Girls Rock 2010!

July 14

Ah, hump day. This is the day when things seem to come together at the last minute, but it's not apparent at all until then. The Black Candles got off to a rocky start today, working on the design of their logo that will be screen printed onto t-shirts. It didn't go all that well because they just couldn't agree, and compromise didn't come too easy. They were guided through the process by one of the girls leading the workshop, which was great, but there definitely wasn't the enthusiasm you'd expect after just designing a logo. But I'm certain they'll dig it when they see it on a T-shirt. The process was interesting to watch because of the dynamic between the girls. It's hard to deny someone their opinion, but then again they're going to encounter plenty of those very scenerios so maybe it's important to teach them compromise or the art of choosing their battles now.

After lunch, we had our "soft" practice. The girls, as always, were scattered, unfocused and lazy and Heather and I figured it was time to change our tactics. We decided not to let them make any more changes because it was imperative that we complete the song and start nailing it. After all, we only had 2 days. Friday they were to perform in front of camp. And Saturday was the final performance. So we really only had Thursday to practice a certain amount of run-throughs of the song. I'll admit, we weren't feeling like things were going to fall in place in time. The girls didn't seem into it and they were still trying to make changes, from little ones (changing a line) to big ones (getting rid of the whole intro).

But miraculously, during loud practice, things really did fall into place. Another volunteer, a bass instructor, came and sat in and offered some great suggestions for the girls, especially the bass player and we really started to see things change for the better. And along with that came some excitement from the girls, even Xelah, the keyboardist, who didn't always agree with other ideas for the song. So, as is the seeming tradition, hump day proved to be the day when things just clicked for the girls. Tomorrow will be a good practice day where they really cement it all. And Friday I suspect we'll see more emotion from all four girls.


July 15
Today, Channel 9 News came in to do a piece on Girls Rock Camp. Word spread and the girls were beside themselves with excitement. I was helping out in Drum Instruction and the girls just could not focus, they all wanted to be on TV. It was funny to see them fidgety and unfocused until the cameras came around. Then they just rocked it. A band called BrainWash played their song for the camera and hopefully they got to see themselves here.


As for The Black Candles, they're still kickin' it. One day before they have to play in front of the camp, and two days before playing in front of a packed house at the Oriental, they're still trying to make changes in the song before they even have it mastered. I guess that's to be expected but um, we have to determine the parts and play them over and over again, right?

But it has been cool to see them collaborating more with each other. Xelah's really coming out of her shell and has been more open to other people's ideas. Lily is getting more comfortable with a mic in her hand and experiments with a louder voice at times, so we'll see how she comes across at the performance. Anna is doing great at lining up her bass beats with the drums. I found out she was at Girls Rock Camp in North Carolina for the past two years, just recently moving to Denver, and is doing bass for the first time. And Marin has been getting more focused, willing to herd the group into what they're doing at any given point during practices. She reminds me a lot of Bella last year; so sweet and incredibly easy-going, someone everyone gets along with.

Girls Rock 2010!

July 13

The second day of camp is always a mixed blessing. By now, the girls have a group of friends they now pal around with and they also have a task, which is to write a song with their band. But it's also different from the first day since they sometimes seem to be more content to run around with those new friends, rather than focusing on the task at hand. They seem to forget why they're here, as they make up games and chase each other in between workshops.

But I recall this from last year, so I'm not as freaked out. Today there were a couple of workshops about assertiveness and playing in bands with boys. Really great stuff and I always wonder how much of these things sink in with the girls. Then the bands got to practice for the first time. They each got a practice without instruments and a practice with instruments. For Black Candles' "soft" practice, we talked about the song some more and the girls decided that they wanted the first verse to be quiet and the chorus to be loud. We also talked about stage presence and what they wanted to look like onstage. Most agreed with black lipstick and the t-shirts they're gonna put their logos on tomorrow, but the spray-painting the hair so that it looks like a flame bit.......well, that remains to be seen. Again, it was great that we had Anna's lyrics and I gotta tell you, that girl wrote really profound stuff. I think as we get older, we forget how amazing we were at that age. I can't wait to see what they all do with the song.

The first loud practice is always interesting. We have to remember how new it is for the girls to be holding instruments and microphones, sometimes for the first time. So there has to be some space given for them to experiment with the sounds they're creating. But at a certain point, there has to be some order. After all, there are only four days to write, practice and perform this one song before they're playing it on a very big stage in front of a lot of people. So the balance to strike with that is sometimes hard to find. And the chaos can be exhausting. Luckily, I'm not the band coach. They're the ones who have to guide the girls through the songwriting task. I'm just there to "manage" and as with last year, I find it sometimes difficult to not interject my opinions about how the song should go. Heather, our coach, is great. Anytime the girls say "Maybe we should do this here and then do that there.....," she'll tell them those are great ideas. And the girls continue to play different beats from each other. While I look at the clock and wonder how the hell all this is going to come together (and sound like a cohesive song) by Saturday! I suppose this is what it's like to be a parent. You've gotta let your kid go out into the world and experience it all from their point of view and make mistakes without you trying to pack their heads with your own opinions and perspectives right? And sometimes you stand by and watch them clearly out of sync...but you just gotta encourage them to move forward.

