First listen: New Oasis available on MySpace
Melissa Ruggieri
October 01, 2008 6:58 PM
Oasis’ “Dig Out Your Soul” won’t be in stores until Tuesday, but if you want a preview listen, head to http://www.myspace.com/oasis, where the band has posted the entire album.
This is my first experience with the new MySpace player, which the company debuted about a week ago (when I was busy being tortured by little children at Disney World).
The player’s design is certainly sleeker than the old model, but I’m already irritated by one feature. Maybe it’s my own blindness, but when listening to the Oasis album, it took me about halfway through the list of songs to realize which one I was listening to.
Nothing is highlighted, and the song’s names don’t appear near the “play” bar, but you CAN tell which is playing if you squint and notice the teeny speaker icon next to the song’s name.
Annoyance number two: after four songs, the music stopped and a box (featuring a pic of the Jonas Brothers!) popped up, asking if I was still listening. Well, I was, Mr. MySpace, until you made me stop what I was doing, go back to the MySpace page, click “yes I’m still listening” and then hit the play button again.
Anyway, this seventh album from the band should appease those who thought the boys lost their magic after “Standing on the Shoulder of Giants.”
The guitars are giant and crunchy – first single “The Shock of Lightning” is tailor made for arena singalongs, while the ballad “I’m Outta Time,” with subtle strings in the background, is the prettiest song the band has written since “Don’t Go Away.”
Of course, the Beatles influences are still blatant. “Get Off Your High Horse Lady” utilizes a nasally, sung-through-a-megaphone vocal effect that wouldn’t have been out of place on “Sgt. Pepper,” and “Soldier On” employs a marching beat reminiscent of “Come Together.”
Good stuff that should sound even better live.
Oasis plays the Patriot Center Dec. 20. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, but a pre-sale starts Thursday at 10 a.m. (password: wonderwall). There’s an 8-ticket limit.
Concert review: Alanis Morissette kicks off tour in Charlottesville
Melissa Ruggieri
September 19, 2008 2:23 AM
CHARLOTTESVILLE
In the 13 years since Alanis Morissette became a superstar, catalyzed by an acidic kiss-off to an ex, she’s won seven Grammy awards and sold more than 55 million records worldwide.
Instead of coasting, as she easily could, she’s continually churned out insightful, soul-baring work – even if much of it isn’t quite as memorable as her catalog from the late-‘90s.
But despite her success, Morissette, who has publicly matured into the 34-year-old of today, approaches her music – both recorded and live – with an admirable rawness.
That isn’t to say that Thursday’s night’s Charlottesville Pavilion show – the kickoff of her two-month North American tour and a benefit for the Charlottesville Free Clinic—was devoid of flaws.
Her voice dissipated into the air before ever reaching the lawn area on the opening “Versions of Violence,” from her current album, “Flavors of Entanglement.” And, while the somber piano notes of “Uninvited” rang clearly, as soon as Morissette’s five-piece band slammed into the heavy goth-rock that pushes the rest of the song, her vocals were unintelligible.
The saddest casualty of this frustrating mix was “All I Really Want,” an unheralded gem from 1995’s “Jagged Little Pill” breakthrough. It wasn’t that Morissette’s voice wasn’t up to nailing the see-sawing range of the song – the band was simply overpowered her, particularly the funky scratching from her guitarist.
But about 20 minutes into the just-under-two-hour show, the sonic cobwebs were mostly cleared, allowing fans to absorb the emotion in “Not As We,” one of the most unguarded post-breakup songs on “Entanglement.”
Morissette’s voice isn’t the prettiest, but it’s stuffed with character. Her vocal style tends toward warbles and bleats, but on stage, you feel her words, as well as watch her present them.
When blitzing through a charging rocker, such as the also-new “Moratorium,” Morissette, clad in dark clothes, fully unleashed herself on stage. Her mane, which bumps against her tailbone when she’s upright, was utilized as a manic prop, whirled in classic head-banger style as she whipped around the stage like a pony ready to bust through the paddock.
But when the tempo paused for “Not As We” – and any other ballad throughout the night – Morissette stood in front of the mic stand, hands clasped at the wrist, as if ready to recite a poem. Makes sense, since many of her songs are basically intelligent diary entries set to music.
