The King Singers in Concert

DISCLAIMER:This is not for anyone who can't stand classical music. I hate to say it, because it would probably be a great thing for you, but I'm throwing it out there. If you can't handle more than one dimension of music, don't read.

For those of you who don't know, I really appreciate some well executed classical music. I have sung in a choral ensemble the last three years which has given me some excellent chances to indulge in the fine arts. Most recently, our class had a workshop, and heard a concert from the prestigious King's Singers. Chances are that name means nothing to you, so allow me to fill you in.

The vocal group was formed in 1965 at King's College, In Cambridge, England. That's about as interesting as the story gets. Over the over the 45 years of existence, the group has recorded over 60 tracks, including a Grammy winning album and a Beatles cover album.

Two members in the group worked with our group Monday afternoon, and gave us some dece advice on making our current songs better. For a while I sat there imagining how much the two British men sounded like Stewie from Family Guy, until one of the guys started quoting Stewie, to my immense enjoyment.

Before we all left the workshop , they answered some questions and they performed their version of "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" which involved them sticking their fingers in their mouth and swirling them around to get this weird vibrato thing going on. I know how it sounds, but it was cool, trust me.

Later that night, I headed out to the concert, ready for a good two hours of madrigal singing with the company of 70 year old couples and music majors. While I can listen to this music substantially longer than most kids my age, two hours can push my luck, unless there is something to keep the energy up. But hey, don't worry, fate didn't like my original plan.

Pulling off of Alcoa Highway, I noticed something wasn't running right with my car. Believe me, this is nothing new. My car shakes harder than Beyonce when it hits 60 mph. To my great inconvenience, both my left AND right front axles have snapped a few months within each other. It kinda reminds me of June and Johnny Cash. Possibly worst of all, I hit a dump truck last November. That's right, nearly a year ago, and I still haven't gotten around to getting that fixed up. Therefore I wasn't expecting anything too crazy. wrong. My front right tire apparently hit a dragon. By the time I was able to pull up to flat ground, car flopping in a Clampet fashion, My tires was missing a side. I was too amazed to be mad. An entire side of the tire was ripped completely off. So, my man Johnny came by with my tickets to the show and, being the fountain of unknown use-fullness he is, threw my spare on my car in no time flat and we were off to the show, an hour late. (On a side note, my little peg-leg tire is killing me. It's like if Kurt Cobain replaced George Harrison in The Beatles. I gotta get a new tire.) We got to the concert literally in the middle of the last song before intermission.

The rest of the concert. despite the first set-back, was a really good time. I saw numerous friends I hadn't seen in a while during the break, and got caught up on the first bit. My seats were kinda meh, but I took what I was given. The church holding the concert is very unique architecturally, as it is formed in the shape of a cross. I was in the right side, but most of the audience sat in the middle. The huge chamber had beautiful acoustics which made up for our seats.

I only heard about four songs, but they were all absolutely amazing. The King Singers do one of the best jobs in the world with blending their voices together. Nothing sticks out, unless it is supposed to. Blend is huge in all music, but in the a cappela singing at hand, it is the most important aspect. The group is bare to it's listeners, throwing their entire sound out to the world with nothing to hide. One song the group did was a piece written specifically for the group called "Horizons" about an African country's origins. The song utilized mesmerizing sounds, i.e. hissing, snapping, and gutteral sounds out the wazoo.

My favorite song the group performed was the famous Simple Gifts. With an underlying syncopation, unheard of in previous versions I had heard, the song had a relaxing laid-back aura about it, with a lead hovering over the simple (hehe) backing vocals. It is a powerful song that has proved itself time and time again, with a fresh spin. I really loved it.

The night ended up great. I would have loved for the Michelin man to have spared me, but maybe it was for the best. I'll be getting much needed tires now, so theres that. Dem King Singerz was a great show that re-fortified my love for great music, from all types of backgrounds.

