I am always envious of those who live near big venues because often a long travel can be a deterrent from seeing a concert. What I seem to forget is that I do live near an excellent venue that I should appreciate. The NYCB Theater at Westbury, which is a quick five-minute drive from my house, is one of the premier concert venues in Long Island, and while it may not attract The Rolling Stones (it does only accommodate 3,000), it does bring in its fair share of great artists – two of whom I went to see this weekend.
At face, Don McLean and Burton Cummings seem like an odd concert pairing. One made his contribution as a laid-back American singer-songwriter whose iconic hit “American Pie” will forever be recognized as one of the most influential songs of the 20th century. This of course is Don McLean. Cummings, on the other hand, is a vivacious Canadian piano player with a powerful croon and flute-playing skill. He and his band The Guess Who, during the years of 1965-1975, were not only one of the most productive bands in Canada, but also were one of the hardest working acts in all of rock music. They released several hits like “These Eyes,” “Undun,” and, of course, “American Woman.”
So when my brother, father, and I arrived to Westbury we were ready for a rocking “American” night that would feature two rock classics. That is exactly what we received.
Bye Bye Ms. American Thumb
Westbury has a habit of saying concerts are going to begin at 8 p.m. and then not starting them until 8:30 p.m. Yes, this happens at other arenas too, but Westbury’s tardiness is constant. This is not a problem. They clearly want guests to spend as much time buying drinks in the lobby area as possible. I can’t blame them. Prior to the concert on Saturday, we thought we obviated the need to arrive at the venue 30 minutes early. If we strolled in at 8 p.m. – and watched as much of the exciting Saints vs. 49ers game as possible, we would be none the worse for wear. Yes, we certainly were going to outwit the theater.
The concert started promptly at 8 p.m. We had to scurry to our seats in the dark and be “those idiots” who stroll in late and now obstruct the vision of everyone in the section. Luckily, we had end seats so we were able to just sit down and begin to enjoy Don McLean, who came on first with a small band. He wore jeans and a puffy blue button-down. His hair is still there, and, more importantly, so is his voice.
McLean seemed like he was enjoying himself on stage – a consummate troubadour always likes to tell stories. His acoustic was well-played, despite some sound problems which made the low-end a little choppy and clunky. Unfortunately, he didn’t play “Vincent,” my favorite song by him. He did play “And I Love You So,” which is one of the more popular tracks off of his debut 1970 album Tapestry (Carole King’s Tapestry was released in 1971 – by the way). He also played his cover of Roy Orbison’s “Crying” which, in my opinion, is one of the only covers that does the original any justice. Do keep in mind Orbison has an operatic voice and the end of the song is like the climax of “Unchained Melody” – untouchable for most singers.
Why does McLean’s version work so well? McLean is a rockabilly throwback who mixes this style of music with 60’s rock n’ roll (he actually said this during the concert). His voice is tinged with Orbison-like rockabilly and tenderness.
Of course, McLean ended the concert with “American Pie” and wow it itself was worth the price of admission. Everyone in the crowd seemed to know every word and we were singing with McLean, who knew it. He encouraged everyone to sing along – even repeating the first verse after getting a standing ovation when everyone thought the song was over. Now I can tell everyone I saw McLean perform “American Pie” live. Awesome.
After a short intermission, Burton Cummings was introduced with his band, and he came out ready to rock. Cummings was upbeat, energetic, excited, fill in the adjective. His voice is supreme. It has an edge that can be adjusted for blues and it has a soft side for softer songs. Let me premise this by saying it was an absolute pleasure to share a night of music with such a legendary musician – who not enough people know about.
And that’s the thing. He, with the Guess Who, wrote songs like “No Time,” “Undun,” “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” “Hand me Down World,” “American Woman,” fill-in the song. He co-wrote several hits with Randy Bachman, who later formed BTO. Cummings was the lifeblood of The Guess Who and is one of the best musicians from Canada, ever. That is a bold, declarative statement – but I truly believe it. (Wondering What John Phillips of Is It Possible to See It All thinks of that).
Cummings trucked through favorites and chatted with the crowd expressing his gratitude and strong dislike for the band that is currently touring as the Guess Who right now – which is justified as he truly is the band. His supporting band was strong and fun. It truly made for an exciting night. A night that was capped by an awesome performance of “American Woman.”
