A round up of stuff I've seen in the last few months.

Let's start with my friend JD Love's album launch supported by 49 Goodbyes in November at the Rose, Erskineville. JD is a bona fide rock star mix of Mose Allison meets Hank Williams. He has a new record out now called Two Days, the LP version of which was pressed at Abbey Road.

Here is JD with up and comer out of Melbourne Georgia Fields (also happens to be his daughter) in a particularly twang moment:

Opening for JD were 49 Goodbyes, and they are just great. They describe themselves as Gram and Emmylou except with two girls (and a guy on guitar). One of the leads is Emma Swift who has the excellent "In the Pines" Americana show on FBI Radio in Sydney every Tuesday night (you can listen online nationally.)

More of them later.

The next thing I went to see was Joe Pug and the Wagons at the Vanguard. I don't mind the Wagons or anything but I also wouldn't go far out of my way, but for Joe Pug I would ... willingly experience some inconvenience. He was only opening so it was a short set but divine as he always is. He came out in the encore of the Wagons (they have quite a following it was pretty packed for them) to do "Long Black Veil" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money", both of which I got videos of. I also got a photo. ;-)

Then, I went to see the mysterious Frank Fairfield at the Basement. But first, to my surprise 49 Goodbyes was the support act. Win. This is them doing "Wrecking Ball" (Emmylou Harris via Neil Young). 49 Goodbyes has an EP out, all the tracks are listenable to here. (I believe that is Emma's own YouTube page so it's artist-approved streaming.)

I went to Frank Fairfield with a friend who didn't know him (I have his albums -- which are on the great, eclectic Tompkins Square label -- but never seen him live) and we ended up having a deep not really sober conversation about Authenticity. We both basically hate the concept, so that helped. For Frank Fairfield is a creation of another age (turn of century - 20s folk tunes) and for sure "acts" the part, the clothes, the stage manner and such. I have mixed feelings about performers who attempt to "faithfully recreate" another era, the revivalists. There are some well known ones that leave me cold. I admit a lot of that comes down in the grey area of the Very Subjective. I love old time music, as should be obvious if you read this blog, but I also don't listen to music to get a high school play type presentation of The Cartoonish Past. (And I also feel uncomfortable with lifting cultural forms out of their context when that act is a form of white privilege blithely appropriating the culture of black or other colonised people. That's a much bigger issue .... ) I don't know, as I say a lot is very subjective but too much affectation is not conducive to good music, in my experience.

However, I really like Frank Fairfield. I think there is something just so resolutely anti-commercial about every thing he does that it can't be a marketing ploy (not that I object to artists using marketing, but you don't get to have it both ways). It is so studied, intense and internalised it kind of transcends the trend of revivalist retro. I think he's just basically weird, in the good sense, in the old weird America sense. I didn't even bother trying to get a video since he sits so far back from the microphone even to sing, there would be no point. I like that he makes the audience WORK to get their quota of hipster approved depression-era jollies, dammit.

Here is a short (1:22) video about him

He did consent to allowing the new fangled iPhoto-O-Matic 2000 to imprint his and his Civil War Moustache's visage on its devilishy digital mercury.

Then I guess the next thing was Hanggai, who are a Mongolian/Chinese band who play traditional Mongolian music with a distinct punk edge. They were also at the Basement and they were super amazing. The Basement was rocking and sweaty that night (and, vastly less Anglo than usual). I can't find anything on YouTube to really recreate that, most of the videos are from polite world music festivals. This one from Woodford last month is OK. Woodford has always had good music but the overall vibe of it always made me fear I'd have to smother a hippy within 20 minutes of being there and inviting the really quite evil anti-vaccination loon Meryl Dorey to speak this year really just turned me off it forever.

Anyway, Hanggai:

Hanggai get two videos because they are awesome. This is "Xiger, Xiger" (pronounced "Shigga Shigga") which is more traditional that the above but it gets stuck in my brain for days. I dare you not to get enthralled. I mean, check out Batubagen who is throat singing and playing the morin-khuur (Mongolian horse-headed "cello" type instrument). He'd sing, then another person would sing and I'd look around the band to see who the new singer was but ... it was Batubagen and that whole throat singing thing. And of course Ilchi , the bare-chested front man who IMHO joins a very select group of genuine, charismatic top tier front men. Amazing and ROCKING.

