David Byrne: Awesome Show

-->David Byrne & Devotchka

The Greek Theater

Berkeley, CA

June 26, 2009

David Byrne: Awesome Show
David Byrne promised to perform Euripides at the outset of his performance on Friday night at the Greek Theater in Berkeley but instead played what very well may have been the concert of the year in the Bay Area. It was a beautiful warm night under a cloudless sky. The exceptionally talented band played a generous set that was engaging and fun. All ingredients were perfect for a wonderful night of live music.
The night was billed as an evening of songs by David Byrne and Brian Eno. David Byrne is, of course, the musical genius behind the cerebral and quirky 1980s band, the Talking Heads. And Brian Eno is, of course, one of the all-time great musical producers having previously worked with the Talking Heads, U2, Coldplay, Paul Simon, David Bowie, just to name a smattering of the enormously successful artists that he has guided to musical prominence. .
Before Byrne took over, Devotchka played an entertaining opening set. Devotchka has received lots of critical praise for their unique Balkan-gypsy-folk musical stylings. They sound straight outta Sarajevo but they are actually from Colorado. Go figure. They were the perfect opening act for an audience of David Byrne fans and received an enthusiastic response, but, as much as I enjoyed them, I’m not sure that they will go much further. How many rock bands are there with Sousaphone-players keeping the bass? Although I find their studio offerings a little stiff, they were definitely fun live and I will probably go see them again.
At 57 years old, David Byrne is still wiry and energetic. He and his entire band, including his dance troupe, wear clad all in white and the Greek Theater was frequently backlit in primary colors to great visual effect. The You Tube is already littered with videos of varying quality from the concert, see links below. The dance troupe tread the line between corny and cool and, in the final analysis, I think, were probably unnecessary because the music was just so good. Almost every song was right on the money and the crowd was extremely enthusiastic and never took their seat from the opening song. There were several very long ovations after classic hits that clearly surprised Byrne. Although Byrne was front and center throughout the concert, I cannot say enough about his band that showed great chemistry, artistry and energy. True professionals.
The highlights (most of these vids were probably shot with cell phones, so sound quality is not what we heard at the show which was absolutely first-rate): Heaven, Houses in Motion (the best song of the night, the crowd cheered for 5 minutes after this song, to which even Byrne responded ‘Wow’), the classics Life During Wartime, Once in a Lifetime and Burning Down the House.
The first encore began with Take Me to the River. I think, myself, along with half the crowd initially thought that the band was going to play Michael Jackon's Billie Jean. The opening bass lines of both songs are very similar, but on reflection it may have been wishful thinking because of a wager earlier in the evening that there might be some kind of tribute.
The second encore began with the Extra Action Marching Band, also clad in white, marching through the crowd and on to the stage to join Byrne for Road to Nowhere and Burning Down the House at which point there was a large white balloon drop (balloons make a party) and a mosh pit broke out in front of the stage. Chaos ensued.
A great night of music.

Jeff’s Most Embarrassing Concerts

1. Rick Springfield, Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI, July 1983

In my youth, the brilliance of the high school sophomore mind was embodied in a friend's suggestion that we go see Rick Springfield at Milwaukee’s Summerfest because, as he reasoned, the place will be swarming with randy teenage girls. And damned if he wasn’t absolutely right. The teenage girl to teenage boy ratio was probably 10:1. I was surrounded by thousands of shrieking, delirious girls. Despite this numerical advantage, we still failed to get any action and instead ended up going home to play Dungeons and Dragons all night (which is on a whole other ‘most embarrassing’ list). Talk about misspent youth.

2. Dan Fogelberg, Alpine Valley, WI, June 1984

Of course, once I had a girlfriend, I would do anything in my teenage randiness to please her, including going to see Dan Fogelberg at Alpine Valley. For those who don’t remember him, Dan Fogelberg was a syrupy balladeer who sang maudlin songs about lost love like Same Auld Lang Syne and Leader of the Band, now playing in an elevator near you. I still cannot hear these songs without recalling cheap perfume and Asti Spumante in the backseat of my girlfriend’s Pontiac Bonneville in some leafy Milwaukee park.

DF started his career doing semi-decent jazzy collaborations with flutist Tim Weisberg and this concert would actually have received a mixed review on MV&R, had there been blogs back then, because the second set was a collection of bluegrass tunes that was both surprising and really well done. Also, no matter who is performing, it’s tough to beat sitting on a blanket under the stars on a warm summer night at Alpine Valley.

