W♥M (Archive)

Dar Williams at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (26 April 2015)

Dar Williams Setlist Something to Get Through Here Tonight Emerald Spring Street I Have Been Around The World (Kat Goldman cover) Slippery Slope Weight of the World Buzzer After All Mad River FM Radio New York is a Harbor Mercy Of The Fallen -- Encore -- Iowa (with Lucy Wainwright Roche) Lucy Wainwright Roche Setlist Take What You're Given Seek And Hide The Baby Tree ( Jefferson Starship / Paul Kantner cover) Modern Apples Hungry Heart (Bruce Springsteen cover) Open Season There's a Last Time for Everything Tour Dates 4/30 20th Century Theatre ­ Cincinnati, OH 5/01 Bell’s Back Room ­ Kalamazoo, MI 5/02 Music Box Supper Club ­ Cleveland, OH 5/03 Mountain Stage @ Culture Center 5/05 The Southern ­ Charlottesville, VA 5/06 The Grey Eagle ­ Asheville, NC 5/07 The Arts Center ­ Carrboro, NC 5/08 Eddie’s Attic ­ Atlanta, GA 5/09 City Winery ­ Nashville, TN 5/14 Infinity Hall Hartford ­ Hartford, CT 5/15 Swyer Theatre ­ Albany, NY 5/16 First Parish Church ­ Cambridge, MA 5/17 Daryl’s House ­ Pawling, NY Read More Dar Williams The last time we saw folk singer Dar Williams, it was at the Gutherie Theater in 2010, so it's been a long time since we saw her. As we previously mentioned, Williams was a great storyteller, so expect to hear some funny … Lucy Wainwright Roche If the name Lucy Wainwright Roche sounds familiar, that's because her father is Grammy Award-winner Loudon Wainwright III and brother is Rufus Wainwright. …

Dar Williams' Emerald tour just kicked off on Saturday in Chicago's Thalia Hall, so the band was still getting familiar with the new songs and setlist for their "second ever" Emerald show at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis last night, April 26th.

Lucy Wainwright Roche

This was the first night of the Lucy Wainwright Roche and Dar Williams teamup, which Dar and Lucy would later disclosed that they knew each other when Lucy was 14 or so. Lucy also talked about her famous music-family surname (Wainwright), jokingly said, "another one of those..." She also warned us that we may hear other Wainwrights, and given the talent that runs in the family, it won't be long before we hear more from Francis Valentine or Arcangelo (?) in the near future.

Lucy's show was pretty funny, it was about 80% music and 20% chat. After "Seek and Hide", she asked if anyone in the audience had any questions. Someone asked her how Church was that morning. Apparently she sang at the Rochester Church that morning. Then someone else asked her about her dog. Hearing her answer her questions, you quickly realize that she has a very personal relationship with her fans. As if they are very close friends or extended family.

My favorite moment on Lucy's set was her introduction to the Bruce Springsteen cover, "Hungry Heart". She said she was in Eastern Europe on tour, and they absolutely hated her. One night, no one was participating. Then one guy said she should talk about basketball. So she mentioned basketball and suddenly the Latvians perked up and started interacting with her. It was such a riot that she changed the Springsteen chorus to "everyone's got a basketball" instead of "hungry heart". With that said, there was a big audience-participation sing-along for the cover.

Dar Williams

Dar Williams came on around 8:30 and was joined by Josh Kaler (guitar/steel guitar/drummer) and Bryn Roberts (keys). Since it was just the second night the Pledge-funded Emerald, Dar warned us that they were still getting used to the new material. Seeing how the trio handled themselves, I got the feeling that they have been doing this for a long time and was no stranger to changes and improvising when needed.

In typical Dar Williams show, she had stories about all of her songs. These songs were all true stories... and, of course, very few of them are about love - which Dar admitted confessed that she is not a fan of love songs, "It's just about two people, right?" She doesn't find them interesting, instead focusing on trying empower women around the world... even asking herself, "What would Taylor Swift do?" when confronted by younger girls who only love popular music from Rihanna, Beyonce, or Swift.