Then I went and saw Cambodian Space Project at the Vanguard. They are a Cambodian/"Western" fusion in the manner of the much better known Dengue Fever ie dudes with guitars backing a Khmer female singer. CSP are based in Phonm Pehn, though. I enjoyed it although I thought that the guitars were mixed up WAY too high, drowning out the singer Srey Thy who is quite great. (I also thought some of the between song banter was a bit condescending towards her.) Her voice is more than worthy of singing those classic Ros Sereysothea songs.

I mean, what's the point? If this band was just the indie rock dudes, no one (no offence) would care, it is the Cambodian aspect that is the reason they have the gig. I can listen to dude guitars anywhere. Still, they had cute t-shirts for sale. Here is how they are meant to sound:

And that is that!

December 2011! Time for some favourites from the year, I guess.
Starting with these ....

The Singing Mailman Delivers - John Prine Double CD of demos and live from 1970, a year before his first studio release. If you know Prine you'll find it worthwhile and if you don't it's actually a great place to start.

Late Late Party 1965-67 - Charles "Packy" Axton Anthology of cuts from the various bands of this Memphis sax player. Largely instrumental, just super funky in a smooth sort of way.

Beautiful Rivers and Mountains: The Psychedelic Rock Sound of South Korea's Shin Joong Hyun 1958-1974 - Shin Joong Hyun The "Godfather of Korean Rock", absorbing the music of the US troops, and adding elements of Korean music, jazz and soul until being "unpatriotic" got him banned from music.

Joe Pug and Randy Newman both put out live albums (and accompanying DVD in Randy's case) in the last few weeks, I hardly think I need to spruik them given how much of that I've done in this forum. I will however say, once again, Joe Pug's Live at Lincoln Hall is only $5 to download and is sensational.

Tickets for Byron players' side shows have started going on sale, and so the Easter bottleneck shuffle has begun.

I haven't experienced any great angst with my schedule the last couple of years but in 2012 Lucinda Williams and John Hiatt are playing Sydney the same night, Tuesday 3rd April. What to Do!!!???

Actually the dilemma was not a big one in the end. My devotion to both is equal, really I can't split them. I've seen both live in the last couple of years and neither seem likely to give up touring or recording in the foreseeable future. So it comes then down to the venue, and that is, as the young folk say, "a no brainer." John is playing the Metro and Lucinda the State. The Metro: smallish, general admission where you can get up the front with a bit of rock and roll in the air versus the State where your only option is to sit and clap politely. Lucinda's ads say "One Show Only" so that is sad but man I am looking forward to "Walk On", "Slow Turning", "Tennessee Plates" etc etc in that venue.

Speaking of no-brainers Justin Townes Earle is at the Factory the night after. Never miss him live.

Steve Earle is going solo at the Factory the following week, through an early offer I got some front row seats and Steve solo is still a worthwhile proposition despite my mostly indifference to his last decade of output.

Also at the Factory in March is Charles Bradley, the latest retro soul revelation from Daptone.

I gather Trombone Shorty is also playing at the Metro but tickets aren't on sale yet. I'll also check out Bettye Lavette and Nick Lowe sideshows to see if I can fit them in.

Before all that in January I'll be seeing the Cambodian Space Project at the Vanguard and Hanggai at the Basement. Cambodian Space Project traverse the same general territory combining Khmer pop and western rock as the better known Dengue Fever. although CSP are actually based in Phnom Penh.

Hanggai play Mongolian folk music with electric guitars and a punk attitude. I find them quite enthralling.

Phew.

Go download.

I went to see Joe Pug at the Vanguard the other night. Technically it was a Wagons show with Joe Pug opening but ... I went to see Joe Pug. He was only out here to do this opening gig so it was a bit disappointing to only get a short set but a short set is better than no set I guess. Below are videos of the encores. Opening for the opener was Faith Lee who I thought was very promising.

