Secrets of the City

i adore Walsh and his writing, but i think he missed the mark a bit.

it was somewhere in between. they sounded tighter than they had in years at times (and at times heavier than they ever have), but then at times you could also tell that this was still very much in the early stages too.

the new songs are all fantastic though, especially Lately (which was reworked a bit from the earlier more acoustic versions)

Bream’s review is pretty good, and normally i’m pretty skeptical of his reviews.

from talking w/ plenty of hardcore fans after the show (and on the Jayhawks forum), everybody definitely enjoyed it, even if some of us were a bit bummed it got moved next door. i guarantee it wouldn’t have sounded nearly as good though.

the tightest song of the night was the set closer, Just Like Anyone, they absolutely nailed that one. Summer of Drugs was one of the better versions i’ve ever heard them do too.

also, Stinson fit like a glove. i was a bit unsure if he’d be too much of a showman/pro to fill Karl’s shoes, but while he was a lot more animated than Karl usually was, the smile on his face and how effortlessly playing the songs seemed for him, i really hope he decides to stick around if his schedule allows for it (which it should).

Bream’s review here with more photos:
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1526/5688577.html

And more commentary here:
http://www.tcpunk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8251

thanks pete. wow, they don’t like michael bland over there. why? i remember the first time i saw that guy play, at the uptown bar with a band called bathoscope? is that right? long before prince used him. he’s always been my fav since that night. bream makes the point that this current configuration would make them a potentially ~great~ band. if we zoom back to when they were ~good~ i wonder what has changed in terms of what they’ve lost, and can they recapture it for the long haul with bland and stinson? time will tell…

I’ve never liked Michael Bland in the band, myself, but he’s a great drummer and I’ve dug his gigs with Sonny Thompson, Har Mar, and Prince. And I watch the old footage with Grant on drums and hear him not being nearly as solid. But I don’t know: To me, Soul Asylum-type rock needs to be heavy on top, on the snare, and Bland’s beats feel heavy on the bottom, on the kick. That’s the only way I can describe it. Then again, I don’t like most drummers, so I’m fussy…

I dunno. I love Soul Asylum, but last night was messy, and not the old Dave-as-thrashing-derelict-performance-artist messy. They were a step slow; I don’t know whether it was because they were grieving, or the sound problems and the move to the main room, or the fact that they were just unrehearsed. I was anticipating a triumphant return to the Entry, but in the quarter-full main room the tone alternated between resiliance and resignation. When the show first moved, everybody was on their cell phones calling their friends to let them know that there were hundreds of tickets available to what was supposed to be this exciting, exclusive show. When they did start, Dave and Danny looked a little more grown up, but they sounded pretty good, and Michael Bland was thumping those drums. And Tommy looked and sounded pretty good– chomping his gum, sneering and bouncing around–on the harder stuff like “Cartoon” and “Somebody to Shove,” (that new “Shock Treatment” song rocked too (well, “new” as in “unreleased”–I think they’ve been playing it for like 5 years)) but when the band started in on that long middle part of their set full of those mid-tempo ballads, he had a smirk on his face that said, “Westerberg always told me these guys were a bunch of clowns.”

hee hee.

I inanely linked all of the above and more here:
http://blogs.citypages.com/pscholtes/2005/10/i_hear_they_fou.asp

SA couldn’t possibly be “clowns” compared to the stooges he played with in “GNR”

now that was a circus freakshow if i’ve ever seen one.

Are you really a GNR purist, Solace? There’s nothing more overrated than a band’s original line up. I thought GNR’s 2002 tour stop with Buckethead and Tommy and Robin Finck at the Target Center was excellent. Tommy looked a lot more comfortable on that stage than last night’s rehearsal with the “B-teamers.” Maybe because Axl is such a disciplined task master in the studio.

Dang, I wish I’d have gone down to see if there were any tix. I can take solace in having seen them in the Entry once, temporarily performing as Loud Fast Rules for a Rifle Sport reunion. One of their best shows ever. They played really old stuff, then busted into some Grave Dancers songs and, much to Karl’s obvious dismay, Jukebox Hero.

I’ve seen Michael Bland in a pop band called Thrush and thought he was pretty amazing, but yeah, I can see being too heavy for SA. Pete hates drummers – let the record show Pete *is* a drummer.

Steve, i stopped caring about GNR around 1993, when most people should have honestly

I refuse to believe that’s true.

what? why wouldn’t you believe that?

i haven’t listened to any of the 80’s hairbands that i listened to from around 87-89 in 15 years or more.

thankfully The Pixies and Jane’s Addiction saved me around 89/90

GNR is not a hair band. You’re so unfair.