Prior to the highlight of the show – a five-song unplugged set – a rolling cadence ushered in an almost unrecognizable “You Oughta Know.” Rather than furiously pound through the song and fume like a bitter spurned lover, Morissette slowed it down a touch, making her snarling words sting even harder.
With 13 years of history behind “Oughta,” it’s still a bracing anthem of empowerment that has already been cemented in the rock history canon.
But as well as Morissette rages, she’s also quite intriguing in the simplest of setups. With her band scattered around her with acoustic guitars, a piano keyboard and skeleton drum set, she sat on a tall wooden stool with her legs crossed and strolled through some hits and welcome album cuts.
“Hand in My Pocket,” that song of reasonable contradictions, resulted in a majority sing-along from the crowd of a couple thousand. Meanwhile, 1998’s “Unsent,” which she called the “scariest” song she’s had to share, and “So Unsexy,” from 2002’s “Under Rug Swept,” exposed Morissette at her most vulnerable – and relatable.
Plugging back in for “Ironic,” which sounded like the biggest crowd favorite of the night (guess we’ve forgiven her for all of those not-exactly-ironies in the song?), and the appropriate closer of “Thank U,” Morissette looked happy as she flashed peace signs and stalked the stage in her black knee-high boots.
If her crew can rectify those sound issues for the rest of the tour, she – and her fans – will have plenty to smile about.
Metallica: Bigger than The Beatles, Bono and Dave Matthews
Melissa Ruggieri
September 17, 2008 3:21 PM
With its ninth studio album, “Death Magnetic,” Metallica has become the first band to have five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. That breaks a tie with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band, which all had four number ones.
“Death” was released on Friday, and in only five days, has sold almost 500,000 copies.
The guys, profiled in a recent Rolling Stone interview (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/23089135), are also heading on tour this fall – with Richmond’s Lamb of God one of the chosen support acts. They’ll hit the Verizon Center in D.C. in January.
More info: http://www.verizoncenter.com/events/calendar.php?opts=detail&eid=2738&evtype=special
Concert review: The Cult still has fire
Melissa Ruggieri
September 13, 2008 4:31 PM
By Special Correspondent Hays Davis
It may have been over 20 years since The Cult got their foot in the door of an international audience with the single “She Sells Sanctuary,” but a big crowd at The National made it clear that singer Ian Astbury, guitarist Billy Duffy and their crew had not been forgotten.
After a well-received set from Richmond’s Ki:Theory, who are joining the headliners for a few dates, smoke began filling the room for what was getting close to being a what-the-heck-are-they-doing-back-there wait. Finally the band appeared, with Astbury bundled in a long-sleeved jacket and scarf (maybe the hot tub backstage wasn’t on its game).
The National crowd was way up for everything the band brought out, both new and old. A second guitarist rounded out a five-piece lineup, freeing Duffy to break into more lead work while keeping the sound full. Astbury was in good voice; while he seemed careful not to attempt to hit every protracted high note from their earlier recordings, it’s doubtful that anyone present would have taken him to task over not meeting expectations.
For anyone who felt that The Cult’s latest album, 2007’s “Born Into This,” didn’t quite hit the peaks of their glory days, hearing them play songs like “I Assassin” live may have prodded more than a few to consider giving that album a fresh spin. And if the new stuff sounded better from the stage, old favorites like “Wild Flower” and “Edie (Ciao Baby)” went over doubly well.
When his between-song chatting was intelligible, Astbury took some time to get friendly with the crowd while Duffy switched guitars, at one point gauging their musical interests: “Do you like Black Kids? How about the German band Neu from Stuttgart?” He barely had a chance to catch their response before Duffy struck some new chords and the band moved on.
The audience was twisted tight by the night’s end, with some of the best tunes saved for last, and when “Love Removal Machine” cranked up just before the encores the room blew apart. Here, Duffy stepped out as the guitar hero an earlier generation remembered him to be, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy tearing into the solo that was a highlight of 1987’s “Electric” album.
Practically everyone in attendance held their places for the encores. While “Fire Woman” went over well as expected, all were waiting for the big finish of “She Sells Sanctuary,” and The Cult gave them no less than they’d given 20-plus years before.
Astbury and Duffy would be the first to tell you that their time together over the past couple of decades hasn’t exactly been a long, warm ride into the sunset, but Friday’s show was startling evidence that The Cult may be sparking as much fire on theater stages these days as they ever did in arenas.