I'd Love to Turn You On #13: Can - Tago Mago

Can should be considered one of the greatest bands of all time.  Some people already know this.  Some may have heard of them, but never heard them.  Many have never heard of them at all.  Emerging from Germany in the late 60s with a background in jazz and avant-garde classical, the members of Can fused psychedelia, noise, funk, improv, and even straight-up rock into a heady brew the likes of which had not been heard before.  They never penetrated the American market, but had mild success at home and around Europe.  However, their influence on future generations of musicians would be immense. Tago Mago, their third album, was originally released as a double album in 1971.  That year also saw the release of generally acknowledged all-time classics like Sticky Fingers, Who's Next, and Zeppelin IV.  It will never be featured non-stop on classic rock radio (and that's probably a good thing), but I'll put Tago Mago on my list of all-time greats, right near the top.  It starts off with "Paperhouse," a slow-building infectious rocker highlighted by Michael Karoli's twisting guitar lines and Damo Suzuki's haunting whispered vocals that build to an ecstatic yelp.  This number slides right in to the minimalist funk of "Mushroom," with Jaki Liebezeit's amazing precision drumming leading the way.  "Oh Yeah" tops off what was once side 1 with a prime example of the "motorik" beat, the driving, infectious sound that was a staple of Krautrock, as the German rock scene of the time was known.  Above the beat, Irmin Schmidt plays some moody synth lines and Karoli climaxes the building drive with a spectacular solo.

The centerpiece of the album the absolutely amazing, 18-minute jam "Halleluwah," which originally encompassed the whole of side 2.  Like many Can numbers, this was edited together from numerous improvisational sessions, yet works as a seamless whole.  Holger Czukay drops some serious bass throughout.  Liebezeit's beats are driving and Karoli provides more guitar fireworks.  The funk is infectious throughout and the climax is, once again, dramatic.

Next we move onto the most experimental aspects of the album with the extended tracks "Aumgn" and "Peking O."  These make even greater use of tape edits and may seem on the first few listens to be just so much noise.  But they truly invite multiple listens and there are many discoveries awaiting the adventurous listener.  "Aumgn" concludes with an awesome Liebezeit drum solo combined with some trippy keyboard effects from Schmidt.  "Peking O" features experiments with a primitive drum machine and a concluding funky, proto-electronic passage.  Both tracks feature Suzuki's wild barks and other exclamations that may be off-putting at times but are still an essential component of the overall sound.  After all of this madness, it's easy to forget closing song "Bring Me Coffee or Tea."  It starts as the album's mellowest moment with soothing keyboards and acoustic guitar, then moves into yet another slow build to a dramatic climax.  A fitting conclusion to all the amazing music that came before.

Tago Mago is an album I have listened to many, many times and always found something new.  I'm sure I'll be doing so again and again.  If you like what you hear, the rest of their catalog, particularly Ege Bamyasi, Future Days, and Monster Movie are also strongly recommended.  The two-disc Anthology is a good starting point for an overview of their entire career.  Give these recordings a good, solid listen and I’m sure you'll agree that Can is one of the most innovative, exciting and flat-out best bands in all of rock and roll.

- Adam Reshotko

Further - Columbus OH, 2010

Here is a guest review by author and friend of Twist and Shout, Joe Miller. Joe was a student of Paul's when he was in High School and has since gone on to become a recognized author. He wrote an excellent book about his experiences teaching an inner-city debate team called Cross-X. Check it out.

Stephen Stills once called the Grateful Dead "the world’s greatest garage band," and there were times during Furthur’s show in Columbus when I saw them that way, too. Phil Lesh in his jeans and black T-shirt and Bob Weir in Birks and billowy yoga pants and his crazy gray beard — they looked like a couple of crazy northern California millionaires who pulled together a few neighborhood kids to kick out the old tunes, which they kind of are. But the more I watched, the more I realized that they’re the Grad School of Rock, with Phil and Bob as tenured professors still doing cutting-edge research with a little crew of top-notch students. You can especially see teacherly ways in Phil, how he watches keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and guitarist John Kadlecik when they take the lead during improv passages, sometimes closing his eyes and waving his head back and forth as though enraptured and other times nodding in encouragement. There was one moment like this in particular that I’ll always remember from this concert. At the end of "Scarlet Begonias," which began the second set, Chimenti took off on a long solo that went all over the place, through jazz and classical constructions and strange blends in between, and Phil was cheering him on while Bob stood there staring down at the stage, listening. The solo just kept going and going and Bob started laughing and nodding along with Phil who was cracking up too because the solo was just so audacious and awesome you had to laugh.

I realize my analogy isn’t really fair to Chimenti, Kadlecik and Russo, who are hardly kids themselves. They’ve logged hours and hours on their instruments and have clearly mastered them. But still, Lesh and Weir are rock and roll gods. They’ve been at it for about a half a century and their experience and styles are without peer. And of course it’s impossible not to think about Jerry Garcia. I agree with everyone I’ve talked with about Furthur: Kadlecik brings the element that seems to have been missing from the most recent Dead tour. But the differences are noticeable. For one, Kadlecik isn’t a straight Jerry clone. In fact, I liked his licks best when he brought his own thing into them, a touch of that early eighties heavy metal screaming speed that, according to a recent interview I read, he learned to play guitar on. On the classic Garcia numbers, such as "Loser" and "Comes a Time," I’m reminded of a great scene in the movie Crumb, where R. Crumb is drawing with his son and they compare pictures, both of the same subject, and Crumb says, "You haven’t learned to cheat yet." The camera pans to their pictures and they’re nearly identical, but Crumb’s has a little something more to it, a couple of lines exaggerated ever so slightly such that his rendering seems more real, more alive. It’s the same thing with Garcia and Kadlecik solos, tiny moments of held notes and silences. And that thin margin of difference, I think, is the space between genius and pro. It’s my sense, though, that the more Kadlecik develops his own peculiarities the narrower that margin will become. He’s certainly got some great teachers to help him along the way.

