All Aboard for Fun Times: St. Louis show highlights for January 27-29

All Aboard for Fun Times Train

commons.wikimedia.org

A full menu of options for the weekend, including a dilemma for the rockabilly crowd on Friday:

Friday, January 27

The Wee Trio is a New Orleans vibes/bass/drums jazz group who’ve been exploring a path akin to that of the Bad Plus, reworking rock songs as part of their repertoire. Participation in a tribute project has lead to “Ashes to Ashes: a David Bowie Intraspective,” hopefully proving there’s room for another Duke, the thin white one, in the jazz canon.

This takes place at Jazz at the Bistro (3536 Washington), with sets at 7:30 and 9:30. Cost is $20 (10 for students). As always, attendees of the first set may be offered a chance to remain for the second. The RFT’s Dean Minderman has more details.

Skinny Jim and the Number 9 Blacktops / The Dirt Daubers / Paul Bearer & The Coffin Kings
Off Broadway 3509 Lemp 9-12 $10 (+3 under 21) Smoke-free

High-octane rockabilly/psychobilly from Carbondale’s SJatN9B. TDD hail from Paducah, KY and offer a vintage jazz sound that Pokey LaFarge fans should enjoy. PB&TCK play rockabilly with a macabre vibe.

Rockabilly fans should also consider heading to El Leñador (3124 Cherokee), where you can hear Everett Dean and Al Swacker singing genre favorites backed by a rockin’ trio of Rob Guth, (Scott Kay & the Continentals) Kevin O’Connor (Seven Shot Screamers) and Jamey Almond (Butcher Holler). This starts around 9:30, with a $5 cover (21+ only). Smoke-free.

Saturday, January 28

The Wee Trio repeats at Jazz at the Bistro, same times/prices.

Remember the ‘90s? The Lemonheads burned brightly for a brief period then, and frontman Evan Dando has formed a new edition of the band that’ll play their signature recording, “It’s a Shame About Ray,” along with other selections at Old Rock House (1200 S. 7th). Meredith Sheldon (not familiar with her) opens the show, which starts at 8. Admission is $17.50 in advance; 20 at the door (all-ages). Smoke-free.

Smooth soul purveyors Ransom Note and gritty rockers Bob Reuter’s Alley Ghost share a bill at the Blueberry Hill Duck Room (6504 Delmar). This starts at 9, with a $5 cover (21+ only). Smoke-free.

Soma / Mutant Opera / Loza
Schlafly Tap Room 2100 Locust 9-12 Free Smoke-free

S deliver high-energy rock with hints of pop and punk. A grunge-like heavy rock sound from Missouri. Dreamy rock soundscapes by L.

Plush (3224 Locust) offers the jump ‘n’ jive of Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers, along with solo guitarist Ian Lubar (not familiar with him), starting at 9 with a $6 (18-up) cover.

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Posted by | January 27, 2012 | Local, Music | Comment 

Album review: Nada Surf’s return to adolescence on ‘The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy’

Nada Surf
“The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy”
Barsuk

Ever the ones to ignore music industry convention, Nada Surf is obviously moving in a different direction with “The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy.” The album, released by Barsuk/City Slang on January 24, is a snappier, more buoyant effort than the softer, ardent sound that has defined much of the better-known indie corners (Death Cab for Cutie, the Shins, Bon Iver) for the past several years. It’s certainly more upbeat than 2003′s earnest “Let Go” or 2005′s mercurial ”The Weight Is a Gift,” and in a way, this makes the album more reminiscent of the band’s angsty-yet-unpretentious 1996 breakout hit, “Popular.”

The tempo of “The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy” rarely relents, though, which lends the feeling of forced amiability. I’m not asking for the perpetual nubbly sweater-wearing whisper of a Death Cab For Cutie record, but a little disaffection wouldn’t kill anyone. Although I kept waiting for a little crunch, itch, or well-deserved lyrical gripe, “The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy” is actually pretty innocuous, the crisp guitars and gentle harmonizing in songs like “Waiting For Something,” “Jules and Jim” and “Looking Through” sounding less like a cohesive release and more like a quietly-marketed Goo Goo Dolls/Gin Blossoms/Third Eye Blind project.

The general lyrical theme suggests a nostalgia for carefree, promise-rich youth. Sometimes this is more subtle, as with the repeating phrase “recursive tulips” in “The Moon Is Calling,” and sometimes so obvious it’s silly, as in “Teenage Dreams” or the line “I can’t believe the future’s happening to me” in “The Future.”

