Laswell does a nice balancing act
By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
September 7, 2006
'Sing,” Theresa says. “Sing happy things.”
“Theresa is my grandma; she passed away when I was 13,” recalled San Diego singer-songwriter Greg Laswell. “She's the happiest person I think I've ever come into contact with. Her life was really hard, but she had this energy to her. Nothing really got her down. She had this underlying joy about her all the time, which made quite an impact on me even after all these years.
“I dreamed about her one night, and in the dream she kept saying over and over to me, 'Sing happy things.' So I just stole it from her and put it in a song.” The song, “Sing, Theresa Says,” is the opening track on Laswell's major-label debut “Through Toledo.” Backed by cascading guitar riffs and Laswell's world-weary vocals, the chorus contemplates balancing life's tough times with the hope of simply singing a happy song.
Rewind 13 years.
Born in Long Beach, like Theresa, Laswell journeyed to San Diego in 1993 to attend Point Loma Nazarene University. After earning a degree in communications, the musician kicked around with a few bands before landing in Shillglen. When the group couldn't afford to buy pricey studio time, Laswell began to learn the art of home-studio recording.
His home recording led to his first solo disc, “Good Movie,” which won a 2004 San Diego Music Award for Best Local Recording, and jobs producing and recording local artists like Anya Marina, Molly Jensen and the Derren Raser Band.
His collaboration with Marina (also a DJ on FM 94.9 as well as a fine songwriter in her own right) pushed Laswell to expand his horizons and explore a record deal.
“We had this informal workshop we started, and each time she came over, I would show her another song,” said Laswell. “She really started to push me. I'm not very ambitious for the sake of being ambitious. I need someone to prod me a bit. I was very lucky in this process – friends and family – that were pushing me to see how far this could go.”
Pushing and prodding led Laswell to a deal with Vanguard Records, along with a publishing deal with Sony. And it led to the release of “Through Toledo” and the beautiful single “Sing Theresa Says.”
Singing happy things soon turned into a tall task and a tough order. Laswell wrote “Through Toledo” in the midst of a tangled divorce. Gradually, Theresa's plea to sing happy things took on deeper meaning, giving the entire album an inner tension and turmoil that drives the album's 11 tracks.
“It's basically a breakup album,” said Laswell, who performs with a full band Tuesday at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. “But the biggest surprise has been when you resurface out of the dark little studio. On this tour, people have been coming up to me and telling me about what they've been going through. It has nothing to do with anything that I originally wrote about. So it's become a full circle, healing thing. I'm just lucky to be in the loop.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Ivan Neville in N&D
How to create an 'awesome band'
By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
September 7, 2006
Ivan Neville currently lives in Austin, Texas, but his home will always be in the Big Easy. Hailing from the talented Neville family, Ivan and his kin are synonymous with the rich musical heritage of New Orleans.
The son of Aaron Neville, Ivan grew up surrounded by musicians well-versed in the traditions of the Crescent City. His father's band, the Neville Brothers, practically invented swamp funk and soul. Ivan himself started playing with the legendary brothers as a teenager.
“I grew up with music all around me,” said the 34-year-old keyboard player and vocalist from New Orleans, where his band Dumpstaphunk is recording a new album. “All my family was pretty into music, so it was pretty cool. I watched them do their thing for a long time. When you watch somebody that close, you see the mistakes they make. You learn from their trial and error. That's who I am. That's where I'm from.”
After receiving tutelage in the Neville Brothers, Ivan served as a journeyman musician with Bonnie Raitt's band, Rufus, Keith Richards & the Xpensive Winos (check out the excellent “Talk Is Cheap”) and the Spin Doctors.
But a last-minute call to perform at the classic New Orleans Jazz Fest led Ivan to form his own band, Dumpstaphunk.
“We came together about three years ago,” said Neville. “I got the opportunity to play Jazz Fest. So I put together this band, and it turned out to be Dumpstaphunk. We won the Best Funk Band in New Orleans at the Big Easy Awards, and we had only played like nine gigs. Everybody involved in this band loves doing this. So we figured we should find more time to devote to the Dumpstaphunk thing, because it's an awesome band.”
In New Orleans, most musicians moonlight in many different gigs. It's tradition. Along with Ivan's busy schedule, the band's other members also keep a busy calendar. Bassist Nick Daniels (Neville Brothers, Etta James), drummer Raymond Webber (Trey Anastasio, Joe Sample), bassist Tony Hall (Trey Anastasio, Dave Matthews) and Art Neville's son Ian on guitar (Funky Meters, Neville Brothers) have to scramble for time to devote to Dumpstaphunk.
But the Neville family torch has been passed to Dumpsta-phunk, and these guys have big shoes to fill.
“It's a natural evolution of family and music,” said Ivan. “We're just getting started with this band. We just got the torch in our hands. So we're ready to grab the torch and run with it a little while ourselves.”
With the most devastating natural disaster in American history ($30 billion in damage) just a year in the rearview mirror, Ivan is still feeling the pain of Hurricane Katrina.
“It's a year after the storm, and there's still a lot of work to be done,” said Ivan. “A lot of people are making a huge deal about the one-year anniversary. But really it's kind of sad, because a year later some of the same (stuff) is going on that was going on three months after the storm. A lot of people are still without homes. You have probably a third of the population here (in Austin), and a lot of people are not coming back.”
But Ivan and Dumpstaphunk are on a crusade to bring good times New Orleans funk to the world: “All we can do as musicians is write songs, play a little music and try to keep the spirit alive.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
September 7, 2006
Ivan Neville currently lives in Austin, Texas, but his home will always be in the Big Easy. Hailing from the talented Neville family, Ivan and his kin are synonymous with the rich musical heritage of New Orleans.
The son of Aaron Neville, Ivan grew up surrounded by musicians well-versed in the traditions of the Crescent City. His father's band, the Neville Brothers, practically invented swamp funk and soul. Ivan himself started playing with the legendary brothers as a teenager.
“I grew up with music all around me,” said the 34-year-old keyboard player and vocalist from New Orleans, where his band Dumpstaphunk is recording a new album. “All my family was pretty into music, so it was pretty cool. I watched them do their thing for a long time. When you watch somebody that close, you see the mistakes they make. You learn from their trial and error. That's who I am. That's where I'm from.”
After receiving tutelage in the Neville Brothers, Ivan served as a journeyman musician with Bonnie Raitt's band, Rufus, Keith Richards & the Xpensive Winos (check out the excellent “Talk Is Cheap”) and the Spin Doctors.
But a last-minute call to perform at the classic New Orleans Jazz Fest led Ivan to form his own band, Dumpstaphunk.
“We came together about three years ago,” said Neville. “I got the opportunity to play Jazz Fest. So I put together this band, and it turned out to be Dumpstaphunk. We won the Best Funk Band in New Orleans at the Big Easy Awards, and we had only played like nine gigs. Everybody involved in this band loves doing this. So we figured we should find more time to devote to the Dumpstaphunk thing, because it's an awesome band.”
In New Orleans, most musicians moonlight in many different gigs. It's tradition. Along with Ivan's busy schedule, the band's other members also keep a busy calendar. Bassist Nick Daniels (Neville Brothers, Etta James), drummer Raymond Webber (Trey Anastasio, Joe Sample), bassist Tony Hall (Trey Anastasio, Dave Matthews) and Art Neville's son Ian on guitar (Funky Meters, Neville Brothers) have to scramble for time to devote to Dumpstaphunk.
But the Neville family torch has been passed to Dumpsta-phunk, and these guys have big shoes to fill.
“It's a natural evolution of family and music,” said Ivan. “We're just getting started with this band. We just got the torch in our hands. So we're ready to grab the torch and run with it a little while ourselves.”
With the most devastating natural disaster in American history ($30 billion in damage) just a year in the rearview mirror, Ivan is still feeling the pain of Hurricane Katrina.
“It's a year after the storm, and there's still a lot of work to be done,” said Ivan. “A lot of people are making a huge deal about the one-year anniversary. But really it's kind of sad, because a year later some of the same (stuff) is going on that was going on three months after the storm. A lot of people are still without homes. You have probably a third of the population here (in Austin), and a lot of people are not coming back.”
