July 2nd, 2009 |
Posted in Live Music Reviews by zack
Editor’s Note: Zack Smith is taking his work with him on vacation. He will be checking in periodically this summer to recount his American musical experiences.
Sometimes the best shows are the surprises, the ones you know nothing about, as opposed to the ones that you have built up in your mind for weeks. I found this to be the case Sunday night when I caught the Robert Cray Band at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
First, a note about the venue: The Boulder Theater is an old art deco movie theater that has been converted into a music venue. It has beautiful paintings on the walls and ornate features throughout. The bottom floor has a bar, some tables, and a spacious standing room only area in front of the stage. There is also a balcony up top with seats for people who would like to sit and enjoy the music. The space is comparable to the Shanghai Grand Stage, where I saw James Brown, Al Jarreau and George Benson, and The Roots on separate evenings. I would say the Robert Cray show drew about 500 people, which is great for a Sunday night. Most of the crowd was middle-aged and that explains the 7:30 sharp start time, which surprised me a bit.
Boulder, Colorado is an old town, but also new and exciting, due to the fact that it is home to the largest colleges in Colorado, the University of Colorado. It is a forward-thinking town, with lots of students, older liberals, and those peculiar American animals, hippies. If you like organic food, hybrid cars, beautiful mountains, nag champa incense, and patchouli oil, then this is the place for you. Boulder also boasts a great music scene.
A band called the Delta Sonics started the show. They played traditional blues tracks with good energy and spirit. They had some interesting features to the band, including the tallest bass player I have ever seen (who also looked like Lurch from the Addam’s Family), a left-handed drummer, a bald-headed singer (who also whaled on the chromatic harmonica), and a six year-old who was billed as the world’s youngest blues harmonica player (he joined them for two numbers). Their guitarist rocked on every solo he took and there was a funny moment where the frontman played the chords on the neck while the guitarist strummed. The Sonics’ set was proficient, if not original, but that’s what you get sometimes with the blues. It’s more of a revivalist movement. The frontman tried to stir up some excitement with his fiery harmonica playing and gyrations (he even left the stage to play in the audience), but the crowd was still sparse at this early juncture.
After a short intermission, the Robert Cray Band got right to work. Cray, who has won multiple Grammy awards, is one of the most accomplished and famous blues guitarists working today, carrying on a legacy that stretches back to the work songs and spirituals sung by slaves in the most ignominious portion of American history. He names Albert Collins, Albert King, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix, and Muddy Waters as his blues heroes and has played with other great musicians, such as Eric Clapton. During this set he was joined by his regular band, which included Jim Pugh on piano and organ, Richard Cousins on bass, and Tony Braunagel on drums. Pugh showed off his skills at many different points of the program, soloing with dexterity and soul. Cousins is your basic lock-down bassist. He lurked in the shadows, writhing spasmodically. He looked an eel engaged in rhythmic dance. The drummer was also steady, if unspectacular, which is what you need for a blues band. The guitar and vocals get pushed to the forefront, bringing us to the star of the show.
Robert Cray is a terrific musician. I first saw him about 10 years ago in the Denver Botanical Gardens and was amazed by the power and tone of his voice. To me, it sounded like a cross between the high-end majesty of Al Green and the soulful growl of B.B. King. On Sunday night, his voice again cut through everything. He also pulled out a competent falsetto, which he was smart enough to keep for special moments. On guitar, he displays amazing phrasing and, again, great tone. The jangle sounded like a bag of quarters being dropped on the subway floor. He played leads, accents, and solos with a silvery twang that swept concert-goers off their tapping feet and took them down South.
Because the set was on Sunday night and the old-timers in the audience had to get to work the next day, Cray set a blistering pace. There was no chitchat between songs, just a genial, “Thank you so very much,” and then away we went again and again. He must have played at least 15 poppy blues/bluesy pop bombs in the span of an hour, one after another. He also busted out a great little reggae tune toward the beginning of the set. After a final couple of encore tracks, with Cousins feeding his bass back for effect, Cray said goodnight and all the folks hit the exits, way past their bedtimes.
Accomplished and traditional blues music is something that Shanghai seems to lack a bit. If you are in the mood for some mourning, check out The House of Jazz and Blues or Beedee’s on Tuesday nights. Or you can hope that Robert Cray will visit sometime soon. I sure do.
