We Get Out – Foy Vance, Lee Rogers, Gareth Dunlop at the Birchmere, 5.10.22

[First, some background…] Not sure if it’s ongoing Covid concerns, growing older, or a low-grade depressive ennui, but it’s so much easier these days to just stay home. I planned to attend a picnic/graduation celebration yesterday but when a storm came up, I was content – no, delighted! – to blow it off, lay on the bed near an open window and listen to the wind and rain as it rumbled through my neighborhood. A lovely sensory experience, better than a 3D movie!

As much as I love live music, the concerts I’ve attended since 2022* began are hardly a handful, a trifecta of Couldn’t Miss Personal Favorites – Harry Styles, Courtney Barnett, and Billie Eilish. So, when a personable publicist (redundant?) whom I’ve only ever dealt with through email called me – on the actual phone! – last Monday to invite me to see one of her artists the following night, my first inclination was another “no, thanks.”

[*CORRECTION: I saw Harry last year. Guess I’ve been so consumed with all the recent hubbub, and the Coachella shows, I lost track of time. Love will do that to you.]

Not entirely superfluous shot of King Harry; he’s one of the few concerts I’ve seen in the past year. And get this – Harry follows Foy Vance on Twitter!

But it was such a nice chat, commiserating with the PR gal over how hard it is to get writing assignments (me) or coverage (her) these days. She didn’t care that all I might offer is this humble blog, nor did I promise to write anything at all. However sweet the offer, I believe that most last-minute show invitations are to fill seats so the artist knows that an effort was made.

I said I’d check out the guy’s music and get back to her.  Then my husband reminded me that I don’t get many of these invitations since my columns at Washington Post and Examiner/AXS got cancelled. So I asked my plus-one buddy, Sally, a high-school English teacher/poet/guitarist/pianist, who tells me whether the playing meets an actual musician’s standards, if she was interested in a spontaneous musical night out. She visited the artist’s website and came back: “Listened and really liked!”

This man is not as scary as he looks.

[And now we get to the music. Finally. I hear you sigh.] A singer/songwriter from the Northern Ireland town of Carrickfergus (gotta love those names) Lee Rogers just released his third official release, Gameblood. The album cover is deceptive, all brooding menace with blood red accents. But while he’s a big bear of a man, rich with tattoos (he’s a talented ink artist as well) there’s a gentle giant aspect to his music, the songs tender as well as tough. The album reflects folk influences like John Martyn and Bon Iver, with a touch of Keb Mo’s bluesy Americana. Though I didn’t catch it on the studio set, Roger’s live sound also gave me a Van Morrison vibe (without the messy anti-vaccine crazy). My favorite tune live, “Silent Song,” has a catchy chorus (“The road to heaven runs through hell”) and a stylish animated video that I can share here.

The album was produced in Belfast by another Irish singer/songwriter, Gareth Dunlop, and has a track featuring vocals from yet one more, Foy Vance, a veteran musician who earned new attention when Ed Sheeran endorsed him. (Not to be confused with Vance Joy, the guy who sings “the closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that I’ve ever seen” on the track “Riptide.”)

Gareth Dunlop opened the night.

These Irishmen are longtime pals and collaborators, so an American tour featuring the trio was a logical adventure. Dunlop opened solo with a very brief set, but returned later to play support in Vance’s band and sing lead on a song during the encore. Rogers also retuned at show’s end to duet with Vance on a song they recorded for Gameblood, “Barefoot in the Basement.” The bonhomie was obvious.

And so, thanks to the pretty persuasion of my new publicist pal, I got my lazy butt out the door and had a most pleasant evening. I’m not going to say it had the wild energy of a stadium show, nor the thrill of seeing a long-followed favorite in the flesh, but not every concert has to be a Major Event. With three accomplished talents onstage, I had the musical equivalent of a relaxing drive with pros at the wheel, and the sound scenery was great all the way.

Confession: I knew little about Foy Vance before this show, but he’s an Irish legend.