3. Quiet Riot, Milwaukee Auditorium, WI, 1983

The complete bill was Quiet Riot and Saga. Quiet Riot’s hit “Come on Feel the Noise” was number one at the time, and had not yet becoming utterly unlistenable, but it was quickly apparent to me that they would be a one-hit wonder (though a smaller hit “Bang Your Head (Metal Health)” was recently used as the opening song to the acclaimed movie “The Wrestler”). I also remember this as being perhaps the loudest concert that I ever attended, followed closely by AC/DC on the Decibel Scale on their Back in Black tour. Overall, this show was not worth the admission.

Also, check out "On the Loose" by Saga for a good example of everything that was cheesily good and cheesily bad about MTV’s early days.

4. George Michael, Alpine Valley, WI, September 1988

Another example of what guys will do for their girlfriends. I am actually of two minds regarding George Michael as a musical artist, putting aside all the tawdry tabloid stories regarding his drug abuse and unsavory sexual habits. I think George Michael is a fantastically underrated songwriter by music critics. Yet I never like the production of his songs. Tunes like Faith, Kissing a Fool, One More Try, Hand to Mouth are all great songs but sound like they’re being played on a toy music box with no bass. A real artist should take a second look and consider re-recording one or two.

Nevertheless, this concert makes the list mainly because of the performance. This was George Michael’s Faith tour, his first after leaving Wham! The entire concert, and I mean all of it, was George Michael in the spotlight with the band left behind him literally playing in his reflected shadow. It was a tour de force of unrestrained ego that left me feeling a little queasy in the end.

5. Ted Nugent, Honolulu NBC Arena, HI, Summer 1983

This one is embarrassing as much as for what Ted Nugent has become (everything I loathe) as for the very limited musical value involved. Ted Nugent is now a complete arse, a tool, a spokesperson for the NRA who barely avoids spewing a racist paranoid screed whenever he opens his mouth – which is every chance he gets. Whenever he pops up, I can’t hit the mute fast enough.

I will have to confess that this concert was some value for the money, with some guy near the front spitting on Ted during “Cat Scratch Fever” prompting him to dive headfirst into the crowd (in the middle of the song) and inciting a mini-brawl with huge Hawaiian bouncers wading into the crowd to pluck Ted out and toss him back on the stage still enraged. (Of course, I can appreciate the spitter’s perspective far more now.) Oh, and that’s not even mentioning the fireworks under my chair. Even the worst concerts can give you good stories.

6. Honorable mention: Whitney Houston, St. Louis Amphitheater, Summer 1986.

Great voice, horrible songs.

The Mutaytor: Burning Man Cabaret

The Mutaytor

The Mezzanine

San Francisco, CA

May 16, 2009

The Mutaytor: Burning Man Cabaret

The Mutaytor likes to say that they are from Black Rock City, Nevada. You could say this is true in a spiritual sense even though the band is actually based out of Los Angeles, CA. Black Rock City is, of course, home to the Burning Man art festival that has grown from its humble origins as a neighborhood bonfire on San Francisco's Baker Beach to probably the biggest art festival in the US. Of course, to call Burning Man an art-festival does not really do justice to the varied nature of the event, since it is probably even moreso about countercultural cooperative community via unrestrained self-expression as it is a staid display of art – which it is most certainly not, even though the establishment, the stuffy Nevada Museum of Art in Reno has pieces on display from Burning Man.

As the, more or less, self-proclaimed house band of Burning Man, Mutaytor also embraces many of these greater ambitions by sharing the stage with a bevy of varied performers and can be largely likened to seeing a super-charged cabaret act, including belly-dancers, fire-dancers (without fire at the Mezzanine, damn firecode restrictions!), hula-hoopers (both on the ground and in the air) and one number featuring an ornate Chinese dragon. It is all quite a visual spectacle and never dull.

And all this is without yet mentioning the music- which is a driving, primal-rhythm based dance music with a 3-piece horn section. The music is high energy dance music that does not fall victim to the mind-numbing repetition of techno. The band also features John Avila on bass whose most famous stint was with the 80’s New Wave band Oingo Boingo. He appears rather gnome-like on stage surrounded by all the perfectly toned young dancers, but he is clearly a great musical talent- as is the rest of the band. At the Mezzanie, they were also joined by Jane's Addiction drummer, Stephen Perkins, who added a real rocking kick to the percussion section.

