Wednesday, May 29, 2002
N.E.R.D. emerges from the studio for club tour
N.E.R.D., the band headed by production team the Neptunes, embarks on its inaugural tour in late May.
N.E.R.D., the band headed by production team the Neptunes, embarks on its inaugural tour in late May.
The two-week tour is scheduled to visit clubs in major U.S. cities.
The touring band will include Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes with their N.E.R.D. bandmate Shay. Minneapolis funk band Spymob, which is signed to the Neptunes’ label and played on N.E.R.D.’s album, will back up the trio.
N.E.R.D. (which stands for No one Ever Really Dies) is supporting its debut album, “In Search Of….” Two versions of the album are in circulation: one featuring Spymob and one with mostly-electronic instrumentation, the latter of which was released in the U.K
The Neptunes made their name by producing hit tracks for ‘NSync, Britney Spears, No Doubt and Mary J. Blige, among many others.
Chris Isaak and Natalie Merchant share summer bill
Subscribing to the notion that two big names are better than one, Chris Isaak and Natalie Merchant link up this summer to back their latest albums.
Subscribing to the notion that two big names are better than one, Chris Isaak and Natalie Merchant link up this summer to back their latest albums.
Isaak is touring behind February’s “Always Got Tonight,” his first album in three years. The 12-track collection includes the single, “Let Me Down Easy,” as well as “American Boy.”
The latter track is the theme song to Isaak’s eponymous Sunday night Showtime sitcom, “The Chris Isaak Show,” which is now in its second season.
Merchant, meanwhile, is supporting last November’s “Motherland” (Elektra). The album is her first collection of new material since 1998’s “Ophelia, and her fourth solo album since leaving 10,000 Maniacs.
Prior to hooking up with Isaak in late June for the co-headlining amphitheatre run, Merchcant has two weeks of solo dates booked into theater-sized venues.
Scorpions, Deep Purple and Dio set up U.S. run
Scorpions tour the states this summer in support of a new hits collection, sharing the bill with co-headliner Deep Purple, as well as show-opener Dio.
Scorpions tour the states this summer in support of a new hits collection, sharing the bill with co-headliner Deep Purple, as well as show-opener Dio.
Deep Purple and Scorpions will alternate their order of appearance each night, with the Scorpions closing the show at the May 31 kick-off in Las Vegas.
Scorpions have set up at their official website a fan poll with which they are determining their setlist for the outing.
“Bad For Good: The Very Best of the Scorpions” surfaces on May 28. The album features two new tracks from the German rockers, titled “Cause I Love You” and “Bad For Good.”
Deep Purple is not expected to release a new album until next year, according to its official website, but a box set of previously released material is set for this fall.
Dio, meanwhile, offers up its latest, “Killing the Dragon,” on May 21.
Moby, Bowie and Busta launch Area2 this summer
Moby, who last summer spearheaded the Area: One festival outing, has tapped David Bowie, Busta Rhymes, Carl Cox and John Digweed to join him on this year’s Area2 roster.
Moby, who last summer spearheaded the Area: One festival outing, has tapped David Bowie, Busta Rhymes, Carl Cox and John Digweed to join him on this year’s Area2 roster.
The 12-city tour runs from July 28 through August 16.
The outing also features a number of DJs, including DJ Tiesto, the Avalanches, DJ Dan , DJ Tim Skinner and more. A “super surround sound Quad DJ tent” will feature non-stop music throughout the day and night, according to a press release.
Tour co-sponsor MTV2 has scheduled a ticket pre-sale for Wednesday (5/1).
The festival will also feature extreme-sports demos, courtesy of the tour’s other co-sponsor, Elements Beverages.
Headliners Moby and Bowie will be performing material from their new albums: Moby’s May 14 release, “18,” and Bowie’s June 10 release, “Heathen.”
Moby’s latest is the follow-up to his double-platinum, 1999 breakthrough album, “Play,” and features 18 new tracks that were recorded at his New York studio during the past year, according to his official website. The album features the single, “We Are All Made of Stars.”
Bowie’s “Heathen” features guest appearances from the Who’s Pete Townshend and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, both of whom contributed guitar parts to the album. Moby, with whom Bowie has collaborated in the past, remixed the album’s first track, titled “Sunday.”
