The A.Q. is Back!

Hi folks!

After a brief hiatus, the A.Q. is back! We have made some structural changes to the site, so be prepared to take notes.

We here at the A.Q.  have made it our New Year's resolution to provide more gateways to music this year; that means WAY more album and concert reviews. In order to reach this goal, MattintheBelfry has re-structured how we do updates here at the 'Q. Album reviews are now split into two categories: Albums of the Week, and A.Q. Reviews.

Albums of the Week can include recent albums to forgotten favorites, and will be selected based on cultural significance, author preference, and current social impact.

A.Q. Reviews will be update multiple times a week, and will include "Top 10" lists,  shorter reviews of recent albums and artists, and A.Q. suggested lists.

The Aural Attic will be receiving a complimentary facelift as well - with more music buzz, random thoughts, song reflections, and mini-blogs. As our fanbase grows, we hope to include playlist challenges and other contest here as well!

The "Unplugged" section will continue to be regularly updated. Unfortunately, due to these increased updates, the "Local Yokel" section of the A.Q. has been temporarily suspended.

We hope you enjoy the new format and more frequent updates - and as Bill and Ted once said,

"Be excellent to each other!"

- MattintheBelfry

Concert Review Part 3: July 29, 2010 at Essex Junction: Primus

Primus

"PRIMUS SUCKS! PRIMUS SUCKS! PRIMUS SUCKS!"

The traditional oxymoronic slogan of old school, Suck on This era Primus fans started pouring down when the first Primus roadie started switching guitars for basses after Gogol Bordello finished there raucous set. Much to the confusion of several Gogol fans I was standing on/with, the jeers continued for the next 25 minutes or so, through the inflation of two mammoth astronauts, several light towers, and a drastic change in lighting, until Les Claypool and his gigantic top hat finally walked on stage.

Immediately Claypool, "Ler" LeLonde, and drummer Jay Lane (back from the 1989 era Primus) launched into one of their fan favorites, "Pudding Time", and went uninterrupted into the next several songs on their set list.

Now, for those unfamiliar with Primus, it must be explained that for most, they are an "aquired taste", meaning of course, that they are a little odd. Claypool's vocals border on annoyingly nasal, spread, and monotone, the lyrics can often seem silly, pointless, or completely removed from the music, and I have had several people tell me they were "too prog-rock for me, man".

However, hearing Primus through a set of headphones or from watching South Park every night is UTTERLY different from seeing them live. The difference would be equivalent to watching Bobby Flay and actually eating his food, playing with Michael Jordan on an old school Nintendo and getting dunked on by him a la Patrick Ewing, between reading the Bible and actually living it literally a la A.J. Jacobs.

Besides the obvious visual spectacle of the show (two 10 ft + astronauts that had the music videos and various effects projected on their helmets, light stacks, the smoke/dirt form the mosh pit) and the insanely devoted fan base (including a group parading through the crowd with the "Mr. Krinkle" pighead on a huge stick), the technical side of Primus' music is absolutely awe inspiring. LeLonde's guitar work, too often overshadowed by Claypool's virtuoso, showed his roots under Joe Satriani (if Satriani was put into a blender with some LSD), and Jay Lane managed to play the several different styles of drums Primus has had over the years due to their musical-drumming-throne issues was respectable. Of course, Claypool's bass playing is the highlight of any Primus performance, but was it absolutely mind blowing witnessing first hand what this gentleman can do. From the impossibly fast double rhythms of the second encore, "My Name is Mudd", to Claypool's ability to work hand-stretching bass lines while singing and make it look completely effortless (specifically on "Jerry was a Racecar Driver"), I was in complete awe of his mastery of his field.


Primus - American Life (live at Essex Junction July 29, 2010)


Primus' lyrics would always bother me when I first began listening to them in the 90's. The music was some of the coolest I had heard, yet the lyrics were either completely moronic or didn't seem to do anything for the genius prog-rock supporting it. Now, for a 13 year old boy, this was a perfect match, but I quickly got tired of it and left for "better" things. I've come to realize however, that the lyrics truly don't matter too much (with the possible exception of the more "serious" Pork Soda, and that may be the whole point. Between lyrics, Claypool went on a comedic diatribe of the Fairground's famous fried dough. At another point in the set, in mid-song, Claypool nonchalantly stated "Uh, I forgot the words", to which pockets of the crowd yelled back "Make 'em up! Fuck it!"


