2006 Concert Journals

[murlough23]

Already Attended:

1/29 (Sun) Shaun Groves - Calvary Chapel, Pasadena, CA B
Setlist: Should I Tell Them, After the Music Fades, Amen, Bless the Lord, Only, Twilight, Abba Father, (encore) Welcome Home

2/12 (Sun) Mae w/ Lovedrug and Northern - Biola University, La Mirada, CA C+
Mae: B (Setlist: Someone Else's Arms, Ready and Waiting to Fall, Painless, All Deliberate Speed, This Is the Countdown, Summertime, Sun, The Everglow, Giving It Away, Cover Me, (unrecognizable older song), The Ocean, Suspension, (encore) Goodbye Goodnight, Anything)
Lovedrug D+
Northern C+

3/18 (Sat) Corrinne May & Justis Kao, Evergreen Baptist Church, Rosemead, CA B-
Corrinne May: C+ (Setlist: Winter Games (instrumental, with Justis Kao), Mr. Beasley, Shelter, Journey, Everything in its Time, Free, Fly Away, Safe in a Crazy World, Beautiful Seed, (encore - both artists together): Angel in Disguise, Sustained, Winter Games (reprise))
Justis Kao: B+

3/25 (Sat) Anberlin w/ Emery - Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA B-
Anberlin: B (Setlist: A Heavy-Hearted Work of Staggering Genius (pre-recorded intro), The Feel Good Drag, Never Take Friendship Personal, Time & Confusion, A Day Late, The Runaways, Glass to the Arson, (new song), Dance Dance Christa Paffgen, Readyfuels, Paperthin Hymn)
Emery: Not Rated (we left early because they were giving us headaches)

4/26 (Wed) Eisley w/ Simon Dawes, Brighten & Timmy Curran - House of Blues, Los Angeles, CA B
Eisley: A- (Setlist: Mr. Pine, Marvelous Things, My Lovely, Telescope Eyes, Golly Sandra, I Wasn't Prepared, Memories, Plenty of Paper, Head Against the Sky, Many Funerals, (encore) Just Like We Do, Trolleywood (with all opening acts), plus a few more new songs interspersed)
Simon Dawes: B-
Brighten: C+
Timmy Curran: C+

5/27 (Sat) Kevin Max w/ The Violet Burning, The Listening, & Olivia the Band - San Bernardino, CA B+
Kevin Max B (Setlist: Seek, The Imposter, Your Beautiful Mind, Stranded 72.5, Sanctuary, Existence, What If I Stumble?, Confessional Booth, Stay (The Same As Yesterday), I Need You The End)
The Violet Burning B (Setlist included: All I Want, Already Gone, Do You Love Me?, Rewind, More, The Ends Begin, as well as older songs I didn't know)
The Listening A- (Setlist: Glory of the Feared, (new song), Be in Your Eyes, Prelude/Hosea in C Minor, The Factory, The Undiscovered, Everything Is Nothing/Doxology)
Olivia the Band B (Setlist: 39, Shut It Out, Saturday, Butterflies, Feelings, Heaven, Stars & Stripes)

6/8 (Thu) Vienna Teng - Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA A-
Setlist: Transcontinental 1:30 AM, One Bedroom One Bath, Blue Caravan, Love Turns 40, Now 3, I Don't Feel So Well, Ponchartrain, Recessional, City Hall, Whatever You Want

9/6 (Wed) The Violet Burning w/ Snowden - Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles, CA B
The Violet Burning B- (Setlist: Humm, All I Want, Moon Radio, Already Gone, More, Do You Love Me?, Rewind, Low)
Snowden B (Setlist Included: Filler Is Wasted, Between the Rent and Me, Anti-Anti, Black Eyes, Victim Card)

9/16 (Sat) Uprising Festival - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Irvine, CA B
Relient K B+ (Setlist: Be My Escape, High of 75, The One I'm Waiting For, Chapstick Chapped Lips and Things Like Chemistry, Which to Bury Us or the Hatchet/When I Go Down, In Love with the 80's (Pink Tux to the Prom), Danger Zone/Take My Breath Away/Theme from Top Gun, Pressing On/Softer to Me, Sadie Hawkins Dance/Spiderwebs, Bite My Tongue, Failure to Ex-Communicate/Life After Death and Taxes (Failure II), I So Hate Consequences, (encore) Who I Am Hates Who I've Been)
Mae B (Setlist: Painless, Summertime, Cover Me, This Is the Countdown, Embers and Evelopes, Crazy Eights, Suspension, This Time is the Last Time, Someone Else's Arms)
Copeland C-
Dustin Kensrue C+ (Setlist included: The Artist in the Ambulance, One, Round Here, plus five original unreleased songs)
Cool Hand Luke B- (Setlist: This Is Love, One Time, The Balancing, Cinematic, Rest for the Weary)
House of Heroes B (Setlist: Make a Face Like You Mean It (Vampires), Friday Night, Serial Sleepers, The Invisible Hook, Buckets for Bullet Wounds, Mercedes Baby)

9/30 (Sat) Michelle Tumes w/ Loma Linda University Church Praise Band - Loma Linda University Church, Loma Linda, CA B-
Michelle Tumes B+ (Setlist: Listen, Domine, Deep Love, Heaven's Heart, Please Come Back, Lovely Day, Fair Weather, Christ of Hope, Healing Waters, Hold on to Jesus, (encore) He's Watching Over You)
LLUC Praise Band (and the venue in general) C-

10/14 (Sat) Sleeping at Last w/ Lisa Goe - Finestra Caffe, Santa Barbara, CA B
Sleeping at Last B+ (Setlist: Heaven Breaks, Careful Hands, Say, Hurry, Keep No Score, Envelopes, Ghosts, Umbrellas, Quicksand, Currents, Needle & Thread, Dreamlife)
Lisa Goe B-

