Comment Archives: stories: Music
Re: “Tickets Already on Sale for Next Year's Country Thunder”
I meant Blake Shelton. Sorry. I guess my mind slipped into thinking of something more pleasant than contemporary country music for a moment.
Re: “Tickets Already on Sale for Next Year's Country Thunder”
Most contemporary country artists and their music are interchangable anyways. If you enjoy Tim McGraw then you probably enjoy Kenny Chesney or Alan Jackson or Blake Lively or George Strait or...I could go on forever.
In simpler terms, most of this stuff has the same variant as the amount of days in a year. If we're lucky we might find a true original in one out of every four artist or songs, but in all reality it is far less than that even. WAY far less.
Re: “Jacob Acosta: Chants of Diplomacy (Self-Released)”
New favorite album for my drive time!
Re: “Live”
I guess my opinion is overwritten by this article...
Re: “Rodrigo y Gabriela to Play Rialto in July”
They are a force to be reckoned with.
Re: “Back With a Beat”
Tegan and Sara have performed at least twice in Tucson before, in 2007 at the Rialto, and in 2004, when they opened for Melissa Ferrick at Club Congress.
Re: “Live”
what a terrible review. Jesus, Josh, we must not have been at the same show.
Re: “Live”
"Implicit promise of enlightenment" ??? No wonder you were disappointed. Think maybe you went in with unrealistic expectations? Just a little? It was just a concert, and a fine one at that, and your own issues have no place in your review unless you identifiy them as such. I don't think Jeff Mangum has ever promised enlightenment, implicitly or otherwise, and I think most people would find that statement absurd.
Re: “Still Around”
One of the best Shows I ever saw was when Steve played Lupo's in providence in the 80's. He blew me away and I have been a fan since. Great song writer and a great performer.
Re: “Nine Questions”
Thank you for the interview! I feel loved!
Re: “Live”
Jeff Magnum is a DAMN good name for a porno actor.
I always thought Neutral Milk Hotel made Nick Drake sound like Raffi.
Great review, Josh.
Re: “Live”
Man, Joshua, did Jeff Mangum kill your mom or something? Talk about missing the point...Geezus. If Jeff Mangum was in it for the money I doubt he would have dropped completely out of the music scene at the height of a popularity experienced by exceedingly few musicians, and think he would have played more than a handful of shows in peoples' basements over the last decade plus. He is driving himself around in a station wagon on this tour, and I saw him walk right in through the main door carrying his possessions in a plastic grocery bag--you could see the screen of his cell phone illuminated through the plastic--no one else in the lobby even recognized him. I suppose you'd attribute these things to shrewd cost cutting measures, intended to further maximize profit by saving on non-essentials like tour busses and proper luggage/backpacks, but I get the feeling there's not much that could be said to change your mind. I was at the show, and while I never thought to put JM on a timer, found the perfomance to be quite exceptional nonetheless, and one that I and countless others have waited more than a decade for. Perhaps his intention was to give these people the opportunity to finally see him and experience the extraordinary music he made first hand. As for the short set, 50 minutes really isn't that short for a solo acoustic performance. Also, you should try singing those songs sometimes--I guarantee you your lungs will not thank you. There are very, VERY few names in the history of modern music as revered as Mr. Mangum's, and I think that you are more than a little out of your element critiquing his intentions, especially since you seem to have made up out of thin air the crux of your argument...Neutral Milk Hotel Reunion...I WISH....and if there was I'd happily pay far more than 28 bucks for however long a performance they chose to grace me with. Get a life!
Re: “Live”
Amen, Joshua. I hope it isn't satire. Jeff Mangum is a precious narcissist who never would have disappeared had the internet (i.e. you and I) not stiffened his legend. I saw his show in LA at the beginning of his 'comeback'...he kept his band off-stage until about 45 minutes passed- and then his trumpet player walks out holding a single note and the crowd acts like Dizzy Gillespie had blown his first horn since being resurrected. It's bullshit.
I love Aeroplane- none of this takes away from it. It's a wonderful album. I would never skip the chance to push it on someone who's never heard it.
