It stars Dave Willetts, who has formerly starred in Phantom and Les Miserables among many other noteworthy productions (so a fair pedigree then!) and Helena Blackman, who is probably best known for being the runner up in BBC's 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria'. I performed in a school production of 'South Pacific' (only a minor role) so I know all the songs (and a lot of the dialogue!) and I really really enjoyed it. Even the minor characters were a delight, and everyone was very watchable. I may have mentioned before, but my benchmark for judging the quality of a performance (film or theatre) is how far into the performance I look at my watch. I can honestly say that I didn't even think about glancing at my watch until the curtain came down for the interval. It was really good and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any of you that can get to see it.

The Pitchfork Music Festival has finally arrived! It kicks off at 6 pm CDT tonight with z=z local heroes Mission of Burma, performing their album Vs. in its entirety. If you're not able to attend, the entire festival is being webcast. Given the high potential for a Midwestern version of a Glastonbury-style mudfest - the forecast is for thunderstorms all three days - that might be the best way to experience the concert. No word on whether he vids will be archived for your later enjoyment.

webcast link

Friday, July 18th: Mary Weiss with Nouvellas and the Lost Crusaders at South Street Seaport

Seaport Music: Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las with Nouvellas and The Lost Crusaders

Time: 6:30pm
Date: July 18, 2008
Location: South Street Seaport

View Map HIDE EVENT DETAILS

and also on Friday, July 18th: Deerhoof and the Metropolis Ensemble: The Rite - Remixed (at Prospect Park Bandshell)

Celebrate Brooklyn & Wordless Music present DEERHOOF / METROPOLIS ENSEMBLE: THE RITE: REMIXED The mercurial experimentalists DEERHOOF, “the most creative band in indie rock today,” (LA Weekly) forge a distinctive sound out of sophisticated improvisation, fierce dissonance, and weirdly catchy melodies. They’re paired here, via the forward thinking Wordless Music Series, with a world premiere by METROPOLIS ENSEMBLE, led by Artistic Director/Conductor Andrew Cyr.  The Rite: Remixed is a collaboration with composers and live electronics producer/performers Ryan Francis, Leo Leite, and Ricardo Romaneiro, who re-conceptualize Stravinsky’s monumental The Rite of Spring through the lens of the latest sounds and technology from electronica. The work combines keyboards and laptops with huge percussion and brass ensembles to create a futuristic, rhythm-inspired sonic tableau.

So far, that's just Friday!  Click through below to see Saturday and Sunday's lineups...

Saturday, July 19th: Village Voice's 8th Annual Siren Music Festival at Coney Island

And the After-Party (1st Annual)...

New York, NY (July 2, 2008) The Village Voice, the nation's largest alternative weekly newspaper, is excited to announce the line-up for the first official SIREN FESTIVAL AFTER-PARTY on Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 9:00pm at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

APES & ANDROIDS, A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS and guests to perform at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

After-Party kicks off at 9:00pm, after the free, all day Village Voice SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL™ in Coney Island featuring STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, ISLANDS, RA RA RIOT, THE HELIO SEQUENCE, BEACH HOUSE, TIMES NEW VIKING, JAGUAR LOVE, THE DODOS, ANNUALS, FILM SCHOOL, PARTS & LABOR, DRAGONS OF ZYNTH, THESE ARE POWERS and DJs spinning throughout the day on two outdoor stages.

And, finally, on Sunday, July 20th: Liars at McCarren Pool Park with Fuck Buttons and Team Robespierre (A JellyNYC Pool Party)

Liars at the end of the ‘00s are a vastly different band than the one that helped usher in the then-trendy dance-punk of the early decade. After achieving hipster fame, they embraced an experimental approach that culminated in a dissonant, tuneless concept album. Last year's self-titled effort, thankfully, rediscovered the art of the groove —hello, hooks!—while still incorporating elements of everything from dub to noise rock to prog. Of course, with a stint opening for Radiohead this spring and a new album on the way in August, all we can expect for the future is that expectations will definitely be subverted. With Team Robespierre.

