stil words. a fractured smile. - stilpix

2014 Music, Moods & Moments

Wed, 24 Dec 2014 1:43:13 +0100

2014 Music, Moods & Moments

I'm lucky. I get to take photographs at music shows. The 'downside' (not really) to attending gigs is that I invariably buy some merchandise. Did I really need the Marissa Sandler tote bag? If shooting gigs was the only career move I'd be in a state of perpetual checkmate. Small venues are just as interesting as large ones even allowing for the more difficult lighting conditions. Live shooting is about mood and feeling as much as anything else. There were some really memorable shows in 2014. I collected some thoughts and memories from the stand out shows I attended last year.

A Lazarus Soul at The Grand Social

The ALS show at The Grand Social on 7th November, a launch for 'The Last of the Analogue Age' album, was certainly one of the top shows of the year. There are a multitude of reasons why is was such a great evening but here are some of the moments that made it special for me.

the circling, sweeping movements of Joe Chester's guitar as it summons the lo-fi distorted anguished muttered prayers of a nest of bees into the room during the opening song 'Midday Class'. It might be Luke Kelly playing with Sonic Youth.
the raised smiles as Brian Brannigan croons the words 'Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate ' as the intro to 'We Know Where You Live'. A lovely nod to the influence that is The Smiths. A Charming Man indeed.
the hushed room for the sadness and loss that drips from the lyrics in 'Last Seen'. A song to file with 'Suffer Little Children' by The Smiths or "Casimir Pulaski Day' by Sufjan Stevens. Yes, it is that good.
the live version of 'We Start Fires', minus the slightly alien vocals, shone brilliantly, proclaiming what a great song it is. The line 'we're a river flowing backwards, flowing backwards to the source' might well apply to the subject matter of the band's current album, "Last of the Analogue Age.' A collection of songs that revisit childhood and early adulthood. Other songs cast an observational eye on those less fortunate in Irish society and tell these important personal stories.
the song 'Mercury Hit A High', well, for just being one of the best pop tracks of 2014. A first-rate love song embracing longing, commitment, the acknowledgement of loss/generosity and pure joy.
The short support set performed by Brian Mooney who played with Dublin band, The Idiots. A songwriter new to me but the songs had an immediate resonance.

Mercury Hit A High

Further images from the Grand Social show are here

Last of the Analogue Age available here

Adrian Crowley at The Workmans Club

This DolittlePresents show on 12th December was blessed with two of Ireland's most interesting singer/songwriters, Adrian Crowley and Katie Kim. It was an intimate show performed at The Workmans Club, right on the banks of the Liffey. Crowley was joined on stage at various times by a number of musicians including Mary Barnecutt on cello and members of Seti The First (my favourite band named after an Egyptian Pharaoh). Katie Kim was most often called to the stage, not surprising since she performs vocals/backing vocals on six songs on Crowely's most recent album 'Some Blue Morning'.

Kim herself provided support, playing a haunting set of songs before Crowley took to the stage. The simple guitar lines and her distinctive voice created an otherworldly atmosphere. She uses pedals and loops so effectively to create rise and fall in her performance. The songs from 2012's 'Cover & Flood' sounded much fuller and darker.

Crowley himself was in fine form and something of a stage-master beckoning various musicians to and from the stage throughout the night. Crowley has released six albums prior to the 'Some Blue Morning' set of songs. Award nominations and wins have set him apart from his peers ('Season of the Sparks' won the Choice Music Award, Album of the Year, in 2009). His work has been described as reminiscent of Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Scott Walker. I liken him to a rural Lou Reed. He's not waiting for his man, moreso wating for his Magpie. Reed, the story/song teller, saw the beauty and horror in an urban environment. Crowley sees something similar in the pastoral. For instance the introduction for the 'The Magpie Song" comically tells the story of the song's genesis.In short a family holiday in France falls under the influence of a increasingly malevolent magpie, the bird cutely entertaining at first but by holidays' end a dive bombing attacker requiring constant vigilance. This story dovetailed beautifully into the performance of the song. I was reminded of Hitchcock's 'The Birds" and my own experience as a child when a magpie was frantic in it's attempts to get through my half-open bedroom window at six thirty in the morning. My magpie was manically drawn to the jaunty, tinkling notes of 'O'Donnell Abu' (on my always-on radio), the identification signal for the national radio station (RTE). One for sorrow, nah, all for sorrow, those magpies. In Crowley's song the Magpie holds the final cards and ominously calls the narrator's name before he drifts off to sleep. Katie Kims backing vocals sounded magnificent, her spirit like 'Ooo Ooo Ooo' calls adding a twist of doom until the song's end.