Primus - Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers (Live at Essex Junction, July 29, 2010)


The highlight of Primus's performance for me was twofold - first, there cover of The Police's "Behind My Camel", and of course, "Drum and Whamola Jam", the latter of which Claypool ditched his top hat for a monkey mask and his bass for a "whamola" - a crude, scythe-looking, bowed one-string bass - and jammed with Lane for roughly 5 minutes before starting "Eleven".


Primus - My Name is Mudd (Live at Essex Junction, July 29, 2010)

SETLIST:

Pudding Time

Duchess and the Proverbial Spread Mind

American Life

Golden Boy

Behind my Camel (cover of The Police)

Groundhog's Day

Over the Falls

Jerry was a Racecar Driver

Over the Electric Grapevine

Drum and Whamola Jam

Eleven

Tommy the Cat

Encore:

Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers

My Name is Mudd 

Concert Review Part 2: July 28, 2010 Essex Junction: Gogol Bordello

GOGOL BORDELLO

In the few moments between Heloise and the Savoir Faire's last song and the appearance of Eugene Hütz and the rest of the smorgasbord of cultures that make up Gogol Bordello, there seemed to be one question on the crowds' collective subconscious - How were the 9+ members of the band going to fit on the a stage that seemed filled by the few members of the Savoir Faire?

The answer of course, was that it wouldn't matter much; Gogol Bordello wasn't going to be spending too much time in one spot. In fact, with the obvious exception of drummer Oliver Charles, it was quite possible that none of the band members touched the stage for more than 3 or 4 seconds at a time, and they definitely spent more collective time airborne then not. From the start of their opener, "Ultimate" from 2007's Super Taranta! to the closer, "Darling", Gogol Bordello made one thing extremely clear - this was going to be an adrenaline fueled performance.

All this may sound typical for a punk show - you may easily replace "Gogol Bordello" with "The Ramones", "Iggy and the Stooges", or "The Pogues" and the previous paragraph would still make sense. What differentiates Gogol Bordello from this irony-driven punk prototype however, is the band's main mission and its consequential impact on their performances and art.

Composed of a smattering of cultural origins (Ukraine, Ethiopia, Russia, Israel, Ecuador, China, America, etc.), the band strives for what it dubs a "neo-optimistic communal movement" that is probably best described by one of their slogans - "Think locally, fuck globally". The group celebrates global tribalism and wishes to break out of the ambiguously moderate era of postmodernism, specifically that cliche that originality is a con. As the band states in their official manifesto - "the beloved statement of postmodernism 'everything is been done' sound as an intellectual error".

As part of this attempted break from postmodernism, the group attempts to incorporate aspects from all of the members' seemingly infinite cultures in order to develop from a sense of authenticity rather than one of pretense or irony. Through a mixture of cabaret, punk, and and traditionally gypsy music, the band manages to incorporate the Reggae rhythm of bassist Timmy T's Ethiopian roots, the vicious lyrical attacks of Ecaudorian MC Pedro Erazo, and the masterful melodic swinging of Sergey Ryabstev's charming violin playing without overbearing the listener or impeaching the bounds of the music as a single entity. This characteristic of Gogol's work is what separates it from the other "foreign-fueled" punk bands like Flogging Molly or the Dropkick Murphys - Gogol's music is a culmination and interweaving of multiple entities into something new and inclusive, while these bands' products are an authentic celebration of one, seclusively particular entity.

The global message was certainly apparent in this show, via both the set list as well as a small talk to the audience of the importance of family by Hütz, who was donned in an "I love my Dad" t-shirt for the first half of the performance.

"Immigraniada (We Come in Rougher)" from Essex Junction 2010


Musically, the band was spot on (although the majority of Erazo's raps were unintelligible for those who didn't already know the lyrics due to the nature of the outdoor event), and the group definately earned some new followers. One Primus fan in particular behind me in the mosh pit immediately left after the last song in order to purchase the latest cd, Trans-Continental Hustle, rather than rush the stage in preparation for Primus.

To focus on the musical aspect of Gogol's show, however, would be silly. The music obviously is the key ingredient in the Molotov cocktail of an experience the show was. However, the groups' non-stop energy and authentic enthusiasm, masterful sequencing of a set list, and audience engagement/interaction created a timeless effect that had many of the crowd wondering why they hadn't noticed that the sun had gone down or dismissing the red wine stains (from Hütz's spastic wine spraying during mainstay "Start Wearing Purple") on their white shirts as honorable badges of authenticity. Overall, the performance was by far the highlight of the entire night, and was one of the more memorable shows I have ever seen.

