When I lived in Northern California (1995-2004) I went to a bunch of shows at world renown venues in San Francisco such as The Fillmore and The Warfield. Just walking into these historic venues is like taking a trip to a rock museum. You can feel the history in the room. Above the main bar at The Fillmore, there are huge B&W photos of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin from their days playing the club. And nearly everywhere else hang diverse concert posters in varying styles--from the '60s acid freak stuff to today's smooth computer generated product. But the coolest thing was that these venues would simply hand you a free copy of the poster (nice quality paper)at the end of the night, on your way out the door, as an added souvenir. I still have several from shows featuring the likes of Gillian Welch, Elliott Smith, Jonathan Richman and Belle & Sebastian. They're nicely done. Today's RTD had a story and accompanying slideshow about a Charlottesville company, Public Domain, that is making posters for events at Richmond clubs The National and Toad's Place Richmond. Of course, nothing is free here. You have to pay $10 to take one home, but that's not asking too much.
One local artist who should be considered for local music posters is Adam Juresko, who lives in Oregon Hill and has worked on album covers and other music related art. Here is an article by Brandon Reynolds at Style, after Juresko won a Mountain Dew art contest. Now maybe if promoters and local organizers threw in a live bootleg CD documenting the concert, fed directly from the sound board, we'd have another little souvenir (how about poster and CD for $15? Anyone?)
While I have to give locals Prabir & The Substitutes a thumbs up (see post below) I'm of the opinion that salsa music always works well at parties. So why not rely on Richmond's greatest ever salsa band, Bio Ritmo? Yep, that band is still doing its thing, and they have a new album coming out this fall, with an album release party in New York. The winners of the VCU party band search will get some sort of cash prize, and probably a few free cartons of cigarettes from "friends" at Philip Morris. By the way, here's an article about the recent Philip Morris controversy (for those who don't know, the giant tobacco death merchant funds medical research at VCU which some locals and professors have challenged as unethical and risking scientific integrity) check out this AP story.
People keep waiting for the Rolling Stones to quit touring, considering they're old men, they fall out of coconut trees, and at least one of them looks like a tarted-up corpse (that would be you, Keef). The New York Times just reported that the Stones have left their label EMI and signed a new three album deal with Universal Music Group. Of course, Universal is a monster, the largest music publishing business in the world, wholly owned by Vivendi. Their flagship artists include Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, U2, and now The Stones. While some people say they should hang it up, I'd gladly go see them play again. With much anticipation, I caught the Stones on their last tour at UVA (the bomb threat night) and at Duke University--and they didn't disappoint. The ticket prices may have been outrageous, but those Brits really know how to give good spectacle. And you can't beat that catalog of material. My favorite Rolling Stones tunes are always changing, but here are a few perennial favorites: "Out of Time," "She Smiles Sweetly," "Paint it Black," Connections," "Back Street Girl," "Take It Or Leave It," "Sweet Virginia," well, all of "Exile on Main" Street, actually: perhaps the greatest rock album of all-time. Here's a link to a brief review I wrote for Style Weekly of the IMAX presentation of the Stones most recent concert movie, "Shine A Light"--one of Scorsese's lesser efforts.
Today's RTD featured a story and audio slideshow on the progress of the tax-guzzling Richmond Centerstage project. You know, the place where blue haired old ladies, and Richmond's old money elite (read: .000000001% of the population) will get their opera and theater on. As usual, the TD ignored the real news beneath the story and opted for a drooling, slavishly business friendly tone. At least they mentioned, in passing, that the project is $8 million over budget. For real coverage of the project, it's best to read the blogs, namely Don Harrison at Save Richmond.com. As Harrison points out, this is just another case of the elite using the city taxpayer dollars for an endless money pit filled with overpaid con artists and schemers. Who is going to pay the millions for parking, anyway? Oh yeah, all of us. Here's hoping that they will book some artists that appeal to the masses. Highly doubtful considering we already have two new venues in The National and Toad's Place. Meanwhile, over at Style, we had a story on the Centerstage big-butt chairs whose drink holders are already offending fat cat donors. And Richmond Magazine had a piece about what kind of artists will be performing at the new arts center. Don't expect any big names until 2009 or 2010 at the earliest.