The most audacious song on the album is 'The Wild Boar', a spoken word story coming in at 7 min. 46 sec. Once again the back story introduction by Crowley just made the performance better. The piece is a attention grabbing slice of sound-noir. Someone will make a fine black and white short movie of this, full of atmosphere, stars, trees, broken glass, freezing breath and a resurrecting boar.

Other stand out songs from the set included 'From Champions Avenue to Misery Hill', 'The Hungry Grass', 'The Hatchet Song' and 'Red River Maples'. The crowd's attention was impeccable, bucking the increasing trend in Dublin of chatter and noise during performances. In fact it was so quiet I had to time my shooting to those moments of applause and between song banter. What was the best part then? 'Golden Palominos', the last song on the album was exquisite. There was a squeal of delight from the crowd as Katie Kim confirmed that someone had whispered the song title to her as she wended her way back on stage. So the show ended perfectly with Adrian Crowley and Katie Kim telling us about those golden palominos galloping away.......galloping away.

More images from The Workmans Show here

Further Information on Chemikal Underground Records

Online purchase

Mary Barnecutt on cello, Adrian Crowley at front of stage

Lucius at Whelanslive

Lucius returned to Ireland in October (25th) to play at Whelans, the little beauts. One of the hardest working bands around, the indie/soul/pop quintet raised rafters and caused other minor contruction damage to the hallowed music hall in Wexford Street. I wrote about the band's previous show in The Workmans Club here. What a difference six months made since that show. That April show well received but the atmosphere at Whelans was that thing that powers your toaster. The months of touring the 'Wildewoman' album meant that the band was as tight as a pair of seventies football shorts. In that six month interval the audience number increased by a log factor or two. The gig was packed with great moments; the extreme percussion from lead singers Holly and Jess, the duet at the old school microphone,the audience going bonkers, the unplugged songs in the middle of the crowd as a finale. The greatest moment for me was the fleeting glance between Holly and Jess as the crowd bellowed out lyrics. The girls shook their heads and between laughs turned to the crowd, "How do you know the words?", they asked incredulously. The crowd just continued singing. After the show my mate, with some consideration, said it was one of the best interactions he had witnessed in Whelans and he's been going there for twenty five years. We' ll leave it there so.

My Brightest Diamond at The Workmans Club

Suppose you had a large filing cabinet, five drawers, only one will open at a time. Let's pretend your boss has asked you to file away My Brightest Diamond, you know, tidy up the place a bit. So you pick up Shara Worden (she is the main force behind My Brightest Diamond) and file her in the drawer marked 'Pop' and slam it shut. Instantly the drawer marked 'Indie Rock' pops open and Shara's head shoots out. Slam that drawer and the one marked 'Folk' opens, face smiling up at you. The drawer marked 'Opera' might also fly open. She is like that, a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist that plays a mean musical hopskotch. Worden is on Sufjan Steven's label, Asthmatic Kitty Records and has released four studio albums. She came on stage in colorful regalia, clothes handmade that afternoon in the Workmans. Her drummer was also suitably attired for the Halloween date of the show. You might get an idea here.

Primarily the song set focussed on 2014's 'This Is My Hand' but songs from previous albums were included (non-standard tuning of songs was Worden's reason for the omission of certain tracks). Worden started the show by showering the crowd with rainbow umbrella candies and little glittering gifts. For the next hour she performed on a number of instruments. At times she reminded me of Doris Day, other times PJ Harvey. Worden has an exceptional voice (I later learned she is a classically trained in vocal performance). On one song I could have been listening to 'Ari Up' of The Slits, all choppy guitar and 'Typical Girl' intonations. Standout songs included 'Apples' (from 2008's 'A Thousand Sharks Teeth' album) and 'High, Low, Middle' (from 2011's 'All Things Will Unwind' work). Without doubt, for me, there were two show highlights: the heart stoppingly good cover of Dr. Simone's 'Feeling Good', the best I've ever heard, and the achingly gorgeous 'I Have Never Loved Someone' (2011 album above). The latter song was written for and dedicated to her son Constantine. His absence made the song even more effecting. My Brightest Diamond made, at times, a loud and raucous sound (just Worden and her drummer Tim on stage) but at all times Worden's vocals and playing were superb in an unexpectedly entertaining show that unquestionably merits attendance at a future performance.