SETLIST:

Intro/Ultimate

Not A Crime

Wanderlust King

My Companjera

Tribal Connection

Trans-Continental Hustle

Immigranadia (We Comin' Rougher)

60 Revolutions

Break the Spell

Universes Collide

Pala Tute

Start Wearing Purple

Punk Rock Paranda

Sun is on My Side

Darling

  

For more videos of Gogol Bordello at Essex Junction on July 29, 2010, check out these youtube links:

"Start Wearing Purple"
Further from stage, but much better camera work
Closer to stage, but with bad camera work

"My Companjera"
Good audio/visual





Next on the list: Co-Headliner, Primus!

P.S. - The videos posted are borrowed from various youtubers who had better quality videos than my own. The back of my head and my friend Greg (blond with the green bandanna) is visible in "My Companjera" at the 1:57 mark on the far right! Thanks!


 - MattintheBelfry





   

Concert Review Part 1: July 29, 2010 at Essex Junction: Heloise and the Savoir Faire

Hola Companjeras, and welcome back to the A.Q. After a brief hiatus, MattintheBelfry is back with the A.Q.'s first ever concert review!  The rewview will be split into a new posting for each band. So let's start at the beginning shall we?

When my friends called me up and we started planning a mini road trip for this summer, we knew a show would need to be the axis of our journey. Besides my obvious connections with music, one of my friends is a DJ, the other is the only non-musical person I know with a more extensive music collection than me, and the third had (gasp!) never been to a live show before. Always on point, Greg suggested the upcoming Gogol Bordello / Primus double bill in Essex Junction. An outdoor general admission concert? Count us in.

The Champlain Valley Fairgrounds of Essex Junction, VT plays host to a plethora of shows each year, with an emphasis on alternative rock and local bands. The venue was expansive and offered concessions (which Les Claypool of Primus would later comment on), above average facilities, free parking, and, perhaps its best feature; the ability to stay in the pit or close to the stage for one song, and then walk around without a crowd for another.

Scanning the crowd, it was odd and reassuring seeing the percentage of fans in the audience. Typically in double billed shows one band still prevails over the other in support. However, this night there was a notable 50% split between the Gogol Bordello and Primus fans, and they both seemed to respect and enjoy each others taste. Kumbiyah.

Without further adu - the opening band!

Heloise and the Savoir Faire

Vermont natives Heloise and the Savoir Faire (that's a French idiom for "the ability to do the right thing") kicked off the show in full regalia and synth-pop fashion. Lead vocalist Heloise and her two dancing friends, Joe Shephard and Sara Sweet Rabidoux, looked like Ocean State Job Lot versions of Lady Gaga creations. The group's make-up and costumes, not to mentioned Shephard and Rabidoux's interpretive dancing, caused me to fear for the worse - that like other bejeweled groups (I'm looking at you KISS, Korn, and Cher), the Savoir Faire were about to hide so-so music with enough weird "fierce" pageantry in order to "razzle dazzle" the audience. With a sigh of relief from my friends and I, Heloise and her band mates began pumping up the fairgrounds with an infectious mix of synth-pop, punk, and a surprisingly refreshing dose of disco that did not use the group's visual gags as an excuse but melding perfectly with it.

After the initial two songs, I realized the ingenuity of the group's performance -  their get-up was a mockery which was both note-worthy and delightfully unnoticeable. It wouldn't take a MENSA member to realize how the group was poking fun at everyone in the music business, from record companies to virgin artists, pop stars, and even the audience. However, the theatrics were performed in a way that implied a self-conscious honesty on the part of the group - they were poking fun at themselves too, and everyone was free to laugh with and at them. It was clear what the group's mission was; The Savoir Faire were here to have fun and maybe gain some fans along the way.

As far as the music goes, I actually enjoyed the group's art, despite my typical aversion to anything dance-pop. Heloise's voice is quite wonderful and healthy, and her dynamic range is expansive and effortless (which made for some really big "kick-ass" moments, even for an audience that seemed completely alien to the group's work). Heloise's decision some years ago to experiment with a live band playing along with the pre-recorded loops and effects was greatly appreciated as well, and made for a much more organic and authentic performance. Thankfully, the charmingly off-beat and sometimes spastic dancing of Shephard and Robidoux succeeded in its attempt of manifesting the music and performance theme, inviting the crowd to participate in the joke of life they portrayed.

Hopefully, Heloise will continue to add effective methods from her own experiences in the music world (i.e. bus driving for Peaches, working with Phish, Deborah Harry, and paying rent to Danny Moynihan) to her repertoire. The Savoir Faire, without a doubt, have a good product, and with the recent success of groups like the Ting-Tings and Lady Gaga, may have a market for it. Add in the freedom of working for music lover Elijah Wood of LOTR fame, and don't be surprised if you hear from the Vermont locals soon.

