Join Me!: The Good Folk Fest

I have to apologize for not getting this up online sooner because it just so happens that one of the greatest artists ever is gracing our fair city!! This weekend is the annual Good Folk Fest and this year it is featuring the art and music of Daniel Johnston!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am as he is one of my favorite musicians of all time. He just might be the best songwriter since Lennon/McCartney or Dylan. I would honestly pay $100 dollars to see him live. That's no joke. I haven't been this excited for a show for a long, long, long time. The best news is.....it's only $5! AND, you just might be able to snag some incredible Daniel Johnston artwork which is unbelievable as well. Take some time and read this about him, then rent The Devil and Daniel Johnston from Wild and Woolly, and then you will be overloaded with joy like I am right now. I had better see you there.

There is music on Saturday and Sunday and also playing is Matt Kinder of the Parade Schedule, Ben Traughber, and The Mack who are artists that I really admire and love. The weekend-long festival will be at the wonderful Mellwood Arts Center and will showcase lots and lots of folk art and music and should be a fun gathering all around. I believe Mr. Johnston plays around 2 on Saturday. If you miss this, then you just don't know...

Netflix Nebulous: Volume 5

And for today we have a trio of flicks that couldn't be more different. They were all good'uns, yet all tackle very different themes and approaches. One is a heady dissection of our culture's obsession with celebrities, one is a humorous look at a bachelor's misadventures in love, and the other is a harrowing tale of small-town life gone awry.

The first is another Woody Allen film and it is called Celebrity (1998). Here Woody enlists the help of one of his most star-studded casts with Kenneth Branagh in the leading role. Branagh is known for his work successfully adapting Shakespearean plays and here he channels Allen to a "T" and plays a neurotic and nebbish journalist who runs away from his wife and chases after his fantasies to find the identity he's been hoping was lurking inside him. The movie tackles a lot of our hang-ups and notions about celebrities and fame. It is very fun at times, and at times it is a lucid call-out of our inane posturing when it comes to famous people. A very worthwhile entry into the Allen portfolio.



The Baxter is a smart romantic comedy from Michael Showalter who is one of the dudes responsible for the summer camp send up Wet Hot American Summer. This tracks a baxter (a nice guy who always gets rained on) and his search for Mrs. Baxter. He, like any guy, gets caught up in the instant beauty of a very pretty Elizabeth Banks, and doesn't realize that Michelle Williams's character is fawning all over him and would be perfect for him. It sounds kind of schlocky, but if you are a fan of Showalters sleepy dramatic comedy, then you will probably drool all over the couch, and that's gross. But seriously, the movie is really funny. I watched it twice in a row.




The eerily gorgeous Shotgun Stories is the first entry (hopefully of many) by the up-and-comer Jeff Nichols who just happens to be the brother of Lucero frontman Ben Nichols (who does the soundtrack). This is a tale of deep seeded hate and loyalty bred out of rural Arkansas soil. This is a tale of step-brothers who couldn't be less like family and their vigor in making it stay that way. This was one of the most destructively beautiful films I've seen in a while and Nichols seems to be one of those guys falling in line with the Terrance Malik crew, which shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as how David Gordon Green produced it. The acting is superb and pitch-perfect as is the story. The way Nichols captures the mood and the restlessness of his characters is breathtaking. This is one of the better films I've seen in quite a while.



Ratings:

Celebrity- B+
The Baxter- B
Shotgun Stories- A

The Mix-Tape Ten: Jared Cheek and Mike Cosper

Today we've got two gentleman that I very much respect. They are both music folks who also happen to be pretty cool guys during the day. Everybody put your hands together for Jared Cheek and Mike Cosper!

Jared Cheek is a man about town...as long as you're talking about the town of Bloominton, Indiana which is fast making its way to the top of the charts as one of the coolest cities in America. He is 20% of the indie-rock supergroup Prayer Breakfast and is the Warehouse Manager for Secretly Canadian Distribution which has slung records by folks like Richard Swift, Antony and the Johnsons, and Danielson. He's an all-around good dude with one of the best music tastes this side of heaven. Here's a Top 10 list from one of the coolest guys around.




My Top 10 Favorite Songs by Jared Cheek


#1 "Wichita Lineman" - Glen Campbell from the album Wichita Lineman
Written by Jimmy Webb, one of my favorite songwriters ever, this song makes me want to cry sometimes. It is so beautiful and true and perfect that I could listen to it on repeat for about ten years.