Until next time…
tags: Blues - Dance - Folk - House - Jazz - Music - Pop - Reggae - Robert Cray - Rock - Shanghai - Soul
June 8th, 2009 |
Posted in Articles by zack
There are two massive hip-hop shows in Shanghai this week. For a preview of the chronological first, check out the Mobb Deep Preview on Layabozi. The second is an appearance by Ghostface Killah, who is well known in the hip-hop world from his work with Wu-Tang Clan and, more recently, his solo work, which includes the albums Ironman, Supreme Clientele, Bulletproof Wallets, Fishscale, and The Big Doe Rehab.
Ghostface is an artist who has mined different genres to compose his own ontological/mythological universe. He operates under several aliases and within multiple genres. You may come to know him as Tony Starks (a reference to the Iron Man comic book series), Ghostface Killah (taken from a character in the Hong Kong kung fu movie, The Mystery of Chessboxing), or Pretty Toney (you tell me). These different personae, each with their own back-stories and characteristics, make up a lot of Ghost’s lyrical repertoire- three-minute noir novellas that take you to a world of crime, drugs, sex, comedy, and redemption. Add in some stylish beats and you’ve got yourself a musical cake with the nail file baked inside.
Let it be said, also, that Ghostface has overcome a lot to rock for you hip hop-starved miscreants in Shanghai this Sunday at the Zhijiang Dream Factory. His song “All That I Got is You” (with Mary J. Blige) details his upbringing in a Staten Island project without a father. It is actually one of the few hip-hop tracks that has ever seemed true and heart breaking to me. This one really hits home. He has also experienced health problems, as referenced in this unintentionally hilarious quote from his Wikipedia biography:
In 1996, he discovered that he was diabetic, a condition that would weaken his health. According to “Trials of Life,” a 2007 song with fellow New York rapper Prodigy (himself a sickle-cell anemic), Ghostface assumed he had been stricken by a sexually transmitted disease until he received the diabetes diagnosis. This assumption was brought on by his rapid weight loss and that he had “hit it raw aplenty.”
Now, before you get all self-righteous on me, you should know that I would never make light of someone with diabetes, sickle-cell anemia, or a sexually transmitted disease (in print), but I challenge you to re-read the previous paragraph in the voice of a serious scholar (possibly British) and not crack the fuck up. The last line just really brings it all home.
Now where were we? The music. What can you expect from a Ghostface Killah show? I have never laid eyes on the man in person, but I will tell you a bit about him, which I have gleaned from listening over the years. He has a dexterous and forceful flow, although his rap voice is somewhat high-pitched. The words seem to come out at you like the water from a cracked hydrant on the street. Like, fast, furious and, when it’s hot, people like to come out and play in it. His solo work has been considered more soulful than other RZA-produced, Wu-Tang Clan outputs, solo or otherwise (mainly due to the extensive use of old soul samples). He is definitely a veteran of the stage, so expect a commanding presence, like a caged tiger stalking in front of a multitude of gawkers. But he might also be playful, enjoying an appearance in Shanghai, which is fast becoming an exotic destination for premier acts. As I have come to know from my previous years in China, this phenomenon is a blessing and not a right, so I advise you to get out there and check this shit out for yourself!
Truthfully, I expect the Dream Factory to be packed. Anything less would be uncivilized.
PS: There was a contest to see who would open up for Ghostface in Shanghai. I have no idea who won this contest, which adds a hint of surprise to the proceedings. Come see who will get killed by the Killah.
tags: China - Dream Factory - Hip Hop - Hong Kong - Mobb Deep - Prodigy - Racks - Rock - Shanghai - Soul - The Dream Factory
May 22nd, 2009 |
Posted in Articles by mache
Last week our editor’s picks were in tune with my mood for music, and I followed the instructions provided by Mike “Big Duck” Brownell almost to the letter. The Rogue Transmission played at Anar last Thursday, with new songs, old songs re-arranged in different styles–ranging from country to progressive rock–and a classic to remember with John Nguidj
ol on vocals. Guitar player Adam Gaensler, also of The Dovetail Joints, has been a great addition of energy to the band: his creativity is having big effect on the band and it’s easily noticeable that he is having a wonderful time as one of The Rogue Transmission cats. Fabi has turned out to be a very classy rock drummer; moderate or fervent when necessary. John provides the attractive force necessary to the metallic sounds on the ground, and Dan’s domination of the stage is fun and energizing. His passion projects rock out of the stage and involves the people in the music with him. The band has evolved into a sexy, powerful character and the music has grown and become consistent and mature, seasoned and ready to eat.
