|
This is a map of the festival. As the festival continues I will add pictures of the artists along with stories from the weekend. You can click on the pictures for a larger version. I hope you enjoy this. If you wish to contact me during the festival you can AIM me at brucegreenberg , Yahoo IM me at gdrgroup or simply send me an email at bruce@gdrgroup.com . I hope you enjoy the pictures and the stories.
Bruce
|
|
9/16/2004 - So, the view from our room isn't what it was the last two years, but it ain't bad. After today, we won't be spending much time here anyway. Today I went to High Holiday services at Temple Beth Israel. This is Austin, so I wasn't too surprised when during the sermon the rabbi said, "Does anyone remember AM Top 40 radio?"and later said, "the Kaddish for AM Top 40 was said years ago". Uhmmm, for the non-Jewish readers, the Kaddish is the Jewish prayer for the dead. Anyway, he went on to discuss diversity of ideas and used the diverse radio of the 60's/70's as a metaphor. I picked the right Synagogue.
|
|
Part of the fun at ACL are the club concerts that now go on from Thursday through Sunday. Tonight I finally get to see The Scabs. But first we had to get through a band called Dragonfly Jones and then were delighted with this 3 woman dancing troupe called The Pontani Sisters. They only did three dances, each with different costumes, but it was a fun diversion and much better than an underachieving Zep/Stevie wanna-be band.
|
|
Okay, these pictures suck. The crowd was pretty packed in and we were enjoying a wonderful conversation at the bar. It seems we were in the non-locals-over-the-hill section. To our left was a woman who looked in her 40’s but had a son who was 30 and a lover/husband who turned 40 that night. They were from Rhode Island. To our right we had a husband and wife, Anne and Joe from Seattle. Anne would be turning 50 next week. But I digress. So, I just couldn’t get close enough for any good pictures. Sorry. I’ll do better tomorrow.
|
|
For those of you who don’t know, The Scabs are Bob Schneider’s “party band”. And there is no doubt when they hit the stage that that is what this is all about. They immediately launched into a rockin’ version of… Hmmm, I guess I can’t say the name of the song here; there may be children reading.
|
|
When they are hitting on all 9 cylinders (Bob on vocals, 2 guitars, 1 Bass, Drums, keyboards and 3 piece horn section) it is a potent experience; mixing funk, hip-hop, rock, rockabilly, and Salsa (probably a few other genres but I just couldn't remember them all). When they are cranking, they are hard to beat. But about half way through the show, they started meandering around, having fun and just being a bit crazy. It takes away from the power of the show. But it isn’t fair for me to really criticize them. The Scabs have been a tradition in Austin for many years and the goofing around and messing up is just part of that tradition. But when they get the signal from Bob, they just line up and the music just explodes. They are everything I wanted them to be. 2 hours later they finished their set with their most disgusting song title. If you are a Scabs fan, you know what that is.
|
|
9-17-04 Day one is in the books, and it was a fun one. It started in the morning with our yearly waiter Jerry making his special coffee for me: Coffee, Cinnamon and Dulce de Leche ice cream. Yum. We also ran in to the family who hung with us last year during that 8.5 hour marathon. You’ll notice as you go through today’s pictures that when I don’t have a picture of a band, there will be a Rosanne Cash picture. That’s because I got so many good ones of her. Hope you enjoy
|
|
So, up first was Kacy Crowley. She is a local singer/songwriter (for those of you who wondered what the “s/s” was in my onsite emails… that is just too much to type, even on a Blackberry) who has a voice that can sound a bit like Rickie Lee Jones. We enjoyed her set, especially when Trish Murphy (who we may see Saturday) and Renee Woodward joined her.
|
|
The three of them host “Braless Night” at a local club. Uhmmmm, according to Kacy it is because they never wear bras (although 2 of the three were today because of the heat). I’m not really sure what that has to do with anything, but I just had to tell someone. Anyway, Kacy has a lot of talent and we enjoyed her set.
|
|
After Kacy, Deb bought a cowboy hat (“really Deb on you it looks good”) and then met up with Jim and his daughter. The four of us headed over to the B of A stage for Louque. It is the band’s name the leaders last name. He is from Louisiana, I believe, but now makes his home in Brooklyn. His style is part Reggae part electronica and his vocals seem to be somewhere between Peter Tosh and Dr. John. He put on an excellent set, maybe the 3rd best of the day for us.
|
|
We did a lot of walking today. Deb and I bounced back to the stage where Kacy played to see Willy Mason, a highly touted singer/songwriter. This is a young kid with lots of potential. Both Deb and I really enjoyed his lyrics and think that as he matures he could really be something special.