#2 "Let's Go Away For Awhile" - The Beach Boys from the album Pet Sounds

One of two instrumentals on Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson said that this was the most satisfying piece of music that he ever made. And it's just about the most satisfying thing to listen to as well. This song is probably subtly playing on a continuous loop in heaven.



#3 "On The Sunny Side Of The Ocean" - John Fahey from the album The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death

Interesting, emotive fingerpicking on an acoustic guitar without letting the fingers get too busy for their own good. This song is on "The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death", which is a good place to start in the John Fahey catalog.




#4 "Powderfinger" - Neil Young from the album Rust Never Sleeps

Look out, mama, there's a white boat comin' up the river with a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail. I think you'd better call John because it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail. Shelter me from the powder and the finger. Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger. Think of me as one you'd never figured would fade away so young with so much left undone. Remember me to my love. I know I'll miss her!


#5 "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes I think was originally just issued as a single....I have it on the box set Phil Spector - Back To Mono (1958-1969)

This song rules!




#6 "West Palm Beach" - Palace Music from the album Lost Blues And Other Songs

Gosh, I enjoy pretty much everything that Will Oldham does. I like the way this song makes me feel.





#7 "He Turned The Water Into Wine (parts 1 through 4)" - Johnny Cash from the album The Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus Told and Sung by Johnny Cash

I trust Johnny Cash and I like hearing him sing about Jesus. This is from the movie he made about Jesus called The Gospel Road.




#8 "What A Fool Believes" - The Doobie Brothers from the album Minute By Minute

I'm not trying to be funny or ironic when I say that I thoroughly enjoy listening to this. It's a wonderful pop song.





#9 "Something Big" - Burt Bacharach from the album Living Together

This song is from the "Living Together" album, which isn't really as good as albums like "Reach Out", "Make It Easy On Yourself", "Burt Bacharach", etc., but it has a few really spectacular tunes like this one.
"Why do I go on and fill my life with little things when there are big things I must do and lots of dreams that really should come true before I'm through? There'll be joy and there'll be laughter. Something big is what I'm after now. After taking, take up giving. Something big is what I'm living for. Yes, its what Im living for."


#10 Theme From "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith Orchestra from the album A Summer Place Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

This song stayed at the top of the charts longer than any other instrumental song ever. Sometimes I wish I lived in the late nineteen fifties/early nineteen sixties.
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Mike Cosper is one of the most scorching guitar players I've ever seen or heard. He's got such control over his playing and hits each note with such ferocity that it sounds like he sets each one on fire. He can also play it cool and highlight what's around him, but I like it best when he burns down the house. When he's not playing with fire, he's playing with fire as a pastor over at Sojourn Church in Louisville. You've heard him though doing session work for dudes like Jamie Barnes, Bill Mallonee, Peter Searcy and others and he's got a huge affinity for the Great American Fender Telecaster- the true symbol of Americana. Here he gives us his Top 10 Telecaster Songs (a good mix to listen to when reading It Still Moves by Amanda Petrusich).


The Top 10 Fender Telecaster Songs by Mike Cosper

1. Jimmy Bryant - Limehouse Blues (The standard by which all teles are judged.)







2. Roy Buchanan - Sweet Dreams from Roy Buchanan








3. Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick (Yep, that's a Tele, in fact all of Led Zeppelin II was a tele)







4. Bill Frisell - Blues for Los Angeles (from East-West)








5. Roy Nichols - Mama Tried - from Merle Haggard's Okie from Muskogee








6.Brent Mason - My Life's Been a Pleasure (from Last of the Breed, by Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price)







7. Jim Campilongo - Monkey in a Movie - from Heaven is creepy








8. Radiohead (Johnny Greenwood) - Just - from the Bends








9. Bill Frisell - Pretty Stars Were Made to Shine - Blues Dream








10. Brent Mason - Limehouse Blues - from Smokin' Section







Worth mentioning - if you haven't got The Little Willies, an old-school country record featuring Norah Jones and Jim Campilongo, you MUST. All 15 tracks could arguably be mentioned above. Campilongo is the crazed twisted tele master these days.