It was an amazing night for rock in Shanghai and for The Rogue Transmission. At the end of the gig I was ready to sign up for their fan club and declare publicly that I’m nothing other than a groupie in love with music. Forget everything else: it’s all about music music music.
Right after I realized I was feeling like I should write a confession about my music tastes, but I don’t think it is necessary anymore. Those who love music don’t need any explanation of this kind.
As a last note about the gig, I was thrilled to hear John Nguidjol singing rock. I’m still hearing people talk about how amazing was when he sang with The Rogue Transmission. I know John falls for soul and r&b, but he shines so much on rock songs that I wish he would go for his own rock band.
The gig at Anar included an after party, but electronic music was not fitting my rock mood, so I ran to JZ for the last set of the former Alec Haavik Friction Five, now the Alec Haavik Friction Seven. Alec and his band are a delicatessen for the ears of rock lovers. The addition of LYJ singing with the band has brought more fusion to their sound, and it seems to be moving her to new adventures with her voice. The kindness of the band is also a great characteristic guided by Alec’s spirit for listening. Every time a guest joins them to jam for a song, you can enjoy the experiment with them. This time there were some newbies in Shanghai willing to give it a try, and old hand Jay Renard too. When he took Tinho Pereira’s bass, a bass with its own personality already, the music became playful and candid. The reception of the band to the guests, the attitude of the guests towards the music, the attention of the audience to the fragility of the situation, the last notes of the night: it was a perfect spell for music lovers.
Friday had been fixed since I got the tickets from Siesta Jane earlier in the week. Andy C is a big deal, in music history, for Phreakation, for Jane, and for those who love drum ‘n bass. I went to this gig with Spanish friends, old schoolers of Ibiza raves. We made it on time for the beginning of Andy C’s set. The way I’ve described the show is by explaining that I felt like a monkey playing on the grounds of destruction. The music was raging, and although I heard some complaints about the MC, the music was so much more relevant to me than the non-stop MC. Anyway I do respect the feeling of wanting the voices to shut up to hear the music, but in this case the music was moving in frequencies that held me for the whole the set. My legs were in pain until late Saturday. I was a freaking monkey jumping basses and drums, and so was everybody around me, including Siesta. Happy Anniversary Phreakation and a gig to remember for Andy C, I hope. Those who missed it can regret it.
On Saturday the road led to JZ again for the first gig of the new Big Band of the house. Not properly a big band as the rules say, but certainly a big band for music. It’s directed by Nicholas Bouloukos, a gentleman piano player as Mike fairly described him in Nicholas’ playlist. The band moved from swing to bossa, passing by Boulukos’s nice original “The Lion”. A radiant moment was Andres Boiarsky’s clarinet on Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady”. Jon Parker’s sax solos were beautiful too. EJ Parker on bass is always candy for the ears, and so is Chris Trczinski’s drumming. JZ was full, it’s a great time when a big crowd is being sensitive to all the moves of the sound. When the mass pays attention to the music despite the alcohol and the distractions and stops the yelling to hear a solo it is a thrilling experience. I had to run out to The Shelter after the first set of the Big Band. Void was having a major gig there, with Surgeon on the tables. From swinging Jazz to hard techno one hundred steps might seem like not enough to prepare for the shock of the transition, but when the music is turned on, there’s no need to disconnect one from the other.
The Shelter was pretty crowded too, mostly by guys. I wondered for 
a minute if it was the music, or just a random situation. But the DJ booth was surrounded by guys, and even though the music was amazing the dance floor was slow. Surgeon was accompanied by his wife Doris Woo as VJ. Cheers to the graphics that were enchanting. Nathaniel from the Void was happy as a kid and so was everybody. Surgeon burned the tables and made a great spectacle. He showed very nice taste on sounds and a great ability to handle the vibes of the place, a master DJ.
