Otis Taylor & Chris Thomas King - Update
Posted in Music, Iowa on February 13th, 2007 by wapsi |
Last week I wrote about the anticipation of welcoming Otis Taylor and Chris Thomas King to Iowa for the KUNI Blues Blowout in Waterloo. Here is the update after seeing the show in Waterloo, then the Otis and Nick show in Des Moines on Sunday at Blues on Grand.
I arrived in Waterloo around 6pm. The venue was the Electric Park Ballroom. Imagine a big old ballroom/dancehall-roadhouse from the 40s and you are getting pretty close.
Electric Park Ballroom, Waterloo, Ia
When I got there I was greeted by a friendly KUNI person and they let me in early with no problem when I told them my friend was in the Otis Taylor Band. There weren’t too many people there yet so I grabbed a cold Blue Moon and sat down to chat with Nick for a little bit before the show started. I was introduced to Otis almost immediately and later met his Daughter and bass player, Cassie (19). When I arrived she was doing homework on one of the reserved tables with books and papers spread out all over. People started arriving and soon the lights were dimmed and out came Chris Thomas King.
I didn’t really know what to expect from King. I enjoyed him in Oh Brother but hadn’t really heard much else from him. I’m going to go ahead right now and give King the benefit of the doubt and assume he was having a bad day. He seemed confused, disoriented, and seemed to have trouble playing his songs and remembering his lyrics. I thought King’s performance was extremely unrehearsed and very rough, to say the least. Everyone has off nights, and he seemed like a nice enough guy - I guess I just expected a higher caliber performance from an artist who has starred in two block buster movies (Ray and Oh Brother) and played all over the world for enormous crowds with the Down From the Mountain tour. But really, it seemed more like an average open mic performance than a professional who has recorded over 140 tracks in his career.
King left the stage and the Otis Taylor band followed. Otis came out with the unexpected clawhammerish banjo. His Daughter Cassie Taylor on his right and Nick Amodeo on his left. They really brought the house down. This was my first Otis experience and I have to admit, musically - I’m a believer. Otis’ style is a one chord thing. Over and over - repeating phrases lyrically and musically. He drives a riff into the ground and just when you think you’re getting bored, you hear another subtle change that keeps the music interesting. Cassie can sing her ever loving ass off and has a great stage dynamic. With a spunky fresh out of boulder attitude, a gorgeous voice and unmistakable chemistry with her Father. (more…)
Apple says no to Ipod Monday at The Lift - Diggers Digg.
Posted in Music, Iowa on February 10th, 2007 by wapsi |
What an honor. Des Moines content on the front page of Digg. Too bad it’s sort of a negative story. I think the Apple lawyers need to pick on someone their own size.
A bar owner in Des Moines, runs a weekly event called iPod Monday in which he lets those who bring their iPods share their music collections with others. Once a year they hand out a free ipod too. Does anyone even go to ipod mondays at the Lift?
Digg Article and comment listing
Original Des Moines Register article
It’s a little ironic to me that this trade marking/branding story comes on the heels of Steve Jobs’ very own open letter denouncing DRM. (digital rights managment -AKA - Doesn’t Really Matter)
At any rate, making the front page of digg should be a proud moment for anyone.
Otis Taylor & Chris Thomas King
Posted in Music, Iowa on February 10th, 2007 by wapsi |
When you have the blues, you hit the road. That’s precisely why I am driving all over god’s green earth this weekend to catch the doubly depressing bill in Waterloo this evening of Otis Taylor and Chris Thomas King. King played the Robert Johnson character in Oh Brother Where Art Thou?. I have to admit I haven’t heard a lot of his other stuff, but from what I gather is more electric and less delta than the character he portrays in the movie.
I do have ulterior motives here though. My friend, Nick Amodeo, a Rockygrass Mandolin Champion, is Otis’ hired electric mandolin slinger so I am looking forward to plenty of backstage action and VIP treatment. Yep, Iowa is mighty proud of Nick. There was a great write-up about him in the Des Moines Register’s Datebook this week. Check out the article
Nick and Buddy Guy (AKA Mr. Guy)at Guy’s Legends club in Chicago.
Nice framed photo of SRV in the background, Nick. Accident? I’m thinking not.
Even more of an honor, in my opinion, is that the article made the front page headline section for mandolincafe.com
Mandolin Cafe is THE mandolin enthusiast destination on the web. Everything from lessons, tips & tricks, articles, interviews, and mando classified section. Congratulations, Nick!
Tomorrow, Otis and Nick headline Blues on Grand in Des Moines. If you like Blues, and haven’t heard much from Otis Taylor, I recommend giving it a listen. He’s dubbed it Trance Blues and the music really lives up to it’s genre title. Pretty damn good for a former antiques salesman. The show starts at 7pm and is $10 at the door. Should be a real blues blowout. Hope to see you there.
Stay Tuned.
Half Time - Have you purified yourself in the waters of lake minnetonka??
Posted in Music on February 5th, 2007 by wapsi |
Typically the half time show is a joke. A complete technical folly. My wife and I were discussing the half time show during the second quarter of the Super Bowl and theorizing why it’s usually so awful. Here is what we came up with - First, you have the biggest broadcasting day of the year. The biggest sporting/commercialism event of the year, and typically - the worst musical performance by a mega pop sensation. Everyone remembers the otherwise forgetful Timberlake/Jackson half time wardrobe debacle. Last year, Two years ago, Paul McCartney took the stage and did well. It was O.K., but far from the Beatles Rooftop concert in London. With the huge production of the Super Bowl - you get someone like Paul McCartney or Prince, or whomever, and tell them to go out and play a 10 minute rocker. Usually when a performer of that caliber takes the stage, most of the day is spent on sound checks, sounds checks and more sound checks. With the Super Bowl, they wheel the stage out, test the mics, and return from the commercial break just in time for the performance to start. I guess I am not too sure on the sound checking that occurs at the Super Bowl, but I am guessing it’s not a huge priority for the event admins. Usually the half time show sounds like complete ass. People don’t know their ques, there’s always the look of confusion from the performer and well, lets face it, usually no one gives a shit about the half time show.
That said, you can imagine my surprise when prince took the stage last night and commenced to END the Super Bowl. It was the mother of all Super Bowl half time shows. The only thing that would have made it better, is if he got struck by lightning in the middle of a guitar solo. I guess I never really realized what a guitar monster Prince is. He really rips that thing. Plus, when that huge sheet came up and his otherwise pygmy stature was made to look enormous, prince turns to the side with his oddly shaped “Artist” guitar protruding from his mid-section like a giant phalic symbol. Take that Janet Jackson! Prince was crude and obscene in a way that made it impossible for him to be called out on it.
In my opinion, it was the best half time performance I have ever seen, and I am a born again believer in the talent of Prince. He is an enigma, and hails from the Twin Cities, which you have to admire in anyone.Plus, how freakin perfect was that Purple Rain rendition in the pouring tropical rain of Miami? I really enjoyed every second of it. By the look on Prince’s face, I would say he was happy with it too.
