Track 4 on the Weepies’ new album Be My Thrillsings that “I Was Made For Sunny Days.” According to the popular comedy show, it is always sunny in Philadelphia. That is where my friend Anthony and I will be traveling to see The Weepies perform tomorrow night at the World Cafe Live. And, such a coincidence can only be a fantastic omen for a night of chill songs that highlight a melodic blend of pop and folk music.
If you have never checked out the Weepies before I suggest you find them on Youtube and listen to some of their music. Or, better yet, I will embed a song below. The reason I initially got into this band was because their music stuck. It is innocuous, yes, but like the common cold (which I am currently suffering from) it is so damn catchy, or, better yet, infectious. Ever since becoming a pair, Deb Talan and Steve Tannen have created harmonious music. Their smooth voices effortlessly jump between somber and effervescent pieces.
The Weepies’ music is also marketable. It has been featured on several television shows, including Scrubs (where I first heard the Weepies), Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, How I Met Your Mother, etc. “Can’t Go Back Now,” which I will include below, was included in a campaign ad for now President Barack Obama (and it obviously was the sole reason he was elected to office).
Be My Thrill was released in August and has been seen as a success. Some songs even feature slight experimentation. The Weepies, though, are best in their niche, which they have mastered. Soft folk/pop is alive and well in their shows and as they continue on their first tour in four years, we will be meeting up with them to celebrate their great music.
Some bands just know how to have a good time on stage. They smile and laugh as they play their songs with passion and ease. They interact with the crowd, but, not excessively. “That would make listeners feel uncomfortable,” said my girlfriend Rebecca, who accompanied me to the show last night. Oh, and lest we not forget, some bands are composed of fantastic musicians who create compositions that can brighten a crowd and keep them in a state of euphoric joint singing for a solid two hours.
Last night, I went up to Ithaca and saw one of those bands. And, if there was one pervasive comment that was shared among those who attended the concert, it was most certainly one consistent with the conversation I had with my brother and his friends driving back to my brother’s Cornell dormitory after the show. Guster is awesome!
The State Theater is an intimate venue that served originally as a movie palace. Gothic and Renaissance architecture inspires the lavish interior adorned with medieval crests and a ceiling of constellations. It is somewhat dreamy, mystical even. It also provides solid acoustics. It was my first time at this venue. Our group ended up sitting in the balcony. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house. The stage is spacious and the members of Guster took advantage of the room, moving around freely while they played their hits.
The perennial college band that is Guster plays music that infuses a mix of fast-paced folk/pop with some unconventional inspirations, including a bongo set manned by the awesomely talented “Thundergod” Brian Rosenworcel. Guster can just as easily hit you with a wall of sound and make you want to get out of your seat and hop around, than it can sit you down with a slow bridge or song opening. The harmonies that Adam Gardner and Ryan Miller employ are fantastic. Here is the best way I can describe Guster. In any college you will run into several bands trying to do what Guster has done. But, creative, diverse, harmony-focused music is not as easy as Guster makes it seem on stage. So, these bands fizzle out and the lead singer/songwriter becomes a worried graduating senior (wait, are we still talking about Guster). Anyway, Guster never vanished. They are the constant in a countless field of evanescent college bands. Guster, though, has certainly transcended college. Most of their original fan base has probably settled down with kids. Guster certainly still attracts mostly college listeners, but, people do grow up and continue listening to music. Since they started in the early 90’s, the members of Guster have matured musically and this was evident yesterday night.
Picture I took at the Guster Concert Last Night.
How about we get to the concert. First, the opening act was awesome. I will be doing a profile on them in the upcoming future…so, as to not spoil it, I will not be talking about the opening act.
Guster opened up with the lyrics, “woke up today.” Crafty, Guster. “What You Wish For,” the classic Guster hit was followed by track four on the newly released album Easy Wonderful. “This Could All Be Yours,” is possibly the best song on the new album. Here, listen to it below.
The song is like new classic Guster. The bongos come back and we get harmony and elongated stretches of melodic noise. The lyrics are upbeat and the message is perfect. Keep making music like this Guster. The song is clean and mature. But, the rhythm is Guster of 8-10 years ago. It just works.