Andrew Sheron is a multi-instrumentalist from Brooklyn, NY who refuses to be bogged down by genre constraints. What do I mean? Sheron’s nine-song debut release Travelling Time which he released with his band Everyman of Parts is an excellent example of musical diversity. I cannot label it because each song has its own distinctive flavoring. The album is like a layered dip – you scoop the concoction up with a chip and, is that guacomole?
Travelling Time, which can be streamed in full for free on Everyman of Parts’ bandcamp (click Travelling Time), features a wide gamut of influences. We move from conventional folk to funk to alternative metal to classic rock to jazzy piano. When an artist attempts to tackle so many influences in nine songs the result is usually disastrous, but Sheron and his band delicately interweave these influences back-to-back so listeners are able to follow along and enjoy the music.
The best way to review an album like this is to just get to the music. The curious bunch has already clicked on the link above and are listening to some of the songs. If you haven’t, no worries, I am going to highlight a few tracks from the album that I am enjoying on my first listen.
Before I get to this, some long-time readers of the Music Court may recognize the last name Sheron. You are not losing your mind. He is related to Daniel Sheron of Balto who we featured way back in April of 2011 (okay not really way back). You can read that post here.
Now let’s move on with the show.
We are starting with an upbeat tune called “Display Case” that infuses indie sensibilities with pure funk. I think the funky, skillful guitar is well done by Sheron. The piano, which is also played by him, carries this 60’s Hammond organ theme that I not only enjoy, but also respect. I love tangible hearing classic rock influences in modern music. The backing horns in the culminating choruses are excellent – credit to Joseph Peterson – Trombone and Marc Plotkin – Alto Saxophone as well as the horn arrangers Anne H. Goldberg and Sheron himself. This is a treat.
“Are you Cold” begins with a simple Cat Stevens’-like acoustic guitar riff. This song features Sheron’s voice which is smooth, tender, and emotional. He is clear and concise. The lyrics are able to shine through and gems like the lyric, “I wonder if she’s beautiful to me because she’s frail, and if under her distrust and pain I’ll find my holy grail,” shine. The song rises with strings and bravo to Christopher Marion – Strings & String Arrangements – the strings are perfect, especially the end. The harmony that creeps into the song before Andrew Sheron’s awesome falsetto is wonderful. The song is itself a beautiful portrayal of insecurity.
I am bouncing between tracks. This is track three on the album and, wow, a bit of a difference right. This was what I labeled alternative metal. It seriously sounds like Rage Against the Machine. And it is so unexpected. The grunginess in the vocal is actually well done. There is an interesting harmony that meshes well with the highlighted blues. There is also a wall of sound effect that the heavy guitar and drums (excellent in every song – kudos to Alex Raderman) fosters.
The last song on the album, “The End of the Rope” is my favorite. There is an obvious soberness to the sound but that does not mean that the song is downright lachrymose and depressing. No. I feel that it is more just an introduction to the neat jazzy part that you are about to experience. Wait for it. Yes, there is the piano. Sheron is a great musician. This airy solo features so many influences. There is an element of bassy grunge, acoustic folk, jazzy piano, and vocal honest. It is a perfect close to an excellent debut release.
Hey everyone. I’m going back to the UK for some moody electronic music. I’m not going to say much in order to sound depressing. Only just that I love dark wet lukewarm winters.
Burial released his award winning album Untrue in 2007 – his second full length album. He himself actually remained anonymous until 2008. He revealed his identity in order to accept his award and stated that he just wants to remain a low key music producer.
People say that he redefined dubstep. His music has elements of 2-step, ambient, and house. If you think you are about to hear dirty wobbles then please leave. Or stay. This is much better than any wobbles could ever be.
“Archangel” begins with one of the coolest beats out there. You try to wrap your mind around it, but you cannot comprehend what is going on. The vocal samples are cutup in such a manner that it sounds like you listening to a ghostly love-story. The way the pitches of the samples are altered create a mock-melody which when supported by the violin-synths creates a rather atmospheric experience.
The music is technically dance, so yes it does drag out with a repetitive beat, but don’t let that distract you from the small changes going on. The general feeling is what counts. The burning crisp in the background, changes in frequency, as well as changes in the vocal samples all make for the effect as if the song was angry and therefore ending in a moody upset sort of way.
“Ghost Hardware” is one of the dreamiest dubstep songs out there. An ambient synth and female vocal samples introduce the beat. The beat again is unmatchable and this time random noises are included. My favorites are the bullet casings falling to the ground and the sound of the tape being ejected. The different vocal samples are what really shine here. He picked the perfect samples to make those important builds and then relieves them with the suddenness or the “Love you” sample. A very circular experience. Wait for the random Brittish man to speak towards the end because it signifies a pretty nice stall. All I can picture is floating in a dark tide.
