Music and independence have always been soul mates. It’s an intuitive, intrinsic, reciprocal relationship, and has been since long since before Hendrix’s guitar screamed its legendary version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,”Neil Diamond belted his irrepressible “Coming to America,” or Lee Greenwood was “Proud to be an American.” Whether you check out the 9 a.m. carillon concert at UNO, the 9 p.m. Little Brazil show at the Waiting Room, make a festive-Fourth playlist or just rock out to the radio, light a sparkler for all those you’d call personal freedom songs.
Last Friday on a white-knuckle cab ride to the Conor & MVB show at Anchor Inn our cabbie confessed he didn’t know who Michael Jackson was. You’ll find a scant few who can say the same as that speed-demon. Below are the full text reflections on MJ’s passing:
“I can remember every detail of being a kid and seeing “Thriller” for the first time. I can remember going to Richmond Gordman’s and getting Thriller on record when I was five years old. I got Off the Wall on cassette in my Easter basket later that year. I had the jacket, the glove and the sunglasses. There was a time when he was the coolest person on the planet. He was weird then, too. When you are 21 and famously freaky, people think it’s enigmatic and eccentric. When you’re 45 and showing up to your child molestation trial in pajamas, you have tipped the scale severely toward perceived insanity. I’m sure you can play Bucharest only so many times and see people fainting, puking and pissing themselves over your music before you have your “I am a Golden God!” moment. I’ve seen the DVD. It’s crazy. He is WAY to relevant for Bucharest. How could you maintain a normal personality after those kind of receptions? It was impossible to avoid the event of his death. Everyone was calling everyone. All conversations came back to how cool he was when we were young. How sad the ride from the top was for him. What an ugly ending it was turning out to be. The news coverage showed mostly freaky-ass recent MJ umbrella/facemask/fedora stuff. It was hard to watch. I turned the television off, went downstairs and went to the “J” section of my vinyl. I pulled out all of the Jackson stuff from Diana Ross presents The Jackson 5 all the way through Bad. Drinking beer and flipping through the records seemed a more fitting send off than watching the weirdness unfold live. I listened to “Rock with You” from Off the Wall. There is a line in it on the bridge where he sings, “And when the groove is dead and gone, You know that love survives, So we can rock forever on.” That hit me pretty good. I imagine that the death of Michael Jackson will wind up being, to my generation, what the death of Elvis was our parents. I don’t think the Elvis tunes could pull tears out of me like Michael Jackson’s, though.” — Chris Klemmensen, Satchel Grande/Old Money
It’s a general rule amongst most DJs that you always keep some MJ nearby in case you run into a crisis on the dance floor. His tunes always fill it back up and have saved many a dance floor for me. Regardless of his personal life, his musical contribution is unprecedented and he’ll be missed greatly. — Brent Crampton, DJ/Reader contributor
Michael Jackson’s influence dominated my early years. His magnetic performances captured the world’s imagination and allowed him to become a Coca-Cola sized cultural icon. — Brad Hoshaw, Brad Hoshaw & the Seven Deadlies
“You just can’t learn to do what he did. Start from his beginnings, then watch and listen. Earlier generations remember a man walking on the moon; our generation will never forget the moonwalk. Be sure that future generations will forget the storms surrounding Michael Jackson and will recognize him for the art, innovation and joy he brought to our culture … and the rest of the world.” — Jason Birnstihl, The 9’s
Flashback: Fourth grade talent show, me lip-synching "ABC" by the Jackson 5. Or me and moms watching our VHS recording of the making of “Thriller" in our pajamas. The man is in my heart … Sometimes when someone dies. It's time to celebrate their life. Too much pain on the TV news about this subject, MJ would have wanted a party! — John Klemmensen, John Klemmensen & the Party/Satchel Grande/Landing on the Moon
“Michael Jackson was a true performer in every sense of the word. For decades he showed musicians what artistic creativity could accomplish. This being that music could be the worlds common language and that art could achieve anything. Whether fronting the Jackson 5 or performing solo his talents were always unfolding and you never knew what exactly to expect. Being simply amazing just came easy for him. As a musician he gave us all the blueprints, but there can only be one king of pop. Rest in peace Michael, you will always be missed.” — Greg Edds, Little Brazil
