people have heard this album and if they’re into it– in America at least.
Me: Thanks for talking to me, today, Mark. I’ll see you at the show!
Mark: No problem! See you.
Mark will be playing Wednesday night, February 13 at 8PM at CSPS in Cedar Rapids, IA. Tickets are $13 in advance, $16 the day of the show. Click Here for Details
During the month of December I made a number of stops at HalfPriceBooks in Cedar Rapids– while I was out Christmas shopping, waiting for an oil change. So, rather than break these up into separate posts, I’ll put them all together.
Prince – Controversy (LP, Warner Bros., BSK 3601, 1981) ($2.98) This was a real find. I haven’t seen much Prince vinyl in my digging so I was pretty happy to pick this one up. The cover is in good shape with little ringwear. The vinyl is in great shape. The poster of Prince in the shower in a bikini was still intact (and returned permanently to the sleeve– yikes!). When I was in high school I was a big fan of Prince, and really that was the best period of his music. My first exposure was 1999 and Purple Rain like most people I suppose. A friend of mine was also a big fan and we sort of collected all of Prince’s albums between us. I really haven’t listened to this album since then. Interestingly, this is credited only as a Prince album, but the backing musicians would eventually become The Revolution– Bobby Z (drums), Lisa and Fink (keyboards). There is a small tribute to Joni Mitchell in the cover art. The back cover has a bunch of fake headlines like “President Declares Uptown New U.S. Capitol,” “Do You Believe in God,” and “The Second Coming.” One of the headlines says “Joni.” He also contributed a cover of “A Case of You” to the Nonesuch Records tribute album to Joni.
Liz Phair – “Carnivore” b/w “Carnivore (Raw)” (7″ single, Minty Fresh mf-4, 1993) ($.98) Groovy pink and blue vinyl. I was never really a big fan of Liz– I liked Exile in Guyville, but didn’t continue to follow her career. She’s now flirting with the Avril Lavigne fans by creating guitar pop. This release was while she was still edgy, I guess. This will probably end up on eBay.
Pearl Jam – Christmas 2005 “Little Sister (with Robert Plant)” b/w “Gone” (7″ single, fanclub release, 2005) ($1.00) In the tradition of The Beatles and REM, Pearl Jam has been releasing Christmas singles since 1991. The only way you can get these (other than eBay) is being a member of the “Ten” fan club. This one is in really great shape other than an edge dent in the sleeve. There is a live version of “Little Sister” with Robert Plant from 10/5/05 at the Chicago H.O.B. Hurricane Katrina Benefit show. The flipside is a demo of “Gone” performed by Ed in a room at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Since I don’t have any of the other singles and can’t afford to pick them up on eBay, I’m going to eBay this as well. One went for $15 recently, so we’ll see.
Gov’t Mule – High & Mighty (CD, ATO Records, ATO0028, 2006) ($7.98) Well, I guess I was curious having seen them in Des Moines with Grace Potter. Warren Haynes is undeniably one of the great guitarists on the Jam scene today although he tends to stick to the tried-and-true blues progressions that give Mule releases that vintage 70’s classic rawk feel– I think some experimentation could breathe some life to the studio recordings. Recommended if you like Molly Hatchet, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, Blackfoot, big sweaty dudes playing Gibson guitars. BTW: Warren has some of the most impressive Gibsons I’ve ever seen and he plays quite a few during a live show. Visit this YouTube clip to see a cool interview with Warren’s guitar tech talking about the guitars used in High & Mighty.
Madlib – Shades of Blue : Madlib Invades Blue Note (CD, Blue Note Records, 7243 5 36447 2 7, 2003) ($5.98) This is a BMG Music Club release. I love all of the back catalog digging that Blue Note has embraced over the years. I have a lot of the releases like the US3 album, the Rare Grooves series, and a couple of others. While a lot of publishers would resist this sort of thing, I think the brand identity of Blue Note was rescued by it. The fantastic Madlib has his way with the Blue Note catalog creating some remixes. A really mellow acid-jazzy record.
There is something right about The Devil Makes Three‘s reissue of their 2002 eponymous debut’s availability on vinyl LP.
The Devil Makes Three is a trio from San Francisco who plays music in a style that is largely influenced by folk but draws additional color and rhythm from 20’s and 30’s blues and bluegrass as well as drawing from a punk ethos. What does this mean? If you like the Violent Femmes first record or bands like 16 Horsepower, The Squirrel Nut Zippers, and possibly The Gun Club this band is for you. The headstones of death, drinking and disappointment carved with vocals, acoustic guitars, and stand-up bass.
