Hello everybody,
I was in the middle of my normal work here at the office and decided this post had to happen right now. You see, I just got done listening to Ra Ra Riot’s debut full-length disc, The Rhumb Line.
Now, some of you may remember I have written about this nifty little outfit twice, April 3 and April 9 of this year. I have seen them twice and was blown away on each occasion. Well, after listening to this new disc, all I can say is HOLY ####! Go buy this disc NOW. Serious. You can finish reading this when you get back from Stinkweeds or wherever you buy the disc at, as long as it isn’t one of those big chain stores that are killing the indie-record store community. Of course, they aren’t cool enough to carry a band as good as Ra Ra Riot!
After seeing them at the Monolith Festival last year I picked up their six song self-titled EP. Great stuff. Go to their website and order it if you do not already own it. In fact, order both discs at the same time, play the EP first, then the new disc immediately thereafter. The progression is spectacular.
The Rhumb Line showcases a more mature band expanding on their unique brand of indie pop. The string arrangements of Alexandra Lawn and Rebecca Zeller are beautiful, Mathieu Santos plays a very rhythmic bass, Milo Bonacci plays a stellar guitar, Cameron Wisch did a bang-up job propelling things along on the drums and vocalist/keyboardist Wes Miles has that unique singing style and is a pure burst of energy onstage. All of these ingredients add up to some of the most eclectic and refreshing music that has emerged in years.
Four of the six songs from the EP are re-done for the new disc and as good as the original versions were, the new renditions blow the old ones away. The music has a more polished sound while still maintaining that critical indie-edge to things. The six new tunes smoke as well. This is a remarkable disc and should catapault this band into the upper-echelon of the alternative music community. I should say mainstream, but since most people consider mainstream to be trash like Miley Cyrus, I have no hope that there are enough intelligent and musically-minded people in this world to recognize true art.
Folks, Ra Ra Riot is in the midst of a big nationwide tour right now, so there is absolutely no excuse to not take an evening out of your busy lives and supoort this great band. For the Arizona locals, they will be playing at the Modified (thanks Kimber!) once again on Monday, September 29, then travel down south to Tucson to play a show at Plush on September 30. Go see them!
Thanks to Ra Ra Riot for a great disc. I look forward to seeing you guys in a month and a half!
Cheers!
The Dust Devil
check out this video of the band for Dying is Fine
Posted by: Dust Devil on August 20th, 2008
This has been quite the rockin’ summer for southern Arizona with quite a few big name acts gracing our desert. But alas, most perform in the Phoenix area and I live in Tucson making attendance inconvenient. Only my absolute favorites warrant the trek. So when a familiar act comes to Tucson, I take notice, even if it is not on my A-list.
All the better they perform at the open-air venue known as AVA with just 1779 reserved seats under cover. It delivers an intimacy that I have not quite experienced at similar amphitheaters with capacities for over 20,000 people. This venue is a reason for Phoenix people to drive to Tucson, rather than the other way around!
So I decided to attend the George Thorogood & Buddy Guy concert at AVA on August 6th, 2008. I’ve also been invited by TickCo to contribute to their Insider blog, so here I go with my review of this show. I can’t say I was ever a huge fan of George Thorogood, but who hasn’t heard “Bad to the Bone”? That and my personal favorite of his “I Drink Alone“, are excellent examples of ‘classic’ rock ‘n roll in my mind, and are just as fun as they are combined with lyrics that make me laugh.
I figured if most of his music is like that, it will be a fun show. I really didn’t know who Buddy Guy was when I booked the tickets. I came to find out he is well reputed to be the inspiration behind some legendary rockers such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Now that I have seen him perform, I can see why.
Buddy Guy is a consummate showman of the highest order, combining guitar tricks and humor along with singing his heart out expressively and with real soul. This guy is good and his repertoire is diverse. He took us on a roller coaster ride from bluesy blues to rockin’ rock and a few places in between. The well-covered “Mustang Sally”, the only tune I recognized, was rendered with verve and attitude.
During one song, Buddy traversed the entire perimeter of the front tier of seats, bringing even more intimacy to the venue. There was a technician on stage keeping what appeared to be an antenna pointed toward Buddy the whole time. Buddy paid tribute to some of his departed contemporaries as well as pushing his latest CD “Skin Deep.” He performed the title track, a social commentary, which was slow moving and mellow.
