BEST OF MIDWEST BURLESQUE

I had a lot of fun last night as volunteer stage crew for the 2010 Best of the Midwest Burlesk Festival at the Ritz Theatre. Yes, I was a virgin: This was my first time venturing into the world of burlesque. I was blown away by the level of creativity and skill involved. As I heard (and ended up experiencing) throughout the night, there is a big difference between a burlesque show and a strip show. Comedy, props, live music, singing, chroegraphy, stunts, lights / aesthetics, and a certain vintage sophistication were all very integral to the show.

The event was hosted by local troupe Lili's Burlesque Revue and brought in performers from Saint Louis, Chicago, Madison, and beyond (i.e. Canada & NYC?). Kudos to stage manager and Minneapolis theatre maven Deb Ervin for making the evening run so smoothly and inviting me to lend a hand. I'll let some images of the event I lifted from Flickr do the real talking. Take a peek below.

MEDIA ADDICTS

I saw the Media Addicts, one of my favorite local acts, perform again last night at the Eagles Club in Saint Paul. For those not in the know, they are a very tight jazz & prog. rock fusion quartet. There chemistry is alluring as they can stop and change moods on a dime. Switching between his baritone and hollowbody, guitarist Billy Graczyk generates Tool-inspired solos & lead lines in addition to warm piano-sounding comping. The band doesn't get into Bitches Brew territory, but the sum of their parts is a fresh sound and a unique blend of two familiar styles.

Oddly enough, Steve and I had a nice chat with Media Addicts bassist Brent Wallace toward the end of the night about the future of media. Brent mentioned likely futility of the "First Click Free Initiative" Google unveiled recently, while I rambled on about the possibility of the Darknet becoming so large (with the anonymous trading of everything from social security numbers to Pentagon floor plans to music & movies) that the government deems it a national security threat and cracks down on internet usage in a major way (i.e. a 100% non-anonymous internet).

At any rate check out this video (for free and anonymously) that I shot the last time Media Addicts came to the Eagles Club. You can catch them at the Artists' Quarter in downtown Saint Paul on March 12 & 13.

TALKING TREE

Acoustic Minneapolis duo Talking Tree will be one of the acts performing at the kick-off show for my monthly series at Acadia Cafe on Friday February 19th. Guitarist and co-vocalist Nathan Eliot Rowan contacted my shortly after the series was announced. The simple synchronicity of being at work and stuffing his SPCO tickets into an envelope mere minutes before reading his e-mail prompted me to take a closer look at his band.

I enjoyed the tracks they currently have on their MySpace page from a recent EP entitled Thursday. Rowan shares vocal duties with percussionist Emily Dworsky. Their instrumentation is sparse (i.e. early Elliott Smith), but the male - female harmonies are irresistible. Rowan also performs with local acts Free Grandma, Charlie van Stee Trio, & Living Spoon. His experience and songwriting skills are evident in the stellar lyrics on Thursday.

MORE GEMS FROM YESTERYEAR

I wrote album reviews in the "Teen Beat" section of the Rochester Post-Bulletin (circulation: 42,500) my senior year of High School. It was actually a pretty sweet gig for an 18 year old. Classmates were paying attention. English teachers would use quotes for grammar discussion. There is also a certain satisfaction in seeing your byline in print for the first time. Free music and some extra spending money to boot ain't bad either. Although the deadlines and monotony were a little taxing. Naturally there were times when I had no choice, but listen to and write about terrible albums...

The one time I got "recognized" was in the lobby of the old BTD Sports in Rochester during a Lusus Naturae show in the fall of 2003. A girl came up to me a said "you're the guy that writes about music in the paper". With a smile on my face, and feeling a false sense pride, I replied "oh yes, that's me." With a snarl she barked back "I can't believe you didn't like the new Fuel album! What's wrong with you?" BAM! My pride turns to insecurity and I walk away. The album she was referring to was "Natural Selection" and it honestly was / is terrible. I don't have the article I wrote on my person these days, but the negative ones aren't fun to read anyway.