11/4 (Sat) Jars of Clay w/ Matt Wertz & Kate York - Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA B
Jars of Clay A- (Setlist: All My Tears, Work, Dead Man (Carry Me), God Will Lift Up Your Head, Flood, Even Angels Cry/Sweet Dreams, Love Song for a Savior, There Is a River, Take Me Higher, Oh My God, Surprise, Good Monsters, Mirrors & Smoke, Love Me, Revolution, (encore) Liquid, The Eleventh Hour, (unknown cover song), Light Gives Heat)
Matt Wertz B
Kate York D

Best Individual Performances of 2006:
1. Eisley @ House of Blues L.A. A-
2. The Listening @ San Bernardino A-
3. Vienna Teng @ Hotel Cafe A-
4. Jars of Clay @ Pepperdine A-
5. Sleeping at Last @ Santa Barbara B+
6. Relient K @ Uprising Festival B+
7. Michelle Tumes @ Loma Linda B+
8. Justis Kao @ Evergreen B+
9. House of Heroes @ Uprising Festival B
10. Anberlin @ Henry Fonda Theatre B

Best Overall Shows of 2006:
1. Vienna Teng @ Hotel Cafe A-
2. Kevin Max w/ The Violet Burning, The Listening, & Olivia the Band @ San Bernardino B+
3. Eisley w/ Simon Dawes, Brighten & Timmy Curran @ House of Blues L.A. B
4. Relient K w/ Mae, Copeland, Dustin Kensrue, Cool Hand Luke & House of Heroes @ Uprising Festival B
5. Sleeping at Last w/ Lisa Goe @ Santa Barbara B

(Last Update: 11/5/06)

[enemy anemone]

KT Tunstall 2/2 West Hollywood, Troubadour
setlist: Another Place to Fall, Under the Weather, Other Side of the World, Miniature Disasters, Silent Sea, Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, False Alarm, Stoppin' the Love, Suddenly I See, Throw Me a Rope, I Want You Back
(opening act: Willy Mason)

Mary Gauthier 2/18 Santa Monica, McCabe's Guitar Shop
setlist: I Drink, The Camelot Motel, Long Way to Fall, Can't Find the Way, The Same Road, Goodbye, Prayer Without Words, Oh Please I Need Your Love (?), Thanksgiving, Falling Out of Love, Our Lady of the Shooting Stars, Sugar Cane, Wheel Inside the Wheel, Mercy Now, Drag Queens in Limousines

Eleni Mandell 2/19 Los Angeles, Tangier
setlist: Moment That You Had, (?), Don't Lose My Trail, Miracle of 5, Iowa City, My Twin, Sun's Always Shining In Rome, God Is Love and Appreciation (?) (w/ Charlie Wadhams), It's Raining, Alien Eye, Just A Dream, Afternoon, Dutch Harbor, Perfect Stranger, Girls, Nickel Plated Man, Hack Jimmy, Snake Song

Over the Rhine w/ Hem 5/15  Hollywood, Knitting Factory
setlist: Latter Days, I Want You To Be My Love, Born, Lookin' Forward, What I'll Remember Most, I'm on a Roll (NEW), Entertaining Thoughts (NEW), Intro/Little Did I Know, The Seahorse/Summertime, Lifelong Fling, Trouble (NEW), Show Me, Drunkard's Prayer, (cannot recall--Jesus In New Orleans on setlist but they didn't do this), Cruel and Pretty, When I Go

Eleni Mandell 6/4 Los Angeles, Tangier
setlist: Salt Truck (?), Invisible Man (?), Snake Song, I've Got the Right Side (?), The Makeout King, Perfect Stranger (?), Alien Eye, Iowa City, My Twin (?) Wings in His Eyes (?), American Boy, Feels Like Today Again/Waltz In 8 (?), Pauline

Eleni Mandell w/ Ramblin' Jack Elliott 8/5 Los Angeles, Largo
Eleni's setlist: I Believe In Spring, Moment That You Had, Girls, Salt Truck, Where Have You Been So Long (?), Wings in His Eyes, Hold Tight (?), Sunny Side of the Street, Dream Boat, Blue Ribbon Eyes, Too Bad About You,  God Is Love and Appreciation (?), My Twin, The Makeout King

Ramblin' Jack's setlist: San Francisco Bay Blues, (something about whiny boy), Old Blue, T Is For Texas, Talking Sailor Blues, Diamond Joe, Hong Kong Blues, Mule Skinner Blues, Don't Think Twice
(I guess he didn't do many songs, but he talked a lot in between and during them, hence the "Ramblin'" in his moniker.)

The Violet Burning 9/6 Los Angeles, Silverlake Lounge
setlist: see murlough's entry. I arrived late and only heard Already Gone, More, Do You Love Me?, Rewind, and Low.

Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, & Neko Case 9/10 Los Angeles, Hollywood Bowl
Neko's setlist: Favorite, That Teenage Feeling, Star Witness, If You Knew, I Wish I Was the Moon, Deep Red Bells, Buckets of Rain, Set Out Running, Maybe Sparrow, Hex, Hold On, Hold On

Ryan's setlist: Cold Roses, Peaceful Valley, The End, Blue Hotel, A Kiss Before I Go, Magnolia Mountain, Please Do Not Let Me Go, Stella Blue, Shakedown on 9th Street, Wharf Rat

Willie's setlist: Whiskey River, Still Is Still Moving to Me, Beer For My Horses, Funny How Time Slips Away, Crazy, My Life, (piano player did a solo instrumental song), (guitarist sang lead vocals on Workin' Man Blues), Help Me Make It Through the Night, Me and Bobby McGee, Me and Paul, (one of Willie's sons sang lead vocals on a bluesy song about Texas), Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground, On the Road Again, Always On My Mind, Nuages (Django Reinhardt cover), Goodhearted Woman, Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain,
Blue Skies, Georgia On My Mind, All Of Me, Superman, You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore, I Saw the Light, (a short closing song that I didn't catch)

The Violet Burning w/ The Listening, Rie Sinclair, and Paravell, 10/7 Hollywood, Key Club/Plush Lounge
TVB's setlist: Humm, More, All I Want Is You, Do You Love Me, Rewind, Sugarlight USA, Goldmine, Halo

Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Sean Watkins, Sara Watkins, Jon Brion, and Greg Leisz, 10/13 Los Angeles, Largo
setlist: You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go, Early Morning Rain, I Hear Them All, One More Dollar, Different Drum, Miss Ohio, Any Old Time, Moonshiner, The Wicked Messenger, Throw Me a Rope, Positively Fourth Street, Write Myself a Letter, Country Girl, Don't Worry Baby, Key to the Kingdom, Short People, Tennessee Waltz, Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, (part of Time After Time), All Through the Night, Go Ask Alice, My Morphine, Stop Draggin' My Heart Around, Luminous Rose, Don't Think Twice, Queen Jane Approximately, My Baby Left Me, Baby You're a Rich Man

Eleni Mandell with Stuart Staples 10/28, West Hollywood, Troubadour
Eleni's setlist: Personal, Dream Boat, Parting Glances (?), Makeout King, My Twin, Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya (Dr. John cover), Girls, Salt Truck, Needle and Thread Keep Me Together, Yellow Light, Nickel Plated Man
(I wasn't familiar enough with Stuart Staples' music and couldn't take notes on what he played. Maria McKee was in the audience and did a duet with him.)

Willy Mason 12/3, Santa Monica, McCabe's Guitar Shop
(a bunch of new songs), Fear No Pain, Hard Hand to Hold, So Long, Mosquitos, The World I Wanted Though (?), Lovesick Blues (Hank Williams Sr. cover), Oxygen, Where the Humans Eat, and Pancho and Lefty (Townes Van Zandt cover)

Moya Brennan 12/9, El Segundo, Borders
setlist: In the Bleak Midwinter, What Child Is This, Deck the Halls, Oiche Chuin (Silent Night)

upcoming:

B.B. King, 1/6/07 (Sat) Hollywood, Kodak Theatre
Eleni Mandell, 2/8/07 (Thu) Los Angeles, the Echo

highlights:
Mary Gauthier 2/18 Santa Monica, McCabe's Guitar Shop (my intro to Mary's music)
Eleni Mandell 2/19 Los Angeles, Tangier (my intro to Eleni's music and the only time I saw her with a full band)
Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, & Neko Case 9/10 Los Angeles, Hollywood Bowl (my first time at the Bowl)

best of the best:
Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Sean Watkins, Sara Watkins, Jon Brion, and Greg Leisz, 10/13 Los Angeles, Largo (this night was epic.)

[Aaron]

so I was planning to go to the KT Tunstall concert on Feb. 2. but today I found out about another concert, Roe vs. Pritzl, which is in Pasadena on the same night. it's Mike Roe (of the 77's and Lost Dogs) and Michael Pritzl (of The Violet Burning). I'm not too familiar with their music but I've heard good things. help me decide...

wow....Both would be great.  It's all personal preference.  I would go to the Roe/Pritzl gig myself

[dgp11776]

I'm going to the Alive Festival in Ohio this June.  They have a pretty surprising lineup this year.

Some are not so surprising:

TobyMac
MercyMe
Relient K
Casting Crowns
Audio Adrenaline
Jeremy Camp
Chris Tomlin
Kutless
Rebecca St. James
David Crowder Band
The Afters
Thousand Foot Krutch
Bethany Dillon
Sanctus Real
Hawk Nelson
Falling Up
John Reuben
Seventh Day Slumber
Krystal Meyers
Day of Fire
Palisade
Nate Sallie

Some are very surprising:

Anberlin (can't WAIT to see them)
Copeland
Grits
Spoken
Project 86
Family Force 5
House of Heroes
The Fold
Jonah33
The Wedding

Some I either haven't heard or heard of:
Bradley Hathaway
Pocket Full of Rocks
Inhabited
Last Tuesday
Mainstay
Manafest
Decyfer Down
Inhale Exhale
Fireflight
Needtobreathe
Betsy Walker
Fighting Instinct
M.O.C.
Hyper Static Union
Paul Clark
Divine Soldiers
Apologetix

Should be a good year...I still can't believe that Anberlin, Copeland, and Project 86 are going to be there.  Alive has NEVER had bands of this type (bands that normally would only play Cornerstone).

[ajyouthguy]

Some I either haven't heard or heard of them:
Bradley Hathaway
 

he's a really interesting guy...he's a poet, a very girly looking guy (think 5'11, 125 pounds or so, girl pants) with a real talent for raw, honest, spiritual poetry.  He's toured with a lot of big names, is good friends with a lot of them despite the odd couple pairing of a poet with hardcore and heavy bands.  and he's from about an hour away from me, but i've not gotten to see/hear him yet.  Several of my students have, and they love him, and i have his book/poetry cd and have used several of his poems in my yg.

[murlough23]

M.O.C.

M.O.C. is a female Christian rapper. Only time I've heard her is in Toby Mac's song "Catchafire (Whoopsi-Daisy)".