Cover Of The Day-Crazy/To Love Somebody

I'm still in a Ray Lamontagne mood. Actually, I had gotten out of it; the sun was starting to prove it's existence again, temperatures were climbing from miserable to bad, and I stepped outside of my house long enough to do some physical activity. I was starting to break out The Beach Boys, and as soon as I uploaded Pet Sounds, I woke up to snow this morning, spiraling me back into my cold grounded folk funk.

I had a little bit of a flub in my review last week. I had heard Ray before and not given him the light of day. It wasn't until I saw him in concert that I really connected. I lost my concert virginity to Ray, in the dark corner of The Bijou Theatre's box seats. It's kinda like losing your regular virginity to... eh, I has don't know, Anne Hathaway....and Frieda Pinto....and Zooey Deschanel. F T W. Anyway, somewhere in the show, Lamontagne played his version of the Gnarls Barkley's hit "Crazy". Ray manages to take a mediocre song, overplayed on the radio, MTV, and my eighth grade dance, and injects it with a soul. The new backbone gives the song a beautiful sense of remorse, focusing on nostalgic days of old friends and love, instead of the zany gibberish Barkley intended the song to fall into.

As I mentioned in my review of Lamontagne's Trouble (See the article directly below this one), the man is a deplorable public speaker. He walked up to the mic before his last song, and said something along the lines of

"Thanks everyone for, uh, coming out to, uh the show tonight.(Ten second pause/guitar fiddle) It's been great( More pause) I'm going to play one of my favorite songs . It's by the Bee Gees."

Then Ray played the song that inspired me to hunt down covers ever since. Ray's version of "To Love Somebody" inspired me to pick up a guitar. I learned to play because of his version of the song. I remember thinking, "That is so simple, and so easy to learn, but holy wow is so powerful." I was knocked back by it. I don't have the greatest version of it, although the great Damien Rice plays with him. Ray started a lot, musically, for me. He bridged me to think on my own, and appreciate what I want to appreciate. I owe him a lot. Here, as usual, are the originals, followed by the covers.

"Crazy"

Also, for kicks and giggles, here is the amazing SNL sketch, "The Barry Gibb Talk Show". Please enjoy it as much as I did.

Ray Lamontagne-Trouble

"I guess you don't need it

I guess you don't want me to repeat it
But everything I have to give I'll give to you
It's not like we planned it
You tried to stay, but you could not stand it
To see me shut down slow
As though it was an easy thing to do
Listen when
All of this around us'll fall over
I tell you what we're gonna do
You will shelter me my love
And I will shelter you
I will shelter you
I left you heartbroken, but not until those very words were spoken
Has anybody ever made such a fool out of you
It's hard to believe it
Even as my eyes do see it
The very things that make you live are killing you
Listen when all of this around us'll fall over
I tell you what we're gonna do
You will shelter me my love
I will shelter you
Listen when
All of this around us'll fall over
I tell you what we're gonna do
You will shelter me my love
I will shelter you
If you shelter me too
I will shelter you
I will shelter you"

Conveniently placed above this sentence are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite songwriters ever. In case you were wondering.

Ray Lamontagne was born in a small town in New Hampshire, but thanks to his parents divorce, he was constantly forced to move. He was constantly the new kid, which makes since if you've ever heard the guy talk. Worst public speaker evar. But its alright, because he's one of the coolest guys in the history of the earth. Anyways, Ray ended up in a shoe factory where one day he had the coolest thing happen to him; a musical epiphany. In mid sole, "Tree Top Flyer" by Steven Stills convinced Ray to drop his promising career in shoe-making, and become a musician. I can only hope that A) one day I hear the same life changing song and that B) It's not by someone like Katy Perry or Daughtry. I would go ahead and take a .45 to my head if the Black Eyed Peas reached out and touched my soul. Anyways by 1999, Lamontagne (it's French) had compiled 10 songs, and five years later, here comes Trouble!