Dar William's Setlist

Right before the title track "Emerald", Dar tells us her first show in the area was at St Paul's Ginko Café. She even knew the date, April 18, 1994. She realized that she needed a toiletry bag and that she was a bad traveler. It's hard to believe that after 21 years, she was still doing this touring/making music thing, thanks to her dedicated fanbase and support from local Minnesota Music Coalition and KFAI Radio.

Speaking of radio, her introduction to "FM Radio", she said that the song's co-writer was Jill Sobule (who is famous for "I Kissed a Girl"). Jill joined Dar on stage the previous night to sing that song on stage. The song was so new that Jill had a fan hold up the lyrics while they sang.

I can go on about all the stories she told, but you really need to attend a Dar Williams to get the full effect. Let's just say that you'll learn more and more about Dar Williams the more you see her.

For the encore, Lucy Wainwright Roche joined Dar Williams on stage to sing "Iowa". For a brief moment, I thought Dar would stay on to sing fan-favorite "When I Was a Boy", since she eluded to it earlier when she talked about Sobule... but the band just decided to step off the stage. On retrospect, that was probably a good decision since it might have been hard to follow up after "Iowa".

Dar Williams' Emerald album is out May 5th. Dar and Lucy are on tour together, at least for a "string of dates". Please refer to your local venue.

Dar Williams (with Lucy Wainwright Roche) at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (26 April 2015)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival

For the Love of the Music: The Club 47 Folk Revival Ezzie FIlms Details This music-filled documentary explores the rich history of Club 47, the iconic Cambridge, Massachusetts folk-music mecca, from 1958-1968. Narrated by Peter Coyote, this fascinating story explores the magic that emerged when a small group of talented musicians came together in a tiny coffeehouse and altered the course of American music. From the 60s folk revival to the dawn of the "singer-songwriter era," the story is told through personal recollections by Club 47 performers, including Joan Baez, Taj Mahal, Judy Collins Tom Rush, Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Jackie Washington, Jim Rooney, Peter Rowan, and many more. "For the Love of the Music" also features previously unreleased audio recordings and photographs of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Eric Von Schmidt, inspiring new performances by many of Club 47's original stars, as well as fresh songs from today's young folk performers -- proving that folk music never stops evolving Starring: Scott Alarik, Taj Mahal, Joan Baez, Geoff Muldaur, Banana, Maria Muldaur, Joyce Chopra, Ellis Paul, Judy Collins, Jim Rooney, John Byrne, Cooke, Peter Rowan, Debbie Green, Tom Rush, Carolyn Hester, Betsy Siggins, Jim Kweskin, Bob Siggins, Everett Lilly, Jon Taplin, Everett Alan Lilly, Elijah Wald, Byron Linardos, and Jackie Washington Landrón And featuring performances by: Judy Collins, Hayley Reardon, Antje Duvekot, Jim Rooney, Meg Hutchinson, Peter Rowan, The Jim Kweskin, Jug Band, Tom Rush, Geoff Muldaur, Jackie Washington Landrón, and Ellis Paul With never-before released recordings of: Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Geoff Muldaur, Maria Muldaur, and Mel Lyman Read More Bob Dylan I attended a Bob Dylan 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 …

I just saw a terrific documentary on Club 47 called For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival.

In any good documentary, there is usually a focus and it tries to show the viewing audience why the subject is important, and that's what For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival delivered.

Currently, the venue is called Club Passim and it's located in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts... however originally, in 1958 it was called Club 47, based on its address of 47 Mount Auburn Street. I wasn't familiar with this historic folk music venue, but having watched For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival, I had a full understanding of the important role the venue played in the great folk music revival of the 60s.