“[He’s] is an irreplaceable and beautiful piece of American, and human, life. Despite any controversy surrounding the later part of his life, he remains a beacon of human expression. One can only become as popular as MJ by striking a nerve, which is what he did for multiple generations. He will be missed and remembered fondly by millions.” — Jordan Elsberry, Shiver Shiver
“His presence has probably had the most epic impact on the music world ever next to The Beatles. Michael will continue to inspire forever. A spirit like his is a beautiful rarity in history. Prior to his death there seemed to be such mixed feelings about [him]. To me, that really emphasizes the importance of kindness, appreciation and understanding to your fellow person, while we’re still ALIVE! So much in life can get in the way of that if you let it. I’m proud of what he’s meant to music. He was just undeniable!” — Chase Thornburg, Shiver Shiver
“I think the media is doing a pretty exhaustive overview of his impact. I’ll say it’s sad anytime someone passes too soon. It also seems as if his death has caused everyone to momentarily forgive him his weirdness and allowed them to again embrace the amazing music he created. His impact was worldwide and will continue to reverberate for weeks, maybe months to come. The question is; will MJ fatigue set in as the media relentlessly continues to report every detail in the proceedings surrounding his will, his children, his debts and the facts of the cause of his death. What is clear so far, is no one since Elvis Presley caused the same reaction upon death and probably no one ever again will. We’ll know next week just exactly how large that impact is as we get reports from soundscan, big champagne and more about sales, physical and digital, of his works. It will be record-setting to be sure.” — Mike Fratt, general manager Homer’s Music
“I do think ‘Don't stop ‘til you get enough’ is one of the best songs of the ’70s (released almost exactly 30 years ago). — Pat Oakes, Ladyfinger(ne)
“Michael Jackson has and will always continue to be an inspiration in my life. The music and videos he created were unmatched, timeless, and revolutionary. Our culture which created him into the superstar he was, was also the one to so quickly to destroy him. His bizarre and confusing life led him searching for what so many of us take for granted: a normal life.” — Neal Duffy, DJ W.E.R.D./Reader contributor
International bluesman Magic Slim's brother, longtime bassist and Lincoln resident Nick Holt passed away yesterday (June 22) after several months battling brain cancer.
The Zoo Bar plans an informal celebration of Nick's life on Weds, June 24, (tomorrow), when Magic Slim was already scheduled to play the 6-9 p.m. slot.
Nick Holt and his brother Magic Slim have lived in Lincoln with their families since the mid-1990s and have been part of the Zoo Bar family since the beginning, being one of the first national acts to play the club.
Magic Slim with his brother Nick on bass were always big draws at Omaha's old Howard Street Tavern ... the last paragraph of Bob Corritorre's death announcement (below) says a lot — Nick will be missed by longtime Zoo Bar friends and family as well as the many young musicians in the Zoo Bar family to whom he was a friend and mentor and often known as "Uncle Nick."
— B.J. Huchtemann
June 23, 2009 • RIP Nick Holt 1/15/1940-6/22/2009: Bruce Iglauer reports that Nick Holt, the bass-playing younger brother of Magic Slim, died of brain cancer on Monday, June 22, 2009 in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he had been living. He was 69. Born in Granada, Mississippi in 1940, Nick moved to Chicago in 1956. Four years later, he and his brother formed the notorious Magic Slim & The Teardrops. This band persevered to become a mainstay of the Chicago blues scene. Slim's raucous guitar and Nick's insistent bass lines anchored the band, and created a tough, rock-solid groove so propulsive that it packed the dance floors nightly. It wasn't that Nick did anything fancy or flashy on the bass; he just played it simple and right. Magic Slim & The Teardrops recorded numerous albums for a wide array of labels such as Rooster Blues, Blind Pig, Wolf Records, Alligator, Isabel, Delmark, Red Lightnin', Black & Blue, Evidence, and others. The band relocated to Lincoln, Nebraska, where they had a huge following from their touring appearances at the Zoo Bar. Nick had not been touring for the last few years, possibly for health reasons. In addition to scores of Magic Slim & The Teardrops records, and various sessions as a sideman, Nick leaves us with three releases bearing his name:
Magic Slim And Nick Holt/You Can't Lose What Never Had (Wolf Records)
Nick Holt/You Better Watch Yourself (Wolf Records)
Little Boogie Boy Blues Band featuring Nick Holt/We Do It For The Blues
Many blues fans will warmly remember seeing Magic Slim & The Teardrops with the brothers’ towering presence filling up the stage while they knocked out the heaviest of shuffles. Such a loss for the blues. Prayers to Magic Slim in this time of grief. Thanks, Nick, for the great times, and the spectacular music.