Go listen to Appetite for Destruction tonight. It will be good for you.

Why didn’t Soul Asylum cover “Welcome to the Jungle” by the way? Dave’s always good for a goofy cover: “Gone ’till November,” “And Then I Got High,” “Waterfalls.” I didn’t have the courage to yell this out for fear of being the asshole in the crowd yelling out “Welcome to the Jungle.” Evidently, I have no problem being that guy on a blog though.

Solace -seriously, I’d rather listen to most ’80s hair bands than Jane’s Addiction. They may go down as one of the most overrated bands of all-times. GnR was about 100 times more exciting than JA on it’s best day.

The Pixies, I can understand, but if I never hear Jane’s Addiction again I sure won’t miss it.

they’re not as cheesedick as most of their peers from that era, you are correct, but Appetite has not aged very well imo.

btw, it was the first thing i ever bought on CD

why were you at the show if you don’t like Soul Asylum? Tommy fanboy?

and Henry, i don’t like Jane’s much anymore (most everything after Ritual de lo Habitual i had no interest in), but they were definitely a gateway bridge between 80’s hair/glam to the early 90’s sound, anyone who denies that, regardless if you like their music or not, is rather naive imo.

Hi, Solace. What gave you the impression that I don’t like Soul Asylum? I’m just pointing out that Tommy Stinson is cooler than Dan and Dave, and he clearly thinks so too, based on his smirk. You might take issue with my smirk interpretation, but the fact that Tommy Stinson is cooler than Dan and Dave isn’t debatable, right? That shouldn’t disqualify me as a Soul Asylum fan.

I don’t think they were a gateway bridge, I just think they happened to be around at the same time as all those other bands and milked the “alternative rock” cash cow. “Coming from the Mountains!!!!” Sounds like somethin a stoned 14-year-old would write after watching “Song Remains the Same.” I don’t mean to go off on you, Solace, it really is ’cause I love to hate that band and that pompous no-talent dweeb Perry Farrell (his weaknesses were left exposed in that Porno for Pyros project he worked on – funny, nobody really talks about them with the same twinge of nostalgia, eh?)

There, now I feel better.

skynyrd rules

Bud is a jackass.

that’s fine, but i don’t really give a shit who is “cooler” than who, i like music, plain and simple.

i agree Tommy is “cool”, but sometimes people who are cool and know it kinda bug me…

you just came off like you went there just to see Tommy play w/ SA and hope it would “fail” or something, sorry if i mistook your comments.

and Henry, i actually liked a handful of Porno For Pyros songs. honestly, as someone who has played music for 17 years or so myself, no offense, but even if you don’t like Perry, calling him a “no talent dweeb” either means you’re very biased, or you don’t know too much musically…

The big question. How can you be cool and not know it? Can’t.

Next time I’ll be sure to include the full lyrics to “Never Really Been” whenever I post about Soul Asylum, so I’ll be accepted by you true believers.

And you do too give a shit about coolness. Quit fronting.

i should clarify, i don’t think Perry is super talented or anywhere near a “musical genius” or anything, but to say he has no talent is silly and uncalled for imo. hell, Jessica Simpson has talent, just happens to be not something i’d care to listen to either.

if anything he’s better at the business side of music than anything (although he was rather naive to think that the Lolla in ‘03 would work)

Perry Farrell never played a musical instrument, so I stand by my “no-talent dweeb” comment.
He was a hell of a hustler and self-promoter, though, so maybe that was his talent.

Danny B, easy imo

the coolest people i’ve met in my life are always the ones who just are cool plain and simple. they don’t come off like it’s an act or anything else, they just are.

I dislike it when blog comments become tangential flame wars about other things. I started this, so I’ll try to bring back around. Why do you think actors are cool? Because they know what cool is, and how to act like it. Why is every band you see considered an “act?” Because they act cool and play cool songs. Why do fine ass movie stars (even one’s form Minnesota) date actors and musicians? Because those dudes know what’s cool, and they know it’s them. That’s not the same as being a dick, it just means you’d rather not hang with people who aren’t cool, and bang hot movie star chicks with noted taste in music. If we’re arguing the semantics of “cool,” there might not be a better example than Pirner. He knew what he was doing, dude. None of this was an accident. Actually, Axel is way cooler than Dave. Sorry.

by “know it”, it’s one thing to know it yourself inside, but it’s another to know it and project that attitude outwardly, that’s all i was talking about

So you’re saying Tommy Stinson’s coolness is an act? I think anybody with any kind of sangfroid is balanced between being aware/not aware of their own coolness. There’s a performance aspect to coolness, both for people that have “stage clothes” and the everyday ham and egger cool people.

so you’re a psychologist and a psychic all in one? you’re one talented dude

how the fuck do you know what i care about?