The first set was all about the words. Braced on both ends with "After Midnight" and "Midnight Hour," Columbus Part I was a bookshelf full of literary rock — from campy potboiler ("Hell in a Bucket") to Americana tragedy ("Loser" and "Brown Eyed Women") to Ayn Rand meets the Hells Angels ("Liberty"). Up close you could really see how much these lyrics resonate with Phil and Bob, how they love to sing them. During "Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues," Phil acted out some of the lines with his facial expressions, as if he were a Shakespearian actor delivering a monologue, and he tweaked a few of the lines to make them more autobiographical ("My best friend my doctor won’t even tell me what it is I dropped" and "I started out on Heineken but soon hit the harder stuff"). And then there was "Comes a Time," and with it the main theme of the set: "Got an empty cup only love can fill." (And I have to digress here for a second to say, for an eighties Head like me, it was great to see Bob pull out the old pink Fender for "Hell," and to remember the days when he bound across the stage in his obscenely tight shorts. That dude is nothing if not hilarious.)

In the second set, the old psychedelic love monster came out to prey, especially during the ginormous jam of "Shakedown Street">"King Solomon’s Marbles">"Let it Grow." If you’ve been listening to the recordings of this year’s tours you know they’re playing all three of these songs often and very well, all beefed up and stretched out. I was especially amazed by "Marbles," which is no longer so tightly bound to its main roller-coaster structure. At times the band drifted away from the main melodies into spaces more akin to the off-script passages in "Playing in the Band" or "Bird Song."

A couple of amazing things happened during this stretch of tunes, one for me and one for the whole crowd. As for myself, I was up against the stage again, as I was at my Phish show in early June, and again someone tried to push and connive me out of my spot. This time it was two young, very trashed women, neither of whom were in fairytale costumes. Same drill. They tried to muscle their way in at first. When that didn’t work, they tried for the shoulder rub. When I pushed their hands away and yelled, "Don’t touch me!" they snatched off my cap and told me I need to lighten up. This carried on for all of "Shakedown" and half of "Marbles" until I bugged my eyes out in the craziest "I’m on acid and anti-depressants" expression I could muster and wheeled around and barked a sentence that was very short but nonetheless contained the phrase "my space" three times. I could tell by their freaked out expressions that they knew I wasn’t talking about the social networking site. I felt a nice cool breeze on my back for the rest of the night. I know all this comes with the territory, and it’s at once annoying and very funny and reaffirming of my love for my wife, but I have to admit that I’m hoping my experience at Red Rocks will be different, that I’ll be surrounded in the front rows of the reserved section with other fanatics who, like me, had their credit cards ready for the very second that tickets went on sale online, people who are there to trip out on the music and let those around them enjoy it in their own way without molestation.

On a more high note — or a better-high note — we fans were treated to a killer fireworks show, courtesy of the city of Columbus, that lasted the entire three-song trip. And to our amazement, the grand finale coincided perfectly with the ending of "Let it Grow," with the big flurry of explosions rising as the gentle final note of the song faded out, like a wash of light and cymbal splashes. I mean, come on! What is it about this band? For Dead Heads worldwide, it’s been almost fifty years of weird little miracles like that. Onward, Furthur! A vote for Barry is a vote fun! See you all at the Rocks!

Girls Rock Camp 2010!

July 11

Well here we go again. The second annual Girls Rock Camp. I’m a band manager again this year and I’m curious to see how this second year goes. The organizers have made some improvements over the last year. The camp itself is at a new place that has a better vibe, and there will be less moving of equipment from room to room. The showcase is also at a different venue: the lovely Oriental Theater...the site of the very first, and now legendary, Au Jus show....but that’s a whole ‘nuther blog. Don’t miss the final Girls Rock showcase Saturday, July 17. I think the performances start at 3 or so. (click here for info)

Today most of the volunteers met and loaded equipment, stuffed swag bags and hung posters to make the place a little more rock ‘n’ roll. I’m always impressed with people who can devote their time and energy to causes they deem worthy. They truly do make the world go round. There’s a great mix of volunteers this year that are ready to do what’s necessary to make the girls’ camp experience something they’ll remember throughout their formative years. And as we’ve often heard each other saying: I wish they would have had something like this when I was growing up!

