Minus 5/Baseball Project/Steve Wynn IV Live At The Turf Club

Photo of Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey taken by Tay-lo

It's been over a week since I returned from a short and sweet trip to Minneapolis, but the memory of the Minus 5/Baseball Project/Steve Wynn IV show (On Thursday September 10th) is still fresh in my mind. In the past decade I have made the 7 hour trip from Winnipeg many times, sometimes specifically to see a particular concert, other times I went there for something else and it was just good timing. This trip revolved around the Minus 5 show, as I bought tickets well over a month ago and planned to be in Minneapolis no matter what, to see this show! In Minneapolis, I've seen many shows at the famed First Avenue club as well as the 400 Bar, Fitzpatrick Theatre (St. Paul), the Guthrie Theatre (The original location in the Walker Art Gallery), but this was my first time at the Turf Club. What a great venue to see a band! Nice sightlines, good sound and generally a nice vibe.

The show was amazing, the band played two sets that mixed up the catalog of both Scott McCaughey and Steve Wynn which meant lots of Baseball Project, Minus 5 and Dream Syndicate. To finally hear the Dream Syndicate's best songs live was a big thrill and to see Scott perform in any of his bands (Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows, REM etc.) is always a treat. The encore (set 3) went on for almost 40 minutes with random covers and a looseness that can only be described as inspired. They opening their encore with a tribute to the Beatles, Ballad Of John And Yoko followed by Good Guys Don't Wear White (not sure who did that originally). The band huddled up to discuss what to play next and they decided on two more Baseball songs, Fernando and I Dream Of Willie Mays, followed by an impromptu version of the Replacement's, If Only You Were Lonely. Next was Jackie's Lament, then Steve started Born On A Bayou which frantically segued into Neil Young's, Time Fades Away. The final song was the Sonic's (according to Scott, the greatest band ever!), Strychnine alway a great closer for both the Minus 5 and the Fellows. A truly magical evening, one of the best shows I've been to in a long while, maybe ever! Something about being so close to the stage, in a small club and being able to talk to the band afterwards, is something special. All four members of the band made themselves available after the show for autographs, posing for pictures and chatting with fans just like regular people. It makes such a difference to see a band that connects with their fans, not only during the show, but after as well. I got the whole band to sign the tour poster pictured at the top and the back cover of the Baseball Project CD. Scott, Steve and Peter are all genuinely sincere nice guys, real music fans with no hint of arrogance or pomp. I really liked talking to Linda, (she is such a cool chick!) she was amazed we drove down just for the show and said they were talking about Winnipeg as they drove from Seattle and were entering into Minnesota. As a tribute they played a double CD of Guess Who Greatest Hits in their van and Steve said to me he would try to play Winnipeg soon...

I recorded the show and uploaded it to Dimeadozen last week. If you are a member you can try to download it here: Baseball Project/Minus 5/Steve Wynn 2009-09-10.
For those without memberships, here are the mp3 .rar file links:
set 1
set 2
set 3 (encore)
setlist
(please DO NOT sell these recordings)

Other shows from the tour on Dime:
2009-08-28 Lake Arrowhead Village Center Stage, Lake Arrowhead, CA (set 1)
2009-08-28 Lake Arrowhead Village Center Stage, Lake Arrowhead, CA (set 2)
2009-08-29 The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA
2009-09-11, Marytr's, Chicago, IL

Some of the above shows are on Internet: Live Music Archive, which require no membership and you have the option of streaming, FLAC or MP3.

If you want visuals, someone posted a couple of videos on Youtube from the Turf Club show in St. Paul:
Days Of Wine and Roses
Teenage Head

The Baseball Project On Letterman

Speaking of past-time's, here's the Baseball Project's first television appearance on Letterman last year, with the lead off track on the their first album, Past Time. Before the present tour, the Baseball Project had only performed live together on the Letterman show and Wynn and Pitmon's wedding, oh yeah, and they played some shows in Spain in August.

Baseball Project In The Twin Cities

Roadtrip! I'm off to Minneapolis/St. Paul to watch America's past-time, the game of baseball with a Friday night game with the Twins against the A's. A day earlier (Thursday September 10th), I'll be taking in a performance by the Minus 5/Baseball Project/Steve Wynn IV at the Turf Club in St. Paul. This may seem like a 3 band bill, but in actuality it is one band, Scott McCaughey (Minus 5/Young Fresh Fellows/REM), Steve Wynn (Miracle 3/Dream Syndicate), Peter Buck (Minus 5/REM) and Linda Pitmon (Miracle 3/Zuzu's Petals) performing material from the M5/BP/Steve Wynn catalog. In previous shows, this unit has played 2 sets, mixing up the material, with excellent results.

This concert is one of those dream shows you never thought would happen and I just happen to love all these bands I've mentioned. I have seen all 4 members at different time throughout the years. I've seen Scott as a member of the Young Fresh Fellows, who I've seen twice, once in Winnipeg in 1990 or so and in 1993 in Vancouver, opening for They Might Be Giants. Also I saw Scott with REM along with Peter Buck when they played the Concert Hall here in the Peg. A couple of years ago during Laurie Lindeen's (lead singer of Minneapolis band Zuzu's Petals) book launch/concert in Minneapolis, Linda Pitmon reunited with the other members of Zuzu's Petals for a one-off and at the same show, Steve Wynn performed with Pitmon on the drums.

This is the first tour when all four of the Baseball Project members has toured together to promote their all-baseball album, Volume One: Frozen Ropes And Dying Quails and I hear they did some more recording for Volume 2 when they stopped off in Portland last week.

As I said, this is a highly anticipated show for myself and I hope to come away from the evening with a good recording of the show and some fond memories. This is a small venue which means it will be up close and personal and I would love to have time to chat with the band...we'll see! It'll be well worth the drive!