|
|
Then back to the stage were Louque played to see Bob Schneider, once again. This time he was with his Lonelyland band. It looks like the Gods just don’t want me to have any good pics of Bob this weekend. I actually was able to zoom in on him only to have the interpreter for the deaf get in the way. Bob can either be uninterested, good, or amazing. The uninterested Bob whips through the lyrics of the song so fast you really can’t hear them. But you can tell he is bored. Deb commented on how intelligent Bob probably is and I have to agree. I think he sometimes is bored on stage.
|
|
Anyway, that wasn’t the Bob we saw today. He started out normal, but by the time he hit “C’mon Baby” he was really in to it. Gotta love those hats too. And what a great picture of Billy here. Can you believe he came out in a jacket. It didn’t last the whole show. We only saw about three fourths of the set because we were worried about getting a good spot for Rosanne.
|
|
As you will see from the pictures, we didn’t have a problem getting right up front and center. We actually only got to the stage 20 minutes before her show, but it was so friggin’ hot and her fan base was probably a bit older and really didn’t want to sit out in the sun all afternoon waiting for her, so we just walked right up to the front.
|
|
Rosanne was really good. Probably in the top two for us today. With a full band, including hubby John Leventhal on guitar, Rosanne played 3 songs from her current and excellent CD “Rules of Travel” and then mixed it up with the rest of her hour on stage. Truthfully, she didn’t convince me to go back and buy any of her earlier recordings, but I loved the show none the less. Near the end she kicked into a wonderful version of “Who’ll stop the rain”, which may be fitting in an election year, but is only ironic when you are sitting in 95 degree heat and 50 percent humidity.
|
|
After the show Rosanne signed autographs. I knew there wasn’t time but I had to ask her a question. On the new CD there is a song called “Western Wall”. It is a song about her love of that place. For those who don’t know, it is the only remaining wall from the last Temple built in Jerusalem, a couple thousand years ago I believe. People, usually Jews, write down prayers on pieces of paper and stick them into the cracks of the wall. It is an amazing place, and I’ve never heard a non-Jew talk about it before, let alone write a song about it. So I said, “I know you don’t have time to answer the question, but I just have to ask…Western Wall, I’m sure you have a story behind that”. And Rosanne said, “Well, the headline version of it is: My dad took me there when I was 19. I was so inspired by it, that 25 years later I finally wrote a song about it”. What a great answer. I’d love to hear more too. Maybe some day.
|
|
Because we had Rosanne signing, we were not able to get up close for Patty Griffin. We did ultimately squeeze our way up to a reasonable position, and I got lucky with a couple of pictures, but they are a bit blurry.
|
|
Patty put on a typical, Patty set. She played an hour, focused on her last 2 CDs, and was so beautiful; inside and out. She played one new song for us; something about Amazon women. It was pretty funny.
|
|
Who to go see: Toots and the Maytals or Ryan Adams. By 7pm, the field by the main stage was a zoo. We’ll pass on Ryan. But, the #2 stage wasn’t a whole lot better. So, we ended up going to see J.T. Van Zandt. J.T. is Townes, son. J.T. has a very sweet, sincere personality and it also comes out in his songs. He kept saying hi to people he would see in the audience that he knew. From someone else it might seem calculated or show nervousness, but he would just see people and want to say hi. He is that kind of guy. We enjoyed his show, but I wonder if he is tough enough for this business.
|
|
Okay, so who is the other in our two best shows of the day. That would be Gomez. Sorry, but it was night and we just couldn’t get close enough to get a picture, so… more Rosanne. Great vocals, quirky arrangements, lots of power. This band really is good live. I think I’m going to have to go see them at the HOB next week and get their full show. They were only scheduled for 45 minutes (although they pushed it to an hour). I couldn’t believe that.
|
|
The evening’s closer was Sheryl Crow (again no pics, too far away, so more Rosanne). After getting to hear my all time favorite song (you know I’m kidding here, right?) “First Cut is the Deepest” (actually I liked how she made sure people knew it was a Cat Stevens song), we decided to go outside the park and listen to her set on the path behind the stage. The sound is good there (actually in front of the stage, and way back, it was very tinny), and there were no annoying people talking on cell phones during the show. Along with enjoying the music, we listened carefully to see how many times she mentioned in some fashion her latest boyfriend, Lance. “I wrote this song to win him back, but then this guy on a bicycle came into my life”. The final count was only 2 times. Jim was right up front for her. Maybe he will give a nice review for everyone.