Shiver Shiver plays its homecoming show Saturday, June 20, at Slowdown, with Goodbye Sunday and The Black Squirrels. Shiver and the Squirrels are each fresh off short tours and Chase and Jordan were kind enough to share this tour diary with The Reader:
Two weeks, seven states, 10 shows and 3000 miles after our last look at Omaha, Shiver Shiver has gotten its first taste of blood. Now that we’ve completed our first tour, we’re hungry to book our second.
Not only can you enjoy a different venue with a different audience every night, hear new bands and meet new people along the way, you get to play music every night. Plus, you can always look forward to the freedom of the open road the next day.
We started off a few Fridays ago when I picked up Jordan from a shift at the coffee shop. We hustled down to The Pig in Independence, MO to share the bill with two locals, who played ruthless zombie metal and ’80s thrash. Wedged between two metal acts, we were the sweet, creamy center.
A quick jaunt took us over to Lee’s Summit, MO for some time at the campgrounds where we taught six girls how to make fire (“Do you have any matches?” “No.” “Hmm…”). On to Jerry’s Bait Shop for a five-band bill, free pizza and beer, and some cute waitresses.
In Lawrence, Kans., good things happen! Our last experience in Lawrence was awesome, and this one trumped it in sheer goodness. We played at the Replay Lounge, the townies’ hangout. A pinball-themed room full of warm, awesome people — I mean, what else do you need? Really.
Next stop was The Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, Iowa. We were paired with a couple of hip-hop acts. Great venue, people jumping onstage to high-five us, etc.
The Ames Progressive in Ames is a small comfy living room of a venue. Great vibe, nice people. We ended up at an Iowa State dress-up house party. It was an eventful night: suffice it to say, I ended up locked out on the roof with nothing but a doorknob in my hand while Jordan DJed downstairs to a house full of Iowa State Cyclones.
Chicago, the city of neighborhoods. We played a second-story house show in Pilsen, which by all accounts should’ve been shut down the cops, but miraculously blazed late into the night. Columbia, Loyola, U of Chicago students, artists, musicians, and you-name-its filled and spilled out of this small, yellow apartment.
On our day off, Jordan and I rode our bikes all over town. I used to live there, and Jordan had never seen the city, so I gave him a guided tour, which included lunch in Lincoln Square with some old friends, Wrigleyville, Wicker Park, the Lakefront, a run-in with two large Turks dressed in pink satin, etc.
We hit the road bright and early for Columbus OH. The show was close to Capital College and full of its students. Not exactly sure why the cops were called, all we know is one of our friends was almost arrested. The Ugly Monkey in Indianapolis, Ind. and The Verve in Terre Haute, Ind. were both hip venues with good people, and we’ll be back. If you ever find yourself in Kearney, Nebr., be sure to hit up The Roman, where we placed the last stop of our tour.
While it's clear that the boys have fallen for the road — and of course, we don't mind sharing the zest of Shiver Shiver with others — be sure to attend the band's homecoming for Saturday's stellar lineup and to remind them why Omaha is home, sweet, home.
Tom Waits Releases Limited Edition 7" in honor of Record Store Day
TOM WAITS TO RELEASE EXCLUSIVE LIMITED EDITION 7” SINGLE IN HONOR OF “RECORD STORE DAY” ON APRIL 18
In honor of “Record Store Day” on April 18, TOM WAITS is releasing an exclusive limited edition 7” single on Anti- Records, because he believes in the importance of the independents: “The record store is the livery stable where I can tie up, feed and groom my ears.” The songs were recorded during last summer’s critically acclaimed “Glitter & Doom” tour--side A features “Lucinda/Ain’t Goin’ Down to the Well” (recorded at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA) and side B contains “Bottom of the World” (recorded at the Edinburgh Playhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland).