Uncle Tupelo Demos Part 3- Not Forever, Just For Now

For the final installment of the Uncle Tupelo demos, I bring you the demo tape that supposeably got them signed to Rockville, Not Forever, Just For Now (the title which is taken from the song, Whiskey Bottle). There are early versions of songs that would surface on the first album, No Depression, a little rougher and a little rawer, but in some ways their less polished sound really showcases how great these songs are. Jay Farrar is clearly the front-man on the early albums, which probably led to problems later, and his driving guitar and distinctive voice characterized the sound of Uncle Tupelo throughout their short, but illustrious career.

Uncle Tupelo was one of those bands that never enjoyed the commmercial success they deserved. Their sound was widely influencial and even the title of their first album (No Depression) spawned a movement and genre (...and a magazine). The resulting split of Uncle Tupelo in 1994, gave the world Wilco and Son Volt, and to this day both bands are very active and continue to be influencial and innovative. Both Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar (their bands and solo) are finally getting some of the recognition and success that eluded them in Tupelo, but a possible reunion seems very unlikely, not forever, just for now.

UNCLE TUPELO
Not Forever, Just For Now (1989)
Outdone
That Year
Whiskey Bottle
Flatness
I Got Drunk
Before I Break
Life Worth Livin'
Train
Graveyard Shift
Screen Door

Download: Uncle Tupelo- Not Forever, Just For Now. rar

Uncle Tupelo Demos Part 2- Live & Otherwise

The second Uncle Tupelo demo is entitled, Live & Otherwise, appropriate because half the tape is a portion of a live recording and half is recorded in the studio. The live songs were recorded at the Blue Note in Columbia, MO on August 22, 1988. This recording features more songs that eventually were re-recorded for the debut album, as well as some impressive covers from CCR and Black Flag. I can't imagine how great it must have been to see these guys in and around the Belleville area in the late 80's, must have been incredible!
Enjoy!

UNCLE TUPELO
Live & Otherwise (1988)
Before I Break (live)
Life Worth Living (live)
Fortunate Son (live)
Cocaine Blues (live)
Gimme Gimme Gimme (live)
Good Times (live)
That Year
I Got Drunk
There Was a Time
Otherside
No Depression
Screen Door

Download: Uncle Tupelo-Live & Otherwise. rar

Uncle Tupelo Demos Part 1- Colorblind And Rhymeless

For the next installment of my on-going series, "Before They Was Famous", I give you part one of a three part series, the Uncle Tupelo demos. All three of these self released demo cassettes were recorded before the first Uncle Tupelo album, No Depression (1990) was released. These rough and ready versions of many of the songs that make up the first album provide a good indication of things to come as their sound combines a fine blend of alternative rock and country, played with a punk attitude. They were considered the first alternative country band whose energy and authentic ability to teeter both genres have been a influence of the many "alt-country" bands that have followed. If you're a fan of bands like the Jayhawks, Bottle Rockets, Drive By Truckers or Tweedy and Farrar's bands, Wilco and Son Volt, these tapes (and all their official releases) will open your eyes to one of the greatest influential bands of the nineties. I've been wanting to share these demos for a while, so please have a listen and leave a comment. Enjoy! UNCLE TUPELO Colorblind And Rhymeless (1987) Before I Break I Got Drunk Screen Door Blues Die Hard Pickle River Download: Uncle Tupelo-Colorblind and Rhymeness .rar

The Vees- The Vees

If you are or were a fan of Jale, you may already own this, but if you don't, trust me, this is worth the download. After the demise of Jale and the departure of Eve Hartling, the three remaining members of Jale reformed as the Vees. They toured Canada a couple of times and they're only recorded output was this self-titled 5-song EP released in 1996 on Murder Records. This EP received little or no attention, even now there's no information on the internet and this EP would be classified as hard-to-find. The songs sound very similar to Jale and the music is pretty good, especially the first two songs. Drummer Mike Belitsky (of the band the Sadies) even takes a turn at the mike with lead vocal credits on Denied, overall a nice teaser for a short-lived band.

The Vees are:
Mike Belinsky (drums, vocals)
Jennifer Pierce (guitar, vocals)
Laura Stein (bass, vocals)

1. Chicago Lights
2. A
3. Denied
4. Seven Thirty
5. Circumstance

download: The Vees-The Vees.rar

Jale- Closed EP

This is my very first blog entry written on my brand-new laptop I purchased yesterday. Having the portability and availability (instaed of having to share the desktop with my wife and daughter), I now have the freedom to post new entrys from anywhere and hopefully more often.

Two of my co-workers are presently on the East Coast on vacation (with a third following next week) and it got me thinking of the great Canadian bands that have come from out East, specifically Halifax. Sloan, Superfriendz, Thrush Hermit, Plumtree and Jale, but to name a few.

The late great Jale formed in 1993 and released two fine full-length CD's, a handful of 7"ers and an EP. Their EP, Closed was released between their first album, Dreamcake and their last, So Wound. It still featured their original lineup of Jennifer Pierce, Alyson MacLeod, Laura Stein and Eve Hartling, if you take the first letter of their first name, you have JALE. I never had the chance to see Jale live, but I almost did during their last tour when they were scheduled to play our town, but the tour was abruptly cancelled when guitarist Eve Hartling announced she was pregnant and unable to complete the tour, the band soon after disbanded in 1996. The other three members of the band reformed as the Vees, but more on them later.
Enjoy!

JALE
Closed (1995)
1. Nine Years Now
2. Wash My Hands
3. Jesus Loves Me
4. Long Way Home
5. Double Edge

Download: Jale-Closed EP. rar

Be Back Soon!