Apologetix

They do parodies, mostly of classic rock songs, but some newer pop hits as well. They like to think of themselves as the Christian Weird Al, but they're not as good in terms of production values, and certainly much less funny (they take their evangelical lyrics a bit too seriously within a framework that's meant to be comical and lighthearted). A few of their covers amuse me, but that's about it.

[dgp11776]

Upcoming concerts I plan to attend:
2/28 - Mute Math in Charlotte, NC
3/3 - Casting Crowns & Nichole Nordeman in Charlotte, NC

Possibilities:
2/10 - Luna Halo in Charlotte, NC
2/10 - Audio Adrenaline in Charlotte, NC
2/11 - Steven & Mary Beth Chapman in Charlotte, NC
2/25 - Winter Jam Tour in Greensboro, NC (Newsong, Newsboys, TobyMac, and others)
5/13 - 4HIM Finale Tour in Charlotte, NC

Can't Make It:
2/15 - Family Force 5 in Charlotte, NC
2/24 - Anberlin in Winston-Salem, NC
3/19 - Relient K in Charlotte, NC

 

[murlough23]

Shaun Groves was good tonight. It was just an acoustic show, him and just a guitar (or piano, as the song dictated). He had sprained his wrist while playing with his kids the other day, so needless to say, playing guitar was a bit painful for him, but he soldiered on admirably. He's good about being able to be funny while ensuring us he's not going to do the fake Christian smiley bit. I rather like hearing Groves acoustic, as it allows his voice to stand out (an excellent vocal performance on several songs, most notably on "Bless the Lord", which I rather disliked on the album). See my concert journal for the setlist.

The only downside was having to sit through an all-over-the-place sermon by the church's pastor that led to the same us-vs.-them theology and blanket altar call that we had to sit through last time we visited the church to see Something Like Silas. I realize that special events like this are to help draw people to their Sunday evening services that wouldn't normally come to church, but you gotta figure most of the people coming for an artist who's mostly had exposure in CCM will be Christians. So, might as well give 'em some spiritual meat to chew on instead of the same tired potshots at easy targets like liberal college philosophy professors. Yeesh.

I talked to Shaun for a little bit after the show, just because I figured he might remember "murlough" and enjoy getting to meet me in person. I told him that the song he asked for my feedback on ("Heaven Hang On") ended up on the album, and also that I was highly amused by his taken on "Rocketown" for the MWS tribute album that came out last year. He responded that he did it that way because the chords were so dumb and repetitive that he immediately thought of a Blink 182 song.  

NP: "Solid Rock", Delirious? feat. Toby Mac

[murlough23]

Well, we didn't get to see Mute Math tonight. The show sold out while we were waiting in line. Boo. That's what I get for not planning ahead.

What's frustrating is that they wouldn't even let me in to buy the album at the merch table. I was trying to be good about it (like I usually do) and buy an album that I had downloaded and really enjoyed... but noooooo!

Guess it'll have to wait until the album's actually available in stores.

Boo.

NP: "Take Me to Your Leader", Newsboys

[murlough23]

Dammit! I just have the worst luck with concerts this year. Jars of Clay's show in Valencia on Saturday got cancelled, and Friday in Yorba Linda is already sold out.

Oh well, at least I get to see Mae this time around. I guess I can go without seeing Jars for the 12th time if it means seeing Mae for the 1st.

[enemy anemone]

Kevin Max has a couple more SoCal dates listed on his myspace.

FEB 12- Pacific Palisades- www.myspace.com/theworshipgathering

(kevin max, travis taylor and friends)-night of high energy rock and roll, americana, gospel blues.)

FEB 23- VIPER ROOM- KEVIN MAX/LUNA HALO/ MAD JUANA- thursday night 8pm

(www.viperroom.com, kevinmax.com, lunahalo.com. madjuana.com- rock and roll strange fruit and sweating in close proximity).

I still want to catch one of his shows sometime but dang, what is with Thursdays in Hollywood? and Sundays aren't the best for me either but I could make it work I guess.

I'm thinking about going to hear Beth Orton in March at the Avalon. haven't heard much of her music yet, but Willy Mason, who opened for KT Tunstall, will be opening for her, and I really enjoyed his set.
KT was great. the set was only about 11 songs, including two encores, she totally had us mesmerized.

...and now I want to go cry. just found out that Kim Taylor will be opening for The Violet Burning in Kentucky. no fair! I love Kim's music and have been listening almost constantly to The Violet Burning lately, and it kills me that they're going to share a stage and I can't be there!

[enemy anemone]

hey dgp, I don't know if you like The Violet Burning or not but they'll be in Charlotte next month.
info from their site:

3.1 (Wed) Charlotte, NC @ The Well

[dgp11776]

hey dgp, I don't know if you like The Violet Burning or not but they'll be in Charlotte next month.
info from their site:

3.1 (Wed) Charlotte, NC @ The Well

GAH!  Why do all the good concerts come around on Wedensdays???  I'm too involved in the Bible study at church to miss.  Dangit!!!  I'm missing Family Force 5 for the same reason.  Thanks for the heads-up, though.

On a related point, I'm missing Luna Halo tonight because of a Valentine's dinner...

[RedcoatJones]

Arghhh ... Andrew Bird is playing Atlanta tomorrow, and I have no spare cash (and plans already).

This is one I would love to see!

[murlough23]

Looks like we all have terrible luck when it comes to concerts this year.

[murlough23]

Mae was pretty good tonight. They really rock when they get into their meatier songs. And their piano player is entertaining to watch sometimes. Vocals are weaker live than they are on CD, but they're an energetic live band. Their opening bands - Lovedrug and Northern - were a snoozefest. (Northern was the slightly more interesting of the two, since they had a balance of acoustic and electric guitar and piano, and even a harp on one song... which I couldn't even hear.)

