Kimbra @ The Cedar Cultural Center 2/5/18

Well this was my 4th time seeing Kimbra live, 3rd headlining, and while all of the other times she had a full band with drums, last night at The Cedar, it was just her with a bunch synths, a guitarist with another keyboard or 2 and maybe an Electric Drum or 2? and a bassist also with likely more than 1 keyboard.

Kimbra for the 1st time in a long while, played some guitar on a couple select, stripped down tunes (the Prince cover during the Encore and "Past Love" which she said the album version is much different).

But let's get down to brass tax here.

1) I love Kimbra, her music, her personality at least on stage, in interviews, videos she's done, and for the most part on her email list, AMA's and Social Media. But, now seeing her live for a 4th time and trying-to and yet failing again to get to meet her after the show, tell her how much I love her music and maybe ask 1 or 2 questions, in person. Maybe get a photo or something. NO DICE again.

Which basically tells me at of all places, the Cedar Cultural Center, she doesn't come out, at least not initially.

At this point, she is in a lot of ways taking the Ian Anderson approach. Or I suppose Michael Nesmith and Neil Peart.

Seems highly like-able and cool when you're a fan in those platforms, but it doesn't seem she's all that into interacting with her fans outside of that.

I guess I respect that, many celebrities have that identical or similar mentality and approach.

But it just hit me last night, to not ever expect to meet her really.

Steven Wilson for some reason has also come across a little like that as well.

The only thing I would say is, if I didn't need to get home to sleep, so I can leave for work the next day at 6:40AM, I might have tried to wait as long as possible.

And with last night or with the other shows, I did wait, but I suppose maybe not long enough.

But the message I get is, even if I were to wait, there's a reason why she didn't come out nor come out those other times right away, or even within 20 minutes.

She doesn't want to hang out with the fans, at least in that context, at this point.

Kimbra is pretty young, so who knows if she will maintain or increase that approach like Peart or Ian Anderson. I recall James LaBrie was like that in the early days with Dream Theater, and then he opened up.

Or of course, the Michael Nesmith and even Mayer Hawthorne approach now in that she'll do a VIP and/or Meet-and-Greet, which I guess depending on the price (and if it includes SEATING) I might do. But I still wish that wouldn't necessarily be the only way.

But I'm now going to have to come to accept that.

2)  From The Cedar website:


This event is all ages

This is a standing show with an open floor.
Tickets are ​only ​available​ through First Avenue​ online​ (click the "Buy Tickets" button above)​, at Electric Fetus, ​and The Cedar during shows.​

Standing show + me and the wife =/= good.


We even tried to arrive later (knowing the potential standing time could be many hours), but when I played some of 1 of the openers "King" for the wife, she was a bit too curious to skip them.But as it turned out, we probably would have been okay with that. They were nice, but had a bit of a samey style among all their songs. The Smooth synth and vocal harmonies-Neo-Soul with pretty much every song being in the mid-tempo. The wife did appreciate them quoting DeBarge at least. And props to them with a Grammy and playing Super Bowl Live. And that 2 of them were from South Minneapolis originally. I kind of wondered if they may have known Janelle Monae per they are likely close in age and Janelle actually lived in Eagan, MN when she was growing up for a period of time.

But no, like 95% of the shows at The Cedar I have seen were seated. Now as it turned out, there were seats, like when the wife and I saw The Bird and the Bee, but they were way off to the side, and we arrived too late to give up out acquired spots anyway, to even try looking.

But it wasn't great for either of our knees or backs to stand for nearly 3 hours.

We stood for Nesmith at The Troubadour, but it wasn't as long, and it was only him and his band. No down time, nor any opener.

I will add though the other opener Arc Iris I kind of liked, and may be checking out their music soon.

3) With Kimbra's setup, and playing 9 songs from Primal Heart, some of course having never heard, and then the other 2 new ones Sweet Relief and Hi Def Distant Romance, it was a night of new and unfamiliar music, which overall I still liked but for the wife, didn't even go as far.

And it was highly electronic. A lot of keys and textures. The videos behind her did help at least.

