Entries Tagged 'Reviews' ↓

My wife, Gina, and I had the pleasure of seeing the Symphony this past Saturday night. Apparently I and twenty-three others were e-mailed invitations by Eddie Silva, Publications Manager at the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and the man behind the SLSO Blog. The odd thing about me receiving this invite was that I never really considered myself part of a local bloggers guild, and that, for whatever reasons, either deliberately or unwittingly, I tend to operate slightly outside the mainstream and don’t ask for (nor expect) much in the way of recognition or respect for my meager contributions to the “blogosphere.” I’m just doing it to do it… not because I fancy myself as any kind of “writer” (far from it!), but, ya know, for shits and grins, so to speak. Yet, despite my unashamed “bloglodyte” status, I still got included on what appeared to me to be a pretty short list of local entertainment and/or pop-culture bloggers. Well alrighty, then! I suddenly feel like part of the local crowd! So I checked with my wife to make sure the evening was not already booked and sent my RSVP back to Mr. Silva. “Sounds great! I’d love to take you up on this,” I wrote. And, as it turned out, I was one of just nine (out of two dozen, mind you) to indeed take Eddie up on his offer and actually go. But I have to admit I felt pretty honored and privileged to do so. So even though I’ve already thanked him in person, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank him again for the opportunity to experience this!

Going into this, I really had no idea what to expect, because, for some reason, I don’t remember ever going to see the symphony—ANY symphony—ever before. Now, I may have gone as a kid and possibly during high school or college for Music Appreciation class, but again, I don’t remember it. And I’m pretty sure I would remember something as spectacular as this. Gina (my wife) had been once, but she, too, had not gone since she was a young girl. So this was a pretty big deal for us… this ain’t no pizza, PBR and trashy rock’n'roll at smoky dive bar, this is a get-all-gussied-up High Society kind of event featured world-class musicians—actual MUSICIANS (not ordinary people pretending to be)—at one of the world’s finest orchestral concert halls. Damn, we’re movin’ on up!

Rock’n'roll (and, specifically, garage rock), by its very nature, champions the musically inept. And it should. It’s the people’s music. Anyone can do it. And anyone DOES do it. Which is why not all of it is that great… in fact, very little of it is by any means great or entirely unique. Most is pretty bland and predictable. The performers that are the most memorable and also most successful are usually those that can come up with a certain shtick… they are those that can totally NAIL either a stage presence, look, swagger, attitude or novelty to their live show or recordings that excites people, causing them to want to buy records, produce podcasts and yell and scream for more. And I fully admit that I’m one of those guilty of screaming, dancing, and championing this stuff. The reason I love rock’n'roll isn’t because it’s the most interesting, complicated, and difficult music to play or appreciate. I love it because it’s fun to listen to and gets me to shake my ass. It’s debauchery and mindless fun set to music. This is obviously not the case with classical music. Not at all. It’s the exact opposite, in fact. (Or, at least, that’s what I thought…)

So did I feel a bit like a fish out of water as I entered the amazing Powell Symphony Hall Saturday night, decked out in my wedding-slash-funeral duds? As Sarah Palin might say, “You betcha!” I felt like I’d entered another world. Huge, beautiful chandeliers dangled in the lobby overhead, ornate fixtures and fancy-schmancy decor, lots of velvet, reds, golds… and lots of important-looking people dressed to the nines. I felt like I’d just strolled onto the set of a movie. The hall itself was even more impressive. Much larger than I imagined it would be, but even more magnificent in detail and design. “This is really something!” I thought to myself as we took our seats—fifth row, mind you—just as the music was starting.

The program that night, “Beat Movement,” featured David Robertson conducting two U.S. Premieres. It started off with jazz bass virtuoso John Patitucci playing a work for electric (standup) bass and electric bass guitar. That’s probably the first time I’ve heard a six-string bass. He performed Mark-Anthony Turnage’s U.S. Premiere of A Prayer Out of Stillness. Fantastico! After that we were delighted by the amazing musicianship of Leila Josefowicz performing another U.S. Premiere, this time it was Steven Mackey’s Beautiful Passing. The program in our hands told us Leila plays a violin that was made in 1724. As if that isn’t impressive enough, the woman was skilled enough to make me believe she’d been playing that instrument for that long a time, yet looked quite young. Was this science fiction? Pinch me.