The concert continued with a few Guster favorites with a song off their new album mixed in. The crowds reaction when the opening chord and keyboard riff for “Satellite” was struck was just awesome. You could tell Ryan was having an awesome time (even though he and Adam were struck with a virus that they stated would hamper their performance, asking for crowd help singing on many songs. A clever ploy to get people singing your songs, I see. Seriously though, by the end of the show they looked exhausted. Well, Ryan did jump into the crowd during the encore. Well, I am getting ahead of myself aren’t I).
Perhaps the best one-two punch came next with songs eight and nine. “Come Downstairs and Say Hello” was welcomed by the arrival of Ryan’s instrument being slowly let down from the heavens. Seriously, it was lowered from the scaffolding. Anyway, it was perhaps Guster’s best song of the night. The slow beginning erupts into a fast-paced, energetic piece. Here is a great version:
The song was followed by “One Man Wrecking Machine,” the chorus of which is fantastically catchy. It was aided by the entire theater singing it right back at the band. I was impressed with how many people in the audience knew every word of every song. The rest of the set included a variety of old and new material. Guster did play “Demons” and “Barrel of a Gun,” easily the two biggest fan favorites of the show.
I was most impressed by the performance of “Either Way,” which Ryan prefaced with a choice. “I’m going to give you a choice on the next song, but I already know what you are going to pick,” he said. It was between the popular “Either Way” and “Ruby Falls,” good song, not as good as “Either Way.” The latter would have probably been easier on his strained vocal chords, affected by his virus, but, the crowd picked “Either Way” and Ryan sang the song excellently, holding out the falsetto with ease.
Yes, the concert ended with an encore where Ryan crowd surfed. This came during an impromptu performance of “Sweet Caroline” which was odd but well received. It was more like a collapse into the crowd. I don’t even think the band, fans, nor security guards even knew it was coming. Sitting in the balcony gave me a great look at surprised faces. Guster ended their 22-song set with a performance of “Manifest Destiny” (wrapping up every song Rebecca wanted to hear) and a rousing “Airport Song.”
Excellent show. They play their hearts out every time they go on stage and fans really do appreciate it. It’s exciting to see a band like Guster. Rarely do you experience a great band that is having just as much fun as the crowd is having. That is the charm of Guster.
Come see the Music Court on tour? No, not really. Sorry for getting your hopes up. But, I have finally finalized my own concert attendance schedule and that is pretty exciting. You may have received bits and pieces of this information over the past few weeks, but, now that it is officially down, I am going to list it below. This Fall I am getting back into my concert mood and seeing three exciting shows. First up, the quintessential college band.
Preview: I saw Guster in concert at the Beacon theater when I was a senior in high school. I am now a senior in college now, but I am still as excited as I was back then to see Guster now. Easy Wonderful will be released in a few days and the songs I have heard from the album all seem to be right up Guster’s musical alleyway. I expect a nice mix between old and new material. Plus, I am going with my girlfriend and my brother (both have never seen Guster before) so it will be awesome seeing how they react to the performance. Guster is excellent live. Excellent! This will be fun.
Celebrating?: The recent release of their new album Be My Thrill
Preview: Unlike the Guster concert, I am really not sure what to expect from the Weepies. I believe I will experience an intimate show where they run through a lot of their well-known old stuff. I presume I will hear the new album as well, but, since the Weepies do not tour frequently, I am looking to hear Weepies’ oldies. They better play “World Spins Madly On.”
Preview: And then comes Mr. Dylan. I saw him at Nassau Coliseum back when I was in High School and I expect to see a completely different show. That is one thing awesome about the tambourine man…he always changes up his songs. The man is on a tremendous streak of an insane amount of performances over the past 2o or so years and 2010 is no difference. I mean he is coming to Binghamton…again. That says it all. Can’t wait to see you, Bob.
Folk troubadour Bob Dylan is coming back to Binghamton.
The legendary musician will roll into Binghamton University‘s Events Center for the second time. He performed one of the first ever concerts at the Events Center in November of 2004.
Dylan is scheduled to perform on Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Oct. 9 at 10 a.m., with a pre-sale commencing at 10 a.m. on Oct. 5.
Magic City Productions, an Endicott-based promotions company, is accountable for Dylan’s Events Center date. The SA was not involved with the planning or monetary backing of this Fall concert.