All told, I feel privileged that fate led me to see this man perform live. This is one of those instances where the opening act just simply outclasses the headliner. Even though they have the blues in common, it does not seem right somehow that they should be touring together. That is not to say I wouldn’t have gone to see this show all over again, I would.
But, Buddy Guy is a tough act to follow and George Thorogood was not up to the task at first. I like George’s music better, even if it is somewhat formulaic, because it incorporates jazz influences. In fact, the saxophonist was probably the show stealer in that set. But the focus was on George and he looked, and performed, like he just woke up from a nap.
We had just seen Buddy Guy pour his heart out. Then we heard a recording of Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction” just before George Thorogood and The Destroyers came out on stage. George looked more like a robot than a rocker as he and the band played a tune I did not recognize. As time went on however, things started to perk up a bit.
When they got to my favorite, “I Drink Alone”, the bead was not yet spot-on. One of the reasons I like that song, other than the obvious and humorous nods to various liquor brands is the line: “When I drink alone, I prefer to be by myself”. It would have been nice to see that line given a new life by seeing and hearing George perform it. It not only fell flat, but the line was barely understandable.
Still, it wasn’t at all bad, and as the set progressed we saw George getting more and more into it. The climax of the set was the signature piece, “Bad to the Bone” which I got a sense George still enjoys performing to this day. Everybody was up on they’re feet in good spirits and singing along. There is no substitute for a good ‘hook’ in a popular song and this one has it in spades.
I had a few beers in my belly and a big smile on my face at that point in time and realized that I got what I had come for… a rockin’ good time. This tour is still rollin’ as of this writing, so don’t miss it if it comes near you.
- Pinbyte
Posted by: Pinbyte on August 11th, 2008
Hello everybody,
I joined quite a few people in their thirties, forties and fifties at the Regeneration Tour concert this past Friday, August 1, at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, AZ. I left a happy man, thrilled that for a few hours I felt like I was 16 again.
The Missing Persons started off the evening with a decent set of six songs. Dale Bozzio’s voice has not held up overly well over the years and to try and re-create that pitch she became well-known for was a mighty task. Destination Unknown led off the set, much to the delight of the crowd. The last two songs performed were Words, which was performed fairly well and led into my favorite tune of theirs, Walking in L.A. The band delivered its best overall performance on the quirky Mental Hopscotch, one of their earliest tunes. Dale Bozzio’s vocals were great on this song and the energy from the band really shone through. A decent start to the evening.
A Flock of Seagulls came on next. Mike Score is the only original member left and the guitar player that evening really made me wish Paul Reynolds was still around. Be that as it may, this was a great, great set, short and very sweet. The band only played four tunes, but all four were big crowd pleasers. Telecommunication, their first single, led off the set and led into the fabulous Space Age Love Song. Always my favorite Flock of Seagulls tune, this song still sounds as fresh today as it was twenty-six years ago. Naturally the set ended with the classic “one-hit-wonder” I Ran. The crowd went absolutely nuts. It was great seeing everyone dancing and hearing everyone sing along to the chorus of that tune. It is too bad Mike Score hates playing the song as much as he does.
ABC came on next and were simply wonderful. One of the classier bands to come out of the eighties new wave scene, ABC has actually released new material and some of that music was played on this evening. However, they too realized this was a retro crowd at a retro show, so they did not disappoint at all. Classic versions of Poison Arrow, Be Near Me and How To Be A Millionaire were performed. A highly energetic When Smokey Sings really got the crowd pumped up and the beautiful Look of Love ended a great set. Martin Fry looks and sounds as good as ever, wearing one of his signature suits and still possessing a wide vocal range, allowing him to hit the high notes that are key on many of their songs.
Belinda Carlisle was next and for what it’s worth, I felt this was the best set of the night. Belinda looks as amazing as ever and after all these years still possesses a great voice. Gone is the high-pitched vocal delivery evident on all the classic Go-Go’s songs, Belinda now possesses a smooth, mature vocal delivery. A set comprised of seven songs featured five solo classics, including her first solo venture Mad About You and her Number One hit Heaven is a Place on Earth. Much to the crowd’s delight she pulled out two Go-Go’s classics, Vacation and Our Lips Are Sealed. Wonderful, wonderful tunes, but made me miss that great band all the more seeing her perform the songs without the other four ladies. What a great set!
