to my Yahoo radio station to my Yahoo radio stationSubscribe using RSS here: 
music just performed | music in preparation | tales of the echo beach band |
i'm hearing analog, digital, and the universe's music | music at large | as seen and heard on tv |
Monday, August 14, 2006 0:08 AM
Thanks to Andy Ryan (drumset) and Adam Gay (bass) for their fine playing at the Park Chalet Saturday night. The audience's positive reaction reflected the same by John and me.
Saturday, August 12, 2006 10:14 AM
This is a three-gig weekend, much to my liking. We played last night at the Arc Cafe (Mariposa at Florida in The Mission) invited by James Patrick Biggs to be part of his fundraising series for the film he's making, Nothing Here's For Sure. I liked the artwork for sale and the people gave us a warm response - thanks! Aaron Germain was on bass for us, always a pleasure. Today at 2 the band plays a Bread & Roses gig in San Rafael. Tonight we play The Park Chalet in Golden Gate Park from 8:30 to 11:30.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:12 AM
Thanks to Timi Tumbaga, Joe the accordion player, and support from the crowd at the Pittsburg Farmers Market which made for some hot fun in the summertime last Saturday.
Saturday, November 25, 2006 11:19 AM
Echo Beach joins in celebrating the North Beach Cookie Crawl next Saturday December 2nd, performing live at Cafe Divine across from Washington Square Park in North Beach. Corner of Union and Stockton. We play from 2:00 to 5:30 and there's no cover.
The band returns to its monthly First Wednesday residency at Cato's Ale House in Oakland on December 6th from 6 to 9 p.m. Aaron Germain guests on bass that night. We look forward to seeing regular friends at Cato's and hope to see many new faces that evening.
Sunday, October 8, 2006 10:02 AM
The band is moving into new territory this month, very exciting. This Wednesday October 11th we'll be playing at the Mill Valley Film Festival from 6 to 8 p.m. This free, public, cafe gig will be inside The Outdoor Art Club at Throckmorton and West Blithedale in Mill Valley. Later in October on Friday the 27th the band plays its first gig at Speakeasy Ales in the Bayview District of San Francisco. We're playing from 6:30 to 7:30. As the "mob" at Speakeasy says, "While here, you can pick up cool Speakeasy schwag and brewery-fresh beer, learn about our process and history, and meet the infamous Speakeasy Mob".
Sunday, October 8, 2006 10:54 AM
Talking with drummer Andy Ryan who played a gig with the band two Sundays ago I learned that he's a former member of the Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble, a favorite perc ens of mine for years. Small world.
Friday, July 7, 2006 10:36 AM
I'm glad to see Echo Beach's MP3 of "Delicate Creature" added to two listeners' playlists at Garageband.com
Friday, July 28, 2006 12:52 PM
The Drummers of Burundi Live at Real World. Is it time to clean your dwelling? Recommendation: Put on your hachimaki, insert the Drummers of Burundi in your CD player, crank up the volume and start cleaning. You'll feel like an army is helping you. Depending on your musical tastes you may also wonder whether Joni Mitchell or Gary Glitter or Adam Ant have entered the premises. Trust me, the source sound is the most rousing and the best.
Megatop Phoenix by Big Audio Dynamite
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 2:52 PM
The track One by One from my friend Gregg Plummer's CD "Many Souls"
Thursday June 29, 2006 12:32 PM
I just finished a road trip from San Francisco to the Chico area and totally enjoyed the only recorded music I had with me: Brian Slawson's Bach on Wood and a live tape I made on 8/1/87 of David Lindley and El Rayo-X at Reggae on the River, where I spent by 33rd birthday. "Don't Look Back" in El Rayo-X's version is like a hymn that socks you in the stomach with the bass and tickles your mind and spirit with the guitars. On my tape at some points during this song the reaction from the crowd almost drowns out the band, for good reason.
Monday, August 7, 2006 4:24 PM
Two nights ago in Calistoga I met and had a friendly conversation with vibist Herb Gibson who was setting up for his regular gig at Brannan's Grill. We chatted about Milt Jackson, Connie Kay, John Lewis, Mad and Eddie Duran, Jenco and Deagan vibes, and Herb's days working for the Modern Jazz Quartet and a bit about his days at San Francisco's Jazz Workshop in North Beach. As I type this I'm listening to "Blue Vibes", title track of Herb's most recent CD. Recommended. I'm glad to have had the pleasure of meeting Herb. I'm sending him a note today. I hope to hear more of his playing in Calistoga soon. Here is another story which features Herb, from a couple of years ago.
