| more than personal
Slip on The Sun Awakens, the new recording by the indie folk-rock thrill seekers known as Six Organs of Admittance, and you may be as puzzled as anyone in describing what you hear. Despite its name, the album-opening Torn by Wolves seems inviting enough, with strains of sunny melodies and folkish rhythms. But by Bless Your Blood, the storm clouds gather and electric guitar, no pun intended, bleeds into the soundscape. By the time the 24-minute River of Transfiguration closes the record, you feel you're at a sance with a minimalist drone and distant choral passages as your primary guides. All of which might suggest that Ben Chasny -- or "Mr. Six Organs," as his record label calls him -- is one moody fellow. But in conversation, Chasny is as animated and quick-witted as his music is meditative -- that is, until you ask him to put a label on his music.
Live Review: CSNY in Ottawa
OTTAWA - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have been singing songs that tell American presidents to stop the war for close to 40 years. Back in the late 1960s, it was about getting out of Vietnam. Four decades later, the U.S. is once again in a controversial war, this time in Iraq, and support for the peaceniks is swelling. With all this renewed hippie-friendly sentiment fomenting, and pop music looking backwards anyways, it was a largely fascinating exercise in wishful thinking as the veteran supergroup stirred up outrage and affection in the 12,000 fans attending their Freedom of Speech '06 tour at Scotiabank Place last night. Proof that if you stick with something long enough, eventually it will come back into fashion. On the first tour since 2002, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young first joined forces in 1969 when a memorable performance at Woodstock gave the giant music festival and the youth movement of the 1960s an articulate and optimistic voice.
Electric Summer
The summer of 1965 started a couple of weeks early for me: I was lucky enough to have gotten nailed for smuggling liquor on a trip with the high school band and to be suspended for the rest of the year. Now I wouldn't have to give a speech at graduation -- despite my bohemian rebel act, I had the second-best grades in my class -- and thereby ruin my outlaw credibility. What was an aspiring outlaw doing in the high school band? Because it had a bass clarinet I could borrow, and I wanted to be Eric Dolphy, when I wasn't wanting to be an 80-year-old banjo player from the North Carolina mountains. (Or James Joyce or Allen Ginsberg, but that's another story.) Anybody, just about, except one more high school kid in Connecticut. Central to my rebellion was a fierce musical purism: I was obsessed with John Coltrane, the Louis Armstrong Hot Fives, the Stanley Brothers, the Harry Smith Anthology.
RECAP OF CHRIS JERICHO'S XM RADIO SHOW
2. Y2J says it's the eternal debate, says if you're a rock & roll fan, then you're either a Beatles or Rolling Stones fan. He says he's both a Beatles & Rolling Stones fan, says some people say it's like Beatles or Elvis [Presley] guy & says he's a Beatles guy for both of them. He says when you're a heavy metal fan, the question that must be asked is either Priest or Maiden, says to think about & says it's a close call. He says he starts the show with Iron Maiden from "7th Son Of A 7th Son" with "Moonchild" & "Infinite Dreams", says he's the moonchild, says he's Chris Jericho it's The Rock Of Jericho: http://tinyurl.com/rssxe & it's Sunday night on XM 41 Da Boneyard: http://tinyurl.com/6htm6 . He again asked the question if it's Priest or Maiden, says let's cut to the chase & no more screwing or f*****g around & says this is satellite radio & he can swear if he wants to.
Day 8 - Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, July 5, 2006
Note: Day 7 of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal is a day of transition, with a host of free shows. It's also the day where AAJ transitions coverage, with AAJ-NY Editorial Director/Production Designer Andrey Henkin returning home and Senior Editor John Kelman picking up on day eight, July 5.
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Mix picks: CD
DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL, "Dusk and Summer" (Vagrant Records) -- The latest album from Chris Carrabba's super-successful emo-rock outfit Dashboard Confessional continues the artist's emotional excursions into the world of young love -- with all its heightened yearnings and frequent sorrows. And if there are hints of U2-style production textures, as in the standout second track "Reason to Believe," well, U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois had a hand in the production, though Linkin Park producer Don Gilmore, who produced Dashboard's 2004 "Spider-Man 2" soundtrack hit "Vindicated," is responsible for most of it. .
IF YOU GO: more than personal
Slip on The Sun Awakens, the new recording by the indie folk-rock thrill seekers known as Six Organs of Admittance, and you may be as puzzled as anyone in describing what you hear. Despite its name, the album-opening Torn by Wolves seems inviting enough, with strains of sunny melodies and folkish rhythms. But by Bless Your Blood, the storm clouds gather and electric guitar, no pun intended, bleeds into the soundscape. By the time the 24-minute River of Transfiguration closes the record, you feel you're at a sance with a minimalist drone and distant choral passages as your primary guides. All of which might suggest that Ben Chasny -- or "Mr. Six Organs," as his record label calls him -- is one moody fellow. But in conversation, Chasny is as animated and quick-witted as his music is meditative -- that is, until you ask him to put a label on his music.
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