Monday, July 28, 2014

Jurassic 5- The Rave, 7/24/014

Jurassic 5 reunited for their 20th anniversary show last week at the Rave and performed to a packed house bringing their "old school" hip hop stylings to fans new and old.  At one point in the show, the most well-know of the J5 emcees, Chali 2Na, addressed the crowd asking for a show of hands of how many people in attendance were age 25 and older, and how many were age 25 and younger. Coincidentally, it was almost an even split, showing how this group of four harmonizing emcees (Akil, Zaakir, Marc 7, and Chali 2Na)  backed by two virtuoso deejays (Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark) can move a crowd to head-bob and dance regardless of age.  For what it's worth, my concert companions and I were in the "way old school" crowd of 35 or older- although there were fans much older than us in attendance, proving the wide range of Jurassic 5's appeal.

J5- photo by Will Piper
Jurassic 5, despite some gray hairs and beards, rolled through a robust hour and forty minute set covering their four studio albums, solo work from Chali 2Na, and ep releases. The emcees barely took a break, nor did they pull any of the classic hip-hop hype filler ("throw your hands in the air, "everybody make some NOISE," etc.).  As with the previous J5 shows I've seen, "it's all about the beats and the lyrics." The show flowed well from track to track, and the emcees barely missed a beat.  The show was a wonderful retrospective of their sound and positive hip hop vibe, which has long drawn comparison to acts like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Pharcyde.

Jurassic 5 distinguished themselves from their peers with their rhyme sharing and harmonies which were as good as ever on tracks like "Concrete Schoolyard,""Quality Control," and "Freedom."  Other numbers like, "Jayou," "What's Golden," and "Jurass Finish First" were also noteworthy.

Jurassic 5 are master showmen and their smiles, interplay and flow were evident on just about all of their tracks.  They clearly enjoyed performing together and entertaining their audience at The Rave.

If I had to name a challenge for the show, it would have to be the mix.  While DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist are truly masters in their trade, rarely could you hear their beat matching over the emcees' vocals and basic bass and drum beats.  This is the most common gripe many concert goers, including myself, have with live hip hop, but there is a reason it gets brought up so much... it is hard to recreate the studio live.  That said, in my estimation, admittedly as someone who is not often drawn to hip hop music, Jurassic 5 delivered about as good of a set as one could ask for.



Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Jack White- The Eagles Ballroom, 7/21/14

photo courtesy of Jack White; photo by David James Swanson
Jack White is an artist who I've admired for a long time, but never have had the opportunity to see live prior to last night's sold-out show at the Eagles Ballroom. During the rise of the White Stripes, my musical interest leaned more towards jam-band acts, and while I had plenty of opportunities to catch White in the band that put him on the map, I passed. At the time, the White Stripes seemed too loud and noisy.

It wasn't until White's 2012 Blunderbuss record came out that I really started to get into White's rich repertoire of music. Blunderbuss was my album of the year for 2012 and remains a record I frequently play. One could argue that there is no current active touring artist who has a bigger catalog of music to draw from than Jack White.  From the White Stripes, to the Raconteurs, to the Dead Weather to solo material, White covers a lot of musical ground and genres.   While I might be somewhat of a late comer to the Jack White party, White's reputation of being one of the best showmen and active songwriters preceded him.  Bluntly stated, the guy oozes talent, and from his lyrics and vocals, to guitar work and accompanying arrangements, he has established himself as a pioneering force in modern rock 'n roll.

For that reason, I joined the 3,500 plus huddled sweaty masses in the Eagles Ballroom on the warmest night of the summer to experience the pomp and pageantry White and his band had to offer on their current tour in support of White's second solo record, Lazaretto.