Long Black Veil

Lawyers, Guns & Money

It's a month since this event, my blogging mojo is gone but it was still constantly on my mind to get this out. The lag should absolutely not be put down to indifference. Indeed, one can check my twitter feed or last.fm record to see the intensity of my excitement re: Randy.

My anxious desire to see Randy live has evident since the early days of the Flop Eared Mule blog, for instance where I proclaimed he would be one of my "musical Mount Rushmores." (some other blasts from the past here and here and here)

And so here we are.

Randy was with the excellent Sydney Symphony (and equivalent state symphonies in Brissie and Melbourne) which was a suitably grand accompaniment for the occasion of his first visit here in almost 25 years. The Opera House venue showed us off to our best, too. On a further Sydney-chauvinist note I was pleased after several weeks of torrential rain and freezing (for us) Winter temps that his week in Sydney was sunshiny and winter-warm.

The setlist was as above (from the programme) both nights with the exception that "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear" replaced "Kingfish."

No diss to "Simon Smith etc" (which actually was the almost certainly the first Randy Newman song I ever-though unknowingly-heard on a random vinyl 60s compilation when I was ~14) but I must say "Kingfish" is one of my top 10 Randy songs and I woulda loved to hear it. SO HERE IT IS ANYWAY:

I watched a Ken Burns doco on Huey Long - the subject of Kingfish - recently and it/he is truly fascinating. Oh, don't get me started on the issue of the limits of the state in a capitalist economy! In addition, I really like Levon Helm's cover of it, and I say that about very few covers of Randy. Very few would I listened to voluntarily at home, for pleasure. I like this one.

(Further segue: This reminds me that Randy Newman needs to be on Treme. As a devoted fan of the first two seasons I keep waiting but the closest they've got is a quote from "Rednecks" in second season about "LSU, go in dumb, come out dumb too." Since every other muso who even vaguely thought about ever using a rolling left hand piano line has got a gig it seems natural. As for what he would perform. The NOLA songs are obvious. "Louisiana 1927" is perhaps/hopefully TOO obvious. I'm thinking more "Dixie Flyer", "New Orleans Wins The War" or the above mentioned "Kingfish" which might lead the race as the "Standard Oil" business plays unironically into David Simon's politics and the end of the last season (spoiler) seemed to foreshadow the Deepwater spill. Or something, anything unrelated to New Orleans. I digress. But make it happen, someone!)

But still: Dixie Flyer makes it all OK.

And "Real Emotional Girl" !!

SO ANYWAY. Randy played some songs on piano with the SSO, played some songs on piano solo and conducted a couple of film scores. He joked, everyone laughed (including the orchestra), he got standing ovations. It was a lot of fun. He was very generous about the SSO and encouraged everyone to go see them. I would, probably, if you didn't have to flog off your kidney to afford it. Classical music is one of those things I vastly prefer live than on record; I like the visual quality of watching the orchestra, all the bows zipping up and back together or some beats apart, hearing a something and looking to see where it has come from. On the first night at interval I snuck up from way at the back to one of the boxes over the stage (after a decade or so of getting the rail at Dylan gigs, no Opera House usher is going to out seat-sneak me) - and this was a an excellent spot to get a panopticon view of the orchestra. (On the second night I was in the second row and got a tremendous view of the side of a Steinway & Sons. Learning the lesson when I see Allen Toussiant and the "Legends of New Orleans" show in the same room later this month I got one a bit further back and to the side on the floor.) I enjoyed the orchestral score part, even though my devotion rests on the singer-songwriter work - you can't not be moved by a full orchestra belting out The Natural theme in person, can you?

As you can see from above, I was able to meet Randy after the show (actually, after both nights.) This was arranged through the official fan discussion list, they take names from there to go backstage after every show. Thanks to Susan from the list and Cathy, his manager for arranging it for me! The first night there were a Swedish couple he had met at a restaurant, the second night a couple who had flown up from Melbourne for the show but happened to run into Randy and his wife on Manly ferry that day. So not only does he generously let folks from the "fan club" come backstage via official channels but he also picks up strays for the door list as he goes about his day.

