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music just performed | music in preparation | experiences in the echo beach band | laptop music | music at large | music on tv |
7/12/03
We played a concert last night in Mountain View at the Global Village Cafe downtown. A wonderful audience. The band enjoyed the night very much. We especially stretched out on "Viva Tirado", "Killer Joe", "Delicate Creature" and "Wave". Thanks to Darlene and Matthew for their "drawing" help. Thanks to the GVC staff for running a great venue and restaurant. We hope to return soon.
Monday, July 28, 2003 6:58:33 PM
Rehearsal today for a percussion ensemble concert which will occur August 22nd at Clarion Music Center in SF. My part on "Domes" is to play 10 cymbals. As you might assume, this is not an "everyday" configuration for a drummer or percussionist. I'm enjoying the challenge of getting it right. It is a challenge.
Sunday, July 27, 2003 3:31:10 PM
To improve my soloing on marimba and to support development of my new tune, "Mister Coaster" I've been reviewing tips on practice, structure, soloing and playing from bassist Carol Kaye who played on so many hits in the '60s and '70s (sometimes in The Wrecking Crew) in the L.A. recording studios. Listening to her play is great entertainment (tons of Beach Boys songs for example). Learning from her knowledge & experience is also great. She imparts information any musician can use to improve technique whether composing, practicing, arranging, comping or soloing. Her website is packed with this stuff.
7/24/03
I'm rehearsing (by sight-reading and playing) the chart for Domes "A study of Del suo pel contesta", composed by Dr. Christopher Fulkerson, for a percussion ensemble performance next month. The instrumentation is all (stand-mounted) cymbals. I'm playing them with Grover triangle beaters. If you wonder what triangle beaters look like up close here's a picture of a nice set of Grover triangle beaters in their pouch. Kind of like the way crescent wrenches were sold in the '70s :-). The way we percussionists haul around a variety of heavy objects it's necessary that these finely-formed tools be protected.
7/20/03
A time window of five weeks (before we start frequent gigs) just started, to write and arrange new songs for the band. More on this soon.
7/9/03
Practicing..practicing..practicing. Concert in two days. Bassist Al Carlson and conguero John Ulloa on board for this show. Muy bueno.
7/1/03
Wrote the (subject to change) setlist today for the Echo Beach July 11th concert in Mountain View: Sharkbeat / Merengue / Jamaican Sun / Delicate Creature / Afro Blue / Nylon-string guitar piece / Girl From Ipanema / Vagabond Virgin / Morning/Midday / Wave / Place To Be / Solo marimba piece / Footprints / Key West Intermezzo / St. Thomas / Viva Tirado / Killer Joe / Mambo Inn / Cal's Pals / Blue Bossa
Wednesday, July 30, 2003 1:13:13 PM
Frank Zappa - "Hot Plate Heaven at the Green Hotel" from Broadway the Hard Way on CD. By golly, Frank's solo sounds kind of like Jose Neto!
Tuesday, July 29, 2003 4:29:25 PM
Sleater-Kinney - One Beat on CD (all tracks). Props to Mark W. for turning me into an S-K fan.
Tuesday, July 29, 2003 01:11:46 PM
7/24/03
Cheap Trick - "My Obsession" in Real Audio from cheaptrick.com. See more on CT in the next section.
7/23/03
The Robert Hohner Ensemble - "The Songlines", "Scaramouche", "Wildlife" from the CD Different Strokes. This amazing album from 1991 varies in mood from meditative (Andy Narell's "The Songlines") to rocking (Christopher Rouse's "Bonham"). 100% percussion, 100% musical.
7/10/03
Added instrumental star of the week: Jose Neto for "In Memory of Thunder" from the album of the same name.
7/9/03
Instrumental stars of the week to date: the Chabot Panhandlers on precise pretty percussion; Mark Knopfler on raunch industrial guitar; Bill Pitcock IV of Dwight Twilley's band on incendiary overdriven guitar (on the album Twilley.
