long shot

Use it or lose it -- and I need to maintain my editing skills now more than ever. Though I'm lagging, it's never too late for Aimee Mann at the Fillmore.

Aimee Mann, the Fillmore, May 12, 2017: Aimee Mann's records kind of sneak up on me. Mind you, she's my favorite lyricist, but her arrangements and production haven't soared to the same heights as I enjoyed in the past. But often a few years after their release, her albums are on my mind again, and this tour was no different. I've dived back into Lost in Space and The Forgotten Arm, and they haven't disappointed. Lost in Space, especially, is so beautifully crafted and a pleasure to rediscover. At this rate, it may take me a few more listens to truly appreciate Mental Illness, though that's more a comment on my attention span than on Aimee's skills.

The changes from tour to tour and album to album are subtle, but Aimee has a way of building on each iteration of her career. Mental Illness is notable for Jonathan Coulton's contributions, and if you've paid attention to Aimee's career, you know he was in the cast of her last round of Christmas shows. On this record, he co-wrote a few songs, including one in which he purposely tried to mimic Aimee's tone, starting from the very first line -- which Aimee took as a compliment and an insult. Otherwise, Aimee's band remained the same, though I didn't recognize the drummer.

The show somewhat favored Aimee's new record, but I was more struck by the old singles and album cuts she chose. In fact, she opened with a couple of classics: "4th of July" and "Little Bombs," both of which I happen to love. She sort of sprinkled the newer tracks among the older tunes, and only now has it hit me that it probably had to do with bringing Jonathan Coulton into the show (more on that later).



Nonetheless, the selections from her back catalog were stellar. I could go on about the older tracks all day, but I'll single out three: "Humpty Dumpty" because as soon as they struck the opening notes, I realized it had been in in my head for the previous week and my subconscious had been yearning for it; "Long Shot" because it's so rare on her setlists; and "Deathly" because it's often overshadowed by more famous tracks from Bachelor No. 2, and it has my absolute favorite backing vocal (read: Jon Brion) on all of her songs. OK, consolation prize goes to "The Moth," another dirge dressed up in pop splendor from Lost in Space.

Jonathan Coulton joined the band for a good section of songs on the new album and to chat with Aimee. It's no surprise that they get along so well as two of the brainier songwriters around. Aimee has come a long way from her self-proclaimed awkward early days; her dry wit is a treat if you can keep up. Aimee had joined Jonathan during his opening set for a few songs and to remind everyone that her label was releasing his new album. Hey, we all gotta pay the bills, but it's gotta be nice if you can do it with friends.

The concert drove me to the perfect outcome: I've been reacquainting myself with Aimee's records -- I mean, more than usual -- and guess what? They're fantastic! Thanks, Aimee, for framing our darker thoughts in the shiniest chords.

See also:
» winter wonderland

someone's gotta help me dig

This blog bears witness to my adventures in rock tourism, but believe it or not, I have a lot more wisdom and knowledge (hahahahaha) from life on the road that I can't share in written form. However, I now get to impart some of these pearls to my best friend, as she has contracted the same condition. Thus, we both made our way to Humphreys by the Bay in San Diego for Father John Misty, ahead of his Coachella appearances.

Father John Misty, Humphreys by the Bay, April 12, 2017: I might as well play the music snob card and mention the time I saw Fleet Foxes open for Wilco in Boise, Idaho -- a great trip, by the way. As you may recall, Fleet Foxes were the It Band of that moment, but to tell you the truth, they never did it for me. I have my own preferences in Beardy Harmonizers (tm), though I loved witnessing the affectionate bond between the Fleet Foxes and Wilco. Since then, I recall seeing notices for Josh Tillman's solo career, but have mainly stayed away from the hype. As I've mentioned many times before, it's not a criticism on my part. My lizard brain simply can't handle as much music as it used to.

But when he became my best friend's favorite contemporary artist and ignited her own rock tourism bug, you know I had to be there! In fact, I'm sure I would've joined her earlier, but other events come up. Thus, the road led to San Diego.

I've seen Humphreys by the Bay has come up in itineraries for other bands, but every time I've checked, the shows have been seated, which is a no-no for me. Father John Misty was not, which was the first indicator I had to be there. It's a small outdoor courtyard in a resort-style hotel. Imagine a concert venue at the edge of an apartment complex. Got it?

Even better, it turned out the soundboard was stationed on our hotel room patio. Again, imagine your hotel room with a sliding glass door leading out to a wide patio shared by three other rooms. Then picture the soundboard sitting there. Yes, we did watch the soundcheck from the deck. I wonder what it would've been like to watch the entire show from there, but we had other plans.



As I indicated above, I haven't seen Father John Misty before, so I didn't know what to expect. I assume the setup (including a 7-piece string section) was a new development, as necessitated by the new record. From what I could tell, the new songs are mellower, but in my humble opinion, the 13-minute acoustic epic was the best tune of the night. I also loved one of the rockers, which I was later informed was his big hit "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings."

As an impartial observer, I'm here for the human drama, and one scenario I've never before witnessed played out: Apparently, some guy in the audience was pissing on people?! FJM interrupted the show to comment on it and to send security at him. I'm happy to report we were on the other side of the audience during this episode.

As for FJM himself, he wasn't particularly chatty, which isn't a concern for me, but longtime fans may have their own opinions. He did tell a funny story about a line he likes to throw out when he goes to other people's shows ("someone's been listening to Radiohead") -- it could be worth stealing.

The biggest revelation to me came toward the end of the set, as he prepped for his solo segment. As the other band members left the stage, I finally recognized some faces: Four of the members were the Section Quartet, whom I've seen at Largo several times. In fact, I saw group leader Eric Gorfain drop by Largo last April for a fantastic podcast taping. I probably shouldn't be surprised by the continued appearance of Largo-associated talent in my life, but it always warms my heart.

