Video o' the Week: RIVERSIDE

Yes, yes... I know... this is the second "Video o' the Week", and the third post, today. Stop your whining... it may be the last you hear from me, for a week.

I felt OBLIGATED to post this video... even though it's not really a video, but a montage of photos of this great Polish Progressive/Metal (or Neo-Prog) band.

Enjoy the song, "STUCK BETWEEN", by RIVERSIDE

NO-MAN: "WHEREVER THERE IS LIGHT" E.P.

In related news (to the last post), the incredibly busy STEVEN WILSON has treated us with another CD from on of his other six projects, NO-MAN. The E.P., entitled "WHEREVER THERE IS LIGHT", features a track from the most recent album, "SCHOOLYARD GHOSTS", and also features non-LP material, as well as live tracks from the recent European tour. Here is some information culled directly from the official No-Man website...

http://www.no-man.co.uk

27th May 2009 - 'Wherever There Is Light' EP (updated from 27th April)

No-Man's new EP 'Wherever There Is Light' was released on 11th May 2009 and is available directly from Burning Shed. (A dedicated page with sound samples, full details on tracks, musician credits and lyrics has been added to this website.)

Acting as a bridge between No-Man's elegiac 2008 return 'Schoolyard Ghosts' and the forthcoming live concert DVD 'Mixtaped', 'Wherever There Is Light' is a strictly limited-edition CD release.

The poignant title track (from 'Schoolyard Ghosts') features an incredible guest performance from US pedal steel legend Bruce Kapham (American Music Club/Red House Painters) and flute from frequent band ally Theo Travis.

The alt-country-tinged Death Was California and the atmospheric Counting are two new songs especially written for the EP and recorded at No-Man's Land during 2008 and 2009 (Counting features a guest performance by the live band electric violinist Steve Bingham). Carolina Skeletons and All The Blue Changes are the first recordings released from No-Man's autumn 2008 mini-tour, featuring the full live band and taken from the London concert at Bush Hall, 29th August 2008.

Also containing Grant Wakefield's poetic video for the title track, a powerful preview from the 'Mixtaped' DVD and striking Carl Glover artwork, the enhanced 'Wherever There Is Light' EP is a rare and beautiful thing.

The full tracklisting for the EP is:

• Wherever There Is Light
• Death Was California
• Counting
• Carolina Skeletons (live)
• All The Blue Changes (live)
• Wherever There Is Light (video)
• All The Blue Changes (live video)

PORCUPINE TREE: "THE INCIDENT", Release Date Set...

First off, I need to thank Blogger/Facebook friend, Mark, for posting this information on his Facebook page. I used to tune into the Porcupine Tree website nearly on a daily basis, but have become much more sporadic, in between touring and recording of the new album.

I will import the information directly from the official Porcupine Tree website...

http://www.porcupinetree.com

Porcupine Tree are happy to announce the forthcoming release of their tenth studio album "The Incident". The record is set to be released via Roadrunner Records worldwide on 21st September, as a double CD. The centre-piece is the title track, which takes up the whole of the first disc. The 55-minute work is described as “a slightly surreal song cycle about beginnings and endings and the sense that ‘after this, things will never be the same again’.” The self-produced album is completed by four standalone compositions that developed out of band writing sessions last December - Flicker, Bonnie The Cat, Black Dahlia, and Remember Me Lover feature on a separate EP length disc to stress their independence from the song cycle. Video footage of the band in the studio working on The Incident, as well as audio previews, will be available online soon. The band will tour extensively to promote the album from mid September onwards.

Mark your calendars, and hope that they visit a town near you...

Video o' the Week: KING CRIMSON

You could say that I'm continuing on with the Peter Gabriel association, although he has nothing to do with this particular video.... but Gabriel fans know where I'm coming from. Tony Levin.... bassist extraordinaire. I can't get enough Tony Levin. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the California Guitar Trio play at a small church, in the Salt Lake area. The beauty of this performance? Tony Levin joined the California Guitar Trio on stage, for the latter part of the concert. He has collaborated more than once with those talented guitarists, but didn't do much touring with them. I believe on that particular leg of the CGT tour, Tony only played two or three shows. We were very blessed to see his talents up close, and personal.

BUT, this isn't about the California Guitar Trio... it's about Tony... and Andrian...and Bill....and Robert.... it's about KING CRIMSON.

SHANKAR/SHENKAR: A Voice of Mystery.... A Voice of Beauty.

A voice of mystery.... that is one of the only ways I can describe the voice of Shenkar. Or is it Shankar? Or is it both? A mystery that has plagued me for a couple years. It finally...yes, FINALLY, after two years, drove me to search Shankar on Wikipedia.

It all began two years ago, when the television show, HEROES, made it's debut. At first, I was extremely surprised to see that the score was done by WENDY & LISA, best known for their work with PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION. An extremely full and artistic career, taking yet another turn.... but then, as I continued watching the opening credits of HEROES, it stated that the music of Wendy & Lisa featured the voice of SHENKAR. Now... who is Shenkar? I had heard of SHANKAR, the vocalist and midi-violin player, who was prominently featured on PETER GABRIEL's "SECRET WORLD TOUR", back in 1993. I have owned that video (and subsequent DVD release) for over fifteen years, and it remains one of my favorite concert videos of all time. And, I might add, Shankar had a lot to do with that. The beauty of his violin work, and the haunting sound of his voice, added a beautiful ambience to the already artistic and thought provoking music of Peter Gabriel. Below is a link to their incredible collaboration "ACROSS THE RIVER" from Peter Gabriel's "SECRET WORLD LIVE".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2GHNhAqgf4

Anyhow, as I watched HEROES, I thought to myself how similar the voice was to that of Shankar. I dismissed it, thinking that any "Middle Eastern" sounding voice could be made to sound like Shankar. And, like the British duo of YAZOO, names could be similar enough, but not identical to other artists (hence the need for YAZOO to go by the name YAZ, in the United States). So, I just went on...for two years...thinking that the world had a mysterious vocalist named Shenkar, in addition to the talented Shankar.

