MICK'S PICKS CONCERT REVIEWS
Zolar X 6/18/05
Porcupine Tree 6/08/05
Eddie and the Hot Rods 6/05/05
Blue Oyster Cult /3/21/05
The Asylum Street Spankers 12/15/04
Shawn Colvin/The Neville Brothers 12/11/04
Sally Timms and Johnny Dowd 12/07/04
Wilco 11/13/04
Zolar X, The Blank Club 6/18/05
I was scared... I mean, again I'm going to see a band of "old guys" doing rock music. This can ALWAYS be a a mixed bag. Will they be pot-bellied? Will they not be able to play or sing anymore? And in the case of Zolar X it has been 26 years since they last played! But my pal, Bobby, informed me,after seeing them quit a few times back in the 70's, that these guys were VERY professional and would pull it off. So I stayed positive about what was to come and checked out the opening bands. San Francisco's own Master Moth opened. They are a newish band of old friends that have played under different names in the passed. They were GREAT! A three piece band ( drums, vocals and guitar) that that were kind of a bluesy version of the old New York band Television. They really needed a bass player and according to the guitarist they "couldn't find a bass player they could control". But a really liked their songs and I'll check them out more in the future. The next band just freaked me out. Taurus was two girls in "space age" costumes and a guy with feathered hair on guitar and vocals. I just ran out of the club in terror. Then Zolar X came out and really impressed me. They were now a trio, the original guitarist, Ygarr Ygarrist, original drummer, Eon, and a new bass player. The original singer, Zory Zenith is now in jail( I understand an intergalactic council found him guilty of selling illegal dylithium crystals...or maybe that was crystal meth, I'm not sure). They came out in new costumes, nothing really special, black tights with glittery rings around the arms, legs and waist and the name, ZOLAR X, embroidered across the front . Of course all three donned those very cool white, shoulder length, wigs with the hair, on the fore head, cut to a point right between the eyes. They passed on the "spock" ears but had very nice alien style eye brows! But the thing that really impressed me the most about them was that they seemed to be so "matter a fact" about it all. They didn't seem to be nervous and were at home in their costumes! The songs were really well done with Ygarr taking on all lead vocals and guitar. This band really were, as Jello Biafra exclaimed "the missing link between Chrome and the Stooges!". But I might add that to me it's more like the connection between Ziggy Stardust and The Sex Pistols. Glam Punk. Who knows if they will ever be heard from again but I now can say I got to see this band before they left again for their home planet!
What a fun show!
Thank you Bobby for turning me on to these guys!
Porcupine Tree, The Fillmore 6/08/05
It's so cool to have a bunch of friends that like music! They turn me on to bands and vice a versa. My pal, Joe, makes very cool power pop compilation cds to give out to his friends and on one of the last ones he gave me included a band called Porcupine Tree. I was listening and thought, "this isn't power pop!" But in a way it was. They have a pop sensibility with a progressive edge. And I was hooked right in from the first note. Porcupine Tree is really one guy with all his friends. That guys name is Steven Wilson. He uses Moody Blues style vocal harmonies and the King Crimson dynamic...very quite all the way up to monster crunch...all in the same song! Even Crimson's Adrian Belew does the guest guitarist thing on their new album "Deadwing" and Robert Fripp even opened for them! We all were having such a good time, eating, drinking and bullshitting, up in the Fillmore's poster bar, that we missed Fripp's set completely! I heard through the grapevine we didn't miss much. But the Fripp fan that I am is just a little miffed we missed him. Porcupine Tree made up for us missing Fripp. They did a GREAT set of mostly stuff off the new album. As we checked out this band we heard more influences...Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The very talented players in this band were able to pull off some pretty spacey jams and make 'em work! The vocal harmonies of the albums were cut a little short but, that said, the singing was still excellent. As the set drew to a close, the band gave us the highlight of their repertoire, one of the BEST melancholy pop songs of the last 5 years, Shesmovedon.
Again I find myself thanking a friend for turning me on to a wonderful artist!
Thanx Joe!