But Ivan and Dumpstaphunk are on a crusade to bring good times New Orleans funk to the world: “All we can do as musicians is write songs, play a little music and try to keep the spirit alive.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Mastering the art of quiet music
Jose Gonzalez substitutes songs for science
By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
August 24, 2006
Before 2003, Jose Gonzalez focused his attention on scholastic endeavors, content to study microorganisms and the building blocks of life. After 2003 and the release of his debut, full-length album “Veneer,” in his homeland of Sweden, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter now tours the world spreading the gospel of his meditative style of acoustic music.
“It was a really big change when I released the album,” said Gonzalez from his hotel room in London, where he's currently on tour with Zero 7. “I went from studying biochemistry to just doing shows and living from the music.”
Going from biochemist to musician isn't a huge stretch, considering Gonzalez's thoughtful songwriting.
“I was really into being a biochemist,” recalled Gonzalez. “When I started doing music in my teenage years, I had hopes of living as a musician, and I saw that as my future. But then I got into studying, and I always had music as a hobby. I went out on really small tours with different bands, but never thinking that would be my main thing. It seemed like I had forgotten that I really wanted to do music once upon a time.”
With his simple, tranquil songs, Gonzalez is quietly rejuvenating the art of quiet music. His parents fled their native Argentina, settling in Sweden and giving birth to Jose in 1978. Gonzalez's father instilled in his son his love of bossa nova and flamenco music. Jose integrated the nylon string guitar into his music, at times flashing complex jazz chords (bossa nova) and other times emphasizing the instrument's natural percussive qualities (flamenco).
With his Argentine heritage and Swedish background, Gonzalez speaks both Spanish and Swedish fluently. Instead of singing in his comfort zone, the young musician decided he would sing in English, his third language.
“In a way, it's really common for Swedish bands to (sing in English),” said Gonzalez, in his not-quite-Swedish, not-quite-Latino accent. “Most of the bands we hear on the radio are English. I think if I had to choose another language to sing in, I would choose Spanish over Swedish just because of the sound of it.”
Gonzalez released “Veneer” in Sweden (2003), and later throughout Europe (2005), gaining critical acclaim and popularity. The album wasn't released in the U.S. until 2005, but it has reached larger audiences through exposure on “The O.C.” and other taste-making outlets.
“I was taken by surprise about how well-received it was,” he said. “As soon as I put out the album, I got a lot of airplay on radio and television.”
His success with “Veneer” led Gonzalez to Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns, otherwise known as the British soulful down-tempo duo Zero 7. The acoustic guitar player and singer performed on four songs on Hardaker and Binn's latest release “The Garden,” including a cover of Gonzalez's song “Crosses,” which first appeared on “Veneer.”
“(Zero 7) contacted me, and they played a little bit of their new material,” said Gonzalez, who plays a show with the duo at the House of Blues Saturday and then returns solo for an Oct. 4 show at the Casbah in Middletown. “I really liked them as people, and I thought they had cool ideas. I thought it was interesting to jump into something completely different and see how other people work.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Hear sound clips from Jose Gonzalez's album “Veneer” by logging on to http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/profile/288996.
By Chris Nixon
For The San Diego Union-Tribune
August 24, 2006
Before 2003, Jose Gonzalez focused his attention on scholastic endeavors, content to study microorganisms and the building blocks of life. After 2003 and the release of his debut, full-length album “Veneer,” in his homeland of Sweden, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter now tours the world spreading the gospel of his meditative style of acoustic music.
“It was a really big change when I released the album,” said Gonzalez from his hotel room in London, where he's currently on tour with Zero 7. “I went from studying biochemistry to just doing shows and living from the music.”
Going from biochemist to musician isn't a huge stretch, considering Gonzalez's thoughtful songwriting.
“I was really into being a biochemist,” recalled Gonzalez. “When I started doing music in my teenage years, I had hopes of living as a musician, and I saw that as my future. But then I got into studying, and I always had music as a hobby. I went out on really small tours with different bands, but never thinking that would be my main thing. It seemed like I had forgotten that I really wanted to do music once upon a time.”
With his simple, tranquil songs, Gonzalez is quietly rejuvenating the art of quiet music. His parents fled their native Argentina, settling in Sweden and giving birth to Jose in 1978. Gonzalez's father instilled in his son his love of bossa nova and flamenco music. Jose integrated the nylon string guitar into his music, at times flashing complex jazz chords (bossa nova) and other times emphasizing the instrument's natural percussive qualities (flamenco).
With his Argentine heritage and Swedish background, Gonzalez speaks both Spanish and Swedish fluently. Instead of singing in his comfort zone, the young musician decided he would sing in English, his third language.
“In a way, it's really common for Swedish bands to (sing in English),” said Gonzalez, in his not-quite-Swedish, not-quite-Latino accent. “Most of the bands we hear on the radio are English. I think if I had to choose another language to sing in, I would choose Spanish over Swedish just because of the sound of it.”
Gonzalez released “Veneer” in Sweden (2003), and later throughout Europe (2005), gaining critical acclaim and popularity. The album wasn't released in the U.S. until 2005, but it has reached larger audiences through exposure on “The O.C.” and other taste-making outlets.
“I was taken by surprise about how well-received it was,” he said. “As soon as I put out the album, I got a lot of airplay on radio and television.”
His success with “Veneer” led Gonzalez to Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns, otherwise known as the British soulful down-tempo duo Zero 7. The acoustic guitar player and singer performed on four songs on Hardaker and Binn's latest release “The Garden,” including a cover of Gonzalez's song “Crosses,” which first appeared on “Veneer.”
“(Zero 7) contacted me, and they played a little bit of their new material,” said Gonzalez, who plays a show with the duo at the House of Blues Saturday and then returns solo for an Oct. 4 show at the Casbah in Middletown. “I really liked them as people, and I thought they had cool ideas. I thought it was interesting to jump into something completely different and see how other people work.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Hear sound clips from Jose Gonzalez's album “Veneer” by logging on to http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/profile/288996.
The Soft Lightes emerge from ashes of Incredible Moses Leroy
Something ventured: Fountenberry sets off on new path
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
August 24, 2006
You are soft and cuddly / You are warm and fuzzy, sang San Diegan Ron Fountenberry with his former band, The Incredible Moses Leroy, on the band's first single, “Fuzzy.” Sweet strings hovered above a sampled female chorus of la-la-la's as Fountenberry crooned a simple pop tune about sweet love with a touch of irony (Let's paint the town red, like Carrie).
“There's a certain element that people really liked on the first Moses Leroy record,” recalled Fountenberry. “It was probably the bubbly poppy-ness. But I felt like – because of the circumstances involved in making that record – it was a little too saccharine.”
Fountenberry's first album, “Electric Pocket Radio,” earned him spots on a national Gap ad along with numerous shout-outs and instant credibility near and far. But the cuddly fuzziness turned out to be too cute for Fountenberry. He and his former mates shifted gears with the outfit's second disc, “Becomes The Soft.Lightes,” which turned out to be more prophesy than poetry.
Fountenberry decided to take a slightly more contemplative path for his second Incredible Moses Leroy album, produced by crack drummer Joey Waronker (R.E.M., Beck). (The band was named for Fountenberry's grandfather, but most people mistook him for Mr. Leroy.)
The singer could sense his label's displeasure with the new direction, and he tired of being mistaken for Moses Leroy himself. He started planning his next incarnation: The Soft.Lightes.
So now a couple of years later, Incredible Moses Leroy remains another local band fading from memory, the Gap ads have long since stopped running and mention of Fountenberry often prompts a quizzical “where-is-he-now?” look on people's faces.
But this local musician never stopped writing his appealing indie pop music.
“When people decide you're not 'hot' anymore – or whatever the term is in the music industry – it's really hard to get people's attention,” said Founten-berry. “You'll see it with local bands. They'll get a bunch of attention. But if nothing actually happens, people start associating that name with the fact that they never got signed or whatever. I just felt like we were going down a path that wasn't really positive.”
Fountenberry looks to jump back into the music scene spotlight – locally and nationally – with his new cast of characters called The Soft.Lightes. Along with Moses Leroy veteran bassist Christian Dunn, Fountenberry is joined by drummer Tom Fogerty and keyboardist Jeff Hibshman. The quartet recorded a full-length album last year, which is set for release in early 2007 on Modular Recordings.