The band does not really need the visual distractions of a Chinese Dragon on stage but brings along all the additional performers because they want to and really who can complain? It was a tremendously fun show.

Check out a video of Mutaytor at Burning Man 2007 here.

Van Morrison: Astral Weeks

Van Morrison
Greek Theater
Berkeley, CA
May 4, 2009

Van Morrison: Astral Weeks

There are few songwriters as prolific as Van Morrison. He has released 36 albums in his career but few have engendered as much fondness amongst his fans as his second album from 1968, Astral Weeks. It is nowhere near his best selling album nor did it produce any of his classic hits, like Gloria, Brown-eyed girl, Moondance, Crazy Love, Into the Mystic or Domino. Which raises the question, why do Van Morrison fans as well as critics frequently cite this not only as one of his greatest albums but one of the greatest albums of all time by any artist? Which is a bit like asking, what makes good art?

The songs on Astral Weeks are impressionistic landscapes of romance and redemption. They evoke a time in life when one begins to realize that you make your own identity and your own life. The album has much in common with early masterful albums by Tom Waits with Heart of a Saturday Night or Lou Reed’s Transformer, Joni Mitchell’s Blue, The Band’s Music from Big Pink or even Rickie Lee Jones’ eponymous debut- when these artists seemed to produce their most honest and heartfelt work and told poetic stories of the struggles of every-day people to find love and live life- when they were writing songs because of their need for expression and not of their need to pay the mortgage or some desire for stardom. You can almost see the still-life by Annie Leibowitz of hanging tapestries, patched jeans, overflowing ashtrays and empty wine bottles- the artist’s life.

Many of the songs on Astral Weeks are written in a stream of conscious and can sound half-finished but when combined with Van’s poetry and Irish mysticism, the music is transformative. Just listening to the opening strumming of the song Astral Weeks or the opening lyrics of Sweet Thing, “And I will stroll the merry way and jump the hedges first/ And I will drink the clear clean water for to quench my thirst/ And I will never grow so old again,” is to be transported. The connection with great Romantic poets, like Keats, Blake or Wordsworth is immediate.

Which is all to say that it is a true masterpiece of music, and one which I believe, Van never again surpassed, though he keeps trying. Van is currently on an Astral Weeks tour where after an opening set and short break, he returns to play the album in its entirety. When I headed to Berkeley on Sunday night, the rain had threatened all day, but it never came and Van, who can be a very fickle performer, was in good spirits with a strong voice. He was accompanied by 15 class-act musicians. Van always surrounds himself with the very best talent. He performed an opening set that included jazzy takes on some of his standards and then came back for Astral Weeks. The performance of a 40-year old album has its perils. If simply duplicated, it would sound contrived and hopelessly mired in nostalgia but if updated too much, it risks losing the original appeal that the album always had. Van’s performance at the Greek was not too polished or too rough, he got it just about right.

The Cave Singers: Chicken Soup

Dr. Dog, The Cave Singers and Golden Boots

The Fillmore

San Francisco, CA

April 16, 2009

The Cave Singers: Chicken Soup

This is the third time that I have seen the Cave Singers perform. I can’t think of enough superlatives to describe how much better the Cave Singers are than almost any other band around. There is a depth and honesty to their songs and performances that is singularly impressive. The Cave Singers remind me of the transcendent power of music. The quiet, contemplative songs don’t always work in large venues before crowds of party-goers, but are still entrancing and filled with poetic revelations that are so confident in their expression and stark in their simple beauty that they should be the envy of any songwriter. While bands like Green Day and Franz Ferdinand are fun in a cathartic way, the Cave Singers rejuvenate the soul and make me feel reconnected to myself and give me hope for the future of artistic expression in modern music.

Dr. Dog and Golden Boots: Talking Points

The Golden Boots opened the show at the Fillmore with a country/blues rootsy rock collection of midtempo stoner tunes before being yelled at by a stage hand to get off the stage. They did play 4 “last songs” which got to be a bit annoying- especially when they were cutting into the Cave Singers’ time. The Golden Boots are similar to many other jam-bands like Big Head Todd and the Monsters or SF’s own Tea Leaf Green, mixing elements from 1970s Southern Rock and/or the Grateful Dead but stripped down and more laid-back. Not bad for an opening act, but I think they will likely be relegated to opening act status for the duration and are not likely to graduate any time soon- especially with their ridiculously bad name.