July 12

First day of camp. There are 13 returning campers and 17 new girls. The only Trouble In Midnight member from last year (the band I managed last year) is Alexis. Kind of surprising that she’s the only one, but she brought her younger sister to the camp so I guess that kinda makes up for it. The first day of camp is quite different from the routine of the other days. It’s a lot of ice breaker events and getting to know each other. Today there seemed to be a lot of extra time for girls to run around and I think that’s because the volunteers were so efficient that there was extra time in the schedule. So for me today, it was a lot of watching. I felt like I was observing for a sociology experiment. Some things that ran through my mind whilst watching:

--leaders need followers

--I’m always attracted to loners and repelled by those who strive to be the center of attention

--girls can be catty & rude

--kids really do say the funniest things

--there really is a time of the day when focus is damn near impossible

--obnoxious people can indeed make seemingly normal people around them obnoxious as well

--it’s hard to feed a large group of tweens…when one doesn’t like her burrito, it’s a good bet the person next to her won’t like hers either

After lunch there was a songwriting workshop and then the girls were placed into two groups by age, Pix & Stix. Getting all the girls into bands was a very long process, with some breakdowns and lots of confusion. But as is typical, it all worked out. My band is of the younger sort and it started out as a trio (the best kind), but gained a vocalist at the last minute. So they had to start over with the naming process to be sure that everyone agreed. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally chose The Black Candles. So Marin (drums), Xelah (keyboards), Anna (bass) and Lily (vocals) will be working on their song all week. Anna already had lyrics written that she brought brought to the table, and amazingly, Lily wanted to use them instead of writing her own. So we’re so much farther along than where we’d be if we didn’t have lyrics. The wonderful Heather (who performed with her band the Blue Belles during lunch) is our band coach and she’ll be great at directing the girls, musically. Tomorrow, we’ll get into a groove and begin our journey as a band. I think I got the loner girls, the ones who maybe didn’t connect with the others as well as the rest of the girls during the first half of the day; the ones who didn’t feel the need to follow the alpha girls. Funny how we all found each other in the end.

Tattered & Twisted Lightning Round!

Celebrate Your Independence! We're running a contest on Facebook asking you (our fans and customers) tell us why you support locally-owned, independent businesses, and you'll be entered into a random drawing to win one of two Tattered & Twisted prize packages ($25.00 gift certificates to both businesses). All entries must be received by midnight on Monday, July 5. Winners will be drawn and announced on Tuesday, July 6. (click here to visit the Facebook thread and enter to win!)

Here are some of our favorite entries so far:

Kathleen Schmidt:
"Because what's better than Twist & Shout and Tattered Cover being next door to one another? :D"

J. Michael Carr:
"Locally owned businesses are my friends, neighbors as well as the backbone of what makes a community a community."

Jason Gorbett:
"Cause you rock! You've got more, better books, CD's, vinyl, videos, and posters than any chain could possibly even conceive of. You're real."

April Green:
"It's all about the search, flipping through the racks, oohing & ahhing over the artwork of an LP/CD. There's also nothing like standing in a record store talking music w/ other music geeks. And then there's the going home & listening to my newly purchased treasures while I finish reading the liner notes. Need I say more?!"

Stacy Lynch:
"Locally owned and independent businesses are vital to keeping community together. Sure you can sometimes get some good deals at chain stores, but when was the last time you walked into one and they knew your name, your favorite things, etc? Locals helping locals is what we need more of - it keeps business going."

Sheila McClune:
"Shopping at locally owned independent businesses is just more fun. Tattered Cover and Twist & Shout have been among my favorite places to shop for years, because when you walk in the door, you know it doesn't look like a thousand other stores across the country. And you know you're going to find things that you just wouldn't find at one of those cookie-cutter stores. Plus the staff are always friendly and helpful and not too busy to take a few minutes to chat."

Several Species Of Small Furry Thoughts - what a weekend!!!

So on Thursday we had our history-making Widespread Panic in-store. One might think that was enough excitement for one weekend. Not for me.

Friday - flew to Philadelphia where my college buddy Banky picked me up and took me to his great little seafood restaurant Seafood Unlimited. If you are ever in Philly check it out. That night we had a different kind of sea creature when we saw Phish in Camden, New Jersey. A very memorable show as it turned out. They opened with two songs they hadn’t played in years: “Alumni Blues” and “Letter To Jimmy Page.” They also broke out a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Free Man In Paris” (the audience was silent and mystified - I don’t think hardly anyone knew what it was). During the second set they played an enormous version of “2001: A Space Odyssey” that contained a tribute to Michael Jackson (who died exactly a year earlier). They teased “Billie Jean” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” and “Thriller.” The crowd went bonkers when they went into “Thriller.” The other interesting, and somewhat upsetting development was the crowd actually booed the band when they played a new song they weren’t into (“1989”). This is entirely not cool in my opinion and sort of pissed me off. The band did an outstanding show and gets booed for one song??

Saturday - Banky and I take a bus to New York City (city of my birth) and meet up with my wife and daughter - Jill and Sarah. We go to The New York Historical Society and see the Grateful Dead exhibit. Go see it if you can! I wish it was a little bigger - but what you do get is totally memorable. Some of the highlights included Jerry and Bob’s guitars, the dummies from the “Touch Of Grey” video, heartfelt fan letters and gloriously decorated envelopes to the band, the handwritten schematics for “The Wall Of Sound,” and on and on. My favorite thing though was Dick Latvala’s notebooks with his handwritten notes about shows. What an uber-fan he was. Displayed are his notes on the Closing Of Winterland show, and he just gushes in clear longhand about how this was the greatest show and when people hear this the Dead will finally be recognized as… and so on and so forth. I found it incredibly touching. We bid adieu to Banky and we are off to the Picasso exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum Of Art. Not only is this museum one of the wonders of the world, the exhibit was mind-blowing. It followed Picasso chronologically, and there must have been six rooms full of stuff - sculptures, linoleum block prints, an entire room of sketchbooks, photos, films and, of course, hundreds of paintings. Picasso is one of those artistic figures whose achievement and influence are so immense and so hard to get your arms around that he almost doesn’t seem real. This exhibit both allowed one to gain a better understanding of the man (it was all below the waist for that guy) and reinforced that sense of disbelief at his greatness. Again, if you get to NYC - don’t miss this one. That night we had a classic NYC experience sitting at a table on the sidewalk on The Upper West Side eating spaghetti.

