'nuff said...

vote democrat in november!

Over the Rhine @ The Bomhard Theatre in the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts/Louisville (02.23.2008)

great show last night in this sold out, beautiful, acoustically sweet, 600 seat theatre within louisville's kentucky center for the performing arts. juicy had the room mixed perfectly and K&L&M&J delivered a beautiful, pretty diverse set including; including kicking off the show w/the surprising and stunning cover of "motherless child," many of the usual choices from TTC + "jesus in new orleans" (linford discussed that the ani tour would be their first return to NO since katrina), "cruel & pretty" followed by, at linford's request, "cast me away" (just K&L), a beautiful "etc whatever" (again, just K&L), "suitcase" and a wailing "b.p.d."

oh, and ben sollee rocked the fucking joint opening. a-damn-mazing set. this kid is a star.

he's opening for kim taylor next saturday night @ the northside tavern in cincinnati, can't wait to see him again.

Cat Power @ The Vic/Chicago - 02.10.2008

ok, i had two "firsts" yesterday, one of them was hell, the second made hell worthwhile...

the first first, "hell" was driving into and then hanging out in -2 degree weather (-42 w/windchill, the "good" news, it was supposed to be -8 ) in the legitimately named "windy city", the second was the cure for "hell" (and the sole reason for deciding to drive to a frigid chicago in early february for "fun")...spending the evening w/the talented and lovely chan marshall, aka: cat power.

she and the dirty delta blues band came out after a (too long) set by the completely dreadful opener "appaloosa" and played about a 2 hr set culled mostly from "jukebox." the vic is a pretty rundown older theatre in the lincoln park neighborhood of chicago, kind of a nice dive with great sound kind of place.

we chose to sit in the balcony when we figured out that we would be able to score front row up there as opposed to standing with about 1,200-1,300 people downstairs. as i said the audio was great, the audience was great, quiet, and most importantly, respectful and very appreciative. the set was mostly from "jukebox" and a few songs from "the greatest." the band was pretty amazing, w/judah bower and greg forman as standouts on lead guitar and keys respectively. and chan, what can i say, she was brilliant, mesmerizing...perfect. from the voice (i mean "the" voice), to her awkwardly sexy movements/dancing, she performed the majority of the show from the very front of the stage (standing in front of the monitors) making eye contact, smiling and waving at those down front (ok, maybe the balcony wasn't such a good idea ) and the rest of the show she danced, glided, slid, sat, rolled and made full use of the large and open area of the stage. basically, she (they) nailed it, every aspect of the show, nailed. perfect. excellent.

they played for about 1:50 and didn't do an encore but after she walked offstage and came back a couple of seconds later with an armful of tour t-shirts and started throwing them out to the audience, smiling, laughing and playing w/the crowd, nobody really seemed to mind.

i've been a fan of her's for quite a while, since "you are free" and this was the first time i have had the opportunity to experience her live. it will not be the last.

yes we can...

like him or not, you gotta admit, this is a pretty stirring piece of work...



fwiw, i like him. i wanna be FOR someone this time, not against someone. i like hillary too. unfortunately, due to this crazy assed primary set-up, i'll probably never have to choose between them, other than symbolically. by the time our primary rolls 'round, the decision will have long been made. [EDITED TO ADD: well...maybe not!]

i feel that on many important decisions facing the next president like; iraq, the economy, security, judges, taxes, immigration, the infrastructure of this country (or we continue to blow up and then rebuild highways, bridges, schools and fire stations in iraq while our's crumble here, masters of war indeed) etc., that i would find similar acceptable results from both obama and hillary. but, i do feel strongly that health care and insurance is one of the single biggest issues and potential disasters facing this country and that some sort of health care reform has a greater possibility of getting passed under a clinton administration than any other. she has been a long time very vocal advocate and it is important to me personally.

but, i do love the passion, hope and fire in his voice, i do love that he's inspiring and getting young people involved. very kennedy-esque. i'd love to see them on a ticket together, not saying who'd be "on top," but i think they'd be tough to beat.

february 10th can't get here soon enough...

february 10th can't get here soon enough...