P.S. - I was not allowed to bring in my Flip video, so I apologize profusely for the sound quality on the videos. For a much better listen to the bands, PLEASE youtube their music videos or check out the Amazon media sampler on the right-hand tool bar of the blog.

Next Up - Gogol Bordello!!!


        

Album Review 2: Learning to Bend

The Album: Learning to Bend

The Artist: Ben Sollee

The A.Q. Rating: 7 out of 10

"An oak and a reed were arguing about their strength. When a strong wind came up, the reed avoided being uprooted by bending and leaning with the gusts of wind. But the oak stood firm and was torn up by the roots."  

- from Aesop's Fables

It would be pretty hard for the listener to miss the thematic elements of Ben Sollee's first solo record, 2008's Learning to Bend. 

From the title of the album and the title track's blatant chorus ("Are you strong enough to bend?") to the prominent genre-spanning instrument (Sollee's cello), Learning to Bend is all about the perseverance of the human spirit, the strength of flexibility, and the hope for a better tomorrow. 

It is the method of embodiment of this human spirit that separates Sollee's efforts from the mass of folk singer-songwriters out there. Sollee's sparse yet beautifully resonant arrangements blur and "bend" the lines between the bluegrass, jazz, and rock genres without leaving a distinct aftertaste. His cello (an instrument that in and of itself is comfortable in jazz, classical, or bluegrass settings) is the common factor throughout the album, although there are a few tracks where he puts down his bow in favor of some old fashioned acoustic guitar. The cello plays an integral role in the masterful instrumentation Sollee demonstrates throughout the album, stringing together lovely harmony lines or acting as a rhythmic catalyst in Sollee's upbeat cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gunna Come". The well discerned use of the cello lines are so powerful that their few absences are even more breath taking, specifically when they are replaced by a harp on the title track, "Bend", before returning in an organic swell to the chorus.

It is not only the cello lines that demonstrate Sollee's wonderful gift for instrumentation. The quirky "Bury Me in My Car" features fiddle and the use of jaw harps, and Sollee is accompanied by the virtuosic banjo picking of former Sparrow Quartet band mate Bela Fleck on "It's Not Impossible". The back up vocals of "Bend", supplied by another former band mate, Abigail Washburn, compliment the subject of the song, the harp, and Sollee's own voice strikingly. The use of vibraphones, saxophone, set, and various hand drums add an irresistible spice of jazz and pop into various tracks on the album, especially the soul-infused porch-rocker "How to See the Sun Rise".

A quick note on Sollee's voice; simply put, it's a solid and honest folk voice. Soulful and endearing, Sollee's vocals freshen up the tired image of the road-weary folk singer. His voice isn't as rough and "of the people" as Bob Dylan or Springsteen, but is still a relatable voice from the crowd, if not a more polished one.

Unfortunately, as expertly as Sollee's crafting of the actual music of this album, his lyrical discretion is nowhere near as well versed. For every elegant line, such as the opening verse of the entire album, "When the storm comes / will you reject the rain? / If it falls not soft / if it falls not tame?", there are three or four clumsy clunkers. For instance, in that exact same track, "A Few Honest Words", Sollee sings the over-explained cliche "Our love of freedom / puts a veil over our eyes / and rights that are given / can be taken away". Occasionally, Sollee's lyrics can hide behind the guise of  quirkiness, like in "Bury Me in My Car" and "Prettiest Tree on the Mountain", however, the awkwardness of some lines simple cannot be ignored. Ironically, the majority of the lyrical issues on the album seem to stem from Sollee's inability to bend his political and personal agenda to meet his own music. This symptom is most noticeable on the cover of "A Change is Gunna Come", where Sollee regrettably adds the rather direct and prose-free verse to Sam Cooke's more universal words, "I tried to find it / some better place / where having the biggest gun / ain't some kind of race".

It is not to say that Sollee's lyrical mishaps overpower the album though. In fact, there are several moments where the lyrics actually relate to the music seamlessly, rather than being rescued by the music. This is especially true on the more subtle and soft tracks on the album, specifically the tender and doubtful "I Can't", in which Sollee's allusions and metaphors are refreshing and charmingly sad. "This ain't the sword pulled from the lake / Yours ain't the heart I want to break" whispers Sollee against the descending nostalgia of an electric guitar. The same holds true for the other ballads on the album ("Panning for Gold" and "Bend"), although the sheer length of the album ending lullaby "Copper and Malachite" leaves them once more vulnerable to criticism.