Enter the latest studio release by TOTO, "FALLING IN BETWEEN". I had just checked the CD out of the library, and on several tracks, I heard a voice similar to both Shankar AND Shenkar. I opened the liner notes, and saw that the artist was, in fact, Shenkar... and he also contributed on the violin. Now, things were getting really weird. It was becoming too much to be considered a coincidence. I got home from work, and promptly did a Wikipedia search for Shankar. And what did I find?

The artists behind the haunting music was born Lakshminarayanan Shankar, in India, in 1950. His father was a music at the Jaffna College of Music, hence Shankar began his musical life at an early age. He was singing by the age two, and playing violin at the age of 5. He continued to develop his musical skills, learning other instruments along the way.

So... there's a good chance that I'm the only one that has been perplexed by this mystery... but if not, if YOU have also wondered this...hopefully this will put you at ease. You can search him on Wikipedia to learn more... it's interesting stuff, IF you can understand all the funny Sanskrit words!

THE WATCHMAN: Tom Morello strikes again...

Some of you may acuse me of living under a rock. That's fine. But tonight, my eyes were opened. And so were my ears, for that matter. My wife and I had checked the Michael Moore documentary "SICKO", out of the library. It was an incredibly informative movie, revealing how corrupt and disfunctional our nation's health care is. But, I am not here to talk about that....

...I'm here to talk about a song that I heard in the movie. It played quietly in the background, towards the beginning of the movie. I made a comment to my wife that it sounded like some of the recent work of Mark Knopfler, former frontman of Dire Straits. Similar... but NOT Mark. I didn't think much about it for the remainder of the movie, until the final credits started rolling. First up was a catchy song by Cat Stevens. Go figure, a free-thinking, peace lover being featured in a Michael Moore film. Anyhow, I decided to sit and wait for the song credits, to see if the Cat Stevens song was on the "greatest hits" compilation, that I am not too familiar with. It wasn't. But, that's not what I am here to talk about...

After the Cat Stevens song, this same Knopfleresque song came on... this time as a featured song. Can I pause for just a moment to mention how ironic it is, that this blogging program "corrects" me (via it's "spell check" program) for saying words like "didn't" (it doesn't like conjunctions, apparently), but I can write a word like "Knopfleresque", and it doesn't say a word. Crazy. But once again, that's not what I am here to talk about...

Yes... the song. The song that sounded like it could be Mark Knopfler (have I beaten THAT fact into your head?)... while it's playing, it says that the song, "ALONE WITHOUT YOU" was by a group/artist called "THE NIGHTWATCHMAN", and that it was written by Tom Morello. THE Tom Morello, I asked? I rewound it... listened to it again...trying to hear any trademark Tom Morello sounds. None. (Oh, let me point out for those of you who are living under neighboring rocks, that Tom Morello is the renowned guitarist for the bands RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AUDIOSLAVE. He was also extensively featured in the video game, GUITAR HERO 3. The only thing I could do, at this point, was do a Google search. I was directed to the Wikipedia reference, and sure enough... it's THE Tom Morello.

Little did I know that one of the most innovative guitarists also has a Folk alter-ego. In the coming weeks, I will undoubtedly pick up this album... but in the meantime, I am going to share the video, complete with footage from "SICKO". It is amazing to me, to see the video start off, featuring Tom on the mandolin. The song has some amazing production, and I am definitely excited to hear more.

It should be pointed out that this song was written after Tom Morello had seen a rough cut of "SICKO". He was so moved by what he saw, that he wrote this song. So, if this is your first exposure to THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, be prepared... if not, enjoy it again, as if it's the first time you heard it.

TWILIGHT CONCERT SERIES 2009

First off... I'd like to thank the individual who researched this list, so I didn't have to. I'd also like to apologize to him, if'n he's angry that I am ALSO posting about this exciting news. As everyone knows, I am a big fan of the Twilight Concert Series, that is hosted each and every summer, in downtown Salt Lake City, and free to everyone. For years, the series focused on Americana artists, including many legendary musicians. I have seen DOC WATSON, EARL SCRUGGS, PATTY GRIFFIN, BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO, ALISON BROWN...and many others.

However, this past couple years has shown a migration of sorts. The line-up became more Indie Rock, as a whole. Artists like ANDREW BIRD, .moe, JOSH RITTER and NEKO CASE, to name a few.

This year apparently is going to showcase a roster that is charting deeper into these Indie Rock waters... with the occasional venture into other genres... including that of Reggae. We get to look forward to the likes of SONIC YOUTH, TOOTS & THE MAYTALS and JENNY LEWIS (occasional vocalist for Indie faves, RILO KILEY). I am turgid with excitement. So... for all you Utahns.... or those stopping by, during the summer.... I hope to see you there.

July 9 Bon Iver / Jenny Lewis

July 16 Black Keys / Human Highway

July 23 M. Ward / Land of Talk

July 30 Sonic Youth / Awesome Color

August 6 Q-Tip / B.o.B.

August 13 Toots and the Maytals / N.A.S.A.

August 20 Iron and Wine / Okkervil River

August 27 Robert Randolph and the Family Band / Black Joe Lewis