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Chabot Panhandlers| Mark Knopfler | Twilley logo
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7/1/03
Barefoot Manner - centered. The CDs (I also received mannered) by these Carolina dudes came my way 'cause I bid on their items in an eBay auction benefiting the Literacy Council of the Durham NC area (where I spent the summer of '68). To these ears you've got your bluegrass, Lovin' Spoonful and Dead mixing with your beach music. It's a good mix for a summer afternoon in San Francisco. Thanks to Mary M. for the tip.
Thursday, July 31, 2003 7:36:12 PM
The White Stripes are at #82 on the Billboard Radio Chart with "Seven Nation Army" which is one of my favorite songs this year. They're above J Lo., she's at #95 with "I'm Glad". No sign of Cheap Trick (yet).
Thursday, July 31, 2003 1:49:30 PM
The Standells - "Dirty Water" on the sound system at Trader Joe's, 9th St., SF. Hearing that song piped into a food store stood out like seeing a goat munching spinach in the produce aisle. I think this could only happen to someone like me who was digging "Dirty Water" when it was a Top 40 hit. It was an Austin Powers time travel moment. Maybe because I'm wearing a pin stripe shirt today. "-). Maybe just because you don't hear this tune in public any more.
Mix tape I made six summers ago played in the car today:
Wednesday, July 30, 2003 6:47:12 PM
Tix go on sale this Friday for The Bangles concert on Saturday August 30th at Golden Gate Park (one of the concerts at Ala Carte Ala Park). Thanks to Mark W. for the tip.
Wednesday, July 30, 2003 11:18:59 AM
I'm going to see Roxy Music at Orange County Fairgrounds on Saturday to celebrate my birthday. 1975 at the Oakland Paramount was the last time I saw them. After reading the reviews of their most recent tour through Northern California I decided not to miss this one. Not only did they get high praise, but the group included and still includes one of my favorite drummers, Paul Thompson. Taking nothing away from Andy Newmark, Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay and Phil Manzanera but for me Roxy is Roxy only with PT on the drums. Opening act: El Rayo-X who I'll see again at The Fillmore on 9/6.
Monday, July 28, 2003 7:05:37 PM
Taste - "Born on the Wrong Side of Time" from the album Taste, vinyl. Taste was Rory Gallagher (guitar), John Wilson (drums), Richard McCracken (bass). Rory had incredible talent for guitar (Strat being his choice). Amazing tone with borderline feedback much of the time (a bit like Hendrix in that department). I enjoy his arrangements too. The bold move on this song is to start it over again after the bridge ends, cold. Great impact when the first chords are struck to get it in gear once more. If I were making a mix CD of favorite Irish rockers more than one Rory Gallagher song would be there.
Monday, July 28, 2003 8:27:07 AM
Terje Rypdal (guitars, flute); Miroslav Vitous (basses, piano); Jack DeJohnette (drums, voice) - To Be Continued, Side Two on vinyl, yesterday. Three of my favorite musicians. This record includes the passages of sneaky intensity of every Rypdal project I've heard, the "mountains in the clouds" impressionism that Rypdal conjures, and the dynamic playing of DeJohnette and Vitous. This is probably my favorite side of tunes by this trio. Here's an additional perspective on the album.
Sunday, July 27, 2003 3:53:53 PM
Arthur Lee, Love band, horns and strings - "Alone Again Or" video on enhanced CD, from the new The Forever Changes Concert double-CD set. Having seen this show at The Fillmore two months ago my expectations for this CD were very high and I am not disappointed. These songs, arrangements and performances are a musical high point of this decade just as the original album was a musical high point of the '60s. I hope this album receives huge success, it could and it should IMO.
Sunday, 27 July, 2003 10:41:41 AM
Planning to see David Lindley and El Rayo-X at the Fillmore Sept. 6. Tix on sale today.