Oops, I goofed! I'm away on my holidays right now (I have been for the last week) and I intended to continue posting some music and photos. I uploaded a couple of interesting albums with the theory of posting them while I'm away. Where I am internet is only available at the public library, so I uploaded to my online storage, but I have vacation-brain freeze and can't remember my password. So, I apologize and I promise to be up and running again next week when I return to my own computer.

Discount- Love, Billy (1998)

With all the hype that surrounds "super" group Dead Weather, that features Raconteur's/White Stripe's Jack White on drums, Jack Lawrence from the Raconteurs, Queen's of the Stone Age's Dean Fertita on guitar and the Kills/Discount's Alison Mosshart on vocals and guitar, one can appreciate the attention given to a once overlooked singer. I'm vaguely familar with the music of the Kills (not to be confused with the Killers), who have achieved a modest amount of commercial success, but I'm a huge fan of Alison's earlier band, Discount.

Discount was a high energy pop-punk band that hailed from Florida, whose sound reminds me of J-Church, but with a girl singer and they released three full-length albums and many singles and ep's. One of those ep's they recorded featured 5 Billy Bragg cover songs, not sure why they would cover Billy, but obviously they we're big fans and this is their tribute to him. They do a fine job rockin' up Bragg's songs!

DISCOUNT
Love, Billy (1998)
1. Accident Waiting To Happen
2. Waiting For The Great Leap forward
3. Pict Song
4. Help Save The Youth Of America
5. North Sea Bubble

Discount-Love, Billy.rar

Before We Was Famous- The Clash!

Lately for some reason, I've been rediscovering and listening to a lot of British bands from the late 70's. Bands such as the Buzzcocks, Jam, Rich Kids, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Joe Jackson, Graham Parker, Nick Lowe and Rockpile...so it's only appropriate I post some early Clash demos from their first album. The first three Clash albums are essential for any fan of English punk, though they abandoned their punk roots for their later albums for experimentation in reggae, dub and funk, the Clash will always be known for their rebellious attitude and politicalized lyrics. These early recordings proved they had the talent and the depth to easily rival and surpass the Sex Pistols (at least musically)...and more! Enjoy! THE CLASH Polydor Demos 01 - Career Opportunities 02 - White Riot 03 - Janie Jones 04 - London's Burning 05 - 1977 Polydor Demos (1976).rar Mickey Foote Demos 01 - Preamble 02 - I'm So Bored With The U.S.A. 03 - London's Burning 04 - White Riot [Take 1] 05 - White Riot [Take 2] 06 - Career Opportunities 07- 1977 08 - Janie Jones [Instrumental] Mickey Foote Demos (1977).rar

Way Before He Was Famous- Lou Reed

During an episode of Elvis Costello's TV show, Spectacle, guest musician Lou Reed made reference to some early recordings he made well before the Velvet Underground formed. He mentioned these rare recordings are out there and probably found on bootlegs. In 1963, Lou worked as an in-house staff song writer for Pickwick Records, but even before that (when he was in high school), Lou recorded some songs with a group called, The Jades. These songs were released by Norton Records in 2000 on an 7" EP called, All Tomorrow's Dance Parties, curiously a song found on the first VU album is titled, All Tomorrow's Parties. This captures Lou's earliest known recordings. The Jades songs, So Blue and Leave Her For Me, were recorded in 1958, while the first ever Lewis (Lou) Reed solo recordings, Your Love/Merry Go Round were from 1962. If you didn't know this was Lou Reed, you would never guess. Very different from anything he ever released with the Velvets or beyond. An interesting listen and an important document at least for historical purposes. Here's the YouTube link to Lou Reed and Elvis Costello performing Perfect Day on Spectacle. I must admit Reed sounded really rough and he struggled to sing (...talk?) the song. Elvis on the other hand, sounded inspired and spirited on this Lou Reed classic, which I always considered his most "perfect", beautiful song! All Tomorrow's Dance Parties (Norton Records) LEWIS (Lou) REED (1962) Your Love Merry Go Round THE JADES (1958) So Blue Leave Her For Me

Elvis Costello Returns...31 Years Later!

It's been a long time coming, but it was worth it! November 11, 1978 was the last time Elvis Costello paid Winnipeg a visit (The Playhouse Theatre!) and though he technically didn't play Winnipeg on Wednesday night (actually Bird's Hill), Elvis promised, "we know the way now".

The set by Elvis Costello and the Imposters on the opening night of the 2009 Winnipeg Folk Festival was no doubt one of the best shows I've ever seen at the festival. The energy of the band, the amazing setlist and the fact I've seen one of my musical heroes all contributed to this memorable evening. The whole evening was perfect, I attended with my wife, sister and friends of ours and I ran into and talked to many good friends. The weather was great, no rain, clear sky, little wind and the mosquitos were minimal. Good times!

Highlights:

• What can you say about the setlist! The first four songs were from the early days (first 3 albums + Chelsea, a classic early single) and the last 6 songs of the encore were all classic Elvis, worth the price of admission alone! Radio Sweetheart, Femme Fatale etc...wow!
• Winnipeg was lucky because Elvis played with the Imposters line-up instead of the Sugarcanes band who played on his most recent album, Secret, Profane and Sugarcane. The Imposters feature two original members of the Attractions, Steve Nieve (on keys and piano) and Pete Thomas (drums). The Sugarcanes were touring with Elvis in June and for the rest of the Summer and they perform primarily newer material with some early stuff sprinkled in. The songs performed with the Lovell Sisters featured many songs from the new album.
• There was a time in the early 90's when I thought EC was getting tired and I was losing interest in his music and his performances. I saw him on the Larry Sanders show and he looked bloated and old. I think around this time I professed I didn't think I would see him live if he came to town. Something's happened in the last few years where he sounds more inspired and he seems more energized. His voice is prime and his showmanship is first-rate. Perhaps his marriage to Diana Krall or his TV show, Spectacle has given him a new inspiration. Whatever it is, it works!