The first night it was me, the Swedes, Glenn A. Baker and some bloke Glenn A Baker brought with him. So it was a small group. G.A.B naturally started in with some anecdote involving his BFF Ray Charles and what Ray told him was the definition of soul. This went on for a while. I was just sort of standing there being a bit pathetic and staring. Randy on several occasions made a point of including me in the "conversation", asking me about what I thought. What a mensch. We had a brief chat, and of course the photo. Our chat was mainly about Faust - Glenn A. had brought it up first, natch -- and he asked me if there were any songs I wanted him to do that he didn't. I think I blurted out "Guilty" and "My Country." He said he would try. Of course he did neither but that is OK! The second night there were a bunch more people - I don't know where most of them came from - and I had already had my chance so I just lurked awkwardly in that special way I have and chatted a bit to manager Cathy and his helpmeet (he probably has a more official title) Beau, who were both super super lovely. So Randy was lovely, a very warm manner and super nice all round.

On the way home I thought I should have requested "I Want You To Hurt Like I Do" or "New Orleans Wins the War" (shockingly, not on YouTube.)

On the second night backstage some guy was pestering him about doing "Rednecks" (I gather he had yelled it out as a request at the Melbourne show) and Randy's like "yeah, no." Which is completely understandable but having seen the orchestra show I'd love to see a solo show, in a more intimate venue where he could stretch out a bit on the song list without necessarily having to satisfy the SSO crowd. He did end the second show saying he would be back, and it wouldn't take another 23 years -"I can't do anything that takes 23 years!" So I hope I might yet get to see that kind of gig, but even if not I am exceptionally grateful for these ones.

Coda: Earlier the week before Randy was on The Circle on Channel Ten. If you have ever wanted to see Ding Dong Drysdale hit on Randy Newman, all your Christmases have come at once.

Randy gigs (if one can call symphony orchestra accompanied appearances at the Opera House gigs) next Friday and Saturday and I am much excited. I have a good (=expensive) ticket for one of the nights and a total cheapie up the back for the second. Here's Mr Newtownoer-Than-Thou Tim Freedman bagging Sydney in a Randy article for the Herald Sun. I hope he realises in the "Sydney-Melbourne is like LA-NYC" thing, Sydney is Los Angeles in that formula and, like that's where Randy is from? So like, we win. Shut up, Melbourne.

It will be interesting to gauge the vibe of the place, are they really ready for Randy or are they Sydney Symphony season ticket holders or Toy Story fans?

Also, if you ever wanted to see Denise Drysdale hit on Randy Newman, here is your chance:

OK so don't miss this one. Not only perennial FEM hearththrob Andy Baylor but a bunch of other great acts covering yer roots spectrum. Blues with Continental Robert (of Dynamic Heptonics fame), singer-singwriter soul with Tracey Miller and Pia Andersen bringing the vintage heat. So, hello? See you there.

PS get the new Baylor Brothers disc here.

I forgot to mention... the opening act for Justin was Lanie Lane who was really very good. She didn't have anything for sale though which I thought odd. Far be it from me to tell independent musos how to do their jobs but if you have an opening slot like that burn a few EPs at home and at least get email addresses, mmkay? Anyway I bought her single (below, the "b side" is a doof doof remix I don't really dig) off iTunes and apparently she has an album coming.

She played solo acoustic which gave an interesting lofi twist to songs I assume are otherwise probably going to have a rockabilly backing. She's certainly got that rockabilly chick look going for her but writes catchy originals and can pull off a show so its not just all image.

What Do I Do from Leslie Marsh on Vimeo.

No, not together - although lucky folk in Freo and Melbourne will get some joint shows next week. A week apart, at the Annandale and Notes Newtown for my fourth and second times respectively.