Since I’m not sure where you, my dear reader, actually live, here’s the rest of the tour schedule, if you care to check it out:
5/18 – JAMES K. POLK THEATER, NASHVILLE TN
5/20 –  THE CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS, MN
5/21 –  ATHENAEUM THEATRE, CHICAGO, IL
5/26 –  NEPTUNE THEATRE, SEATTLE, WA
5/27 –  ALADDIN THEATRE, PORTLAND, OR
5/31 –  REGENT THEATRE, LOS ANGELES, CA

Final Note:  I’m fully aware that issues of true substance abound these days, and a music blog is a trivial, maybe even self-indulgent, pursuit. But in these times of war, racial violence, and attacks on female autonomy, music is my happy place, and I hope we can enjoy a few moments together to celebrate it before we return to the fight.

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Everything is Present

A young musician friend told me once that he envied the fact that I grew up as the Beatles were making their music, and was able to track and appreciate their brilliant development in a way that he, who heard all the albums at the same time, never could. It’s yet another issue that comes with living in this modern world were Everything is Present. I was reminded of this when I saw this recent posting by a guy who spoke to Brian Eno (always a big thinker) about how the ability to stream music from all eras at once affects – even skews – our shared experience of it.

NOW I Can Breathe Again

Oh, happy day! Too busy celebrating and enjoying this feeling I hardly remember…hope? to write.
So, instead, I’ll share this fun little meme…

Brilliant use of photoshop from the manager of the band Pup.

Sneak Peek at the new CPF!

I may not have posted much in these Pandemic Days, but music is an extremely important part of my life. Honestly, I don’t know how I would make it through these crazy times without it.
What I been doing is working with my talented designer daughter to redesign the Close Personal Friend web site to better reflect my musical interests – Instagramming cool vinyl, curating my best concert photos, sharing set lists, and more.
If you want to see what we’ve been up to, here’s the secret link.
Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.
We will meet again at a show. Until then, stay safe and strong. Spread kindness, not germs!

Spread Kindness, Not Germs

The beautiful poem below came to me in an email from Over the Rhine – an Ohio-based folk band helmed by the husband-and-wife team of pianist/guitarist/bassist Linford Detweiler and vocalist/guitarist Karin Bergquist.

Let’s all visit Spotify and give this duo some play or, better yet, buy some of their music.

The subject line was Love in The Time of Corona, which may, or may not, be its title.

Breathe.

Go on and live your unexpected
life.

Inhale love. Exhale surrender.
Trust: all that’s in between.

“Behold, all things are become new.”

Really?

There is fear,
there is shock,
there is separation and
there is sadness.

On earth, there always have been, 
and always will be—unless, until
a man of sorrows
rides down the dawn on a white horse
with the jukebox turned way up 
blasting an unexpected song,
hopefully Satchmo himself 
in charge of
blowing the horn,
his cheeks bulging,
his eyes wide,
his lungs healthy.

But don’t hold your breath.

Breathe.

Go on and live your unexpected 
life.

Behold, we don’t know what the future
holds.

We never did. We never will. 

How much oxygen is there
in exhaled air?

All the best priests, pastors, rabbis,
and all the best friends
learn to leave elbow room for mystery.
Never trust anyone who is afraid of saying,
As far as I know.

Breathe.

Go on and live your unexpected 
life.

Does your favorite coffee mug still feel good in
your hand? Did the tree swallows return
limpid in the air? They did here.

Are people you love still near?

Breathe deep into your lungs
while you still can. Even in the best of times
the expiration date remains
unknown.

Breathe.

Go on and live your unexpected
life.

Inhale love. Exhale surrender.
Trust: all that’s in between.

Linford Detweiler
March 20, 2020

RIYL Good Music –Saintseneca

There was a time when being a music journalist (“critic” is too harsh) meant trying to turn people on to new music by explaining and describing it in a way that would convince readers to seek it out. And in Ye Olden Days, that usually meant tracking sound down and buying it on some kind of physical media.  Now that there’s a firehose of free content coming at us 24/7 from all sides, I feel my “job” (even when there’s no paycheck?) is to talk about stuff I enjoy and point people to links they can use to hear for themselves.