Despite the indie cred of his label (Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Wolfmother, The Black Keys), Fountenberry made the record on the cheap.
“Eighty percent of it was done in my apartment, and the other 20 percent at our bass player's house in his garage, for drums and stuff,” said Fountenberry, who will also release an E.P. in October. “It was pretty low budget. It wasn't the prettiest surroundings: I literally did my vocals in my wife's closet. It wasn't the most glamorous situation, but we made it work.”
The songs on The Soft.Lightes myspace page sound like vintage Moses Leroy, combining elements of “Electric Pocket Radio's” saccharine sweetness and “Becomes The Soft.Lightes” more introspective sound.
“I really like where we are musically,” said Fountenberry, who takes the stage at The Casbah tonight with The Soft.Lightes. “And I like the prospects for the future in terms of our possibilities with these people. We have a lot more places we can go now.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
August 24, 2006
You are soft and cuddly / You are warm and fuzzy, sang San Diegan Ron Fountenberry with his former band, The Incredible Moses Leroy, on the band's first single, “Fuzzy.” Sweet strings hovered above a sampled female chorus of la-la-la's as Fountenberry crooned a simple pop tune about sweet love with a touch of irony (Let's paint the town red, like Carrie).
“There's a certain element that people really liked on the first Moses Leroy record,” recalled Fountenberry. “It was probably the bubbly poppy-ness. But I felt like – because of the circumstances involved in making that record – it was a little too saccharine.”
Fountenberry's first album, “Electric Pocket Radio,” earned him spots on a national Gap ad along with numerous shout-outs and instant credibility near and far. But the cuddly fuzziness turned out to be too cute for Fountenberry. He and his former mates shifted gears with the outfit's second disc, “Becomes The Soft.Lightes,” which turned out to be more prophesy than poetry.
Fountenberry decided to take a slightly more contemplative path for his second Incredible Moses Leroy album, produced by crack drummer Joey Waronker (R.E.M., Beck). (The band was named for Fountenberry's grandfather, but most people mistook him for Mr. Leroy.)
The singer could sense his label's displeasure with the new direction, and he tired of being mistaken for Moses Leroy himself. He started planning his next incarnation: The Soft.Lightes.
So now a couple of years later, Incredible Moses Leroy remains another local band fading from memory, the Gap ads have long since stopped running and mention of Fountenberry often prompts a quizzical “where-is-he-now?” look on people's faces.
But this local musician never stopped writing his appealing indie pop music.
“When people decide you're not 'hot' anymore – or whatever the term is in the music industry – it's really hard to get people's attention,” said Founten-berry. “You'll see it with local bands. They'll get a bunch of attention. But if nothing actually happens, people start associating that name with the fact that they never got signed or whatever. I just felt like we were going down a path that wasn't really positive.”
Fountenberry looks to jump back into the music scene spotlight – locally and nationally – with his new cast of characters called The Soft.Lightes. Along with Moses Leroy veteran bassist Christian Dunn, Fountenberry is joined by drummer Tom Fogerty and keyboardist Jeff Hibshman. The quartet recorded a full-length album last year, which is set for release in early 2007 on Modular Recordings.
Despite the indie cred of his label (Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Wolfmother, The Black Keys), Fountenberry made the record on the cheap.
“Eighty percent of it was done in my apartment, and the other 20 percent at our bass player's house in his garage, for drums and stuff,” said Fountenberry, who will also release an E.P. in October. “It was pretty low budget. It wasn't the prettiest surroundings: I literally did my vocals in my wife's closet. It wasn't the most glamorous situation, but we made it work.”
The songs on The Soft.Lightes myspace page sound like vintage Moses Leroy, combining elements of “Electric Pocket Radio's” saccharine sweetness and “Becomes The Soft.Lightes” more introspective sound.
“I really like where we are musically,” said Fountenberry, who takes the stage at The Casbah tonight with The Soft.Lightes. “And I like the prospects for the future in terms of our possibilities with these people. We have a lot more places we can go now.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Harper revisits childhood by teaming with Marley
To Ben Harper, a second disc is his answer
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
August 10, 2006
It's 1978, and a 9-year-old nappy-headed Ben Harper gazes up at reggae legend Bob Marley. Harper is checking out his first concert with his dad, Leonard, and the moment has helped to shape the musician's career to this day.
“(The show) was the first time that the mystery of the needle on the record came to life for me,” said Harper during a recent phone conversation backstage at the “Jay Leno Show.” “It was a huge moment for me. It wasn't like I saw the show and said this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. It was a source of musical inspiration and it definitely planted the seed.”
Now, 28 years later, the master slide guitarist and soulful songwriter is touring in support of his current release, “Both Sides of the Gun.” Harper's music balances the hope for social change with the personal struggles of people finding their place in the world, a tightrope that also makes Bob Marley's music timeless. In a strange twist, Harper will share the stage with Marley's son Damian – aka “Jr. Gong” – in a tour that stops at the Embarcadero downtown Sunday.
“Whenever I see Damian, I see his dad,” said Harper. “And it reminds me of watching Bob on stage for 2 1/2 hours that night. It is a full-circle moment, and I don't say that lightly. I've been a fan of Damian's music for a long time, and all the Marley brothers: Ky-Mani, Damian, Stephen, Ziggy. They're all extremely talented. The brothers are certainly their father's children, without a doubt.”
Much like Marley, Harper is able to channel the emotional pain caused by political situations he sees as wrong. “Black Rain,” a track from his latest album, talks about the injustices spawned from Hurricane Katrina and the suffering of the people of New Orleans in a visceral way. But in writing songs such as “Black Rain” in the studio, Harper found he'd written a couple of albums worth of tunes.
“ 'Black Rain' was written in the studio in response to the lack of response from this current administration in New Orleans,” said Harper. “I started with too many songs, and ended up with way too many songs.”
So from the opening finger-picked acoustic song “Morning Yearning” to the soaring “Serve Your Soul,” Harper decided to make two discs in his current project: one soft acoustic and inviting, the other more aggressive and electric. The result is a brilliant use of CD technology, a medium musicians rarely engage in any artistic fashion. In other words, just because you have the space to fit all 18 songs on one CD doesn't mean you should.
“It was a creative choice to split them up,” said Harper, exposing the process behind his decision. “Songs like 'Morning Yearning' – “A finger's touch upon my lips / it's a morning yearning” – and “Black Rain – “You left them swimming for their lives down in New Orleans” – weren't going to be on the same record. But at the same time, they both complete my life experience at the time creatively. I feel without each record it's an incomplete body of work.
“So I had to find a way to not have them on the same disc, but still have them in the same body of work,” said Harper. “That's how the double record came in. Both Virgin and I took a pay cut to put it out for the price of a single record.”
Besides his brush with the Marley family, another experience shaping Harper's life these days is his relationship with Laura Dern, whom he married on Dec. 23, 2005.
“I am greatly influenced by all my relationships, but none as much as the relationship closest to me, that being my wife,” said Harper. “She is an incredible inspiration. One thing I've learned: Love doesn't know if you're a celebrity or not. Love is the great equalizer.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
August 10, 2006
It's 1978, and a 9-year-old nappy-headed Ben Harper gazes up at reggae legend Bob Marley. Harper is checking out his first concert with his dad, Leonard, and the moment has helped to shape the musician's career to this day.
“(The show) was the first time that the mystery of the needle on the record came to life for me,” said Harper during a recent phone conversation backstage at the “Jay Leno Show.” “It was a huge moment for me. It wasn't like I saw the show and said this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. It was a source of musical inspiration and it definitely planted the seed.”
Now, 28 years later, the master slide guitarist and soulful songwriter is touring in support of his current release, “Both Sides of the Gun.” Harper's music balances the hope for social change with the personal struggles of people finding their place in the world, a tightrope that also makes Bob Marley's music timeless. In a strange twist, Harper will share the stage with Marley's son Damian – aka “Jr. Gong” – in a tour that stops at the Embarcadero downtown Sunday.