Trouble opens up with "Trouble", a light-hearted poke at the monster that is love. The words are like a well written version of "Love Hurts" by Nazareth, but the music speaks the opposite. It's lush and full of jolly bass grooves and jaunty guitars. Its like a frollick. A full out, summers day, wind blowing frollick through a meadow/forest/candy store, you name it. It's fun. My favorite part are the drums. They are flat out cool. One moment they are waltzing along the street, bouncing up and down, waving at everyone he sees, while the next moment, its more sultry than James Bond in a martini bar. It's one of those things that can't be explained until you hear it, which I relish in.

The next song is a special song. You see, there are three ways to get me hooked on a band.

1. I hear a few track, maybe even a whole album, and I find something really musically attractive enough to want more.
2. I hear a song and think, "Man, that is a really incredible song. Who is that by? Really? Why don't I know them? Please hear more now.", and so on.
3. Jack White had anything to do with it.

"Shelter" just happens to have fallen behind door number two. As you saw earlier in this post, the lyrics are really great. They have substance and a great meaning without turning cheesy. Like "Come Sail Away". But seriously, I really love the lyrics here, BUT WAIT, THERES MORE! The songs features the same full folk backing found throughout the album, which is truly great, but the song really shines in its all out "Burn Down The Mission" song pace switch up. It stops dead in its recount of the situation and throws itself to the floor, pleading and crying for a chance. The lyrics and change of pace work together to make this grand intense musical moment that drew me in. The song projects the feelings and fills them in the listener, a trait and great songwriter strives for. That song, despite its lack of Jack White, hooked me on Ray Lamontagne like a hobo on crack. I got all the albums and had listened to his entire musical catalouge (two albums at the time) shortly after.

The rest of the album is grade A, too. "Burn" is a beautiful song of jealousy, post break-up. The words, matched with Ray's raspy vocals, are seering with rejection and pain. Its an emotional ride through the anit-Tunnel of Love. "Jolene" is another lyrical gem. Musically, the album really hits a home-run with "Hannah". The song solidifies the sound Ray works so hard for. It's intimate, it's meaningful, it's truthful. This quite folk (Avett Brothers, Nickel Creek, Brandi Carlile, Bob Dylan) has kind of turned into the soundtrack of my winter. I am at complete ease riding down the road after a long day, snow falling all around without showing any signs of meaning it, with nothing but the next day ahead. It's realistic music for the everyman; connecting especially with the humbled and the grounded. Ray is, in a little way, an epiphany to me.

Cover Of The Day-Hallelujah

In 1984, Leonard Cohen wrote the famous "Hallelujah", and later everyone in the world decided to play it. Mark my words. Everyone. The original is obviously, very good, but also very basic. It's got this weird similarity to "We Are The World" with the choir in the back. I don't want to diss it much though, because it is a very good song, especially in the lyrics. Anyways, I'm going to post as many covers as I can find, and if you know another one I missed, leme know, and I will throw it on the "Hallelujah" wall.

The original. The reason for this whole kit and caboodle.

This version has been called the definitive version of the song. It launched Jeff Buckley, and compelled everyone after to cover the song.

This one's got a lot more gung-ho to it. It drives a lot more than others, as if Billy Joel is playing it in some crowded pub in New Jersey.

Imogen Heap brings her usual uniqueness to the song in this strictly vocals track.

This is one of my favorites. The girl has amazing pipes.

Jason Castro popped the song back into the spot-light, sending posthumous Jeff Buckley sales through the roof. Another great vocal track.

If my credible sources (wikipedia) serve me right, this is the first cover of the song.

Another one of the more famous versions, k.d. sings with a very lounge feel, that really works well here.

I love this woman. I've come to that conclusion.

Thank god for Willie Nelson. Saddle up boys.

Leonard Cohen's favorite version of the song, for some reason I can't understand. It's better than their normal shtick though.

Instrumentation boosts this from a decent cover, to a great one.

Man,Kate Voegele's kinda hott. Oh.. yea.. the song.

Hei, en norsk N'SYNC. Norske folk er kult. I en fjord kjærlig, rå fisk spising, kald slags måte. (See a Norwegian translator)

Y mientras estamos en esto, tratemos de algo de español. Oh, espera, se me olvidó lo mucho que odio español. Nevermind.