I picked up most of the bad albums I wrote about from a large filing cabinet at Post-Bulletin Headquarters. Like most newspapers, they get dozens upon dozens of discs sent to them from A&R folks around the world. Of course I was always free to go out and purchase an album I wanted to write about, but that was money out of pocket for the time being. I was only reimbursed after the review was printed. I took that route less frequently than the mystery bin. I remember discovering two very good albums this way: 8 Bit Monk by an electronica / psychedelic rock fusion quintet from California called WOVEN and what is now my favorite Neil Young album, Greendale.

• Young's Concept Album Features Intense Storyline (01/20/04)  
• There's No Looking Back For Rearview Mirror (09/16/03)
  

RVM GEMS FROM YESTERYEAR

The band obviously got a lot of press around the time All Lights Off came out. Many of the articles were brief write-ups or a generic hometown newspaper puff pieces. However there were a few that actually managed to get real insight from band members and / or documented what was going on. Some of my favs are below.

• East Coast Romper - Interview with guitarist Matt Olson by Steph Stevens
• Mulenberg Advocate - Reflections from Rearview Mirror by Andrew Rote
• The Fourth Estate - Interview with Adam Ptacek by Amber Smits

The real gem here is a 1998 interview the band did with a Luther College newspaper. It opens as follows: "One of the loudest complaints about weekend entertainment in the Decorah area is the lack of local music. In strong defiance to this misconception stands the band Rearview Mirror. Ranging in ages 14 to 16, these Crestwood High School students have been playing in the area for almost two years and are now beginning to play the local bar scene."

• Luther College Chips - RVM Entertains Area With Alternative Sound by David Wake
  

WHITE STRIPES FILM @ THE TRYLON MICROCINEMA

Got a tip from Neil from KOO KOO KANGA ROO...Via Switchblade Comb:

Sound Unseen will be presenting a very special advance screening of The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights, a film documenting the band’s tour across Canada in the summer of 2007. I am very excited about the opportunity to see this film on a big screen!

The film captures a very unique look into the on and off stage lives of Jack and Meg White through a series of shows which included not only traditional venues, but also matinee gigs at unusual performance venues such as a bowling alley, on a boat and even on a city bus – culminating in a momentous 10th anniversary show at the legendary Savoy Theater in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.

Date: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3RD, 2010
Time: 6:00pm, 7:45pm, 9:30pm
Venue: Trylon Microcinema
Tickets: $8 Purchase Here

BON IVER PLAN TO OPEN MUSIC VENUE IN EAU CLAIRE, WI

Via Pitchfork:

Good news, people of Eau Claire, Wisconsin! In Bon Iver, you not only have an awesome indie band to call your own, you also have a group of proud Eau Claire natives committed to bringing other awesome indie bands to your fair city.

VolumeOne reports that Bon Iver main man Justin Vernon and his brother and tour manager Nate are currently attempting to open a performance and cultural space in a building on South Barstow Street. The city's Redevelopment Authority has OK'ed their plan, an important step. According to VolumeOne, the Vernon brothers now "have 120 days to firm up financing, construction plans, and get all the ducks in a row needed to actually close the transaction, at which point the city hands over the keys and work can begin."

The Vernons plan to call the space...

Read the entire article on Pitchfork HERE

LA CROSSE, I'M YOURS + THE STEVE CONNECTION

Driftless Music got a nice little write up in the Second Supper today (page 5).

Choice quote: "Many of the events take place in the Twin Cities--which our geographer friends may not classify as being in the Driftless Region--but La Crosse gets lots love too, and in a city as digitally dry as our own, we'll take what we can get."

Aww, that "can-do attitude" is what makes La Crosse so lovable. And while the Twin Cities and the Driftless Region may not be connected geographically, I like to think there is some sort of cultural connection between the two. Minneapolis and La Crosse certainly share a strong commitment to live music, regardless of their differences.