Now, I won’t bore you with my ill-advised attempt at trying to critique the music beyond that. I couldn’t tell a violin virtuoso from a good amateur if my life depended on it, but I can tell you that I was totally, completely enthralled by what was happening on stage. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. “This,” I said to myself, “is my first REAL concert.” Yes, I’ve seen many “shows”—rock’n'roll and the like—but this was so amazing and different that I honestly felt like I was hearing music for the very first time, or at least I was hearing this level of music performed this exceptionally well and performed by such skilled professionals that I may as well be hearing it for the first time. It was so precise, so delicate, and despite the lack of electronics other than some carefully positioned microphones and a few small speakers, so LOUD (especially during The Rite of Spring) that I was totally blown away. I couldn’t help but stand and applaud after it was over. Magnificent.

Intermission. Time to relax for a few minutes, look around, breathe, run to the john and then down a quick martini at the bar before heading back in for the grande finale, Igor Stravinsky’s powerful and controversial composition that helped to create jazz and other forms of modern music of ALL shapes and sizes, The Rite of Spring. I mean, if there is one symphony that a primitive, big-beat rock’n'roll fiend like me would appreciate, it’s THAT ONE. And one of the first things I did after experiencing this one live was to go online and order it on CD. I felt it was that important to own this music, along with my Sonics, Ramones, Stooges, Mummies, Cramps and Oblivians. Hearing more than a hundred musicians bumping and grinding along to the complex rhythm structures, timbres and dissonance had me literally moving in my seat. And it’s no wonder, the premiere of this ballet in Paris in 1913, with its complex music, violent dance steps and provocative story line, elicited catcalls, whistles and boos from the audience, which escalated into arguments and fistfights before finally degenerating into an all-out riot… Punk rock!!

So, yeah, it may have taken me forty-three years to finally make it out to the symphony, but you can bet your sweet ass I’ll be back. This was an experience I can’t wait to have again and again. And I can’t wait to take our son with us next time, too.

For more info on the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Powell Hall, visit www.slso.org.

I’ve been riding the bus to work lately, which has given me some extra time to do some reading. I just finished a great book that I thought I’d recommend to any pulp/crime fans out there called Devil Born Without Horns. I was really surprised at just how good it actually was… especially for anyone who’s ever had a dead-end job in retail or warehousing (or, even more specifically, the furniture business). I used to be a warehouse manager at a CompUSA store many years ago, and believe me, the author is spot-fucking-ON when it comes to accurately detailing the dysfunctional nature of warehousing and delivery, not to mention just how fucking annoying salespeople and bosses can be. The author, by the way, is Michael Lucas (who has a had a fairly active history of being in some pretty cool bands, such as the Phantom Surfers, Wild Breed, the Pussy Hounds, Poontang Wranglers, the Knights of the New Crusade, and the guy behind Repent Records) and the book is published by his new publishing company, Rudos and Rubes Publishing. I’d give it a big fat thumbs up, or probably about 4 out of 5 stars. Seriously, it was that good.

Oh, by the way, he also just published a book of short stories by Johnny Strike (of SF punk pioneers Crime) called A Loud Humming Sound Came From Above, and I started reading that one this morning. So far, so good. There’s info on that one on the Rudos and Rubes site, too.

From now on, when it comes to sneakers, I’ll only be buying Vans, or my new favorites: PF Flyers!

Ever since Nike bought Converse and started making Chuck Taylors I’d been searching for the perfect, comfy sneaker to wear (sorry, I’m just not a big fan of Nike). Plus, I’d always had problems with Chucks just being too flat… I used to buy these little green arch supports at Walgreens that Dr. Scholl’s made. They fit the shoes perfectly and made a world of difference. But then Dr. Scholl’s got fancy and changed the design of their arch supports. The new ones were thicker and bulkier and did not fit inside the shoes very well at all. In fact, they made them way too tight. Crap. So I started experimenting with other shoes, went through a couple pairs of Sketchers that kinda looked like black bowling shoes, then Sketchers stopped making those. Started looking again…

Late last summer a friend of mine recommended PF Flyers. He’s got a pair that he’s been wearing for years. *YEARS*. I was a bit incredulous about that, but I looked into them, anyway. I thought, what the hell, I’ll give ‘em a shot. So I went online and bought a pair of PF Flyers hi-tops that I found on some store on the Web thru Froogle.com. They look very similar to Chucks, and even have stripes on the back. Cool. The first pair I got were too small for my feet, and they were the right size. So I had to return them and get a 1/2 size larger (11 1/2 instead of 11). But these were PERFECT. I mean, I could not believe how much better they fit than Chucks. And they had better arch supports in them so I didn’t need to worry about inserts. I’ve had these shoes for 8 months now, and wear them every day. They still look and feel great and haven’t even started to fall apart yet. Some of the fabric on the inside has worn down and the rubber has started cracking at the bend of the foot, but other than that, and a little fading, they’re still in great shape. The sole also appears to be made of a stronger rubber than Chucks, because there’s only minimal wear there, too. So I now believe my friend (thanks, Johnny!). These shoes definitely can last for years, even if you wear them a lot. I’ve never had a pair of Chucks last longer than six months without falling apart on me.