Combined with guitarist and lead vocalist Matthew Caws’ forever-young falsetto, it all suggests the juvenile hopefulness of youth but none of the anxiety. I don’t mean to imply that all good music is borne out of misery, but one of Nada Surf’s songwriting gifts has been an acerbic wit delivered with unapologetic directness. I don’t know if the intention was to return to a simpler way to write songs, but the band is cleverer than this, and has been gutsier in the past.

This is not to say there are no bright points. There are a few instrumental saving graces on this album: the mournful trumpet in the otherwise ordinary breakup song “Let the Fight Do the Fighting,” for instance, or the shimmery strings in “When I Was Young.” The constructed distortion of “Clear Eye Clouded Mind” leads off the album, and the other full song standout, “No Snow On the Mountain,” brings a tinge of the disaffection I so badly wanted. Unfortunately, this Hail Mary of a song comes too late and after too much passionless, textureless soft rock.

The name Nada Surf refers to an existential state of nothingness, or perhaps a Buddhist state of non-attachment. It’s about living in a sea of quiet static, I guess, and although fitting to play in the background somewhere, unfortunately, quiet static is how the album sounds. After a nearly 20-year-long career, “The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy” is less about stars and more about indifference.

Posted by | January 27, 2012 | Album Reviews | Comment 

Album review: ‘A Thurber Carnival’

Original cover art for A Thurber Carnival

Anybody here remember James Thurber? You should. The noted writer and cartoonist was part of that mid 20th century cabal of dry, literate humorists that included Robert Benchley, the incomparable S.J. Perelman and, of course, the various official and unofficial members of the Algonquin Round Table. Thurber brought his wit to the stage in 1960 in the form of a revue with musical interludes titled “A Thurber Carnival”. It opened on February 26, 1960 at the ANTA Playhouse on Broadway and ran for 223 performances, with a break from June 25 to September 5. The show closed on November 26, 1960; not a bad run for such a modest show.

The folks at Masterworks Broadway are now making the original cast recording of “A Thurber Carnival” available for the first time, and it is, to say the least, a welcome release. There is, to begin with, the joy of hearing the voices of familiar actors such as Peggy Cass, Paul Ford, John McGiver, Alice Ghostley at work. Like many of us boomers, I first encountered them on TV, so it’s good to be reminded that they all started out on the stage.

Mostly, though, it’s fun to be reminded of how good humor can be when it doesn’t beat you over the head. “Casuals of the Keys”, for example, derives laughs from the inability of an old beachcomber who dismisses his experiences with the like of a mermaid and a billiard player turned obsessive “goldfish grabber” while constantly quizzing his visitor for news of such wonders as televised Congressional subcommittees. “The Little Girl and the Wolf” (one of Thurber’s “Fables for Our Times”) turns the tables on Red Riding Hood (“Moral: it is not so easy to fool little girls now as it used to be.”). And, of course, the “The Unicorn in the Garden” (probably one of Thurber’s best-known stories) reminds us that the unicorn is, in fact, a mythological beast.

The album also includes some of Thurber’s more serious essays, including the touching “Memorial to a Dog” and “The Last Flower”, an anti-war story which is, sadly, as relevant now as it was fifty years ago. Jazzy interludes by Don Elliott are a nice counterpoint to the sketches.

“A Thurber Carnival” is available through all major digital service providers and as disc-on-demand, with the original cover art and liner notes, via ArkivMusic.com and Amazon.com

Posted by | January 26, 2012 | Album Reviews, Culture, Music | Comment 

’35 songs and a van’ An interview with multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling of Railroad Earth

railroadearth.com

Railroad Earth is perhaps best known for its vast array of influences which include bluegrass, jazz, classic rock and traditional Irish, just for starters.

From its auspicious appearance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2001, Railroad Earth has grown to become an institution in America’s jam band festival scene.

Ever since, the six-piece, mostly acoustic outfit has wooed audiences with their playful, aesthetically diverse and often literary-tinged tunes (the band’s name was mined from Jack Kerouac’s story, “October in the Railroad Earth”).

I recently interviewed Railroad Earth’s multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling by phone about how the band developed its propensity for jamming and the current state of the festival scene. As we talked, we also touched on how Railroad Earth folds influence into its music, how the group first began playing together and the all-consuming power of the Internet.