White created quite the anticipation for his performance by closing a light blue curtain over the stage between New Orleans singer-songwriter Benjamin Booker's set and White's.  Stage hands, dressed like early 1900's mobsters in coordinated outfits, hurried and scurried in front and behind the stage to make sure everything was ready.  At one point about 15 minutes prior to show time, one of the stage hands came out and reminded the capacity crowd to take care of each other on a hot night in the Eagles Ballroom and that, "this is a big rock 'n roll show, much bigger than the size of your cell phone screen," encouraging fans to enjoy the show without feeling the need to record video or pics, which White's hired photographer would do for everyone and post to the Jack White website for free.  Remarkably, the majority of the crowd complied, and very few folks tried to capture the show on their phones.  To be honest, this was quite refreshing to see, and I kept my phone in my pocket (aside from checking the Brewers score, which, knowing me is to be expected).

photo courtesy of Jack White; photo by David James Swanson
As a performer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel entertainment writer, Piet Levy, sums White up perfectly as a "mad scientist."  White was clearly the man in charge and he ran around the stage in a wild frenzy to open the show with the White Stripe's number, "Icky Thump,"  into a breakneck version of "Astro," My favorite track off of Lazaretto, "Just One Drink" followed.  Then came the title track, "Lazaretto," during which White became visibly frustrated with the sound and technical issues on stage. Like a baseball pitcher tagged for a few runs in the first inning, it took White a while to regain his poise and form after this set back.  White seemed to calm down a bit during a more Americana portion of the set which featured a wonderfully reworked and stripped down version of "Hotel Yorba," alongside, more alt-country infused tracks like "Temporary Ground," "Would You Fight for my Love," and "Alone in My Home."  White often was aided by violin/fiddle player, Lillie Mae Rische who did a superb job on background vocals and duets with White. Rische is truly a gifted musician and along with drummer Daru Jones's energetic playing, created almost a more lush rendition of sounds Jack created years ago with Meg White.  The rest of the touring band was exceptional as well, adding rich soundscapes to drive a lot of the tracks.

photo courtesy of Jack White; photo by David James Swanson
While White's stage banter often came across garbled and hard to decipher or understand, he made a point of giving a shout out to the Eagles Ballroom as a venue he has enjoyed playing in the past with the White Stripes and Raconteurs, and also dedicated the Blunderbuss track, "Missing Pieces" to the Cactus Club and other small venues he'd played in the past in Milwaukee.  This proved to be the highlight of the set of me and the tune that really captured White's energy, raw emotion and sound the best.

White played a six song encore which sent the crowd home happy with rousing renditions of the classic White Stripes song, "Fell In Love with a Girl," and the Raconteurs' rousing hit, "Steady As She Goes." Perhaps White's most buzzworthy move of the evening was covering a portion of Lorde's hit "Royals" which he flowed into"Suzy Lee," a deeper White Stripes cut.  White's most famous track, the football stadium anthem, "Seven Nation Army," predictably ended the show on a high note.

White is a true rock 'n roll showman, whose crazed frenzy helps shape his music and create a memorable performance for his fans fortunate enough to catch this relatively intimate performance from an artist who is now headlining festivals.  While this was not a "show of the year" performance in my book, it was a very good rock 'n roll concert by an artist who is at the top of his game.

photo courtesy of Jack White; photo by David James Swanson

Setlist courtesy of Setlist.fm

  1. (Hank Williams cover)
  2. Encore:
  3. (Lorde cover) (Tease)




Sunday, July 13, 2014

Fort Frances- Bastille Days, 7/12/14

photo by Will Piper
Chicago's Fort Frances made their first ever appearance at Bastille Days for a robust set of music.  What was slated as a two-set opening gig for Vic and Gab, turned into a soggy show filled with loyal fans with umbrellas and Milwaukee Franco-enthusiasts jamming out to the band's music despite a steady drizzle which culminated in a full-on deluge of rain and knocked out the lights and forced the band to end its set after nearly two hours of tunes.  Many bands, under such conditions, could have chosen to "mail it in."  Fort Frances did the opposite-- they had fun and brought their "A Game."

This is the third time I've seen Fort Frances, and each show has been very different from the others, from seeing the band headline Club Garibaldi last November, to open for Lone Bellow in front of a near-capacity Shank Hall crowd this past January, to playing in front of an ever-changing group of passers by, festival attendees, and some die-hard fans at Bastille Days.

For an evening that was less-than-ideal for live music, Fort Frances's melodies and professional musicianship engaged the crowd, so much so, that several folks, despite the rain, parked themselves at the stage to hear the band's set.  One gentleman gave the band a $20 tip as he loved their music so much.

