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Monday, April 26, 2010
CD review: Hole, ‘Nobody’s Daughter’
‘Nobody’s Daughter’
(Mercury/Island Def Jam)
Grade: C-
Courtney Love’s spent more than 15 years smack dab in the center of the spotlight, whether engaged in custody battles or grappling with drug addiction or just plain being endearingly nonsensical, as in her recent attempt to reinvent herself as Courtney Michelle. So it’s often difficult to separate the persona from the music. And “Nobody’s Daughter,” Hole’s first record since 1998’s “Celebrity Skin,” is even harder to judge on its own merits, being as it is essentially a Love solo record — founding guitarist Eric Erlandson and longtime bassist Melissa Auf der Maur aren’t onboard, and the band has a new lineup.
None of this is tremendously important. The real question is, does “Nobody’s Daughter” rock? The answer: intermittently. The album kicks off with two slices of plum ’90s alternative rock in the title track and “Skinny Little (Expletive),” blistering and angry numbers that can stand alongside vintage Hole with crushing guitars and Love’s broken-glass wail. “Honey” and “Pacific Coast Highway” slow the tempo down, but enjoyably so — and the latter, with its repeated “miles and miles of regret” refrain offers a nice window into Love’s soul.
But there’s an ill-advised mid-album trip into slower, reflective, acoustic guitar-laden songs that drags on an unconscionably long time, subjecting listeners to some sophomorically angsty lyrics (“Haven’t I done everything you wanted?” Love asks on “Letter to God.” The answer is presumably no.) By the time the hard rocker “Loser Dust” erupts it’s like manna from heaven. Things close out strong with the striking and raw “Never Go Hungry,” leaving “Nobody’s Daughter” an experience that is only occasionally satisfying.
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CD review: Alpha Rev, ‘New Morning’
Alpha Rev
‘New Morning’
(Hollywood)
Grade: C
It might seem peculiar to find Austin rock septet Alpha Rev on Hollywood Records, the Disney-owned home of the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. Alpha Rev was formed in 2005 by ace Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke-esque local singer Casey McPherson after the breakup of his much-buzzed Endochine. But Alpha Rev is hardly the strangest presence on the label — that’d almost certainly be Orange County metal band Atreyu — and the band’s not even the most oddball local signee in Hollywood’s history (hello, Butthole Surfers). Being signed to Hollywood worked out pretty well for Fastball in the late ’90s. And there are certain perks to being signed to a major label with as much promotional pull as Hollywood; Alpha Rev as of late has enjoyed plum placement on VH-1 and even an appearance on ABC Family dramedy “Greek.”
But listening to “New Morning,” Alpha Rev’s second full-length studio album and first for Hollywood, it’s hard not to wonder if all that major label power meant any pressure to keep the sound … well, a little dull, truthfully. “New Morning” is a well-produced, technically strong album, with reliably solid guitar lines and excellent contributions on violin and cello from secret weapons Brian Batch and Dave Wiley, respectively, but across 11 tracks of mass market-friendly soaring radio pop, it never breaks out and rocks quite the way you want it to. The opening title track sets the tone, with a strummy acoustic guitar intro, light strings and soaring vocals — vocals that are strong but never quite as quivering and emotive as McPherson is at his best. A similar aesthetic is found on such radio-friendly, adult contemporary-channeling numbers as “Phoenix Burn,” the vaguely Owl City-evoking “Alone With You” and the soft, midtempo closing ballad “Goodbye From the Start.”
