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11/28/08 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Ever tried typing with frozen fingers? Because that's what I'm doing right now. Holy moley, it's freezing in here.
I have here Ed Ackerson's Ackerson2 album in my frozen fingers, I don't think there is an official release date, other than that it's already available for purchase. Incidentally, if you don't know who Ackerson is, he is probably best known for being the singer/founder of Polara.
I do have a funny anecdote about Polara, way back in the mid-nineties, I was really into Sleeper
and had saved up all my hopes and dream to see them at the Whiskey
A-Go-Go. This was a very special show for me, I even saved the concert
ticket from Ticketbastard.
Polara opened up for Sleeper, I didn't know who they were back then, but my friends were all savvy to them. It was 90s alternative rock and from this set, they threw a Polara T-Shirt into the crowd and my friend Shawn ended up grabbing it.
So, that's how I was introduced to Polara.
I can't say I have followed them that closely through the years, I am happy to see that they recently released Beekeeping, so be sure to check out Andrew's review.
As the '2' on Ackerson2 indicate, this is Ackerson's second solo album. While, I don't have his earlier album for reference, I can tell you that it's somewhat of a departure from Polara. I get the impression that Ackerson have a lot of songs and demos in his head, and they don't necessary fit in Polara's noisy rock music.
The one song that really sounded different is a banjo-driven song called "Run Away With Me". Maybe it's the banjo, or maybe it's the singing style, but it does bring up that folksy question.
Ackerson explains it:
You can pick up Ackerson's album via Susstones Shop.
I have here Ed Ackerson's Ackerson2 album in my frozen fingers, I don't think there is an official release date, other than that it's already available for purchase. Incidentally, if you don't know who Ackerson is, he is probably best known for being the singer/founder of Polara.
Sleeper and Polara ♥ Whiskey A-Go-Go, Los Angeles (29 Apr 1995) |
Polara opened up for Sleeper, I didn't know who they were back then, but my friends were all savvy to them. It was 90s alternative rock and from this set, they threw a Polara T-Shirt into the crowd and my friend Shawn ended up grabbing it.
So, that's how I was introduced to Polara.
I can't say I have followed them that closely through the years, I am happy to see that they recently released Beekeeping, so be sure to check out Andrew's review.
As the '2' on Ackerson2 indicate, this is Ackerson's second solo album. While, I don't have his earlier album for reference, I can tell you that it's somewhat of a departure from Polara. I get the impression that Ackerson have a lot of songs and demos in his head, and they don't necessary fit in Polara's noisy rock music.
The one song that really sounded different is a banjo-driven song called "Run Away With Me". Maybe it's the banjo, or maybe it's the singing style, but it does bring up that folksy question.
Ackerson explains it:
"Go Ahead And Cry" is my favorite song on the album. It's a little upbeat, for the title and theme of the song, but I like it. I'll bet it should be fantastic live, especially with that banjo section. Which, shock, there will be a CD release party at the Varsity Theater on November 28th. Going there is now a pleasure as they have finally fixed that 35W bridge (it looks and drives much better now!).In a lot of ways this record is about me exploring my pre-noise roots, the influences at the beginning of my musical life before I got into more experimental stuff. Sixties stuff, like Beatles, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel—the first material I learned to play on guitar. The tight harmony singing, odd juxtapositions of instruments, and playful production on records from that time is still very appealing to me.
- Ed Ackerson, City Pages - November 19, 2007
You can pick up Ackerson's album via Susstones Shop.
Links:
www.edackerson.com
myspace.com/polara
www.susstones.com
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