The Clap

The new U2 album (No Line On The Horizon) 

was released (or 'dropped' as the kids say...) yesterday.

I've heard a bit of it, and I imagine I'll check out the rest. 

I like quite a few of their albums, particularly "Boy" and "The Joshua Tree."

Which takes me to the point of this blog:
This is surely fiction, but it's a great story. Hilarious.

At a U2 concert in Scotland, Bono asked the audience for total quiet.

Then, in the silence, he started to clap his hands slowly, 

once every few seconds. Holding the audience in total silence, 

he said into the microphone, 

“Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies.”

The crowd was silent as Bono continued the slow clapping.

Finally from the front of the crowd a drunken voice 

with a deep Scottish brogue shouted,
“Well, fookin' stop clapping then, ya evil bastard!”

KJT - Seattle (2009)

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Do I Make You HORNY, Baby?

"New Orleans music,

gonna rock all day, 

roll all night..."

- Rebirth Brass Band, "New Orleans Music" (2001)

Went to a killer show tonight at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. 

Saw The Rebirth Brass Band from New Orleans.

Killer HORNS: 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, sax, 

snare drum, bass drum...

A. MAZE. ING.

Second time I've seen these guys, and they sure bring it.

They really whip up a tasty musical gumbo of 

jazzy/funky/bluesy/second line/dixieland swing.

If you get a chance to see them, do NOT miss out. 

This music is good for your soul. Dancing: mandatory.

Here's a brief snippet from tonight's show...

They are playing tomorrow (now tonight - the 8th) in Portland, OR.

Jan. 9th and 10th in San Francisco, and the 11th in Los Angeles.

So Brett, Carey, Paul, and Sharon... there you have it. Get yours.

KJT - Seattle (2009)

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Simple Pleasures, part 3

"If you go to New Orleans,

You oughta go see the Mardi Gras..."

- Professor Longhair "Go to the Mardi Gras" (1959)

Simple pleasures: 

A leisurely Saturday morning with a strong, 

hot cup of French Press coffee & chicory, 

ordered and shipped in directly from 

Café du Monde in New Orleans.

The smell and taste take me right back 

to time spent in The Big Easy (link).

Playing some Professor Longhair to round out the mood.
The only thing missing are some beignets...

KJT - Seattle (2008)
(Ordered from CajunGrocer.com)

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Fat Roll

"Look at that belly, slippin' over the edge...

Is that my belly, slippin' over the edge?"

- Wordblender, "Fat Roll" (2007)


Some good friends of mine have a unique music/spoken word collective that they call "Wordblender." It's a strange conglomeration of rock, funk, soul, alternative, dark poetry, a little metal, a pinch of a psychedelia, a whiff of latin jazz... it's a strange beast - a madcap whirlwind of trumpet, guitar, keyboards, bongos, shakers, bass, drums, percussion, saxophone, and flute...

I've done quite a bit of the artwork for Wordblender, from creating their logos, to working on most of their album covers, show posters, stickers, etc.

Their sound can be somewhat of an acquired taste - but I love it. I've been jamming it all day at work today, and thought I'd share one of my favorite songs with you.

The above 'video' (and I use that term extremely loosely - as it is more just a mish-mash of images I threw together quickly to go with the song) is for the tune "Fat Roll" off of their 2007 release, Anatomy. That disc and another, is available on iTunes, and all five of their albums are available through CD Baby.com - in fact 'Anatomy' is only $5.00 right now - for 17 songs!

So if you want to support some independent art & music, 

here's your chance. 

If you just want to listen to some groovy Seattle nuttiness, 

click the above video.

Behold, the madness of Wordblender...

And let me know what you think in the comments below.

KJT - Seattle (2008)

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Simple Pleasures, part 2

“Lots of times I feel like I don't belong to this place.”
- Jeff Buckley, American singer, songwriter, musician (1966-1997)

Simple pleasures: awake in the still and the dark of a cold November morning. A melancholy morning - but in that good, haunting way. A warm, strong espresso and a bit of dark chocolate at my hand. The dogs curled up next to me on the couch. Outside the window, low fog tendrils creep amidst the naked branches and forlorn street lights. Excited & anxious about impending fatherhood. Jeff Buckley's other-worldly, heartbreakingly beautiful cover of The Smith's "I Know It's Over" washing over me. So glad to be alive at this instant that it hurts.

KJT - Seattle (2008)

(Buckley picture from his website)

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Live Music Memories - UPDATED!!

"...excitement blew out of his eyes in stabs of fiendish light. He rolled his neck in spastic ecstasy. He lisped, he writhed, he flopped, he moaned, he howled, he fell back in despair. He could hardly get a word out, he was so excited with life. 