I got up earlier than I needed to on Wednesday, my day off running, to get my oil changed.  It always feels good to get that over and done with.  After work, I surprisingly succeeded in taking about a 1-hour nap while my Christmas casserole came to room temperature on the counter.  I baked it and ate a small piece while watching part of American History X.  I then got ready in world-record time, and made it to Davey’s Uptown shortly after 9 for…Voltaire.

Dave and Colby were there already.  We took some swigs of vodka in Dave’s car (and discussed the size of Nick’s penis, haha).  We waiting for Lindsey, Michelle, and Mr. Anderson to get there, and then we went in.  Jason was there as well, since Phantom Creep opened for Voltaire.

We had a couple drinks, took some fun pictures (I got one with Voltaire, second year in a row) and hung out till Voltaire came on an hour and a half late, at 12:30.  It was invigorating to be with my friends on a weeknight like that (unusual) and just have no worries, nothing to hold me back from enjoying myself.  The crowd was very into Voltaire, maybe more than last year.  He talked a lot more this time.  He was fantastic, of course, but I left when there were about 2 songs left.  It was already 1:30 and I just knew I needed to be in bed by 2.  I succeeded (another feat) and got at least 5 hours of sleep.  I had to get up at 7:30 to do my six-mile run before getting to work at 10:45.  It was a jolly good night overall.

Last night, I ran to Wild Oats after work (for lake food) and met Nick at home at 6.  We ate dinner at Wai Wai, and then sat down on the couch back at home.  We got into a discussion about video games, which bordered on arguing, until we found common (if shaky) ground, and then had sex.  After that, though, the conversation resumed, and then somehow it DID turn into an argument.  Fast forward an hour, talk turns to drugs, he expresses discomfort, I didn’t apologize right away and that upset him further, his anger upset me, and he left me crying.  I called him right away, slightly hysterical, and told him I just cannot go to the lake this weekend with him.  Can’t do it.  It’s already something I do not want to do, and it’s not even good enough that I’m doing it FOR him.  And I’ll be trapped, and anti-social, and hurting, and the idea finally spilled over into untenability.  He calmed my crying (as he is so good at) and ended up (despite my urgings to the contrary) coming back to sleep with me.  His warm body was as comforting as could be.  I told him I’ll go to the lake after all.

Guess who just bought Ray Lamontagne tickets!? Wow that was completely spur of the moment. I just logged into gmail this morning and noticed an e-mail from Ticketmaster saying that Ray tickets were going on sale at 10 am this morning and I just decided to go for it and buy 3 tickets. I have no idea if anyone I know even likes Ray, but I honestly don't care. I'm so excited!!!!!!! October 9!!!!

In case you're not gonna make it to Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival or you're going to preoccupied with another festival taking place on the same weekend, KEXP and Pitchfork have teamed up to stream audio from this weekend's Pitchfork Music Festival. Pitchfork.TV is also streaming video for from the festival, though only certain bands were chose to be featured on the video.

With regards to KEXP's stream, there is no schedule for which bands will be streaming as of yet, but I've posted a link to the Pitchfork set times, so you can probably connect the dots from there, but keep in mind that Chicago is on CST, so don't miss your favorite band because you forgot about the different time zone. The link to the Pitchfork Festival video stream is below and the list of performers and set times is below.

KEXP is also currently broadcasting exclusive live performances from ENGINE Music Studio, and later today you can listen to David Vandervelde, The Occidental Brothers and The Ruby Suns performing live via the KEXP website (or on that old fashioned radio think with the knobs and switches for you people in Seattle). Check out KEXP's website for more information on their broadcast and hopefully there will be plenty of decent recordings from these streams, so I can listen to them after I get back from Rock The Bells. Although, I might have a secret plan to sneak in to Pitchfork on Sunday. More details as they emerge...

KEXP Live From Chicago 2008 [KEXP]

Pitchfork Music Festival Streaming Video Schedule [P4KTV]

Maureen Vana, NBC5 Street Tea

At The Gates has reunited after 12 years to bring a final tour to fans around the world. Monday night's visit to the House of Blues had metal heads from far and wide in a frenzy for likely the last chance to see the highly influential Swedish death kings. At The Gates delivered an inspiring performance that will remain in memory among the lucky attendees that came to celebrate a reunion and a farewell.