"could we"

crying, waiting, hoping"

"remember me"

"who knows where the time goes"

"love and communication"

"maybe not"


nah, not excited or anything...

2007: The Year In Review...

karin bergquist/linford detweiler, taft theatre, cincinnati

karin bergquist, taft theatre, cincinnati

karin bergquist, joe's pub, new york

karin bergquist, fountain square, cincinnati

margo timmins, music mill, indianapolis

carrie rodriguez, the brown theatre. louisville

charlie louvin, the brown theatre, louisville

i was fortunate enough to make it to 40 concerts during 2007. 24 of those evenings were spent with my favorite band (who i saw for my 100th show in annapolis, MD in april) and some of my favorite people, over the rhine. i was also lucky enough to see some true music legends; charlie louvin, jorma kaukonen and david bromberg and some of my favorites; cowboy junkies, tim easton, patty griffin, carrie rodriguez and ryan adams a couple of times. it was a good year.

01/30/2007 - Kim Taylor & The Last Town Chorus @ The Phoenix Hill Tavern, Louisville, KY
03/26/2007 - Jorma Kaukonen & David Bromberg @ Kentucky Theatre, Lexington, KY
04/19/2007 - Patty Griffin @ The Beacon, NYC
04/24/2007 - Carrie Rodriquez/Lucinda Williams @ The Brown Theatre, Louisville, KY
05/29/2007 - Charlie Louvin, Ryan Adams @ The Brown Theatre, Louisville, KY
06/01/2007 - John Butler Trio @ Headliners, Louisville, KY
06/20/2007 - Mieka Pauley @ The Pleasant Perk, Cincinnati, OH
07/11/2007 - Ryan Adams @ The Brown Theatre, Louisville, KY
07/25/2007 - Cowboy Junkies @ The Music Mill, Indianapolis, IN
06/25/2007 - Tim Easton/Carrie Rodriguez @ Jim Porter’s, Louisville, KY
08/15/2007 - Patty Griffin @ The Brown Theatre, Louisville, KY
08/31/2007 - Josh Rouse (w/OtR) @ Coney Island Moonlight Gardens, Cincinnati, OH
09/06/2007 - Alejandro Escovedo @ Headliners, Louisville, KY
09/07/2007 - John Prine @ The Palace Theatre, Louisville, KY
10/01/2007 - Tim Easton/Mark Olson @ St. Francis, Louisville, KY
11/27/2007 – Cowboy Junkies @ 20th Century Theater, Cincinnati, OH

Over the Rhine:
02/02/2007 - WFPK Studio/Live Lunch, Louisville, KY
02/02/2007 – The Dame, Lexington, KY
03/16/2007 - Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH
03/17/2007 - Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH
04/20/2007 - Ram's Head, Arlington, VA
04/21/2007 - Joe's Pub, New York, NY (7:00PM)
04/21/2007 - Joe’s Pub, New York, NY (10:00 PM)
04/27/2007 - 20th Century Theater, Cincinnati, OH
04/28/2007 - 20th Century Theater, Cincinnati, OH
05/27/2007 - Fountain Square, Cincinnati, OH
06/08/2007 - 3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, TN
08/09/2007 - Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI
06/22/2007 - The 930 Listening Room, Louisville, KY
08/30/2007 - Joseph-Beth Bookstore, Cincinnati, OH
08/31/2007 - Coney Island Moonlight Gardens, Cincinnati, OH
09/01/2007 - The Dame, Lexington, KY
09/02/2007 - 3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, TN
10/05/2007 - Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Bloomington, IN
10.12/2007 - Kentucky Center for the Arts (WFPK Live Lunch), Louisville, KY
11/17/2007 - Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH
12/11/2007 - The Belcourt – Nashville, TN
12/13/2007 - The Music Mill, Indianapolis, IN
12/15/2007 - The Taft, Cincinnati, OH
12/16/2007 - St. Elizabeth’s, Cincinnati, OH