Listen to this song while driving on a rainy night. Only then will you truly be able to appreciate this song as well as all of Burial’s music. Such complex music is far above any sort of simple wobbles and don’t be upset if you don’t understand it. You probably just don’t have the proper range of emotions.
And if you choose to challenge that then maybe listen to the song below entitled “Ego”. It’s actually a collaboration between Burial, Thom Yorke, and Four Tet and slightly more on the house side. Regardless, this song is how I got my superior sense of emotions and moodiness.
Yesterday’s video from the “Tribute to George” got me thinking. What are among the best “supergroup” concert performances. A supergroup is the combination of a whole bunch of talented musicians. I have said this on many occasions, but the number one performance by a supergroup has got to be the one-night two-song performance by the Dirty Mac, a band put together by John Lennon for the The Rolling Stone TV special entitled “The Rolling Stones Rock N’ Roll Circus.”
Never heard of the show? The footage of the December 11 concert/show was not released until 1996. The Rolling Stones were upstaged by the Who and were never too happy about that.
The year was 1968. The crowd was adorned in yellow ponchos and colorful hats. John Lennon was there (without the Beatles – but with Yoko) and, for the first time without the Beatles – he performed. His accompanying musicians.
Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell. They performed two songs. The first was a version of the Lennon penned blues hit off the White Album, “Yer Blues.” The second was a weird track called “Whole Lotta Yoko” which featured free-form improv and Yoko’s voice. Don’t worry, I’m not posting that video.
John Lennon. Eric Clapton. Keith Richards. Mitch Mitchell. Sigh. If they only would have recorded an album. The Dirty Mac (a play on Fleetwood Mac’s name) is often forgotten, but this one song is better than what most bands ever accomplish.
I just blew the dust off of the Music News category. It had developed a lot of dust, like an unread book on a mahogany bookshelf in an abandoned house. Okay. It wasn’t tangible dust, but, I really haven’t written a post about music news in a while. That stands to change on this Monday, where I do have some pieces of news to share with you all. Let’s jump right into it.
New McCartney Album:
There is so much talent in this image it's almost unhealthy. From left, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, George Martin, Paul McCartney, and Phil Collins.
Only two men in the image above are needed for this post. But, goodness, that picture was too good not to post on the blog. Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton are the two men we are talking about though.
On Feb. 7, McCartney will release his first studio album since 2007. The album, Kisses on the Bottom, is his follow-up to Memory Almost Full (which was a great album in my opinion). The album features McCartney in a more intimate, jazzy setting. Unlike Memory Almost Full which was mostly a pop album. The track listing was released and there are some reinterpretations of well-known song. Here is the track list:
01. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
02. Home (When Shadows Fall)
03. It’s Only A Paper Moon
04. More I Cannot Wish You
05. The Glory Of Love
06. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me)
07. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive 08. My Valentine
09. Always
10. My Very Good Friend The Milkman
11. Bye Bye Blackbird
12. Get Yourself Another Fool
13. The Inch Worm
14. Only Our Hearts
15. Baby’s Request (Deluxe Edition)
16. My One And Only Love (Deluxe Edition)
Why is “My Valentine” bolded? Why was Eric Clapton even mentioned? Well on this new album Eric Clapton plays acoustic guitar on “My Valentine.” So what? Click on this – some footage from one of the best concerts of the 2000s.
When Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney get together good music is inevitably created. This is no different with “My Valentine” off of McCartney’s new album. Take a listen.
Eric Clapton has a style of acoustic guitar playing. It can be described as blues perfection, I guess. It is pretty near perfect. You just know it is him when you hear his flawless stylings. This song is, well, beautiful. Wow, what a surprise! Combine Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney, writers of some of the best rock love songs of the rock era, and you get something beautiful, jazzy, melodic, emotional but seemingly effortless. Clapton’s solo at the 2-minute mark is just wonderful. And McCartney’s voice is tremendous. Great release.
I hate reading news items like this. Black Sabbath’s guitarist Tony Iommi, 63, was diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma, according to a statement on the band’s website. This comes on the heels of the announcement that the band’s original members will be writing and recording for the first time in 33 years. Just awful timing. The band is moving from Los Angeles to London in order to work with Iommi while he undergoes treatment.
We wish him all the best and hopefully he gets better soon. To sponsor a quick recovery, here is “Paranoid”
The Music Court 