See the show in photos

(Type “Maureen Vana” into the search bar at the top of this page to see my past concert photography and reviews)

Aujourd'hui, nous allons revenir sur l'artiste Lynn, qui a présenté son dernier album et certaines reprises dès 18h30 sur la scène des clubs au Jardin Anglais.

Lynn est originaire de Cuba et grandit au sein d'une famille de musiciens. A l'âge de 8 ans, elle rejoint l'école de musique puis le renommé conservatoire cubain "Amadeo Roldan" ou elle sortira en 1991.

Appréciée et reconnue pour ses qualités musicales et sa voix par le milieu artistique, LYNN aura très vite l'opportunité et l'honneur de travailler et se produire avec les "références" de la musique Cubaine et Latine (Elena Burque, Beatriz Marquez, Amauri Perez, NG La Banda, Alfredo Rodriguez, Mondito Gonzalez ou encore l'illustre Compay Secundo mais aussi Buena Vista Social Club, et bien d'autres).

En 1998, avec son groupe familial "Raiz Latina" LYNN enregistre " De todo un poco". Un album produit et distribué par Egremlabel et dont 4 titres à succès furent composés par elle... aujourd'hui elle vit à Genève.

Lynn au Jardin Anglais

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Hedwig & The Angry Inch will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a big celebration at the Highline Ballroom on August 21st. Thw show will feature a live musical performance with special guest Theo + The Skyscrapers and a dance party featuring DJ Michael T (Rated X, Motherfucker).

Concert starts promptly at 8:30pm. Tickets $20.00 in advance and $25.00 at door.

Oddly, I don't see any sort of information about John Cameron Mitchell being involved in this. Is Theo performing all the Hedwig tunes? Anyone from the cast involved? Aly Sheedy?

Ha! Sheedy! Point made, though. Theo is not an act to sneeze at, but will there be performers from Hedwigs past participating as well? A Michael Cerveris maybe? At the very least a Matt McGrath?

I remember attending a party for the release of the "Hedwig" movie at the nightclub Spa, which later became Plaid, which is now vacant I think, back when my friend used to work there. It was ultimately an affair to disremember, and yet, at the time, probably less than a year after I'd moved to the city, it seemed impossibly interesting and crackled with what I thought then was a kind of downtown frisson. Anyway. Donovan Leitch did the mini-performance as Hedwig that night, though during the encore I believe John Cameron Mitchell jumped onstage to sing a song or two ("Milford Lake" maybe?). It was dark and hot and very crowded by that point, and I was deep in overpriced vodka crans, having already used up the two drink tickets (the currency of clubland!) my friend had managed to slip me. I left tired and sweaty and weirdly energized, as I would leave many a club in those early years in New York. Perhaps too tipsy, definitely too broke, but too content, in the moment, to care.

National Anthem
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
Angry Young Man
My Life
Everybody Loves You Now
The Entertainer
Zanzibar
Allentown
The Ballad of Billy the Kid
New York State of Mind w/ Tony Bennett
Big Man on Mulberry Street
Root Beer Rag (Instrumental)
Movin' out (Anthony's Song)
Goodnight Saigon
Dont Ask Me why
This is the Time with John Mayer
Keepin the Faith
Downeaster Alexa
Stand by Me
An Innocent Man
The Boys of Summer with Don Henley
She's Always a Woman
Captain Jack
Lullabye
River of Dreams
A Hard Days Night
Pink Houses with John Mellencamp
We Didn't Start the Fire
It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
You May be Right
Please Please Me (video of this performance here)

(Encore)

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Only the Good Die Young
She Loves You
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Piano Man
Souvenir

The New York Times review of the concert can be seen here.

Dressed in sequined shirts the guys entertained with such energy and enthusiasm the crowd was wild!  We were amazed at their repertoire- fifties classics like Good Night Sweetheart, patriotic and gospel favorites.  SB former faculty member, Daryl Williams, is lead singer and piano player Cody McVey is a recent SB grad! 