Paste magazine voted Waits’ Atlanta “#1 Best Live Music Act of 2008” for his “Glitter & Doom” tour in the US, while Rolling Stone noted: “Waits ultimately spent the night demonstrating that he’s one of the last remaining character actors in American music: a self proclaimed ‘moonlighting’ thespian who’s always known that music is another kind of theatre—a very particular storytelling practice—and that it’s all in the delivery.”
Of the Edinburgh show, The Guardian raved: “Waits is an utterly magnetic performance…it seems less like you’ve bought a ticket to a concert than to a different world,” while The London Times concurred: “Waits wove a spell as intricate and engaging as that of any performer I can remember seeing on a musical stage.” Elsewhere, London’s Daily Telegraph declared: “For a couple of hours every night on the Glitter and Doom tour, with Waits as lightning conductor, whipping up the band, stirring up his demons and roaring up a storm, he puts on what is, quite simply, the greatest show on earth.”
BONNAROO MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2009 LINEUP FEATURING:BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND, PHISH, THE BEASTIE BOYS, NINE INCH NAILS, TV ON THE RADIO, WILCO, AL GREEN, DAVID BYRNE, SNOOP DOGG, MERLE HAGGARD, ERYKAH BADU, MGMT, BON IVER, THE DECEMBERISTS, LUCINDA WILLIAMS AND MORETICKETS TO GO ON SALESATURDAY FEBRUARY 7 AT 12PM EASTERN February 3, 2009, New York, NY -- Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The eighth annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 11 - 14 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. Every year Bonnaroo seeks to make history by offering unique and exclusive performances by rock's greatest legends as well as its most significant newcomers.
A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2009 lineup will total over 120 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days. Tickets go on sale exclusively through www.bonnaroo.com on Saturday, February 7 at 12:00 PM Eastern.Continuing the Bonnaroo tradition of diversity and dynamism, the 2009 lineup draws top-flight acts from a staggering range of musical worlds. This year the festival features Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Phish, the Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, TV on the Radio, Wilco, Al Green, David Byrne, Snoop Dogg, Merle Haggard, Animal Collective, Lucinda Williams, Femi Kuti, Mars Volta, Coheed and Cambria, The Del McCoury Band, Alejandro Escovedo and Rodrigo y Gabriela to name a few. This will be Springsteen and his band's only North American festival performance this year. This also will be Phish's only festival performance in 2009, and their presence at Bonnaroo holds a great deal of significance -- besides the fact that each of its members has shown the event great support, performing at the festival in various incarnations over the years, Phish's own festivals were notably one of the major inspirations for Bonnaroo's creation and operational strategies. Many of the organizers of those events (large scale, multi-day camping festivals with Phish as the solo performer) were brought on to help birth Bonnaroo in 2002, and continue to play a major role in the festival to this day. Phish will play two shows at the festival - a full two-set performance as well as an additional late-evening set.
As part of this initial Bonnaroo 2009 artist announcement, festival organizers have teamed up with Ghost Robot to create an innovative video that incorporates a new experimental process called stratostencil animation. The video can be viewed at Bonnaroo.com and the link below: http://community.bonnaroo.com/_2009-Lineup-Preview/video/506712/12058.htmlThe largest and most revered music and camping event in the country, Bonnaroo has elevated the American rock festival to an unprecedented level. As the only round-the-clock major U.S. music festival, Bonnaroo packs an unparalleled amount of entertainment options into its four days. The event has offered its attendees the amenities and community spirit of a small city, with 24 hours of activities including a comedy theater, cinema festival, jazz club, silent disco, arcade, Internet cafés, restaurants, yoga classes and hundreds of high quality craft vendors. Since its inception, Bonnaroo swiftly earned its status as the country's premier music and arts event. According to the New York Times, "Bonnaroo has revolutionized the modern rock festival." The event is famous for the incredible energy that emerges from its crowds, who make the Bonnaroo pilgrimage to immerse themselves in its unique camping community and witness four days of historical music moments. Honoring the festival's unique spirit, Rolling Stone called Bonnaroo "one of the 50 moments to change the history of rock and roll." The festival was also just voted the Best Festival in the magazine's Readers' Poll, and won similar honors at this year's Billboard Music Awards.]