7/25/03
Trilok Gurtu's Crazy Saints - Believe. Gurtu's albums contain advanced musicianship on accessible tunes. He is an innovative percussionist, putting it mildly. This band includes guitarist David Gilmore whose resume is extremely impressive and does not include Pink Floyd.
7/24/03
Tom Petersson and Bun E Carlos on Rockline last night, taped for listening today. Rick Nielsen calls into the show for about five minutes. Good listener questions, good answers. I've just started getting into the new album. Several callers to Rockline mentioned "Sorry Boy" as a highlight of Special One so I'll have to check that out. I've decided to watch the Billboard charts (which I haven't done in a while) to see if "My Obsession" is a single, and to see if it becomes the huge hit on radio that it should be. "Scent of a Woman" reminds me of "Do Ya" done at a faster tempo. Ah, the sound of Cheap Trick recalling The Move...some things never change...and I hope that they never do. CT on Conan tonight.
7/22/03
Cheap Trick's new album Special One is released today. They appear on Late Night With Conan this Thursday night and on Rockline tomorrow night. My pre-ordered copy of the CD/DVD arrived today. I'll hear the CD soon. Already watched the DVD -- five videos spanning almost all of CT's career (the earliest one was shot before they signed with Columbia, it says in the credits). CT arrived on the scene great and continues the same. One reason they are so entertaining is that the lyrical themes of their repertoire move seamlessly between the sublime and the ridiculous, the very mature and the totally immature. Make you think and feel. Most of all, they rock with total class and teamwork. Cheap Trick is a special band on record and on stage.
7/21/03
7/20/03
Just ordered the double CD Forever Changes Tour Live on half.com. With Arthur Lee, band, horns and strings, recorded earlier this year. Thanks to Rick W. for the tip.
And listened to...
7/19/03
7/18/03
Steve Gadd - The Gadd Gang, Side One on cassette. I know that some people cringe when they hear "cheesy" Yamaha DX-7 patches from the '80s and some people cringe when they hear the sound of a Rhodes piano. I'm not one of those people, and as I listen to the textures conjured up by Gadd and his New York compadres I'm glad this stuff is around because it does sound of its time and its place and the musicianship overrides all. The horns blow hot and cool, and Gadd grooves everything (what a shuffle he can play!). Gadd shows off some of his drum corps chops in the percussion sections of "Duke's Lullaby", yeah that is a *very* catchy cadence.
Michael Nesmith and The First National Band - Nevada Fighter, Side One on vinyl copied to cassette. Road music. If Dave Matthews, Eagles and ZZ Top albums form part of a road music collection this album (especially Side One) belongs there. Lyrics at least as mind-grabbing as Dave's; Country instrumentation rocking at the time when the Eagles didn't have a record out yet (although the Flying Burrito Brothers did as did the country-era Byrds); musicianship that'll floor ya (the bass work by Max Bennett and Joe Osborn is itself worth the price of admission). Some of Nesmith's very best songs and vocal performances. 1st Runner-up for best Nesmith road album: Live at the Britt Festival. I road-tested it last year driving from LA to San Francisco in a day. It passed with flying colors. 2nd Runner-up: Valley Hi by Iain Matthews, produced by Nesmith.
Sparks - Propaganda, Side One on vinyl (yesterday). Informative review linked to the cover graphic below.
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The last I saw of Sparks, they had a Yahoo video in rotation of "When I Kiss You I Hear Charlie Parker Playing". Aside from any other aesthetic judgements you can make about Sparks, they drew lyrical inspiration from all over the 20th Century and did that in a distinctive and often hilarious way. Propaganda features a burning band (English in this case) and the music is uptempo much of the way which makes reading the lyric sheet helpful. Maybe the most guitar-driven Sparks album. Totally entertaining. Play LOUD.
7/14/03
Steps Ahead - Magnetic, Side One on vinyl. Favorite track - "Cajun". Also a highlight of the Live DVD and CD by these guys.