Rhymes continues to tour behind last November’s “Genesis,” which features the hit single “Pass the Courvosier.”
Widespread Panic addresses fan death
Georgia-based jam band Widespread Panic has issued a statement of sympathy to the family of a fan who died during the band’s Saturday (4/30) concert in Pelham, Ala.
Georgia-based jam band Widespread Panic has issued a statement of sympathy to the family of a fan who died during the band’s Saturday (4/30) concert in Pelham, Ala.
Local authorities said that Erica Robins Young, 29, of Chattanooga, Tenn., died of an apparent drug overdose on Saturday night (4/27) after she took Ecstasy during the band’s concert at the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre.
“The band, management, and crew members of Widespread Panic send their deepest condolences to the family and friends of the young lady,” the statement reads. “Throughout the 15 years the band has been performing, this is the first time we have encountered this type of incident.”
The band’s three-day stand at the Alabama venue also made news because it was a target of an undercover police opearation that netted about 200 arrests. About half of the arrests were on felony drug charges.
“With full cooperation of concert promoters and local authorities, Widespread Panic makes every possible effort to ensure a safe environment for everyone attending a show,” the band’s statement said. “Furthermore, we fully support the actions taken by local police to eliminate drug dealing and underage drinking at all Widespread Panic concerts.
“Thousands of fans attend Widespread Panic shows equipped with only an appreciation for the music, and respect for their fellow concert goers; this is the responsible type of behavior learned first in the home, and then carried into public, social situations. This is the environment in which Widespread Panic strives to play a positive role, and will continue to do so.”
The Alabama dates were the last on Widespread Panic’s spring tour itinerary. The band opens its summer tour in late June.
Review: Beatfest, with Dave Alvin, Ray Manzarek, others, at the Knitting Factory, Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES--The Knitting Factory has been holding Beatfest, featuring on various nights Steve Earle, Love and X, among others.
LOS ANGELES--The Knitting Factory has been holding Beatfest, featuring on various nights Steve Earle, Love and X, among others.
It’s supposed to be a celebration of the influence of Beat writers and musicians. Jack Kerouac was being celebrated, sort of, on Thursday (5/2). The evening ultimately sucked, and the suck was apparently rooted in the fact that we, the crowd, were too small to warrant any sort of respect from the performers or the venue.
The first act was Ray Manzarek and another guy that I’ll pay the respect of not naming, since I walked out on him. I’d assumed that it would be Ray Manzarek reading something and the other guy backing him musically--I’m fascinated by Manzarek’s eternal obsession with Jim Morrison--but it was Manzarek pleasantly backing this guy on keyboard, while the guy recited some Beat-y poetry. I’m sorry, but Beat’s forefathers inspired more half-assed crap than Sonic Youth has.
The two performers took the stage 30 minutes late, evidently waiting for a crowd that never materialized. I always forget that the Los Angeles gestalt long ago decided, “We are Los Angeles. We will get there when we get there and you will wait.”
When I returned, Virgil Shaw, of Dieselhed, came on stage. Before he began, he pointed out somewhat hostiley that Beatfest was sponsored by Pontiac--presumably, he was unaware of that when he booked the gig. His rock-pop trio won me over.
(From the liner notes of Beatfest’s sampler CD: “Pontiac Vibe is the presenting sponsor of Beatfest 2002. … ‘Self-expression and individuality are consistent themes in our conversations with young buyers,’ said Linda Pesonen, Pontiac Vibe brand manager. ‘Since Vibe was specifically designed for the youth market, Beatfest is a great venue to reach our target.’")
Closing the evening was Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men. I’d thought they were local favorites, but maybe not, since the crowd was quite sparse. And don’t think Alvin didn’t notice that, though he attributed it to it being Los Angeles on a weeknight, which probably had a lot to do with it--people do go to bed quite early out here (I think it’s because of their horribly long commutes and their not wanting to get back in the car at night).
They started their set, it wasn’t very tight, and Alvin waved them to stop, then petulantly explained to us that they were supposed to go up an hour and a half ago, and that during that hour and a half, they were continually drinking, and they hadn’t seen each other for awhile anyway, and they’d done professional sets before, so this would be their sloppy set. Sloppy sets can be fun, or they can be icky, especially if the frontman is visibly cranky.