What the directors/producers (Todd Kwait and Rob Stegman) got right was tracking down the important people involved in Club 47, including Joyce Chopra (who co-founded Club 47) and Betsy Siggins (served as Executive Director for many years). Some key figures like Paula Kelley (co-founder) could not be tracked down and author Eric Von Schmidt (who documented the Cambridge folk scene with Jim Rooney in their book Baby, Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years) passed away in 2007.

The big moment in folk music (or as some people in the documentary called it, "old timey music") was when folk crossed over into mainstream. Artists like Bob Dylan and the Carpenters, etc., were finding themselves regularly in the charts, and in many ways thanks to Club 47 for booking these type of folk rock musicians. While similar artists like Suzanne Vega and Joni Mitchell were welcomed with open arms by the venue, the Lovin' Spoonful and Bruce Springsteen were not.

Anyway, in between the narrative by Peter Coyote and interviews with various folk singer/songwriters and music historians, were some great live footage of folk musicians. The music didn't go too long and used sparingly, except for the final section of the documentary which featured a full song "Stand Together" by Hayley Reardon, showcasing the 'next generation' of folk musicians.

Soundtrack Kingswood Records

If you have a passion for folk music, the new documentary For the Love of the Music: the Club 47 Folk Revival is a must-see for you... whether you are from that generation or this generation, it's worth understanding the significance of Club 47. The DVD (or Blu-Ray) came out May 13th, and also available is the companion soundtrack, featuring full audio tracks by Tom Rush, Jack Landrón, Peter Rowan, Red Heart The Ticker, Tripping Lily, and many others.

Joyce Chopra

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

William Fitzsimmons at the Cedar, Minneapolis (07 May 2014)

Setlist Speak Centralia Beautiful Girl Josie's Song From You The Tide Pulls from the Moon Took Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths cover) Bird of Winter Prey When You Were Young Just Not Each Other Fade and Then Return Fortune Blood/Chest Hold On Umbrella (Rihanna cover) Lions After Afterall You Broke My Heart -- Encore -- I Don't Feel It Anymore Passion Play Wildflowers (Tom Petty cover) Everything Has Changed If You Would Come Back Home Goodmorning Read More William Fitzsimmons Singer/songwriter William Fitzsimmons is currently out on tour in support of his recently released LP Lions (out now on Nettwerk Records). Ben Sollee is listed as opener.…

William Fitzsimmons admitted that the Cedar Cultural Center was quickly his most favorite place to play... then quickly throwing in a joke that this was his "third time in Cleveland."

While talking on stage, Fitzsimmons came to the realization that his speaking voice was quite different from his singing voice, which is "girlie" as he said. All of his songs are on the tender/gentle side... and yes, even dark and sad. That's an accomplishment, considering Fitzsimmons could even make Rihanna's pop song "Umbrella" listenable.

So, let's rewind a bit, singer/songwriter William Fitzsimmons just released Lions on Nettwerk Records, and in typical promotion, is currently out on tour. The Cedar Cultural Center is known for its acoustic and the venue is really one for sitting down and listening. Not so much for rowdy rock shows as Stephen Malkmus pointed out recently. For folk music fans, the Cedar is where it is at.

Setlist

Fitzsimmons is in a wonderful mood, despite the fact that all his songs are about breakup and love and lost and sadness and "boner jams" as he joked. After playing "Took", which is about his adoptive children, the band left the stage. Fitzsimmons then played The Smiths' classic song "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want."

As you can see from the printed setlist, Fitzsimmons has a tendency to go off the map, adding in various cover songs and extending his encore from the scheduled four to six songs. While no one in the audience was complaining or seemed to mind it, I personally think it went on a little too long (the whole Fitzsimmons set ran over two hours and ten minutes). For fans, especially the ones that requested the encore songs, that's all part of the fun of attending live shows.