|
|
That’s it for tonight. We’ll chat tomorrow.
|
|
9-18-04 Day 2 of ACL started with a band of Brits and Aussies playing bluegrass; and playing it well. They are called, appropriately, The Greencards. It was a nice way to start the day, bouncing around to a fun group of musicians.
|
|
Another pic of The Greencards
|
|
So we were all excited about the possibilities that Cat Power would bring. She has a reputation for melting down during performances. She also has an interesting voice and could put on an amazing performance. To add to the fire, the band playing all the way across the field was playing loud enough for her to tap along to it for a moment. What we got was a very interesting performance; depression in 95 degree heat and slow slow monotone type depressing music at that. She didn’t really melt down, but did end the set a few minutes early and apologized for a crappy performance. Highlight of the set was a slow, almost Nico’ish version of Satisfaction. We both would love to see her in a small club somewhere and get a better feel for her music.
|
|
Another pic of Cat Power
|
|
So… uhmmmm, well, here’s the story. Deb and I noticed that a photographer shooting Cat Power was the same one we kept seeing last year at ACL. As you can see from the picture she is attractive enough to compete for camera time with the artists she is shooting. So, I just sort of took this picture and I loved the lucky pose I got. It is pixilated, but I love the shot.
|
|
After CP, we headed over to check out Josh Rouse. I believe Mike has been playing him on XM. As Deb said, he definitely has a way around a melody. It was an excellent set with great tunes and a fun atmosphere. Josh was near the top of Debs “best of list”.
|
|
A friend, Jessica, had recommended that we check out Endochine. They are one of the few “Modern Rock” (I don’t it that is the right term, but it will have to do for now) bands we got around to seeing this weekend. I really enjoyed them and will have to check out their CDs.
|
|
Was it Jeannie who said to go see Howie Day? Well, Deb was a fan too, and, the heat was pounding down on us and I really didn’t feel like walking half way across the field, so we sat down. I saw Julian Coryell use live tape loops a few times during his performance at the HOB a couple of months ago, but Howie integrates them throughout his set. And… he is really good at it. You just have to see this to believe it; pretty amazing. His songs are somewhat like John Mayer or Jason Mraz’s, but his performance just takes it to another level. At the end, as he was finishing up a song, he started to build the loops. I could see where he was going. After layering several guitar riffs, he added some percussion by hitting the guitar, then layered several vocal lines, then waved to the crowed and walked off while it continued to play: A very cool moment. My #2 show of the day.
|
|
We weren’t even going to see Abra this year. We saw her last year and enjoyed it, but it was lunch time and she was close by. I thought the show was similar to last years, with a different band, but Deb loved it, putting it in her top 2 for the day. She has a unique voice and still shows a few signs of her Poi Dog days.
|
|
Things were just too crowded at this point (and they were going to get worse) so we passed on the bigger acts and revisited the site of Los Lonely Boys explosion last year. Inside the tent were Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters. These guys play electric blues/soul/funk and with his 6 piece band (with 2 horns) were trying real hard to blow the roof off once again. Of course, if you live in Chicago maybe this is old news, but it had me bouncing around near the front of the stage. I should mention that this tent is better suited for a 4H Club meeting then a rock and roll show. The PA is placed on the floor on the sides of the stage and it needs to blast out to a thousand or so people. “What did you say Deb? What? WHat? WHAt? WHAT?” And that was after the show. And of course dancing around in a tent with lots of people in it with 95 degree weather outside and no air… You do the math.
|
|
When is an acoustic guitar not an acoustic guitar? When Monte Montgomery is playing it.
|
|
I remember seeing Frances Dunnery perform at the big beach party / surfing championships that KSCA used to be a part of. He blew away the audience when he started doing some really good led Zep on his acoustic guitar. He actually played guitar with Plant on a tour once. But that is nothing compared to what Monte does. I have a live CD of his and just didn’t realize he was playing an acoustic guitar. We didn’t have a good view. Like Los Lonely Boys last year, ACL underestimated Monte’s drawing power. Then entire valley he was playing in was packed. I’ve never seen that stage with so many people watching. So, it appeared from where I was standing that at times he was hitting the notes with his left hand, and not using the right. Is that possible on an acoustic? Whatever, he is just amazing to watch. But beyond the great guitar work, he has good songs to build on. This was my choice for best set of the day.