Dr. Dog, in addition to being another horribly named band, were unimpressive as the headliners. There was lots of energetic but pointless jumping around the stage and the hats and sunglasses came off as juvenile and pretentious. I couldn’t figure out if they were detached, cool artists or just neighborhood guys trying to have fun. I’m not sure they could either. The good size crowd was relatively enthusiastic so they were obviously hearing something I wasn’t. I found the songs to be forgettable amalgams of campy psychedelic Frank Zappa-Beatlesesque pop tunes with predictable and uninspired melodies. Maybe fine for the kids, but nothing special. The band has decent musicians but appear lost in whether to sell out with pop ballads, like their current hit “The Breeze,” or aim for a camp cult following a la Primus.

OK, I just re-read this Dr. Dog paragraph and it might be a bit harsh. The band did have the misfortune to follow the Cave Singers who are light-years beyond them. I think part of my problem may be that Dr. Dog appears to be in the musical line stemming from the bad part of 1960s pop psychedelia, like the Beach Boys or Strawberry Alarm Clock, and not the bluesy/jazzy good part, like the Grateful Dead or the Doors. While age has allowed me to appreciate the importance of history, some musical traditions are better left behind on the scrapheap.

Franz Ferdinand: O-Town Life

Franz Ferdinand
Fox Theater
Oakland, CA
April 15, 2009


Franz Ferdinand: O-Town Life

For many San Francisco, Marin and Berkeley snobs, Oakland is often looked down upon as an unsophisticated, poor working class cousin, perhaps even a bit boorish. Nothing interesting happens there. Of course, Oakland looks down on Hayward and Fremont, further to the South. Everybody has somebody to look down on. Still, the drunken driver always has the right of way and Oakland rolls on. In fact, there are revitalization projects just being completed in many parts of Oakland and with its small town vibe, Oakland has become genuinely hip again. See, e.g., the reopening of the Fox Theater, an amazing venue with wonderful art deco touches that have many bands lining up for the chance to play there.

On Wednesday night, Franz Ferdinand played at the Fox Theater- across the street from the Uptown, where Green Day, at the same time, was playing another of their guerrilla shows announced earlier in the afternoon. The intersection of 19th and Broadway in Oakland was definitely the hippest place to be in the Bay Area on Wednesday night. Franz Ferdinand fans slipped in and out of the Den to smuggle drinks to their friends camped out on line for the Uptown. Even the high-end restaurant Flora got in the spirit by allowing scruffy Green Day fans to use their restroom. As the Brits might say, the atmosphere was lively.

As I had seen Green Day the night before, I was happy to give another band their due. Franz Ferdinand is a bouncy, raucous Indie band best known for their hit, “Take Me Out.” They have a unique sound which along with the singer’s baritone is immediately recognizable. Bands with such a signature sound can often suffer from the song-writing being overwhelmed by the sound. FF suffers from this drawback to a degree where songs sound too much alike. But, it has made FF a favorite of the mash-up scene and are frequently used by DJs to create a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. Nevertheless, FF is Big Fun, the loud thumping bass lines, rumbling drums, thick hooks and crescendos are like the peak moment of a party where you lose yourself and are engrossed in the reckless abandon of childhood fun.

Quite a sample of a night in the life of O-Town.

Other songs to check out: Ulysses, Mash of Do You Wanna with Run DMC and the Knack's My Sharona.

Green Day: 21st Century American Clash

Green Day

Fox Theater

Oakland, California

April 14, 2009

Green Day: 21^st Century American Clash

It is rather generous to refer to Green Day as an American version of the Clash, but they should at least be paying royalties to the surviving members of that seminal punk band. Certainly, they are the closest sounding band in America to the Clash -short of a tribute band. For the casual listener, punk music often begins and ends with the Clash. But with the tragic demise of Clash frontman Joe Strummer in 2002, Green Day have creditably taken over the mantle of punk proselytizer to the world and are currently by far the most popular punk band in the world. They’ve sold over 65 million albums, frequently headline large arenas and amphitheaters, leading some fans to accuse them of the Big Sell Out. I am not so sure. Popularity does not necessarily equate with selling-out. Can a punk band be popular?