I’m getting ready to buy a new pair (the sandlot ones pictured above), but I’ll still wear these as spares. I just wanted to pass along the tip that if any of you are looking for a good alternative to Chuck Taylors, to try ‘em out. You won’t be disappointed.

(Yeah, they’re more expensive than Chucks, but totally worth it.)

I’ve always liked these guys, been a fan for years. I wanna say at least 15, if not longer… I even get autographed Christmas cards in the mail from them every year and I don’t even know why. I’m guessing it has something to do with doing The Wayback Machine all of those years. Anyway, I finally got a chance to catch ‘em live here in St. Louis over the weekend when Little Steven’s hyped-up, circus-style “garage” tour made its way into town. The fuckin’ Kings STOLE the show. Seriously. And I don’t think I’m being biased. They were just on fire. Greg Prevost was all over the audience, dragging his mic cord behind him, then back up on stage swinging the mic stand around, narrowly decapitating those who dared to stand in the front row, and then WHACKING it up against a big beam on the ceiling directly overhead. Kicking, rolling, jumping, prancing, pouting, sneering… this was rock’n'roll, motherfuckers. The real deal, and they showed everyone which band had come to really knock us flat on our collective ass. The Charms sucked big hairy ’70s rawks, The Supersuckers were boring cowpunk/metalbilly (the hoosiers loved ‘em, though, naturally), and the New York Dolls were better than expected (considering they’re just a shell of their former selves with David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain being the only original members left… well, Syl joined the band in ‘72 after Rick Rivets left, but that’s early enough). I didn’t care too much for their new material, but the classics were done right (”Pills”! “Trash”! “Lookin’ for a Kiss”! “Puss ‘n’ Boots”! “Jet Boy”! “Bad Girl”! etc.), and it was great to hear them played live. Johansen looked good, too, surprisingly (he’ll turn 57 in a few weeks), and the rest of his band did a great job. Sure, I would have much rather seen the old band with Thunders and Killer Kane, but that wasn’t gonna ever happen, so this was definitely the next-best thing, and I’m VERY glad I didn’t decide to skip it. Oh, and it was really nice hangin’ out with Kings drummer Mike Boise and meeting guitarist Paul Morabito after their set, too.

As good as the Kings and the Dolls were, I gotta question the sound at Mississippi Nights. I’m not sure if the tour’s soundman was to blame, or the club, or Rolling Rock beer, or what, but it was a low-end heavy, thumpin’ bass affair. Way too loud, too. And don’t give me that “if it’s too loud, you’re too old” line… this was too loud in the WRONG way. Loud like that boomin’ hoopty car with the thumpin’ bass in the trunk loud. Fuckin’ horrendous. If you’re gonna blast us away with your million dollar sound system, fine, but do it with more TREBLE, dumbasses! This is ROCK ‘N’ ROLL, not hippity hop.

BIG crowd, too, including a lot of aged, grey-haired rockers and rollers. I almost felt like a kid again, haha. I don’t think it sold out, but there were a lot of people there. Lots of familiar old faces that I haven’t seen in years, and a few I hadn’t seen in over ten years! Yep, the Dolls show pulled ‘em out of the woodwork. I wish ONE TENTH of these people would come out and support some of the other local rock’n'roll shows and not just come out when there’s a big-name tour hitting town. Something as little as that can make a big difference between living in a town with a shitty music scene and a GREAT one.

The go-go dancers? A joke. Sure, nice to look at (esp. the brunette!), but their moves sucked. These girls need to learn how to SHAKE IT, not just move around acting like they’re dancing with a drink in their hand at some singles bar.

I drank a free bottle of Rolling Rock, shared a pitcher of something good from the bar with Bill, and then drank about five bottles of PBR. Needless to say, I was a bit lit, but not too bad. Woke up the next day with a slight hangover and a bad case of hairy beer tongue, not to mention a moptopfull of cigarette stench (I could even smell it in the shower… singin’ “I’m gonna wash that smoke right outta my hair!”). But it was totally worth it. These kinds of shows don’t come along all that often… which makes me wonder why some of you (I won’t mention names) missed it. I mean, what the fuck? Yeah, $20 was kinda steep, but it’s not like you have to pay that much to see a show like this that often… Oh well, whatever.

All in all considered, I thought it was a great show. We missed the opening band (The Misses), but that wasn’t entirely unintentional.