William Fitzsimmons continues his Lions tour:

05/10/14 Denver, CO Daniels Hall
05/11/14 Boulder, CO Etown Hall
05/13/14 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
05/15/14 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
05/16/14 Bellingham, WA Wild Buffalo
05/17/14 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
05/18/14 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
05/19/14 Eugene, OR WOW Hall
05/21/14 Sacramento, CA Harlow's Night Club
05/22/14 San Francisco, CA The Independent
05/23/14 Los Angeles, CA Largo
05/24/14 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
05/25/14 Pomona, CA Glass House
05/27/14 Las Vegas, NV Vinyl @ Hard Rock Hotel
05/28/14 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
05/30/14 Dallas, TX Kessler Theater
05/31/14 Austin, TX Parish
06/01/14 Houston, TX Eleanor Tinsley Park
06/05/14 St. Louis, MO Gramophone
06/06/14 Chicago, IL Old Town School
06/07/14 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
06/08/14 Toronto, ON Virgin Mobile Mod Club
06/09/14 Buffalo, NY Buffalo Iron Works
06/11/14 Quebec City, QC Le Cercle
06/12/14 Montreal, QC Cafe Campus
06/13/14 Burlington, VT Signal Kitchen
06/14/14 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
06/15/14 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair

William Fitzsimmons at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (07 May 2014)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Head and the Heart at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10/27/13)

Tour Poster Setlist Read More The Head and the Heart Saturday we have The Head And The Heart at First Avenue in Minneapolis. They are so popular that they have been selling out all their shows across the country. In fact, they've even … Thao & the Get Down Stay Down San Francisco-based band Thao & The Get Down Stay Down got down with us at the Cedar Cultural Center on April 1st and we loved every moment of it. The band is currently … Quiet Life The Portland indie/Americana band is currently touring in support of their sophomore LP, Wild Pack. The digital and CD were released last week (October 15th), but look for the …

Seattle's The Head and the Heart just stopped by First Avenue, in Minneapolis, as part of their national tour in support of Let's Be Still. The album was released last week, October 15th, 2013, on Sup Pop.

QUIET LIFE

Opening up for this sold-out folk show were Quiet Life, from Portland. I got the impression that the band are close friends with The Head and the Heart and they were really grateful to be sharing the stage with the headliner.

The band had a very brief thirty minute set with about six songs, starting with "Devil's Kin", from their latest album Wild Pack, and ending with "Shaky Hands", which I think I heard was a new song, written about a friend's divorce. Highlight of their set was "Messin' Around", mostly thanks to the organ-playing and catchy (easy to remember) chorus.

THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN

Since we last saw Thao Nguyen, she was at the Cedar earlier in 2013. This truncated set featured a lot of new songs, taken from her latest release We the Common, including "Holy Roller" and "Every Body". The new material, as I discovered it hearing it live, is more aggressive than her folk songs from her previous two albums.

Although the set was shorter, Thao display her talent for all things strings: jumping from guitar to acoustic to banjo to steel guitar. It was fun to watch the transitions.

Prior to The Head and the Heart taking the stage, whoever was manning the music was playing nothing but Velvet Underground songs. It was a fitting tribute to Lou Reed, who passed away that day.

Then the intro music of "Springtime" was played on the speakers and suddenly The Head and the Heart launched into "Summertime", featuring Charity Thielen on lead vocals. You soon discovered that vocals were shared among the trinity of Charity, Josiah, and Jonathan. And, in fact, the three of them does a lot of tight harmony on many of their songs.

As you can see from their setlist, about half the songs are from their latest album Let's Be Still, including "Summertime", "Homecoming Heroes", "Shake", "Cruel", and "Josh McBride". You could always tell which songs were from the debut self-titled album because they usually had the audience singing along, in particular the set closer "Rivers and Roads".

Encore were "These Days Are Numbered" (featuring Charity solo), "Gone", and "Down in the Valley". After seeing how both the Head and the Heart shows sold out, singer Jonathan Russell just could not believe that all these fans came together. "You're all strangers in one room," Russell said, "It's crazy." You get the feeling that the band also agree that bringing people together, this is what they are about.

The Head and the Heart's latest album, Let's Be Still, is out now on Sub Pop Records. The band has been selling out all their double shows, so if you don't have a ticket now, you may be out of luck. Maybe you could grab a ticket early on the next tour?