Which is why I say that The Devil Makes Three’s record is fittingly on vinyl in addition to it’s future-shock CD and digital download versions. I can’t think of a better way to join Pete Bernhard in “Old Number Seven” than to knock a couple of fingers back of the song’s tribute neat while their 180g record spins in the background!
As a side note, the first time I heard “Old Number Seven” its scrubby 1-2 strumming reminded of the Pixies “Mr. Grieves.” Reading the press bio they do cite the Pixies as an influence.
The record was originally released in 2002 by Snazzy Productions, which apparently still carries the original version as well as the band’s 2004 effort Longjohns, Boots, and a Belt and their 2006 live album A Little Bit Faster And A Little Bit Worse. These lasttwo are also carried by CDBaby who has Pete Bernhard’s solo CD Things I Left Behind, too. When Milan Records signed the band they started with their first release and appended four bonus tracks of live and demo tracks from 2002 and 2003. It was a good choice to reissue this album– all of the tracks are well-written and performed by the band and the lyrics are impressive. Pete’s lyrics paint the perfect picture– one track I particularly like is “Graveyard.”
“Well that’s Me / Just a’leanin on my shovel / In this graveyard of dreams”
The thing that gets me about this line is how completely it describes the situation. Not only is the narrator living in a graveyard of dreams– he’s actually digging the holes in which his dreams lie!
The vinyl release of The Devil Makes Three is a single jacket with new album artwork that is done with old engravings which suits the period-feel of the music contained within. The front cover is pretty simple and the back cover has the full lyrics printed for the ten original songs– not the bonus cuts. I don’t have the original release to compare the album art or the remastering, however the record sounds fantastic on my turntable. I suspect, however, that because they advertise the album as “Digitally Remastered” that they did that first and then mastered the vinyl. I would have prefered that they would have done a separate mastering of the vinyl from the original tapes. It could be the case that the original work was recorded digitally, I suppose. The remastering was handled by Christian Dwiggins at The Engine Room.
I have a mid-line Gemini turntable with an Audio Technica cartridge playing through a five-year-old Sony AV receiver and Polk Audio S-10’s that are coming up on 12 years old. My setup is purely functional. Still, it sounds great to my ears. I enjoy listening to vinyl because it forces me to deliberately sit down and listen to the music, and this album stands up to a beginning-to-end listening.
Well, it looks like 2008 is off to a running start for our favorite funk and soul group The Diplomats of Solid Sound.
First, from their MySpace page, we have the announcement of an upcoming single on Italian boutique funk/jazz/soul label Record Kicks. The A side of the single is the funky “Plenty Nasty” and the flipside is a big beat remix of the live favorite “Hurt Me So” done by Adam Gibbons aka Lack of Afro. Due out on February 25th (or February 11th?) on 7″ and Digital download the single is the precursor to the much anticipated full album release of The Diplomats of Solid Sound Featuring The Diplomettes.
Record Kicks is a label like Daptone in that they press limited runs of vinyl and this new album will be no different. At this time the release of the album is looking like some time in March. I’ll update this article when I get confirmation. I’m sure that the Diplomats will have copies of the single and the album with them at live shows, but you will be able to order the album from their online shop (if you like to pay in Euros) or from Dusty Groove and iTunes will have digital downloads. I’m sure that the Record Collector in Iowa City will probably have copies, too.
The Diplomats have put a slippery new song on their MySpace page called “Budget Fro” which looks to be from the upcoming album. For a limited time you can also download a live version of “Intercontinental Git” from 2004’s Destination… Get Down! which was recorded at the Englert Theatre featuring Eddie McKinley and David Basinger. Get it while you can!
Also, the Diplomats have a number of upcoming shows in the area including two this coming weekend– one at the Mill in Iowa City on Friday 1/25 and on 1/26 at 3rd Street Live in Cedar Rapids.
After a day downtown of lunch with a couple of Erik’s friends and some light shopping Erik and I made our way back over to Logan Square. It started snowing ominously around lunchtime and didn’t look like it was going to let up. Undeterred, we were committed to seeing more bands and we were especially interested to see Califone, but we also heard from one of the guys at Restless Records that Tortoise would be making an appearance!
We got there early to secure a good parking spot and decided to eat at Johnny’s again. We had a late lunch so we weren’t really hungry. We split an order of fries and Erik got a grilled cheese or some kind of melt. We made our way over to the venue and hung out in the hallway waiting for the doors to open. We talked to the other early-arrivers and the security guys from the Empty Bottle.