One of the other highlights of the night was in fact the opening act, Tim Heidecker. I have to admit I was never a "Tim and Eric" fan, but Tim's musical side was more straightforward than I expected. His songs verged on parody, but you could take them at face value too. Less ambiguous was "I Am a Cuck," for which FJM joined Tim for a rewrite of Simon and Garfunkel's "I Am a Rock." I liked it!

By all indications, I'm committed to attending more FJM shows for moral support. Those reports will come in down the line.

See also:
» i try to stay busy
» i was dreamin' when i wrote this

ain't that enough

Pioneertown was a lovely refresher, but Teenage Fanclub at the Great American Music Hall back in San Francisco turned out to be the main course. What a feast it was.

Teenage Fanclub, Great American Music Hall, March 21, 2017: Before the show, I reviewed the previous Teenage Fanclub posts on this blog and found only two (from 2005 and 2010). Because the Fannies don't tour here often, I figured I might as well recap a few of my preblog memories since I don't know when I'll get to do this next.



• Teenage Fanclub has toured with a number of bands that kind of leave you gasping if you didn't already know (Nirvana and Uncle Tupelo, to name two). I happened to catch them when they opened for Radiohead on the OK Computer tour, but we locals got an extra treat: a free show at Jupiter in Berkeley sponsored by Mod Lang Records. I actually videotaped the gig on a nice little video camera I had at the time, but don't ask me where the tape is now. Anyway, the most memorable moment of the day came when someone in the audience passed around a bottle of Buckfast. (I think Norman was the only band member who actually drank it.) I then learned a new refrain, though I can't do it justice. The gist of it goes, "Buckfast makes you fuck fast." Since then, I've shared this nugget of wisdom at every possible opportunity.

• As for the Radiohead gig itself, I sat in the balcony at the Warfield and felt myself getting more resentful as the show progressed. The Fannies' set was good, albeit sparsely attended, and I still can't tell you what happened during Radiohead's portion of the show.

• On another occasion, I saw Teenage Fanclub at Slim's. Per usual, I had arrived too early and, this time, ended up hanging out with a dude who was equally twitchy. We probably weren't the only two people there, but that's how it feels in my memory. Anyway, as we waited, he earnestly relayed his concerns for the Fannies and their livelihoods. As I recall, he was less worried for Raymond, whose wife was a lawyer (maybe?), but he had devoted a significant amount of thought to their prospects. Mostly, I recall his consternation and a real hope on his part that they would do OK.

• I think at the same show, a small group of us (random fans) ended up discussing who was the best songwriter out of the group. After much friendly back and forth, we were kind of surprised to land on Gerry as the favorite. I still believe this to that day.

I had a wonderful time at Pioneertown, but this was more in line with how I do a Teenage Fanclub show. There was no rush, but tonight was not a night to hang to the side. Instead, I took my place alongside Lila and Noreen at the front. The crowd for this sold-out show filled out nicely, and only once did it feel anything like a crush, but that was entirely due to a drunk dude who threw himself at the front of the stage. We were OK, but Noreen got the worst of it.



I've never followed the Fannies' setlists, and in fact, Pioneertown was the first time I've traveled to see them. For some reason, I assumed they stuck to one order, so I was thrilled to hear different songs at this show. I mean, the good stuff was still there, but for one, they finally brought in Man-Made. The most memorable changes were in the encore, where they did the fast version of "Starsign" (as opposed to the slow version at Pioneertown) and brought in "Everything Flows," which got us all jumping up and down.

However, the biggest difference for me at this show wasn't the song selection, but rather the general spirit of being back at the front. We sang along, we cheered like maniacs, and we egged on the band at every turn. Norman has always been the charming and cool one, and he made us smile with a few awkward moments, such as when his guitar didn't work right away. In fact, I loved being so close to the stage to hear each guitar lead. I'm going to sound like a complete idiot, but I haven't appreciated Raymond's guitar skills enough. Also, Norman's big chords on "About You" are gorgeous.

There are no bad songs in a Teenage Fanclub set, but tonight's encore was extra special. As mentioned earlier, we got "Starsign" and "Everything Flows," as well as a Grant McLennan cover, "Easy Come Easy Go." They had done this at Pioneertown, but I hadn't heard it well. In San Francisco, it came through in all its glory, and holy cow, the guitar intro sounds so much like Wilco's "Always in Love"! I've since gone back and listened to the original, which is more distinct, but in the Fannies' hands, it offered a familiar ring -- I mean that in the best way possible.

This account does no justice to the ridiculous elation I've enjoyed since leaving the show. Teenage Fanclub is always in rotation to some degree, but I've been listening to them nonstop since the gig. I'm going to ride this wave for as long as I can, but I hope I get to live it again whenever the band returns to the West Coast.

I should probably also mention Ben Gibbard was hanging out to the side during the show, but alas, he didn't join the band.

Britta Phillips opened for all the shows on the tour, and it was the first time I've seen her live. She was kind of the reason Evonne wanted to see the Pioneertown show, but no matter. She was fantastic, and I now totally understand how she and Dean Wareham have earned a devoted following. For whatever reason, I never got into Galaxie 500 or Luna, but on the other hand, I recall very clearly driving down Beverly Boulevard on the way to Largo and seeing Dean and Britta get out of a car (hahaha). They make great music together, and it doesn't hurt that they're both still insanely cool.



p.s. I hope that guy from Slim's is smiling somewhere and maybe even singing along.

See also:
» start again
» we get older every year
» if these things make your day