I lost my friends in a minute, and then I found them with this group of guys who were playing earlier at the Oriental Art Center, a bass player and a violin player from the Pittsburg Orchestra. It took less than ten minutes to convince them to join us after, when we planned to come back to JZ for the late jam sessions they have every Saturday.
So from techno we went back to the beatnik’s spot and it was an epic night there. Mike was in the house band for the Jam, and he was excited as a kid too because it was a bassists night. At this point I was realizing it was a bass weekend for me. Mike counted more than once, and found that there were seven bass players in the house. It’s a shame they did not all come with their own double basses to have a bass jam, but anyway it was a great jam. JZ has a good soul for music: the musicians on the stage calling the cats in the house to join the jam, the drinkers at the bar talking about music, the gigs to remember, the beat gossip, the people high on the roof lighting smokes to the rhythm of the swing, the people in love with music. JZ does not close its doors until the last person leaves, and the music lasted until the sun came out. When we finally closed JZ it was time for breakfast. It doesn’t get more jazz than that.
Sunday was when I didn’t follow the editor’s picks. The last night of the band at House of Blues and Jazz was not my mood. I heard a lot about the jam session at Logo guided by Pablo Carmona and friends, and it seemed like a good time to chill on the sofas there, so the winds blew me to Logo. I made it for the second set of the night. Logo was as tired as I was, but the music wasn’t. Who could imagine flamenco rock was going to catch all the girls it did? The music was great, although not tight enough on the second set, but some mess is part of a jam session of this kind. It’s okay, anyway it’s Sunday night. It was Pablo Carmona’s last night in Shanghai too, but there’s still flamenco around town for those into gypsy things. The surprise of the night was Ana, a new girl in town. She’s a bass player and composer, is already rehearsing with her own band. The guys asked her to play until there was no way for her to say no, and she finally did it. Chicks that play bass, they have the talent of the low grounds. Ana was captivating and left everybody waiting for the day they can listen to her band.
So, I didn’t make it to Break for Borneo’s gig at Kaiba last Thursday, the Conflict of Interest Pick in the editor’s picks, but I totally recommend you check them out. The line up is interesting and the music is perfect for beginning a weekend in music. So today, Thursday, I’m going before heading to The Dream Factory. AV Okubo is coming to town and as one of their groupies I can not miss it. Yeah, it’s Ratatat’s night, but I am proud to be looking forward to AV Okubo more: they are a band to make me feel proud of my middle country; these guys kick ass. So if not there, then let’s meet this Saturday at Antidote’s Festival, I’ll be following the peacock, because people follow peacocks.
*Photos of The Rogue Transmission by Stella Bozzato
tags: Alec Haavik - Anar - Andy C - Antidote - AV Okubo - Blues - Break for Borneo - Dream Factory - Drum 'n Bass - Editor's Picks - Electronic - Fabi - Fusion - House - House of Blues and Jazz - Jane Siesta - Jazz - John Nguidjol - Jon Parker - JZ - Listen to - LOgO - Music Lover - Phreaktion - Progressive Rock - Ratatat - Rock - Shanghai - Soul - The Dovetail Joints - The Rogue Transmission - The Shelter - Tinho Pereira - UK - Void
May 17th, 2009 |
Posted in Articles by zack
Synthesizer driver Evan Mast and guitarist Mike Stroud, otherwise known as Ratatat, are classical composers for a brilliant new future. They have collected and utilized an array of old- and new-fangled tools to create layered, digitally altered masterpieces to play in the deep recesses of mind space. We haven’t seen anything like this since some hairy dudes gathered a bunch of sticks together and took a spark to them. In short, they show us possibilities for where music can go if we maximize our potential for ingenuity.
Your background: The two musicians met at college and later got together under the name Cherry. In 2004 they released a self-titled debut, which was recorded on a Powerbook in a Brooklyn apartment. This, by the way, is some of the best music I have ever heard. It is crisp and soulful at the same time, which is hard to come by, like robots programmed for interpretive dance. Their genius is in the fact that this complicated music does not come off as stilted or over-bearing, although their tunes can contain up to 70 tracks of stuff coming at you. It never seems forced. They use a funky beat, an inventive melody, and some sounds that you have never imagined, in order to move the crowd, so to speak.