Setlist:
01. Accidents Will Happen
02. Mystery Dance
03. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
04. You Belong To Me
05. I Hope You're Happy Now
06. Man Out Of Time
07. Motel Matches
08. Suit Of Lights
09. Complicated Shadows
10. Condemned Man
11. Blame It On Cain
12. Sleep Of The Just
13. Brilliant Mistake
14. Radio Sweetheart / Jackie Wilson Said
15. Femme Fatale - with The Lovell Sisters
16. American Without Tears - with The Lovell Sisters
17. The Crooked Line - with The Lovell Sisters
18. Sulphur To Sugarcane - with The Lovell Sisters
19. Mystery Train - with The Lovell Sisters
Encore:
20. The Scarlet Tide - with The Lovell Sisters
21. Watching The Detectives
22. Alison - including Tracks Of My Tears and Tears Of A Clown
23. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
24. Radio, Radio
25. Pump It Up
26. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding

I'm posting the last 6 amazing back to back songs that ended the show. I recorded the show from the tarp about halfway back, the sound was loud and clear and the recording is surprisingly good considering outdoor shows aren't the idea recording venue.

The complete concert is available now on dimeadozen.org, but if you aren't a member, leave a request in the comments section as I might post a rar. file download if there's enough interest.

Back To Blogging!

Sorry for not posting the last few days, but supposedly this blog was locked while it was under review. Apparently my blog has the characteristics of a spam blog, not sure why, (maybe it's my lack of consistent posting?) but obviously it's not... so I'm back to posting. Have lots to say before I'm on vacation at the end of July.

Bum- Shake Town!

Happy Canada Day!!
I thought as a tribute to this great day (and mid-week day off from work), I should post a truly great piece of Canadiana, but since I don't have any Gordon Lightfoot, Guess Who or Nickelback (thank goodness!) available, instead I will post something from one of my favourite Canadian bands, Bum. Their best known album, Wanna Smash Sensation was and still is a underappreciated gem, if you're into indie-powerpop from the early 90's, this Victoria, BC band blasted it's way into my record collection with several 7"ers, LP's and CD's, many of which were released in Spain. Instead of posting WSS (you can download it by clicking the link), I'm posting their hard to find live CD, Shake Town!, which I think I bought through mail-order from Midnight Records back in the day.

For some reason many bands have had a big (if not bigger!) following in Spain more than in their home countries. Bands that come to mind are the Jayhawks (who reunited their mid-90's lineup there) and Jonathan Richman, while several bands have recorded their live albums (and toured extensively) in Spain, such as Young Fresh Fellows, Model Rockets, Smugglers and Bum. Bum's live album called Shake Town was recorded at the Revolver Club in Madrid, Spain on May 27, 1994, more than 15 years ago. This recording is a fine example of their energetic live show and showcases what a fun and powerful band Bum was live. I had the pleasure of seeing them in a small club twice and though both shows were poorly attended the band still put on a killer set. After both shows I had a chance to talk to the band and get some 7"ers signed...nice guys and a great band!
(For Bum's 7"ers, the blog, Wilfully Obscure has posted a collection on his site...very recommended!!)

BUM
Shake Town!
1. Debbie Speak
2. I Wanna Be
3. When She Walked
4. Instant Kool Ayd
5. Lift Up Your Hood
6. Wedding Day
7. 1983
8. Why Go Out Your Way
9. Eternal Ideal
10. A Promise Is A Promise
11. Hi-C Half
12. Your Name Was Next To Mine
13. I Hardly Breathe
14. Mrs. Rock-n-Roll
15. Sea And Sand
16. Depression

download: BUM-Shake Town! .rar

Jayhawks- The First Album

I noticed the '1994-95 version (arguably their best lineup!) of the Jayhawks reunited again (They played their first reunion show last fall in Spain) with dates earlier this month in Spain and a date on July 10th at the Basilica Block Party, held annually in Minneapolis. The show in their hometown is significant because this line up of the band (Gary Louris, Marc Olson, Marc Perlman, Tim O'Reagon and Karen Grotberg) hasn't played together on North American soil in over a decade. I would love to attend this concert, but I'm sure my funds will be drained as I'm heading off to Philadelphia this week for 5 days and I don't think I can afford another journey south of the border.

In about a month from now, the annual Winnipeg Folk Festival takes place and it got me thinking about the first time I saw the Jayhawks. It was 1988 and the Hawks played a small stage along with other acts and the thing that sticks in my head, they jammed out with Mojo Nixon on guitar...seriously! Their performance to me, anyways, was memorable enough to consider purchasing their debut album (vinyl) that was on sale in the merch tent. I never actually bought the record, but fortunately my sister did and it's still in my parent's basement. Their sound is a lot more country than they have been since and this album was recorded by the Jayhawks on the small Bunkhouse label in 10 days for $12,000. It is considered a rare collector's item as there was only a limited supply pressed (few thousand?) and judging by eBay, it's worth some money. As a tribute to this great band, I'm posting this hard to find gem, it has yet to be officially released on CD and this has been long out-of-print.
Enjoy!

THE JAYHAWKS
The Jayhawks (1986)

1. Falling Star
2. Tried and True Love
3. Let the Critics Wonder
4. Let the Last Night be the Longest (Lonesome Morning)
5. Behind Bars
6. Cherry Pie
7. The Liquor Store Came First
8. People in This Place on Every Side
9. Misery Tavern
10. (I'm Not in) Prison
11. King of Kings
12. Good Long Time
13. Six Pack on the Dashboard

Download- The Jayhawks- The Jayhawks. rar

Some Past Links Now Working Again.