Sunday - My friend Rob comes into the city to meet me for lunch. Rob owns probably the best record store on the East Coast, Vintage Vinyl, and I always greatly value our conversations about, music, business and life in general. Like Twist and Shout, his store is hanging in there, doing in-store concerts, selling vinyl, appealing to collectors - same as us. We walked around the area known as The Bowery. When I was a boy, my father took me down there to illustrate the dangers of alcohol. It was the skids in those days -wall to wall bums. There are no bums in Manhattan any more. Since Rudy Guliani’s time The Bowery and all of Manhattan has been cleaned up. In many ways it saved the financial life of the city as a tourist destination, but in another way it stole a necessary element to the alchemy of the city. We ducked into CBGB’s - the club that spawned punk in America. It is now a “Rock and Roll Boutique” selling $1400 used leather jackets and used Styx albums for 40 bucks. It was a nice metaphor for the loss of soul in that part of the city. That night, we went to Fela, a musical stage show interpretation of the revolutionary African musician’s troubled times. I am not usually an appreciator of Broadway shows but this was a startlingly dynamic show, with a real live kick-ass band playing a credible version of Fela’s groundbreaking music. It also was extremely poignant, explaining the influence of his incredible mother (who deserves her own play) and his lifelong struggle with the government in his native Nigeria. It is an extraordinary tale of courage and music. I understand it might come to Denver. I highly recommend it if it does.

Monday - Jill and I sneak over to the Museum Of Natural History. I haven’t been there since I was a child, and it is still a completely magical place. It’s the museum from Night At The Museum and it brings out the child in anyone. That night we take our daughter and her boyfriend out for her birthday and say goodbye on a glistening New York street. It is thrilling, and unbearably hot and humid, and endlessly fascinating, and painfully expensive, and bursting with multi-cultural-hyper-sophisticated-poly-sexual life. It remains the most fascinating place I’ve ever been.

Tuesday - We are ready to return to Colorado. I can’t wait to get back to dry heat and clear sky and long views, and my store. When we get home the first things we see are a doe eating grass in front of our house and a red fox peacefully sleeping under a tree in the back. So very different than NYC, and yet, there’s no place like home. On Sunday Rob had asked me when I stopped feeling like a New Yorker. I thought for a minute and finally said, “You know, I think it was once I opened Twist and Shout, and actually became part of the fabric of our own great city, that I started proudly thinking of myself as a Coloradan.”

--Paul

I'd Love to Turn You On #12: Milton Nascimento – Clube De Esquina 1972

Ah, the sacred double album! Blonde on Blonde, Exile on Main Street, Electric Ladyland, The Beatles. All timeless treasures that showed the world that pop music was more than mere entertainment, but actually art. All indelible gems that allowed their authors a chance to stretch out and have since become recognized as a creative high watermark in their careers. And so it is with Clube De Esquina, Milton Nascimento's 1972 double album, an epic that in my mind stands alongside those other masterpieces in the pantheon of “greatest albums”.

Clube De Esquina is a classic of MPB (translated, literally "Brazilian Popular Music”). Musically, we talking about an unmistakable Brazilian feel with heavy use of percussion, and a dizzying array of production styles with touches of orchestral, experimental, folk and progressive sounds. There are shades of Van Morrison, Villa-Lobos, Weather Report, The Beach Boys, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Pink Floyd. Clube is chock full of haunting vocals and harmonies, transcendent melodies, sometimes sparse sometimes layered production, inventive ensemble playing and delicious strings and brass. All this in a warm, delightful batch of songs that are simply overflowing with creativity. It has been said a few times that Clube De Esquina is the Brazilian Sgt. Pepper and while not quite accurate, the comparison serves to illustrate just how great Clube is.

Although Milton is the mastermind and main voice here, it is actually a collective piece by the titular Clube, AKA the Corner club. By bringing in this gang of friends and like-minded musicians to write, sing and play on the album, Milton captured a spirit of community and joy that is as uplifting for the listener as it must have been for the participants. The auxiliary voices and writers help bring the album into another dimension, which is why this album stands just slightly above the other great Milton albums of the 1970s. The main collaborator in the Clube is Lo Borges who brings a strong Brian Wilson/Paul McCartney influence, which is a superb contrast for Milton's more spiritual folk leanings. Also present are Eumir Deodato and Wagner Tiso who pepper the songs with arrangements that bring to mind George Martin, Claus Ogerman and Claude Debussy.