Their remaining tour dates:

10.28.13 | Madison, WI | Orpheum Theater *+ 10.29.13 | Royal Oak, MI | Royal Oak Music*+ 10.31.13 | Toronto, ON | Danforth Music Hall *+ 11.01.13 | Boston, MA | The Royale * 11.02.13 | Boston, MA | The Royale * 11.04.13 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club *+ 11.05.13 | New York, NY | Terminal 5 *+ 11.06.13 | New York, NY | Webster Hall *+ 11.08.13 | Philadelphia, PA | Union Transfer *+ 11.09.13 | Philadelphia, PA | Union Transfer *+ 11.10.13 | Raleigh, NC | Ritz *+ 11.12.13 | Atlanta, GA | The Buckhead *+ 11.13.13 | New Orleans, LA | Tipitina's *+ 11.14.13 | Houston, TX | Warehouse Live *+

11.15.13 | Dallas, TX | Southside Ballroom ^+ 11.16.13 | Austin, TX | Stubb's ^+ 11.17.13 | Austin, TX | Stubb's + 12.02.13 | Vancouver, Bc | Commodore Ballroom ^ 12.03.13 | Seattle, WA | Key Arena ! 12.05.13 | Oakland, CA | Fox Theatre^ 12.07.13 | Los Angeles, CA | The Wiltern ^ 12.10.13 | Los Angeles, CA| The Wiltern ^ 12.12.13 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre ^* 12.13.13 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre ^* 12.14.13 | Kansas City, MO | Midland Theater * = Thao & The Get Down Stay Down + = Quiet Life

The Head and the Heart at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10/27/13)

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ quietlifeband.com ♥ thaoandthegetdownstaydown.com ♥ theheadandtheheart.com

Wesley Stace

Read More John Wesley Harding Today (May 25), NPR is debuting "Cabinet of Wonders", a six-episode hour long radio program hosted by John Wesley Harding …

The first time I saw John Wesley Harding, he was a guest host for MTV's 120 Minutes in the very early 90s, and he did this amazing song called "Ordinary Weekend" live on an acoustic guitar, standing in the dark. Somehow JWH wrote this epic story about a guy who was down on his luck who messed up on this 'underground' job and ultimately paid the price. I just love his knack for telling little stories within the three-minute song genre.

Last year, he resurfaced Cabinet of Wonders, an NPR short 6-episode hour long radio program starring John Wesley Harding. It's not all music, instead there's interview, book reviews, and even poetry.

I don't know when it happened, but I would say it's recently, John Wesley Harding declared that he will be known as Wesley Stace now. By the time I heard that, he's already co-written Eleanor Friedberger's new record and written some books.

Changing stage name back to his given name probably made a whole lot of sense, but having already established himself as folk singer John Wesley Harding for 25 years, it's hard for me to associate or identify with the name of Wesley Stace. I suppose, over time, we'll look back and laugh at this whole Wesley Stace vs John Wesley Harding debate.

With that said, Wesley Stace's new Self-Titled album just came out this week (September 17th). He has announced a string of tour dates in support of the new record, but also taking his variety program Cabinet of Wonders with him! Dates and details below:

09/21/13 Rahway, NJ Hamilton Stage* 10/03/13 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live* 10/04/13 Asbury Park, NJ The Saint* 10/06/13 Stony Brook, NY University Café* 10/10/13 Chicago, IL City Winery† 10/11/13 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center† 10/12/13 Iowa City, IA The Englert Theatre† 10/13/13 Grinnell, IA Bucksbaum Center † 10/18/13 New York, NY City Winery†

10/24/13 New York, NY City Winery* 11/07/13 Seattle, WA Triple Door* 11/09/13 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios* 11/11/13 San Francisco, CA Jewish Community† 11/13/13 Santa Barbara, CA Campbell Hall† 11/15/13 Santa Monica, CA McCabe’s Guitar* 11/22/13 New York, NY City Winery† 01/06/13 Tampa, FL Univ. of Tampa* 01/25/13 Mamaroneck, NY Emelin Theatre†

* Wesley Stace headlining performance
† Wesley Stace’s Cabinet of Wonders

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ johnwesleyharding.com

Norah Jones …Featuring

Norah Jones’ debut album, “Come away with me” sold more than 20 million copies and garnered five Grammys.  In effect, the record took a New York City lounge singer and launched her into the stratosphere.  After such a meteoric rise the question had to be: What does one do after already achieving everything?  For Jones, she was ready to get to work.