7/12/03
A Mighty Wind at the Galaxy Theatre - Wasn't that a hoot?
Perfect weather in San Fran today and while being outside would be absolutely ideal, during the indoor hours this morning the soundtrack was
7/11/03
Packing-the-gear-in-the-studio-for-tonight's-gig-music:
7/8/03
Dwight Twilley - Twilley, Side 2 on vinyl.
7/01/03
Lindsey Buckingham - Law and Order Sides 1 and 2 on vinyl. Yesterday.
Thursday, July 31, 2003 2:05:51 PM
Drummer Darrell Green is going to play with us at our gigs on August 24 and September 14.
Monday, July 28, 2003 7:17:32 PM
At the North Beach Jazz Festival this weekend a limited number of free Echo Beach CDs will be available at the SF Weekly booth and in souvenir bags.
7/25/03
Cheap Trick on Conan O'Brien this morning: one great song ("Scent of a Woman"), no chatter.
7/24/03
Laurie Anderson - Home of the Brave on VHS, yesterday. A news report made in the '80s about some parts of the future that has become our present; an electronically-juiced vaudeville show. A band of wizards behind Laurie (Adrian Belew, David Van Tieghem and a very adept tech crew among them.) Frame grabs here thanks to stuph.com. I enjoy this very much.
7/14/03
Last night on PBS (KRCB Rohnert Park), Ken Burns's Jazz, the episode Risk (1945-1955) - Episode synopsis: "Despite the popularity of jazz overseas, big bands begin to break up at home, though innovators like Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong remain popular; Miles Davis begins recording." What this synopsis leaves out is how much time Charlie Parker is covered in this episode; his life and music are the main thread. Dizzy, Miles, Lady Day and Louis are featured but Bird is the main show. The film clips of Bird and Dizzy and the one of Louis with Jack Teagarden on TV were worth the whole two hours to me. Branford Marsalis gives a fine demonstration of straight melody vs. Bird's melodic flights.
7/9/03
Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson on The Charlie Rose Show. Lou, let her speak for herself!
7/1/03
Rock 'n' Roll High School on DVD, last week. As comedy, as a musical, as a low-budget high-commitment film (it sounds like filming was at least 18 hours a day, every day), as a film school study in what you can do with a $300,000 budget ("minus $20,000 for Roger Corman's storm windows"), for its brilliant editing (and subtitles during "Teenage Lobotomy"!), as a DVD with great extra features, and as a document of The Ramones in all their glory, a must-see. This is a music film up there with The Girl Can't Help It, even The T.A.M.I. Show and maybe even A Hard Day's Night. PJ Soles's acting makes clear the motivations of the good-hearted, smart music fan. The Ramones' impact and wit are captured brilliantly. Clint Howard is a star in this film (who woulda thought?). (Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov were essential too). Basically every frame shows the commitment of everyone involved and it's a pleasure to watch with the sound up LOUD! A great soundtrack -- Eno, MC5, Brownsville Station, Todd Rundgren (whose song "Heavy Metal Kids" inspired the original treatment for the film (by Joe Dante I believe)) and plenty of (Does your mother know you're) Ramones.
Listen and Play by Airto Moreira on VHS last week. Percussion instruction and a concert with the awesome Fourth World band (Flora Purim, Jose Neto, Gary Meek) at the time they recorded their 1993 CD. Airto demonstrates a number of Brazilian rhythms following performances by the band. Airto's skills on drumset and percussion create sound colors that are his alone. This video shows you how to take elements of his approach and make them your own. Jose Neto is on tour right now with Steve Winwood, and he co-wrote Winwood's new album, and he is one of my favorite guitarists. This tape is a pretty good document of his style but I think the Fourth World album is even better. You can find it at Airto's website.
April '03 archived blog | May '03 archived blog | June '03 archived blog |
to the Echo Beach Band website .. echobeachband.com.