The highlights on Clube are the handful of Milton's ballads. “Cais,” “San Vicente,” “Dos Cruces” and “Os Povos” are simply heavenly songs that show that Milton had the ability to transcend like only the best singers can. The sublime “Clube da Esquina nº 2” is another great one with gorgeous strings and exploratory vocalese, sounding like a proto-chill-out classic that wouldn't be out of place on Air's Moon Safari. “Pelo Amor de Deus” on the other hand is a psychedelic tour de force full of electronic effects and fuzz guitar. Brazilian music fans will probably be familiar with the standard “Nada Sera Como Antes”.

This album has been loved by everyone I have played it for. It sits like a sore thumb in the CD collection of all of my family and closest friends. It has a universal appeal and warmth to it that almost everyone seems to respond to. I honestly believe that anyone who responds to melody and harmony will love this. -- Ben Sumner

Widespread Panic at Twist & Shout 6/24/2010

OK, so I am often fairly over-the-moon after a good instore. And everyone knows Twist & Shout has had a long and loving relationship with the boys from Athens, Ga. And we also know that this great American band has been very kind to our store, our state and our venue (Red Rocks). In fact this was the third time they have come to Twist & Shout and generously shared their time with us. But over-the-moon does not begin to describe the emotions I am feeling tonight. Widespread Panic came to Twist & Shout Thursday night and gave all of us a rare and amazing experience. We were told to expect a low-key three or four song acoustic set. Instead we got a 45-minute balls-out, full-on, seven song electric set. Damn, if this wasn’t the loudest, most intense, most fulfilling live music we have ever hosted. They just killed it. What did they play? Here’s the abbreviated setlist I got off a message board as it was happening – hilarious

Honestly, the whole experience was like a dream. It really was. They came in with a big sound system and it didn’t feel or sound like an instore - it felt like a real show. There was incredible energy in the room and the band was obviously feeding off of it. Everyone in the audience had huge grins on their faces and the band looked genuinely stoked about the whole thing. The music just poured off the stage in waves. Jimmy Herring is a perfect guitar player for the band and his increasing confidence with them is a marvel to behold.

Then they sat there and signed every single person’s copy of Dirty Side Down and the special poster we made for the event. They were total sweethearts to everyone. We sold a stupid amount of their new album and best of all it was about 50% more vinyl than CD. Sweet!

Special thanks go out to Red distribution, ATO records, Terry Mcgibbons, Doug Wiley and the amazing WSP family and management: Lopez, Buck, Eric, Gary and everyone with the Panic crew... what pros! You guys are truly the best at what you do. And Schools, JB, Todd, Sunny, JoJo, Jimmy... wow - there aren’t words to explain my humble gratitude to you guys for doing this, but even more for being such a righteous band. This was truly a high-water mark for Twist & Shout and me personally.  -- Paul Epstein

Now THAT is what I’m talkin’ about!!

Explaining one’s love of The Grateful Dead is a complicated thing. Most folks who are unacquainted with the Dead are hopelessly misdirected by members of the music press, who have traditionally used the band and its fans as target practice, and the latter-day fans themselves who have not done the band’s reputation any favors. Contrary to this inaccurate reputation, The Grateful Dead (especially in the early days) were unlike any other band in that they encompassed almost every form of popular music, made it their own, and took it a step further by creating their own unique brand of music and performance style, and they did so with a high degree of musical proficiency as well as a fairly lofty attitude toward the art they were creating. They then sustained their organization for nearly thirty years with the same core group - an amazing feat in and of itself. In my judgment things changed pretty dramatically somewhere in the mid to late 70’s when their experimental, almost avant-garde aspirations slowly morphed into a highly competent and fun “rock show.” Great fun, but the sense that the creative lives of the band hung in the balance every night was replaced by a more tried and true form of show-biz. They went from being experimental to being reliable - which was understandable, even admirable, but to my ears far less exciting. I had many of the best times of my life at Dead shows in those latter years, but now, when I want to dig the Dead, I go old.

Thus I was thrilled to see one of my favorite shows and earliest collecting gems being officially released in its entirety in unbelievable sound quality. Road Trips Volume 3 Number 3 actually comprises two shows played on the same night on May 15, 1970. Each show had an acoustic set, a set by the New Riders Of The Purple Sage (featuring members of the Dead but not included here) and then an electric set. These two shows beautifully illustrate what I was referencing above about the band encompassing many forms of music. Here is why it is hard to explain the Dead to others - they are an acoustic band, able to coax unbelievably delicate and sweet performances with the power of their harmonies and a handful of great songs; they are a rock band playing party faves like “Casey Jones”; they are a roots band with an authentic dog-suckin’ drunken blues singer, and a banjo playing bluegrass freak as two of their members; they are an experimental art-rock band making some of the darkest, weirdest, and most exhilarating improvised music ever performed and hardest to explain; they are a cultural phenomenon that, to many, was a neat representation of the excitement and turmoil of the 1960’s. Wow - that is a lot to hang on one band. This is the rap on the band, and when a lot of newcomers listen to a show from 1987, they don’t hear it. I would direct newcomers to this new Road Trips for a good example of all the sides of The Grateful Dead. Containing two full acoustic sets and two long electric sets the first disc finds the band playing rare and new (at the time) songs like “Long Black Limousine,” “Ain’t it Crazy” and a stellar early version of “New Speedway Boogie.” The first electric set was one of my earliest tape acquisitions and has always been a favorite. The triple threat of “St. Stephen,” “The Other One” and the rarely played (and even more rarely played correctly) “Cosmic Charlie” is fiery, energetic and full of high energy jamming. “The Other One” in particular is thundering and intense. The encore of the early show is one of my favorite Bob Weir performances ever; a completely over-the-top, scream-fest of “New Minglewood Blues.” You’ve never heard a version like this one. The second acoustic set is highlighted by another bunch of rare and new acoustic performances. “The Ballad Of Casey Jones,” “Silver Threads and Golden Needles,” Pigpen’s “She’s Mine” and “Katie Mae” are all little heard treats and the performances of “Friend Of The Devil” and “Uncle John’s Band” just sparkle. The final electric set is a monster as well with a deep and mysterious “Dark Star” and a nearly 30 minute “Lovelight” that really showcases Pigpen’s singular talents and the band’s uncanny ability to follow him into any lascivious alley he ambled down. After years (nearly 40) of listening obsessively to The Grateful Dead I have changed my opinions about them, and become alternately more critical and forgiving. Mostly I have figured out what still gets me off about them - and this four–disc set (includes a killer bonus disc with the remainders of this show - a heartbreaking “Attics Of My Life” - and a big piece of the previous night’s show) is a pristine example of the Dead in the heart of their greatest period.