One of the coolest things was that Monument donated all product sales from that night to the singing school scholarship fund.  Enough sales were generated to fund an entire scholarship to the school! 

Thank you Monument Quartet!

The seat map I had seen earlier indicated we were alongside the soundboard, but when we got there, we found ourselves 2 rows behind it.  What made it even better was that the one row in front of us was not for ticket sale, because some mics were set up and they ever-so-partially obstructed the view of Alex.  This meant we had the best sightline imagineable; my sister was quite grateful for it as she's height-challenged at 4'11".  For this show, I was there for the sound, though, as we were a bit away from the stage.  The sound and crowd was tremendous, just as I thought they would be.  The only drawback was that the aisle to our right was closed off because of a large camera, and everyone who passed in front of us to go higher were turned away and had to go around our section and enter it from its back.  This annoyance only lasted 10 minutes into the show; there were very few latecomers and everyone else got the message.  The two other great things about the place - beer sold and easy exit - held true to form.

The 2nd show was on Monday at the Nikon-at-Jones Beach Theater.   I originally had this show passed up due to financial restraints and how the place sucked overall (dead audience).   But as the date grew near, it became a pro-and-con sort of thing, a tug of war that changed hands, because in the end, I asked myself, "How can you possibly not go to a Rush concert in your backyard?"   The thought of nixing the show became ridiculous.   Billy never had a doubt I'd be there. 

So, the  two tricks were to get there on time after work and also to find a ticket.  The last time I went to a Rush concert sans ticket was only a year ago, when Bill assured me I would get hooked up at Mohegan Sun (I did).  This time, though, the plan was to get there no later than 7 and try the box office.  They usually release some good seats within an hour before showtime.  

That morning, I took the car out and intended to park it in Queens, within walking distance of the 7 at Main Street.  But a jam, knowing about a wreck on the Whitestone Bridge, and then making a wrong turn at an exit had me heading west on the Bruckner.  I got off as soon as I could and wound up parking on Home Street, which was a block south of Freeman Street but right by the 2/5 trains.  Made it in to work on time and the subways came thought again afterward - I was on the Throgs Neck by 6:20 - just 50 minutes after leaving my office above Grand Central.  I was thouroughly impressed.  Not dealing with the LIE at all had me at the venue by 6:55.  Billy had told me his broker friend could sell me a good ticket for $55 less than what the box office was releasing, so I went for that and, yes, I won out.  The box office had a more middle section, but two rows further back, so it was a "location" toss-up with a big price difference.  Bill's seats were rather close by, but we never did stand together during the show.  We did hang out by his car in the VIP lot and quickly chugged a beer as the mosquitoes came attacking.    Then it was off to the 2nd half of this show. 

I stayed till the very end this time to catch the new video the band would put up after the closing chords of YYZ.  It was cute and rather surprising because Neil was in it.  

Then came a quick surprise as just last night, I caught Rush appearing on The Colbert Report, a political satire show on Comedy Central that has taken on an Ed Sullivan vibe with the musical guests arriving.  It was the first time the band had performed on American television in 33 years. 

33 years!  So many people I know weren't even a thought at the time.

 Buddy brought fellow musician Jeff Fletcher with him and together they wowed the capacity crowd with guitar, accordian, piano and of course awesome harmonica playing! 

It was hard to pick the crowd favorite - was it The William Tell Overture played with harmonica and accordian only or the strong soulful singing of Mary Did You Know? 

For the first time ever, Stamps-Baxter hosted Buddy Greene's Harmonica workshop-40 lucky students got first hand training in harmonica use.  It was a great night!

Buddy had Ben Speer and Allison Durham Speer join him as backup singers, pretty cool.  Both could snig backup for Buddy but only Allison could backup with harmonica.  She's pretty amazing!.

BTW: Buddy Greene cowrote Mary Did You Know? with Mark Lowry.

The Local Tourist, NBC5 Street Team

Oh you with lonely hearts, be hopeful. This weekend is the Old St. Pat's World's Largest Block Party, known worldwide (thanks to Oprah) for the number of marriages which have sprung from a weekend of dancing in the streets. Already found your mate? Enjoy a romantic fireworks cruise aboard the Red Witch. Music lovers will adore Millennium Park this weekend as you listen to your heart's content to Music Without Borders, Great Performers of Illinois, and to Jimmie Vaughan as he performs at the Buddy Guy Tribute Concert.