Richmond rockers Prabir & The Substitutes are known for having more than a dollop of melodic Beatles influence in their shake, rattle and roll. Having toured steadily in recent years building regional fanbases for their hyperactive live shows, the three-year-old group was approached by bookers from the legendary 9:30 Club in D.C. with an odd proposition. Would they open for a Beatles tribute band, The Silver Beats, from Tokyo, Japan? “We definitely take a lot of influence from ‘60s harmony fueled music like The Beatles and The Zombies,” says Prabir Mehta, 28, the lead singer/guitarist for the group who moved to America from Gujarat, India when he was nine. “I didn’t know anything about The Silver Beats, but I did my research the next day and realized it was going to be the weirdest gig in the world.” To Mehta’s surprise, the show sold out. “It was great. They look and sound eerily identical to the real thing,” Mehta says. “They also do the entire catalogue. You haven’t really heard the Beatles until you’ve felt that bass thumping in your chest in a live venue.” When the Silver Beats planned an upcoming gig in Richmond at Toad’s Place, they remembered Prabir & The Substitutes and asked them to open again. Mehta, in turn, asked if they could join The Silver Beats in Nashville, another town the Substitutes have done well in. “They said, why don’t you just do the whole tour with us,” Mehta recalls. And so it began: a tour straight out of a Tarantino flick that is featuring a nice contrast between Beatles influence and a full-on Beatles worship, complete with four Japanese guys who don’t speak much English but have phonetically learned to emulate every syllable and gesture of the famed Fab Four. Mehta is a former member of local group The Rachel Nevadans, and he says that B.B. King was the reason that he began playing guitar. His new band has released three albums so far. But just how did the name The Substitutes come about? "I was talking to my old bandmates and told them after we broke up that I'd just have to find some substitutes for them ... the name just kind of stuck." During this tour, Mehta will be even more busy than usual on the road. He will be providing images, video clips, and a tour diary from Prabir & The Substitutes to be featured on the website Brightest Young Things.com. Prabir & The Substitutes perform on July 25 at Toad’s Place with Hoots and Hellmouth and The Old Ceremony. They open for the Japanese Beatles cover band, The Silver Beats, at Toad’s on August 10. Pre-show day tickets are $10 and $12, respectively.
Lead singer/guitarist Prabir Mehta moved to the United States from India when he was just a kid, but to listen to his preferred blend of ‘60s-influenced power pop, you’d think he was raised in British pubs studying the Beatles and The Zombies. The former Rachel Nevadan’s latest band has been touring steadily, earning fans with acclaimed shows that flex equal parts saccharine sweet pop and ecstatic, roots influenced rockers. Recorded locally by John Morand at the Sound of Music, the band’s latest effort captures their hungry live sound well. It starts out with “The Kiss,” a melancholy ‘70s-styled ballad with sleepy slide guitar, la-la backing vocals, and Mehta’s confident lead vocals recalling shades of an adenoidal young Elvis Costello. Then it kicks into high gear with the raucous bar rocker, “Bad Days Are A Comin’” highlighted again by Mehta (he’s a good screamer) with rollicking piano flourishes from Charlie Glenn. Mostly, Mehta leads the group through concise, melodic pop/rock numbers while the other four members back him with the sort of structured looseness that is tougher than it sounds. Heavy cymbal workouts, organ coloring, and treble-thin guitar riffs all add significantly to the sweat factor. If Mehta ever matched his impressive vocal presence with a more meaty lyrical realism (like, say, The Hold Steady) the Substitutes might make some real noise. For now, file them alongside modern bands like Dr. Dog who inject youthful passion into well-traveled veins of music, returning to the basics for inspiration.
J.D. Ryznar (right), co-creator of "Yacht Rock" video series, seen here portraying a drunk Michael McDonald.
One of the greatest bits of homemade video comedy on the Web in recent years, the saga of "Yacht Rock" still lives on today. Co-creator J.D. Ryznar of Los Angeles started making these goofy short films, which lampoon the soft easy listening acts of the '70s, with his buddies and they soon became an Internet sensation (check out an episode guide on Wikipedia). Filmed in behind-the-music style, the crude show originally aired on LA internet channel 101, where it won voter contests. After trying to call Ryznar and getting no answer, I caught up with him by e-mail. He was a little terse with his answers, but he's probably ready to get over this particular phase in his career and strike it big as a screenwriter. Nonetheless, if you haven't seen "Yacht Rock" yet, do yourself a favor. Or just listen to a sweet yacht rock tune at their myspace page. These things made me laugh out loud when I first saw them. It helps if you know a little about the bands in question, I might add.
E-MAIL Q&A with J.D. RYZNAR
What are you currently working on?
-A couple of feature script projects.
What is the current state of the "Yacht Rock" show: are there still ongoing festivals and special screenings?
-We have upcoming screenings in various states of finality in New York, Minneapolis, Detroit, Muskegon Michigan, and Chicago. How has your life changed since the show became a popular underground success on net? -I have a career writing movie scripts now.
Have you ever thought of trying to turn it into a comedic screenplay, or develop your own yacht rock musical?
-"Yacht Rock" is what it is, and it would never work as anything else. And it would lose all of its appeal if we were paid for it or had to answer to anyone but the audience.
What kind of advice would you give people who want to try to gain attention for their work online?
-No advice. It was all dumb luck for us. Make sure its good. What about merchandising: I figure a DVD is out of the question, but what about shirts and stuff?
-We sell shirts sometimes, when we feel like it.
What kind of feedback have you gotten from actual soft rock artists? They all seem to like it. I've never talked to one personally about "Yacht Rock" nor would I ever want to, but those who have say they get positive responses.
I heard the whole thing started because you were a fan of Steely Dan (which I am too, seen them many times); Does it bother you that people mostly consider the show a mockery of these artists?