Even the arrangements of Settle Down and Two Way Street threw me and the wife off a bit, although I still enjoyed them. I do wish she would still include the VOCAL CHANTING SOLO in TWO WAY STREET, per it is the greatest moment of that tune. Even in another arrangement or on a keyboard or guitar or something. But last night? I don't think she did it.

As a big positive though,  Black Sky sounded really good; better than the videos I checked out of it a few months back.

And then Everybody Knows. Holy shit, this song is fan-fucking-tastic! 

I re-listened to it again yesterday at work, and it hit me how well arranged and melodic it is. Definitely the biggest winner on Primal Heart among the songs I've heard, which including the live ones last night, is most of it.

of course Hi Def Distant Romance is 1 of many new songs that won't be on Primal Heart, that Kimbra said in an email, will be coming leading-up to Primal Heart's release (and maybe throughout 2018?, I forget). I.e. she has a lot of music she's made that won't be on the album beyond HDDR.

St.Vincent at The Walker in 2012 and Imogen Heap: That is kind of what she was doing in a lot of ways with the keys and stripped down ensemble. I wonder if part of that is cost to pay musicians to tour?

The new album titled "Primal Heart" she talked about being inspired by a trip to Ethiopia I recall and seeing the primal? way they live. Which I was thinking the new album would be more stripped down and have more acoustic instruments and DRUMS. Like lots of them.

I am now thinking this album is taking the electronic side to some songs from Golden Echo, and making an album with even more of it. I mean she even worked with Skrillex on Top of the World.

The thing though I am keeping in mind is in that AMA she did on Reddit, I think she mentioned how this new album will not necessarily be the way she records down the road.

But the chances of a Vows part 2 ever happening seem unlikely, which I get. Artists don't want to repeat themselves, etc. But I guess it is the whole self-ish artist to experiment and try new things constantly, which I applaud her, but I can't be sure if I will ever love as much as her earlier work as-a-whole.

I did say in my 2011 Albums of the Year that i don't know if she ever will be able to top Vows, but that was more of just HOW GOOD it was.

That all being said, it was a fun show, very energetic, highly electronic/ with HEAVY synths. And pretty good consistent energy. And the crowd loved her for the most part. It was almost sold out, which I kind of wonder if The Cedar might be too small for her at this point. Unsure she'd play like The Palace Theatre or Skyway or something if she headlines again, but we'll see.

The Prince tribute was nice, a little predictable, but still very much appreciated. And cool to hear a deeper track like "Call My Name."

I do know I will not plan to stand for long lengths, especially with the wife, and  not expect to try and meet her again. I.e. no waiting around afterwards, which is probably for the best anyway.


9 songs from Primal Heart + a bonus that didn't make it. Plus a recent single.
Version of Me
Hi Def Distant Romance
The Good War
Black Sky
Human
Settle Down
As You Are
Love In High Places
Everybody Knows
Past Love
Two Way Street
Lightyears
Sweet Relief
Top of the World

Encore:
Real Life
Call My Name
(Prince cover)

The Tea Party - The Ocean at the End (2014)

9/3/14 5:00PM
ALBUM STREAM FOR PEOPLE IN CANADA

8/22/14 6:06AM

Interview with Jeff Martin.





8/18/14 8:31PM

Per Wikipedia and Amazon.ca Preorder

Release Date: September 8th (in Canada at least) 8:37 title track?

New website as well, with a question the band want fans to submit: Pictures and Memories.

http://www.teaparty.com/



1 The L.O.C 4:14
2 The Black Sea 3:59
3 Cypher 3:58
4 The Maker 4:11
5 Black Roses 5:29
6 Brazil 4:44
7 The 11th Hour 4:59
8 Submission 3:54
9 The Cass Corridor 2:41
10 Water's On Fire 4:45
11 The Ocean At the End 8:37
12 Into the Unknown 5:02


6/28/14 7:11PM



1st single "Water's on Fire" sounds pretty good.

iTunes

https://www.hmvdigital.ca/releases/3577591



This story says the album is expected to be released "this fall."