Will Kyle: Can you talk about how Railroad Earth began?

Andy Goessling: Well, everybody was playing in different bands in the New Jersey/New York area and we reached this point where everyone’s band was taking a break. During that time, I decided to host a bunch of picking parties at my house, thinking: “Why don’t we play music for fun?” Everyone had been involved in these serious recording projects and was looking for a change. About five picking parties later, Railroad Earth became the people that were left still playing. I guess we inadvertently started a band by trying not to start a band.

Soon after came the now famous, Telluride-landing demo?

We realized there were four of us and we had a bunch of songs, so we decided to go actively find a bass player and a drummer. We were in the middle of working up the songs, when the guy that eventually became our manager asked for a demo. So we recorded five songs, gave them to him and he sent them to Telluride to try out for their bluegrass festival. Our manager called back two weeks later and told us we had landed the gig. That never happens. At first we were like, “Let’s give this guy a tape so he’ll go away.” Then we got the gig in Telluride and realized we had to go write 35 more songs and buy a van.

Did Railroad Earth employ jamming much before Telluride? If not, how did such a thing stylistically come into the band’s sound?

We had to actively put jamming into the music. I mean, any band is going to have to learn how to jam, because you are learning how to have a conversation with five other people, regardless of whether each person independently knows the ins and outs of jamming. All the other projects we’d been in before had been intense songwriting projects, projects where we just didn’t do four-minute solos. The New York scene we were playing back then was all about arranged songs, but when we hit the Colorado and California scene we went, “Wow these people are open to this and other bands are doing it,” so we added it.

So, is your East Coast audience now more open to jamming than when you first started?

Looking at it 10 years ago, (pre-Facebook, pre-Napster) you basically had to go to California in order to play for people in California. Bands were still giving out CDs at shows. Now, you do a show in Portland, Maine and people in California are emailing you the next day and posting videos of the show on Facebook. Listeners know everything that’s going on all the time. It’s a more unified audience now, so there really isn’t that geographical difference anymore.

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Posted by | January 26, 2012 | Interviews, Music | Comment 

Thursday morning music news: Norah Jones meets Danger Mouse (again), Best Coast meets Dusty and Dolly (sort of) and Ben Folds Five regroups (really)

Best Coast. flickr.com/photos/joeyjojojo/4465037589

We lost two very great artists this past week: Etta James and Johnny Otis. Read KDHX DJ Tom Ray’s take on Etta.

What better ambassador then Iggy Pop for Record Store Day 2012?

Music video moguls Vevo may be bailing on YouTube and heading to Facebook.

The week in St. Louis concert announcements includes dates from Portugal. The Man, William Shatner, North Mississippi Allstars, Florence + the Machine, Janus, Polica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mission of Burma, White Denim and Yonder Mountain String Band. Phew!

Ben Folds Five is back. Ditto for 2 Live Crew.

Spin is spinning the new of Montreal album, “Paralytic Stalks.”

American Songwriter continues its 30 Days of Dylan series with some thoughts from Tom Petty.

The touchstones for the new Jon Brion-produced Best Coast album? Dusty and Dolly.

Congrats to all the volunteers who contribute to the KDHX Blog. The RFT Point and Clique Awards just named it Best Music Blog of 2012.

Norah Jones is working with Danger Mouse on her next album, “Little Broken Hearts.”

Jon Caramanica does a musical/cultural autopsy on Lana Del Rey.

Craig Finn chats with one of his heroes, Bob Mould.

M. Ward kept his new album, “A Wasteland Companion,” well under wraps, but details are out, and they are awesome.

Burt Bacharach is working on a memoir.

RIP Alice Jacobs, co-owner of Cicero’s in St. Louis.

Battles announces a four-part remix series, starting February 21.

Did you get your Mickey Mouse Joy Division t-shirt yet? No? Too late.

The silliest listicle of the week goes to the Awl: The 18 Purplest Musical Artists of All Time.

Mark Reale, of the band Riot, has died at age 56.

If Megaupload made a dent in iTunes revenue, you wouldn’t know it. $6 billion (with a b) was the take in 2011.

M.I.A. and the worst Photoshop experience in the known universe are back with a new single next week.

Julian Casablancas interviews the Doors. Jim Morrison withholds comment.

Behold the Minutemen, unplugged, on public access TV in 1985.