MTV Video Music Awards: Now we know…the show CAN get worse
Melissa Ruggieri
September 07, 2008 11:47 PM
Where have all the cool stars gone? Are Lil Wayne, with his hand attached to his crotch, and Miley Cyrus butchering a Bon Jovi song during what was essentially a plug for Rockband 2, what music stardom has come to?
When Pink and Christina Aguilera, stars of five years ago, provide the performance highlights of the night, it doesn’t say much for the magnetism of any newbies.
There was so much to hate during the interminable two-ish hours of the MTV Video Music Awards, starting with Britney Spears’ much-hyped opening of the show.
After a lame pre-taped bit with the unfunnier-by-the-second Jonah Hill, where his many attempts to kiss her were passed off as relaxation techniques, the show cut to a live Britney exiting her dressing room and heading to the stage.
She looked great, to be sure – shapely and healthy. But her visibly nervous rush through her TelePrompTer lines to basically say, “Here we are at the VMAs,” was a waste of everyone’s time.
Of course, when she inexplicably won Best Female Video minutes later for her (luke)warmly received “Gimme More” – and later for Best Pop Video and the, ahem, prestigious Video of the Year (for “Piece of Me”)—her last-minute decision to appear on the show suddenly made sense. Feeling bad after destroying her morale last year, MTV?
<<< Photo: Scott Kirkland <<<
(And for anyone who cares, she thanked pretty much the same people during her first two trips to the podium: God, whom she has apparently found, her “beautiful” family and her “two beautiful boys.”)
While many who watched this 25th installment of the award show probably found host Russell Brand extremely polarizing, I actually give the guy credit for daring to inject political commentary into his breathless and restless bits between presenters. Whether or not that belongs in the goofiest of all music award shows is another story.
But at least the little-known Brit, with his crazy eyes and coif, seemed more excited than most of the gum-chewing, glazed-over Barbie dolls in the crowd (were they passing out packs of Stride at the entrance?).
Some decent moments from this year’s show:
-- Hometown guy Chris Brown picked up one Moonman for Best Male Video (“With You”). Accepting in a white dinner jacket with electric blue tie, the always-smiley Chris Breezy noted from the podium, “Personally, I didn’t think I deserve this award. I thought Weezy was gonna get it.”
<<< Photo: Scott Kirkland <<<
It’s OK, Chris. The less we see of Lil Wayne, the better. But why no performance, when we got two from your girlfriend, Rihanna?
-- The Jonas Brothers made their first VMA appearance on a studio backlot (the show took place at Paramount Studios in Hollywood) that looked an awful lot like “Sesame Street.” Then their dreamy acoustic version of “Love Bug” broke into a full rock spectacle, with the floodgates on the lot being opened for a stampede of fans.
Brand called it a “career-defining” performance. I’ll go with, it was good.
-- Brilliant idea to put Pink on a set where she could throw extras down subway stairs and blow up stuff. Her ferocious take on “So What” was one of two genuinely exciting moments in the show.
-- Ms. Aguilera >>> gets the other nod, not just for squeezing her post-pregnancy bod into black spandex and unleashing a slick, electro-dance “Genie in a Bottle,” but for pretty much saying to last year’s Britney, “THIS is what a well-rehearsed performance looks like, honey.”
Christina’s new song, an ambitious cabaret synth-rocker, sounded great…but why so much lip-synching? She and Pink are the only two people on this bill who can actually belt. What a waste.
Photo: Scott Kirkland >>>
And some forgettable/embarrassing moments:
-- What was up with those VMA “alerts” during commercials? I’d rather watch that painful Jerry Seinfeld/Bill Gates spot than be distracted by quizzes and updates and all kinds of other nonsense cramming the TV screen. We are officially an ADD nation – we have no patience and can’t stand any suspense. It’s actually rather sad.
-- <<< Katy Perry, LL Cool J, Lupe Fiasco and the Ting Tings sure got the big middle finger from MTV.
Perry singing “Like a Virgin” into a commercial break was a cute novelty moment, but then MTV proved how little they care about any of these artists (and most of these were some of the more viable ones on the performance roster) by giving them the unenviable 20-second slot on returns from commercials.