Green Day’s new album 21^st Century Breakdown is going to be released next month and they have recently been chasing around the San Francisco Bay Area performing guerrilla concerts at tiny venues with little or no advance warning to test out the new songs before live audiences. They performed last week at the Independent and the DNA Lounge in San Francisco and on Tuesday night at the newly refurbished Fox Theater in Oakland.

The band began the night at the Fox by playing the entire new album- none of which has been released or is available on the internet. 21^st Century Breakdown is structured as a three act play and a playbill was distributed last night containing all the lyrics. A concept album, nonetheless one from a punk band, normally foreshadows disaster, as Green Day should have learned with previous efforts, but this time I think they pull it off. There were a number of genuinely brilliant songs and the themes of the modern breakdown along with accompanying anxiety, anger, and despair, instead of being dreary and depressive, were cathartic and rebellious in the hands of Green Day.

Of course, since these songs were not familiar, the concert really didn’t take off until the second set when they played many of their older hits, including American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, and a phenomenal, soaring Long View. Then, the band showed their chops and rocked the sold-out crowd of 2800 diehard fans who got more than what they came for.

Additional talking points from last night:

1. The show sold-out in seconds and I had to scam a pair of tickets by joining the fan-club at the last minute.

2. The show was videotaped with a large boom camera swooping over the audience and cameramen dodging in and out of the fans. This concert will surely show up in an official Green Day release in the future or in music videos for the new album.

3. Great light show- arena quality in a small theater.

4. Also, it was incredibly loud. The loudest concert I’ve been to in many years. Even though I am an old fart, I can objectively state that it was louder than it had to be. I like a loud band (adds to the excitement), but I don’t think it is necessary to leave a venue in pain, fearing for your hearing.

The Dickies: Not Just for Your Middle Aged Uncle

The Dickies
The Uptown
Oakland, CA
April 11, 2009

Senior 1970s LA New Wave Correspondent Brian Griset

The Dickies: Not Just for Your Middle Aged Uncle

When I was a youngin’, an explosion of underground, counter-culture youth bands erupted in Los Angeles, circa 1976 - 1979. Seemingly from out of nowhere, L.A. became the national epicenter for arrogant, anti-industry, full of attitude punk rock bands like X, the Germs, the Dickies, the Weirdos, the Plugs and the Flesh Eaters. It was the birth of a scene that captured the attention of both the international media and young aspiring rockers worldwide. It was totally rad: L.A. New Wave!

The Dickies were among the first punk bands to emerge from Los Angeles. However, instead of the angst and anger of some of UK or New York punk rock, the Dickies were goofy and outlandish. They were the first California punk band to appear on network television, and the first California punk band to be signed to a major record label. A Dickies show was sure to include chaos, pandemonium, bad taste, and slam dancing and then there’s the music…

The Dickies' punk rock is campy and humorous. They even had a top ten hit in the UK called “the Banana Splits (Tra La La Song)" in 1979. Much of their lyrics concern Southern California culture, rife with references and in-jokes; songs like "Waterslide," "I'm A Cholo," "Manny, Moe, and Jack," and "(I'm Stuck in a Pagoda with) Tricia Toyota." They are also known for recording several fast-paced punk covers of classic rock songs, including the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin," Black Sabbath's "Paranoid," and Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction."

Over thirty years later, what had started out as a joke cover band, the Dickies, are still together touring. Last night, I was at a packed house amongst fifty and sixty year-old punks and other youngins, probably not even alive in the 70’s, to experience the band 2009 style.

Drug problems slowed the Dickies down considerably in the 1980s. One of the original members committed suicide after becoming despondent following a romantic break-up in 1981. Left behind and still going strong are Stan Lee on guitar and the zany Leonard Graves Phillips singing. Phillips is a true entertainer. He wears masks for the big crowd pleasing “Gigantor” and ”You Drive Me Ape, You Big Gorilla”, wears a massive penis muppets, a blowup doll and snorkel gear for the song "Waterslide." Amongst the wackiness and the slam dancing, it’s just plain fun. It was definitely rad!