3/29/14 11:52 AM

I am a fan of these guys, even owning nearly their whole catalog on cd. The Edges of Twilight I think still stands out as my favorite, although I enjoy more or less everything they've done. I always liken them to like if Jim Morrison sang with a band who reminded me of a lot of Led Zeppelin, specifically Led Zeppelin III. But that is mostly their early records.

The story below has me optimistic about it, although I was also about the Crash Karma album Burrows and Edwin from I Mother Earth did.; and I can't say I loved that record too much.

But it sounds like they put a fair amount of thought into this record, so we'll see. It says it's expected in the Fall, the 1st single in June, so I'll be sure to update this when more information is provided about it.

http://www.theprovince.com/touch/story.html?id=9674993

Five years ago, members of The Tea Party could hardly stand being in the same room together let alone spend a month in a recording studio. But wonders never cease, and this week Jeff Martin, Jeff Burrows and Stuart Chatwood put the finishing touches on their first studio album in a decade, collectively swallowing six years and a mountain of pride.

The word from the band’s camp is that The Ocean at the End could be the nearest The Tea Party has come to perfection in its 23-year history.

“It’s the best of everything for The Tea Party,” raved Martin, the band’s lead singer and guitarist, this week.

The usually reserved Chatwood, keyboardist and bass player, declared: “On our tombstones it’ll say These Guys Played Music.”

Due out in the fall, The Ocean at the End will mark the first studio release for the trio since 2004’s Seven Circles. It’ll also be the first album, other than a limited edition, live collection made in Australia last year, since the band reformed in 2011 following a six-year split.

“It was either going to be a disaster,” Martin said, “or one of the best things we could do. I’m counting on it being the latter.”

The first single, as yet undecided, will be out by June, said Martin, and the album “in a perfect world” by early fall.

There will be 10 tracks, plus two bonus songs, including the eight-minute opus that gives the album its title. The Ocean at the End is the album’s final track, written by Martin and Burrows, and featuring guest soloist Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull on flute. The band may also include a cover of Daniel Lanois’s The Maker, which it has woven into the middle section of Save Me at its concerts.

Chatwood, however, said the title song will impress even the most diehard fan: “It’s like a harder Pink Floyd.”

Much of the album, in fact, is a throwback to The Tea Party’s earlier albums, Splendor Solis and The Edges of Twilight, when their adventurous use of instrumentation was often compared with Led Zeppelin.

“It was my idea to bring in the flute and the mellotron,” Chatwood said. “Jeff Martin said he wanted to do a blues thing for the final song, and Jeff Burrows brought in this really melodic idea ... ”

He added that 60 per cent of the new material was conceived in the band’s home city of Windsor, during writing sessions last fall.

In that sense, The Tea Party has returned to its roots as most of the music on the first three albums was produced during jam sessions in a downtown Windsor rehearsal studio.

After toiling in local bands, Martin, Burrows and Chatwood, all within a year of one another in age, teamed up to record their first independent, self-titled record in 1991. Now in their early 40s, they were 21 and 22 at the time.

Chatwood recalled those early days fondly when describing the new music, and added the years have only burnished that Tea Party sound to a brilliant shine.

“We’ve all grown as musicians,” he said. “As you get older, you’re open to new ideas. When you’re young, you sometimes think you might not be doing this for the rest of your life. But that’s kind of set in stone for us, now.”

Martin believes there’s something for every period of Tea Party fans: “I think the album in its entirety has something for everyone as far The Tea Party is concerned. It has all the different musical elements we’ve embraced over the years.”

While Martin has often been accused of being the source of friction in The Tea Party, something he doesn’t deny, his complete acceptance of where the band is at now and where it’s heading, appears to have closed the circle.

“I’ve always been proud of the way we’ve been able to raise the bar for ourselves. I realize the expectations are high for this new record, but I think, and I believe Jeff and Stuart would agree, that we’ll meet all the expectations.”

He, too, referred back to their beginnings.

“In some ways, the feeling is even better than when we started out. There have been a lot of lessons learned when we were apart and the mutual respect for each other is even greater than what it was in the past.”