“Whenever I see Damian, I see his dad,” said Harper. “And it reminds me of watching Bob on stage for 2 1/2 hours that night. It is a full-circle moment, and I don't say that lightly. I've been a fan of Damian's music for a long time, and all the Marley brothers: Ky-Mani, Damian, Stephen, Ziggy. They're all extremely talented. The brothers are certainly their father's children, without a doubt.”
Much like Marley, Harper is able to channel the emotional pain caused by political situations he sees as wrong. “Black Rain,” a track from his latest album, talks about the injustices spawned from Hurricane Katrina and the suffering of the people of New Orleans in a visceral way. But in writing songs such as “Black Rain” in the studio, Harper found he'd written a couple of albums worth of tunes.
“ 'Black Rain' was written in the studio in response to the lack of response from this current administration in New Orleans,” said Harper. “I started with too many songs, and ended up with way too many songs.”
So from the opening finger-picked acoustic song “Morning Yearning” to the soaring “Serve Your Soul,” Harper decided to make two discs in his current project: one soft acoustic and inviting, the other more aggressive and electric. The result is a brilliant use of CD technology, a medium musicians rarely engage in any artistic fashion. In other words, just because you have the space to fit all 18 songs on one CD doesn't mean you should.
“It was a creative choice to split them up,” said Harper, exposing the process behind his decision. “Songs like 'Morning Yearning' – “A finger's touch upon my lips / it's a morning yearning” – and “Black Rain – “You left them swimming for their lives down in New Orleans” – weren't going to be on the same record. But at the same time, they both complete my life experience at the time creatively. I feel without each record it's an incomplete body of work.
“So I had to find a way to not have them on the same disc, but still have them in the same body of work,” said Harper. “That's how the double record came in. Both Virgin and I took a pay cut to put it out for the price of a single record.”
Besides his brush with the Marley family, another experience shaping Harper's life these days is his relationship with Laura Dern, whom he married on Dec. 23, 2005.
“I am greatly influenced by all my relationships, but none as much as the relationship closest to me, that being my wife,” said Harper. “She is an incredible inspiration. One thing I've learned: Love doesn't know if you're a celebrity or not. Love is the great equalizer.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
San Diego's Street Scene: A whole lot of music
The festival is warming up to its new location, and returning to its roots.
By CHRIS NIXON
Special to the Register
Friday, Aug. 4, 2006
Cue the eerie carnival music, the drag queens and the burlesque girls. A year after making the move from its traditional downtown spot to the wide-open spaces of Mission Valley, San Diego's Street Scene music festival returns this year with more diversity, more stages and a fresh perspective on booking bands and performance artists.
Headliners such as Tool, Snoop Dogg, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kanye West will perform alongside artists like the Lollipop Girls Burlesque, the Amazing Yard Dogs Road Show (oddball circus freaks) and Babette Schwartz's drag show today and Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Organizer and festival originator Rob Hagey decided to incorporate a few more world music and performance artists, formerly a staple of earlier Street Scenes.
"I think it's important to bring back some of the traditions we've had in the past," Hagey said recently from his office in La Jolla, as he and his crew prepared for the festival's 23rd year. "Thomas Mapfumo's music is total groove music. His music isn't going to alienate anybody. It's happy music and very much part of what we're trying to do with the festival. I think it's a wonderful way to introduce our younger audience to this great music."
Since its start in 1984, Street Scene has developed from a two-stage festival in a shady part of downtown to one of the premier music events in Southern California. By 2003, the festival had swelled to three days, drawing more than 100,000 people to its increasingly crowded downtown neighborhood.
"In 2003, we were over 100 bands on nine stages over three days," Hagey recalled. "Now we're two days and six stages. But the talent has gone dramatically up in cost. We've put more of a premium on booking bigger acts. With that, the production gets bigger and the price gets more expensive."
With downtown San Diego's growth over the past five years, Hagey and his festival were getting squeezed out by high-rise condo construction and the vestiges of the area's working-class companies. Said Hagey: "We were growing, and the Gaslamp and East Village were growing. There just wasn't any more space. There was not another place for us to go downtown."
So in 2005 Street Scene moved a few miles north to Mission Valley, specifically the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium. On any given Sunday during football season, Chargers fans barbecue their brats in the stadium's parking area. For Hagey, the space and time the venue afforded could not be matched if the festival wanted to stay in urban San Diego.
"We would have never had the time to set up this kind of scale and scope and production in any kind of configuration downtown," theorized Hagey, 55. "So not only are we gaining the space, but we're gaining the time to create and produce this event. And that's critical, because the event's scale and production have grown exponentially with the move."
Street Scene experienced its height of popularity in terms of ticket sales in 2004, when 105,000 music fans turned out to the festival's final year downtown. Last year attendance dipped to 75,000, suffering from public perception that the parking lot location would be hot and uncomfortable. While Street Scene doesn't offer green grassy fields like many of the other major music festivals throughout the country, it does offer convenience.
"In our opinion, it's right up there with Coachella and Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits," Hagey said. "It's really a question of people's perception of how a festival should be. One's in a field outside Austin, in a park away from the city. Bonnaroo is in a field between Knoxville and Nashville in Tennessee, basically in the middle of nowhere. And Coachella is in the middle of a very plush polo grounds in Indio.
"We're in the parking area of Qualcomm in San Diego, but we can take advantage of that," Hagey continued. "We have a trolley service that drops people within feet of the event. You don't get that in any of those other festivals. It's more of a party atmosphere, with the lighting and the bars and the urban vibe of the event."
Tool, the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Kanye West all put on great shows. But if you're headed to Street Scene, you probably already know about those bands. Here's a few non-headliners not to be missed.
Today
Thomas Mapfumo
6 p.m., Fulano Stage
Affectionately dubbed by his countrymen the "Lion of Zimbabwe," Thomas Mapfumo, 61, continues to churn out his style of African "chimurenga" music. Despite failed revolutions and imprisonment in his home country, the Lion doesn't sleep on championing civil liberties while creating a party vibe at his live shows.
Wolfmother
7:30 p.m., Time Warner Stage
With a simple jagged scream in the opening seconds of his band's debut disc, lead singer Andrew Stockdale tells the world that his band Wolfmother has arrived, and they are ready to revive unmitigated rock 'n' roll. Channeling '70s muscle-car rock, the pre-punk angst of MC5 and Steppenwolf's hard-edged psychedelia, this Aussie trio rocked Coachella earlier this year and will most likely have its way with the Street Scene crowd.
Wu-Tang Clan
9:05 p.m., Zarabanda Stage
After Ol' Dirty Bastard's death in 2004 and Method Man's ill-fated acting career, Wu-Tang fans might gaze suspiciously at the current reunion. But the collective's 1993 debut "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" remains a classic, complete with Shoalin warrior references and tough East Coast-style rhymes. RZA, GZA and the rest of Wu-Tang still pack a punch.
Saturday
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
3:30 p.m., Zarabanda Stage
What's in the water north of the border these days? Apparently, the Quebecois have found the secret elixir for creating infectious pop music. Canada – specifically Montreal – has become the next hotbed for indie rock: Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Feist, Metric and now Margot and the Nuclear So and So's. Richard Edward's sincere vocals and richly textured compositions from the nine-piece outfit form the backbone of band's debut 2006 disc "The Dust of Retreat."
Ska Cubano
6:30 p.m., Fulano Stage
Joyfully joining Cuban son, mambo and Jamaican ska, singers Natty Bo (a London-based ska musician) and Beny Billy (a Cuban crooner) form the skipping brassy beats of Ska Cubano. The band's sound – packed with steamy summer dance tracks and classic Caribbean rhythms – should connect with Street Scene's party vibe.
The Shins
7:30 p.m., Time Warner Stage
James Mercer's occasionally somber, melancholic lyrics combined with the band's upbeat indie pop melodies give the Shins a depth rarely seen in bands with only two albums to their credit. Mercer – along with drummer Jesse Sandoval, bassist Neal Langford and keyboard player Marty Crandall – are currently working on the follow-up album to 2004's seminal "Chutes Too Narrow."
By CHRIS NIXON
Special to the Register
Friday, Aug. 4, 2006
Cue the eerie carnival music, the drag queens and the burlesque girls. A year after making the move from its traditional downtown spot to the wide-open spaces of Mission Valley, San Diego's Street Scene music festival returns this year with more diversity, more stages and a fresh perspective on booking bands and performance artists.