Bono provides, quite easily, the most unique take on the song for the Leonard Cohen tribute album, Tower Of Song.

This is interesting too. Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive band. This is one of the fullest versions i've heard. It's pretty good actually.

The most recent cover is for Haiti on the Hope For Haiti Now telethon. I really like this, and I really like JT. I'm not ashamed to say it. Not so much his music, but he is a really funny person. And when you get down to it, he ain't too shabby of a singer.

That's all I have for now, but feel free to comment with your favorite version, and I will gladly post it.

Janelle Monae-Metropolis (The Chase Suite)

Does that picture make any sense to you?

Neither does Janelle Monae.

Janelle grew up in Kansas City, but quickly ran away to New York and studied musical theatre. However, she wasn't to keen on that either, so she moved again, this time to Atlanta. When she got to Atlanta, she gathered a band and started playing old James Brown-ish soul music, touring around college campuses and such, gaining hype from the likes of Big Boi and even P. Diddy who signed her to the Bad Boy label, still allowing her complete artistic control, which she uses liberally. She has one EP out, but she is already being talked about all over the country. So what puts Janelle Monae above the rest of the new soul artists?

Janelle's EP is about an android who falls in love with a human and is hunted down by her people as punishment. How's that for original? The seven song album tells the story of the poor it in its comprehension of love and death. Drawing, once again, from the late great James Brown, with her big band soul-singing, as well as her get-up. check her out.

Yea. Crazy stuff. I like the cumber-bun.

The first song on the album, "March of the Wolf Masters", isn't exactly a song at all. It's like when the principle announces over the intercom for somebody to meet there mom at the front of school, except the subject is about killing the android with chainsaws and electro-daggers. Same voice infliction though. The ethereal Nazi marching music in the background is very fitting with the whole Big Brother aura the album gives off.

Suddenly, the attention is shifted to the poor cyber-girl where frenetic drums pound as she is on the run. The hectic music is very upbeat and honestly makes me dance, or bob my head. I always do something like that. The song ends with a gradual shift to "Many Moons", which gives Janelle the feeling that she has run far enough to slow down a little. Suddenly, this very open poem is said:

Cybernetic Chantdown:
Civil rights, civil war
Hood rat, crack whore
Carefree, nightclub
Closet drunk, bathtub
Outcast, weirdo
Stepchild, freak show
Black girl, bad hair
Broad nose, cold stare
Tap shoes, Broadway
Tuxedo, holiday
Creative black, Love song
Stupid words, erased song
Gun shots, orange house
Dead man walking with a dirty mouth
Spoiled milk, stale bread
Welfare, bubonic plague
Record deal, light bulb
Keep back kid not corporate thug
Breast cancer, common cold
HIV, lost hope
Overweight, self esteem
Misfit, broken dream
Fish tank, small bowl
Closed mind, dark hold
Cybergirl, droid control
Get away now they trying to steal your soul
Microphone, one stage
Tomboy, outrage
Street fight, bloody war
Instigators, third floor
Promiscuous child, broken dream
STD, quarentine
Heroin user, coke head
Final chapter, death bed
Plastic sweat, metal skin
Metallic tears, mannequin
Carefree, night club
Closet drunk, bathtub
White house, Jim Crow
Dirty lies, my regards

I cannot make anything about what it means, all thought parts of it look like they could apply to Janelle's life. I don't know. I hope she's not a crack-whore. Nevertheless, random.

The rest of the album is just as unique. "Cybertronic Purgatory" is a quiet lullaby with transcendent Korg chords floating behind Janelle's soft voice. "Sincerely Jane" has the same feel as a Ben E King, or Duffy song. The big band arrangement really features Janelle's beautiful voice on every part, sometimes in three and four layers.

Out of nowhere, "Mr. President" completely steps out of character and pleads for the president (George Bush) to stop his evil presiding. "Can we talk about the education of our children? A book is worth more than a bomb any day." The song is full of little zingers at Dubya.