Dean stood before him with head bowed, 

repeating over and over again, 

"Yes... yes.... yes... man he's the end! 

You see, if you go like him all the time you'll finally get it."
"Get what?"
"IT! IT!..."
- Jack Kerouac, "On the Road" (1957)




I've always loved that passage from "On the Road" when Jack and Neal (Sal & Dean) go to see a jazz concert and are swept up in "IT": the passion and ecstasy of live music...

I was cleaning out a drawer recently and stumbled across a stack of old concert tickets. It made me think about some of the great live music I've seen over the years. Tried to decide what my top concerts would be... easier said than done. I posted some of the tickets from these shows above, some tickets have been lost to history.

TOP FIVE CONCERTS:

1.) PSYCHODELIC ZOMBIEZ, 1995(?), The Fox Theater, Boulder. 

I don't have a ticket for this one, but it set the standard. The Zombiez, despite their rather scary name, are a groove/funk/rock band from Colorado with an amazing horn section: trombone, sax, trumpets, alto sax, more sax - the works - think Weapon of Choice meets Fishbone. They must have had 15 people on stage playing. I've never felt that kind of power coming off a stage before or since. It was almost something tangible - like a giant wave of music cresting over the audience and physically crashing down upon us. Beautiful and terrifying all at once. I danced and jived until I was a sweaty mess - I remember thinking at the time, "This is the "IT" Kerouac was talking about." Didn't make it home until late the next afternoon. I don't think the mushrooms played any part in it.

2.) THE CURE, 1996, McNichols Arena, Denver, "Wild Mood Swings" tour. Not one of my favorite albums - but the concert was amazing. Probably because they played almost all of "Disintegration." Set included a mesmerizing 30+ minute version of "Prayers for Rain" with the band lit from behind so they were all in silhouette. I remember being entranced. When the song finished I thought, 

"Well, I guess I don't need to see any live shows anymore..."

3.) BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY, 1998, The Fenix, Seattle. 

The first date I ever had with my future-wife. I had met her just a week before. I had a ticket to the show and she didn't. I remember sliding the doorman a $20 and asking him to "look at the guest list again." He "found" her name and we were in. We danced and laughed and drank all night. A great start to a continuing romance. 

You and Me & the Bottle Make 3 Tonight!
Here's the entire story: Chance Encounter

4.) THE AFGHAN WHIGS, 1999, The Showbox, Seattle. 

Playing for SubPop's 10th anniversary party. One of my favorite bands fronted by one of my favorite singer/musicians, Greg Dulli. An amazing performance in the old Showbox, before the refurbishment - one of the best live venues I've ever been in.

5.) GEORGE CLINTON & THE P-FUNK ALL-STARS, 1996, The Fenix, Seattle. What an introduction to Seattle. My best friend, who's house I had just moved into from Colorado the DAY BEFORE, had a ticket waiting for me when I arrived. We took the bus downtown and witnessed one truly ridiculously amazing whacky silly solid show. Seriously. Off the hook.

Honorable mentions:
THE ROLLING STONES,1994, Mile High Stadium, Denver. Simply because they are my favorite band. I would have loved to have seen them in their heyday with Brian Jones or Mick Taylor, but I'll take what I can get. A 20-minute version of "Miss You" didn't hurt either...

MAKTUB, 2003, Liquid Lounge at EMP, Seattle. Local Seattle neo-soul/funk/rock band. Played their asses off that night. 

Turned it up to eleven.

MACEO PARKER, 1997(?), The Showbox, Seattle. 

Again, before the refurbishment. The guy had to be what 55 years old at the time? I was in my twenties (OK, late twenties) - and he wore me out. He blew the hell out of that horn for almost four straight hours. I was exhausted, delirious, and enraptured by the end of the show.

JAMES BROWN & MACEO PARKER, 2000, Key Arena, Seattle. 

The Godfather of Soul along with maybe the greatest sax player of all time. Enough said. Period.

JANE'S ADDICTION, 1990, Mammoth Events Center, Denver. 

Just after the release of "Ritual de lo Habitual." Primus opened for them. It just doesn't get any better than Jane's.

THE THE, 2000, The Showbox, Seattle. One of my favorite bands from the 80s/90s hitting the concert scene again. Oh yeah. 

"Mind Bomb" is still a favorite album.

THE TWILIGHT SINGERS, 2000, The Showbox, Seattle. Greg Dulli 

(of Afghan Whigs) returns with his new band. Hits another home run.

JOHNETTE NAPOLITANO, 2007, The Triple Door, Seattle. 