Headliners such as Tool, Snoop Dogg, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kanye West will perform alongside artists like the Lollipop Girls Burlesque, the Amazing Yard Dogs Road Show (oddball circus freaks) and Babette Schwartz's drag show today and Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Organizer and festival originator Rob Hagey decided to incorporate a few more world music and performance artists, formerly a staple of earlier Street Scenes.
"I think it's important to bring back some of the traditions we've had in the past," Hagey said recently from his office in La Jolla, as he and his crew prepared for the festival's 23rd year. "Thomas Mapfumo's music is total groove music. His music isn't going to alienate anybody. It's happy music and very much part of what we're trying to do with the festival. I think it's a wonderful way to introduce our younger audience to this great music."
Since its start in 1984, Street Scene has developed from a two-stage festival in a shady part of downtown to one of the premier music events in Southern California. By 2003, the festival had swelled to three days, drawing more than 100,000 people to its increasingly crowded downtown neighborhood.
"In 2003, we were over 100 bands on nine stages over three days," Hagey recalled. "Now we're two days and six stages. But the talent has gone dramatically up in cost. We've put more of a premium on booking bigger acts. With that, the production gets bigger and the price gets more expensive."
With downtown San Diego's growth over the past five years, Hagey and his festival were getting squeezed out by high-rise condo construction and the vestiges of the area's working-class companies. Said Hagey: "We were growing, and the Gaslamp and East Village were growing. There just wasn't any more space. There was not another place for us to go downtown."
So in 2005 Street Scene moved a few miles north to Mission Valley, specifically the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium. On any given Sunday during football season, Chargers fans barbecue their brats in the stadium's parking area. For Hagey, the space and time the venue afforded could not be matched if the festival wanted to stay in urban San Diego.
"We would have never had the time to set up this kind of scale and scope and production in any kind of configuration downtown," theorized Hagey, 55. "So not only are we gaining the space, but we're gaining the time to create and produce this event. And that's critical, because the event's scale and production have grown exponentially with the move."
Street Scene experienced its height of popularity in terms of ticket sales in 2004, when 105,000 music fans turned out to the festival's final year downtown. Last year attendance dipped to 75,000, suffering from public perception that the parking lot location would be hot and uncomfortable. While Street Scene doesn't offer green grassy fields like many of the other major music festivals throughout the country, it does offer convenience.
"In our opinion, it's right up there with Coachella and Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits," Hagey said. "It's really a question of people's perception of how a festival should be. One's in a field outside Austin, in a park away from the city. Bonnaroo is in a field between Knoxville and Nashville in Tennessee, basically in the middle of nowhere. And Coachella is in the middle of a very plush polo grounds in Indio.
"We're in the parking area of Qualcomm in San Diego, but we can take advantage of that," Hagey continued. "We have a trolley service that drops people within feet of the event. You don't get that in any of those other festivals. It's more of a party atmosphere, with the lighting and the bars and the urban vibe of the event."
Tool, the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Kanye West all put on great shows. But if you're headed to Street Scene, you probably already know about those bands. Here's a few non-headliners not to be missed.
Today
Thomas Mapfumo
6 p.m., Fulano Stage
Affectionately dubbed by his countrymen the "Lion of Zimbabwe," Thomas Mapfumo, 61, continues to churn out his style of African "chimurenga" music. Despite failed revolutions and imprisonment in his home country, the Lion doesn't sleep on championing civil liberties while creating a party vibe at his live shows.
Wolfmother
7:30 p.m., Time Warner Stage
With a simple jagged scream in the opening seconds of his band's debut disc, lead singer Andrew Stockdale tells the world that his band Wolfmother has arrived, and they are ready to revive unmitigated rock 'n' roll. Channeling '70s muscle-car rock, the pre-punk angst of MC5 and Steppenwolf's hard-edged psychedelia, this Aussie trio rocked Coachella earlier this year and will most likely have its way with the Street Scene crowd.
Wu-Tang Clan
9:05 p.m., Zarabanda Stage
After Ol' Dirty Bastard's death in 2004 and Method Man's ill-fated acting career, Wu-Tang fans might gaze suspiciously at the current reunion. But the collective's 1993 debut "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" remains a classic, complete with Shoalin warrior references and tough East Coast-style rhymes. RZA, GZA and the rest of Wu-Tang still pack a punch.
Saturday
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
3:30 p.m., Zarabanda Stage
What's in the water north of the border these days? Apparently, the Quebecois have found the secret elixir for creating infectious pop music. Canada – specifically Montreal – has become the next hotbed for indie rock: Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Feist, Metric and now Margot and the Nuclear So and So's. Richard Edward's sincere vocals and richly textured compositions from the nine-piece outfit form the backbone of band's debut 2006 disc "The Dust of Retreat."
Ska Cubano
6:30 p.m., Fulano Stage
Joyfully joining Cuban son, mambo and Jamaican ska, singers Natty Bo (a London-based ska musician) and Beny Billy (a Cuban crooner) form the skipping brassy beats of Ska Cubano. The band's sound – packed with steamy summer dance tracks and classic Caribbean rhythms – should connect with Street Scene's party vibe.
The Shins
7:30 p.m., Time Warner Stage
James Mercer's occasionally somber, melancholic lyrics combined with the band's upbeat indie pop melodies give the Shins a depth rarely seen in bands with only two albums to their credit. Mercer – along with drummer Jesse Sandoval, bassist Neal Langford and keyboard player Marty Crandall – are currently working on the follow-up album to 2004's seminal "Chutes Too Narrow."
Beaming with pride
Increasingly entertainment-oriented LGBT fest ranks among the top 10 in the nation
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
July 27, 2006
Since the San Diego LGBT Pride Festival's inception 31 years ago, the climate for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in San Diego has changed.
During its transformation from old Navy town to multinational, multicultural metropolis, San Diego now sports the 10th largest Pride Festival in the country, drawing 200,000 to Hillcrest and Balboa Park to celebrate diversity.
In fact, the Pride Parade is now San Diego's largest civic event, according San Diego LGBT Pride's executive director, Ron deHarte.
“(Pride) increases awareness, it provides an opportunity for education in the community, it provides an opportunity for the community to come together in celebration,” said deHarte, who joined the organization just this year. “It just so happens that the parade is the largest civic
event in San Diego. In the 'red' city that we are, that's hard to believe in some people's minds.”
With the slogan “Equality! No turning back,” this year's festival includes a full weekend of events: the Spirit of Stonewall Rally on Friday, a two-day music festival in Balboa Park with 70 bands on 10 stages and the huge Pride Parade on Saturday, which deHarte expects to draw 150,000 people this year.
After 31 years of Pride festivals in San Diego, organizers felt like it was time for a change, especially in the way the two-day event is structured. In the past, the festival featured one stage of music. The organizer wanted to shift more focus to the bands this year, expanding the number of stages to 10 while providing a few headliners to draw more diverse crowds.
“We wanted to draw a more diverse attendance through the gate,” said deHarte. “The single biggest driving force was feedback from folks who have come over the years. This last year we started an online survey that ran for four or five months.
“Overwhelmingly, the comments were coming back for us to focus on entertainment, bring in more varied guests, bring in more headliners,” continued deHarte. “More entertainment clearly was a message people were sending as far as suggestions to improve the festival.
“So it was clear: It was time for us to make a change.”
A Flock of Seagulls, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany headline the festival this year, but deHarte also wanted to place more emphasis on local bands like Spell Toronto and the U.V. Tigers: “We get a crowd of 40,000, and we get to put some of our local bands on stages in front of 5,000 people.”
San Diego LGBT Pride has taken great strides to make this year's event more inclusive, with a senior tent, an interfaith pavilion and kids' activities.
“The Pride festival is for the entire community,” stated deHarte. “You don't have to be labeled 'gay' to participate in it.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
PICKS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S PRIDE FESTIVAL
The two-day Pride Festival features 10 stages of entertainment, more than 70 musicians, bands, comedians and dancers. Areas in the festival include Jack FM Stage, Country Western Village with dance floor, Rocket hiNrg dance floor, Lavender Lens Women's Space and dance floor, Latino Stage and Cantina, Karaoke Stage, Buzz Great Lawn Stage, three beer gardens, Senior Connection, Leather Realm, Coffee Terrace, Interfaith Pavilion, Art of Pride (LGBT local artists), Youth Space and the Children's Garden. Whew!