Perry has the biggest chick song of the summer with “I Kissed a Girl,” but you only heard the last verse. Same deal for all of the others. The only slight upside was watching Travis Barker pound his drum kit behind them, especially for LL Cool J.
-- Michael Phelps: Love ya, dude, and those eight medals are an awesome accomplishment. But I am SO not looking forward to “SNL” this week, given that you’re completely devoid of any natural talent for timing or TelePrompTer reading.
-- What was that weird ongoing dialogue about promise rings?
Brand made a crude joke about the Jonas Brothers wearing them, then Jordin Sparks, while introducing T.I., basically said that anyone who DOESN’T wear a promise ring is a “slut,” then Brand apologized for his earlier crack about the Jonas Brothers and THEN, on the post-show, gossip maven Perez Hilton stated that he didn’t think it was cool of Brand to make fun of the JBs, especially since Brand has been a tabloid target in the U.K. for his own sex addiction.
Oy. Where’s David Duchovny to clear all of this up?
Anyway, since this show was ostensibly about honoring videos, here is the list of this year’s winners:
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2008/winners.jhtml
Local Springsteen pic in the news
Melissa Ruggieri
August 27, 2008 2:46 PM
Seems someone in the area knew the right channels to send to at MSNBC.com’s entertainment site. Check out this great pic of Bruce Springsteen from his concert last week at the Richmond Coliseum:
("The Week in Celebrity Sightings”—number 20 in the slide show).
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/?q=celebrity+sightings&submit=Search&id=11881780&FORM=AE&os=0&gs=1&p=1&adunitid=939&propertyid=3501
Bruce Springsteen: Thanks for the memories, part deux
Melissa Ruggieri
August 14, 2008 6:00 AM
A couple of weeks ago, we put out a call for readers to share with us their favorite Bruce Springsteen memories. Within hours, I had received close to a dozen, and emails were still trickling in as of Wednesday afternoon. So thank you, Bruce fans, for your passion and your willingness to reveal how the rocker and his music have affected your lives.
We only had room for a handful of responses in Thursday’s Weekend section, so if they didn’t make it to print, no worries - you can read them here, completely intact. Thanks again for your participation—and hopefully Monday’s show at the Richmond Coliseum will only add to your memory files.
Also, all photos used here are taken from the book “For You,” a collection of Springsteen photos and stories as provided by fans. You can read more about it in Thursday’s Weekend section.
Just a few memories to share with you regarding Mr. Springsteen who I have loved since 1980 when my sister’s boyfriend in high school popped in his tape in the car (“The River”)...and I was hooked!
I have seen him four times in concert, my favorite being the “Tunnel of Love” tour in D.C. He had a full brass band behind him that was amazing. This is also the tour he was very obviously flirting with Patti Scialfa and brought her to front center stage quite a bit during the show. (Of course his divorce from Julianne Phillips was announced shortly after) .¤.¤. .
My best memory has to be when he was performing in D.C. in the past 10 years (I apologize, I forgot the date), but I was in the nose-bleed section and a friend of mine was also there, but she was down by the stage working with a group who had stage side seats.
It turned out she had a few empty seats where she was and came and found me in the crowd and escorted me to one of these empty seats. I almost could have reached out and touched him.
I was sitting right next to the VIP section and could look over and see Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and some other famous faces enjoying the show. To see Bruce that close was a memory I’ll never forget.
— Jane Atkisson
I saw Springsteen and the E Street Band in Los Angeles in 1980. He had Flo and Eddie from The Turtles sing background vocals on “Hungry Heart.” Very cool.
At one point in the concert he sat down on the edge of the stage with his guitar and told about growing up in New Jersey. He said his father, who didn’t have much education, went from factory job to factory job, but he always made sure that the rent was paid, there was food on the table and clothes on their backs.
And then Bruce said, “When your parents go to work every day, and they hate it, they do it because they hope that you won’t have to.” It was a very poignant moment. Bruce’s version of the American Dream. And then he sang “The River.” Perfect.
— Dan Jobe
I loved the concerts by Bruce with his band Child and then Steel Mill playing at the Free University at Broad and Harrison in 1969 and 1970.
They were incredible, especially at $5 a ticket. But the real topper was his concert in ‘70 at the old VCU gym. The concert went on and on, no one would leave and the band kept on playing. Then the VCU police cut off the power and the lights.