My new favorite place to see a show. The ex-lead singer of Concrete Blonde (another of my fave bands) put on an intimate, acoustic/piano show that still haunts me.

IRON MAIDEN, 1983, McNichols Arena, Denver. My VERY FIRST concert. "Piece of Mind" tour. My mom drove me and a friend up from Fort Collins. Scrawny little eighth-grade kids headbanging in the upper deck, getting a contact high from all the pot-smoking going on around us, and loving it. Total Bevis & Butthead moment.

OZZY OSBOURNE, 1984, McNichols Arena, Denver. 

My SECOND concert ever. My mom drove me and a friend up from Fort Collins. Again. Motley Crue opened. "Bark at the Moon" & "Shout at the Devil" two-fer. Can you say "Metal Rules!"

CONCRETE BLONDE, 1990, some shitty little club in downtown Denver. Excellent, dark, moody show. From the "Bloodletting" tour. 

I love her.

ELVIN JONES, 2000, Paris Jazz Festival, Bois de Vincennes, Paris. Amazing jazz drummer who used to play with John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker. A legend. Glad I got to see him before he passed. And what better venue than the sprawling city park on the outskirts of Paris on a warm summer evening.

ANI DiFRANCO, 1998, Pier 62, Seattle waterfront. 

Summer Nights At the Pier. Sun setting over Puget Sound. Concert set up out over the water on the pier. High-rises of downtown behind us. Stacie and I still in the courting phase.

MICHAEL FRANTI, 2003, The Showbox, Seattle. 

"Everyone Deserves Music" tour. My calves were sore for weeks after this one - OD'd on jumping and dancing.

OK, that's about it. I'm probably forgetting a few that I truly loved, like Prince at the Paramount, Mazzy Star at the King Cat Theater, and Charlie Hunter at Jazz Alley, but oh well...

UPDATE, NOVEMBER 8: Thanks for all the great concert memories posted to the comments - sparked a few that I had forgotten about (which I knew would happen...) A few are important enough I wanted to list them:

P.J. HARVEY, 2007, The Showbox, Seattle. 

One of my favorite singers - haunting, scary, brilliant. 

Unforgettable show, that I promptly forgot!

REBIRTH BRASS BAND, 2005(?), The Tractor Tavern, Seattle. 

Phenomenal live brass/second line/jazz/funk/party band from New Orleans. Another dance-a-thon. They are coming back to the Tractor this January. I'll be there...

B.B. KING, 2004, Jazz Alley, Seattle. 

The king of the blues brought his Lucille up to the Pacific Northwest and lit it up. Pretty much brought the house to tears.

SOUNDGARDEN, 1991, some small club, Denver. 

"Badmotorfinger" tour. Segued into a bit of Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" right in the middle of one of their songs. 

Chris Cornell has one of the best voices in rock.

SMASHING PUMPKINS/RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS/PEARL JAM, 1991, Denver Coliseum, Denver. No one knew who Pearl Jam was yet (except for us, since we worked in a record store), Jeremy hadn't been released as a single yet, and we went to the show with an enigmatic man we knew named Hugo. He claimed he knew the band, new the Chili Peppers, and could get us back stage. Yeah right, we thought. Well, we watch the concert - which was great, all three bands ON FIRE. Then Hugo leads us around behind the stage, security lets us all through, Eddie Vedder spies Hugo and gives him a shout and a big hug. We were speechless. We got to talk to everyone in the band, discussed Freddie Mercury's recent passing, and met Flea and Anthony from the Chili's as well. Surreal evening.

LOLLAPALOOZA (Pearl Jam/Soundgarden/Ministry/Lush/Jesus & Mary Chain/Ice Cube/Red Hot Chili Peppers), 1992, Fiddler's Green, Denver. Went down to my friend's house in Denver before the show for some illegal pre-partying. The entire concert was one big blur - but we had a blast. The fans during Ministry's set terrified me.

STEVE MILLER BAND, 1990, Red Rocks, outside of Denver. 

Great, smooth show, highlighted by a half-hour version of 

"I Want To Make The World Turn Around."

METALLICA/THE CULT, 1989, Red Rocks, outside of Denver. 

Two great bands on one bill in an epic concert setting. I caught a drum stick from Matt Sorum of the Cult and a guitar pick from Kirk Hammett of Metallica during this show (we were fifth row.)

WARRIOR SOUL, 1990, Bangles Bar, Denver. 

Another great show, just had to mention it.

So my question for you is this, what are YOUR TOP FIVE CONCERTS?
Leave your own list in the comments section below:
KJT - Seattle (2008)

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Comedy Relief

"Time marches on

For whom the bell tolls."