I'd probably have had more fun if I hadn't had to go by myself. But, nobody else I know is really into Mae, and they're probably a band that you have to really know their songs to enjoy them live.

NP: "Goodbye, Goodnight", Mae

[dgp11776]

My wife and I went to see Steven Curtis Chapman on Saturday night for what was billed a Valentine's Day concert.  His wife, Mary Beth, was also there.  It was a completely different outing for SCC.  Gone was the 6-piece band, the electric guitars, and the wall of sound (not that there's anything wrong with that).  It was just him with his acoustic guitar and another acoustic guitarist playing along.  Let me just say -- he proved once and for all that he is a Guitar God.  I got an acoustic guitar for Christmas and have been learning some songs here and there, so now I really know how difficult it is to play like him.  It also gave a chance to display his voice, which is excellent in a setting like that.  In short, he was great.  He played for about an hour to start off the show, and then they did a 15-minute intermission.  After the break, he played about three more songs, and then his wife came out.  They sat on a couch and answered questions for about an hour, and Steven played a song for his wife before she left the stage.  Then, he closed with four more songs before saying goodnight.  It was a great night of music, stories, photographs, and comedy.  One thing that did bum me out, though.  He asked if anybody had sung "I Will Be Here" at their wedding, and about 4 of us raised our hands.  He picked a guy about 15 feet away from me to come up on stage with him and sing with him.  GAH!!!!  I can't believe how close I was to getting on stage with the guy!  Oh well, I guess I can't complain.

Edit:  here is the setlist as best I can remember, and not in order.  

How Do I Love Her?
We Will Dance
We Belong Together (this was probably his best song on the guitar)
I Will Be Here
When Love Takes You In
All About Love
I Believe In You
Live Out Loud
I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever
Dive
Speechless
Fingerprints of God
My Redeemer Is Faithful and True
His Strength Is Perfect
This Could Be Love (the first song he ever wrote)
Until Forever (or something like that - it was the song he wrote for his wedding)

[enemy anemone]

the Mary Gauthier show at McCabe's was fantastic. she's playing again tonight and for the life of me I don't know why I hadn't bought tickets to both shows when I had the chance. thought about just showing up and asking if there is room for one small person to stand in the outer room but I don't want to set myself up for disappointment.  anyway, not sure if there are any Mary Gauthier fans here but I had typed up a concert ramble for my journal and thought I'd paste a somewhat shorter version here.
 
the venue was small and crowded but had a great atmosphere, with instruments and black and white  photographs of musicians taking up every bit of wallspace. Mary had a great guitarist with her, Thomm Jutz, and they dived right into the set a little after 8pm. setlist now, comments later.

I Drink
The Camelot Motel
Long Way to Fall
Can't Find the Way
The Same Road That Brought Me To You
Goodbye
Prayer Without Words
Oh Please I Need Your Love (?)
Thanksgiving
Falling Out of Love
Our Lady of the Shooting Stars
Burning the Sugar Cane
Wheel Inside the Wheel

Encore:
Mercy Now
Drag Queens in Limousines

if you've seen photos of Mary, you might think she has a stark, almost harsh look. and if you've heard any of her songs, you'd hear some of that stark grittiness in her voice and lyrics. yet there is this thread of gold that runs thorughout, and I was struck at the beauty in the honesty and humanity. the thought that came to me later was that they're something like prayers in muddy boots.

I Drink doesn't sound like it would be a fun song, but I think everybody in the room was grinning because of the way Mary sang it with a sly smile and eyes full of knowing humor.
Fish swim
Birds fly
Daddies yell
Mamas cry
Old men
Sit and think
...I drink

similarly, The Camelot Motel is populated with "cheaters, liars, outlaws, and fallen angels" who "come looking for the grace from which they fell", and Mary sang about them in a way that made us smile but also brought tears to our eyes. mine, anyway.

one thing I love about her songwriting is how she telescopes on a theme. the song Long Way To Fall starts out with falling in love, then into the arms of the beloved, then into the space between them, and finally out of grace, all of them being "a long way to fall".

she mentioned that she had been on tour with Thomm for a year, then they took a break over Thanksgiving and Christmas and she had time to write some new songs. Can't Find the Way is a new one, inspired by Hurricane Katrina.
We now have nothing but our dreams and memories of who we've been
Another day, another night
Another night, another day
We want to go home
We can't find the way

Thomm played three different guitars, 2 Fender Strat type guitars and one acoustic with nylon strings, I think, but he played them all in a blues style, sometimes with that slide thing on a finger. I think he uses quite a bit of classical style fingering, too, but I don't know enough about styles of playing to say for sure.
I'm sure the song about the road does not have such a long title, but that's what I wrote down so I could remember it better. I especially loved that one. many of her songs are about leaving and somehow those always strike a chord with me.  I think it's also a new song...these had better be on her next album.
Thomm's mad skillz really shined in Prayer Without Words. awesome, awesome stuff that you just get lost in and feel that the reason we live on earth is to learn to the music of heaven--the blues. I am convinced we will not be singing zippity doo dah in heaven. (referring to the Townes Van Zandt quote about there being two kinds of music in the world--the blues and zippity doo dah.)

so I had only heard Mary's song "Mercy Now" on the Paste sampler awhile back and that was enough to get me interested in hearing her play live. so I listened to the songs on her site, and Falling Out of Love instantly grabbed me with the way she speaks many of the lyrics. that one and Wheel Within a Wheel were some of my favorites, which I found on kazaa and have been listening to quite a bit. those and I Drink were some familiar ones to me, so the evening alternated between familiar songs I was thrilled to hear live and songs that were new to me that I liked right away. anyway, Mary played guitar and harmonica on Falling Out of Love and a couple other songs.
I walk the streets, and I taste the dirt
I am flesh and blood, and my body hurts
I search your silence looking for a crack
For a passageway where I can pull you back
Falling out of love is a tedious thing
With its jailhouse smirk and its chain gang swing
Its time to serve and its sentence set
With its warm blood and cold sweat
Let me out, set me free