Music Review: Anathallo's Canopy Glow

Artist: Anathallo
Album: Canopy Glow
Label: Anticon
Release Date: November 18th, 2008


Rating: 8.5 out of 10





When I first heard of Anathallo circa 2002, I casually dismissed them like I do a million bands. Back then, I only knew of them as my friend Tim's cousin's band that played shows sometimes in Mount Pleasant, Michigan which was about a 20 minute drive from Midland which is where I grew up. In our group of friends they were famous for having what we called "The Clapping Song" which was a song that had a ridiculously cool clapping pattern. It always makes you feel good to know that their is good music growing up around you.

I had lived in Kentucky for about a year or so when I first went to college and met a fella named Davy in my English class. We instantly bonded over our love for old Tooth and Nail and The Promise Ring and he schooled me on bands like Mineral while I unsuccessfully tried to convert him to Jeff Buckley. Upon talking one day, he was talking about his favorite band ever and they were called Anathallo. I was very much taken aback, as I didn't realize that Anathallo was anything beyond a small local Michigan band. Apparently, while I was shifting my shoes in the Kentucky dirt, Anathallo was making a name for themselves as being a ground-breaking, rhythm-mastering, superfan-creating musical collective like nothing else anyone has ever seen. Davy continued to tell me about their 7 or 8 member band and how they have these incredible songs where the instrumentation is beyond comprehension. They were professionals unlike any other indie band I'd ever heard of. People talk about their 8 hour a day practices every day and it's pretty believable if you've heard their unparalleled rhythm shifting or their almost Vegas-worthy live show that features about 20 different percussion instruments that are played in between the other 3 or 4 instruments that each member seems to play. A band that was seemingly spawned right out of Interlochen.

Anathallo put out a series of successful EPs and more than a few handfuls of national tours before releasing their first full-length Floating World in 2006 which was a masterful, if almost inaccessible, collection of songs that focused on a Japanese folk tale and Matt Joynt's hyper-literate writing. The album was filed with lush arrangements, heart-breakingly beautiful songs like "Kasa No Hone (The Umbrella's Bones)" and propelled them into the indie-rock stratosphere for a lot of folks. They are a peerless band that seems to polarize listeners like most good bands do. Many an aspiring musician has knelt at the Anathallo altar trying to catch just a drop of their talent or maybe through osmosis pick up the ability to switch between 7/4 and 5/4 like they (and Sufjan) can. Others seem to be put-off by their complexity. There is a whole lot going on in each song, and how could there not be when you have a cast of 7 or 8 different musicians. The surprising thing is that the band never lets itself get too carried away in its own ability and creativity, although I know folks who would disagree.

On November 18th, they are releasing their 2nd full length entitled Canopy Glow and it takes their impressive abilities and grasp on composition and marries them to an even more subtle yet concentrated focus on songs. The album is rife with the intricate rhythms and hurried, yet soft melodies as Joynt tries his best to fit a whole book into each line, which fans have come to love and expect from the band. The album starts strong and grips you with the simple-starting "Noni's Field" and locks you in with the joyous palm raising splendor of "Italo". Every song on here is crammed with beauty and it spills out in hand-claps, stumbles out in bells, and cements itself with the Ooo Ooo Ooos that are softly swung in stereo. There seems to be a strong emphasis on solid and concise songwriting on this round of songs and it is perfected in "Northern Lights" which is a surreal sonic version of the phenomenon, and with the gripping story in "All the First Pages" of an astronaut who comes home from space and can't seem to look his wife in the eyes quite the same anymore.

(The artwork for the album is equally as hauntingly beautiful as it features the piece entitled "Temma on Earth" by the Chicago-based artist Tim Lowly who was just featured at The 930.)

Stylistically, the album is much more subtle than their previous effort and its sparser arrangements push Joynt's vocals to the foreground which helps focus the attention on the actual song and not the parts of the song. It seems to revel less in sound and more in emotion and feel (which is a tough line to walk). They pull it off beautifully. There are only a few minor parts of the record that seem a little forced when the melody doesn't quite seem strong enough to carry their full-bodied arrangements, but overall, it is a wonderful record that falls into that special bin of records that I keep for the days when I forget.