And poor Christy McWilson, whose http://www.soundspike.com/story/53>latest album Alvin produced and whom he had invited to L.A. to sing a few songs from the album, she had to come out in the middle of all this shit. And while the songs were good--really good--after she was done, she wasn’t sure whether to leave or stay, so Alvin told her to stick around and sing harmony, so she moved to guitarist Chris Gaffney’s mic, but Gaffney didn’t seem to want to share, or even look at her, and he either would take the whole mic, or give her the whole mic, as though saying, “Fine! You sing, I’ll just go eat worms.” Maybe I’m wrong, maybe it was just a mic-related problem, but eventually McWilson eased over to the keyboardist’s mic, and finally just left the stage. (She did return for the encore, though.) Whatever was going on, it was just plain uncomfortable.
A large part of the problem was that the sound truly sucked ass, and I figured out the Knitting Factory’s policy re: sound: the quality must exist in direct proportion to the size of the crowd. When I saw http://www.soundspike.com/story/57>Lambchop, the place was packed and the sound was stellar. But when I saw Robbie Fulks last year (a show which, incidentally, featured an appearance by Alvin), the small crowd brought out the worst in the sound guy. In fact, toward the end of Thursday’s show, Alvin, having given up any pretense of professionalism, said something like, “I’d just like to say that there has been a hum up here on stage all night, just for future reference.” Well, the sound guy apparently didn’t like that, assuming he was paying attention, and the show ended with a firm bedrock of feedback.
Alvin’s tribute to Kerouac, by the way, consisted of reading California-related passages from “On the Road,” and playing Alvin’s song “From a Kitchen Table,” a bleakly touching song about a guy who never moved out of his parents’ house; Alvin chose that song, he explained, because Kerouac ended up a right-wing alcoholic who lived with his mother.
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men are very skilled—-if you haven’t heard them, they are the Metallica of roots rock, they are the OutKast, the Tool of roots rock--and even without passion, enough skill can get the job done, and most bands who are sober and glad to be on stage still can’t match Alvin and his band when they’re drunk and would rather be somewhere else.
They closed their main set with “American Music"--oh, and they had planned to close with “Marie Marie,” but Gaffney’s accordion wasn’t working, so as Alvin pointed out, it really wasn’t his night--which ended with one of the most balls-out sweet-tight Fuck You guitar solos you’ve ever heard. I think he was doing battle with the feedback. And won.
He told us he’d make it up to us somehow before he died, “which will probably be about an hour from now.”
Tom Waits, “Alice,” “Blood Money” (Anti)
These two new albums from Waits and his wife/co-writer Kathleen Brennan were, like 1993’s “The Black Rider,” borne of European theater collaborations with director Robert Wilson, best known in America for his work with Phillip Glass on “Einstein on the Beach.”
These two new albums from Waits and his wife/co-writer Kathleen Brennan were, like 1993’s “The Black Rider,” borne of European theater collaborations with director Robert Wilson, best known in America for his work with Phillip Glass on “Einstein on the Beach.”
On “Alice,” first produced theatrically 10 years ago, characters and themes from “Alice in Wonderland"--the most discomfiting of children’s classics--enter into a perfectly arranged marriage with denizens of the underground dreamworld that Waits has been singing about since 1983’s “Swordfishtrombones.” Longtime fans will find nothing too new musically--pump organs, mellotrons, chamberlins--but Waits and Brennan have created their most disturbing freaks on this album--though the buffer of theatricality prevents them from being that disturbing. If you like Waits because of the sad, sweet, more traditional songs you discovered on 1999’s “Mule Variations,” there’s only one of those here, titled “I’m Still Here,” but it’s flawless, and if Sinatra had heard it when he was making “Only the Lonely,” he would have recorded it.