Eddie and the Hot Rods, The Blank Club 6/05/2005
These days when I go to see a band that I LOVED when I was 17, I'm a little leery of them being REALLY BAD. If you remember my review of The Vibrators show you know what I mean. A complete loss of energy and chops... that is what I am scared of. But I was pleasantly surprise when we walked into The Blank Club to the opening strains of Eddie and the Hot Rods classic song from 1976, Teenage Depression... THEY WERE ROCKIN'! The only original member is the vocalist, Barrie Masters. He reminded me of Mick Jaggers 50 year old little brother. VERY worn from lots of European touring, ( they haven't been to the states since 1977!) Barrie still has the energy and voice to front this band very well! I just try to figure out how a guy can sing punk rock for over 25 years and STILL have a voice?!? The rest of the band are all new to the band within the last 5 years... but they all knew what it was all about to keep the energy high and rock like the early days. As I watched this band go thru there great early material, Life on the Line, Do anything you Wanna Do and Quit This Town, I thought to myself, " could they have been very much better in 1977?"... younger, yes, but I REALLY don't think this band could have rocked much more than they did. Sure the new guitarists do the "Heavy Metal noodle" riff a little to the extreme, but the shear excitement of this band and the great songs did not let this minor point get in the way. From a few GREAT covers ( Wooly Bully, Hard Drivin' Man and Gloria) to a couple very good songs from a brand new album, Eddie and the Hot Rods still have what it takes to carry on the great British pub rock tradition.
Blue Oyster Cult, Slim's 3/21/05
I just can't figure it out...WHY isn't BLUE OYSTER CULT a HUGE rock band!?!? They're definitely a very intelligent rock band... both with their music and how they have run their long careers. The music is very catchy pop/rock with a great slant toward progressive rock. They really are NOT the classic rock style you would think by just hearing their hits. Could it be you're afraid of the song titles (Hot Rails To Hell, 7 Screaming Diz-Busters, Baby Ice Dog, Career Of Evil, Dominance And Submission, Cagey Cretins, I Am The One You Warned Me Of, I Just Like To Be Bad, Veteran Of The Psychic Wars, Sinful Love, Tattoo Vampire, Harvester Of Eyes and, how could we ever forget, (Don't Fear) The Reaper)? Is it the Saturday Night Live "Cowbell" skit that just makes you laugh them off as a run of the mill classic rock/metal band? Is it the hard to decipher scary sci-fi, horror lyrics co-written with MASTER scribes like Michael Moorcock, Ian Hunter, Patti Smith, Jim Carroll, John Shirley and, their early producers, Krugman and Pearlman? Maybe you just would NEVER listen to a band that used an umlaut in their name...those scary "eyes" over the O in Oyster. And the symbol, which is a take-off on the ancient symbol of the planet Saturn and Kronos, the Titan god who swallowed his son, the Grim Reaper...well THAT alone would scare off a Creed fan or two (And THAT is a good thing!). Or maybe you just have never given them another chance... outside of The Reaper, Godzilla and I'm Burnin' For You. These questions went around and around in my mind after seeing this band, for about the 10th time since 1976, at Slim's on one VERY stormy eve, the 21st of March 2005.
I usually dislike the Boz Scagg's dive they call Slim's, so my pal Fred and I payed extra to get the upstairs dinner seats. This was a GREAT idea, on Fred's part, cuz I had a KICK-BUTT rib-eye steak and could see the band the whole night! If I go back to Slim's I would probably do the dinner seats again! I don't remember the opening band's name but they were a kind of fun "cock" rocking, glam band... But we were there to see BOC...so they really didn't matter to us.
BOC did a set HEAVY on the first three albums from 1972, 73 and 74 and also threw in the hits and a few more obscure cuts like, Lips In The Hills from 1980 and The Vigil from 1979. With a new rhythm section in toe, the three original members, Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma and Allen Lanier, probably did one of the BEST shows I've seen them do since their days in the arenas. The sound was GREAT and the new guys were FANS (you could just tell!) and inspired the boys to rock like youngins! The highlight of the evening, for me, was them doing the beautiful ballad, from their 1977 album, SPECTRES, called I Love The Night. It was just one of those moments were a rock song can be one of the most important things in the world. It sent chills up my spine...