Two other full lengths that are just as good have followed, including last year’s LP3, but I think the most interesting things they have done are their hip hop remix tapes, which take the vocal tracks of contemporary pop-hop artists, such as Missy Elliot, Jay Z, Kanye, Bun B, etc., and completely rework the instrumentals into masterpieces that give the originals an entirely new slant. Even Biggie Smalls (RIP) gets reinvented here, and he is so much the better for it. These two mixtapes are definite must-haves. If they were really cassette tapes, instead of MP3s, I probably would have melted them by now from playing them so much.
The most interesting thing about their date at the Zhijiang Dream Factory, May 21st, (other than the fact that Ratatat is going to play Shanghai) is to guess how this performance will play out. Consider this quote from aninterview they gave to the Fader:
There are all kinds of acoustic instruments on the new record. How are you dealing with that (live)?
Mike: Samples…I’m going to be playing electric guitar, any percussion that we can and live recordings, and the beats went through samples and stuff.
Do you ever think that, even once, it would be better to have everything accounted for by a live human?
Mike: Yeah, that would be amazing.
So why not do that?
Mike: It’s not practical, we’d have to get like nine guitar players, I don’t know.
I don’t think they will be bringing the nine guitarists along, but I imagine you can expect electric guitars, synthesizers, a laptop or seven, as well as a battalion of percussion instruments, and (if their web pictures can be trusted) a couple of guys with rainbows shrouding their eyes. I will see you there.
演奏合成器的Evan Mast和吉他家Mike Stroud，也被称为Ratatat，是具有一个灿烂的未来的经典作曲家。 他们收集并用了一序列旧和新的工具来创作一种应在头脑的深处里演奏的分层、数字化改变的杰作。从些长发的人采集并点燃了几条树枝以后,我们没看到过这么全新的事情。他们让我们明白只要把自己的匠心潜力增加到最大限度音乐就会得到的效果。
你们的背景：这两个音乐家在大学第一次见面了，然后创立了被称为Cherry的乐队。2004年他们发行了一张唱片，《Ratatat》。这张唱片就是在布鲁克林的一套房子里用一台PowerBook制造的。这个也是我听过的最好音乐其中之一。它既脆生又充满感情的。这个很难以获得，仿佛一种机器人的诠释舞蹈。他们之所以算是天才是因为他们的复杂音乐虽然会由70条音轨组成，不但并不虚饰而且没有什么牵强的感觉。他们用一种Funky节奏，一个有创造力的旋律，一些你们从来没听到过的声音，都是为了让人群动一动，为了好好说出来。
虽然后来的两张唱片(包括去年的《LP3》)也算好，可是我觉得他们制作的最有趣的是他们的Hip-hop混音唱片。他们用现代Pop-hop艺术家，例如Missy Elliot，Jay Z，Kanye, Bun B等来制作让原本更有趣的杰作。连Biggie Smalls都被重新创作，可比原来的好得多。 这两张混音唱片实在是不可或缺的。假如这些音轨不是MP3而是磁带,那么它们一定会因为被我过度使用而熔化。
除了他们要在上海演奏的事以外，关于他们的五月二十一日在芷江梦工厂的音乐会的最有趣的是猜出他们将演出得怎么样。请你们看看下面自Fader引出来的采访:
在新唱片中有各种各原声乐器。你们在舞台上怎么处理这个问题?
Mike:音乐样本…我弹电子吉他和打所有打击乐器但现场录音和所有节奏都是音乐样本。
你觉得用实在的音乐家比较好吗?
Mike：当然，那样一定更好。
那么，为什么还没有?
Mike：因为并不实用：那样的话我们会需要九个吉他家。
我不觉得他们将用九个吉他家，但是我猜你们到音乐会就会看到几把电子吉他，几台合成器，一到七台笔记本电脑，一大批打击乐器和(如果在网络上的照片可靠的)两个眼睛被彩虹覆盖的小子。在那边见。
*Translation to Chinese: Dario Lupoli
tags: Dance - Dream Factory - Funk - Hip Hop - Pop - Rain - Ratatat - Shanghai - Soul