I've re-upped a couple of links by request. The links on the original posts now work (at least for the next couple of weeks), as I had to re-link them for public sharing because they expire if they stagnant. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm always happy to it, so please ask if any link you're interested in doesn't work anymore. I'm just happy someone is reading this blog!

Download- Weakerthans 2009-04-17 .rar (mp3)
Download-Pinnwheel demos .rar (mp3)

It's Funny Because It's True!

I couldn't resist, I found this hilarious site GraphJam: "Music & culture for people that love charts". You can even submit your own charts and graphs and I must confess some of these actually make me giggle and nod my head. I'll post more if I think they're appropriate to this blog.

This is very typical with how popular music works, the more unoriginal, the more you have to hear it.

Tribute To Jay Bennett- His Last Wilco Show

Sad news this week with the death of former Wilco member, Jay Bennett at the age of 45 years old. As of this writing the cause of his death isn't known as he died in his sleep on May 24th, but for more information and more details about Jay's life read this piece in the Chicago Tribune.

Earlier in the month, Jay launched a lawsuit against his former band-mate Jeff Tweedy for breach of contract for his work with the band. I'm not sure how much money he was seeking, but my guess is he was desperate for money for a hip replacement which he could not afford because he didn't have health insurance. Legal wrangling aside, most of Wilco's best work was from the Bennett-era and nothing beats the 1-2-3 punch of Being There, Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

As a tribute I'm posting Jay Bennett's last show as a member of Wilco, the 4th of July show from 2001 that was featured in the film, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco. This recording is an excellent show, both performance and sound quality as it was a radio broadcast, a must listen for any hardcore and casual Wilco fan.

A side note: I saw Wilco in Minneapolis on June 29 and 30th (also the first 2 shows for drummer Glenn Kotche), it was Jay's last club shows and still the best Wilco shows I've been to!

WILCO
2001-07-04
Petrillo Band Shell,
Grant Park Chicago, IL

1. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
2. War On War
3. A Shot In The Arm
4. She's A Jar
5. I'm Always In Love
6. Airline To Heaven
7. Feed Of Man
8. Remember The Mountain Bed
9. California Stars
10. Kamera
11. Ashes Of American Flags
12. Red-Eyed And Blue
13. I Got You (At The End Of The Century)

Encore 1:
14. I'm The Man Who Loves You
15. Sunken Treasure
16. Outta Mind (Outta Sight)

Download-Wilco 7-4-01 .rar

It's Only Rock 'N' Roll- Daytrotter Session

Since I'm on a Juliana Hatfield posting run, I thought I would share a recent performance/recording taken from the Daytrotter website. Juliana stopped by the Daytrotter studio in Rock Island, IL to record 4 songs. This is a live, raw recording, just Juliana and her acoustic guitar, with no overdubs and straight to tape. She performs 2 songs from her latest album, How To Walk Away, as well as an unreleased song, Butterflies (that will be on her new album) and a cover of the Rolling Stones classic, It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It). During all four songs you can hear in Juliana's voice the passion and enjoyment of playing music, if you're a fan of listening to music in it's bare-bones form (As I do!), you will enjoy this session. The songs are beautiful in their stripped down versions and in some ways are more honest and heartfelt.

Her interpretation of It's Only R'n'R, is interesting as she alters the arrangement and gives it her own spin. She describes the song like this: Most people, when they think of this song, think of the chorus, and Mick Jagger's aggressive presentation: "I know it's only rock and roll but I like it like it yes I do!" but I think the lyrics in the verses are really touching and poignant, and so I do this pretty and quiet version of the song to emphasize the sadness and longing which are kind of disguised in the Stones' recorded version.

Nuff talk, Enjoy!

JULIANA HATFIELD
Daytrotter Sessions
(Not sure when it was actually recorded, but I guessing late 2008?)
Law Of Nature
So Alone
It's Only Rock 'N' Roll
Butterflies

Download: Juliana Hatfield Daytrotter Sessions 2009-05-14. rar

Juliana Hatfield's Lost Album...?

God's Foot was the name of Juliana Hatfield's unreleased album recorded in 1996 that never saw a proper release because her record label at the time, Atlantic Records was not satisfied with the album. Juliana terminated her relationship with Atlantic, but they refused to give the recording to her. Various reports claimed that Atlantic was willing to sell the album back to Juliana for about $200,000 roughly the cost of making the album so she could release it herself, but she felt though it was a good record, it wasn't worth it. She still can't release it now because she doesn't own the masters, but through the community of file-sharing and music downloading these recordings are out there and available for listening. On Juliana's excellent blog, An Arm and A Leg, she talks about why she was "angry and frustrated" with the versions of her unreleased God's Foot that popped up in cyberspace. She left all the mixes and songs and sequence unresolved and when people acquired the tracks from the sessions and put them in random order and called it, God's Foot it offended her. This is understandable because the artist should have control over what songs are left in, what order and the whole packaging right down to album sleeve and credit notes.

Juliana explains this better (quoted from her entry "Remember November" from her blog: An album that is made to be an album – a series of songs with an arc and a flow – and not a bunch of random songs or singles or “hits” or featured tracks – is called an album because it is presented to the world in a certain sequence. And it matters SO MUCH in what order the songs are presented. If the songs are switched around, it can make a good album a not so good album; something might be “off.” Some kind of je ne sais quoi might be lacking. A great sequence, along with good mix choices, can turn an alright bunch of songs into a whole cohesive listening experience.

But the Internet version(s) of “God’s Foot” were chopped up and haphazardly thrown together, Burroughs-style (and I never liked Burroughs). And it made me sad, etc.

So. That was my beef.

But as the years have passed my anger has faded. I know that the people who found the “God’s Foot” songs (and outtakes) only wanted to hear the music – they had no other way but to download them, since the record was never released (in CD or digital or any format) and since I cannot release it (I don’t own the masters). And I guess I am glad that people know the songs and enjoy them.