For instance, Minneapolis's landmark music venue is First Avenue & 7th St Entry. The club is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. I've been serving on the DEMO board for the past year with Steve "the last independent" McClellan, who worked as a booker, and ultimately as general manager, at First Avenue from 1973-2005. Anyone who knows Steve can attest to his passion for independent music. His monologues and rants can be both hilarious and brutally honest. Most of all, he is operating on the grassroots and genuinely cares about the bands he books and rooms that host them.

Check out a vintage Steve diversity rant (with a kind quote from Bob Mould) in the First Avenue: HayDay movie trailer HERE. Read his "night out" blog post HERE.

In some ways, he reminds me of another Steve...

La Crosse's landmark music venue has honestly got to be the Warehouse. The club is celebrating its 19th anniversary this year. Its owner and sole proprietor Steve Harm is quick to note that the Warehouse is the nation's longest running all ages, no alcohol music venue. I'm not sure how one would verify that claim, but club's longevity is very impressive. Like McClellan, Steve Harm is also good with words, rants, monologues, and opinions (i.e. There are signs all over the Warehouse explaining and spouting many different things). While some people are put of by their "grouchy teddy bear front", McClellan and Harm are really just gentleman that come off as slightly intimidating. The reality is that they are the two most passionate and honest supporters of the independent music community I know.

Of course honesty and passion doesn't always translate to monetary success. Nowadays most shows are still decidedly geared toward the high school crowd, but Steve-o still manages to bring in great touring bands (Meat Puppets coming back in April, Toki Wright & Ari Herstand in March). More importantly, the Warehouse is still rockin'...for now.

First Avenue declared bankruptcy in November of 2004 and was forced to briefly close. A few months later Steve McClellan parted ways with the club; forming DEMO and teaching Music Business courses at McNally Smith College of Music. Hopefully La Crosse's Steve can avoid a similar fate in his current situation with the Warehouse. I'm not against for-profit businesses requesting donations--bands do it too. I simply think the Warehouse would be better off in the long term as a non-profit organization. I just see a natural connection there. All Ages venues provide a valuable service to their communities. That is all. Thanks La Crosse, I'm yours.


www.warehouserocks.com

THE SPCO: YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD ORCHESTRA

Some of you may be aware that I also work for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. I split my time between the ticket office and the front desk. I mention it here, because it really is a great grassroots, community-oriented organization. Instead of playing dumbed-down "pops" concerts with Ben Folds or Def Leppard cover bands like other major orchestras, the SPCO achieves accessibility by having super low ticket prices and by performing concerts in 10 different neighborhood locations throughout the metro.

Some items of note include $10 tickets for the best available seat to any concert for persons in their 20's or 30's, a random drawing for free tickets to family concerts (register before Friday here), and a newly announced lower ticket pricing scheme for the 10/11 season.

Personally I am excited about two upcoming concert weekends:

The city-wide Marimba 2010 International Festival & Conference that is taking place at the end of April includes two events with the SPCO. Fernando Meza will lead some of the world's top Marimba players on April 29 and May 1 at the Music Room in Downtown Saint Paul.

Thomas Adès, one of my favorite contemporary composers, is flying over the pond from England to conduct some of his own pieces with the orchestra at the Ordway in Downtown Saint Paul on April 2 and 3.

So to all you pop music devotees: spread you wings and explore a little. You'd be surprised by the textures and arrangements you might encounter. Orchestras can be truly magnificent...even when they're not playing the music of Queen. Reflecting on all the music I've heard through my tenure at the SPCO, I totally understand why the Classical folks call it "god's music"...and I'm not even a christian.

GOT MY PUSCIFER TICKET

I stood in line with the scalpers and fanatics earlier today to get a ticket to see Puscifer at the Pantages in April. Puscifer is the side project of Maynard James Keenan from the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. I thought I'd have no problem soliciting friends to come, but as the music on his debut "V is for Vagina" suggests, Puscifer appears to be a departure for MJK.