- Metallica, "For Whom The Bell Tolls" (1984)

I dug out another picture from my damp, dark past.

Another shot of a random day-in-the-life of music store slackers.

That's me, third from left, in all my long-hair plumage glory.

Please note the reflective Gargoyles sunglasses and 

requisite "Metal Up Your Ass" Metallica t-shirt & faded jean jacket.

Walking cliche. 

Ah, but they were fun times.

KJT - Colorado (circa 1988-89)

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Rock 'n' Roll

"I wanna rock and roll all night

and party every day."

- Kiss, "Rock and Roll All Nite" (1975)

More memories of times past and Colorado. This is a picture of my dorm room at Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colorado circa 1987. Think I liked KISS much back then? Good grief.

KJT - Durango, CO (1987)

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Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover

"Damn, I wish I was your lover

I'll rock you till the daylight comes..."

- Sophie B. Hawkins, "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" (1992)

For about five years in the late 80's/early 90's I worked in a corporate music store in a mall in Colorado. First as a customer service clown and eventually as the assistant manager. I worked with some crazy people over that time, but there were a core group of four of us, including our manager, who were absolute music fanatics, and for the most part we had a blast. 

We loved music, but hated being in a mall, and detested most of the customers too. We were all in it for ourselves - for our love of music, to be able to get that next cool CD at a discount, and to find out when that missing re-release would finally come out. We were more than a bit pretentious and snobby and rolled our eyes constantly at the customers. Imagine "Hi Fidelity," with Phil as the steadying hand of John Cusak's Rob Gordon behind the counter.

A friend and former co-worker from back then recently regaled me with a funny incident from the store and it sparked a cavalcade of memories, a couple of which I thought I'd share here...

1) One day a man in his mid-thirties was walking up and down the aisles, scanning the titles of all the tapes and singles, obviously looking without much luck for a certain song. My friend, Corey, approached the man and asked if he could help him find anything. The man looked up from the wall of tapes and simply said, 

"Damn, I wish I was your lover."

This was the title of a song very popular at that time, a fact known full well by Corey, as we had been selling tons of it. Instead of pointing out the song to the man, Corey jumped back in mock-indignation and said in a loud voice, "Sir, I don't even KNOW you."

The vision of the man sputtering and stuttering with a bright red face as he tried to explain will remain with me always.

2) In 1990 one of the biggest sellers we had at the store, much to our chagrin, was the pop group Milli Vanilli. We hated Milli Vanilli. Despised their music, their fans, and their whole phenomenon. When the news broke that they didn't really sing on their records and lip-synched in their concerts we laughed to ourselves and decided unilaterally that anyone who had purchased one of their albums from our store would not be allowed a refund (which our corporate leaders had instructed us to do). I'm sure we sent more than a few young waifs out the door in tears.

KJT - Ft. Collins, CO. (1988-1993)

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Blood & Coffee

"Romeo is bleeding as he gives the man his ticket

And he climbs the balcony at the movies

And he'll die without a whimper

Like every hero's dream

Like an angel with a bullet

And Cagney on the screen..."

- Tom Waits "Romeo Is Bleeding" (1978)

Random Tuesday morning thoughts...

• Tried a new coffee shop on the way to the train station this morning, Intelligentsia. I have to say I was not too impressed. A bitter brew.

• Very happy about the new, later train that I can take into work now. Started last Monday, while I was in Vegas. Now I can leave the house at 6:30am instead of 5:45am - a much more civilized hour. So happy to be back on the bike too.

• Tom Waits amazing song, "Romeo is Bleeding" came up randomly on the iPod this morning and I had to play it thrice. God help me, I love that song. Such a great story, great mood, great music. (The title of which also inspired the half-way decent 1993 movie of the same name starring Gary Oldman.)

KJT - Seattle (2008)

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Surprise, surprise, surprise...

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. 

It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us."

- Ashley Montagu, British-American humanist (1905-1999)

So my wickedly clever and wonderfully devious wife leads me to believe we are throwing a surprise party for a friend of ours. It's going to be at our house, in our backyard, and we are having a huge New Orleans buffet feast: red beans & rice, andouille sausage gumbo, fried catfish, shrimp/bacon/cheese grits, seafood enchiladas, macaroni & cheese, strawberry cake, peach cobbler, and we hired a bartender to work the party too.