This was the loosest I've seen Fort Frances.  While their set contained a lot of more notable tracks like, "How to Turn Back Again," "Truths that I Used to Know," "Plastic Hearts," and "City By the Sea," there were a lot of new tunes which held up as strong as any of their previous work.  In fact, I would argue that the newer tunes seem more musically and lyrically ambitious which brings me back to my hypothesis that the band's best is still yet to come.  In addition to newer material, Fort Frances delivered a cover-heavy set which included renditions of "Summertime," (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince), "Nothing Compares to You" (Prince), "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (Paul Simon), "Friday I'm in Love" (The Cure), and my personal favorite of the night, a one-off version of "Sand" by Phish (which they jammed out to about the 7 minute mark... not bad for a band who prides themselves on concise melodies and riffs over noodling).   In addition, the band sandwiched "Ghosts of California" inserting the Beatles "Get Back" in the middle of the tune with drummer Aaron Kiser on vocals.  Simply stated, when you have fun doing what you're doing, others will have a blast with you.  I think cruddy weather aside all in attendance at Fort Frances's Bastille Day set had a great time along with the band.


Saturday, July 5, 2014

The Hold Steady- 88.9 Radio Milwaukee Studio Session and U.S. Cellular Connection Stage- Summerfest, 7/2/14

photo by Stephen Bloch
Music has the wonderful power at times to let listeners escape into another world and, for the time they are listening, get caught up in the action of characters and songs and forget about life for a while.  Such is my experience as a fan of The Hold Steady, the Brooklyn via Minneapolis quintet, known for boisterous rock 'n roll, compliments of Tad Kubler's arrangements, and the unique narrative, almost-spoken word, lyrical delivery of the animated storyteller and front man, Craig Finn.
Interestingly enough, Wisconsin holds a close place in the heart of the band, as guitarist Tad Kubler grew up in Janesville, and bass player, Galen Polivka grew up in Whitefish Bay, along with original drummer, Judd Counsell.


I have had the pleasure of seeing several Hold Steady shows throughout my years as a music fan, including a historic show with them and Heartless Bastards at the Mirimar Theater in 2007, with maybe 150-200 folks in attendance, two shows in 2008 and 2009 at the Majestic Theater in Madison, and their previous performance at Summerfest on the U.S. Cellular stage in 2010.

Put simply, the Hold Steady is a rock 'n roll act in its purest form.  Their songs are often compact arrangements driven by pounding guitars, thumping bass riffs, and straight-ahead drums, with Finn's sing-shout-talk lyrical style as an overlay.  Up until 2010, the band included keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist, Franz Nicolay, whose departure changed the sound of the band dramatically.   Keyboard, harmonica and accordion arrangements that Nicolay was know for were replaced by guitarist Steven Selvidge, formerly of Lucero.  This swap turned the Hold Steady from more of a 1970's era Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band sounding act into more of a late 1980's guitar driven outfit.

After 2010's lackluster Heaven is Whenever, the band went though some personal growth and returned with a more mature and musically succinct effort, Teeth Dreams this year.  The live interview and studio session, which I had the pleasure of taking in from the front row was a great conversation between the band and Ken, the 88.9 DJ who conducted the interview.  The set consisted of four powerful tracks off of Teeth Dreams, "Spinners," "The Ambassador," "I Hope his Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You," and, "Almost Everything."  The candidness and intimacy of the session reminded me of VH-1 Storytellers' series.  It also reaffirmed that while the Hold Steady has achieved some commercial success, they remain humble musicians who are passionate about their craft and working with each other. 

Craig Finn during the 88.9 Studio Milwaukee Session; photo by Stephen Bloch 


For their headlining Summerfest gig, the crowd at the U.S. Cellular Stage was considerably smaller than it was in 2010 when the band last played the world's largest music festival.  That did not stop Finn, Kubler and company from delivering a compelling and riveting performance, incorporating material from the band's six records.   The Hold Steady opened with "Positive Jam," the first track off of their debut record, Almost Killed Me, and a number which I had never heard previously.  It was a great building rocker to set the stage for an evening of tunes.

Photo by Stephen Bloch
The set favored numbers from the band's most commercially and critically acclaimed record, Boys and Girls in America, which sounded different with more intricate guitar interplay between Selvidge and Kubler. Other tracks like "The Swish" and "Constructive Summer" felt like new re-energized numbers despite being older tracks.

As for the crowd, we all were quickly energized and jumped up and down on the bleachers shouting out lyrics along with Finn, while having a great time and escaping life for a while to enjoy some good ol' rock 'n roll music.