JTE continues to deliver each gig, this time he was accompanied by on fiddle by Josh Hedley; seems like JTE has a new sideman every tour here adding something different each time. Josh added sensitive harmonies and judging by these videos can put on a damn fine show, solo. Oh and they did a great "Racing in The Street." Somehow I was way right at the back on the Annandale which was a terrible place to be though. Someone smart enough to get up the front got this heartfelt "Christchurch Woman"

Joe Pug : much better turnout at Notes than his first visit here last November and I know of at least half a dozen people who've been converted to him during this tour. So, yay.

Here's "Nation of Heat" from that gig from Deadflower67 on Youtube:

Went off. Would've liked to see some horns next time to fill out the soul but the guitar, bass drums combo did pretty good.

Brief vid of some of the encore, the sound is fuzzy because I was right next to the amps on front of stage.

FINALLY updated the Sydney Dylan Society page with 2011 dates. As there is a tour shortly I'll update later on where we will be meeting before the show. It's usually the Crystal Palace but as we now meet at the Market Tavern maybe it will be there. Will consult and get back to you.

Australia!* You may have all missed his previous tour, just this past November, but the opportunity arises to spare you the #FAIL of missing out twice as Joe Pug is coming back.

Namely:

March 11 Sydney--Notes Newtown
March 12 Port Fairy--Port Fairy Folk Festival
March 13 Port Fairy--Port Fairy Folk Festival
March 17 Adelaide--Grace Emily
March 18 Fremantle--Norfolk Basement
March 19 Victoria--Mossvale Music Festival
March 20 Melbourne--The Toff in Town

Messenger from last year is a stunner and I can attest to the excellence of his live performance. So go, OK?

*Offer applies only to selected states.

So I went and saw Emmylou the other week. I didn't immediately rush to blog with it because of the redundancy of anything I could say. If she hadn't been sublime, that would be news. I'll play fearless citizen journalist a bit and say there was something a bit off about the sound. As we know, I am a dullard at musical perception but my old cloth ears picked up an imbalance to the band, a clattering loudness to the drums at time and a sharpness at times to the mando and an indistinctness at others. Due once again to the herculean incompetence of my nemesis, Ticketmaster, I wasn't in the front row where you expect a certain muddiness, but half way back in the prime position for the mixers.

In any event I shouldn't complain, she did "Goodbye" and "Pancho and Lefty" plus a whole bunch from Wrecking Ball including "Every Grain of Sand." And a new song dedicated to Kate McGarrigle.

It's almost January which means minds are turning north, to Tamworth. In an enduring personal failure, I won't be there again this year but, there's always next year, is what I keep telling myself. Because really what could be better than getting to see Andy Baylor every day for a freakin' week?

And when you see him, request "Who Were You Thinkin' Of" for me, which I love but there's no Andy doing it on YouTube so we'll have to slum it with Sir Doug and the boys:

Tremendous night, that was. The Red Rattler which in addition to having admirable social and artistic aims is a cute little space in the inner west rust belt. The bar service was super friendly and the drinks reasonably priced (one schooner and two reds for $12.50). I had something from the tap they were calling Rat's Piss and it was tasty. The attendance only numbered about 30 which is a disgrace Sydney although there was a show at the Raval the night before which might have split the ticket. But still. Those that were there were into it though and the performers were gracious and didn't pull back.

Chris's album Que Paso (also the name of his band) has got a lot of play round my place since I checked it out a month or so ago when I saw he was opening for Joe Pug. The name in Spanish means "what happened" which is a reference to (I gather) this country rekkid being a departure from his usual rock sound so it may be a oncer but I really hope not, he has the voice and lyrics to really do a lot of interesting things in the genre. The band on Que Paso provides a very full sounds including banjos, fiddlers steel guitar etc so I wasn't sure how it would translate to solo acoustic but it did, excellently. Apart from the lyrics, the songs have such strong melodies inside them you can strip out all the instruments and still have a cohesive thing. So, that was great.

Here's Hume Highway Blues, and I've also got a vid of Love Like This.

Joe Pug apart from being one of the best songwriters going around has done some innovative and cool things to engage with fans and not-yet-fans in the modern era, from giving away as many sampler CDs as you ask for to give to your friends and doing a tour of North America this year where tickets were $10 with no extra fees, of the handling kind you usually get slugged, Joe seems like a exceptional stand up guy and while that's not necessary to want to back his music, it doesn't hurt.