Our Lady of the Shooting Stars is one another quiet one that I loved instantly. I wasn't sure what the title was so I wrote down "If I Move To You". how did we infomaniacs survive before google?

oh, at one point in the middle, she said that "now we're going to sing some sad songs", as if the previous songs weren't heartbreaking enough. LOL. she expressed a familiar sentiment that she's not a sad person, but sad songs are what she writes--they're what the muse gives her, and they make her happy. she said that after a gig of all these sad songs, she is in a great mood, but she knows that some people aren't that way. they'll be sitting there, getting more and more depressed and wondering when she's going to sing something happy...and she never does. but we were a crowd of like-minded folks and laughed and clapped.

Thomm sat on a chair during most of the songs but for Burning the Sugar Cane, he stood up. and that song ROCKS. Mary had talked a little bit about her mother and where she grew up in a little town in Louisiana, how every Christmastime they harvest sugarcane by burning it.
First came the sugar cane, then came Thibodaux
Cane sugar built this town, cane sugar paved these roads
They burn the leaves to harvest cash, money for the company
Money makes the world go round, money, money, money
The soot and ash are falling like a dark and deadly snow
The air is full of poison to the Gulf of Mexico
Dirty air, dirty laundry dirty money dirty rain
A dirty deal with the devil, burning the sugar cane

then she talked about how she wrote a jazz funeral song for a friend who passed away. it's set in New Orleans and she mentioned now takes on all sorts of other meanings now. she and Thomm played their guitars percussively to the contagious beat and it majorly rocked.
Souls ain't born, souls don't die
Soul ain't made of earth, ain't made of water, ain't made of sky
So ride the flaming circle, wind the golden reel
And roll on brother in the wheel inside the wheel

perfect way to close the set but we wanted more... when they came back for the encore, a guy behind me shouted "can we get a little Mercy Now?" and she said "sure thing!" she talked about how they had just played that song in Nashville at the Ryman and she wasn't sure if they'd get booed or applauded.  they got applauded but some people withheld applause and sat there, folding their arms and glaring at her. the lines that probably ticked off some of the Nashville folks are probably the same ones that several in the audience applauded. for me, the song is less a political statement and just a prayer.
Yeah, we all could use a little mercy now
I know we don't deserve it
But we need it anyhow
We hang in the balance
Dangle 'tween hell and hallowed ground
Every single one of us could use some mercy now

the applause went on for a while, and Mary exchanged some words and grins and laughter with Thomm, then introduced the last song of the night. she said it should've been the song that ruined her career, as it is called "Drag Queens in Limousines" and is a country song. haha, it was great though. at the lines about the guy who loves ballet, Thomm played a few bars of delicate-sounding ballet-ish tune. later Mary told him to play like Willie Nelson and he switched to an aggressive style, bending a lot of bass notes. it's an autobiographical song about her family who didn't understand her and the colorful people who took her in.
Yeah, drag queens in limousines, nuns in blue jeans
Dreamers with big dreams, poets and AWOL Marines
Actors and bar flies, writers with dark eyes
Drunks that philosophize, these are my friends

if you've read or even skimmed this whole thing, I applaud you. if you've only heard her song Mercy Now, you should really check out her other songs, which can be heard at her site. I think some of you pholks would really enjoy her music.

[enemy anemone]

[dgp11776]

We saw Bethany Dillon in a coffee-shop style acoustic concert last night.  She only played for about an hour and had a cold, but she did really well.  She's a really great gal with a lot of stage presence.  Very comfortable in her own skin, which is great.  She isn't just 'deep for a 17 year-old.'  She's just deep, plain and simple.  I loved hearing her talk about her song meanings and what she has been studying lately.  A right impressive young gal, I must say.  We got to meet her and talk afterwards, which is always nice.  My poor daughter was so starstruck that she fainted.



Set List
Revolutionaries
Beautiful
All I Need
Lead Me On
Exodues (Faithful)
Hallelujah
Dreamer
All That I Can Do
A new song (I forget the title, but it was really good)

[murlough23]

How in the world does Bethany pull off "Beautiful" acoustic? Does she play piano, too, or just guitar? That's kind of a dense song (and my favorite by her), so I'm curious.

[dgp11776]

How in the world does Bethany pull off "Beautiful" acoustic? Does she play piano, too, or just guitar? That's kind of a dense song (and my favorite by her), so I'm curious.

Just guitar, and she did a really nice job of reworking the song to fit that type of atmosphere.  It's my second favorite song of hers after "Revolutionaries."  The fact that she played both had me smiling.

[bethany]

Concerts this week:

Coldplay - meh.
Sigur Ros - a glimpse of heaven on earth.

[murlough23]

Concerts this week:

Coldplay - meh.
Sigur Ros - a glimpse of heaven on earth.

I'll have detailed write-ups on both of those, please.

Or, failing that, setlists and brief summaries of the highlights/lowlights.

Gotta live vicariously. You know how it is.

[enemy anemone]

just heard some buzz about OtR doing some shows with Hem and checked out their tour page. they'll be playing at the Knitting Factory on Monday, May 15th. why does it have to be a weekday?  

[bethany]

Concerts this week:

Coldplay - meh.
Sigur Ros - a glimpse of heaven on earth.

I'll have detailed write-ups on both of those, please.

Or, failing that, setlists and brief summaries of the highlights/lowlights.