Here are a couple of choice bands from each day of the festival:
SATURDAY
The Ethel Merman Experience: Impersonator Mark Sargent channels the late Ethel Merman, merging the singer's trademark booming alto voice with rock standards. The band covers Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, AC/DC, Van Halen and The Doors. Not to be missed.
A Flock of Seagulls: This British quartet has two clear claims to fame: the '80s synth-pop single “I Ran” and lead singer Mike Score's hair (looking like the result of a terrible accident involving mass quantities of hair mousse and an industrial turbine).
SUNDAY
Tiffany / Debbie Gibson: If you're not well-versed in '80s uber-kitsch, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson could easily be mistaken for one another. For good reasons: They both emerged in 1987 (and both sported atrocious '80s style); both had failed attempts at “Star Search”; both sang simple '80s pop tunes; and now they're both singing at this year's Pride Festival.
Orquestra Bi-Nacional de Mambo: Bill Caballero's 20-piece band kicks the brassy, old-school Latin style of mambo (think Latino big band music). Stocked with musicians from both sides of the border, Orquestra Bi-Nacional de Mambo also dabbles in salsa and boleros with an occasional cha-cha-cha.
– CHRIS NIXON
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
July 27, 2006
Since the San Diego LGBT Pride Festival's inception 31 years ago, the climate for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in San Diego has changed.
During its transformation from old Navy town to multinational, multicultural metropolis, San Diego now sports the 10th largest Pride Festival in the country, drawing 200,000 to Hillcrest and Balboa Park to celebrate diversity.
In fact, the Pride Parade is now San Diego's largest civic event, according San Diego LGBT Pride's executive director, Ron deHarte.
“(Pride) increases awareness, it provides an opportunity for education in the community, it provides an opportunity for the community to come together in celebration,” said deHarte, who joined the organization just this year. “It just so happens that the parade is the largest civic
event in San Diego. In the 'red' city that we are, that's hard to believe in some people's minds.”
With the slogan “Equality! No turning back,” this year's festival includes a full weekend of events: the Spirit of Stonewall Rally on Friday, a two-day music festival in Balboa Park with 70 bands on 10 stages and the huge Pride Parade on Saturday, which deHarte expects to draw 150,000 people this year.
After 31 years of Pride festivals in San Diego, organizers felt like it was time for a change, especially in the way the two-day event is structured. In the past, the festival featured one stage of music. The organizer wanted to shift more focus to the bands this year, expanding the number of stages to 10 while providing a few headliners to draw more diverse crowds.
“We wanted to draw a more diverse attendance through the gate,” said deHarte. “The single biggest driving force was feedback from folks who have come over the years. This last year we started an online survey that ran for four or five months.
“Overwhelmingly, the comments were coming back for us to focus on entertainment, bring in more varied guests, bring in more headliners,” continued deHarte. “More entertainment clearly was a message people were sending as far as suggestions to improve the festival.
“So it was clear: It was time for us to make a change.”
A Flock of Seagulls, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany headline the festival this year, but deHarte also wanted to place more emphasis on local bands like Spell Toronto and the U.V. Tigers: “We get a crowd of 40,000, and we get to put some of our local bands on stages in front of 5,000 people.”
San Diego LGBT Pride has taken great strides to make this year's event more inclusive, with a senior tent, an interfaith pavilion and kids' activities.
“The Pride festival is for the entire community,” stated deHarte. “You don't have to be labeled 'gay' to participate in it.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
PICKS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S PRIDE FESTIVAL
The two-day Pride Festival features 10 stages of entertainment, more than 70 musicians, bands, comedians and dancers. Areas in the festival include Jack FM Stage, Country Western Village with dance floor, Rocket hiNrg dance floor, Lavender Lens Women's Space and dance floor, Latino Stage and Cantina, Karaoke Stage, Buzz Great Lawn Stage, three beer gardens, Senior Connection, Leather Realm, Coffee Terrace, Interfaith Pavilion, Art of Pride (LGBT local artists), Youth Space and the Children's Garden. Whew!
Here are a couple of choice bands from each day of the festival:
SATURDAY
The Ethel Merman Experience: Impersonator Mark Sargent channels the late Ethel Merman, merging the singer's trademark booming alto voice with rock standards. The band covers Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, AC/DC, Van Halen and The Doors. Not to be missed.
A Flock of Seagulls: This British quartet has two clear claims to fame: the '80s synth-pop single “I Ran” and lead singer Mike Score's hair (looking like the result of a terrible accident involving mass quantities of hair mousse and an industrial turbine).
SUNDAY
Tiffany / Debbie Gibson: If you're not well-versed in '80s uber-kitsch, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson could easily be mistaken for one another. For good reasons: They both emerged in 1987 (and both sported atrocious '80s style); both had failed attempts at “Star Search”; both sang simple '80s pop tunes; and now they're both singing at this year's Pride Festival.
Orquestra Bi-Nacional de Mambo: Bill Caballero's 20-piece band kicks the brassy, old-school Latin style of mambo (think Latino big band music). Stocked with musicians from both sides of the border, Orquestra Bi-Nacional de Mambo also dabbles in salsa and boleros with an occasional cha-cha-cha.
– CHRIS NIXON
Thievery perfects the art of the remix
Duo tries hand at a new version of the remix
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
July 20, 2006
'The ultimate collection of remixes features 18 dubbed-out versions of songs from The Doors, Sarah McLachlan, Astrud Gilberto, Nouvelle Vague, Wax Poetic featuring Norah Jones, Anoushka Shankar, Transglobal Underground and many more. Includes a new original Thievery Corporation track featuring Sister Nancy,” reads the cover of Thievery Corporation's new album “Versions.”
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton – the two producer-musicians who comprise Thievery Corporation – have gained a worldwide audience as purveyors of tranquil downtempo music, seamlessly fusing styles from around the world. With “Versions,” the Washington, D.C.-based duo turns its attention to the art of the remix.
Normally, producers will take the tracks from a single and slightly tweak the sounds to emphasize aspects within the song. Thievery Corporation chose to completely deconstruct their remixed songs, just keeping the original vocals and building a new song around the main vocal tracks.
“The remix album is different because it's not technically our music, although a lot of those remixes are 100 percent our music and just using the vocal of the original,” said Hilton recently via phone from his hometown of Washington, D.C. “It's an extreme version of a remix.”
“It's kind of like making a Thievery record with a bunch of guest artists on it,” continued Hilton. “We're contracted to do remixes for various artists. We just pick our favorites after a while and try to present them as a collection. Remixing is a big part of what we do. In the end, we're producers and artists, and remixing is on the production side. But it works very well as an album also.”
“Versions” sounds like a Thievery record, filled with dreamy dub reggae and spacey pop. But instead of Perry Ferrell or The Flaming Lips adding guest vocals (as both did on TC's 2005 release “The Cosmic Game”), you have Jim Morrison (on The Doors' “Strange Days”) and Astrud Gilberto (“Who Needs Forever”).
So how did Hilton and Garza choose the tracks to remix? “We chose the tracks one by one,” said Hilton. “In doing so, it makes the album a little heavy on the downtempo groove with female vocals. Nouvelle Vague, Astrud Gilberto, Bebel Gilberto, Norah Jones. There are so many great female vocalists that we've worked with.”
Thievery Corporation will be playing a two-night stand at 4th & B in downtown San Diego tomorrow and Saturday. The two dates are part of a mini West Coast tour, centered around a show at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday sponsored by Santa Monica radio station KCRW.
“It's a huge show: We're playing with The Flaming Lips and Os Mutantes,” said Hilton. “It's almost sold out. That's 17,000 tickets. That'll be the biggest show we've ever played and something we couldn't turn down, even though we had no real desire to do touring this year. If we're going to be out there, we might as well play our best cities on the West Coast.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
July 20, 2006
'The ultimate collection of remixes features 18 dubbed-out versions of songs from The Doors, Sarah McLachlan, Astrud Gilberto, Nouvelle Vague, Wax Poetic featuring Norah Jones, Anoushka Shankar, Transglobal Underground and many more. Includes a new original Thievery Corporation track featuring Sister Nancy,” reads the cover of Thievery Corporation's new album “Versions.”