It's OK to admonish your heroes. If the Beatles played a few shows in the late-60s it would have been a different place and they would have finished their sets...Beatlemania was over. There's always something missing in the Beatles because they stopped performing. It's why you have to follow the Stones if you're interested in the era- they were out there, not just writing wonderful music but being a part of it.
So Jeff Mangum plays as some ossified version of his previous self because he needs the money. That's obvious. But there are casinos if that's your thing.
Re: “Live”
@Goo: You're entitled to your aesthetic. His music is not for everyone.
@Bryce: I didn't miss the positive elements that this reviewer noted. You're missing what makes the last paragraph a flashpoint for several of the angrier commentators. The emotional responses here have nothing to do with the reviewer highlighting the financial dimensions of the tour. It's because the writer presents his theory as if he is speaking for an entire fan base. On what authority can he say that Jeff's fans, many of who have waited so long to see him play, are being VICTIMIZED when they go see him perform, and implying most are so naively caught up in the experience that they don't even realize they are being taken advantage of? THAT'S what's absurd, what makes fans want to post rebuttals. We're proving he does not speak for everyone and pointing out that he has jumped to a wild, seemingly vindictive conclusion that because the experience did not deliver for him the entire tour must be about ripping people off. THAT'S what makes it a perfectly ridiculous rant. You were let down? You felt personally victimized? Fine, say so. His set was too short for what you paid? Ask for your money back. Say anything you want, as negative as whatever, but say it for YOURSELF, and don't try to speak for an entire fan base that you're obviously out of touch with. That's where this writer went over the line, and why other fans are chiming in with their own $0.02. Some of these fans seem to feel personally insulted by his reckless interpretation of an experience they found/find deeply meaningful/moving on a VERY personal level.
Re: “Still Around”
Great article on Steve Forbert.. He has always been one of my favorite singer/songwriters, and also one of my favorite people. I have known him since our Greenwich Village days, and have had the pleasure of singing with him on 2 songs on Streets of This Town, have shared the stage with him many times, and he also produced my 2nd CD, "Walks with Lions." Thank you so much for capturing this talented, witty, and humble artist. Josie Kuhn
Re: “Live”
I am not seeing where the writer has trashed the artist or his music (e.g."He was in fine form throughout," "possessor of an especially expressive voice"). The last paragraph of the article brings up the point that Mangum is cashing in on his legacy and that seems to have struck a nerve with some of you. However, that does not mean you can cast the entire article as an attack on the quality of the artistic output. It wasn't, read it again. Also, the worst way to deal with these feelings is too attack the writer and the quality of the article itself because you cannot bear to have anything not entirely complimentary stated about someone you admire.
Re: “Live”
I had never heard this Jeff Magnum guy before. After reading all the hoopla in this comment section, I had to check him out. My two word review - shit sandwich. You people are really taking a music review of some two bit, hipster has been a little to personal. Bravo, Joshua Levine, bravo.
Re: “Live”
@Destiny - The box set sells for more then 100 bucks constantly on e-bay, so if you look at it that way its a steel (AKA defiantly worth it on a dollar per dollar basis since you like to break down things in this way). Also a vinyl has been "in" for the last 15 or so years again, just a heads up for your knowledge base. The money is relative, you sound kind of cheep but thats ok, to each their own. I cant even imagine trying to enjoy any concert while thinking how much I have paid per minute and if its a good deal.. What a way to really waste my night. You pay for a show if its worth it, it should not matter how long the band plays or if they contort to all your standards. This should not even be an excess since you can find out how long any show is on the net now , set lists are posted daily so you can reference that and figure out "exactly" what you are paying for and take the element of surprise out of the equation. The band runs the show but alas everyone is a critic. I hope I never have friends with the kind of standards that you have, bleh.
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Re: “VietNam, Again”
66 years old now..and Nam Vet moniker is just getting glue.....not sure you all get it yet... though.. Big war does not work. Big planes are for big planes. Big bombs are for Raytheon. We can only win with a moral force of honest and decent forms of governing. So far, we are not the best models of behavior. Patriot to the bone, but not a supporter of either dominant party.... We have to come clean about our motives....China does. Saudi Arabia does.. ergo the reason they loan us so much money...irony being....they believe more in the democratic process than we do....if not they would not loan so much money....get it yet?