Bruce pulled out his acoustic quitar and started playing Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.”
The place went crazy. Thepower and lights came back on. What a concert.
— Rae Maupin
My brother, Scoobie Eastman, started a band when he got out of the Army. He was 24 and one of the best drummers to ever play in Richmond .¤.¤. He started a band called Natural Wildlife that really took off with local popularity from their very first gig at the Bearded Brothers, a club on West Broad (now Cabo’s).
The band was more or less the house band there and it was hard to get a seat whenever they performed. I was a proud younger brother and got there early every gig so I could get a seat.
I was 18 — we were able to drink beer at 18 then — and the band was really rocking.
I turned to watch the adoring crowd applaud after a song and saw Bruce toward the back of the room. He was by himself and, yes, he had the same old jeans on. Many in the crowd did not recognize him, but I did.
I walked up to him and asked if I could buy him a beer. Shyly he said, “thanks man.” It was break time for the band and there were two seats available in the back of the room.
We sat and chatted about his band, where he was playing next, his band members and a lot of other things; many that were relative to his relationship with Richmond.
I didn’t want to hog his time so I started to wrap the conversation. In retrospect, it’s nuts; I am talking with Bruce Springsteen and we are both 18 years old.
In parting, I felt I had to give him one big vote of confidence that he well deserved. I said, “Bruce, one day you are going to be a huge rock star.” He said “Gee, man, I hope so. Thanks a lot.” With that, I left him alone to enjoy the band he came in to check out: my brother’s band, Natural Wildlife.
— Glen Eastman
I am a lifelong fan and have seen too many shows (and highlights) to recount. Let me choose one night. You can’t beat the set list below and “Point Blank” was incredible. I was with an entire row of college buddies — all dedicated Bruce “tramps.” It doesn’t get sweeter. I still have the ticket stub-admission: $12.50.
04/08/81 - Capitol Centre, Largo, Md.: Thunder Road / Prove It All Night / Out In The Street / Darkness On The Edge Of Town / Johnny Bye Bye / Independence Day / Trapped / Two Hearts / The Promised Land / The River / This Land Is Your Land / Who’ll Stop The Rain / Badlands / Hungry Heart / You Can Look / Cadillac Ranch / Sherry Darling / Jole Blon / For You / Point Blank / Candy’s Room / Ramrod / Rosalita / Jungleland / Born To Run / Detroit Medley - You Can’t Sit Down - Sweet Soul Music - Shake
— Leslie Taylor
First, I’m a classical pianist with a love of jazz, and I always read your pieces because even though I’m totally out of touch with much of the music scene, you are a wonderful critic, and this is an opportunity to say thank you for crystal writing and insightful criticism.
I heard Springsteen in Budapest, Hungary, when he was on the Human Rights Tour in 1988, held in the Nepstadion, the soccer stadium that holds 80,000 people. It was the only rock concert of my life, but it was a great one, beginning around 8:30 and not ending until around 3:00 a.m.
The Boss wouldn’t stop. They turned on the lights. He brought everyone else, Sting, Peter Gabriel among others, back onto the stage and just kept cranking.
I went partly because our best Hungarian friend, doing his last bit of military duty, was a nut about American pop music, particularly Springsteen.
Two unforgettable moments. Having been in the middle of the field for hours, and hearing at least six languages within earshot that I had no idea what they were, Bruce as the headliner, finally came on around midnight and opened with “Born in the U.S.A.” and EVERYBODY sang along in English. Hungary was still under the Russians. It was a proud-to-be-an-American moment that I cherish.
At some point, he came to the mic like a relectant 3rd-grader giving a book report for the first time. Said a few things in halting Hungarian (with a New Jersey accent) and the place exploded. He could have been President of the country at that moment.
Along with Keith Jarrett, my hero, Springsteen is the most exciting and visceral performer I’ve ever experienced anywhere. Sorry that this is too long, but I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for all your good work, and all the best.
-- James Kidd
My biggest memory of Bruce Springsteen was reading about him in Time & Newsweek on October 20, 1975 on a bus on my way to Coast Guard boot camp in Cape May NJ.
On Aug. 5, 2002, my last day in the guard, he was on the cover of Time. I have always been a fan and saw him on the “Tunnel of Love Express Tour” in 1988.