I did find a willing concert partner and after reading an interview he did with the Denver Westword about the project, I feel justified in my claims that the show will simply feature "Maynard being Maynard":

WW: There have been times during your musical career when you didn't seem that into theatricality - shows with Tool where you stayed out of the spotlight. Does your approach with Puscifer represent an evolution? Or is it more than this approach is right for this group?

MJK: I think your observation about the sense of the theatrical would be incorrect. I think all projects that I've done have always had a sense of the theatrical. If you do a little Google search on photos, you'll find me with a Peg Bundy wig and fake tits. And a long wig for another project. It's always been there. Just because you can't see me doesn't mean the presentation isn't of a theatrical nature.

WW: Is that one of the common misperceptions about projects you've been involved in? That it's all about you, when it's never been all about you?

MJK: We're not politicians. We're entertainers. So in some way, we're entertaining you. But if it doesn't in some way involve us at that particular moment, we're artists, and we're still expressing ourselves.

WW: You obviously could be playing bigger shows with Tool. So what makes the time for a Puscifer tour right? What makes the concept most enjoyable for you now?

MJK: It's hard to describe without seeing the show. It's more than just a band. There's a lot more going on. I think it's just taken a while for us to have enough focus to put time into it and really present it. It's not just like four guys jumping on a stage and presenting songs. There's a lot more to it. And I think now is the time to present it just financially. It makes more sense, because ten years ago, you couldn't possibly do some of the animation we've done for the band for any reasonable budget. Because of the digital age, the costs have come down so much. You can record yourself really well, good and solid recordings, in your bedroom. You can present films and animation that you've recorded and edited on your laptop. You couldn't do that ten years ago.

It wasn't really financially feasible. The technology wasn't there. And now with all the record labels and the industry basically failing overall, in the big picture, it's allowed more independent people to kind of sink their teeth into doing things on their own. Really getting back to what matters to them rather than being seduced by the big record deal or the idea of getting famous. Kind of getting back to what's really important, which is creating the art.

Check out the entire interview HERE. Hope to see you all at the circus in April!!!

DRIFTLESS MUSIC SHOWCASE @ ACADIA CAFE

8:00PM Kasey McKee

8:45PM Brahman Shaman

9:30PM Akai

10:30PM Talking Tree

11:30PM The Brilliant Beast

DM PODCAST EPISODE 3

Episode 3 of the Driftless Music Podcast has been released (and right on schedule!). It's a lengthy one and you can hear it in its entirety HERE. Be sure to subscribe to my podcast via RSS or iTunes if you haven't already!

This week has me chatting with Michelle Lynn talk about her song "Desert Flood", addressing the Texas hail storm and the themes of "balance with nature" and "the merging of opposites" that inspired it.

Michelle also talks about he healing power of creativity while lifting the veil on her past and personal life; shedding light on the perspective her time in Austin has given her, as well as the stark contrast between her new album Pre-Echoes For the Postmodern and her first two albums. In my opinion, this episode was the highlight of our conversation and "Desert Flood" is the definitive track on "Pre-Echoes..."

DOUBLE ALBUM 'ANIMIST' AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER &DOWNLOAD

Brahman Shaman's epic new double album ANIMIST is now available for pre-order and / or immediate download via his bandcamp site! The first disc is streamable, while the second disc can only be heard by purchasing the discs and / or digital download. The physical package will hit the streets and ship out on February 1st, 2010.

Let me first say that the artwork and packaging is so vivid and absolutely stunning. Mr. Shaman found the images in Ernst Haeckel's 1904 book Kunstformen der Natur or "Artforms of Nature". They perfectly capture the sentiment of communion with all living things that is part of the heart of (an) ANIMIST.

Secondly, and in my opinion, this album is a creative landmark for Brahman Shaman. He has passionately and diligently recorded, mixed, & mastered; re-recorded, re-mixed, and re-mastered; re-wrote, revised, & re-arranged every single byte of audio in these recordings. The end result is a truly satisfying and lasting artistic expression one can earnestly put their heart and soul behind.