Friday, August 4, 2006 3:56 PM
Poet/songwriter/musician Arthur Lee has passed on, in Memphis, yesterday. As resilient a human being as I've ever observed (in light of the setbacks in the last 35+ years of his life), he succumbed to leukemia. The best of his work is timeless. I'm grateful to have seen him perform twice in the past three years, and grateful to my friends Rick, Jeff and Steve who through the years encouraged me (by their enthusiasm) to listen more closely to Arthur's work especially with Love. I knew it only on the surface until 2003, and thereafter I've been a keen appreciator of Lee's observations on the human condition and the ability he had to meld his poetry to music that offset the lyrics in a very moving way. The results are bittersweet, critical and funny by turns, sometimes raucous or confrontational (toward a listener's possible preconceptions), usually deeply introspective in one way or another. Lee's best songs are provocative and lingering in the best way. His singing gave the songs an impact I don't think could be duplicated by another singer. A pioneer whose music will stand -- Arthur Lee. Here's Love on American Bandstand playing Message To Pretty.
Thursday, August 3, 2006 5:26 PM
Captain Beefheart's former house is for sale. It's the location where Trout Mask Replica was recorded.
Friday, July 28, 2006 9:00 AM
Wired magazine this past April provided a wide-ranging interview with the always-inventive Michael Nesmith whose new CD Rays I just received and will review here soon.
The San Francisco Chronicle today provided a wide-ranging interview with the always-inventive Linda Ronstadt. Now that she's living back in SF I'll keep an eye open for her. And the interview prompts me to seek out her recent music.
Jazz from mightly fine diverse sources streaming from KPLU.org up there in Washington State.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006 12:20 PM
When reviewing the Music listings at SF Gate.com yesterday I saw that these guys were playing at the (née) Concord Pavilion last night. I checked for lawn tickets. There were some for sale so I bought one. I took BART and a shuttle bus to the show. I was thoroughly entertained, provoked and delighted for three hours. I had no idea how much juice these cats have at this point in their (our) lives. I saw Young at the Bridge School show in 2002 and he was performing as well as ever. But I hadn't seen Stills since the mid-'70s and I've never seen Crosby or Nash. So the power, teamwork, focus and ability they demonstrated was a delightful surprise. They were aided in no small part by sidemen Spooner Oldham (the great songwriter) on keyboards, and Ben Keith on pedal steel guitar, along with the drummer, bassist, and trumpeter whose names I didn't catch. With songs from Young's Living With War album as the spine of the show, it was decorated by powerful visuals -- visuals as simple as huge national and peace flags behind the band, revealed one at a time and the oversized "Rust Never Sleeps" microphone on stage wrapped in a huge yellow ribbon-- and visuals as complex as high-def video commenting on U.S. policies and politicians (G.W. Bush the main focus). Young has again proven his abilities to write, play and sing verses with concise impact that provoke thought and inspire.............what? --- more thought? action? change of heart --- in the listener? I'm not sure, but he's sure communicating. He had the Concord audience with him throughout the night, from "Flags of Freedom" to "Rockin' in the Free World".
The songs from Living With War lent a resonance to the past 40 years of CSNY social commentary. Alongside the love songs, the moody ballads, and the rest the group traced a map from Buffalo Springfield to 2006 bringing the audience an artful presentation of their past and present. The setlist closely tracked to their show in Stateline, NV three nights previous. What they played last night was "Flags of Freedom", "Carry On", "Wooden Ships", "Long Time Gone", "Military Madness", "After the Garden", "Living With War" (I like that trumpet intro), "Restless Consumer" (CSN singing "Don't Need" behind Y -- priceless), "Shock and Awe", "Wounded World" (a Stills tune), "Almost Cut My Hair" (Crosby's freak flag still flies), "Immigration Man", "Families" (for returning veterans and those in service), "Deja Vu" with beautiful alternating Stills and Young guitar solos, "Helplessly Hoping", "Our House", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", "Guinnevere", "Milky Way Tonight" (new by Nash), "Treetop Flyer" (Stills's unique sense of humor on display), "Roger and Out", "Southbound Train", "Old Man Trouble", "Carry Me", "Teach Your Children", "Southern Cross", "Find the Cost of Freedom", recording of Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star Spangled Banner", "Let's Impeach the President", "For What It's Worth", "Chicago", "Ohio", "What Are Their Names?", "Rockin' in the Free World", "Woodstock". I thought I had my fill of CSNY back in high school when my friends and I wore out Deja Vu on our turntables. I was wrong and I'm ready for more.
Friday, July 21, 2006 6:33 PM
I first heard The Amphibians on Garageband.com about three years ago when their tune "Easter Song" caught my attention. I caught more of their tunes on Garageband and I dug every single one of their "alternative rock" stylings. Well, I see that in the last couple of years they're earned the following kudos (among others) as shown on their Garageband page: "CREDITS: *‘Artist of the Week’ by Billboard Talent Net on their first week * “New Day (I Feel Alone)” Reaches #1 on BTN three different times * Included on The Best Of Billboard Talent Net’s “New Talent Spotlight” CD * First and Second Prize, Musicians Network Songwriting Contest * Mid-Atlantic Song Contest winners *Four Billboard Magazine Songwriting Awards * Recognized by ASCAP Songwriters Workshop *“New Jersey’s Best Rock” CD, released by WDHA 105.5 FM, Dover, New Jersey *Finalists in Paramount's "Sol Goode" soundtrack contest.* Two songs chosen for United Nations UNESCO New Songs For Peace Project. * Winner of Soundclick's International Songwriters Discovery Network song contest 1/05 in the rock category." Seriously impressive, but most important they make tight, well-produced, entertaining music. I continue to like this band a lot.