Finding Fela

Sun, 14 Sep 2014 3:10:58 +0200

Finding Fela. A movie by Alex Gibney.

Irish Movie Premiere, The Sugar Club, Dublin, 06.09.14

Dublin Afrobeat Ensemble played a full set of Fela Kuti songs as part of the post movie premiere party. More images in the Finding Fela Dublin Afrobeat Gallery.

The extraordinary life and times of Fela Anikulapo Kuti is the subject of a documentary movie (an’ afrobeatumentary’ if you will, no?) by acclaimed director Alex Gibney. Previous work from Gibney includes 'Taxi To The Darkside' and 'Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room'. So it is with some serous movie muscles that Gibney and Co. try to tackle the infuriating, controversial, brave and brilliant bandleader that was Kuti. Any attempt to capture the life of the Nigerian originator must be like restraining an octopus in a string bag. He came from a privileged background yet somehow ended up under arrest over two hundred times, had his skull fractured in an army raid and lost his mother through a similarly vicious attack. His siblings became serious figures in the field of medicine in Nigeria and the World Health Organisation. Kuti had a Christian upbringing and attended elite schools. His life could have been one of extreme ease had he stepped in time with those in power. He, however, marched to the beat of a different drum. Tony Allen’s drum to be precise (a man often credited with playing the crucial role in the birth of the Afrobeat music genre).

There is a good run through of Fela Kuti’s life on the movie website linked above.

The movie is essentially a curation of available Kuti footage interspersed with talking heads’ thoughts on the music man/revolutionary and self styled “Black President”. Some interesting people appear to give their reminiscences on Kuti’s music and personality. Paul McCartney visited Lagos in 1972 and recalls that Kuti’s band was the best he had ever seen playing live, “When Kuti and his band eventually began to play I couldn’t stop weeping with joy”. Rikki Stein, a manager and friend of Kuti’s also adds some interesting details about the careering modus operandi of his infuriating client. Kuti made some controversial remarks about women and homosexuality. I suspect he knew full well that such opinions would translate into column space in the music press and beyond. He had, after all, lived in Los Angeles and studied music in London so he must have had an inkling that his utterances were like a red flag to the Western liberal bulls. Other family members appear on screen and somewhat humourously tell of Kuti repeating a number of years at school and of being a dunce. Gibney’s movie does it’s best to cover the good, the bad and the ugly in the story telling. Very early on in the film there is a jarring piece of footage from Nigeria’s civil war in the 1960s. The graphic nature let’s us know that the story about to unfold will not be a lamentation on a duff third album by some cocaine addled West Coast rawk band. No, the audience is immediately aware that the Kuti story will bring violence and very real suffering. Kuti set up a commune to live and gathered around him a whole host of people to keep it running. The movie mentions his generosity in giving people jobs in his entourage. In one interview, Tony Allen, incredulously shakes his head at the 70 strong touring group that Kuti assembled, ”Seventy fucking people!” This type of devil-may-care thinking and the always available self-destruct button caused Kuti to miss out on some real opportunities it seems. A deal with Motown Records failed because of Kuti’s apparent unstinting belief in his spiritual guide, a dubious Professor Hindu. Procrastination while waiting for spirits to send over their approval meant that the Motown deal fell through. Kuti also allegedly turned down the chance to guest on McCartney’s/Wings “Band On The Run” album. The movie catalogues the series of assaults on the Kuti commune (one leading to the death of his mother), the multiple arrests and beatings and Kuti’s eventual death from an AIDS related condition. Kuti’s life was one of a truly courageous fight against colonialism, corruption and attacking the status quo in his country, using his Afrobeat musical hybrid as a medium for scathing social commentary . It would have been nice to hear the thoughts of some of the army generals and politicians involved at the time and to ascertain just how dangerous the Kuti songs and attitude were perceived by those in power.

Fela Kuti took the middle name ‘Anikulapo’. The word means ‘he who has death in his pouch’, suggesting that the Grim Reaper was under control. Ironically the possibility of death was always close at hand for Kuti. The movie is a welcome addition to the Kuti story and will surely drive further interest in the back catalogue of the musical visionary.