The “Recommended If You Like…” or FFO (“For Fans Of…”) tag is easy shorthand to help introduce a new band. In the case of Ohio’s indie-rock/folk/psych musical collective Saintseneca, led by songwriter/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zac Little, I could refer to the likes of The Decemberists, maybe a little Mumfordism, even a touch of early Led Zep “bustle in your hedgerow” fairytale-telling, but it’s hard to pin the band down. American Songwriter once wrote, “It’s as if Conor Oberst was fronting Arcade Fire” and that’s a good one.

When it comes to acts that aren’t radio favorites, I’m always fascinated to hear how people first heard/heard of them. My Saintseneca origin story dates to April, 2015 when my Dr. Daughter, the unicorn (so dubbed for getting a real world paying job that directly relates to her Liberal Arts PhD), and I went to DC’s legendary 9:30 Club, to see her former high-schoolmate, Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down. Saintseneca was one of two opening acts and we were mightily impressed by the band’s engaging music and stage presence. We bought some vinyl that night and have followed the Little & Co. ever since.

After three EPs and three full albums – Last (2011), Dark Arc (2014) and Such Things (2015), Saintseneca’s released its fourth full-length album, Pillar of Na, last fall. At the time, I wrote about Little’s fun unboxing video that exposes new dangers in the simple act of opening a carton of albums. Dr. Daughter and I saw the band at the Black Cat Backstage (alas, that cozy venue is now closed) in September and had a great time. Here’s a few pics from that set.

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Because Saintseneca utilizes a wide range of instruments – violin, mandolin, dulcimer, Turkish Baglama, floor percussion – along with synthesizers and electric guitars, the sound is both rustic and contemporary. Many of the players, including Little, originally hail from rural Appalachia, which feeds the organic quality of their music, while the band’s beginnings, playing with punk bands at DIY house shows, instilled an ability to move from intricate acoustic picking to wild electric jams. For a taste of the band’s live chops,  this one-take live version of Pillar of Na’s title track, recorded at Ohio’s Musicol Studios, shows ‘em off.

Saintseneca took to the road again last month, opening a new tour here in DC, at Comet Ping Pong, and DD and I were there again. Here are some pics:

The band has just released a new one-off song, “In A Van,” and yes, it was inspired by Chris Farley’s motivational speaker character Matt Foley, after Little spent some time revisiting the comic’s Best Of videos. As the singer tells, it, “This collection was a fixture of goofy-ness growing up, but it felt like a revelation that night.

“It was a strangely emotional experience. The gauzy 90’s TV sheen, the feathery haircuts, a couple cringe-y jokes that didn’t age well. But, I saw his talent and craft shine through, in a way I had never quite noticed before. It was amazing, funny, and a little sad – knowing the end while witnessing the best all at once.

“What a weird nostalgia trip to fall into some 25 years later- all tangled up with life and memory- the same old thing, accumulating new meaning with time.”

After covering the east coast in September, Saintsenca is heading for the middle of the country and the West Coast this month. Here are the dates and ticket info.

For more Saintseneca music, check out the band’s YouTube channel and Spotify playlist, which includes new stuff, old stuff, friends and influences.

Explanation to follow

Yes, it’s been a while. And while you might not think I owe you an explanation (or maybe you do; I have no idea who follows me!), I have a better one than usual. Which, in my best manner of procrastination, will come later.

For now, I just wanted to say hello, prove that I’m still alive and writing, and share the following graphic from the people hosting the Governor’s Ball festival. When I first glanced at it, I felt really old since I didn’t recognize any of the musicians playing.

Then I realized it was a list of food vendors for the event.