While we were standing there we saw Tortoise bassist Doug McCombs walk out and in as well as guitarist Jeff Parker. Before the show I thought that Tortoise wouldn’t be able to play as Jeff was performing at another show that night. I asked Jeff if he was still doing that and he said he was– so he came to this show did his thing with Tortoise and left to do that other gig!
So, we got to see Tortoise doing their soundcheck which included two NEW Tortoise songs! One of them sounded very Stereolab-ish with the organ sound it had.
The Tortoise was a welcome surprise, considering the circumstances and the fact that they did two new songs was great. Since Tortoise was first and unannounced, there wasn’t very many people there although people were drifting in while the set was commencing. McEntire played drums with his usual abandon– his sticks were disintegrating while he was playing. Wood splinters flying off of the drum heads. Really, Tortoise has two of the best drummers around between McEntire and Herndon. Seeing Tortoise live drives home the fact that first and foremost they are a percussion band. Everyone in the band at one time or another during a show is on sticks or mallets.
After Tortoise was done and Jeff made his hasty exit into the snowy night there was a short break while Tortoise tore down and the next band set up.
I was looking forward to hearing Eleventh Dream Day. They are an institution in some respects– ten albums release in their 20 years of existence. Theirs is the story of hopes dashed as Atlantic dropped them and rebirth on Thrill Jockey. I really liked their last album Zeros and Ones as well as Stalled Parade. Frankly, I was blown away by the energy this band has on stage. Rick Rizzo’s Les Paul and the rhythm of Janet and Doug evokes the stampede of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. I hope they continue to produce records and tour.
It was during Eleventh Dream Day’s set that we got another surprise guest– Sue Garner joined the band for a couple of songs including her song “I Like The Name Alice” which Eleventh Dream Day covered for the Plum box set.
The next band up was Frequency who was performing as a trio– apparently missing bassist Harrison Bankhead. Frequency put on a fairly high-energy set with its fair share of improvisation. Nichole Mitchell has an impressive ability to hum in harmony with her flute giving a kind of Eastern feel to her playing.
Admittedly, I’m not a fan of ADULT. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate what they do– they have a fairly substantial back catalog and are considered pretty big artists in the electronic field. In fact, before the show started Erik and I were talking to a guy from Colorado who was in town for the Blackhawks game (at least that’s what I thought he said– the Hawks were out of town for Friday and Saturday night matches, so either he was mistaken or very disappointed) who apparently goes to a bunch of the big festivals in the EU and ADULT. is considered a HUGE act there. He was really bummed that a) they weren’t headlining, and b) they were only playing for 45 minutes. Most of the set was in the dark with a smoke machines and a single light– with Nicola Kuperus screaming into a microphone and assisting her hubby Adam Lee Miller twiddling the knobs on the analog synths and other gadgetry. That said, I think I got some good shots of them which showed what the stage looked like. Most of the other shots I’ve seen of their set had flashes which over-exposed the stage setting.
Another surprise act for me was The Zincs. I liked the Smiths-evoking guitars and the lyrics on their new album Black Pompadour, but hadn’t really played it much. Their live set was fantastic, and makes me wish I’d caught their shows with The Sea and Cake. They played mostly songs from their new album along with a couple from their previous releases. Dualling Telecasters– James Elkington and Nathaniel Braddock were both playing them. James’ looked to be an older American Tele, and Nathaniel’s was a Mexican Tele with aftermarket Lindy Fralin’s in it. Erik and I talked to Nathaniel after the set to get the lowdown on his guitar after we noticed his neck pickup didn’t have a chrome cover.
After The Zincs was Califone! Erik and I have been talking about going to see Califone play for a long time. We had loose plans to see them in Madison, WI the last time out, and didn’t get it together. I wish we had, because they are amazing live. They played a lot of the songs that we loved like “The Fisherman’s Wife,” so we were really happy about that. When the band started their first song, their horn section was up in the band balcony behind us, so it had a startling surround effect. After the song was done there was a pretty humorous exchange between Tim Rutili and the horn section where they responded Peanuts-adult-style to his questions. I don’t know if this was planned or not, but it was pretty funny! They soon joined the band on stage. There is something about this band that really draws me in– it is at once atmospheric and folky and melancholy. They are quickly becoming one of my favorite acts and I’ve been snagging as much live concerts off the ‘Net as I can.