-- Brad Robinson
5/23/70. VCU Gym. Mercy Flight opened for Steel Mill and the audience were jacked when Bruce appeared on stage but trouble began halfway through the set when the VCU officials complained that the sound was too loud. At precisely 11 PM, the same officials notified the band because of a VCU event ordinance, that they were pulling the power after the current song was over.
All of the power went off, but the drummer, Vini Lopez continued the beat as the stage crew rantically began to look for another power source. Heavy extension cords were placed across the crowed gym floor and women with skirts and dresses began to sit and cover the direction of cords which led out of a side door to the alley.
The legend has it that a Vepco linesman was in the audience and assisted the crew in finding a power source up an adjacent power pole in the alley.
Meanwhile, Vini continues to play a drum solo and is threatened by the VCU police to cease playing or be arrested for disorderly conduct( he was later on). After a 25-minute interlude, the power comes back on, Bruce picks up his guitar and continues where the band left off with “Twenty More Miles.” After about three or four more songs and long after midnight, the officials located the power source and once [again] cut the power.
Tickets were $2.50.
Sometime in ‘71-‘72, Carlos Santana had finished his concert at the [Richmond] Coliseum and showed up alone at the front door of the Backdoor on Grace where Steel Mill was playing. The doorman was insisting that he pay the $2 cover when the owner, John “Big Daddy” Richardson ran over and told the doorman to let him for free. Carlos stood at the bar for awhile until was invited to the stage to sit in.
-- Bill Beville
Bruce has a lot of ties to Richmond. I met him at the String Factory, an upstairs dance room where the Allman Brothers and several other upcoming bands would perform, and played several band jobs with Steel Mill in the Richmond area. My band was called The Barracudas (we’re still playing around Richmond) and another group I played in at the same time was Natural Wildlife. Both bands played concerts with nationally known groups, from Herman’s Hermits to GrandFunk Railroad and Chicago. I can give you more information later, if you need it.
While Bruce was still with Steel Mill, Natural Wildlife played with them at Randolph Macon College ,in Ashland, at their gymnasium for a Saturday concert. While the musicians and roadies set up the light show (slide projectors, 16 mm movie projector, overhead projectors) to be shown on a white cloth screen behind the bands, the scaffolding which held the equipment up above thecrowd had to be moved farther back from theband because the pictures were too small on the screen.
The basketball stadium floor was covered with sheets of plywood to protect the wooden surface. The scaffolding snagged the edge of the plywood and sent the scaffolding
platform over on it’s side. All of the light show equipment fell to the floor. Only one slide projector was still working that night. I was one of the scaffolding movers and had to jump out of the way when it collapsed.
Bruce, meanwhile, was sitting on the bleachers beside my wife, playing his acoustic guitar. I went over to him and talked with him about what could be done for the show that night. By the way, his acoustic guitar had a stick on plastic label that said “A GUITAR”, where the brand name would usually be.
Another place where we played music together was the Bearded Brothers Club on Broad Street, near the Science Museum. He would come down from New Jersey on Thursday
nights and jam with Natural Wildlife until the early morning. He sat beside my dad and told him how his dad didn’t like him playing loud music in their house and he was surprised to see my dad watching us play.
I invited him to come to my house for dinner, and had to pick him up around VCU and take him to my apartment (3100 Stuart Ave, Apt.5) for a steak dinner. He does not like green peas, so he left them on his plate. We played albums from my collection and he told me about a great musician that I was sure to like (Neil Young) since I already has some Buffalo Springfield albums. He liked my stereo cabinet, an old oak wardrobe with shelves and orange burlap lining.
The Barracudas were playing at the Hullabaloo Club in Richmond one night and our bass player was outside with a friend, who aked him who “that rough looking bunch of
guys” were that were coming in the door. He told him that it was Bruce and several of the E Street band members who were forming their group and looking for places to play.
They had Miami Steve play his first job with them at the Hullabaloo Club soon after that night.
I talked to Bruce several times when they played at the Back Door Club on Grace Street and asked him if he knew any singers that were looking for a job, possibly singing with another group I started playing with, called Studio B, because we were recording a lot at Eastern Recording Studio, just off Rt.360 in the Southside of Richmond. He gave me Southside Johnny from his band and Johnny and I wrote a lot of songs together and recoded several of them at Eastern. I still have those tapes and still perform a couple of the songs I wrote.