See, The Dickies 1979

Rasputina: Cello-riffic

Rasputina

The Independent

San Francisco, CA

March 26, 2009

Rasputina: Cello-riffic

There is a certain perversity in introducing grunge-rock arrangements of popular songs in iambic pentameter, played on the cello, while wearing a striped Victorian dress and lace with long red dreadlocks and a Hiawatha-Indian feather in your hair. I should have had no doubt that I would be the only person in the audience not adorned with Gothic, faerie-world tattoos and multiple piercings looking like refugees from a turn-of-the-century S&M festival or extras from the Rocky Horror Picture Show last night at the Independent in San Francisco. Yes, I had stumbled into a Rasputina concert, an outpost of Burning Man surrealism- or perhaps an interlude before the next annual Black Rock art festival.

Rasputina currently consists of two cellists, Melora Creager, the aforementioned Hiawatha singer and cellist, and Daniel DeJesus, a kind of punk-rock pirate cellist. The two are accompanied by Catie D’Amica on percussion, also garbed in a kind of twisted 1980’s Madonna outfit of Gothic lace, top hat and black fingernails.

Notwithstanding all the distractions of the costumes, both on and off stage, Rasputina can really play. In their hands, the cellos sounded more like rock guitars than the soulful and mournful classical playing of Yo-Yo Ma. Melora Creager certainly has talent; she has previously performed with Marilyn Manson and Nirvana, most famously on their hit “All Apologies” and she is a great singer. Of course, she sings about dead cows, Transylvania concubines and 1816 weather patterns, not your usual rock fare. Fortunately, they puncture what would otherwise be overbearing artistic pretension with their healthy and active sense of humor- including Melora’s feral, rapid fire introduction of songs.

The band frequently plays wonderfully inventive covers of rock classics including, last night's highlights, American Girl by Tom Petty and Bad Moon Rising by Credence Clearwater Revival. The unexpected and, at times, arresting arrangements on cello revealed a completely new perspective and depth to these songs. Still, despite the clear talent of the band and the devotion of the small but vocal crowd, listening to cello chamber rock for an hour and a half was a bit much. I loved the uniqueness of the experience but I doubt I’ll be a regular listener.

Other fun covers: Barracuda by Heart, Fire and Ice by Pat Benatar, Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd.

The Pretenders: No Bullshit

The Pretenders
The Fillmore
San Francisco, CA
March 15, 2009


The Pretenders: No Bullshit




pre•tend•er n.

1. One who simulates, pretends, or alleges falsely; a hypocrite or dissembler.
2. One who sets forth a claim, especially a claimant to a throne.

It is easy to take the Pretenders for granted. They have been around for a pretty long time creating consistently punchy songs full of catchy hooks. This made them a favorite of MTV during that network’s early glory days, before they became a reality show channel- and made the Pretenders popular on AOR radio, before Clear Channel and the internet killed FM radio. Few people would fail to recognize some of their biggest hits: Brass in Pocket, Back on the Chain Gang or even Middle of the Road. Yet, for me, the Pretenders have always been there sort of in the background while other bands have grabbed my immediate attention. But, the older I get, the more I can appreciate the accomplishment of longevity. Lead singer Chrissie Hynde is certainly a pioneer female rockstar. So, rather than blaze briefly through the rock and roll stratosphere, the Pretenders have become journeymen, part of the history of rock music. How could I pass up a chance to see them at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco?

The Pretenders probably have the greatest band name in rock history. Full of irony, humor, savoir faire, it is everything that rock and roll is about: rebellion and fun. The Pretender’s name also nicely contrasts with Chrissie Hynde’s no-bullshit, biker chick persona. The Pretender’s music oozes earnestness and honesty even if occasionally dark- it is punk rock after all. Their name was also well contrasted by the horribly-named opening act on Sunday at the Fillmore: American Bang. American Bang was a tight, but otherwise forgettable Kings of Leon clone. Of course, their name might have been an homage to Chrissie’s eternal hair-style which, like the Pretenders, seems to be immune from the aging process. Chrissie Hynde is probably the sexiest 57 year old on tour.

With Chrissie Hynde being the face of the band, it is easy to mistake them as American, but Chrissie is an ex-pat living in London and the Pretenders are definitely in the British mold of 1970s garage punk rock bands including the Clash and the Sex Pistols. This might make you think that their concert at the Fillmore would have been more raucous than it was. Don’t get me wrong, it was definitely a great show, but perhaps the years have mellowed Chrissie or perhaps it is just the familiarity of the songs that took away some of the edge. It could also be that this was the last night of a long tour, but it would have been nice if they had varied the script a bit - maybe thrown in an Iggy Pop cover. Then the night would have been complete. Still, the band members did toast the crowd and danced a little jig at the end of the night to celebrate the end of the tour. It was an accomplished set from a great group of professional musicians in front of a loud and appreciative crowd. But, I would have liked a little bit more.