*the new year is starting to shape up well, i've scored tickets to see the #1 on my list of favorites, but yet unseen artists early in '08, cat power @ the vic in chicago in february. one down on my "musy see list for the year, neko to go... plus, i'll also get to see OtR & the junkies at home, in louisville in february and march. not a bad start to the year, three of my favorites, in my hometown, if only ryan and neko would drop by...

also, i've compiled a list of the best music released of 2007 (imho, of course), there was some great stuff put out this year:

The Best:
1) Over the Rhine - "The Trumpet Child"
2) Teddy Thompson - "Up Front and Down Low"
3) Cowboy Junkies - "Trinity Revisited" (w/Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant & Vic Chesnutt)
4) Ryan Adams - "Easy Tiger"
5) Levon Helm - "Dirt Farmer"
6) Over the Rhine - "Live From Nowhere V2"
7) Patty Griffin - "Children Running Through"
8) Johnny Cash - "The Great Lost Performance" (Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ - 1990)
9) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - "Raising Sand"
10) Lucinda Williams - "West"

Honorable mentions:
(in no particular order)
Richard Thompson - "Sweet Warrior"
Feist - "The Reminder"
Bruce Springsteen - "Magic"
Ryan Adams - "Follow the Lights"
*only this far down the list because it's just an EP
Wilco - "Sky Blue Sky"
John Butler Trio - "Grand National"
Cowboy Junkies - "At The End of Paths Taken"
Jorma Kaukonen - "Stars In My Crown"
Swan Dive - "Until"
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - "This Is Somewhere"

hope your year was great, and the next one, even better.

Cat Power - To Be A Good Woman

Cat Power - Good Woman - Live TM Paris 22.10.2003.dkly`
Uploaded by Superpatri

GOOD DOGS DIE HARD - The Photography of Michael Wilson

last night i went to an exhibit by photographer michael wilson in cincinnati (actually @ "the york street cafe," a very artist friendly venue in newport, ky). simply stated, michael is a genius, a brilliant yet humble artist. posted below is karin bergquist's recollection of the evening, with words like her's to capture and express the night, any effort i might make would be lame in comparison (scroll down below the photos for karin's thoughts)...

Karin Bergquist & Willow | Norwood, Ohio | July 1998

Muddy Waters' Cabin | Stovall Plantation, Mississippi | April 1996

Karma to Burn | West Virginia | August 1994

Replacements (Paul Westerberg & Tommy Stinson) | Minneapolis, Minnesota | July 1990

Leo Kottke's Guitar | Boulder, Colorado | April 1995

Mt. Calvary Choir Member | Youngstown, Ohio | October, 1993

Emmylou Harris w/ Dogs | Nashville, Tennessee | May 2000

Loudon Wainwright III & Joe Henry | Pasadena, California | February 2007

GOOD DOGS DIE HARD

We spent last night with our friends, celebrating. Michael Wilson is opening a portrait studio and we’re all thinking, Yes. When you are a fan, you want everybody to hear it, to see it, to know it and feel it. I’m talking about that chemical reaction that starts on your skin and seeps through the layers, leeching through the veins soaking into your bones like water into a dry sponge.

If everybody could just see this (feel this, taste this…) life would be so much better all the way around.

We walked up into the third floor of the York St Café to find Michael and Marilyn, his children, sister Donna, and a couple of close friends and family members still scurrying around in preparation for the silent auction of some of Michael’s prints.

The energy in the room was sacred, but not sterile. Holy but not austere. And the hair on my arms prickled to life as we walked around the room drinking in the work of our greatest single musical influence.

Isn’t that something? He’s a photographer by trade. But Linford and I have repeatedly stated that he’s been more influential to us musically than any other single source.

(After all, it was Michael who first played Tom Waits for us.)

I came to realize Michael had chosen an older photo of myself and our beloved Willow, our Weimaraner, for his brochure and as one of the portraits to be voicelessly auctioned off that evening.