The album ends with what could be another out of character rant, or the androids last words. It really works either way. Mellow electric guitars are the only backup on the track, sending the android, or Janelle into a state of joyous acceptance, rather than sorrow.

The album is weird, and it is certainly not for everyone. I'm not nearly as crazy about the slow melodic cuts as I am for the huge cyber-soul. I've heard that Janelle puts on an amazing show, and if she is ever anywhere close, you should go see her, if you like her or not. It would be pretty intense. I'll leave you with a random video, to close out the night.

Cover Of The Day-War Pigs

Don't get me wrong, I think Ozzy Osbourne is one of the dumbest rockers in history, but his band's hit "War Pigs" really rocks. Its a hard thrashing political call to cease fire in war, and it intimidates a lot more than pleads. The song opens up like a typical Doors song, with a slow groove that suddenly gives way to the stomp. The guitars turn into a ball of violent energy, rolling around and kicking everything in the balls. The drums keep the song in a jarring frame, while Ozzy did whatever it is that he does all the time.

The Flaming Lips covered the song as a part of an iTunes exclusive, and changed the steady rock for trippy techno sounds with a very sharp guitar part, like in "Icky Thump" by The White Stripes. Wayne Coyne, the bands lead singer, has an equally unique voice, this time much more grizzled and harsh than Ozzy. The Flaming Lips version is my favorite, but a lot of people would hate it. What else is new.

Brandi Carlile in Concert

Wednesday night I had the extreme pleasure of seeing the beautiful Brandi Carlile twice in one night. It opened up at the Disc Exchange, one of the coolest places on earth. Brandi played a four song set, mostly consisting of the hits from her newest record, as well as "The Story" from the last one. The set, played with her the twin backups Tim and Phil Hanseroth, brought a very eclectic crowd of ragged farmers in their fifties, twenty-something hipsters, some rather butch forty-somethings, a few emo teenagers, and even some little kids, standing waiting with posters and cd's to be signed. I didn't expect half of the people to be there, but it's refreshing to see an artist who can draw a crowd of that size. The set was shor but it it suited the occasion well. After she left I got a pretty cool signed poster and Janelle Monae's crazy EP that I hope to have a review of up this week.

Later that night, I met up with my friend John who had a free ticket, which was one of the coolest things anyone has ever done for me, and we headed in. We got to the show a little bit late because Amy Ray of the Indigio Girls was opening and we expected to see her do a mediocre set chock full of lesbian feminism and the folk rock The Indigo Girls are famous for. Man, were we mistaken. Her band was rocking all out when we walked to our seats. The band was full of girls who didn't exactly look like girls, and one guy bassist, who honestly looked really out of place. However, the band played together great and Brandi came out and sang harmony on the last two songs. Amy popped back up on a few songs throughout the night, lending her guitar and vocals to the more rocking songs.

The lights dimmed and the crowd started to get restless when the show started, without Brandi. A man slowly walked over to a cello and just began playing. He had this great matter of factness about him, while the whole crowd is visually thinking, "Where's Brandi?" This dude started looping everything he played, and he had a great song going completely on his own doing. The song ended with about five layers, each adding tremendously to the jam before it. Right at the point where it seemed another layer would tarnish the concerto before it, everything dropped to a single note that faded into the darkness of the stage. It was like the musical equivalant of an pre battle speech in movies. The mood was set, and it was time for some great folk rock.

By the time Brandi came on stage, the lesbian legions were pretty excited for the show. She kicked the night off with her album opener, and the show just went from there. Brandi really had the ability to put on a great show, involving much more than the standard play for the audience and go home technique. Only about three songs in, she stepped to the very front of the stage and showed off the rooms acoustics, by having the whole band unplug their instruments and play the boot stamping "Dying Day" too a hushed audience. The sound was powerful and showed the intense team work the band held to balance the sound naturally. John told me that he had seen bands do that before, which intrigues my interest as to who would take up the challenge.