The 5 Spot: The Best Comedies from SNL Alum

The famed Saturday Night Live has spawned the careers of dozens of actors and writers and comedians. It has also vomited out a number of un-stomachable movies like It's Pat, Corky Ramano, and Superstar. Some of the cast members have gone on to have illustrious film careers and have participated in, what I think to be, some of the funniest movies of all time. Here's a list of my Top 5 (not necessarily in order as my tastes change from day to day) and I am sure your list is different so feel free to let me know which ones I mercilessly glossed over.



#5- Christopher Guest and Billy Crystal in The Princess Bride
This fairy tale of a movie has a little something for everyone. It is an adventure, a comedy, a romance and it is probably the most quotable movie of all time. I didn't really get this as a kid when it was in its hay-day of popularity, but when I watched it when I was a little older, I was blown away by how ridiculously good everything was. It was directed by the wonderful Rob Reiner (an SNL Host in its first season) and it might just be one of the best films ever made, and I mean it. Anybody want a peanut?





#4- Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in Ghostbusters
My favorite flavor of Hi-C juiceboxes is Ecto-Cooler, and this is why. Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis buddy up to fight meta-crime in this 80s classic. They are the underdogs as nobody wants to believe that a group of ghost hunters is needed in NY, but the Key Master has other plans! Zuul and Gozer are ready to party so strap in for a good time.






#3- Chevy Chase in Fletch
If you are the kind of person who enjoys good, overly sarcastic, and biting wit, then you need to look no further than this Chevy gem. I have often been quoted as saying I think this might be the funniest movie of all time. As Fletch, Chevy brings new and wonderful meaning to identity theft. Again, as with the rest of these great comedies, this is incredibly quotable.





#2- Martin Short, Chevy Chase, and Steve Martin in The Three Amigos
There are a lot of things that I liked as a child that make me want to cringe these days. This amazing tale of three Mexi-can'ts named Dusty Bottoms, Ned Nederlander, and Lucky Day is not one of them. This was one of my favorite movies as a child, and for good reason. Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Chevy Chase reign in their collective comediac brilliance and inject it into this Western send-up. Beware: the invisible swordsmen is not as invincible as he sounds, and, No, tequila is not like beer.




#1- Steve Martin in The Jerk
What can you say about this zany tale of Navin Johnson (Steve Martin) who was born a poor, black child in Mississippi and upon learning that he wasn't a natural born child he embarks on a journey due to the horror of finding out he was going to stay that color. He gets everything you could ever want and loses it and lives to tell about it. It's not like he really needed all that stuff. He doesn't really need anything except maybe the ashtray. Yeah, the ashtray and the paddle game. He'll be content with the ashtray, and the paddle game, and this lamp, and...




All Rated: A





Honorable Mention: Chris Farley and David Spade in Tommy Boy; Bill Murray in everything else he ever did; Christopher Guest and Michael McKean in This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and Waiting for Guffman. I'm sure there's more too...

Notable Nights: Halloween Fest '08 @ The Kingdom in Bowling Green, KY

Last night was a big night for everyone. All the little and big folks got dressed up to go trick-or-treating, to concerts, bars, parties, or just a gathering of friends. In Bowling Green, at a house called The Kingdom, was one of the greatest parties I've ever been to. The party was dubbed Halloween Fest '08 and was a showcase of 5 different bands. The stage was the back porch of the house and the crowd gathered up in the gigantic backyard sipping $1 Ale-8s and perusing the merch tables of bands like the ground-breaking Anathallo, The Colour Revolt, and even regional darlings Rodeo Ruby Love, The Parade Schedule, and Steven and the Ghosts.

A couple of weeks ago, Matt Kinder of Louisville's The Parade Schedule asked me to sit in with his band at this pivotal show, and I jumped at the chance. The Parade Schedule is his sometimes solo, sometimes 10-piece, sometimes 3-piece (but always riveting) indie band that soars through his old-timey yet progressive folk songs. Tonight was the full band (plus me) that opened up this huge show. It was an incredibly fun set as most of us were dressed up (I was a Christmas tree) and I got to sit in the passenger seat for a change and bang on a drum and a glockenspiel while I sang along just as I would if I was in the crowd. Matt writes really great, powerful songs about honor, love, and the little things that draw us to each other. With songs like “Backyard,” “Dye Your Hair,” and “Brother’s Keeper” it was a set that I almost wish I got to watch rather than contribute to. This was also the first show where the Parade Schedule’s new live CD entitled Songs We Sang in Front of People: Live @ The 930 was available for purchase. It’s got killer artwork designed Mr. Kinder himself and showcases a great live show they did at the Louisville venue a few months back. The band consists of Kinder on vocals/guitar, Brooks Ritter on vocals/guitar, Lauren Ritter on vocals/percussion, Audra Todd on vocals/percussion, Katie Faye Vaughn on vocals/percussion, Mick Price on drums, Danny Loeschen on bass, Clay on trumpets, and Josh on accordion/keys/trombone/etc/etc.