I do sympathize with her, but I know there are a lot of people that want to hear her music. I did come across this recording a number of years ago, I can't remember where I got the tracks from, it might have been the old Napster or Soulseek. I don't think I received it in a trade as I usually didn't trade in mp3's and I mainly traded live shows. Regardless, here's God's Foot presented in the original song order I received it. Enjoy! JULIANA HATFIELD God's Foot (unreleased) 1996

1. Fade Away 2. Mountains Of Love 3. Don't Need A Reason 4. Perfection 5. What Have I Done To You? 6. Losing Your Looks 7. Takin' It Easy 8. Can't Kill Myself 9. You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Melody 10. Chance Is Waiting 11. How Would You Know? 12. Eye To Eye 13. Charity 14. Jakes 15. Fade Away (Part Two) download the whole file (I couldn't upload a rar or zip file, I'm experiencing proxy/setting issues, sorry) p.s- for more information about God's Foot, check out Dan LeRoy's book, The Greatest Music Never Sold: Secrets Of Legendary Lost Albums, which features a chapter that tells the story of god's Foot.

New Wilco- Wilco (the Album)

First there was Wilco the band, then the Wilco Book, now we have Wilco the Album and Wilco the song. On June 30th (or earlier if you hear a "leaked" copy), Wilco will release an album of new material called, you guessed it, Wilco. The lead off track titled appropriately, Wilco (the song) is a boogie number that has a bit of a Werewolves of London-feel to it, definitely a more upbeat rock feel overall. This is a release I've been eagerly anticipating and I don't think I'll be able to wait until the official release date for a listen. If you want to hear the goods now, Wilco's official site, Wilcoworld is streaming the entire album for your listening enjoyment. Let me know what you think, I've heard the first couple songs and it seems promising and returns to a sound closer to YHF than the most recent albums. Indeed, a return date to Winnipeg (or close by, Minneapolis perhaps?) would be very welcome and hearing live versions of these new songs will be a treat.
Enjoy!
(Tracklist)
Wilco (the song)
Deeper Down
One Wing
Bull Black Nova
You And I
You Never Know
Country Disappeared
Solitaire
I'll Fight
Sonny Feeling
Everlasting Everything

WILCO (The album) stream

Elvis Is Coming!!

Yes!!! The Winnipeg Folk Festival announced yesterday that Elvis Costello will kick off an expanded 5-day version of this year's festival by playing with his band the Imposters on Wednesday July 8th at Birds Hill Park. This special night will be a separate ticket from the weekend 4-day pass which is good news for me as I plan to go see Elvis and maybe nothing else. I struggle every year with the decision to attend and nowadays there has to be a special draw to drag my lazy ass to the festival. Last year it was the Kink's Ray Davies and Kathleen Edwards and the year before it was Neko Case and Son Volt that got my attention. I'm glad to see Elvis is playing on an evening date (as opposed to a full fee day $70) that will only set me back $40 and this is very exciting news for a picky concert goer like myself. Elvis Costello is in my top 10 bands/musicians I would like to see live, but I would have preferred an indoor venue such as the Burt, Pantages, Concert Hall or even the MTS Centre. I guess I shouldn't be so picky, he hasn't played in Winnipeg since 1978, so I'll have to get there early and stake my plot of ground to sit on reasonably close to the stage if I want a chance to actually see him instead of relying on the unreliable video screens.
This is a must see!

Weakerthans Roll Into Town- Burton Cummings Theatre, April 17, 2009

The Rolling Tundra Revue tour featuring the Constantines and Winnipeg's own, Weakerthans landed in town last Friday night for the first of a two night stand at the Burton Cummings Theatre. The Weakerthans are one of few bands I try to catch whenever they come back home and you can always count on them for an entertaining show. Their 21 song set featured songs from all four albums and they treated the hometown crowd to two encores consisting of 6 songs.

One thing that slightly annoyed me and distracted my attention throughout the concert was the usual chatter and shout outs from the crowd. This usually doesn't bug me too much, but the (high pitch, really loud!) whistling (especially during the encore) during the songs became a competition between a few attention seeking idiots. I know it feels nice to be acknowledged by the performers we paid to watch, but to continually yell and shout, "happy birthday John" and other stupid comments gets tiresome and embarrassing. During the opening encore songs, One Great City and My Favourite Chords when John K performs solo, some guys across the aisle from me shouted out some clever dialogue, "where's your f*cking band!" and "f*ck you John K. Samson!", exactly at that moment (I don't think it was a coincidence), Samson stopped mid-song to re tune his guitar. He started the song up again, but a minute later he stopped again and changed guitars. Earlier in the show he joked about how he remembers his first beer, obviously in reference to some guys that were yelling at him and then a few songs later he asked the "boys" to stop shouting at him because it distracted him and it would be bad for everyone else. Samson is probably too nice a guy to make a bigger deal out of it.

I've listed the setlist from the show and the link below to download the whole show. Enjoy!