During the six-year hiatus, members of The Tea Party found a variety of projects to keep them busy. Martin wrote and recorded a pair of solo albums, moved to Australia, and tours Down Under with Sarah McLeod. Burrows helped form pop-rockers Crash Karma and hosted a radio show in Windsor. Chatwood has composed film and video soundtracks in his home studio in Vancouver, while also producing music for the likes of New York entrepreneur Tim Sommer.

“We’re all bringing a lot more experience doing different things to the table this time,” Chatwood said.

The heavy rock influences remain, but they sound better in the new context.

“It’s not retro-rock, it’s respectful rock,” Chatwood said. “We don’t wear our influences on our sleeve. We just let them come out naturally.”

Ian Anderson - Thick as a Brick 2 (TAAB2): Whatever Happened To Gerald Bostock?

3/26/12 8:44AM

"Tomorrow’s Facebook stream of Ian Anderson’s ‘Thick of a Brick 2’ commences at 3pm (GMT) and will be available for 24 hours."

3PM GMT TODAY MARCH 26TH (England time, which would be 10AM Central, 11AM Eastern) the whole thing is going up to stream for 24 hours.

2/17/12 1:55PM

It's not under the Tull name, but Ian's I guess. Track list, pre-order info. Comes with a DVD, etc.

Ian Anderson's ambitious follow-up to his seminal 1972 opus, Thick As A Brick.



Special edition with CD, audio-visual DVD and 16-page booklet.


The DVD contains 5.1 surround mixes, 24-bit stereo mix, videos covering the making of the album, interviews with the musicians and a lyric reading where Ian Anderson reads the lyrics in various settings.


5.1 and stereo mixing by Steven Wilson.
Preorder now for 2nd of April 2012 release date




http://www.burningshed.com/store/jethrotull/product/444/3608/



1 From A Pebble Thrown

2 Pebbles Instrumental
3 Might-have-beens
4 Upper Sixth Loan Shark
5 Banker Bets, Banker Wins
6 Swing It Far
7 Adrift and Dumfounded
8 Old School Song
9 Wootton Bassett Town
10 Power and Spirit
11 Give Till It Hurts
12 Cosy Corner
13 Shunt and Shuffle
14 A Change of Horses
15 Confessional
16 Kismet in Suburbia
17 What-ifs, Maybes and Might-have-beens



2/1/12 9:13AM


2 Press releases of sorts on this
j-tull.com Ian Commentary

TAAB2
Whatever Happened To Gerald Bostock?


In 1972, I wrote and recorded the Jethro Tull Progressive Rock classic album Thick As A Brick. The lyrics were credited at the time to the fictitious child character, Gerald Bostock, whose parents supposedly lied about his age. The record instantly became a number one Billboard Chart album and enjoyed considerable success in many countries of the world.


We then, somewhat dutifully, took the quaintly theatrical show on the road in the UK, USA and a few other countries. Since 1972, the album has never been performed in its entirety although a few minutes of the material have been a regular repertoire staple in both Tull and Ian Anderson solo shows over the years.


Now, scheduled for performance again in 2012, I will take the original album and this follow-up recording, TAAB2, to a theatre near you.


So, forty years on, what would Gerald Bostock – aged fifty in 2012 – be doing today? What might have befallen him?


The theme of this anniversary “part two” album is to examine the possible different paths that the precocious young schoolboy, Gerald Bostock, might have taken later in life and to create alter-ego characters whose song-section identities illustrate the hugely varied potential twists and turns of fate and opportunity. Not just for Gerald but to echo how our own lives develop, change direction and ultimately conclude through chance encounters and interventions, however tiny and insignificant they might seem at the time.


In the development of the piece, the divergences of life’s infinitely forked roads finally give way to an almost gravitational pull which results in convergence to, perhaps, a pre-ordained, karma-like conclusion.


As we baby-boomers look back on our own lives, we must often feel an occasional “what-if” moment. Might we, like Gerald, have become instead preacher, soldier, down-and-out, shopkeeper or finance tycoon?