So, I know the amount of Grateful Dead stuff out there seems overwhelming. As long as I’m warmed up I think I will recommend another five of the best vault releases:

Carousel Ballroom 2-14-68 (Road Trips Vol.2 No. 2)
Completely essential early radio broadcast. This Valentine’s Day show captures the band revved up and positively tearing through their early repertoire with abandon. The second half features a rip-roaring trip through “The Other One,” “New Potato Caboose,” “Born Cross Eyed,” “Alligator” and “Caution” landing in a heap of squealing feedback that is as scary as it is beautiful.

Englishtown, N.J. 9-3-77 (Dick’s Picks Volume 15)
One of the best post-75 shows it contains definitive versions of “Mississippi Half-Step,” “Loser,” “The Music Never Stopped,” “Not Fade Away” and an “Eyes of The World” that defies description. Jerry plays solos on “Eyes” that sound like a cross between Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt and well… Jerry. Absolutely unforgettable!

Syracuse, N.Y. 9-28-76 (with 9-25-76 it makes up Dick’s Picks Volume 20)
1976 was a pivotal year in many ways for the band. They were reinventing themselves with new songs and a new style of playing that was much more rehearsed and jazzy but still loose and filled with surprises. A seamless second set finds them moving effortlessly from Space (“Playin’ In The Band”) to Gospel (“Samson and Delilah”) to the best of Jerry’s ballads (“Comes a Time”) to free form exploration (“Orange Tango Jam”) to disco (“Dancin’ In The Streets”) and back again. They travel universes in the span of an hour.

Fillmore East 2-13 and 14-1970 (Dick’s Picks Volume 4)
If push came to shove and I had to take just one Grateful Dead release with me into outer space this would be it. It’s got the finest example of spine-chilling Grateful Dead improv I can think of. The hour and a half that make up “Dark Star,” “The Other One” and “Lovelight” is as good as it gets. They do the seemingly impossible when they go out as far as you can go and still seem to be completely in control. The “Dark Star” moves through passages of incredible beauty, joy, terror and just plain weirdness that never fail to leave me breathless. It is probably my single favorite passage of Grateful Dead music.

Binghamton, N.Y. May 2, 1970 (Dick’s Picks Volume 8)
This is the spiritual cousin to the 5-15-70 show reviewed above. Again it features both acoustic and electric sets, but it has a rough and ready quality that makes it unlike anything else. If I was forced to guess I would say the mystery element is LSD. The band sound high as kites and they, and the audience, are having the time of their lives. They are cracking jokes and bantering throughout the interesting and spirited first set (which includes some extremely unique arrangements of songs), and then they are clearly still in a great mood as they take the stage for a second half for the ages. The versions of “St. Stephen,” “The Other One” and “Good Lovin’” are orgies of outta control guitar playing, and in the final portion of the show they bust out elongated versions of “It’s A Man’s Man’s World,” “Dancin’ In The Streets” and finally “Viola Lee Blues” that are nothing short of cosmic. It is rumored that the band hung out at the dorms of Harpur College before and after this show hanging out with students, and that makes sense because, more than anything, this sounds like one big par-tay.

--Paul

Laurie Anderson - Homeland

I'm not fully there with it yet, but here's why this one's different than the last few - unlike everything released since Strange Angels, this one's not so much about Laurie Anderson, but is about the world she lives in. She's engaging a bigger and more vital picture of the United States like nothing since her early days on record - something that might have been as perfectly timed as her humor if it had been released as originally announced when Bush Jr. was still in office. But still - she's actively making an effort to speak not just to her cult of fans (like me) but to everyone and I'd say she mostly succeeds.