Norah Jones has never one to be hampered success.  She is far too musically curious to rest on prior accomplishments.  Already, she has released three more records to critical acclaim and healthy sales.  And in between recording and touring she has also collaborated with other musicians.  “Featuring” now out on Blue Note is a compilation of these projects. 

I’m amazed by Jones’ versatility.  On these tracks she easily moves from pop and rock to samba and bossa nova.  She also covers familiar terrain with country and jazz.  But she also ventures into new territory like reggae and hip hop.  I really like the shades of haunting gospel in her song with Ryan Adams called “Dear John.”  She deftly moves from minimal in “Blue Bayou” with M. Ward to parade like charm in “Ruler of My Heart” with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.  This record is a decathlon of musical genres.  I was almost hoping to come across an Irish beer drinking song with The Pogues, but braying has never been Jones’ style. 

Although she grew up in Texas, Jones’ voice doesn’t take up a lot of space.  It’s intimate, subtle and knowing.  Like all great singers, she has the ability to convince the listener that she is only singing to an audience of one.  Her voice is never going to carry across a football field.  It’s going to whisper from across the bar.

It’s not surprising that other musicians have asked Jones to sing on their records.  What is surprising is how gracious she has been over the years.  The musicians on “Featuring” range from established to starting out.  There is Willie Nelson and The Little Willies, Dolly Parton and Sasha Dobson, The Foo Fighters and Daru Oda.  Three of the songs on “Featuring” even appear on Grammy Award winning records:

Her duet with Andre 3000 from OutKast’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” is an aperitif of a song. But when Jones sings “Take Your Cool Off” what more needs to be said?

In “Court and Spark” from Herbie Hancock’s “The River: The Joni Letters,” Jones’ voice folds and blends into expanding, exploring nuances of a song that moves as freely as a winding body of water.

I feel Jones hits a sweet spot with Ray Charles in “Here We Go Again” from “Genius Loves Company.”  More than any other collaboration I have to believe that Jones holds a special affinity with Charles, a fellow piano player.  After all, how many musicians can deftly inhabit the worlds of both jazz and country?  I can think of two.

Dave

Live: Kim Taylor at Turf Club, Minneapolis

Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez: The New Bye & Bye

Discography [2002] Let's Leave This Town [2003] The Trouble with Humans [2005] Red Dog Tracks [2006] Angel of the Morning EP (live) [2007] Live from the Ruhr Triennale (live) [2010] The New Bye & Bye Read More Carrie Rodriguez Carrie Rodriguez is a singer/songwriter, currently based out of New York. Her father, David Rodriguez, is also a singer/songwriter, having long relocated in the Netherlands in the mid-90s, where it seems he's still producing music.

Chip Taylor has been writing and releasing music since 1970, so he's no stranger to country folk music fans. In 2001, after meeting a then-new musician Carrie Rodriguez, he took her under his wings and had her support him on tour through Europe. The two recorded a number of albums, before each of them going solo again.

The New Bye & Bye - The Best of the Train Wreck Years 2002-2007 marked the first time the two artists have reunited to record some new tracks for the compilation. The album is due out on October 12^th on Train Wreck Records.

What I have always liked about duoing singers is what I've always called the "Beauty & the Beast" effect: a rough/experienced boy throat, offset by a sweet/beautiful girl voice. Further evidence can be found in success of Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan.