Big songs from the show: Message of Love, Tattooed Love Boys, Boots of Chinese Plastic. Sadly, no Mystery Achievement.

Sharon Jones: Queen of Funk

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

The Warfield

San Francisco, CA

January 28, 2009

Guest contributor:

Brian Griset, Senior Funk Correspondent

Sharon Jones: Queen of Funk

Anyone who has experienced Sharon Jones live will understand why she has been dubbed the Queen of Funk. Sharon and her band, the Dap-Kings, are steeped in the high-energy, air-tight, horn-heavy Motown sound that previously propelled James Brown into his global role as the godfather of soul. In fact, Sharon was born in Brown's hometown of Augusta, GA, and as a child, she and her brothers would often imitate the singing and dancing of James Brown. She and the Dap Kings also seem to have adopted his tireless approach to endless touring. On January 28, I had the opportunity to experience Sharon and the Dap Kings at the Warfield in San Francisco – together they R-O-C-K-E-D!

After a rousing and unlikely opening set of festive Balkan music by Ivan Milev, a Bulgarian accordion master, Sharon Jones took the stage. Sharon is a force of nature: she stirred my soul, dazzled my ears and fed the beat to my feet. I danced nonstop - once I slipped a sawbuck to a Warfield hall-monitor in order to get on the floor. Once Sharon started, I could not be stuck in the balcony where my need to groove could not find the required space.

Of course, living in the digital age, some cuts from this show are already on The YouTube including some of the highlights like Sharon’s version of “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Sharon shared some new music that I really like. "Let Them Knock" was amazing in concert and another favorite song of mine to check out is "Just Dropped In (My Condition)." One highlight of the Warfield show was when Sharon brought on-stage a 12 year-old kid who almost stole the show with his few minutes of fame.

While it is easy to hear the influences of James Brown, Otis Redding and Ike & Tina Turner, Sharon delivers her own blend of funk and soul. She pours her energy into the audience in an incredible mix of throw your hands in the air, shake that tail-feather and let the worries of the world melt away.

Sharon moved to NYC when still young and frequently entered talent shows backed by local funk bands while working as a corrections officer at Rikers Island and as an armored car guard for Wells Fargo. In 1996, she got her big break after she appeared in a session backing soul and funk legend Lee Fields. Her first three CDs, Dap Dippin' With Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings, Naturally and 100 Days, 100 Nights all received great critical acclaim. Now, Sharon and the Dap Kings have a busy international touring schedule. During a recent break from Sharon, the Dap Kings backed Amy Winehouse for a brief tour, but job security is probably better with Sharon Jones.

No matter if you are a jazz purist or a classic rock and roller, I guarantee that the next time Sharon Jones comes around, you will be entertained. Go out and get some of her music so you can enjoy the force of nature in your own living room and when she lands in your city- Go see her!

The Wailers: Rastafari, Ever Living, Ever Powerful

The Wailers
The Independent
San Francisco, CA
January 3, 2009

The Wailers: Rastafari, Ever Living, Ever Powerful

First, let me say that Nopa’s braised lamb shank is awesome, particularly when paired with the 2006 Ridge Zinfandel - Pagani Ranch and finished with the Dark chocolate pot de crème. Oh, and the mussels were quite good. Yes, the evening began at one of San Francisco’s hip eateries, Nopa- which is a particular favorite amongst transplanted New Yorkers and other night owls because of their late hours- not a common thing in San Francisco which rolls up the sidewalks pretty early for such a cosmopolitan city. Eating early was probably a good idea since our server told us the previous late night crowd consisted of many glassy-eyed Wailers fans from the Independent, just a block away, who couldn't seem to focus on the menu. It was a bit of a challenge to picture the tie-dyed, dread-locked crowd descending on Nopa after skanking the reggae shuffle all night in celebration of the late-great Bob Marley.