The Human League capped off a great evening, but in this writer’s opinion a bad way to end things. Obviously this is subjective on my part because I was never a big fan, but the Human League simply did not make a lasting impression on me during their heyday. Philip Oakley is the only original member left, but Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, the two female singers on their biggest hits, are still with the group. They led off with Mirror Man, a decent song that I remember. The next three tunes I did not recognize and for me were simply mindless excursions of repetitive keyboard noise. Human, their second U.S. Number One single, was played next. I do like this ballad and the song sounded great on this evening. However, halfway through the next tune I had enough of the repetition and had to leave, so I never did see if they played (Keep Feeling) Fascination or Don’t You Want Me. I would have to assume they did.
There were two other factors that kept this from being a perfect evening. I find it hard to believe the Dodge Theatre only had Duran Duran and Hall & Oates to play in between sets. Worse, the only Duran Duran music played was from Rio, so I heard tracks from that album three times in one night! Last, the “music critic” sitting behind me did his best to kill the show for me and the ladies I sat next to, but oh well, aren’t we all critics in the long run? I had a great time and even leaving the concert early did not dampen my spirits one bit. A fabulous evening folks, kudos to the Regeneration Tour!
Cheers,
The Dust Devil
Posted by: Dust Devil on August 5th, 2008
Hello everybody,
I primarily listened to punk and new wave “back in the day”, and I am proud to admit that. The eighties was a pretty cheesy decade in many respects, but the excess and craziness from that era is a time I still look back on fondly. Even today most of my favorite music comes from that decade. For example, Echo and the Bunnymen is still my favorite band and their heyday was during this era.
I love it when artists from that era get back together. Some I had a chance to see back then, some I never did and welcome an opportunity to see them today. That is why the Regeneration Tour is such a big deal to me.
Five artists that had an impact on music twenty-plus years ago, all playing together for one show! The Human League, Belinda Carlisle, ABC, Missing Persons and A Flock of Seagulls; are you kidding me?
Yes, more than likely in the case of the bands, the full original line-up will not be featured. Personally, a tour like this is simply a brief moment to travel back in time, enjoy some good new wave music and reminisce about a more simple time in my life. Music has always played a key role in my existence and often times I can equate an event with a tune from that era.
A Flock of Seagulls were completely over the top with the big hairdo of the lead singer, but the band created some wonderful pop tunes. Everyone remembers I Ran, but Space Age Love Song, Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) and The More You Live, The More You Love were for me better songs.
The Missing Persons has a fabulous debut full-length record with Spring Session M and four classic tunes emerged from that disc: Walking in L.A.; Destination Unknown; Windows and Words. The unique vocals of Dale Bozzio helped make the band a popular new wave staple in the early eighties.
ABC had a string of hits, including the gorgeous The Look of Love, Poison Arrow and Be Near Me. The eighties new wave scene featured many bands that sported a regal look and ABC played the part well, their wardrobe a picture of class. However, ABC could back up the look with well-crafted pop songs that have stood the test of time well.
Belinda Carlisle was the lead vocalist for the phenomenal Go-Go’s for several years until they broke up after the Talk Show album. A successful solo career ensued with hits such as Heaven is a Place on Earth, Mad About You and I Get Weak, all of which were Top Five singles.
The Human League began as an all-male synth-pop group in 1977, but the release of the album Dare and the single Don’t You Want Me in 1981 finally brought world-wide acclaim for the band. Don’t You Want Me and Human, released in 1986, were both Number One U.S. hits for the Human League. The core of only original member Philip Oakley and the two female vocalists, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, who joined the band in 1980, continue to play and record today.
This will be a great evening, a chance to see in concert five artists from the eighties that produced some great music. What better way to spend a Friday night than at the Dodge Theatre with many other thirty and forty-somethings going to the way-back machine for just a brief time!
There are some great deals going on for this concert right now, so grab some buddies and check out the Live Nation link below.
Cheers!
The Dust Devil
Buy Regeneration Tour tickets at Live Nation http://www.livenation.com/event/getEvent/eventId/325414/
Posted by: Dust Devil on July 28th, 2008
Previous Posts