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton – the two producer-musicians who comprise Thievery Corporation – have gained a worldwide audience as purveyors of tranquil downtempo music, seamlessly fusing styles from around the world. With “Versions,” the Washington, D.C.-based duo turns its attention to the art of the remix.
Normally, producers will take the tracks from a single and slightly tweak the sounds to emphasize aspects within the song. Thievery Corporation chose to completely deconstruct their remixed songs, just keeping the original vocals and building a new song around the main vocal tracks.
“The remix album is different because it's not technically our music, although a lot of those remixes are 100 percent our music and just using the vocal of the original,” said Hilton recently via phone from his hometown of Washington, D.C. “It's an extreme version of a remix.”
“It's kind of like making a Thievery record with a bunch of guest artists on it,” continued Hilton. “We're contracted to do remixes for various artists. We just pick our favorites after a while and try to present them as a collection. Remixing is a big part of what we do. In the end, we're producers and artists, and remixing is on the production side. But it works very well as an album also.”
“Versions” sounds like a Thievery record, filled with dreamy dub reggae and spacey pop. But instead of Perry Ferrell or The Flaming Lips adding guest vocals (as both did on TC's 2005 release “The Cosmic Game”), you have Jim Morrison (on The Doors' “Strange Days”) and Astrud Gilberto (“Who Needs Forever”).
So how did Hilton and Garza choose the tracks to remix? “We chose the tracks one by one,” said Hilton. “In doing so, it makes the album a little heavy on the downtempo groove with female vocals. Nouvelle Vague, Astrud Gilberto, Bebel Gilberto, Norah Jones. There are so many great female vocalists that we've worked with.”
Thievery Corporation will be playing a two-night stand at 4th & B in downtown San Diego tomorrow and Saturday. The two dates are part of a mini West Coast tour, centered around a show at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday sponsored by Santa Monica radio station KCRW.
“It's a huge show: We're playing with The Flaming Lips and Os Mutantes,” said Hilton. “It's almost sold out. That's 17,000 tickets. That'll be the biggest show we've ever played and something we couldn't turn down, even though we had no real desire to do touring this year. If we're going to be out there, we might as well play our best cities on the West Coast.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Night&Day: Camera Obscura
Scotland's Camera Obscura returns with its infectious pop for a second U.S. tour
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
July 13, 2006
Glasgow, Scotland, lies 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from sunny San Diego. But both cities sprouted bands at approximately the same time with the same name.
Glasgow's Camera Obscura plays shiny Brit pop with sweet female vocals by Tracyanne Campbell and textured, well-crafted songs. San Diego's Camera Obscura – now defunct – sported Duane Pitre (ex-Ilya, Pilotram) on guitar and cut one album (2000's “To Change the Shape of an Envelope”) of angular post-hardcore rock complete with boy-girl vocals.
Back in the late '90s, when San Diego's version of Camera Obscura still survived, the battle for band names got a bit personal.
“They threatened to kill us once; they sent us an e-mail,” admits Carey Lander, keyboard player and vocalist for the Scottish band. “But we played in San Diego before and they never showed up and killed us, so I guess hopefully the worst is over.”
Lander – along with vocalist Campbell, guitarist Kenny McKeeve, bassist Gavin Dunbar, drummer Lee Thomson and trumpet player Nigel Baillie – probably have little to fear from the San Diego musicians, since the group disbanded in 2000.
Lander added: “The people in San Diego were wonderful when we played there before at The Casbah. That was the first date of our tour the last time, so we were slightly jet-lagged.”
Camera Obscura gained notice in the United Kingdom with 2001's “Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi,” winning European fans over with its brand of sweet simple pop. “Underachievers Please Try Harder,” the band's first release in North America, set the stage for a round of touring that led to a show in 2004 at The Casbah.
From the romantic opening notes from Lander's organ on the opening song, “Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken,” 2006's “Let's Get Out of This Country” provides a pleasant journey through 10 tracks of infectious pop hooks. A fascination with retro songwriting craftsmanship runs through the entire album, evoking a nostalgic, wistful yearning for a return to strummy '60s American music.
Lander explains the album's title: “The name comes from the title track. And I guess it sums up the idea behind all of the songs: being tired of where you are and your situation. It's not really about being in a specific place. It's more about a feeling of frustration and boredom that you can have anywhere.”
After touring the U.S. for the first time in support of “Underachievers,” Landers and Camera Obscura found more love than death threats from the American audience.
“We were lucky enough that our first tour of the U.S. was a headlining tour and it went really well, so we're hoping this time will be even better,” said Landers, who will again take the stage at The Casbah on Tuesday. “America is definitely one of our favorite places to play.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
July 13, 2006
Glasgow, Scotland, lies 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from sunny San Diego. But both cities sprouted bands at approximately the same time with the same name.
Glasgow's Camera Obscura plays shiny Brit pop with sweet female vocals by Tracyanne Campbell and textured, well-crafted songs. San Diego's Camera Obscura – now defunct – sported Duane Pitre (ex-Ilya, Pilotram) on guitar and cut one album (2000's “To Change the Shape of an Envelope”) of angular post-hardcore rock complete with boy-girl vocals.
Back in the late '90s, when San Diego's version of Camera Obscura still survived, the battle for band names got a bit personal.
“They threatened to kill us once; they sent us an e-mail,” admits Carey Lander, keyboard player and vocalist for the Scottish band. “But we played in San Diego before and they never showed up and killed us, so I guess hopefully the worst is over.”
Lander – along with vocalist Campbell, guitarist Kenny McKeeve, bassist Gavin Dunbar, drummer Lee Thomson and trumpet player Nigel Baillie – probably have little to fear from the San Diego musicians, since the group disbanded in 2000.
Lander added: “The people in San Diego were wonderful when we played there before at The Casbah. That was the first date of our tour the last time, so we were slightly jet-lagged.”
Camera Obscura gained notice in the United Kingdom with 2001's “Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi,” winning European fans over with its brand of sweet simple pop. “Underachievers Please Try Harder,” the band's first release in North America, set the stage for a round of touring that led to a show in 2004 at The Casbah.
From the romantic opening notes from Lander's organ on the opening song, “Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken,” 2006's “Let's Get Out of This Country” provides a pleasant journey through 10 tracks of infectious pop hooks. A fascination with retro songwriting craftsmanship runs through the entire album, evoking a nostalgic, wistful yearning for a return to strummy '60s American music.
Lander explains the album's title: “The name comes from the title track. And I guess it sums up the idea behind all of the songs: being tired of where you are and your situation. It's not really about being in a specific place. It's more about a feeling of frustration and boredom that you can have anywhere.”
After touring the U.S. for the first time in support of “Underachievers,” Landers and Camera Obscura found more love than death threats from the American audience.
“We were lucky enough that our first tour of the U.S. was a headlining tour and it went really well, so we're hoping this time will be even better,” said Landers, who will again take the stage at The Casbah on Tuesday. “America is definitely one of our favorite places to play.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Warped Tour '06: Helmet heir
Hamilton's reconstituted band still shaping heavy metal
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
July 6, 2006
'Da-da-da-daaa,” sings Helmet leader Page Hamilton, humming the opening notes from Beethoven's Fifth with a little distortion for effect. “I always use the example that Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is the best heavy-metal riff ever. I sort of utilize the same approach: Less is more.”
With a background in both classical and jazz guitar (earning his master's in jazz guitar from Manhattan School of Music), Hamilton reshaped metal music in the early '90s with his quartet Helmet. Emerging during the formative years of the grunge movement (just a year after Nirvana's “Nevermind”), 1992's “Meantime” shot the band into the mainstream, sporting the gritty single “Unsung.”
Hamilton utilized a “drop D” tuning on his guitar, a setup mostly used by finger-picking blues players. The tuning gives Helmet its trademark low, guttural guitar riffs, and has influenced bands like Tool to use the same tuning. Both odd tunings and Hamilton's jazz background gave Helmet a unique sound in heavy-rock music.