And those of more tender years - the social media and internet generation - may choose to ponder well the myriad of chance possibilities ahead of them at every turn.....


Odd chap, life.....


If someone had suggested that I might release a Prog concept album in the year 2012, I would have thought him seriously, dangerously even, off his trolley. But that is precisely what happened. A few years ago, Mike Andrews and Royston Eldridge, two ex-Chrysalis Records gents pressed me to consider a follow-up to Thick As A Brick. I gave it some dutiful deliberation - for a couple of minutes - and politely declined. Nice idea, nice chaps but, after reflection, no-oooooo.


Then, in 2010, a re-aquaintance with seventies Prog Rock vocalist-turned-record exec Derek Shulman - yes, he of Gentle Giant fame - restarted the old refrain. Yes, but.... no, but, and finally - OK, I'll give it some more dutiful deliberation (four and a half minutes, this time) eventually produced, in February of 2011, the synopsis of the idea. Derek's enthusiasm and gauntlet-challenge plus two weeks of dedicated, fast and furious music and lyric writing combined to produce a flurry of material. And - blow me down with a Dodo's tail-feather - the whole thing was completed ready for scoring and arranging by the beginning of March. There were a couple of pieces prepared earlier which were bent into new shape and fitted into the scheme of things, so they too were popped into the bubbling saucepan.


It was a little daunting to consider the impact – or perhaps lack of – which this release might have on old and new fans alike but I eventually decided that I would embark on this for my own benefit and enjoyment rather than trying to please anyone else at all. To find the balance of interesting musicality and more accessible content too was not the main issue. The conceptual and heavily lyrical nature of the beast, however, might be out of place in the attention span-deficit world which we seem to occupy these days. But, having toured in 2010 and 2011 in Italy, Latin America, Australia and other countries where passions run high, I decided that maybe the world – or our little corners of it – was, in fact, ready for a bit of more substantial and weightier fare.


The era of professional media Prog-bashing seems to have given way to a more appreciative appraisal of the genre and newer bands such as Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree and Spock's Beard have possibly prompted a new and younger audience to re-examine the seventies originators' seminal albums too.


So, it's not such a cold and lonely place after all. The elements of Folk, Classical and Jazz Music are still to be found in today's more Rock-oriented Progressive Rock. You will certainly find them subtly present in TAAB2 but along with a rather more acoustic feel than many of our peers, past and present. Not the only flute in town but......


Actually, I played much more acoustic guitar than usual on this record having written most of the music on that instrument. But there are still sections conceived on the flute and sometimes – quite often, in fact – the lyric writing preceded all the melodies and harmonic structures. Starting with lyrics and then thinking of the music is not normally the way I work but it was here. A title, a few words or a verse or two and then the acoustic guitar was immediately to hand to conjure up a full song section out of the growing lyrics. Having a plan was important. Stories to tell made it all easier. The imagination-filled process of thinking how things might have turned out for the young and older Gerald kept me fascinated. Maybe you will be too. And maybe not.


Ah, well – you can always go and watch The X Factor and the Eurovision Song Contest.


Ian Anderson January 2012



IAN ANDERSON's
'Thick As A Brick 2'

Ian Anderson announces 40th anniversary sequel to the hugely successful, groundbreaking 1972 album
Following the recent announcement of a 19-date tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of 'Thick As A Brick', on April 2nd Ian Anderson will release a sequel to the original album.

In 1972, Ian Anderson wrote and recorded the Jethro Tull Progressive Rock classic album 'Thick As A Brick'. The lyrics were credited at the time to the fictitious child character, Gerald Bostock, whose parents supposedly lied about his age. The record instantly became a number one Billboard Chart album and enjoyed considerable success in many countries of the world.

So, forty years on, what would Gerald Bostock - aged fifty in 2012 - be doing today? What might have befallen him? The anniversary "part two" album will examine the possible different paths that the precocious young schoolboy, Gerald Bostock, might have taken later in life through alter-ego characters with song-section identities illustrating the hugely varied potential twists and turns of fate and opportunity. Not just for Gerald but to echo how our own lives develop, change direction and ultimately conclude through chance encounters and interventions, however tiny and insignificant they might seem at the time.