The New Bye & Bye starts off the compilation with the four new songs. This tells me one of a few things: they are really proud of the new songs. I've listened to many "greatest hits" compilation, and the "new" songs are often stuck at the end because they're generally a "b-side"-style song... not really worthy of a "great hit" song.

With their attitude, I went in really liking the new songs. Starting off with "Your Name is on My Lips", is a song about missing someone and sounds, to me, like it's sung through the loneliness of a telephone call. The emptiness of electric through the wire is captured through the weeping violin. "On An Island" continues that theme remembering that one person, on an island, waiting.

"Play it Again Sam" is my favorite of the new song, just because Chip Taylor sounds really vulnerable here, with his almost-whispering/barely able to mutter his lines (probably a statement about how the audience is paying good money to see him play his hit song over and over again).

The title of the compilation is named after "The New Bye and Bye", is kind of an argument and a make-up song. The refrain is used again to close out the compilation as the last track.

The rest of the compilation collects songs from their three studio albums, and one live album, Live from the Ruhr Triennale. The track listing are in chronicle order, with about three tracks from each album (with the exception of The Trouble With Humans which got two extra tracks thrown in).

I liked the more upbeat songs "Sweet Tequila Blues" with its catchy line "take me back to Austin, damn I miss that town" and "All The Rain" with "I can't believe they didn't drown with all the rain in their heart". I really enjoy Carrie's twangy "I don't give a damn" attitude with the calm, collective melody from Chip. And speaking of accents, wow, you haven't heard "Wild Thing" until you hear their version. They ought to change to the title to "Wild Thang".

Below are tour information for Chip Taylor:

Fri 10/22/10 New York, NY Hill Country BBQ
Fri 11/19/10 New York, NY The Living Room
Sat 11/20/10 New York, NY The Living Room
Sun 11/21/10 Turners Falls, MA Shea Theater*
Wed 12/01/10 Austin, TX Cactus Cafe
Thu 12/02/10 Austin, TX Cactus Cafe*
Fri 12/03/10 Houston, TX McGonigel's Mucky Duck*
Sat 12/11/10 Wellsville, NY Creative Arts Center

* Appearing with Carrie Rodriguez

As for Carrie Rodriguez, she's just released Love & Circumstance and currently on tour with Romantica (a Minneapolis band!):

06-Oct Oss @ Het Oude Theater* 07-Oct Alphen a/d Rijn @ Theater Castellum* 08-Oct Gouda, HOLLAND @ Goudse Schouwburg* 09-Oct Leiden, HOLLAND @ Stadsgehoorzaal* 10-Oct Holland @ CC Leopoldsburg* 11-Oct Eindhoven @ Muziekcentrum Frits Philips* 29-Oct Cleveland, OH @ Night Town 30-Oct Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café 31-Oct Buckhannon, WV @ Virginia Thomas Law 02-Nov New York, NY @ City Winery co-bill^ 03-Nov Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere 04-Nov Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater^ 05-Nov Marblehead, MA @ me&thee coffeehouse^		06-Nov Hudson, NY @ Club Helsinki co-bill^ 07-Nov Middletown, NY @ The Mansion 11-Nov Denton, TX @ Dan’s Silverleaf 13-Nov Dallas, TX @ The Kessler Theater 17-Nov Chapel Hill, NC @ Memorial Hall# 21-Nov Turner Falls, MA @ The Shea Theater+ 02-Dec Austin, TX @ The Cactus Café+ 03-Dec Houston, TX @ Mucky Duck+ * w/very special guests Romantica ^ w/Jim Lauderdale playing first + Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez # w/Ben Sollee

Preview some tracks on Soundcloud, courtesy of Shore Fire.



Trivia: I know this has nothing to do with music, but Chip Taylor's brother is Jon Voight, you know, Mr Angelina Jolie Dad.

vu () ♥ myspace.com/chiptaylorsolo ♥ carrierodriguez.com ♥ trainwreckrecords.com

An Introduction

Harry Chapin: 30,000 Pounds of Bananas

Some of you may already know us from vox, but for those who doesn't know us, I thought I should write a little introduction about We Heart Music, or for short W♥M.