|
|
They really oversold the event this year. The crowd sitting and waiting for the Pixies went all the way back to the front gate. That far back, you can barely see the big screen. And the sound is okay, but just not compelling enough to hang around for. On the other side was Trey Anastasio. We didn’t even bother to see what it was like there, given his popularity in Austin. So, we walked out to behind the stage again and listened to Trey for a while. Deb said, “I just want to hear him sing. So let’s listen for one more song and see”. 15 minutes later we were wondering how long this one song might take. “If there is a third organ solo in this song, we’re leaving”, said Deb. Right then the song ended, the next had vocals and we were happy. And that is all the energy I have tonight. More tomorrow.
|
|
Just Us
|
|
9-19-04 So, here we go. Day 3. Did I mention that Monte Montgomery shredded his guitar strings at the end of his show yesterday? Still thinking about that one.
|
|
Deb is a huge Shelby Lynne fan so we got to the park early to park ourselves at the front of the stage. Up first was Kelly Willis. Kelly is a country rock (more country than rock) favorite here and she put on a very good show. Highlight for me was her performing a Kirsty MacColl (Pogues) song. She was backed by her band and The Greencards (see yesterday’s postings). I thought Sam Phillips was brave having her husband T-Bone Burnett produce her CD while they were in the process of breaking up. Well Kelly, played songs from her previous husband, her current husband and at least one song the two men wrote together. Just a bit strange.
|
|
Jim and Megan joined us after Kelly; and so the four of us sat there and sweated. I swear the water and Coopertone were bubbling on my arm as I just sat there under the 90 plus heat and humidity. This was the hottest ACL day of the last 3 years.
|
|
But well worth the sweat when Shelby came out. Shelby Lynne exudes sex. Not like Brittany or Jessica. She is just hot and talks like a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t ashamed. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but when she encouraged the audience to have sex while we waited for the next song, you really believed she not only meant it, but also was hoping to see a little action.
|
|
Her set was almost as scorching as the weather. Ripping through many styles of music, from R&B to rock to straight country. One of the many highlights was her version of “Poke Salad Annie”.
|
|
Okay, so last year I showed you Lucinda’s butt. Who better to continue this tradition than Shelby.
|
|
Now, Deb has never seen Elvis, and she HAD to have her picture taken with Shelby and of course Shelby’s autograph. Being a good friend, I took her to the signing (so I could take their picture), losing my front row spot.
|
|
Deb thought that was very nice of me to give up the good seats. She was actually thinking that it would be tough to get back to a decent spot for Elvis and was thinking of a smaller stage. But I insisted. You just have to see Elvis. The music, as great as it is, still doesn’t capture how good he is in concert.
|
|
Somehow, we squeezed our way up to a pretty good location for Elvis. Jim stayed where we left him and was right up front for the show. Elvis put on a “big crowd show”. That is, he focused on his hits. But you will never see Elvis just do hits. He played a song or two from the new CD which sounded really good, a couple of covers (I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down”) and finished off with a flurry of hits: Alison, What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding, and of course, Pump it Up. When it was over, Deb realized what I gave up. “You made the ultimate sacrifice for me”. Seeing Elvis right up front for that show would have been great. But watching the smile on Deb’s face when Shelby put her arm around her was priceless. I know I would have melted.
|
|
|
After Elvis I was spent. It was still hot out and I just didn’t see anything that would drive me to put up with the heat and the sore feet and the soar throat. I relied on Deb to push me forward. Although Wilco is a band I wanted to see, the crowd was just too big. So, we found a nice spot off to the side (right near Amy’s Ice Cream; Yum! Soar throat be gone.) where people weren’t talking much and kicked back to enjoy them. Even without watching the show, it was a good one. Their combination of country, pop, rock and feedback are so unique and they somehow make it all work. In fact it is even better in concert than on CD. From there we wandered over to a smaller stage to watch a local Austin guy named David (pronounced Daveed) Garza. What a great sound he has. I’m not sure how to describe him, and I’m really pretty tired, so just trust me when I say that he is worth checking out. Once again, we walked out of the park and hung out at a picnic table behind the stage to listen to Ben Harper. Ben put on another good show (he was one of the highlights from last year). If you haven’t seen him, you should really put him on your list. He is one of the great performers out there right now.
|
|
And that’s about it. I leave you with a pic of Deb who just didn’t seem to sweat nearly as much as me. Maybe the best line of the weekend came from Howie Day who said that he almost fainted 3 times and then imitated a fan saying, “Hey, the festival was f**king great! I saw Howie Day pass out on stage”. Of course he didn’t, but when people like Elvis and Billy Harvey wore jackets on stage, you had to wonder about the sanity of some rock stars. I hope everyone enjoyed the pics this year. There’s a good chance we’ll be back next year and I think Jim is coming too.
|