Ian Anderson says of the album, "As we baby-boomers look back on our own lives, we must often feel an occasional 'what-if' moment. Might we, like Gerald, have become instead preacher, soldier, down-and-out, shopkeeper or finance tycoon?," Adding, "and those of more tender years - the social media and internet generation - may choose to ponder well the myriad of chance possibilities ahead of them at every turn....."

To coincide with this groundbreaking release, for the first time since 1972, Anderson and fellow musicians John O'Hara (keyboards), David Goodier (bass), Florian Opahle (guitar) and Scott Hammond (drums) - as well as some guest performers - will take to the road to perform the album in its entirety and, it can now exclusively be revealed that, in addition there will be a second part to the show where Anderson and the band will also perform the sequel.

'TAAB2' tracklist:
1 From A Pebble Thrown
2 Pebbles Instrumental
3 Might-have-beens
4 Upper Sixth Loan Shark
5 Banker Bets, Banker Wins
6 Swing It Far
7 Adrift And Dumfounded
8 Old School Song
9 Wootton Bassett Town
10 Power And Spirit
11 Give Till It Hurts
12 Cosy Corner
13 Shunt And Shuffle
14 A Change Of Horses
15 Confessional
16 Kismet In Suburbia
17 What-ifs, Maybes And Might-have-beens

'Thick As A Brick 2' will be released on the 2nd of April 2012 in three formats: a standard jewel case CD and digital download, and a Special Edition 2-disc format featuring the album plus a DVD containing a 5.1 surround mix, a making of the album film, interviews with the band video and engineers and lyric reading video.



no Martin Barre? I guess I am at a wait-and-see. I love TAAB immensely, but like the Yes album without Jon Anderson, I can't really expect nearly what they made with TAAB. Nostalgia at this point. But I'd rather them do this, than nothing, even sans Martin Barre.

Ian Anderson:Thick as a Brick Tour 2012!

tull homepage link

Ian Anderson Announces the Thick As A Brick Tours for 2012.

Ian Anderson performs Thick As A Brick in its entirety for the first time since 1972, going out for a world tour commencing in the UK in Mid-April. Then, it's on to European countries in the late Spring and Summer before landing in the USA for two tours spanning September, October and early November.
This tour will feature a more theatrical production with video, additional musicians and a troupe of dancing elephants. (Just kidding about the dancing elephants: they don't dance.,...)
In 1972, Ian wrote the music (and the lyrics which were credited at the time to the fictitious character, 8 year-old Gerald Bostock, whose parents lied about his age) and recorded with Jethro Tull, Thick As A Brick. The record became a number one Billboard album and enjoyed huge commercial success in most countries of the world. The album featured only one song, lasting nearly 45 minutes. To accommodate the album on LP vinyl and cassette, the seamless track was split on both sides of the record. It reached number one on the US Billboard Pop Albums chart.

Tull then dutifully took the somewhat theatrical show on the road in the Great Britain, USA, and other world markets.

Since 1972, the album has never been performed in its entirety although a few minutes of the material have been a regular repertoire staple in both Tull and IA solo shows over the years.

Now, scheduled for performance again in 2012, Ian will take the original album to a theatre near you. It will be performed in its entirety in a theatrical setting with band, and additional guests.

Well this past Summer (2011), Tull did the complete Aqualung live, which I missed unfortunately (but saw The Book of Right On and Zebulon Pike instead at least). But while I like Aqualung, Thick as a Brick is a bloody fucking masterpiece to me, my favorite Tull record, and one of my favorite records of all-time. So this very much will seem to mean a lot more to me.

Ticket prices? who knows, but given it's not the actual "Jethro Tull" name, the cost very easily could be less. Regardless, as long as there's a show in Minnesota (Fitzgerald, Orpheum, State or somewhere else), and I don't have another conflict, I certainly plan to see this.

A bump hopefully will come once the dates are announced.