PLEASE... put Sept 2nd on your calendar... they will be back playing the Avalon in Santa Clara! Here is your chance to see them! The band is at one of their many peaks at the moment and you should take advantage of this opportunity to see a band that has influenced so many.
The Asylum Street Spankers, Espresso Garden Cafe 12/15/04
When I heard The Spankers were playing the Espresso Cafe in San Jose around Christmas this year I thought what a GREAT place to throw a Christmas get-together! So I put out the word to all my friend and got about 18 friends to confirm and I was at the door EARLY so I could get the first and second rows for us! This place only holds about 80 people and it was a SOLD OUT show 3 days before! Being so small The Spankers, who are now using mikes at bigger shows, were able to play without "the demon electricity"! The latest line-up is really great! Two fairly new additions are Charlie, on mandolin and banjo and, and a fella named Sick on fiddle. Sick has REALLY started to fit into the band well since the last time I saw them...he is VERY animated! He comes forward to do a cover of Nine Inch Nails "Closer"... which he tells us is about bestiality... with everybody in the band adding animal sounds... definitely a high point of the show! Charlie, the newest member, is a dynamic banjo/mandolin player and can sing a very good back up low end vocal...he will fit in very nicely with a little time. Other cool tunes, for me, were Christine's wonderful rendition of Harry Nilisson's "Think About Your Troubles" and Christine and Wammo's duet on "Baby, It's Cold Outside". The band has been through some change as of late but I have a feeling that this line up will be staying together for awhile... they seem to get along well! Out of the 18 people that were in our party, I think about 10 were "Spanker virgins"... I am sure they are all now fans of this crazy outfit of musicians. A word of warning to all of you who passed on this show... They are in talks with producers about doing a comedy/variety TV show... DON"T miss them next time, or you may NEVER get to see this very entertaining group again in a small venue.
Shawn Colvin/The Neville Brothers, Flint Center 12/11/04
Last Thursday night I checked my email to find an note from KFOG saying I was the winner of a pair of tickets to see the Annual KFOG Concert For Kids at Flint Center in Cupertino! I was going to go to my pals X-mas jam party but I just could NOT pass up this chance to see TWO great artist at a GREAT venue! (Sorry I missed the party, Len...hope it was GREAT!) I tried to get somebody to go with me but NOBODY was available...so I went alone! And I'm VERY glad I did. Shawn Colvin came out first with a very inspiring version of Donovan's "Catch The Wind". This along with The Beatles "I'll Be Back" were the only two cover songs she did this night , but she could have just walked away after just those two song and I would have been happy! She knocked BOTH of these songs out of the ballpark, with her own unique take on them.( If you pick up her new greatest hits CD you get the Beatles song as a bonus track.) She went on to play lots of her own beautiful songs, including her big hit "When Sonny Came Home". As she played I thought to myself how I had never thought of her as much of a guitar player. Well I was SO wrong! Shawn can play her Vintage Martin D-28 acoustic like some of the best acoustic guitarist I've ever seen! I thought of Leo Kottke,as she finger picked her way into my heart. Her storytelling between songs was just gut-busting! She really does not hold back at telling the audience WHATEVER she wants! This lady was a treat to see live...
Then the Nevilles came out and filled the Flint Center with their own brand of New Orleans Funk/ Soul music. Brothers Aaron, Art, Ivan, Charles and Cyril, along with other VERY talented siblings, grooved on many old and new songs. Aaron, of course, did his big hit "Tell It Like It Is" and he is NOT the only great voice in this band. ALL members traded off all night long on lead vocals and they are ALL just as good as Aaron! Cyril is the sax player who gives the band the haunting signature solos. On the cut "Yellow Moon" he did a call-and- response thing with the guitar player that was just AWSOME!! They did a cover of the old reggae classic "River Of Babylon" and an acapella version of "Amazing Grace" by Aaron sent chills up my spine! I had seen this band years ago but I enjoyed this set SO much more! There is just so much history behind these guys and they just are class incarnate!