In the middle of her set, Brandi listing her rules for a standard song to be just that, a standard. She then proceeded to strum her way into a rolling cover of Dylan's "The Times They Are A Changin" which really got the crowd into the performance. From that point she had won over the audience and started to really play comfortably. Brandi closed the regular part of her show with her amazing hit "The Story", which was fantastic live. You can really see the emotion she poured into that song when Brandi plays it herself. She knows its a great song and loves sharing it with others. It's Brandi's standard.

The encore, much like Bruce Springsteen's show, was just as great as the original set. The second half of her show also started out without her. The Hanseroth brothers came out and played a chilling "The Sound Of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. Brandi walked out after the song and yelled, "Isn't that the most creepy beautiful thing you've ever heard?" to much crowd agreement. The encore included some hits Brandi had, and they were all great, I just can't think of exactly which ones there were, because there was one song that stuck out above all others that night. towards the end of the show, Brandi busted out Jackson which played as an intro the Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". The song sounded like it was written for the girl. she wailed it with the same lower class vigor Johnny showed at that faithful show so many years ago. I loved every second of it. It was what really convinced me that Brandi had a great thing going for her. She is such and incredible artist with an equally unbelievable voice, and I am so lucky I got to see her, for free thanks to John, the man.

Go check out the Disc Exchange for some more amazing music. The place is wall to wall with everything from American Idol Winner Bo Bice, to underground Brooklyn rappers, to Radiohead, and beyond. If you haven't ever been, you are really missing out on something special in Knoxville. This Saturday (13th) Ray Wylie Hubbard will be playing a live in store. I can't make it, but it will certainly be worth your while.

So far I'm one for one on my concert wish list for this year. If everything falls in place (which I'm positive will not happen), I will get the chance to see Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit(with Asher Roth and Flogging Molly), The Dirty Projectors, and the holiest of all concerts, Bonnaroo. I doubt i'll see them all, but Bonnaroo is kinda likely right now, so i'm stoked for that.

I'll leave you with Brandi's "Turpentine". Night world.

Stereogum's Mysplice 4

I found this on Stereogum, another great blog. I am a big fan of mixing up music , i.e. Super Mash. Bros, Girl Talk, E-603, but this is different. This album isn't all about rap. It's a huge mix-up of everything big in 2009. Some of the match-ups are bleh, but a few are really great. It's worth a listen, and its free right hurrr.

Half-Time Rant

Maybe I'm biased, but I thought that The Who rocked the house at the Super Bowl Tonight. Yea, they played their hits, but that's what they are there to do. It pisses me off to see kids my age have no legitimate reason to complain about The Who, except that they are old. I mean honestly? Has my generation lost any respect for music? They have to be young to be any good. Well, half of the music you are spoon fed through the devil that is radio is slowly turning you into another bland individual, scraped of all musical taste buds. Now, I kinda expected to hear this from most of my friends on Facebook, but when I saw this on yahoo, it really pissed me off. That is a professional journalist, who doesn't have the cajones to stand up to media, in order to further his "coolness" with youth. Dudes a joke to music journalism, and a spineless music snob.

So all you "young people", wash your ears out with one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Then and Now. Plus, a fantastic cover.

The Grammys

The Grammys were this week, and I had some high hopes. Last year they had some great music up for nominations, and Radiohead had one of the coolest performances I've ever seen. The band did "15 Steps" with the USC marching band, and it was big ballin.

I can't tell you how impressed I was. Therefore, I guess I had high hopes for this years. So heres my extensive notes on the program.

It Sucked.

Green Day is a bunch of sold out wanna-be rockers.

My baby Taylor had a pretty deplorable performance, and Stevie Knicks and that guy that did that cool cover of "You Belong With Me" didn't save it.

That Guy.

There were 1 1/2 performances worth watching.

Drake, Eminem, and Lil Wayne played "Forever" and it was incredible, despite heavy muted censorship

There was a tribute to Les Paul that was only good due to Jeff Beck's guitar solo.

Quentin Tarantino announced the funniest monologue of all time.

The rest of the night was either forgettable, or miserably bad.

Worst of all, they didn't show any of the awards I cared about, but what can you do. Grammys sucked. That's that.