Way back on June 12, hipsters gathered for the all-day Woodsist Festival at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur. The nine-band lineup—featured acts that have recorded on the lo-fi indie Woodsist record label—included Kurt Vile, Moon Duo and Real Estate.
A documentary short on that wonderful summer day was posted some time back on Pitchfork aka the king of all large beards and skinny jeans.
PS: If you were there, there's a good chance you're in the doc.
I was unable to attend the Cat Power show because my beloved Bubbie (grandma) was in town, so I enlisted the musical intellect of Shane Dolbier, who painted a delectable taste of the performance. Dolbier passes on his apologies for the shoddy camera work.
Not many creatures dislike the rain more than a cat, but near the top of the list most definitely treads the weather-worried outside concert promoter. Precipitation began panic when it looked like Cat Power—one of the area's biggest concert coups of 2010 behind Arcade Fire—might be canceled due to rain. The lucky ticket holders learned the morning of the grand event that there would indeed be a show, but instead of the outside venue at Henry Miller Library, it would be at Hidden Valley in Carmel Valley.
Where you say? Isn't Hidden Valley a place where they make ranch salad dressing? I was not alone in not knowing of the performing arts venue typically reserved for more refined fare. Choruses of "I didn't even know this place was here" echoed through the long line of damp devotees as they waited patiently outside the rustic pavilion in the increasingly persistent drizzle of rain. Those in line early enough, were treated to a brief sound check by lo-fi garage-popsters Sic Alps, who unfortunately would play no more this evening as they were bumped from their opening slot (turns out Carmel Valley has an early curfew of 10:35pm).
From the outside, Hidden Valley's 300-seat facility looks no different than your average public park picnic pavilion, but inside awaits an ample stage with generous sight-lines, an open floor for the young at body, and theater-seating around the building's perimeter for the not so spry. Cat Power frontwoman Chan Marshall—with her Madison Avenue model looks and well-traveled, patented purr—quickly transformed the space from a barn dance into an intimate, cosmopolitan nightclub you'd find far from Monterey County.
The alluring chanteuse wasted no time launching into one of the many covers, for which she's become known as artiste du reconstruction. Taking the stage with an electric guitar as her sole accompaniment, she slinked through the Stones'"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" with a version even more disjointed than those unique takes found on her The Covers Record or any of her several John Peel appearances.
Halfway into song two, "Good Woman" from You Are Free, her stellar band joined her for the remainder of the 90-minute set. Throughout the night the guitar-bass-keyboards-drums ensemble was encouraged to break away from spinning lush backgrounds for Marshall's sultry yarns, and to spring into bombastic acid jazz jams to bookend otherwise gentle melodies. Just when you'd be lured into a peaceful state, a blitz of Mitch Mitchell drums and spaz organ freakouts would jerk you out of catatonia, only to blissfully fall back into a quiet, cool hypnosis. As the fury ebbed and flowed, one could only imagine this was a first for the Hidden Valley.
Creative covers peppered the night's performance; homage highlights include "Making Believe" from obscure country-western one-hit wonder Jimmy Work, and an epic stab at Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams."Marshall originals from nearly every album she's released found their way into the set list. Looking ahead through the offering "Cherokee," which is rumored to be appearing on her forthcoming album, there is great cause for excitement; if the whole of the album is as good as the dark, intensely build of "Cherokee," there will be no reason to settle on The Greatest as the pinnacle of Marshall's career.
Without the full-blown Memphis Rhythm Band that helped lift The Greatest to such great heights, one wondered if the title track would make an appearance. As Marshall is wont to do with others material, her mildly-upbeat breakthrough hit came in the form of an almost unrecognizably slow dirge; the masterful tune, ensconced in her thick, syrupy, unique drawl, reminded us all that everything is subject to change—and that change can be sometimes good.
Back in September, I gave props to a local gent for winning the right to party where every red-hot something something has wanted to chill, at least one night, since the day Hef set up his indulgence factory in Beverly Hills. Rob Hustle recently released "Life is Epic," a video about his 15 minutes rubbing Playboy Bunny skin.
Here's a little lyrical taste before you watch the video below: It's fuckin epic when you young rich rock mics at night time, laugh when people tell you life's a bitch/ It's fuckin epic when you on that grind me and shoemoney poppin bottles in the grotto got them bunnies in line.
I've been eagerly awaiting some kind of a Grateful Dead presence at this year's NLCS between the Phillies and the Giants. Last night, I got my wish. Heavily-bearded Bobby Weir, bassist Phil Lesh and Further bandmember Jeff Pehrson sang the National Anthem before game 5. The trio, clad with Giants jerseys, belted out with beautiful harmony. The Dead continue to run through the veins of San Francisco as if they were the unofficial mayors of the city.
This wasn't the first time The Dead appeared before its hometown team's game: In 1993, the late Jerry Garcia, Weir and the late Vince Welnick sang the Anthem on opening day at Candlestick Park.
Jack Preston is a modern day Renaissance man: he makes art, beats and can write some dope lyrics. The former Monterey resident—who used to sit in with the local hip-hop outfit Le Vice—has been busy since moving to Atlanta a few years back.
Pres' most recent venture,The Sonikah Projectwith Jon Bom, is heavy with complex beats and thoughtful prose a la A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.