Something stirred in me seeing the old girl, so alive, so at work, watching me for her next clue.
Other folks who remembered her commented how her naturally sepia-toned beauty transcended her death thanks in part to Michael’s keen eye.

Beauty in the eye of the beholder, and so on…

I then saw Emmy Lou Harris’s portrait with her dogs, and Bill Frisell and Joe Ely each with theirs. And I know that Michael shares this deep deep love of dogs with us. I’ve seen him with his own. I’ve seen our own formerly abused and extremely man-shy Great Dane, Elroy, whine with gushing affection at the touch of Michael’s gentle hand.

We spend much of our lives trying to wrap our heads around what it is we do – what it is we are supposed to do – what we are called to do. However you want to phrase it, on a good damn day we simply surrender to it, wag our tails and play.

We find that in fact we truly are capable of chasing the Frisbee, and we run, jump and catch it looking surprisingly like Derek Jeter.

We run.

Some days we have to work so hard to be faithful to It especially in it’s most elusive, gray moments, some of those moments lasting for years; and that spiraling transition we call depression. I think about my own crippling self-doubts and the smoke and fog of that blinding deafness. The smoldering depression that lurks around the corner just waiting for one spark of fear to set it off again.

And I’m so thankful that I’m not the only one in the world who has ever felt this.

I am especially thankful that I’m not living there today.

We’re all still learning – which means we ain’t dead yet.
Tail wagging.

Run.
Run.
Run!

With gratitude and admiration,
Karin

PS Stay tuned for more about Michael Wilson’s Portrait Studio or go here now:
http://www.daylightportrait.com

wow, it's been a while...a long while

i just got a copy of the dvd/cd, "trinity revisited" by cowboy junkies, it will be released next month here in the US (and is currently available in canada and europe). and it is brilliant.

for those unfamiliar w/the project, the junkies went back into "the church of the holy trinity" in toronto the revist their seminal album "the trinity session." they recorded the original album twenty years ago, in one day, with a single microphone hung from the church's ceiling on a budget of a couple of hundred dollars (and almost half of that was spent on pizza) in an historic, empty church in downtown toronto.

the dvd also includes a nice, well-done documentary/retrospective of the recording of the original album. margo tells a great story of her mother saying "your life will never be the same" to them after hearing the recording for the first time. not only was that true for the band, it was true for many others too. this album has been and continues to be a great influence on many musicians, both those up and coming and those yet to come, including one of their guests on this revisit, ryan adams. who imho, is one of the most prolific and talented artists making music today. and one of my personal favorites. on this effort to "revisit" the original (not redo), they went back to the church and invited in some musicians they respected and admired; natalie merchant, vic chesnutt and ryan adams.

from the junkies:

"Trinity Revisited"
The recording of The Trinity Session was a momentous occasion in, not only, our bands life, but also, our individual lives. The day that the album was recorded, we walked out of the church feeling that we had just participated in something that was much greater than the sum of its parts. The subsequent release of the album and the way that it captured the hearts, minds and souls of so many people in so many different ways, and in so many different parts of the world seemed to indicate that something special did happen in the church that day and, lucky for us, we had a tape deck locked in record. The day after the recording our mother happened to be visiting us while we listened to the playback. After listening for a while she turned to us and said, “your lives will never be the same”…and she was right.

In order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that very special day we decided to take the risky move of going back to the Church of the Holy Trinity and seeing what twenty years of experience would bring to those same set of songs. Our goal was not to re-do The Trinity Session, but to re-interpret it. In order to give the project an edge we asked along some artists whose own work and lives were in some way affected by Trinity and whose work has also had an affect on our lives and music. Much like the first time around, we kept rehearsal to a minimum. The idea was to cobble together a loose band sound and to let the church and music take over while the tape was running. Ryan Adams, Vic Chesnutt and Natalie Merchant all showed up keen to participate in our little experiment and once again, the church took over.