Posted by | January 26, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

KDHX Blog wins 2012 RFT Point and Clique Award

Laptop photo courtesy of Simon Law

When it comes to music coverage, local and national, the KDHX Blog is a terrific, one-of-a-kind resource. That excellence has just been recognized by the Riverfront Times Point and Clique Awards.

A panel of judges from a range of St. Louis-based interactive media outlets recently selected the KDHX Blog as Best Music Blog of 2012. Here’s what they said:

OK, it’s not really fair. KDHX (88.1 FM) has tremendous resources, including an army of volunteer writers and DJs and an in-house studio for shooting great live performances. But, hey, at least the radio station isn’t squandering its opportunities. Instead, it has made KDHX Blog the envy of any music site out there, with expert reviews and interviews of local and traveling acts, music downloads and a breadth of content as diverse as its over-the-air broadcasts.

Dozens of dedicated volunteer writers, photographers and DJs contribute to the KDHX Blog every month, and dozens more power all the music features, videos and live performance sessions you’ll find on KDHX.org. It’s a true community effort.

We thank each and every one of our volunteers, and thank you for reading, watching and listening to KDHX.org and the KDHX Blog. Independent music plays here — because of you.

Sara Finke

Posted by | January 25, 2012 | KDHX, News | Comment 

All Aboard for Fun Times: St. Louis show highlights for January 25-26

All Aboard for Fun Times Train

commons.wikimedia.org

I’ve got a few items of interest before the weekend:

Wednesday, January 25

Samantha Crain / Old Lights

Off Broadway 3509 Lemp 9-11:30 $10 (+3 under 21) Smoke-free

A mix of folk, country and pop-rock sounds from Shawnee, OK’s SC. Rock with a sophisticated pop perspective from OL (Beth Bombara plays keyboards in OL and has toured in SC’s band, so there’ll likely be some intermingling).

Carriage House / Great Isaac / Susie Cue
El Leñador 3124 Cherokee 10-1 $5 (21+ only) Smoke-free

CH — because you like rock blended with a nice touch of folk (no way I could pass that up, sorry). GI is a folk-rock group I haven’t heard. Solo folk/blues sounds from the powerfully-voiced SC. This being Stag Nite, you can get cans for a buck until midnight.

Thursday, January 26

This is the final night for the Chippewa Chapel open mic at El Leñador. It’s moving to the Tin Can on Morganford. Attendance has been anemic of late, so this move should help to determine whether there’s something about the location putting off potential attendees — or if the abundance of similar events around town has caused this one to fall out of favor. Johnny Vega$ hosts this farewell edition, which starts at 9 and is free (21+ only).

Off Broadway hosts a free STL Loud Label Showcase, featuring energetic vintage jazz/blues sounds from Rum Drum Ramblers, solo folk from Rev. Matt and old-school bluegrass/folk from the Lulus.

I’m a bit confused by this event; prior showcases centered on a new edition of the compilation series — not the case tonight. Since there’s no cover for this, it’s also not raising money for the next one. At any rate, it’s a chance to hear some local talent for free (without the DIY sound that usually comes with no-cover venues — and frequently leaves something to desired). This starts at 8, and is 21+ only.

Your humble servant,

Dick Caveat

Posted by | January 25, 2012 | Local, Music | Comment 

Discovery: Grace Woodroofe’s darkly armed ‘Battles’ (MP3 download)

facebook.com/GraceWoodroofe / Ben Sullivan

With the not quite over-night success of tUnE-yArDs, it appears that the immediate forecast calls for more chopped and drizzled rhythms, the clink and clatter and whirring whiz bang of more-is-always-never-enough lo-fi sample upon sample. Who needs tunes and songs and singing and stories and stuff when you can just throw a kitchen sink of grime-step at the indie wall and see what sticks?

I would go on but a new song by young Australian songwriter Grace Woodroofe won’t let me. It’s called “Battles,” and it hails from her debut album “Always Want” released today on Modular Recordings. You might guess from the way her smokey, lonely alto breathes over spooky wind chimes that she’s a femme fatale with a generous prescription of benzodiazepines, or at least that she can play one in this dark little movie of a song.

Then in come the skittering jazz rhythms, the bitter guitar figures, the scary ennui of lines like “I tell my daughter I’m method acting.” The singer in the song is trapped in a poisonous, alienated spiral. She never thought she’d turn out to be a middle-aged waitress. And she probably never thought she’d be singing about it so strangely and beautifully.

Battles by modularpeople

Posted by | January 24, 2012 | Downloads, Music | Comment 

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