Tim mentioned towards the end of the set that the band would be looking for some place to stay that night because of the copious amount of snow that had fallen since the beginning of the show. This broke the thrall of the show and made us realize that the weather was going to be something we were going to have to deal with.
Pit Er Pat was up next and put on a pretty decent show. The first time I saw them was opening for Tortoise at the beginning of the It’s All Around You tour in Minneapolis in 2003 at the Fine Line. That show seemed a big more rough to me. It was clear that four years of playing together have made them tighter.
The final act of the night was a highly-anticipated Trans Am. In some respects one of the elder groups on Thrill Jockey along with Tortoise and The Sea and Cake. In all their years of touring, I’d never gotten a chance to see them. I really liked their new release Sex Change– probably more than the last couple of releases. I haven’t really decided what to think about their adoption of vocoder vocals over disco beats. For their first albums they were an instrumental guitar trio and over the years they have made their sound much more elaborate with synthesizers, drum machines and vocals. At times they are like an 80’s synth band, and other times they are more progressive/industrial. Their live set was a really raw, high energy set. We weren’t able to stay through the whole set as one of the security guys we were talking to before the show came over to tell Erik that the roads had gotten really bad with all of the snow that fell. I got some more shots in and made my way over to the merch table to pick up Roots and Crowns from Califone on vinyl as well as one of the 15th Anniversary record bags.
Erik and I dug his car out and made the treacherous commute back to the hotel. We saw a lot of cars in the ditches on the way back. I hope everyone who went to the show made it safely back.
This was a fantastic tribute to and showcase of Thrill Jockey. I hope that this was a profitable enough event that maybe they’d consider doing another one at maybe their 20th Anniversary?
In 1992, Bettina Richards– frustrated at the inequity of the handling of artists– left her A&R job at a major label to start her own label with some very clear ideas about how to do it. 15 years later, that label– Thrill Jockey– has become a benchmark against other small independent labels are measured for contracts, quality of recording, packaging and recently digital distribution. It’s certainly a testament to Bettina’s leadership and vision that Thrill Jockey has been around for 15 years. It isn’t unheard of in the industry– its contemporaries like Touch and Go/Quarterstick, Matador and its subsidiaries, and Epitaph have all been around that long, too– but Thrill Jockey is a bit different from those in that it seems more like a tight-knit group of artists. I think maybe the way Blue Note or Stax was in their heyday.
As mentioned earlier, I attended the two-day Thrill Jockey 15th Anniversary Party Shows at Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago. My friend Erik attended the shows with me. Erik’s a pretty big Thrill Jockey fan himself and in particular he was looking forward to the Califone and Sea and Cake shows. I was very happy he came along– it’s always better to see shows with someone else in my opinion. Plus, we split the gas and lodging, so that was helpful.
We took the day off work to drive to Chicago. The plan was to get checked in, get our bearings, get something to eat and get to the venue early enough to give us time to get parked. We were fortunate that there was good parking right by the venue– especially because we showed up before 6PM. As it turned out there was a neat little lunchcounter establishment called Johnny’s Grill where we ordered hamburgers and fries at the corner on the same block as Logan Square. We ate there both nights because the food was inexpensive, good and simplified our plans. On the first night Erik and I were the first people in the door. Security was run by the security for the Empty Bottle who was putting this on with Thrill Jockey and Listen Up Chicago. They also handled the dispensing of the liquor. Pabst was the beer sponsor, so there was Pabst specials, and it appeared that was what most of the bands who were drinking were drinking. They also had Goose Island in bottles, which was what Erik and I were drinking. I think we had the India Pale Ale.
Logan Square Auditorium also known as the Gilbert Building appears to be an old-time ballroom with wood floors and big plaster medallions on the ceiling. To maximize the number of bands that could be fit in, there were two stages opposite of each other. While one band was performing the next act would be setting up. Generally, there was about five or ten minutes between acts and each act got about 45 minutes. No acts got an encore– except for Fred Anderson– and he deserved it. Above the first stage by the entrace was a balcony which was reserved for the bands and their guests.
Between the two stages was the Thrill Jockey merch counter– a place of bustling activity as you might expect.
Thrill Jockey promised to have some rare items for sale that night– I was hoping for OOP Tortoise vinyl but no such luck. They did have some 7 inches that were pretty rare and in the case of Arbouretum there was some vinyl from their personal stash. They did bring some of the cool apparel items, so that was a good night to pick up the Tortoise hoodie or the TJ beanie if you were looking for that. They also had the new Plum 7-inch boxset for sale and they were giving away the Trey Told ‘Em mix CD to pretty much everyone who came in the door.