This year, Bonnaroo has created a couple of unique ticketing options for its fans. The festival is now offering a special payment plan in which tickets will be available for five (5) payments of $50.00 plus applicable fees. In addition, fans will have the option to purchase a Bonnaroo Green Ticket that will help to support the development and implementation of sustainable improvements at the festival for years to come. Festival organizers are constantly looking for ways to be aggressive with mitigating the event's environmental impact and raising awareness about green issues.As part of Fuse's three-year deal with Bonnaroo, the network will be the exclusive television partner of the festival. It will continue to be the only place to watch Bonnaroo on national television and will include live on-air coverage as well as OnDemand and online content. On-air, Fuse will bring viewers live hits, backstage interviews, "Best of Bonnaroo" concert specials and a highlight show of this year's greatest performances. The network will once again have their headquarters set up in its landmark barn in the middle of Centeroo, enabling them to bring the Fuse experience directly to fans onsite. Leading up to the event, Fuse will run four 60-second news packages that will air throughout the day on Tuesday, February 3rd, providing an insider's look at the 2009 Bonnaroo lineup. Online, at fuse.tv/bonnaroo fans can find essential information on tickets, further line-up additions and interviews from last year's festival.
In addition, ATT Music will be hosting a live webcast of the event. After the festival is over, you'll also be able to relive your experience with exclusive featured content only online at ATT Music. Official festival website is www.bonnaroo.com2009
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Confirmed Artists:Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Phish (2 Shows) Beastie Boys Nine Inch Nails David Byrne Wilco Al Green Snoop Dogg Elvis Costello Solo Erykah Badu Paul Oakenfold Ben Harper and Relentless7 The Mars Volta TV on the Radio Yeah Yeah Yeahs Gov't Mule Andrew Bird Band of Horses Merle Haggard MGMT moe. The Decemberists Girl Talk Bon Iver Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate Rodrigo y Gabriela Galactic The Del McCoury Band of Montreal Allen Toussaint Coheed and Cambria Booker T & the DBTs David Grisman Quintet Lucinda Williams Animal Collective Gomez Neko Case Down Jenny Lewis Santogold Robert Earl Keen Citizen Cope Femi Kuti and the Positive Force The Ting Tings Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Kaki King Grizzly Bear King Sunny Adé Okkervil River St. Vincent Zac Brown Band Raphael Saadiq Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Crystal Castles Tift Merritt Brett Dennen Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue Toubab Krewe People Under the Stairs Alejandro Escovedo Vieux Farka Touré Elvis Perkins In Dearland Cherryholmes Yeasayer Todd Snider Chairlift Portugal. The Man. The SteelDrivers MidniteThe Knux The Low Anthem Delta Spirit A.A. Bondy The Lovell Sisters Alberta Cross
Stay tuned for more artists joining this line up in the next couple of weeks.
New Broken Spindles Album to Drop February 2009 on blank.wav records
Kiss/Kick is the latest album from Broken Spindles, and the second release from The Faint's blank.wav record label. Although Broken Spindles' sole member Joel Petersen has done remixes for Of Montreal and AFI and is also a member of The Faint, Kiss/Kick is a strictly "No Eyeliner" record. It is more No Wave than New Wave.
The new album was made in Omaha's Enamel, the studio owned by The Faint. With the entire studio at his disposal, Petersen used a live drummer more than on his previous Spindles records. Petersen says, "I knew that finding the balance of opposites was key to making sense of it all, to get the right mix of human and machine, acoustic and electronic, analog and digital, spontaneous and premeditated." This combination is heard clearly on the song "Introvert" which features programmed live drums, keyboards that hold down the rhythmic center and a guitar sound that careens out of control. Lyrically, the album explores human fragility, both in body and mind. Songs like "I've Never Been This Afraid" and "We All Want to Fit in" show Petersen observing others and himself -- a constant theme in all of the Spindles records.
Kiss/Kick is a record that takes the place of that late night journal writing session where the writer reveals more than what he knew was inside. As Petersen says, "For me, there has always been truth somewhere in the midst of extremes, and lyrically, this is where I wanted to be -- open, honest, and truthful. "Kiss/Kick is Petersen's strongest work to date. With four Broken Spindles albums and five Faint albums under his belt, he has found his voice, as well as comfort in being the observer of our inherent discomfort with ourselves and our relationships. He has learned how to reduce songs to their basic parts without losing the power and excitement of great production.
Stay tuned to The Reader for more info on this release. According to Petersen's P.R. guy the album should drop in February 2009.