We couldn’t have dreamed of a better end result for this project. We were all a little astounded at how good things sounded and how easily it was for the eight of us to meld together as a group. The Lamoureux brothers, Pierre and Francois, did an astounding job at capturing the performance on the fly. The DVD looks and sounds beautiful.

Trinity Revisted is a special document celebrating a special day in our lives. Sometimes its unwise to revisit past glories, but sometimes, that’s just what those glories require…enjoy.

this is truly a beautiful and inspired piece of work, the junkies are consumate musicians, an amazing band playing together, intact for over 20 years. three siblings (margo, mike and pete timmins), a lifelong friend (alan anton) and an "unofficial" member/sideman/multi-instrumentalist (jeff bird), that's been there almost since the beginning. with the junkies, much of the attention and recognition usually is centered around margo and mike, but this recording further supports my belief that there is no better rhythm section in music today than pete and al. they are the backbone, the drive to what's happening front and center.

the decision to bring in some "new blood" on this project seemed to inspire them as a band even more. the guitar work between mike and ryan is incredible, they play off each other beautifully and seeing the smiles, winks and nods between them when one or the other does something truly amazing is pure joy to watch. ryan trading off vocals and harmonizing w/margo on hank williams' "i'm so lonesome i could die," his lead on "200 more miles," a junkies signature song, is perfect, he takes the song and makes it his own (a song they have been playing for 20 years no less), no small feat. a friend told me that he had heard ryan had said that he "didn't need to practice the tune, because i've been playing it all my life." if he didn't say that, he should have, the lyrics just seem written for him to sing and he nails it. just imagine ryan's voice w/these words and the beauty of margo & natalie merchant on harmony and backing vocals. 'nuff said.

200 More Miles
(Michael Timmins)

Atlanta's a distant memory, Montgomery a recent blur
and Tulsa burns on the desert floor like a signal fire.

I got Willie on the radio, a dozen things on my mind
and number one is fleshing out these dreams of mine.

I've got 200 more miles
of rain asphalt and light before I sleep
but there'll be no warm sheets
or welcoming arms to fall into tonight.

In Nashville there is a lighter in a case for all to see
it speaks of dreams and heartaches left unsung.

And in the corner stands a guitar
and lonesome words scrawled in a drunken hand.
I'm traveling paths, travelled hard before
and I'm beginning to understand.

That I've got 200 more miles
of rain asphalt and light before I sleep
but there'll be no warm sheets
or welcoming arms to fall into tonight.

You say that I am crazy, my life wasting on this road
that time will find my dreams - scattered dead and cold.

But ahead there is a light
drawing me to reach an end
and when I reach there, I'll turn back
and you and I can begin again.

I've got 200 more miles
of rain asphalt and light before I sleep
but there'll be no warm sheets
or welcoming arms to fall into tonight.

I've got 200 more miles
of rain asphalt and light before I sleep
but I wouldn't trade all your golden tomorrow's
for one hour of this night.

Atlanta's a distant memory, Montgomery a recent blur
and Tulsa burns on the desert floor - like a signal fire.

and oh. my. god. the extended feedback laced, trippy intro between ryan, mike, jeff (on electric mandolin) and pete (on drums) on (the velvet's) "sweet jane" alone is worth the price of the disc. but you also get ryan tossed in trading verses and harmonizing w/margo as a bonus. damn!

they close it out with a soulful, throbbing "walking after midnight" in a way that patsy cline could never imagine, but probably would enjoy. margo, ryan & natalie taking care of the lyrics, mike and ryan shredding on guitar, jeff on harmonica and pete and alan (on bass), imho the best rhythm section in music today, thumping and driving the beat.

ryan and natalie merchant sit in and become a part of this ensemble and help take what was a classic, damn near perfect piece of music to a completely new level. it's not better, that's just not possible, but it's equally as good, which is one hell of an accomplishment.

if you are a fan of music, and especially a fan of cowboy junkies or ryan adams, this is a MUST SEE/HEAR.

sorry this was so long, fewer words wouldn't seem to do it justice.

you can see a preview (and order) here--->http://cowboyjunkies.com/

i saw john prine last night...