A different band, much more widely-known, making its way into my ears often in recent weeks is Talking Heads and the CD Fear of Music which has stood the test of 27 years very well. Funky, powerful, filled with great Tina Weymouth bass lines, ominous, predictive of current life in (unfortunately) too many ways yet an excellent antidote to current "life during wartime". Favorite tracks currently: "Paper", "Electric Guitar", "Animals".
Friday, July 14, 2006 7:57 PM
What a fine picture (below) of Evelyn Glennie on the back cover of the a Luxembourg concert DVD.
Thursday, July 13, 2006 6:01 PM
Gentleman drummer Celso Alberti has just announced his MySpace page. Check out the sound clips of his soloing. HOT!!!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 6:48 PM
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 2:59 PM
This is an iTunes playlist I made last week which I particularly enjoy just because it includes many of my favorite artists and several of my favorites tunes:
Mulata And Futebol by Airto Moreira; Once Around the Block by Badly Drawn Boy; From Fluff To You (Speech) by The Beatles; Things We Said Today by The Beatles; Milestones with Billy Cobham on drums from "Burnin' for Buddy"; Down For Double by Buddy Rich and band; Slavery Days by Burning Spear (a favorite tune of mine for nearly 30 years); Is This Love? by Cake (Live on Morning Becomes Eclectic) -- this is one hot track!!!!; Come On by The Chris Stamey Experience; Miss You by Danny Federici (I'm still looking for his CD "Flemington"); Either Side Of The Same Town by Elvis Costello & The Imposters (have you read the reviews of his live shows with Allen Toussaint they read as outstanding performances); Ian Finkel - "The Gypsy Virtuoso" performed by Evelyn Glennie (I've been watching her two DVDs released last year ("Touch the Sound" and "a Luxembourg") and I'm particulary happy to have video of her snare drumming which is some of the best I've ever heard. Notably she cites (in "Touch the Sound") the snare drum as her favorite percussion instrument); The Farmer's Daughter by Fleetwood Mac; Wheels by The Flying Burrito Brothers; Building A Girl by Frank Zappa; Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs (Theme from "Frasier") by Gary Burton; Pain In My Heart by Gary Burton; Jacob's Ladder by Huey Lewis and The News (probably my favorite Bruce Hornsby song, although I liked the live version from the Lewis/News music video better than this studio recording (more oomph live from the rhythm section); Beat Surrender by The Jam; I Am A Pilgrim by Johnny Cash (this link is to You Tube and the performance of a different song. I am becoming a Cash fan. At Amoeba yesterday I was this close to picking up a Highwaymen CD [I did pick up the new Big Star CD but haven't heard it yet]).
Monday, July 10, 2006 7:17 PM
New Tom Jones music video at this tinyurl. Found out about this through the Yahoo Minestrone 10cc listserv. 10cc connection: Lalo Creme (son of 10cc's Lol Creme) is the guy in the video and the video was directed by Lol. Both Lol and Lalo played on the actual track and Trevor Horn produced. It's a pretty hot track, and the song sounds vaguely familiar like it may have been a hit in the '70s by someone else. This has certainly been a busy period for the former members of 10cc including Eric Stewart who posts on his website that he's getting active again.
Sunday, July 2, 2006 4:54 AM
Kevin Godley and Graham Gouldman (10cc, Mockingbirds) are collaborating again on four songs which they'll release on the web. Two extremely talented musicians whose works together exceed the sum of their parts in their past history so I'm excited they're working together again and eager to hear the tracks when they're released.
Top row: Graham Gouldman and Kevin Godley in the original 10cc, picture from Eric Stewart's website.
July 2, 2006 4:55 AM
Saw the duo below two nights ago at UC Berkeley's Greek Theatre. Last night of their tour. I hope that they collaborate again soon.
Please Help -- The Pride of Oakland Drum and Bugle Corps requires ongoing funding. You can make a major difference in a young person's life. If you wish to assist please contact me at my email address or donate directly on The Pride of Oakland website. Thank you very much.
Thursday, July 20, 2006 4:18 PM
Cable tv gets it right with a reason to pop on the set and crank up the stereo with a really fine 2002 Paul Weller concert recorded in Glasgow. Great versions of "Friday Street", "Peacock Suit" and more. That period of songs around Heavy Soul is one of my favorite periods of Weller's songwriting/recording career. Comcast has this show on demand through the end of July. Go Wella!
to the Echo Beach Band website .. echobeachband.com