The album marks a new plateau for Pres; in an email he says: This is the first time I've sold any of my music, so it's a pretty big deal for me.
Check out the cornucopia of creation going down at Pres' website
In March of 2009, I previewed a local show with Bay Area synth-rockers French Miami. Exactly one year later, the trio played the coveted SXSW in Austin, Texas and Monterey County Weekly writers Stuart Thornton and Mark C. Anderson were there to cover it. Now, based out of the uber-hip Mecca known as Brooklyn, the band continues making moves and turning heads including a recent blurb in Rolling Stone:
"San Fran psychopaths craft skull-collapsing post-punk, wiry guitars twitching over steady chugging rhythms." French Miami reports that they are staying ultra-busy in NYC, readying to play gigs at the CMJ Festival and releasing a new EP, Motor Skills, on November 16.
Don't fret, the prog-rockers return to the area with a show at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz on October 24.
I was snapping photos and jotting notes long before I started this blog. It's time to revisit some of my favorite musical memories before they disappear into oblivion faster than Snooki's 15 minutes of pseudo-stardom. I'll begin with one of my favorites, the underrated and poorly attended 2007 Summer of Love Festival at the Monterey Fairgrounds. The Doors' original guitarist Robbie Krieger (pictured above), along with organist Ray Manzarek helped celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Monterey Pop Fest. FYI: The Doors were not invited to play the Pop Fest back in 1967.
A mesmerized crowd looks on as Beck plays at the inaugural Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco in 2008.
Black Thought, of The Roots, at the first and only Monterey Music Summit
at the Monterey Fairgrounds in 2007. Another poorly attended attempt to create another Pop Festival.
Pegi Young, longtime wife of Neil, playing a benefit for the Fire Brigade at the Henry Miller Library in 2007.
In 2009, Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus, backed by the Jicks, tore it up in Big Sur.
Thealways-entertaining Entrance Band made sure not to forget its mushroom supply for their first show at the Brookdale Lodge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Guy Blakeslee (above) told me after the show that he felt the presence of ghosts while he played.
Lynyrd Skynyrd inspired folks to show their confederate love at the 2008 Salinas Rodeo. And yes, they did play "Free Bird."
It's hard not to want to hype the hell out of honeymoon (the band). Along with infectious personalities, these four ladies harmonize with a soulful union that makes you want to hug everyone around you.
The collaboration of singer/songwriters Lauren Shera, Andrea Blunt, Christina Bailey and Sara Bollwinkel—accompanied by Matt Bailey on drums and Matt Bollwinkel on bass—is a near-perfect marriage of music theory and free-spirited folk.
The four-piece's long awaited debut EP After the Flood will be celebrated in style on Saturday, October 16 at 7:30pm at the Henry Miller Library. All attendees will receive a free copy of the album. There will also be a special guest.
The album includes three original tracks and a cover of Nick Drake's heartfelt "Black Eyed Dog."
It took Beach BoyAl Jardine almost two decades to complete his own Shangri-La, Red Barn Studio. Everyone from The Red Hot Chili Peppers to Ramblin' Jack Elliott have played music within its rustic walls. But don't let its old world, barn-like exterior fool you; the working recording studio is stacked with state-of-the-art equipment.
Check out Jardine's studio in the video below. Notice the 6-foot giraffe—an impulsive purchase made in1965.
My buddy and colleague Stuart Thornton and I had the opportunity last week to spend time with Jardine at his Big Sur homestead and studio talking about Red Barn Studio, his new album Postcard From California and his upcoming show at the Henry Miller Library on Friday, October 8, his first live performance in Big Sur.
"It's beautiful here; I feel like a kid," frontman Win Butler told me after performing. "Our first show was just as intimate as this." Arcade Fire was in its element on Tuesday night in Big Sur. No stadium crowds, no light shows, just transcending music in front of about 350 people (Thursday and Friday they play the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles).
Earlier in the day, the 7-piece band's sound check was cut short due to some rainfall so they were forced to finish inside the pint-sized building at Henry Miller Library.
The more than 2-hour set was laden with songs from AF's recent The Suburbs and its heart-on-the-sleeve classic, Funeral. Appropriately, the show ended with the climactic favorite, "Wake Up."
Mad props to (((folkYEAH!))) Presents for bringing one of the biggest music acts in the world to the humble Henry Miller Library. Also, a big thanks to library director Magnus Toren and the dozens of volunteers.
The Fernwood Campgrounds in Big Sur were doused with the whiskey-hearted music of The Felice Brothers and the quivering voice of Conor Oberst on Friday night—one of three shows of their California mini tour.
I have to say, The Felice Brothers, who opened and then backed Oberst, stole the show with a rowdy set heavy with new songs from their forthcoming album including one tune that sounded like the synth-happy The Gossip.
I was very surprised that Oberst didn't play an encore, though there were three slated on his official set list pictured below.
The wonderfully talented Jamie Jarrard, Post Ranch executive pastry chef, provided a delicious back-stage spread for the musicians that included curried-coconut lentil stew, roasted veggies, roasted chicken, coconut vanilla bean sorbet and peanut butter bark.
"She's basically the bomb," Felice Brothers accordion player James Felice said of Jarrard's cuisine.
Stay tuned for coverage of the Arcade Fire show this coming Tuesday at the Henry Miller Library. Because when it's live and local, I'm listening.