Gotta live vicariously. You know how it is.

I'll work on that this week...I didn't take any notes or anything, so I'll have to go off my memory, which can be dubious at best.

[ajyouthguy]

Their opening bands - Lovedrug and Northern - were a snoozefest. (Northern was the slightly more interesting of the two, since they had a balance of acoustic and electric guitar and piano, and even a harp on one song... which I couldn't even hear.)

 

that surprises me a little bit about Lovedrug, b/c their reputation, around here, is quite different than that, and i have several youth who really like them.

[murlough23]

that surprises me a little bit about Lovedrug, b/c their reputation, around here, is quite different than that, and i have several youth who really like them.

Well, if I hadn't been familiar with Mae's music, I might've had the same reaction to Mae. I'm willing to accept that Lovedrug might actually be good on CD. I just don't have much patience for live bands that can't figure out how to be interesting, or at least make their songs stand out, to an audience not familiar with their work. Acceptable if you're the main artist on the bill, but if you're the opener, you should probably aim for clarity more so than volume.

[eatahouse]

Just went to a Relient K concert (got in for free because my cousin won tickets)...

I never realized Matt Thiessen had a high voice. Of course, not as high as the abominably feminine-sounding The Rocket Summer (which was a huge, huge disappointment. Half the crowd went and did other things during his hour-long performance, slightly longer than Relient K's, even though the latter was the headliner).

Matt Thiessen pretty much played keys and guitars in most songs. He'd either keep the guitar on while playing the keys (if he needed it later in the song), or a roadie would come on stage and take his guitar (or give it to him). Matt was the only one singing, so some of the parts on songs like "I So Hate Consequences" were left out (the audience filled them in).

It was a great concert. Everything went well (except 2 of 3 opening acts were terrible, but at least one of them was only on for about 20 minutes).

And because we don't get many concerts in BC, the next one I'll be going to is in April (Eisley).

[dgp11776]

I went to see Mute Math, Vedera, and The Verdict Tuesday night at Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte, NC.  It's a pretty small venue, and it was sold out (sweet!).  To give you an idea of how tight it was, I think they crammed something like 900 people into a little room with a stage at the front.  Luckily for me, my knees were literally touching the stage.  Darren King, drummer/freak of nature was playing about 6 feet away from me.  How's that for close?  

The Verdict
They are a local band from here in Charlotte.  They played about 7 songs to open things up during their 30-minute set.  They consist of a lead singer/guitarist, a girl on guitar/background vocals, a drummer, and a bass player who hit a few keyboard notes here and there.  They weren't all that great.  The lead singer was about as whiny as they come.  Musicianship was about average, with the lead singer pulling off a few decent solos.  I couldn't make out any lyrics (actually, I could hardly make out anything other than the drums).  So, basically, I was thinking "please leave the stage."

Vedera
Now THIS is more like it!  Vedera (formerly Veda) is a female-fronted rock band from Kansas.  The girl played keyboard and guitar and has a voice that reminds me of Amy Lee of Evanescence mixed with the Eisley gals.  Their lead guitarist was absolutely excellent, their drummer could really play, and the bass player added a nice dynamic to their set.  They played about 8 songs during their 45-minute set.  A few songs were in the 3-4 minute range, but the majority of their songs were at least 6 minutes long.  They played long intros and long outros (yes!!!) to thunderous applause.  I chatted with the lead singer afterwards for a few minutes - nice gal.  I also picked up their label-debut album.  Look out for these guys (and gal).  They have a nice sound reminiscent of Sleeping At Last, Switchfoot, Evanescence, Eisley, U2, and even Sunny Day Real Estate.

Mute Math
And now for something completely different.  So I've been wanting to see Mute Math in concert for about a year now.  So, could they possibly live up to the hype and expectations?  Hard to believe it, but they far exceeded anything I could have expected.  Simply put, this is the best live concert I have ever attended...by far.  I mean, where do I even start?  Darren King is an amazing drummer.  You have probably heard that he wraps duct tape around his headphones so they won't fly off (when he did this right before they started, the crowd let him know how cool it was).  He shattered five drumsticks during the course of their show.  The three of us that were together all caught a chunk for a keepsake.  During one song, he left his drum set, carried his high hat symbol set to the center of the stage and asked an audience member to hold it (all the while playing the thing).  Then, he flipped lead singer Paul Meany's stool upside down and handed it to another audience member.  He then placed a trash can lid on Paul's Rhodes keyboard and proceeded to play "drums" on the symbols, the stool, the trash can lid, and the keyboard top.  Then, Paul and their bass player (Roy Mitchell-Cardenas) played various types of drums as well, as the guitarist (Greg Hill) made all sorts of spacey noises with his guitar.  AMAZING!!!  Then there were other moments, such as Roy and Greg playing their instruments using waterbottles or drumsticks to bring for different tones and sounds.  I've never experienced anything like it.  And Paul Meany, of course, is a maniac.  He played his signature keytar like there was no tomorrow, at times standing on his Rhodes or the bass drum.  And then, as anybody who has seen the "Reset" video knows, he pulled his homemade instrument for that song and even passed it into the audience to play the end of the song.  Each song sounded vastly different than on album.  Their intros and outros were longer and much more complex.  Their 100-minute set literally flew by.  Hard to believe that it took 100 minutes to play only 10 songs, so that should tell you how long they played on each song.  I am able to type up their setlist, although not in order:

Control
Peculiar People (stretched out into about 8-9 minutes thanks to crowd participation)
Reset (finale)
Plan B
Typical
Chaos (opener)
Noticed
Without It
Stare At the Sun (12 minutes)
Break the Same (14 minutes)

Grades
The Verdict:  D+
Vedera:  B+
Mute Math:  A+

[dgp11776]

I just thought I would mention that Over the Rhine has never been to Charlotte, NC...NEVER.  And that sucks.