Sally Timms and Johnny Dowd, Cafe Du Nord 12/07/04
Got to catch an interesting set by Sally Timms and The Johnny Dowd Band at Cafe Du Nord in SF last Fri the 7th. Cafe du Nord is a very cool venue, as it was an old speak-easy back in the 20's, and has a very warm vibe to it. It is very small and always good sound. We got to the show a little late due to the poor parking situation, but missed only about 3 songs by Johnny Dowd. This fella I had been wanting to see for awhile now. He is a VERY interesting song writer from Oklahoma. Johnny must be in his 50's and must have had quite an interesting upbringing. His songs range in subject matter from incest to cross-dressing. His sound is a very dark eerie surf/garage thing. the band consists of a drummer, who also plays moog "foot-activated" bass, lead guitarist, who also plays accordian, synth and weird backing vocals and Johnny on lead vocals and guitar. I gotta see this guy again sometime! Very unusual and cool. At one point Chuck Prophet, well know SF singer/songwriter, came up and played some nice guitar on one song. This was a great set.
Then Sally Timms, of Mekons fame, came out with Johnny and his band backing her up. She did most of her new album," in the world of him", and three Mekons songs, Corporal Chalkie, Wild and Blue and Bomb. This band was a perfect match for Sally...something different from the Mekons. Her voice was in fine shape this night, even if she did confess to "too much cigarettes and red wine". This ladies voice is just beautiful... if you like the quite, wispy sort of thing. In the end she did a short encore set doing duets with Johnny Dowd on a couple of his songs. I LOVE the Mekons, and I'm sure Sally does too, but she seems very confident doing the solo thing...and rather good at it too!
Wilco, Center For The performing Arts 11/13/04
Hi Everybody- Well all you fools who missed Wilco's 3 SOLD OUT shows in the Bay Area Nov 13, 14 and 15 missed seeing something that is not seen in the pop music world very often... innovative, experimental and cutting-edge creativity! This is what Wilco is all about. When they started out, rising from the ashes of alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo, they were doing the country thing, albeit done so on the edge. Then they started to veer... into a different form of pop. When they arrived at their controversial Yankee Fox Trot album, a couple years back, they were starting to do things that had never been heard on rock radio and some things that never would! Then came this years album, A Ghost is Born. Two songs on this album are over 10 minutes long! This is not radio friendly... but songs off this album are being played on the "good" stations around the world. The show at the San Jose Center For performing Arts on Sat the 13th consisted mostly of songs from "Ghost". They did 11 of the 12 songs from this album. The only songs they did not do were the 15 minute long "Less Than You Think" and the amazing I-Tunes bonus track "Kicking Television" ( Leader, Jeff Tweedy, said "This band sucks at this song, so we don't do it"). The rest of the set consisted of 4 songs from "Yankee", 3 songs from "Summerteeth", 2 from "Being There" and 2 from the great Woody Guthrie tribute album done with Billy Bragg. There were A LOT of highlights to this show... Hearing the amazing 10 minute plus song "Spiders (kidsmoke), this song is just SO loose yet SO tight at the same time... the beautiful songs "Hummingbirds", "Theologians"and "Jesus etc", three songs that could be outtakes from the Beatles "White Album", really showcase how beautiful Tweedy can be at writing pop ditties... hearing the "Summerteeth" hidden track "Candy Floss"... seeing my wife dig this noisy pop band, quoting Holly, "I still don't like the noisy parts... but,man, they are really great musicians!"... Seeing Jeff Tweedy in such a great mood and loving his band, quoting Jeff, " Man Glen, your are just smokin' on those drums tonight!"... soaking in all the great solos from the amazing new guitarist, Nels Cline, infamous LA session man...new players Mikael Jorgensen and Pat Sansone fitting into the Wilco groove... getting to hear "California Stars" with the great Woody Guthrie lyrics...This show was a great way to whined down a fantastic run of shows for 2004. Whatch this band, they will continue to make great innovative music for a long time to come. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the opener, Carla Bozulich. Her set was short but very interesting. Nels Cline came out and did one song with her, he was in her old ban The Geraldine Fibbers. I would like to see her sometime in the future do a small club gig...I think her music would work better in that setting.