Here's a performance/interview he did with ABC Dig the other day.

So at the gig he ran through a lot of the songs from his LP Messenger, including lots of my faves. Here's "I Do My Father's Drugs". I requested and got my favourite song of his "Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)" in the encore- thanks Joe!

In addition to this, Chris Altmann also came back out and they did three country classics : "Hickory Wind", "Close Up the Honky Tonks" and "Lost Highway" The first and the third are below. How excitement! Burgo who reviewed Brisbane didn't mention this collaboration so I assume it's a new addition, on a back stage discovery they both grew up listening to the same old country stuff.

So that's that - great night! I'm sure he'll come back so then, Australia, you will have no excuse not to get out in droves. I also hope Chris Altmann comes back to Sydney soon with the full band and I'll definitely be harrassing y'all to get along to both when it happens.

Well after whinging about Lil Band O Gold not coming to Sydney when they were down here for Byron this year, I can say it was worth the wait. It's been a most exceptional year for me and New Orleans/Louisiana music, what with a sterling Dr John and every episode of Treme filling my head with evermore delicious sounds. (and Mary Gauthier and Chris Smither - who I saw three times at the Blue Mountains Music Fest but never blogged about FOR SHAME are from New Orleans too even if not working in one of the city's signature genres) And now Lil Band O Gold who put on a hell of a show at The Factory the other night. I've added this swamp pop book to my Book Depository wishlist.

Cajun accordion king Steve Riley despite being advertised wasn't with them (the Mamou Playboys seems to be on tour in Texas) but most of the rest of the line up were, augmented by our semi-own Lucky Oceans on pedal steel. The band is not called a Louisiana super group for nothing, Warren Storm, CC Adcock, David Egan, Dave Ransom, Dickie Landry and Pat Breaux (his grandfather Amedee Breaux is credited for the first recorded version of "Jolie Blon" -- free and legal download here.)

I can't help but digress at this point with this from a NZ interview with Adcock:

But I gotta tell you, the best one - the best one for me, and there have been several moments where I have just felt blessed,, but the best one was when we were doing some work on the Fats Domino Tribute and we're recording with Robert Plant. This is just a great scene already, right, and then Warren - he has no real idea who Robert is and he just keeps callin' 'im 'Fred' all day. All through the session he's telling 'Fred' that he's doin' a good job. So I end up taking him aside and tellin' him, 'Warren, this is Robert Plant, you know from Led Zeppelin, the guy's a rock god', cos, you know, frankly this was all gettin' a little embarrassin' and then I hear Warren saying to him 'thank you for the session Mr Robert Plank!'

Here are two vids I took, both tending towards the ballad but of course the show was high on Louisiana barn burning dance numbers. The beginning of the second is dodgy but I didn't edit out the start of the clip because there's a great moment where some women in the crowd are chanting "Wazza. Wazza" for Warren Storm (this was as they came back out for the encore) and Lucky Oceans translated for CC Adcock, "Wazza is Australian for Warren."

Spoonbread

Lonely Lonely Nights

This Thursday, the Factory. Pretty excited about this. They were out here at Byron time but didn't play Sydney. Should be a ripper. Below is some footage from Melbourne in March.

I'll update with comments tomorrow (today!). "Today", "end of next week" same same.

Well, after a while it becomes redundant to review a JTE show -- I've seen him now three times in two years and what's more to rave that I haven't raved? To paraphrase Brian Clough, if he's not the best singer-songwriter under 30 going round then he's in the top one. In terms of overall performance I'll put Dan Sultan on a par, but there in a class of their own right now. OK, one thing new - Jason Isbell did a great job as sideman for about 3/4 of the show. And that's it really. He was briliant, you were a fool to miss him and I can't wait to show No. 4.

All your JTE news at Halfway to Jackson.

Just perfect.

Update. Did a Flatlanders themed 8tracks. Them together, solo and Terry Allen's "Gimme a Ride to Heaven" which they do as an encore sometimes. Bunch of other mixes there since last I mentioned it here too.