There are glimpses aplenty of something more interesting at work here. “When Did I Wake Up” is an uplifting guitar rocker that gives McPherson the chance to show off his Endochine-era soloing chops. McPherson faces his demons on “White Fences” (“And I feel like I’m in hell/As I tried to save myself/I didn’t think I needed help/Was it too late walking through the wasteland?”), which has all the power you’d expect from a man who’s become a passionate advocate for depression awareness and suicide prevention. And “Face Down,” with its handclaps, swaggering guitar line and funky keys, evokes ’70s blue-eyed soul in the vein of Chicago. It’s the most fun “New Morning” has to offer. But nothing has, say, the sinister staccato charm of Alpha Rev’s “Stuck In A Crowd (Prufrock Among The Cannibals)” or the sexy, smoky jazz of “Midnight,” both songs off the self-titled debut EP. And the band has plenty of power live. Alpha Rev’s got the right stuff to make an impression — the band just needs to loosen up a little.
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Floyd Dakil, 1945-2010
The Dallas Observer’s Unfair Park blog is reporting that Floyd Dakil, whose combo recorded one of the greatest garage rock singles of the ’60s with “Dance Franny Dance” died Saturday. Details are still coming in.
The Leroi Brothers are among several acts who’ve made “Dance Franny Dance” a staple of their club sets. The driving beat never fails to excite.
Dallas native Dakil performed at South by Southwest in 2009 as part of the Ponderosa Stomp preview show. Here’s an interview we did with Dakil before that show.
And here’s “Dance Franny Dance.” Rest in peace, Floyd Dakil.
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Live review: Steve Martin at the Long Center
One thing is worth establishing when it comes to Steve Martin’s unlikely side gig as an acclaimed bluegrass musician: he doesn’t need to do any of this.
Martin, of course, has been one of comedy’s most bankable stars for decades and has a net worth estimated at north of $100 million — so unlike most musicians, he has no financial need to tour. For that matter, the opportunity cost of Martin going on tour when he could be bringing home multimillion dollar paydays for films is, one imagines, pretty substantial — a sacrifice alluded to by Martin during his between-song banter (“The next song has elements of sadness and melancholy, kind of like my agent’s face when I told him I wanted to do a banjo tour.”)
So it’s safe to say that when Martin puts out a Grammy-winning album of bluegrass tunes (“The Crow”), or goes on a national tour playing banjo, he does it for one reason only: love.
That was readily apparent Sunday night as Martin, backed by virtuosic North Carolina bluegrass quintet the Steep Canyon Rangers, moved effortlessly and joyously through a mixture of music and comedy — about 70 percent the former and 30 percent the latter. Across a series of both infectious, fun instrumentals (“Words Unspoken”) and equally enjoyable vocal tunes (the bouncing and kid-friendly “Late For School” and the celebratory “Jubilation Day”) Martin showed off his superlative banjo-playing chops. Decades of banjo infatuation have made Martin into a skilled, emotive player who’s a joy to watch and listen to, whether on an instrumental medley of songs done clawhammer-style or a bluegrass classic-to-be like “Daddy Played The Banjo.”
Skilled though Martin may be, though, it was the collective talents of the Steep Canyon Rangers that put the show over the top. Fiddle player Nicky Sanders stood out for his blistering solos, especially on an encore version of “Orange Blossom Special.” The band really got their chance to shine during three Martin-less songs mid-show, including a beautiful a cappella take on standard “I Can’t Sit Down” that received a standing ovation.
The comedy may not have been as intricate and impressive as the music, with between song banter that came across more goodhearted and silly than particularly clever — though Martin retrieving a beer from the upright bass was a highlight, as was the amusingly satirical comedy song “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.” But the overall tone of the show was a nice mix of low-key humor and impressive musicianship. When the band busted out an encore, bluegrassified version of “King Tut,” one thing became clear: Steve Martin knows what the people want, and he appears quite happy to give it to them.
Set list — and just for giggles, some between-song quotes from Steve Martin — after the jump.
The Quotable Steve Martin
As you’d expect from a legendary funny man and certifiable American treasure, half the joy of last night’s Steve Martin show was the between-song banter. Martin knew the audience would expect a little comedy with their bluegrass, and was happy to oblige with a number of zingers. Below, I’ve excerpted some of the evening’s more enjoyable lines — they aren’t all exact quotes (it’s difficult to keep pace when you’re scribbling in a notebook in the dark) but the essence is there. This banter is probably recycled from city to city, so for those of you planning on attending one of Martin’s future dates on this current tour, you’ve received a spoiler warning.