WEAKERTHANS
Burton Cummings Theatre
Winnipeg, Manitoba
April 17, 2009

1. Everything Must Go
2. Tournament Of Hearts
3. Our Retired Explorer
4. Night Windows
5. Reconstruction Site
6. Aside
7. Civil Twilight
8. Bigfoot
9. Plea From A Cat Named Virtue
10. The Reasons
11. Elegy For Elsabet
12. Left And Leaving
13. Relative Surplus Value
14. Benediction
15. Manifest

encore 1
16. One Great City
17. My Favourite Chords
18. Confessions Of A Futon Revolutionist
19 This Is A fire Door Never Leave Open
20. Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure

encore 2
21. Pamphleteer

Download the complete show:
Weakerthans 2009-04-17 .rar (mp3)
Dimeadozen.org (torrent FLAC files- need to register)
(If this doesn't work for you, leave a message in the comments and I'll link you to the file)

Something New Mondays- (old/new) Whiskeytown

Saturday was Record Store Day and again I failed to take in the festivities at my local indie record store. As you may have heard, the vinyl record is on a comeback with increased sales and more and more bands releasing stuff on vinyl. In Winnipeg, Into The Music reports that a large percentage of it's sales are still attributed to vinyl, as they are one of the few local stores that didn't shun the vinyl format and have continued to buy and sell new and used records...bravo for them! My own vinyl collection is taking up valuable storage space in my living room and basement fridge (non-working empty) and my parent's basement, but I have held onto my old Dual turntable and last year purchased a portable battery powered USB turntable with the original idea of transferring my records to digital files. But you know what, I've hardly transfered anything and I think I'll use it to play and listen to records at home and at work. Why re-buy (or download) my records when I can play them on their original format and the scratchy sound is still better quality than transferring them into compressed digital mp3's.

Many record labels have released special vinyl to commemorate the 2nd annual record store day. Two unreleased songs were made available from Ryan Adam's old band, Whiskeytown which were recorded during the "Baseball Sessions" circa 1996. I don't know why this wasn't previously released, the songs are really good and if you're a Whiskeytown fan, you'll appreciate these samples.

WHISKEYTOWN- 7" Single
A. San Antone
B. The Great Divide

Before She Was Famous- Kathleen Edwards

I just got back from dropping Jesse off at the airport for his 7am flight to Ottawa. He and the team (Kelvin High School) he co-coaches are competing this week for the Canadian Improv games. This competition gathers together all the top teams from across Canada to Ottawa to vie for the coveted crown of national high school improv champs. If you're not familiar with improv as a sport or want more info check improv.ca. As a tribute, I thought I would post something from Ottawa native Kathleen Edwards, who I'm sure you know is a favourite here at TDIT. For my 5:30am drive to the airport I played Kathleen's, Failer CD which upon further reflection might not have been the best choice for luck's sake considering he was going to a competition. (As a related note, I think Six O'clock News and 12 Bellevue are two of her best songs!) Back before Failer, which was released in 2003, Edwards recorded a six song EP entitled, Building 55 and pressed 500 copies. I had not heard of this disc until I was reading her Wikipedia page and I quickly sought out this previously unheard piece of music. This very limited disc must be a collectors item and I would like to own a physical copy, but a little searching on music blogs with the help of search engine, Captain Crawl (which as of a couple of days is not running), I was able to find Building 55. Not a bad first effort, her voice is more raw and gruff, but the sound quality and playing is passionate and inspiring. Most of the songs are exclusive to this release, except for track 7, which was re-recorded and re-titled Westby when it appeared on Failer 4 years later. I like the EP, it's not glossed over and slickly produced and this is a good introduction to her music. It's really more of interest for established fans that want to hear how she hasn't veered too far from her original vision or taken on any other identities or personas. Newbies should really start at Failer, Back to Me and Asking For Flowers, all outstanding albums. KATHLEEN EDWARDS Building 55 (1999)

1. Injustica
2. Nagasaki
3. 5 Years
4. Big Star
5. Wordgamething
6. Violin for Mom
7. Titled Untitled

note: Links are dead, contact me for the files.

Something New Mondays- The Wendy Darlings

I don't actually have the whole album, but I do have 3 tracks from an EP by a band called the Wendy Darlings from France. I sampled these songs from another blog and was so impressed and excited from what I heard, I had to share them here. I don't know much about the band other than they are a three-piece from France comprised of Saddam Suzy on guitar and vocals, Dr Poppy on bass and vocals and Dj Sepia on drums. The band decribes their sound as "naughty pop". They have a fresh twee-pop indie sound that's slightly lo-fi and definitely has traces of Bratmobile, Breeders and the Vaselines as influences. I love crunchy guitars and bouncey melodic songs that make you want to nod your head and hop up and down.

Their new EP, We Come With Friendly Purposes may be hard to find here in Canada and I haven't found any more downloads (yes, I'm even talking to you iTunes!), free or to buy, but it is available from Lost Music Records in the U.K. I would love to hear more and I would be interested to find out if they have any other previous releases. I looked at their MySpace page and just got confused, but if you want to hear more songs, have a listen on the pop-up music player on their MySpace.

Get Up
Eleasy
Enormous Pop

What A Spectacle! Elvis Costello Live At The El Mocambo

If you're an Elvis Costello fan, actually if you're a fan of GOOD music, make sure to tune in to Elvis's TV series debuting on Canadian TV this Friday April 3 on CTV (and on Bravo on the 4th), called Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... In this highly acclaimed show that has already played in the States last year on the Sundance network, Elvis talks to musicians (and other interesting guests) and conjures up eclectic performances and collaborations not seen anywhere. His amazing guest list includes; the Police, Elton John, Lou Reed, Smokey Robinson, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Jenny Lewis, James Taylor, President Bill Clinton among others. This show will be more than the usual Letterman-ish interview show, it will allow the musicians to share their love and passion about their own music and for the music they enjoy. This show looks so promising, not only will I attempt to watch this show weekly, I've already added this season series (when it's available on DVD and should include lots of bonus material) to my Christmas list. Stay tuned!

If you don't know who Elvis Costello is or don't have a reference point for his music, I suggest you look up his discography and start at the beginning with the 1977 classic, My Aim Is True, followed by This Years Model, Armed Forces and Get Happy!! His production through the 80's, 90's and 00's has been prolific with various musical style changes album to album. He has collaborated with everyone from Burt Bacharach, Brodsky Quartet, Bill Frisell, Allen Toussaint to Paul McCartney, Fall Out Boy and Jenny Lewis (from Rilo Kiley).