For many reggae listeners, reggae music begins and ends with Bob Marley. His tragic death in 1981 cut short a brilliant career and elevated Marley to iconic status. His death was later followed by the deaths of Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, and Carlton Barrett, leaving Bunny Wailer and bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett as the last survivors. With Bunny Wailer living a quiet life in Kingston, only Family Man is still in the current Wailers line-up – which raises an open question as to whether a single band member can claim the band’s name. One member is only a "Wailer" (singular). And with only one member of the Wailers actually in the band, the night’s performance seemed more akin to a Bob Marley tribute than an actual Wailers concert.

Fortunately, all the replacement musicians were fantastic, the horn section was great, the back-up singers were hot, even white-bread, LA native, singer Elan Atias did creditable service to Bob Marley’s easily identifiable voice and singing style. The band sounded very much like they did on the classic live album, Babylon by Bus, which captured Bob Marley and the Wailers at the height of their performance prowess.

Both nights of the Wailers’ performances in San Francisco were sold-out. And the crowd on Saturday was well ready for a punky reggae party, almost too much so with clouds of smoke hanging in the lights and balloons being batted about. The band promised to perform the legendary Exodus album, once named the most important album of the 20th century by Time magazine. They began with “Natural Mystic,” and played some of Marley's greatest hits including “Exodus,” “Jamming,” “Three Little Birds,” “Punky Reggae Party,” “Waiting in Vain,” “Turn Your Lights Down Low,” and of course, “One Love.”

Listening to such uplifting, hopeful songs of love and peace in our war-torn world reminded me of how the peacemakers are the true revolutionaries. While Israel storms through Gaza, bombs explode in Baghdad marketplaces and Afghanistan continues its downward trajectory, these songs have more resonance than ever. The world could still benefit from the vision of Bob Marley. Ever living. Ever powerful.

The Minks: Ray Davies Never Looked Better

The Minks

Great American Music Hall

San Francisco, CA

December 3, 2008

The Minks: Ray Davies Never Looked Better

The Minks blew the doors off the Great American Music Hall last night. OK, maybe not the doors, they’re pretty good doors. Strong doors, with bouncers. But the windows were definitely rattling. The Minks are rock stars, that’s for sure. At a benefit for music in schools, called Silicon Valley Rocks, the Minks thrilled the geeky Wednesday night crowd. Since all the bands had some connection to Silicon Valley, the audience hipster-geek factor was streaming broadband. I’ve never seen so many iPhones or so many Google employees in one place. The only complaint I have is that with multiple geek bands playing, the cool Minks were limited to about 30 minutes.

While the Minks call themselves an all-girls Kinks cover band, they are more in the category of a tribute band. “Cover" bands play songs by more than one artist, with no original material; while "tribute" acts play only one artist. Many tribute bands foolishly try to emulate the look as well as the sound of their rock heroes, wearing wigs and glasses to look like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones; or in the extreme impersonation world, plastic surgery, to look like Cher or Michael Jackson. Thankfully, the Minks only make a nod to the original look of the Kinks by wearing 1960s mod outfits- which renders them much more pleasing on the eye than the Kinks ever were. The Minks look like they stepped right off the set of the latest Austin Powers flick. I was left wondering why all bands can’t be hot chicks in short skirts and go-go boots.

However, playing only Kinks songs is a somewhat limiting factor for the world-domination aspirations of the Minks or if they really want that cruise ship gig. While Ray Davies was undoubtedly one of rock's great song-writers, the Kinks’ hits were largely minor affairs on Billboard. After "Girl You Really Got Me" (which achieved most of its fame through other artists) and the anthemic "Lola," the Kink's most well known hit is the sing-songy "Come Dancing" which is largely mired in rock history as a nostalgic early video hit for MTV (which demonstrates how far videos have come and how low MTV has sunk). The Minks do perform a stellar version of "She's Got Everything" which I feel is ripe for an update. I see it as a possible hit for Letters to Cleo for a teen romance movie soundtrack like 10 Things I Hate About You or Pretty in Pink.

Being an all-girls Kinks cover (tribute) band is a difficult balance. If you practice too much and sound too professional, you lose the raw do-it-yourself excitement of the original Kinks sound and if you don't practice enough, you risk sounding amateurish. Fortunately, the Minks have struck just the right balance maintaining the raw energy of the Kinks without sounding like professional musicians slumming it. A good bar band should drop a note or two, especially one playing the Kinks. The Minks have it just about right.

Special credit: First two photos by award-winning photographer Joe Santel.

Last photo by Dave Le.