I will hold off on a proper review, as I have yet to fully absorb the album in its 100% final form, but I have been listing to the previous mix of the album since December and can say already, with total confidence that, this is the artist's definitive technical and creative statement.

From a technical perspective, the production value is superb. Brahman Shaman has logged enough hours in Ghost in my House studio to have its tools completely under his command. A project / home studio has never sounded so good. He has a lot of potential as an engineer / producer and that is quiet evident in ANIMIST. From a creative perspective, you get to hear the full range of his style and influences. While that may be a given (or even a downside for some) with 20 tracks, it is the purity of his vision and his skilled execution that make it all work so well. Pop, experimental, folk, alt-rock, and their various permutations are all represented here.

So here's to a new year and the many good things that lie ahead for Brahman Shaman. Despite his wealth of experience, I have a feeling he is only just getting started.

OVERVIEW OF LA CROSSE MUSIC SCENE IN SECOND SUPPER

The December 17th issue of Second Supper, La Crosse's excellent arts and culture rag, was dedicated to the past, present, and future of the city's local music scene. Editor Adam Bissen put together an interesting cover story with quotes from local venue owners and bands about live music become such an integral part of La Crosse's culture and why it continues to thrive there, despite the usual setbacks:

The La Crosse music scene is not typical, not for a city our size and not for a city in the Midwest. On weekends — and even during the week — live bands play bars, clubs and cafes all over town, and almost all of the talent is locally grown. And it’s good!

Of course, our scene isn’t perfect. When it comes to booking touring bands with national relevance, we’re almost always left in the cold. That’s because our venues are small, and almost all of them are smoky bars without a big stage or a booming sound system. We have a pretty homogeneous population so you won’t find much world music, the electronica scene is buried and, despite its popularity, we have almost no local country bands (although some may view that as a positive).

What we do have in La Crosse is a plethora of traditional music, guitar players, rock bands, open jams, jazz cats, singer/songwriters, collaborations, experimentation, open-mindedness and bars. In our own Midwestern way, we accept everybody that wants to play, and sometimes it seems like everyone is in at least a couple of bands.

“I think compared to most cities this size, La Crosse smokes ‘em. No comparison — smokes ‘em,” said Dave Orr, who has been playing gigs in this town for over 20 years and has been in more bands than he can remember. “A lot of it is because this is a river town. A lot is because it’s a college town. It’s a bar town. It’s always had live music.”

True, back when the music world was more grounded and transportation costs were lower, La Crosse used to pull in big name acts as they made their way across the country. Elvis Presley famously performed at the Mary Sawyer Auditorium in 1954, and Louis Armstrong played Oktoberfest 10 years later. The La Crosse Center and the Warehouse booked a number of important bands in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but in the past decade — when the price of gas ratcheted up and record label support crumbled — midsize clubs in La Crosse closed and the big tour buses just rolled on by.

But instead of drying up into yet another small Midwest city without much music, La Crosse looked to within and a homegrown music scene began to blossom.

Read the entire article HERE

ENTIRE REARVIEW MIRROR CATALOG NOW ONLINE!

It is with great pleasure that I write the first "regular" blog post on this site about Rearview Mirror. Former guitarist and current Brahman Shamanator Matt Olson recently uploaded RVM's entire catalog to their new bandcamp site where it is currently available in all its glory for streaming and purchasing. Blown Out, All Lights Off, and their Self-Titled Disc are all "Deluxe Editons" with a whole mess of demos, alternate recordings, live tracks, B-sides, and otherwise previously unreleased material.