Overall, Learning to Bend should excite listener's to a growing talent in Sollee, and offers a beautifully orchestrated cross-pollination of genres that truly is strong enough to bend.

Strengths:

- Superb orchestration

- Creative and innovative use of cello to cross genres

- Vocals are stylistically appropriate and technically sound

- Wonderful use of harmony and back up vocals

- Sparse arrangements are extremely well managed and not anemic

- Very few noticeable examples of production interferences

- Thematic elements are relatable to modern culture and easily recognized

Weaknesses:

- Prose can become clumsy and awkward

- Lyrics can at times become too direct and over simplified

- Concluding track is slightly too long

- Track sequencing towards the front of the album could be re-thought

- Additional verse in "A Change is Gunna Come"

Recommended Tracks:

Track 2, "How to See the Sun Rise"

Track 4, "Bend"

Track 5, "It's Not Impossible"

Track 6, "I Can't"

Track 9, "A Change is Gunna Come"

Track 11, "Copper and Malachite"

For Fans of: Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet, Amos Lee, Crooked Still, Ben Harper, Damien Rice, "Dear Companion", Bela Fleck, Sufjan Stevens

 

Concert Reminder/Update

Hi all, don't forget to check out the FREE local show tonight at the Franco-American Club in Waterbury, CT.  Doors open at 5:30, and once the building is at capacity, the doors will close. This is an awesome chance to see some of the state's top local bands, including friends of the A.Q. To Write a Riot, for no cost!



Also, the A.Q. is ecstatic to announce that in two weeks, we will be posting our first concert review. The A.Q. will be attending the Primus / Gogol Bordello show in VT on July 29. The review, hopefully complete with some video footage of the show, will be posted shortly after.

Unplugged 2 - Faking It for Making It - Authenticity in Today's Pop and Rock

About 6 months ago I happened on this article from The Faster Times while doing research and exploring for an 8th grade general music unit plan I was constructing based on composing with music software as a means of learning. The lesson I was constructing within the unit plan dealt with the blues genre - defining it, being able to identify and differentiate it from other genres, using its defining characteristics to create new, stylistically correct compositions, and noting its impact on western music and today's music.

As one of the homework assignments, the students used music-map , a free online program that organizes various artists in an organizer based on their similarity to a set "hub" artist, to find if artist they recognized were related to a set list of blues artist. The next day, one of my more passionate students, Bobby, came into class and said "We need to talk about this assignment thing." Bobby was absolutely appalled at his findinngs from his homework - or as he said, "How the hell can you even compare Ray Charles to Amy Winehouse??"





Luckily, I was hoping one of the kids would find this, and I had the music video for "Rehab" playing on the wall of the music lab in a matter of seconds. We went through the motions of our daily game, "What makes me blue?", for the song. The class begrudgingly agreed that there were blues aspects in the song - the backing brass band, some blue notes, etc. We listened again to the chorus of "Rehab" a couple more times, and then finally one of them got it -

"Wait..... is that a 12 bar blues progression? Dude."

Throughout the lesson was had listened to songs and debated their "bluesiness" with each other - starting off easier with some Big Maceo Merriweather and eventually going through The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love", and Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll".  But it was Winehouse who opened up the wormhole of the socio-political impacts on and of music.

We used the controversy over Winehouse's supposed merit as a blues artist to question not only the artist they listen to daily, but also how we interpreted said music. We discussed the aforementioned article - why do artists and listeners need music to be disguised as something else, like feeding medicine to a dog?  Is this morally right?

The discussion eventually turned to race, based off of Jack White's quote, "[music videos, quirky back story, etc] is just there to distract people from that fact that we were playing the blues. That a white boy was playing this."). We talked about the fact that blues is characterized as "black" music. If there is black music, what are its characteristics? Are they based off of cultural reflection and experiences or stereotypes, or both? If there is black music, and its played by a white musician, does that make it no longer black? Or does it make the white musician a black musician? And if there's black music, isn't there also white, yellow, brown, dyslexic, A.D.D. and dwarfism music? What are the impacts on the view of the alleged power of music and universality of music if that is true? To what extent is music "powerful" and in what ways is our categorization of it impact this?

The lesson went extremely well, as it not only served up the content, but led to a critical change in how the kids listen to their own music, and about how music actually affects them outside of the emotional realm.

I posted the article because, especially in the current climate we are in, it's a good idea to question ourselves as a society through our art in the same way my students are now questioning theirs.

Name. Reflect. Act.

MattintheBelfry