I felt better (a little) and then thought that there are actually a lot of very good potential band names here…

Dumbledore’s Army Needs Music

Despite best intentions for the new year (note I didn’t say resolutions; I know better), I haven’t posted much in January, but it’s for a different reason than my usual procrastination and sloth. I generally don’t use this blog as for a platform for political conversation, although I’m sure if you’ve read for a while, you’ve got an idea where my allegiances are. And my twitter feed, which pops up at the left side of this page, makes things pretty obvious.

I still think of this site as a place for music-oriented discussion and don’t want to get into the same kind of debates that roil my Facebook page. Trouble is, with the arrival of President Babyhands and his racist, misogynist, and/or frequently unqualified administration (There. No doubts left!) writing about music seems a rather trivial pursuit.

There’s so much to be done. As much as I love the Harry Potter novels, I never expected to be living in one. There is a cause at hand that commands a Dumbledore’s Army-style of commitment. I marched in the 60s and, as an Internet meme of an older woman declares, “I can’t believe I still have to fight for this shit.”

Thankfully, social media has given me an outlet that allows for participation – and I don’t mean signing endless online petitions. There are notifications of calls and donations to make, information to share, encouragement to offer those who are in a better position at the front lines.

But rebellion requires fuel, too. Some say an army marches on its stomach. But let’s not forget the fife-and-drum corps, the marching bands and infantry cadences. Music is the food of life, and of the soul, and the music I love – old favorites and new discoveries – have kept me going since that dark night in November when I began to wonder if I was a stranger in my own country.

So, I will write about music here. And mostly music, though I may share a few of the best political cartoons and satire now and then. Again, feel free to remove this blog from your reading list if you think you’ll be annoyed or (especially) if you’re tempted to argue on the side of our modern Voldemort. I won’t post and I won’t reply. It’s MY blog, after all. There will be plenty of alternative music, but no alternative facts allowed.

And so, having said my piece (peace!), I’ll be back soon with a love letter to vinyl.

Please Stand By. We Are Experiencing Electoral Difficulties.

The Case of the Disappearing (L)ink(s)

So, how have you been? Did you have a good summer? Did you miss me?

Sorry to have been out of touch. I did a lot of traveling on family business, and stayed busy seeing shows and filing stories online. But my WWW presence has been scuttled on a few ends and you might have thought I had been dragged to the UpsideDown. To recap:

Over at www.whatchagonnaplay.com, there’s good news and bad news.

The bad news: The site’s original web host stopped servicing personal sites earlier this year, so anyone who clicked over to see new set lists and concert photos got the dreaded 404 error message. I had to find a new site host and reload all my files (over 5,000 items!) to the new service.

The good news: I have a new host and am now tackling that reloading process, so the site is back up and running. There are, however, still issues, including many dead-end links. The photo galleries are gone, and where there were once links to my examiner.com reviews, those archives have been scrubbed and all those links now lead to a single URL, the home page of AXS.com.

How did that happen? More electronic mayhem. Examiner.com ceased publication, also this summer, and gave contributors only about a week’s notice before dumping all its stories. I had written about 200 articles for the site over the last five years and, though I grabbed as many links as I could, thinking they would remain accessible, the company changed them all over to the home page of its sister site, AXS.com. I also scrambled to grab PDFs and screen shots of some of my favorite articles but didn’t get them all. Alas, even those I was able to get do not include the original slideshows which usually had between 10-20 concert photos.

But you can still find proof that I love music and write about it.

In late 2014, I started writing for AXS.com (although I preferred doing examiner stories) and have about 20 stories on that site that are still visible.

Happily, The Washington Post archives still offer links to much of the work I did for them in the years when I was writing biweekly columns on arts events (mostly concerts) for two different local sections. Unhappily, I am having trouble connecting to my master list of clickable links that was featured on an older version of CPF.

AAARGH. I could use an IT department. But I’m learning as I go and will be working to bring all the goodies up to date.

So, that’s why I’ve been out of sight/site for awhile. Glad to back and more to come!