Since the stomach is often touted as the way to the heart, you'll be able to feel the love at the Chef's Summer BBQ Festival and at Citizen's Outdoor Cooking Class. And who doesn't love Willy Wonka? Be enamored by a musical version of the children's favorite at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. You can also get straight to the heart of things with the Midsummer Nights Dream at the Underground, a benefit for the Children's Heart Foundation.

With all this love, my heart's about to overflow. I better sign off before I start writing sonnets and singing ballads. Have a great weekend!

Theresa

p.s. I would LOVE to see you next Thursday at TLT and Here's Chicago's Celebrate Summer party! It's from 6 to 8:30 at new hotspot Texas de Brazil. Free appetizers and two drinks included. RSVP@paramountpr.com

Hopefully Safari Sam's has fixed their air conditioning issues if too many people show up.

Last night i saw Gulf of Mexico at Emo's.  They were all right, but i have to say that The Nasty Clan was the most impressive of the evening.  I don't have too much to say about the whole evening.  There was some kinda show outside, but i didn't like the sound of it, so i stayed inside the whole night.  The Drawing Board rocked it when they played an uptempo version of Bowie's hit, Life on Mars, which was probably my favorite moment of the night.  Finally, before Gulf of Mexico went on, The Little Gentleman showed their intensity.  That was about it.

Oh, i forgot to say... I saw that Bus Stop Stallions where playing at some place on my way home... their review got lost in the shuffle somewhere when i moved to wordpress... but they are good, and you should check them out.

Gulf of Mexico

The Nasty Clan

The Little Gentleman

Most of our students come from the United States but we have students from Northern Ireland, Australia, Sweden, and Canada attending this year.  Who knew southern gospel music reached across the ocean!  We have families attending, lots of young people, folks who sing in southern gospel groups and those that are worship ministers in their churches - the common thread linking the diversity of ages, cultures, and backgrounds of students is the love of music!

The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival prides themselves as being ahead of the game. Upon speaking to a few folks before the event, they were doubtful about the line-up which consisted from a number of talented local artists such as Fresh Daily, Mickey Factz to LA-based Blu and Exile. These names probably would not ring a bell if you are not in the indie, real hip-hop game. As Craig Hackey, a jack-of-all-trades for Brooklyn Bodega, brought up in a conversation recently, "If you can recall, three years ago, hardly anyone has heard of Lupe Fiasco or at least, his following was non-existent at the festival." Today he is recognized as one of the better artists of our generation and crowds would chant his name during shows as I witnessed at a sold out S.O.B.'s show a couple of months ago. What is my point? Keep an eye out for these artists who have graced the stage this year. They just might be saved on your top playlist on your iPod before you know it.

The political movement is also hot this year with Obama being in the race. He has created an awareness that has brought about more active youths and more people willing to make themselves heard. The festival’s headliner, KRS-One aka The Teacher, known to use his influence to encourage the audience to speak their voice stated, “If you don’t vote, you are still saying something”. Kevin Powell, running for Congress, was also there campaigning for himself. He has definitely came a long way from the MTV Real World days. Bottom line, be proactive and vote when the time comes. Make what you believe in count.

The after-party held at Southpaw in Brooklyn was a great event in itself. Detroit was representing to the fullest with Invincible and Platinum Pied Pipers on stage. There was a surprise performance by Keith Murray and DJ Parler rocking the decks in the basement level. Hosted by House Shoes, the Platinum Pied Pipers had the opportunity to do a few of their new joints for the audience. If you did not know, their new album titled Abundance drops in a few months. The performances were great and the crowd captivated… the after-party was funky fresh.

The day of the festival ended on a good note with full of tired but smiling people. I already can’t wait until next year to see who they would bring out to rock Brooklyn again. Until next time, as Brooklyn Bodega would say, "Support, Celebrate, Represent."  

Peep the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fusicology/sets/72157606187063690/