:-)

I'm on a Roll...4 nights, 4 shows

and i haven't got a care!

A Classic...

not much can be said except...watch

Family, Friends & First Birthdays

last friday, mark (my nephew in law) and i headed down to atlanta for braedon's (my great nephew) first birthday. i had just been down there a couple of weeks earlier so this was another quickie trip, mark and i hit atlanta about 2:00 am saturday morning. tracey and braedon were already there and his party was planned for saturday afternoon.

we, along with family and friends, celebrated his first birthday with a party at my mom & dad's and it was a blast. he was in a great mood, very wound up, having a lot of fun and putting on a little show for everyone. the big fun was that he had his own cake and enjoyed it...a lot, as you can see from the pictures above. he got lot's of great gifts...toys, books, clothes but seemed to enjoy the boxes and wrapping paper far more than any gifts that were inside of them. i gave him a couple of books, "pat the bunny" and "goodnight moon" they were callie and zach's favorites when they were little (and i wanted "clive eats alligators" but it's out of print) and i'm looking forward to sitting down and reading them to him. i have some great memories reading those books and i'm looking forward to more.

it's great how kids bring family and friends together, he's a blessed boy, with a lot of love surrounding him. it was a good weekend.

Patty Griffin @ The Brown Theatre (07.15.2007)

i went to see patty griffin last wednesday night (07.15) at the lovely brown theatre here in louisville. and as usual, she delivered a beautiful set. she and her band, led by the incredible, yet understated guitarist, doug lancio played a set mostly pulled from her new record, "children running through." the highlights were: "get yourself another fool (the opener, what a way to get a show rolling), poor man's house, long ride home, be careful, (a rocking) no bad news, up to the mountain."

she was in great spirits, very playful and joking around. she also told a quite touching story about playing at the "twice told" on bardstown in her early days (1996) and talked about the former owner, rick told, who passed away a few years ago, mentioning that he was among the first to try to teach her to pronounce "lou-ah-vul" and then dedicated a billy jo shaver song "to rick...wherever you are." i had no idea that she played there early days on or that she played the benefit for him after he passed away ('til scott told me). nice moment...

this was the 6th (i think) time i've seen her and right up there with the best, but she is pretty consistantly amazing. i hope i get the chance to do it again soon.

Such a night...Over the Rhine (w/Dar Williams) @ Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids (08.09.2007)

somewhere between ft. wayne and grand rapids, i seriously started questioning my sanity for making this trip, what a freakin' haul! but in the end, it turned out to be worth every single second of the long and frustrating time on the road. the venue, the "frederik meijer sculpture gardens & amphitheatre" was amazing, just amazing, the only negative was there just wasn't enough time there. it's nice to see american commerce generate and support such a beautiful public space. and it turned out to be a beautiful, comfortable night with just a few small drops of rain (quite a nice break from the 100-102 weather here) and a nice cool breeze.

while the music is what draws everyone in, the meeting of friends has become an overall and very important part of these concerts. this is truly a communal experience with people coming in from many places gathering and sharing good times and conversations. some old friends, some meeting for the first time. as always, it was great to spend time with sue, kent and alan and to meet and talk to molly, betsy & myron and carrie and brookd.

dar williams opened w/a very nice solo acoustic set, a little under an hour, hit several of my favorites (from "beauty of the rain") and was in great voice and very funny.