As a tribute to Elvis Costello, I'm posting an excellent example of early live Elvis with his legendary live album, Live At the El Mocambo. This oft bootlegged album was recorded in Toronto in 1978 and was first available as a Canadian promo album (yes, vinyl!!). It was later included in the "2 1/2 Years" boxset of his first 3 albums (this was the fourth disc in the set). In 1993, it was re-released in CD form by Rykodisc. This is Elvis at his finest, raw, edgy and unbelievably infectious! Enjoy!!

ELVIS COSTELLO
Live At the El Mocambo

1. Mystery Dance
   
2. Waiting for the End of the World
   
3. Welcome to the Working Week
   
4. Less Than Zero
   
5. The Beat
   
6. Lip Service
   
7. (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea
   
8. Little Triggers
   
9. Radio Radio
   
10. Lipstick Vogue
    
11. Watching the Detectives
    
12. Miracle Man/Band Introduction
    
13. You Belong to Me
    
14. Pump It Up

The above files may not be available. If you want a link to the complete show, leave a message in the comment section and I'll send it to you.

Before We Was Famous: Fountains Of Wayne (Pinnwheel)

If you are a fan of Fountains Of Wayne, you may have heard about this set of demos recorded by the band Pinnwheel, the same members that later went on to record as Fountains Of Wayne. These thirteen songs were recorded sometime in the late 80's or the early 90's. When these songs failed to generate interest, Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger split and formed separate bands only to later reunite and change their name to FOW and the rest is history. Four of the songs here would later be re-recorded and appear on later albums, another track, Cry One Tear was later recorded by Collingwood's side-project band, Gay Potatoes. That means eight of these songs have never been released and remain exclusive to this set. The sound on this collection is surprisingly polished and definitely has that FOW sound, it's not a bad set of songs except none of the them especially stand out. If you're a diehard fan, this is a must listen (at least for historic reasons), but if you're new to Fountains Of Wayne, start with their debut and work you're way forward.

PINNWHEEL (Pre-Fountains Of Wayne)
Pinnwheel Demos

1. Raise The River
2. Fading Fast
3. Some Girls Tell Lies
4. Loveland
5. Bluer Than Blue
6. Silvertown
7. Holland Street
8. Troubled Times
9. I Knew You Well
10. Slave To Your Misery
11. Cry One Tear
12. Imperia
13. Half A Woman

I have also uploaded the whole file in .rar format, you have the option of downloading the individual files or the complete file.
Download: Pinnwheel. rar

Note: I have recently re-upped the files since I was informed the links don't work...try it now. (March 10, 2012)

Neko Case- Live At The Triple Door

Here's a fine sounding recording from January 25th at the Triple Door in Seattle from a webcast broadcast by KEXP-FM. This was a special VIP donor concert that was invite only and though her performance is short, it's an intimate acoustic affair that features just Case, vocalist Kelly Hogan and guitarist Paul Rigby. Normally it's difficult to come across Neko Case live recordings (she doesn't often approve of concert taping), but radio broadcasts are public domain and this show is also available in FLAC (uncompressed) format at archive.org in the open source audio section. This a great site for concert recordings (from bands/musicians that encourage distributing/trading their shows) and other "universal access to human knowledge". This site, archive.org is highly recommended and you can literally spend hours listening, watching and reading.

NEKO CASE
Triple Door, Seattle , WA
KEXP-FM webcast
January 25, 2009

1. Intro
2. Middle Cyclone
3. People Gotta Lotta Nerve
4. Don't Forget Me
5. I'm an Animal
6. Hold On, Hold On
7. chat (broken guitar string)
8. Vengeance Is Sleeping
9. The Next Time You Say "Forever"
10. That Teenage Feeling

Before We Was Famous: THE REFRESHMENTS- Wheelie

The other day I was thinking about starting another music blog where I would upload and share CD's/tapes/albums from artists that have gone on to successful careers. This blog would include demos, independent and hard to find releases (I've found on the world wide web or from my own collection) that might not be their most cohesive or flattering moments, but nevertheless interesting and a foreshadowing of what was to come. I've already done this with past postings from the Dead Milkmen, Young Fresh Fellows, Plumtree, Ben Kweller and the Electrocutes. I thought another blog would keep that theme separate and a nice complement to this site. Then it struck me, who was I kidding... I can hardly keep this blog updated and then I would have 3 (counting my other blog, Sick Puppy) stagnant properties taking up space on the WWW. So bare with me as I present yet another regular feature on TADIT, "Before We Was Famous".

Just the other day I was looking through a pile of CD's (in my son's room that he "borrowed") and came upon a much loved and much played disc I had almost lost track of, the Refreshments, Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy. This CD along with their other official release, The Bottle & Fresh Horses, are underrated classics that have all the hallmarks of great albums; catchy melodies, humour and memorable songs. Years ago I heard there was a pre-Fuzzy disc called, Wheelie which was their true debut and was sold at shows. Reports of it's rarity are varied depending on who you talk to. I've heard there was 500-2000 copies floating around, but according to Refreshment's bassist Art Edwards he believes there are no more than 5500 copies in existence. Supposeably it's fetching big bucks on eBay, but thanks to the web I found a mp3 version of the CD and it is well worth the download. The songs on Wheelie were later reworked for Fizzy and sound slightly different, with the exception of the track, Psychosis which is exclusive to this release. The song B.O.B.A is an acronym for, "Buffett on bad acid" and was re-named Mexico when it re-recorded for Fizzy... If you miss the Refreshments as much as I do, check out Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers!

REFRESHMENTS
Wheelie (1994)
1. Banditos
2. European Swallow
3. Suckerpunch
4. Don't Wanna Know
5. Mekong
6. Girly
7. B.O.B.A.
8. Down Together
9. Psychosis
10. Carefree
11. Nada