The “Never Ending Tour” has become a appropriate name for Dylan’s ceaseless tour schedule since June 7, 1988. Dylan has performed with several musicians over the past 20 years for the around 100 shows he plays each year.
Dylan, who turned 69 in May, will release a new album of his earlier demo work on Oct. 19 this year. The album, “The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964” will include 47 demo recordings.
Dylan is perhaps best known as one of rock music’s first musical activists, blending civil rights and anti-war messages into his powerful lyric. His raspy croon has become a staple in the broad history of rock. Dylan has transcended both time and genres, arguably succeeding in playing everything from blues to country to jazz and swing.
Most recently, he released his 33rd studio album, “Together Through Life” in April of 2009 and his 34th, “Christmas in the Heart,” a Christmas album, in October of the same year.
Comments:
Yes! Finally a good concert at Binghamton University (the school I go to). I have personally had enough of Binghamton bringing in terrible rappers. Well, this is not being run by our Student Association so, I guess I do not have Binghamton University to thank for this. I saw Dylan a few years ago at Nassau coliseum and while the concert was slightly strange, it was still awesome to see him perform. I am psyched for this concert. Check out the rest of the Fall Schedule
When you think of the top folk singer-songwriter’s producing music today, David Gray and Ray LaMontagne appear on the list. And, when you add the hard working sentiment, there are not many current artists who can beat them.
Gray and LaMontagne begin their joint 16-city Summer/Fall tour tonight in Columbia, MD and both release their new albums the following day. Hard working? David Gray is technically still on his Draw The Line tour celebrating the album he released last September. Tomorrow, he will release a double album entitled Foundling and it’s all new material. This is a musician who has a song entitled, “Life in Slow Motion.” Yeah, Gray, somehow it don’t feel real.
And, don’t forget about Ray LaMontagne.
Lamontagne (second from the left) --- courtesy of the artist
LaMontagne’s God Willin’ And The Creek Don’t Rise, named after the Benjamin Hawkins phrase (http://ngeorgia.com/ang/God_Willing_and_the_creek_don%27t_rise), was recorded in only two weeks at LaMontagne’s sylvan home in western Massachusetts. It’s not rushing…sometimes a recording session is just efficient. Well, with LaMontagne’s newly formed Pariah Dogs consisting of Jay Bellarose on drums, Jennifer Condos on bass, Patrick Warren on keys, Eric Heywood on guitar and Greg Leisz on steel guitar, it is hard not to make good music.
God Willin’ is LaMontagne’s fourth studio album and is the first one he has produced by himself. The sound? Calm folk/country, mixed with little portions of LaMontagne’s trademark swing (the first song “Repo Man” is loud). If you like LaMontagne’s soul (music type of soul) this should be in line with expectations.
Like I said above, Foundling, is a double album. Why he is producing so much music? “A very fertile recording session,” said Gray. Seriously, dude, like rabbits. “These are some of the most dynamic recordings I’ve ever done,” he says. This is all good news for David Gray fans. His brand of folk-rock is infectious and, does not receive any where close to the commercial success it should. Get ready. This release will be good.
Below I will post the full list of dates. I hope to possibly go and see them on the 19th but I will see how that goes. If you do have the opportunity to see them, go. This is a productive combination of musicians.
August 2010
15 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
17 – Mansfield, MA – Bank of America Pavilion
19 – Wantagh, NY – Nikon @ Jones Beach
20 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
22 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry
25 – Chicago, IL – Millennium Park
26 – Rochester, MI – Meadow Brook Theatre
29 – Council Bluffs, IA – Stir Cover @ Harrah’s Council Bluffs
30 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
31 – Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Opera House
September 2010
1 – Phoenix, AZ – Dodge Theatre
3 – Las Vegas, NV – The Pearl
4 – Valley Center, CA – Harrahs Rincon
5 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
8 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
10 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre
If you have never checked out the Weepies before I suggest you find them on Youtube and listen to some of their music. Or, better yet, I will embed a song below. The reason I initially got into this band was because their music stuck. It is innocuous, yes, but like the common cold (which I am currently suffering from) it is so damn catchy, or, better yet, infectious. Ever since becoming a pair, Deb Talan and Steve Tannen have created harmonious music. Their smooth voices effortlessly jump between somber and effervescent pieces.
The Music Court 