[murlough23]

Decided not to go to see Third Day and David Crowder Band. I think I'd be frustrated with the DCB as an opener for an inferior band. $40 for a Third Day show just isn't worth it. $25 might be... it was back when I was actually excited about their latest album.

Plumb got cancelled... I wasn't that excited about that oen anyway, given that Krystal Meyers was opening.

In place of the concerts I just decided not to go to, I just added Corrinne May, who will be playing at my church with our worship director Justis Kao as opener (or perhaps they're sharing top billing; I'm not really sure). He does some sort of piano-based funk thing on the side. We'll see if it's any god. I also might go see Olivia the Band that same weekend. Nothing majorly thrilling on the concert list for this year - I'm continuing my trend of missing all of the really good ones.

(EDIT: Scrounged around and came up with some more concerts. Still not totally stoked for any of these, but Kevin Max's show with The Violet Burning and The Listening sounds promising. And Eisley at the House of Blues might be fun.)

NP: "Atlantic", Thrice

[dgp11776]

Over the Rhine has some CA dates...not sure how close they are to you, though.

Thu May 11: San Francisco CA, Great American Music Hall

Fri May 12: Roseville, CA, The Underground

Mon May 15: Hollywood, CA, Knitting Factory

Tue May 16: Solana Beach CA, Belly Up Tavern
 

[murlough23]

Mon May 15: Hollywood, CA, Knitting Factory

schil and I actually saw OtR there last year. They were great, but my usual policy is to only see an artist once per album. That policy has been in place ever since I made the mistake of seeing Jars on both legs of The Eleventh Hour tour. Granted, OtR will probably change up their setlist more, but I'd rather wait for an album of all-new material, which will guarantee that I get to hear more songs that I've never heard them play live before, which is the primary reason I go to multiple concerts by the same artist. I'll make an exception to this rule if it's been a while and I know the artist is going to be previewing new material, but that's about the only time.

Speaking of schil, I should have taken her advice and gone to a KT Tunstall show, but dangit, she came through L.A. before she released her album here, so I didn't know any better.

[ajyouthguy]

That policy has been in place ever since I made the mistake of seeing Jars on both legs of The Eleventh Hour tour.

i'm curious as to what that means exactly...i've only seen one artist that i can recall more than once on a tour, but I'm curious, knowing how big of a Jars fan you are, what that means?

[enemy anemone]

5/27 (Sat) Kevin Max w/ The Violet Burning & The Listening - Los Angeles, CA

thanks for the heads up about this. I've been wondering when TVB will be playing around here. that date isn't listed on their site yet. any info on the venue?
I haven't heard of The Listening--have you? do you like TVB? I haven't gotten into any of the stuff on their new album, but love some of their older songs.

I haven't decided if I'm going to the upcoming OtR show at the Knitting Factory since it would mean taking the night off work. they don't seem to change up their set very much, and I guess Kim Taylor won't be playing with them. she has been playing quite a few new songs lately. the folks at the Orchard seem pretty stoked about Hem, though. I haven't heard any of their music yet.

by the way, dgp, Hollywood is about 16 miles north of where I live but it takes at least an hour and a headache (and too much swearing) to get there. I'll do it if I have to, but sometimes it just seems like it might as well be another country.

Speaking of schil, I should have taken her advice and gone to a KT Tunstall show, but dangit, she came through L.A. before she released her album here, so I didn't know any better.

from what I've heard, KT will probably be back in the area again soon, this time with a full band. personally, I prefer hearing/watching her play alone with Wee Bastard, but I've heard good things about the band.  
I thought you might enjoy her music and would have urged you more strongly to check it out before her show here, but...I dunno, I've noticed that we like a few of the same bands but not necessarily the same aspects of their music or the same songs. sometimes I hear something and think "oh, maybe murlough would like this or find it interesting" but then you find it boring or annoying, so my gauge of your musical taste has been rather hit or miss with more misses than hits, I think. anyway, glad you enjoy KT's music.

[dgp11776]

I haven't heard of The Listening--have you?

That is the band formerly know as The Rock N Roll Worship Circus.  Their debut LP as The Listening is excellent, currently my #2 for the year.  CT's review is pretty solid.

[dgp11776]

I saw Casting Crowns, Nichole Nordeman, and Josh Bates in concert last Friday night.  I enjoyed Nichole Nordeman, although she was difficult to hear between songs.  She went the acoustic route.  She was on piano, accompanied by acoustic guitar, stand-up bass (*swoons*), and drums.  She did a really nice job.  The rest of the concert...blah, as expected.  Even my wife was a bit bored with it all.  But our goal was accomplished.  We took a friend of ours and his two kids.  In early January, he lost his 37-year-old wife, leaving him with a 9-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.  His wife was his life.  He told us that listening to some songs by Casting Crowns and Nichole Nordeman has really helped him.  They played all the right songs for him, and he left saying he felt the best he had since she died.  So, I felt good about that.  

[Escuchame]

I saw that same show with the girlfriend on Sunday.  One of those "sacrifices" one must do in the name of love.  

We liked Nichole Nordeman a lot and some Casting Crowns.  The former's songs translate really well to a piano-based setting, particularly "What If" and "Hold On."

Tony Nolan...I hope I never witness his melodramatic preacher-slash-comedian antics ever again.  I felt like assassinating him.

[dgp11776]

Tony Nolan...I hope I never witness his melodramatic preacher-slash-comedian antics ever again.  I felt like assassinating him.

   I agree completely.

About 2-3 Casting Crowns songs were good...in fact, "Free" was excellent.