If you've listened to anything she's been doing lately you'll recognize the shimmering, quiet keyboard backgrounds that have been a big part of her music since The Ugly One With the Jewels and Other Stories, but in addition to making an effort to talk about things outside her comfort zone, she's making music outside of it too - the backgrounds are there yes, but they're not all that's there. If this were as pop-friendly as Strange Angels, she might even make the crossover move this seems like it could be with just a few more hooks, but it's still an effort to reach out while still keeping touch with her core audience - those who want arty recitative over arty music. I don't have the credits in my promo, but I know Lou Reed, John Zorn, and Antony are there in the mix and they all help make this album diverse, interesting, engaging and, yeah, arty too. She's got nothing as aggressive or dancy as "Only An Expert" anywhere in her entire recorded catalog, and she has very little as ambitious - and also very little as good - as the quiet recitative of the eleven and a half minutes of "Another Day in America" either. It's a good one for sure, her best in a long time, but I'm still not 100% sure that it's great. But if like me you've been waiting a long time for a new, good Laurie album, you're definitely gonna like it.

Wovenhand - The Threshingfloor

Denver resident David Eugene Edwards has traveled many worlds since he first started out. Moving from punk to gothic Americana to a dense indie-rock sound he has now landed in a rare and wonderful place indeed. The Threshingfloor takes his previous flirtations with music of other cultures to new levels. The music of his band Wovenhand is unstuck in both time and place, floating through cultures and instruments; now sounding like an executioners dirge (“The Threshingfloor”) now a medieval monk’s morning prayer (“A Holy Measure”). But this is no novelty. There is purpose and cohesion to Edward’s work. He has clearly taken his role as a musical world citizen seriously, as he embraces the music of many cultures with authoritative ease. At the same time he has continued to hone his authenticity as a spokesperson for a lost, somewhat scary America, where the shadows hide secrets. Edwards’ preoccupation with Christian imagery and his own internal struggle with its precepts remains one of the central themes of his writing. Mixed with a maturing appreciation of the natural world, there is an almost Whitmanesque quality in much of his current writing. Songs like “Singing Grass” showcase his poetic sensitivity and growing talents as a songwriter of rare gifts.

The second half of this magnificent album has a more modern feel with a contemporary drum sound and a bit more electric guitar. It is worth mentioning that although Edwards has become a master of many instruments and has adopted the sounds of many cultures into his music, his talents in the rock idiom are formidable as he amply displays on “Behind Your Breath,” the beat-heavy “Truth” or in the almost Velvet Undergound-y album closer “Denver City.” This is indeed a satisfying album for those who have followed David Eugene Edwards on his artistic journey. Over the last 20 or so years he has made a series of increasingly ambitious and artistically satisfying albums that prove him to be one of Denver’s very best exports. It is a sad irony indeed that he is far better known in Europe than in his own home-town. -- Paul

A Cup of Sugar for June

Welcome to "A Cup Of Sugar". We're borrowing a few reviews from our neighbors at Tattered Cover to make something that we hope everyone will like. So dig in to the treats they've helped us make here; they've come up with some delicious reviews.

Lean on Pete, by Willy Vlautin, $13.99 paperback, HarperCollins
In Willy Vlautin's latest novel, he takes us into the forgotten Northwest: the deserts of Oregon and Washington and into the heart of another run-down life. This time it's 15-year Charley Thompson. His home life isn't much to speak of, and his work life isn't much either. While working at a run-down racetrack on the outskirts of Portland, Charley befriends Pete, a workhorse being run to death. When Charley's life becomes desperate, he makes a last ditch effort to save both himself and Pete. Vlautin's writing is perfect: spare, heartbroken and honest. How Vlautin manages to find the most down-trodden characters in the forgotten parts of America and provide them (and luckily us) with just enough hope to keep on going is what makes me want to read more by him. This book takes a detour to Denver, which was quite a fun bit, as Charley spends quite a few sad nights on Colfax... at Pete's, at the Lion's Lair, at the Bluebird... --recommended by Joe

The Passage, by Justin Cronin, $27.00, hardcover, Random House
This book is a modern day Frankenstein tale -- literary science fiction on an epic scale.
You may have heard that it is a vampire book, which is only vaguely true. This is more
of an outbreak book, that involves a virus that can mutate people into a sort of vampire
like creature, most often called "Virals" or "Smokes." It began as a very convert
government project using death row prisoners, high up in the Colorado mountains. Except the monsters they created were far, far smarter than their inventors could ever have dreamed of. While the Virals are the constant threat, the real story lies in how the
humans try to adapt to a rapidly changing world where they are an isolated minority and
prey to the creations of "science." This book is reminiscent of Stephen King's The
Stand in its scope, diversity of slowly intertwining story lines, and bold look at
humans in crisis, as well as an overlying mystical quality to it that waxes and wanes
throughout the hundreds of pages of the book. This tale grips you hard and won't let you go. I was literally exhausted when I finished reading it because I lived every moment with those people--Cronin's story telling ability is mesmerizing. -- recommended by Jackie

Day for Night, by Frederick Reiken, $24.99, hardcover, Little, Brown
This is an intelligent, skillfully written, sometimes complex and challenging novel that invites the reader into an awareness of the myriad ways we are connected. In ways we know of but don't full understand; in ways we may only be dimly aware of. It's about
families, past and present, and families to come. There is heart in this novel, as well as questions to ponder. "We are complicit in all we see and comprehend that what we see will never coincide with absolute reality." It's a book I might read twice, just to enjoy the masterful ways he weaves the stories together, as well as to wonder along with him about the narratives that make up our lives. -- recommended by Linda