A little history about myself: My name is Vu, and music has always been with me, growing up in the late 80s. When the early 90s came around, I really got into music. Everything that came out of England was and instant hit with me. Started networking fanzines, and eventually arrived in the music industry via KFSR 90.7 FM.

The idea behind W♥M in January 2007 (then called Sleeper/Successlessness), was simple enough: write about one song a day.

It all started with "30,000 Pounds of Bananas" by Harry Chapin. So what better way to celebrate our new home here at Typepad than to have another live rendition of that song here.

So let's take a trip down memory lane:

W♥M Alpha: Mar 2007

W♥M Beta: Jun 2007

W♥M 0.0: Jul 2008

W♥M 1.0: May 2010

W♥M 2.0: Sep 2010

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Alice Peacock - Love Remains

Alice Peacock - Forgiveness Alice Peacock Tour Dates 03/25/09 Edgehill Studios Cafe Nashville, TN 04/02/09 the Living Room NY 04/03/09 Tin Angel Philadelphia, PA 04/04/09 the Evening Muse Charlotte, NC 04/17/09 the Soiled Dove Denver, CO 04/18/09 Front Porch House Concerts Boulder, CO 04/25/09 Eddies Attic Decatur, GA 06/12/09 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI 06/13/09 Schubas Chicago, IL 04/19/09 Watchung Arts Center Watchung, NJ 09/12/09 Club Cafe Pittsburgh, PA 09/26/09 Festival Theater St Croix Falls, WI 10/23/09 Foundry Hall South Haven, MI 10/24/09 Center Stage Theater at the West Shore Community College Scottville, MI Discography [1999] Real Day [2002] Alice Peacock [2006] Who I Am Read More Alice Peacock http://weheartmus... Alice Peacock said she "just can't get enough of the road." It looks like she's been touring for ...

I have one final SXSW article to write (I know we're all sick of hearing about it!) and it's so massive that it will take the course of this whole week to put it together. In the meantime, I thought I'd take a break and review some albums that were recently released. The first is Alice Peacock!

Alice Peacock - I'll Start With Me

I previously briefly mentioned Peacock last year, and there was an overwhelming response to her song "I'll Start With Me". What is people were saying was that the song had great angelic vocals and melodies - and all that and more is on her latest album, Love Remains.

What I think you'll notice that the power of Peacock's songs are her voice and her crafty lyrics. Her lyrics, like most singer/songwriter, gives us a glimpse into her life. Songs like my second favorite song on the album, "Fairborn", and "City of Angels" reveals her traveling life (going to Boston, Minneapolis, Chicago, etc). I suspect this is more to do with her touring lifestyle, she seems to always be on the road. Plus, I think it helps that she was originally from White Bear Lake in Minnesota, but currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.

You will also notice that her songs are borderline country and acoustic pop. Although songs like the title-track "Love Remains" is quite simple in its lyrics, you'll find that it's incredibly catchy as you sing along to the chorus "only love remains".

While "Love Remains" is simple, she can also be complicated as well - in many of her songs, such as "Wrong Time". A song that I would hazard a guess that would best fit Peacock's personality... this is unlike her "All About Me" which I don't think is her at all. That song opens up with "I'd like to get stoned", followed by "do whatever feels good, with whomever I pleased", which is quite a shock as I get the impression that Alice Peacock is a good old fashion kind of girl. I mean she's probably a devoted Christian, based on songs such as "If I Could Talk to God" and the piano lullaby song "Angel".

My favorite song on the album is called "Forgiveness". I think mostly for the electric guitar and Peacock asking us: "Can music change the world?"

Does it come from the heart? Then, I think it can...

You can buy Love Remains directly from her, complete with autograph at buyswag.com for $13.98.

 03/25/2009 23:04:10 ♥ vu () ♥ alicepeacock.com ♥ myspace.com/alicepeacock