Before the show at Johnny’s Grill a nice patron let me borrow the latest issue of the Chicago Edition of the Onion which had an interview with Bettina Richards as well as a picture of her so I was able to identify her in the crowd. I talked to her a couple times over the two nights and she was a really friendly and courteous person and seemed really happy that the event kicked off without any noticeable (at least by me) hitches. She was clearly the host of the party and it seemed like she was mingling with the crowd and the bands equally.
Most of the bands throughout the nights wished her a happy anniversary or thanked her. It occurred to me that she’s probably known some of these people for longer than the 15 years of Thrill Jockey– the members of Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day for sure– and it was clear that she was friends with them. The band lineup pulled equally from the early days of Thrill Jockey– The Sea and Cake, Eleventh Dream Day, Trans Am, Tortoise as well as new acts like School of Language and Arbouretum– and they all got equal billing which shows that the label owes as much to the present bands as to the bands that have been on the label for a while.
One thing Erik and I learned the hard way was that it was imperative that we sat down from time-to-time! Unfortunately, there really wasn’t any place to sit but the floor or lean on the opposing stage for those bands for which we didn’t desire to be close. The first bands started around 7PM and we got to the venue around 6PM. Since the show generally went until 2AM– that meant we were on our feet for the most of EIGHT HOURS! Especially given that there wasn’t much time between sets. Needless to say after the first night’s show were were in a lot of pain.
Another observation I’ve made is about the photographers who were covering the show. I was there with a camera to take pictures for this article as well, but I try to be respectful of the bands as well as the other people who attended the show. I like to hang back a bit, make sure I’m not in the way, and only step in for an occasional picture. Some of these guys were chimping dozens of shots per band and were right up against the stage. One of the photographers for one of the huge not-music-blogs had one of those Sto-Fen Omni Bounce Diffusers on his flash which are used to soften the shadows which sometimes occur from using a flash. For whatever reason this guy was using his with the flash head pointing at the ceiling effectively blinding everyone in 360-degrees around him. Dude, if you’re reading this, it’s something you should know if you didn’t. You could have pointed the flash head at your subject since you were diffusing the flash.
Aside from that, the show was incredible and very much worth the trip and the very reasonable ticket price. I really felt like this show was an opportunity of a lifetime! Out of all of these bands, I’d only seen Tortoise and Pit-Er-Pat previously so it was amazing to see the rest of these acts if only for 45 minutes apiece! I think everyone put on a really good show and seemed to be enjoying being part of this tribute to the label on its home turf.
The first night kicked off with Brokeback. Brokeback is Doug McCombs’s other band in addition to Eleventh Dream Day and Tortoise. Brokeback started as a way to showcase the Fender Bass VI. The Bass VI is a longer-scale 6-string guitar similar to a baritone, and is in fact inspired by the Danelectro Baritone. It’s unique tone inspired Doug to record songs that became the Brokeback catalog. Brokeback put on a characteristically atmospheric set that was enthusiastically cheered by the small early crowd. (Apparently Friday night shows in Chicago have a lot of competition, based on some of the folks I talked to on Saturday who didn’t come to Friday night.)
Across the floor after Brokeback was Thalia Zedek who put on an amazing set. I’m not sure why I hadn’t gotten into her music before– she put on a very impassioned and energetic set. Sort of like a folky version of Patti Smith. I plan to start looking into her back catalog.
From the edgy music of Thalia we are turned to the polished guitar pop balladry of Archer Prewitt. Archer was one of the sets I was really looking forward to. I’ve been following Archer since his White Sky album came out. Although he is a member of The Sea and Cake I hadn’t heard his first album I guess because it wasn’t on Thrill Jockey. He is now, of course and his last two albums Three and Wilderness are brilliant. His set focused on those two releases and I was impressed at how his sound works in a live setting. For the whole set he was playing this really nice-looking Jerry Jones Danelectro copy.
One band I was curious about was Arbouretum. I hadn’t heard any of their music before the show was announced, but I visited the streaming tracks from the Thrill Jockey site and really liked what I heard. I’m not sure how to describe it– it’s a bit like folky sea-shanty type songs infected with 90’s grunge influence. Dave Heumann propels the songs with his trusty vintage Danelectro through washes of distortion. Some of the songs are short and to the point while others take a slightly psychedelic jam and solo. Out of the newer music I heard this weekend, this band is one I keep coming back to. Heumann’s side project with Lungfish member Nathan Bell will be releasing their first full length at the end of this month and it is very complimentary to the Arbouretum songs.