Musically similar--though with more woodwind instruments than Waits and Brennan usually write for--"Blood Money” is based on “Woyzeck,” a 19th century German play summarized by Anti as “inspired by the true story of a German soldier who was driven mad by bizarre army experiments and infidelity, which led him to murder his lover.” Here are some of the song titles: “Misery Is the River of the World,” “Everything Goes to Hell,” “God’s Away on Business.” The theme of hopelessness, in the wrong (i.e., adolescent) hands, is a waste of everyone’s time. But worthy art will poke and prod our hope to determine if it’s a spirit or a drug. And when it’s a drug, wise men like Mr. Waits should try to take it away from us. A theatrical buffer is present here, too--so it’s not like you’re rooming with Nietzsche or anything--but the buffer is flimsier, and the album does give you a little pause.
Simple Minds return to the U.S. after extended hiatus
Simple Minds’ first international tour in seven years brings the group to the U.S. this summer.
Simple Minds’ first international tour in seven years brings the group to the U.S. this summer.
The round of dates, most of which are booked into theater-size venues, runs from mid-June through early July. The jaunt is being called a “sneak preview,” according to a press release, and the group plans to return to the U.S. later this summer to play amphitheaters.
The outing supports the band’s new album, titled “Cry,” its first collection of all-new material since 1995’s “Good News from the Next World.” “Cry” hit stores in the U.K. in early April, and is due in the states this summer, though no release date has been set.
Simple Minds are best known in the U.S. for their 1985 No. 1 hit, “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” which was featured in the film “The Breakfast Club.” The group’s U.S. hits also include “Alive and Kicking” and “Sanctify Yourself.”
Though its popularity in the U.S. has waned in recent years, the Scottish group remains one of the U.K.’s most popular acts. Over the course of its 25-year career, the band has released 17 albums, which have sold a combined total of about 25 million copies worldwide, according to the group’s publicist.
Jethro Tull spends spring and summer ‘Living with the Past’
Epic rock band Jethro Tull has lined up a tour in support of a new, live CD and a career retrospective DVD.
Epic rock band Jethro Tull has lined up a tour in support of a new, live CD and a career retrospective DVD.
The jaunt, which kicked off in late April, is scheduled to run through September. The itinerary includes a series of performances at amphitheaters around the United States, as well as a show with a symphony orchestra in Germany.
The band’s lineup features frontman Ian Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre, drummer Doane Perry, keyboardist Andrew Giddings and bassist Jonathan Noyce.
The group’s new DVD, titled “Living with the Past,” which hits stores on May 14, includes career-spanning footage from live concerts, as well as songs re-recorded with original Tull members--Anderson, Mick Abrahams, Clive Bunker and Glen Cornick--and a string quartet. A CD of the same name was released in April.
Anderson explained that it was “interesting” putting together the DVD.
“I watch hairlines recede and watch us gain and lose a few pounds. I watch myself over the years going through different sorts of dress and appearance. It’s quite strange.”
He came up with the DVD’s title after a fan suggested it on a Tull fan website.
“That’s quite a good title. It’s kind of what we do. ... You reprise your earlier work. You rearrange it and fool with it. If you’re a painter, you don’t necessarily have to do that. With performing artists, you do tend to do some of your earlier work.”
Anderson has been working on material for a forthcoming solo effort due to hit stores later this year.
Tweet and Glenn Lewis join forces for summer tour
Newcomers Tweet and Glenn Lewis, whose respective first albums recently debuted in the Top 10, have linked up for a co-headlining tour.
Newcomers Tweet and Glenn Lewis, whose respective first albums recently debuted in the Top 10, have linked up for a co-headlining tour.
The outing, which is booked into clubs and theaters, gets underway in late May.
The protégé of fellow hip-hop artist Missy Elliott, Tweet is supporting her April debut, “Southern Hummingbird,” which entered the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 3. Elliott co-produced the album--which features the hit single “Oops (Oh My)"--with rapper Timbaland, and released it on her boutique label, Goldmine Records.
Lewis’ first album, “World Outside My Window,” surfaced in May and debuted at No. 4. The R&B singer’s inaugural effort features his hit “Don’t You Forget It.”
Tweet will headline without Lewis at the tour’s June 17 stop at the New Orleans House of Blues, and June 27 stop at the Chicago House of Blues, according to her official website.
Lewis, meanwhile, headlines the Chicago House of Blues by himself on May 29, according to his official website.