I try to keep in touch with some of the musicians from back then who played with Bruce’s bands or my bands. Some of them are in the River City Blues Society, of which I am a member, Robbin Thompson, Velpo Robertson, and a bunch of others are still playing around town. I currently play with the Backstage Pass Band and The Barracudas. Check out their Web sites,backstagepassband.us and barracudasband.com for our photos and information. I’m Mike Parker and I’m still looking forward to asking him to play “Sweet,Sweet Melinda” one more time for me like he always did back then.
Mike Parker
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Virgin Fest: Shocker! Lil Wayne is late…and no one cares
Melissa Ruggieri
August 10, 2008 5:35 PM
Well, to answer my musing of the last post…why no, as a matter of fact, Lil Wayne is apparently incapable of doing anything on anyone’s time but his own.
In the three-year history of this festival, no act has ever been late – not even by a few minutes. It always impressed me that the artists maintained enough professionalism to be on time and the organizers insisted on a tight schedule.
So who does Lil Wayne think he is?
His scheduled start time was 3:50 p.m. Around that time, a roadie came out to test a guitar. Not a good sign.
At 4:10 p.m., Wayne’s DJ casually strolled out and set up his turntable.
At 4:20 p.m., Wayne’s crew of assorted hangers-on appeared to deafening cheers, then did nothing but saunter around the stage while the DJ played Wu-Tang Clan songs.
Photo credit: Timothy S. Griffin
Five minutes later, they left…and THEN the crowd started booing. What? These people weren’t bothered by any of the nonsense unfolding BEFORE this point?
I, on the other hand, was quietly seething and already calculating how this would mess up the schedule for the rest of the day. Sorry, Mr. Dylan, your set will now be late because Lil Wayne couldn’t be bothered to get off the tour bus on time (which, as one of the photographers planted at the front of the stage verified for me as the reason for Wayne’s tardiness: there WAS no reason).
So, finally, just past 4:30, His Highness appeared, walking onto the stage in a tight white T-shirt, black jeans, shades and a University of Texas baseball cap as if he had all the time in the world.
Without anything resembling an apology, Wayne started rapping along to the pre-recorded version of “Full Clip,” his jeans already halfway down his thighs.
When he then pronounced, “I’ve got three things I’ve gotta tell you,” one might have expected “Sorry I made you wait” to be one of them. But nope.
“One: I believe in God. Two: I ain’t [bleep] without you, so make noise for what you created. And three: I ain’t [bleep] without you, so make noise for what you created.”
Repetition is so...clever.
So Wayne stalked the stage, grabbing his crotch and telling the 90 percent suburban-type crowd to “get your [bleeper bleeping] hands in the air” about every 20 seconds.
“Duffle Bag Boy,” “Birdman” and “My Daddy” – during which he looked at the sky, made the sign of the cross and then gave another order to, “Get your [bleeper bleeping] hands in the air” – had the audience of about 9,000 bumping body parts and hooting appreciatively.
As his scheduled end time crept up 20 minutes later, it would have been expected that Wayne get booted off stage, so the next act, The Black Keys, could get their equipment organized and perform at 5:15 as planned.
Again, nope.
Wayne rolled through “Fireman” (and, for the record, every one of these songs is essentially the same song – clip-clop beat, plinking synthesizer, nonsensical lyrics) and a particularly vulgar “poem” about his affinity for a female body part (and really, it is incredibly difficult to offend me) before someone apparently told him to shut up and get off the stage.
With that, he announced he was going to “blow ya alls minds,” the radio friendly hook of “Lollipop” began and Kanye West – on deck for tonight’s closing slot – raced out to rap a few verses.
Why the fashionable rapper was wearing a designer backpack is anyone’s guess. But hey, at least we know he’s here.
I did make it down to the other stage in time to see Iggy Pop, plastered in sweat from head to toe and, as usual, displaying his unbelievably ripped torso (dude is 61!!).
Pop had just bounded into the audience, cheerfully singing the refrain of “My Idea of Fun” (“My idea of fun, is killing everyone) and grinning like the punk maniac that he is.
After climbing back onstage, Pop looked at the crowd and yelled, “I don’t know what to do!”, presumably because his set was over, but the fans wanted more. So, in true Iggy form, he slammed his mic stand into the stage a few times, scampered off, and returned moments later for “Electric Chair.”