As a side note, the second night I wanted to pick up Arbouretum’s new album Rites of Uncovering on vinyl as I’d seen it there on Friday. I was informed that the copies they had for sale actually came from the band as the label had sold out of them! I was pretty bummed, but I reached out to Dave Heumann through the Arbouretum MySpace page and although he wanted to save those copies for their live show merchandise he was feeling the holiday spirit and sold me one. I should be getting my copy this coming week. Thanks Dave!
Before The Sea and Cake hit the opposing stage we got one of the “surprise” acts– the Lonesome Organist hit the stage with his accordion and played a quick tune. It seemed really spontaneous and a crowd quickly gathered. As he was leaving the stage the crowd shouted for another song, so as he was making his way through the throng he obliged.
The Sea and Cake came on and did a great set with mostly songs from the new Everybody album. A couple of the songs were a lot more uptempo than the album to which Archer commented that someone gave John McEntire a cappuccino. I was really impressed with the bass playing of Eric Claridge! He plays some really complex bass lines. I was bummed that I didn’t get to see them last Fall when they hit Minneapolis and Madison.
Up next was David Brewis as School of Language. He flew in especially for the event which was his U.S. debut and had only a day to prepare the guys who were stepping in as his band. His band for the night was Nick Macri of the Zincs and Ryan Rabsys of Euphone. They did a great job sitting in for him. This show was much better than I expected. I really didn’t have a chance to hear any of his music since the album wasn’t out. David’s new album Sea from Shore— currently streaming at the Thrill Jockey site– is a quirky guitar pop album which dashes of Prince falsetto and angular beats. David had the distinction of playing one of the few Gibson guitars at the show.
Next up on the same stage was the Fred Anderson Trio. Fred is kind of a local Jazz legend. He is the owner and frequent entertainment at the Velvet Lounge in Chicago and has a very extensive career. For a 78-year-old he sure can wail on the sax! I think that his band was Chad Taylor and bassist Josh Abrams– both Thrill Jockey regulars. When his set was done, the audience was so moved that they cheered for an encore! This was to be the only encore of the entire two-day affair!
The Fiery Furnaces used their 45 minutes to play most of their new album Widow City. This is an album I’ve listened to on-and-off since I got it. I like Eleanor Friedberger’s voice– it has a kind of urgency that reminds me of Crissy Hynde of the Pretenders. Overall I think it’s a good album, but it sometimes seems like every song is the same formula– a sort of cut-and-paste feel to it with jarring changes. Impressively, they do a great job performing this live. However, a full set of this seemed numbing to me after a while. A friend of Erik’s saw the Furnaces in Minneapolis last year and his observation was that people either really got in to them or they didn’t. This night I didn’t. Something else I found off-putting was that Eleanor kept walking off stage and seemed irritated about something maybe with the sound. The crowd really got into them it seemed, but by this time of the night the crowd started thinning out.
The last act of the night was Bobby Conn. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I saw the pictures on the Thrill Jockey site and read the interview they had so I knew it would be different than the other acts. I like the songs on the King For A Day album a lot and had listened to it a couple of times before the show to become familiar with the songs. So, I wasn’t really prepared for what the show was– it appeared to be tongue in cheek– sort of a cross between Joe’s Garage and “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Everyone in the band was in costume– I think representing the different characters in the King For A Day concept. Mostly I felt like I was seeing an inside joke. It was clear that they were being ironic with all of the 80’s hairmetal riffing– but really Bobby Conn and his other guitarists were a little too good at playing this style. Maybe they are post-ironic…
Erik and I stuck it out until the end of Bobby Conn’s set anticipating that maybe there would be some sort of announcement or comments from the organizers. By the end of the set the venue was pretty much vacated– I think there might have been around ten people left. The band finished, the houselights came up and Erik and I headed back to the hotel.
Per the folks at 
Former Jayhawk Gary Louris’s solo album Vagabonds was released on 2/19. From a collector’s perspective this is a pretty interesting release in the bonus releases and tracks that exist.
on CD from Amazon
Well, it looks like 2008 is off to a running start for our favorite funk and soul group The Diplomats of Solid Sound.
After a day downtown of lunch with a couple of Erik’s friends and some light shopping Erik and I made our way back over to Logan Square. It started snowing ominously around lunchtime and didn’t look like it was going to let up. Undeterred, we were committed to seeing more bands and we were especially interested to see Califone, but we also heard from one of the guys at Restless Records that Tortoise would be making an appearance!