OtR did a great hour-fifteen/twenty minute pretty traditional set (it was a co-headline w/a curfew). karin was in top vocal form and all were having a great time. linford looked spiffy in a suit and barefoot, karin explained that he forgot his boots in the hotel and just decided to forgo his shoes in general. the crowd was a nice mix of fans of both acts and subscribers/patrons not familiar with either. but they were polite, quiet and responsive to both dar & OtR, a pleasant surprise for these types of subscriber type shows/venues. there were singles, couples and quite a few famalies with young well behaved kids in attendance, karin and linford both especially seemed to enjoy two little girls (prob 4 or 5 years old) that danced ballet in front of the stage on a few songs, looking down from the stage and smiling at them several times.

the show was prob one of the more all around professionally managed that i have seen in a long time, excellent sound system, worked & tweaked to the max by juicy. mickey and jake were up on risers that added some nice dimension to the stage set and the lighting was really nice (a little tricky for pics when mixed w/the daylight). these guys run a pretty spiffy place. more pics are HERE and the setlist was:


*"trouble" replaced "hush now" as the final song and "i'm on a roll" wasn't played.

yep, a great night...

Cowboy Junkies - December Skies ("Unofficial" Video)

Cowboy Junkies - Indianapolis (07.25.2007)

i headed up to indianapolis after work on wednesday to catch a show by "cowboy junkies" at the "music mill," a spiffy, shiny venue in the wealty north indy 'burbs surrounded by strip centers and expensive cars stuck in traffic.

before the show, i met up w/a few friends (cher, seth, sara) and happened to stumble across susan, a very nice woman whom i met a CJ show in cincinnati a couple of years ago. she had just ordered, was enjoying a glass of wine @ "the music mill grill," we reintroduced oursleves to each other and she joined us for dinner and conversation also. a very nice time.

the show was great, started promptly at 8:30 w/no opener (a "good thing"), it was the last night of the tour and the band heads back to toronto after the show. personally, i've always enjoyed shows on the last night of a tour run, they seem to be a little "looser" and bands seem a little more willing to let go and have fun, no need to "save" themselves for future performances. tonight was surely no disappointment, imho, maybe not an "exceptional" CJ show but a very damn good one. the band was tight and margo's voice was amazing as usual and they really seemed to be enjoying themselves. the set (posted above) was heavy on "at the end of paths taken" as was expected and it should be and the new stuff sounded great live.

after the show, i hung around and chatted with friends and got to talk to jeff and pete for a while while as margo worked her way through the line. several of us "regulars" waited 'til last and she seemed happy to see a few recognizable, friendly faces. as always, she was very chatty, friendly and funny. and very happy and relieved to be heading home. she signed the setlist, a couple of pictures and my copy of "XX," as did pete, al and jeff. i mentioned to margo that mike was the only one missing and margo's invite, i went back to the bus, said hello to mike and he signed my book and setlist and talked for a while.

great people, music = great night. here's hoping the make another trip through these parts when the tour resumes this fall.

Mieka Pauley - A Double Dose

this past weekend i caught two shows by the boston based singer/songwriter mieka pauley. the first show was an intimate little show on friday at kim taylor's coffee shop in cincinnati. it was arranged for a few friends by brian o'donnell, a cincinnati based radio dj for WNKU and all 'round good guy. brian is a great supporter of acts like OtR, kim taylor, ellery, mieka and quality independent music in general. radio could use more people like him.

the show was at "the pleasant perk," kim's coffee shop in cincinnati and the place was packed. mieka delivered a great solo acoustic set, very informal, very nice, she covered some stuff from her previously released cd's, a couple of new songs and a beautiful cover of john prine's "angel from montgomery" during her hour long set.
she is an accomplished writer & guitar player and has a great voice that will hopefully someday be heard by more and get the recognition she deserves.

but, on saturday night...wow. what a difference a night makes. tough crowd, tonight mieka was here in louisville, opening for a local band "north jordan" and this place, "the skybar @ saints" couldn't be more unfriendly to performers like mieka. it is basically a twenty-something "look-a-me, i'm beautiful (and hip and cool too)" bar with a stage. full of plaid shorts and polos w/flipped up collars, i'll guarantee you the guys took as long getting dressed and fluffed as the girls did. a "look a me, i'm beautiful and i'm ordering the right kind of (pick one) beer/shot/martini" (and if you didn't notice that i ordered the right kind of kind beer/shot/martini, i'll tell you, loudly, several times) kind of joint. sure as hell not my kind of joint.