I'm up for it, sounds fun, etc. Then she tells me that I have to go to the airport and pick up our friend's brother. I grumble at this, whine a bit, but end up going out to the airport. I'm slowly cruising past the arrivals and I see this guy pointing at me and smiling. As he starts running towards me I realize it's an old friend from my Colorado days, who has lived in Tennessee since the early 90's. We still communicate fairly often, but I've only seen him once or twice in almost 15 years. My first thought is, "Wow, he must be out here for business - how random that I see him at the airport." Then he opens the door, throws his bag in the back, and climbs in. "Surprised to see me?" he laughs. I just stutter. "You'd better call your wife," he says. I just mumble, "What, uh, what?" I'm completely confused at this point. He laughs again, "Just call your wife."

Turns out the 'surprise party' is for me, for my 40th birthday. This is quite a surprise, since my birthday is at the end of December. Told you she was devious, and the weather out here in Seattle is much more conducive to parties in September than in December. We had 40 or so of our best friends, including my mother and a few old ones I hadn't seen in ages. Great food (my wife is an amazing cook), beautiful weather (upper 70's), great bartender, lots of mojitos, way too many shots of Jameson and Bushmills (not one for religious discrimination am I), numerous beers, the dogs and cat, the sweet sounds of Dr. John, Rebirth Brass Band, Big Sam, Professor Longhair, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. We were all in our cups late into the night (early morning actually).

It was a blast. Wish my sister could have made it too, but she's on secret work detail for the government (very hush, hush!). She called and laughingly wished me an 'early' happy birthday. Good times...

KJT - Seattle (2008) Kaiser guarding the food, pre-dinner drinks as the sun sets...

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Funk Soul Brother

"Don't you ever, be sad

Lean on me, when times are bad

When the day comes, and you are down

In a river of trouble, about to drown

Hold on, I'm coming"

- Sam & Dave, "Hold On, I'm Coming." Written by Isaac Hayes & David Porter (1966)

Just wanted to drop my two cents into the kitty... 

We lost a great one the other day. Funk-soul legend Isaac Hayes, 

20 August 1942 — 10 August 2008. Probably best known for his Grammy & Oscar-winning "Theme from Shaft," he also co-wrote two of my favorite songs of all time "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man," both recorded by Stax soul group Sam & Dave. He had a great run as "Chef" on South Park, and starred in one of my favorite childhood movies "Escape From New York." His influence stretches across the musical galaxy. He WILL be missed.

KJT - Seattle (2008) Image courtesy of the AP

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The Big Easy

"There is a house in New Orleans

They call the Rising Sun

And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy

And God, I know I'm one..."

- The Animals, "House of the Rising Sun" (1964)

It was late. We were all quite "in our cups" as I liked to say. We had made the introduction of the Mint Julep, the Ramos Gin Fizz, a Hurricane, and numerous beers. We'd been imbibing since dinner 

(red beans & rice/crawfish po' boys) - and it was now well past midnight. We had roamed from one bar to the next inside the French Quarter. Our only criteria: live music. And we'd found a smorgasbord. All evening we'd been treated to the best the Crescent City had to offer: a rich musical gumbo of funk, jazz, blues, cajun, and second line sounds all liberally seasoned with as much trumpet, sax, tuba, trombone, and stride piano as we could stomach. Now, as we stumbled along Decatur street some distance from Jackson Square, we could smell the Mississippi just over the levee. We were making a roundabout way back to our hotel as a vague light in the eastern sky was slowly erasing the dark. Suddenly P stopped short. "Wait," he hissed. "Listen." In the distance we could just make out the high, thin wail of a lone brass instrument. "BONE!" P cried. "I hear trombone!" He had a huge, Cheshire grin and a wild, manic light in his eyes. He raised his finger and pointed. "This way..." He turned north and began to follow the music, being led by the pied piper once again. We looked at each other, shrugged and then followed willingly, realizing that this night would not end with the dawn...

KJT - New Orleans, Louisiana (2003)

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Havana Dreaming

"The Floridita was open now and he bought the two papers that were out, Cristol and Alerta, and took them to the bar with him. He took his seat on a tall bar stool at the extreme left of the bar. His back was against the wall toward the street and his left was covered by the wall behind the bar. He ordered a double frozen daiquiri with no sugar from Pedrico, who smiled his smile which was almost like the rictus on a dead man..."

-Ernest Hemingway "Islands in the Stream" (1970)

We started off the evening at the Floridita, where Hemingway used to get his daiquiris. We then walked from café to café in the warm, fragrant air. The exotic sounds of the guajira, son, and changuí music danced and intertwined with the clink of glassware and the low murmur of tableside sonnets. The warm Caribbean wind brought the smell of the sea to the outdoor courtyards and patios. The mojitos, beer, and cigars left us with a heady feeling of tranquility and peace. These were the Halcyon nights of our honeymoon.

KJT - Havana, Cuba (2004)

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