-Upon first seeing the crowd: “Well, I wish I’d practiced.”
-On how he met the Steep Canyon Rangers: “The real story doesn’t go down very well in Hollywood, so I say we met in rehab.”
-On the audience: “Some of you I’m curiously attracted to. Some of you I’m strongly repelled by.”
-“Thank you all for coming. I know it’s kind of a strange thing to see. The only analogy I can make is if somebody said to you ‘Hey, Jerry Seinfeld is going to play songs he wrote on the bassoon!’”
-“People come to me all the time and say ‘Steve, why a musical career? Why now?’ And I say ‘Hey, you guys are my band!’”
-On keeping his set list on an iPad: “If you have a $500 set list, your show becomes too big to fail.”
-“Last year I took home the Grammy for best bluegrass album. Later on I found out I had won it.”
-“We already know the next album is going to be a big hit, because the week of its release I’m going to die of a Vicodin overdose.”
-“I’m doing two of my favorite things tonight: comedy and charging people for music.”
-“It’s a poor workman who blames his goddamn tools.”
-“I try to write songs based on personal experiences. The next one is called ‘I think my masseuse is too chatty.’”
Set list
Pitkin County Turnaround
Daddy Played The Banjo
The Crow
Late For School
Words Unspoken
Hoedown at Alice’s
Freddie’s Lilt
Turn Up The Bottle And Drink It Down (Steep Canyon Rangers only)
There Ain’t No Easy Street (Steep Canyon Rangers only)
I Can’t Sit Down (Steep Canyon Rangers only)
Atheists Don’t Have No Songs
Clawhammer medley
Hide Behind A Rock
Wally’s On The Run
Go Away, Stop, Turn Around, Come Back
Jubilation Day
Saga Of The Old West
Calico Train
Encore
Orange Blossom Special
King Tut
Second encore
Ignition
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New Backyard opens in Bee Cave
Although there may still be a few cars waiting to exit the rugged parking area, which seemed better suited for a cattle drive, the opening night of the new Backyard was a qualified success Sunday night. About 5,000 fans paid $50 each to see ZZ Top, a craggy-voiced nostalgia act at this point, and the lines for beer never let up.
“For a first night, I’d say it went pretty well,” said Backyard owner Tim O’Connor, whose partner in the 44-acre property less than a half mile from the original Backyard is shampoo king Paul “Mitchell” DeJoria. “We had some parking issues later on, but we’ll get that worked out before the Gipsy Kings” (who perform at the 7,500 capacity ampitheater May 6.) Several cars were turned away after the lot filled at about 8:30 p.m., but O’Connor said that was due to less-than-efficient auto routing. “We’ll have our second entrance (on Hwy 71, just past the Emerald restaurant) open next week, which will help get more cars in faster.”
Although lines of cars waiting to get into the venue were long, they moved fairly smoothly early on, with average waits around 20 minutes. Countless middle fingers were unfurled as cars cut into the lines from outside lanes. It did, at times, seem like chaos.
As for the sound mix, for both opening act Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights and ZZ Top, the bass was way too loud. Since when has DJ Screw played the blues? ZZ’s set was a mess from opening number “Thunderbird,” though they finally got their groove going with “Under Pressure” at about the 45-minute mark. But Tyler and his band were poised to prove they deserved to be the first-ever band at the new ampitheater, until the sound was swallowed up by the unrelenting boom.
Another problem to many were the trees, about 50 yards from the stage, that blocked sightlines. O’Connor said he’s already moved three trees, but he’s got two more to go. Although the shade will be nice on the Fourth of July, you can look at trees all over town for free. For $50, you should be able to watch the performers.