The collection of recordings I'm most pleased to see given a proper release is the 24 track "Rarities" which includes songs recorded in MPLS and LA during 2003-2005 for what I've dubbed "The Lost Album". This was the era after they had parted ways with original drummer TJ Kammer and record label Palm Pictures when they were "giving it another go" in Minneapolis. In terms of creative output, this was a very productive time and it spawned some of their best (and largely unheard) tracks. Songs like "Tendon", "Bapboo", "Watching", "For a Time", and "Rigid Sphere" showcase the band at their best--hard-hitting & creative songwriting, memorable melodies, and wicked guitar--it's just too bad that their fans could really only hear these gems at live shows--until now.

That's what really makes this catalog archive so sweet. It's a final testament to, a proper home for, and an ultimate collection of music that captivated an entire region and sub-culture of people, if only for a fleeting moment in time. The band has moved onto other projects and there's no longer any reason to hold back material from those that care to listen. And believe me, there are still plenty of people out there that care to remember--I have a playlist on YouTube with 20 videos of RVM live performances (which will be greatly expanded in the coming months) and I get messages every so often from random people sharing memories and wondering what the band is up to now and where they can find more RVM content. Most of the videos have between 500-800 views.

With the dust settled and the perspective of a few years, the band's legacy seems to be the countless number of people from the Driftless Region, myself included, that decided to pick up an instrument, form a band, open a venue, or pursue a career in the music industry because of the inspiration they found in the success of these four kids from Cresco, IA. Independent music is simply not very common, visible, or as culturally relevant as it should or could be in certain rural areas of the upper midwest. Although there seems to be more bands, venues, and opportunities in those areas now than there was when I was coming of age and I like to think the band played a small part in making that happen. That alone, along with the memories, is worth another look in the Rearview Mirror.

WELCOME!

Welcome to the Driftless Music website! Orient yourself by taking a look around to get a better idea of who I am, what I do, and the music I care so much about. Better yet, join the mailing list and subscribe to my RSS feed--there will be plenty of relevant news and content to come in the future and, if you're reading this right now, you'll certainly want to stay in the loop. The whole idea here is to establish an entertainment destination for myself and the Driftless Music artists to share content, engage fans of progressive & inspired folk / alternative / experimental music, and to--of course--speak our minds. I am looking forward to what 2010 will bring and have lots of exciting projects to share with you in the coming days, weeks, and months.

A few things on the horizon right now:

• Michelle Lynn's third album Pre-Echoes for the Postmodern has hit the streets! CDbaby and local retail distribution is on the way, but you can stream the entire album, as well as purchase a bundled physical CD / digital download package, in her MUSIC STORE right now! Pre-Echoes... is a big step forward for Michelle spiritually and creatively; a truly cohesive and holistic artistic expression. She will be returning to the Driftless region (from sabbatical in Austin, TX) in March and already has shows lined up: March 20th at the Root Note in La Crosse, April 22 at Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis, and April 23 at the Saint Paul Eagles Club.
  

• My weekly podcast featuring music and conversations with Driftless Music artists. You can subscribe and listen via RSS or the iTunes music store. You can also listen right in your web browser by clicking HERE. The first episode is part of a 14 episode series where Michelle Lynn and I talk in-depth about her new album Pre-Echoes for the Postmodern and her life as an independent artist. Click HERE to listen to episode one!

• Brahman Shaman will be releasing his new album Animist in the coming weeks. It will be a double album that includes two discs with ten tracks on each. A podcast series with Brahman Shaman is also in the works.
  

• Imaginary Jack is in the studio right now recording an EP with Darren Jackson (of the Hopefuls and Kid Dakota). Look for a release and regional tour from them in the coming months!

• I will be booking and presenting music under the Driftless Music banner at the Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis, MN on the third Friday of every month starting with February 19th! The Acadia Cafe has to be the most welcoming, comfortable, and unpretentious space to see live music in the Twin Cities. It is an asset to the local music community. I am VERY excited about this series.
  

• Other projects on my radar include: the new Brilliant Beasts EP coming out, uploading and publishing Rearview Mirror's video archive on the Driftless Website, and promoting The Objective Subject's debut album.

Here's to the New Year and all the opportunities that lie ahead!

Be Well,

Adam