and my god, they were intent on the fact that no matter how loud mieka played, she was not going to interupt their conversations.

if anything, i gained a helluva lot of respect for her, she is a pro. she hung in, did her thing and gave it all she had and never let up, one bit. and she never stopped smiling. by the end of her set, she actually had quite a few people walk up closer to the stage to (try) listen. as i said, i'll give her credit and much respect. she never backed down, in voice or intensity. good for her.

to bad...the rest of those dumbfuck little posers don't have a clue what they missed.

as she sings in "blunt"..."if this guitar wasn't so expensive and i didn't need it night and day | it would make a pretty good blunt object"

for more about mieka:
mieka
mieka's my space

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Louisville

wow. ryan finally put it all together, acted like a grown up and played one of the best shows i have ever seen in my life last night. it would have to up up in the top ten shows i have ever been to (and i've been to a few). an all acoustic set that went for close to two and a half hours, about an hour forty-five + a forty-five (yep) minute encore with ryan saying after the first song... "go ahead, sit down, we're gonna jam a while and bring some sad shit up in here." and "i'm just gonna sit around and play my music with my friends" and that's what it was like, casual, very relaxed and perfect.

he was in a great mood, laughing, joking, funny and having a great time, plus the audience was excellent, quiet, respectful and appreciative, and not "good for a ryan adams audience," simply a good audience. the set was great, the playing was perfect and his voice was spot on... i honestly don't think they could have done anything to make this a better night of music. perfect, just perfect.

the highlights for me (and there were no "lowlights") were: oh my god, i taught myself to grow old, wildflowers, let it ride, pearls on a string (incredible harmonies), two, dear john, nightbirds, peaceful valley, goodnight hollywood blvd, i see monster. but as i said, the whole show was pretty damned amazing.

the set was great (from RAA, i didn't keep track):
Blue Hotel
Goodnight Rose
Off Broadway
A Kiss Before I Go
This Is it
Let It Ride
Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.
Easy Plateau
I Taught Myself How To Grow Old
Beautiful Sorta
Peaceful Valley
Wildflowers
Two
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Pearls On A String
Magnolia Mountain

Encore:
The Sun Also Sets
Blue Sky Blues
Dear John
Nightbirds
Carolina Rain
Goodnight Hollywood Blvd.
I See Monsters
Cold Roses

and afterwards...
i met ryan adams. after the show, i sort of snuck out of a closed exit door (the curtain was pulled) after his show. unknowlingly, it was right next to the stage door, i guess that's why it was closed (hey, it was unlocked and no usher was there). just as i walked out, he walked out of the stage door with a security guard, we almost walked into each other. i said "killer show tonight," he said "thanks." then we walked through the alley, and just talked as we walked. i bought a poster and he was telling me all about the guy that is doing them for him (a different, local theme to each poster, only 200-300 per show). about half way thru the walk, i said "hey, you just laid it all out up there for 2 1/2 hours, i don't wanna bother you, i'll let you go" and he put his arm on my shoulder and said "man...don't be silly. this is what i do. i'm just glad a few people like it." we chatted a little longer as he walked to the bus, which was right by where i parked, he said "hey...thanks for coming, how many times have you seen us?" i said "six now, they have all been great, but this was the best yet." he said "thanks, hope you keep comin' around, i appreciate it."

"I Want You To Be My Love" (the "Unofficial" Video) - Over the Rhine

no one really knows where this came from and/or who did it, but it's causing quite a bit of stir in the OtR fan community, in a good way. it's been deleted from youtube once, for reasons unknown. apparently, in some way has been created or at a minimum circulated by a guy from portugal.

but regardless, where ever and whomever it came from, it is beautiful, creative, inspired and true to the song. this sums it up best, from karin, "I'm just sobbing...in a good way. wow." and linford, "We think it's wonderful... !!!"

enjoy...