The second band was Bowling Green’s very own Steven and the Ghosts who are a Harvest-y rock band with that little bit of country twinge that makes it gorgeous. Steven and his merry men are all phenomenal players and they tear through each song like they’ve been in Nashville studios for years but have never stopped having fun. They closed their set with a song entitled “The Prettiest Song” and it is. The band is Steven on guitar/vocals, Jordan on guitar/vocals, Russ on bass, and a few folks I didn’t know on drums, cello, and keys. They said it was the first show with the keys player, and he really added a lot to their sound.

Next up was one of my favorite bands to ever see live and you would believe me if you saw me in the front row making a fool of myself dancing and screaming along to every song. Rodeo Ruby Love is the project of ex-Away With Vega bass/singer Zach Melton. Zach wanted a band that you could sing along to and have fun with and has been developing and honing this concept for the past couple of years. After a slew of EPs and various releases, they released their first full-length last year on Crossroads of America Records entitled Rodeo Ruby Love vs. The Great American Cities and it has some killer songs on it like “Quit! (Joel’s in Philadelphia)” and “Patience.” They also played a few new songs like the infectiously affectionate “Save My Money” and got the crowd dancing and singing and there were more than a few new fans made that night. Backing Zach up are Kyle Kammeyer on guitar/vocals, Stephen Boyd on drums, Michelle McEver on keys/vocals, Annie Melton on keys/vocals, Dave Buckler on banjo/ukulele, Erik Fox on glockenspiel, and Dan Schepper on bass.

After Rodeo finished psyching up the crowd, Colour Revolt from Oxford, Mississippi got on stage and were the first of the two main attractions for the night. Colour Revolt is known for their inventive dual-guitar melodic interplay and their gorgeous arrangements and they didn’t disappoint as they played two brand new songs and even threw in a cover of “Pet Cemetery” by The Ramones for a little bit of Halloween flair. I didn’t really know a lot of their material and was pretty worn out after yelling my lungs out during Rodeo’s set, so I stayed in the back with my buddy Jordan who was chatting it up with Matt Joynt from Anathallo as they know have known each other for awhile. The Colour Revolt did put on a great show though and Matt Kinder (who is a fan) said that this set was the highlight of the night for him.

Lastly, around 11:40 Anathallo took the stage to a crowd of chilled, yet anxiously awaiting fans. We all huddled in close partly to stay warm and partly to take in every bit of the set that we could. This show was the first show on Anathallo’s tour touting their new record entitled Canopy Glow out on Anticon and this was the first chance to pick up a copy (by the way the cover art is a painting called “Temma on Earth” by Tim Lowly who was just featured at The 930 and it is quite haunting). If you are not familiar with Anathallo, then you should probably look at their tour schedule and go see them no matter what is going on that night. Anathallo is the little band that could from Mount Pleasant, Michigan which is about 20 minutes from the town I grew up in. They are, hands-down, one of the most exciting live acts ever. That’s right, ever. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few bands out there that might be able to match their energy, the arrangements, their songwriting, or possibly even their confounding musicianship. But the straight truth is that, all factors considered, they are simply peerless. While they were playing frontman Matt Joynt commented multiple times that this was one of the coolest shows they’d ever played. They debuted a couple of songs, and He said that it was shows like this that aligned with his dream of being a musician because it was cozy and with friends and lots of fun. They ended their wonderful set around 12:30 as the kids all ran for their heated cars to warm up their toes. Anathallo is playing at The Southgate House in Newport on Monday and you should all be there. I am working until 10 or 11 otherwise I would.

All in all, this was one of the most well-organized and curated shows that I’ve been too in a long time, if not ever. More shows are supposed to be coming in the near future, and you can be sure that I will be there, at the Kingdom.