Brooklyn, New York

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 1:01:19 +0200

Brooklyn Bridges-Music from New York

The New York borough of Brooklyn was brought to my attention over the last week. I hadn’t anticipated that such a famous neighbourhood would come into my reckoning but that’s one of the beauties of music. The vagaries of European tour schedules brought two bands to these shores that have a Brooklyn base. On Saturday, 13th April, I watched San Fermin, perform their off beat songs to a very welcoming crowd in Whelans. Six days later, on the 19th April, a completely different band, Lucius, engaged us with their own brand of indie pop rock (the band’s own description) at The Workman’s Club.

The songs produced thus far by Lucius are classic pop songs. I have read articles where the band are somewhat damned by being ‘over-stylised’ (whatever that is). There is perhaps a valid accusation when a band has built the style without substance. However this quintet has a fine collection of songs that are full to the gills with melody and harmony. A lyrical skill is also in evidence. My favourite song from the debut Wildewoman album is Tempest, containing the lyrics

Temper into tempest
Washes off the madness

As good a use of seven words I’ve come across in a long time. I’ve added the lyrics below

We are two ships passing
How long will this last
We haven't had the time to work it out

Sitting in the backseat
Who knows where our paths meet
You keep shouting "we gotta work it out"

You gotta believe me when I say I know
(Gotta work it out)
You aren't riding on this wave alone
(Gotta work it out)
Gotta believe me when I say I know
(Gotta work it out)
I already know, I know, I know, I know

Yell all that you want to
We'll yell it right back to you
Back and forth until we tire out

Temper into tempest
Washes off the madness
We're still left with figuring shit out

The seeds of what you say all beg for reason
Plant them deep so we can disregard them
Just get out of your pretty little head
I'm just waking up to get back into bed
The seeds of what you say all beg for reason
Plant them deeply so we can release them
Listening to every word you say
You're just waking up to get back into bed

You aren't riding on this wave alone
You aren't riding on this wave alone
You aren't riding on this wave alone
I already know, I know, I know, I know
You gotta believe me when I say I know
I already know, I know, I know, I know
Alright
I already know, I know, I know, I know

Tempest by Holly Laessig, Jess Wolfe, Dan Molad Copyright

The song writing is credited to Holly and Jess (with two tracks on Wildewoman co-crediting Dan Molad).

The live performance at The Workman's Club is a percussive work out of the Wildewoman album with a couple of surprising gems to start and end the set. Initially the three male band members, dressed not unlike stripey tee shirted baddies from a Buster Keaton movie, amble on stage to get the music going. After a little crowd banter and the passing round of set lists (see below), Holly and Jess gingerly enter stage right and make their way to the twin keyboard altar in front of the audience. Both are dressed identically, Guinness style, black dresses and blond bobcuts. They kick off the set with a cover of The Fab Four's Free As A Bird. What follows is a litany of great harmonies, ear-worming melodies and fantastic stage presence. I wasn't prepared for the percussive element. All members of the band seemed to have access to drum sticks at some point or another. The sticks were used to great effect, adding another dimension to the sound realised on the album. Stand out moments included Tempest and How Loud Your Heart Gets. The latter song is punctuated by an Explosions In The Sky style cosmic guitar interlude ('Awesome' Holly praises the guitarists as the song veers back onto the correct side of Melody Road). To be honest every track was hugely enjoyable to these velcro ears. The band wrap up the set with a notably raucous version of Genevieve. The band weren't finished however. The five members returned to perform in the middle of the crowd. They sang without microphones amid a close knit audience, performing Two Of Us On The Run and finishing with Goodbye (written by Paul McCartney and a hit for Mary Hopkins). The band stayed on after the show to pose for photographs and sign merchandise. All this after a gruelling tour schedule and two performances on the day in question. Some bands work hard and are to be commended, others work harder and produce the song quality. These bands are to be cherished. Lucius brought much from Brooklyn to our small city. Cracking tunes, real stage presence, great playing and a drive and style that is well aware of the business side. More power to them. I'd love to see the band play here with a decent lighting set up. Here's hoping I get that chance....and soon.

More Lucius at The Workman's Club images here

/lucius-at-the-workmans-club

Lucius links
http://www.ilovelucius.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ilovelucius