“Helmet chords are not standard rock chords,” said Hamilton, speaking from Los Angeles. “People have used dropped tuning before I have, but I sort of took it to a new place, I guess. Helmet certainly doesn't sound like any other heavy band. My feel is definitely influenced by playing jazz or classical music. The band swings. It always has.”
After touring in support of 1997's “Aftertaste,” the band dissolved.
“I think it was a lot of exhaustion,” said Hamilton. “I didn't fire anybody in the band. Those guys left. For me, it was a little disheartening, because I put a lot into it, and they did as well. I never stopped loving doing it. I thought we'd maybe take a break for a year, but it just wasn't in the cards.”
Hamilton went on to work with David Bowie (replacing guitarist Reeves Gabrels), Bono and trumpeter Ben Neill during the hiatus, but re-formed Helmet in 2004 and released “Size Matters” the same year.
Helmet emerges in 2006 with a new disc, “Monochrome,” and a headlining spot on the Vans Warped Tour, which stops at Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista today. With Chris Traynor on guitar, drummer Mike Jost and bassist Jeremy Chatelain, the album recaptures Helmet's classic metal sound.
“We recorded, mixed and mastered ('Monochrome') in three weeks,” said the 46-year-old guitarist and vocalist. “I think it benefits from it: There's an explosiveness to this album. When you have a little too much time, you can redo things and get them to where you think they're going to be perfect. But there's a certain sound you get from recording quickly and recording to tape as opposed to digitally.”
The Warped Tour – with young demographic and all-ages mentality – is sure to showcase Helmet's hard-core sound to new audiences. Described as “punk summer camp” by many of the regular bands that hit the road with the tour every year, Hamilton's looking forward to the Warped experience.
“Everybody's describing it to me as fairly grueling and hot,” said Hamilton, who joined the festival for the first time this summer. “I guess it's kind of one-for-all and all-for-one vibe a little bit. It's run the way a festival should be. A lot of bands I know do it every year, so there's kind of a Warped Tour family.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Hear sound clips from Helmet's “Monochrome” by logging on to http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/profile/274399
Four to watch at today's Warped Tour
July 6, 2006
The Academy Is: Fueled by singalong choruses and revved-up pop tunes, Chicago's The Academy Is remains one of the more mainstream bands in the Warped Tour's wide spectrum of styles and bands. With 2005's “Almost Here,” the band formerly known as The Academy churns out pleasing emo-pop taylor-made for radio play.
My American Heart: According to the band's Web site (myamericanheartrock.com), this San Diego five-piece has “no band member over the age of 18.” Since the group's inception in 2004, My American Heart has come a long way: 2005's debut album, “The Meaning in Makeup,” touring with Gatsby's American Dream, and, now, the band's second Warped Tour in two years. In a few years, they'll be able to celebrate with an adult beverage.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: At first, Joan Jett's inclusion in this year's Warped lineup caused a double take. “I Love Rock 'n' Roll” Joan Jett? “Crimson and Clover” Joan Jett? Despite her sudden and brief mainstream popularity in the early '80s, Jett maintained her punk cred first earned as one of the proto-hard-core ladies in The Runaways. Now she's making a big-time renaissance. In keeping with tradition, Warped organizer Kevin Lyman uses his festival to school young punks about the music's storied past.
NOFX: “War on Errorism.” “Heavy Petting Zoo.” “Punk in Drublic.” “Never Trust a Hippy.” “Wolves in Wolves' Clothing.” Sure their album titles are funny, but NOFX is far from a joke. With sly political lyrics and anthemic skate rock tunes, drummer Erik Sandin, guitarist Eric Melvin, bassist Fat Mike and guitarist El Hefe are punk rock camp veterans. You could say they've been Warped for life.
– CHRIS NIXON
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
July 6, 2006
'Da-da-da-daaa,” sings Helmet leader Page Hamilton, humming the opening notes from Beethoven's Fifth with a little distortion for effect. “I always use the example that Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is the best heavy-metal riff ever. I sort of utilize the same approach: Less is more.”
With a background in both classical and jazz guitar (earning his master's in jazz guitar from Manhattan School of Music), Hamilton reshaped metal music in the early '90s with his quartet Helmet. Emerging during the formative years of the grunge movement (just a year after Nirvana's “Nevermind”), 1992's “Meantime” shot the band into the mainstream, sporting the gritty single “Unsung.”
Hamilton utilized a “drop D” tuning on his guitar, a setup mostly used by finger-picking blues players. The tuning gives Helmet its trademark low, guttural guitar riffs, and has influenced bands like Tool to use the same tuning. Both odd tunings and Hamilton's jazz background gave Helmet a unique sound in heavy-rock music.
“Helmet chords are not standard rock chords,” said Hamilton, speaking from Los Angeles. “People have used dropped tuning before I have, but I sort of took it to a new place, I guess. Helmet certainly doesn't sound like any other heavy band. My feel is definitely influenced by playing jazz or classical music. The band swings. It always has.”
After touring in support of 1997's “Aftertaste,” the band dissolved.
“I think it was a lot of exhaustion,” said Hamilton. “I didn't fire anybody in the band. Those guys left. For me, it was a little disheartening, because I put a lot into it, and they did as well. I never stopped loving doing it. I thought we'd maybe take a break for a year, but it just wasn't in the cards.”
Hamilton went on to work with David Bowie (replacing guitarist Reeves Gabrels), Bono and trumpeter Ben Neill during the hiatus, but re-formed Helmet in 2004 and released “Size Matters” the same year.
Helmet emerges in 2006 with a new disc, “Monochrome,” and a headlining spot on the Vans Warped Tour, which stops at Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista today. With Chris Traynor on guitar, drummer Mike Jost and bassist Jeremy Chatelain, the album recaptures Helmet's classic metal sound.
“We recorded, mixed and mastered ('Monochrome') in three weeks,” said the 46-year-old guitarist and vocalist. “I think it benefits from it: There's an explosiveness to this album. When you have a little too much time, you can redo things and get them to where you think they're going to be perfect. But there's a certain sound you get from recording quickly and recording to tape as opposed to digitally.”
The Warped Tour – with young demographic and all-ages mentality – is sure to showcase Helmet's hard-core sound to new audiences. Described as “punk summer camp” by many of the regular bands that hit the road with the tour every year, Hamilton's looking forward to the Warped experience.
“Everybody's describing it to me as fairly grueling and hot,” said Hamilton, who joined the festival for the first time this summer. “I guess it's kind of one-for-all and all-for-one vibe a little bit. It's run the way a festival should be. A lot of bands I know do it every year, so there's kind of a Warped Tour family.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Hear sound clips from Helmet's “Monochrome” by logging on to http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/profile/274399
Four to watch at today's Warped Tour
July 6, 2006
The Academy Is: Fueled by singalong choruses and revved-up pop tunes, Chicago's The Academy Is remains one of the more mainstream bands in the Warped Tour's wide spectrum of styles and bands. With 2005's “Almost Here,” the band formerly known as The Academy churns out pleasing emo-pop taylor-made for radio play.
My American Heart: According to the band's Web site (myamericanheartrock.com), this San Diego five-piece has “no band member over the age of 18.” Since the group's inception in 2004, My American Heart has come a long way: 2005's debut album, “The Meaning in Makeup,” touring with Gatsby's American Dream, and, now, the band's second Warped Tour in two years. In a few years, they'll be able to celebrate with an adult beverage.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: At first, Joan Jett's inclusion in this year's Warped lineup caused a double take. “I Love Rock 'n' Roll” Joan Jett? “Crimson and Clover” Joan Jett? Despite her sudden and brief mainstream popularity in the early '80s, Jett maintained her punk cred first earned as one of the proto-hard-core ladies in The Runaways. Now she's making a big-time renaissance. In keeping with tradition, Warped organizer Kevin Lyman uses his festival to school young punks about the music's storied past.
NOFX: “War on Errorism.” “Heavy Petting Zoo.” “Punk in Drublic.” “Never Trust a Hippy.” “Wolves in Wolves' Clothing.” Sure their album titles are funny, but NOFX is far from a joke. With sly political lyrics and anthemic skate rock tunes, drummer Erik Sandin, guitarist Eric Melvin, bassist Fat Mike and guitarist El Hefe are punk rock camp veterans. You could say they've been Warped for life.
– CHRIS NIXON
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