Virgin Fest: Paramore rocks, She & Him lull - both in a good way
Melissa Ruggieri
August 10, 2008 2:35 PM
If you have teenagers, you’ve probably heard of Paramore, the young emo/rock band with a few traces of punk.
If you don’t have kids, maybe you’ve stumbled upon recent stories about the band in Blender and Spin.
In any case, know this: They’re a tight enough rock outfit that they might even still be around by the time frontwoman (girl? chick?) Hayley Williams turns 20 in December.
Williams is a feisty little thing, banging her orange and blonde-haired head relentlessly, pogoing around the stage and never losing her breath (again, she’s 19) while shouting the words to “Born For This.”
Upon her arrival on stage, she immediately had the adoration of thousands of lovesick bys and the adulation of the girls who always wanted to be rock stars.
The band’s Virgin Fest set attracted a solid, mostly teens and twentysomething crowd of at least 8 or 9,000.
Their tight, punchy rock – coated with a lot of melody – positioned them, especially Williams, as much more than a petulant Avril wannabe.
One of their recent radio hits, “That’s What You Get,” was sung as much by the audience as by Williams, while during “Fences,” she engaged the crowd to hold their arms overhead and snap for several seconds to lead into the song.
The only problem with Paramore’s songs are their tendency to sound similar. Most tunes carry a shifting rhythm – but the same shifting rhythm – and guitar riffs, while sharp, often follow the same pattern.
As if their fans care?
While Paramore was rocking one end of Pimlico Race Course, She & Him, the duo of Zooey Deschenal and M. Ward, was lulling the other side.
At first, their set was more She and Them, as the pair was joined by a three-piece band for “Keep it to Yourself,” including a female bassist and backup singer wearing identical sundresses as Deschenal’s. Theirs, though, were red, while her electric blue one seemed tailored to match her huge, beautiful eyes.
You could tell that many people sprawled on blankets near the stage were only there out of curiosity, to see if this movie actress can sing. And, she can. Most of the time.
Deschenal did sound shrill and slightly off key as she played electric piano to “Sentimental Heart.” But when the rest of the band departed and it was left to her and Ward, on electric guitar, you could hear the confidence lift in her voice.
Their lilting country pop is sweetly simple, and their harmonies effortlessly lovely. At times, Deschenal sounded like Reese Witherspoon’s version of June Carter Cash in “I Walk the Line” – and Witherspoon won an Oscar for that.
Coming up soon – supposedly – is Lil Wayne. Forget about his performance; I’m interested to see if the notoriously late rapper even shows.
Virgin Fest: Welcome to day two with Dylan, Kanye, STP and more
Melissa Ruggieri
August 10, 2008 12:54 PM
Yesterday was sunny and balmy. Today, the heat has rolled in, along with some storm clouds that suggest by the time Lil Wayne hits the stage at 3:50 p.m., it could be a soggy, muddy mess.
But I’ll hang on to some optimism for now.
Shudder to Think and <<< Andrew Bird are on the stages now and have each culled a couple thousand people, but I’m waiting for the engaging power-pop-punk of Paramore in 30 minutes and the blissful harmonies from She & Him, coming onstage about 2:30 p.m..
Yesterday, Virgin Fest organizers estimated the crowd at about 25,000. That’s down about 10,000 from last year’s first night showing – but that one boasted The Police on the first area stop of its reunion tour.
My guess is tonight’s crowd will be slightly larger than Saturday’s showing. Lil Wayne’s inexplicable popularity will surely draw his die-hards, and the closing trio of Bob Dylan, Nine Inch Nails and Kanye West, who will all perform between 6:30 and 10 p.m., scream diversity. And that’s not even counting Moby, who plays DJ in the dance tent for a couple of hours tonight, too.
Oh, BTW, yesterday I neglected to mention the efforts of Virgin Fest to teach concertgoers about the environment (look, if I had the choice between talking about choices of food or talking about disposing of the food, I’m going with the choices angle).
But really, it isn’t easy getting people to throw their trash in the proper receptacles, so VF organizers have people staked out at every garbage area to tell idiots such as myself whether my garbage belongs in the “landfill,” “compost” or “recycle” can.
That said…off to lunch and Paramore.
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