-No. When we made Donald Fagen talk gibberish, it wasn't so the audience would appreciate the sarcasm of Steely Dan's lyrics or the brilliance of their arrangements, its so they would laugh at the guy playing Donald Fagen. "Yacht Rock" is a comedy, hopefully, so when people watch it and laugh, they often assume the music is the joke. If people get into the Doobie Brothers or Steely Dan as an afterthought, then they are some lucky people, cause that's some sweet music to listen to.
What has the success of the program meant for you personally, it seems to have quite an underground following.
-It means a lot. It's fun to take it real easy with people listening to smooth jams. I'm glad more people are doing that because of our show.
What do you think most accounts for its popularity? -I have no idea.
Do you keep in touch with Hunter Stair [co-creator of the show]: or will you be working on other "Yacht Rock" related projects with him? Is there one story you wish you could've covered in the series, but didn't?
-I see Hunter all the time. If there's a story we really want to do badly enough, nothing will stop us from doing it. If we want to make a Yacht Rock, Hunter, Dave Lyons and I get together, drink malibu rum and coke zero, kick ideas around, and then, when we're all drunk, Hunter yells at us about how great Michigan State sports are. A month or two later, there's a completed "Yacht Rock." Magic.
Note: Watch below the classic first episode of "YACHT ROCK." Yeah! Starring J.D. himself as former Doobie Brother, Michael McDonald.
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles 2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys 3. Revolver, The Beatles 4. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan 5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles 6. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye 7. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones 8. London Calling, The Clash 9. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan 10. The Beatles ("The White Album"), The Beatles
It got me thinking of what I might put in my top ten list, if I could only pick 10 discs to go with me to a desert island. So here you go.
1. Kind of Blue -Miles Davis 2. Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan 3. Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones 4. "The White Album" - The Beatles 5. Solo Monk - Thelonious Monk 6. Bach Cello Concertos -Edgar Meyer on double bass 7. The Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music 8. The Ramones - The Ramones 9. Decade - Neil Young 10.The Velvet Underground & Nico -Velvet Underground
The competition is heating up. After a memorable inaugural season, with hot shows by the likes of Gogol Bordello, Ween, High On Fire, Buddy Guy, and many others, Toad's Place Richmond is beginning to announce its fall line-up. There are still a few decent summer shows left to go: rap diva Foxy Brown appears on Saturday, July 26; The Old 97s play the next night, July 27; the geeky bass player from Phish, Mike Gordon plays on Tuesday, Aug. 5; and noted hip hop act, Mos Def performs on Thursday, Aug. 7. Among the highlights of the fall season so far: funky jamband music from Galactic (Friday, Oct. 10), and demonic metal from Danzig and Dimmu Borgir (Mon. Oct. 13), and the ever raucous hillbilly punk of Rev. Horton Heat with Nashville Pussy (Fri. Nov. 7) I just saw Steel Pulse the other night at The National. The crowd was great, but the music was just so-so. Pretty commercial reggae with the kind of bland synths I don't really appreciate. It will be interesting to see the kinds of acts that the National will be booking for this fall. I would have to say Toad's has the edge so far in terms of quality acts; while The National has the far superior venue.
Brutal metal kings Lamb of God may just be the most famous band to ever come from Richmond, which is made clear within the first minute of this MTV-like documentary of their triumphant “Sacrament” world tour from two years ago ("Walk in Hell With Me"due out July 8). With two discs containing five hours of footage, disc one begins with a collage of international LOG concerts: huge, arena-sized crowds that prove demonic, growled metal is a global phenomenon. The band plays to 72,000 fans at one show alone in Europe. “Sacrament” reached number eight on the Billboard charts and LOG was nominated for a Grammy during this whirlwind tour. The surprising commercial success seems to have helped them deal with interpersonal demons. There are no fistfights like in their last video, when drunken lead singer Randy Blythe forced guitarist Mark Morton into a bloody brawl. Instead, the members seem focused on a common goal: being the greatest live metal band in the world. Somewhat predictably, director Doug Spangenberg sticks to light, backstage moments and bored, day-off shenanigans sandwiched between hard-hitting live footage. If you’re looking for insights into the scene, or the individual personalities, you’re out of luck—there’s not much digging or directorial perspective. Instead we get standard rock sightseeing and promotional chores: the band letting off steam shooting assault rifles in the desert, signing autographs after a memorable first gig in Japan, playing with bullwhips, bungee jumping, seeing the world as tourists. This is a document of the thralls of rising stardom, but the only real drama comes from dealing with the “Spinal Tap”-like mishaps that plague all big-time rock bands. Compare this film to a more artistic, probing rock tour documentary, like Robert Frank’s “Cocksucker Blues” (Rolling Stones, 1972--SEE YOU TUBE VIDEO BELOW) and you’ll see the huge potential missed. It would’ve been nice to have more than just a cursory glance at the fans and hanger-ons. In my experience, rock stars are less interesting the more they talk. *In related LOG news: lead singer Randy Blythe will be making his film debut in the horror movie, “The Graves,” starring Tony Todd (“Candyman”), tentatively slated for this fall.