Easy there, Solace. That’s not cool. Schitzophrenia is a disease that should be hidden from public messageboards.

did i say his was? no

i’ve talked w/ Tommy on numerous occasions, he is very genuine & sincere, i was just talking in a general sense.

Hmmm …. Jessica Simpson in “Dukes of Hazzard” vs. Perry Farrell in whatever forgettable art film(s) he made in the early ’90s. I would love to watch those films and compare their acting chops. I bet it’s a closer race than you think.

Henry, incorrect

hell i’ve even seen him live playing acoustic guitar, sorry to dissapoint.

Oh, so now you’re close, personal friends with Tommy Stinson. Whatever.

did i say i was friends with him? jesus christ you’re great at drawing conclusions.

i even chatted w/ him very briefly before the SA gig on Monday (he was back at the bar behind the soundboard)

he was beaming from ear to ear.

i’m done with this pointless argument if you are

Danny, apparently we have different defintions of cool, sorry. Movie stars are not “cool” to me whatsoever.

as for Axl, dude’s a balding fat washed up hack, sorry to dissapoint you

I’m sorry, solace. I should get back to work.

Go Soul Asylum!

i will say at least Pirner & Murphy are out there doing it, instead of sitting on their asses. Chinese Democracy is the biggest musical joke ever, even IF it ever does see the light of day, from the 3 songs i’ve heard from it, it’s quite bad.

ok this is my last comment of the day. You may have seen Perry Farrell play acoustic guitar – great. But have you heard Tesla’s “Five-Man Acoustical Jam”? Now that’s the real shiznits.

dude, i actually totally adore Tesla, no shit.

i still own Five Man on VHS somewhere.

they were one of the few bands of that era that got grouped unfairly w/ the “hair bands” too imo. couldn’t get myself to pay $25 to see ‘em a few years ago at First Ave, but i now regret it.

man i’m starting to date myself and i’m not even THAT old

Suddenly “Runaway Train” is an apt title for this thread.

Runaway Tran(wreck)

I can’t believe people like heh are actually taking time to read this nerdsploderection. Especially since Dr. Jeckell/Mr. Solace writes things like “Appetite is dated” and then immediately follows that up with “I actually totally adore Tesla.”

It’s an outrageous situation.

i didn’t say i still listen to Tesla anymore

look, Appetite is one of the best debut albums of all time, by any band, but that doesn’t mean i’ve listened to it in the last 5 years or more either.

i’m a bit too busy w/ other new great bands to bother usually, or older stuff that has stood the test of time (read, not much from the 80’s unfortunately)

Sol – You said you haven’t listened to Appetite for 5 years and no longer really care for GnR, hair metal, etc. ’cause of all the cooler newer stuff you listen to, but at one point you also state you’ve heard three (!) cuts from Chinese Democracy.

I’m a little cornfused. If you don’t care that much, why’re you even bothering to rank their recent work?

Also, I recommend you watch your Tesla VHs again. One peep at that sucker and you’ll see why they were lumped in with hair metal. All the dudes look like mops.
“Love Song” is sweet, though. It’s a top 10 power ballad up there with Skid Row “I Remember You.”

Yesterday, I hate this website for its frivolous conversation. Today, I love it for the same thing.

Appetite for deconstruction.

Henry, Chinese Democracy has become this mythical entity among hardcore music fans, no matter what genre you’re into. listening to tracks from it was like peaking at the Holy Grail.

and i haven’t owned a VCR in years unfortunately, but i think i read it might be coming out on DVD some day! just because they had long hair, doesn’t mean they were inheritantly a “hair band”, they never wore makeup that i’m aware of. granted the only time i saw them back in the day was opening for Poison

oh shit, where have i been the last 3 years?

I bet “Chinese Democracy” will blow “Ritual De Lo Habitual” out of the water.

It’s already the much better album title of the two, so it’s got a nice headstart.

I’m not gonna split hairs over you with what a hair band is, but I can tell you this for sure: Midnight Oil was not a hair band.

ok so Tesla may not have been a hair band, but they really do look like upside-down mops. each of those guys must’ve weighed about 60 pounds soaking wet.

oops, link didn’t go through:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000062XDH/002-6123112-8186442?v=glance&n=130

gah, not sure what’s up

by that token, My Morning Jacket would definitely be a hair band

and good one re: Midnight Oil, lol. i actually enjoyed a lot of their stuff. think the main dude is a politician in Aus now or something.

Yeah, Solace, “Madagascar” is pretty hot and you know it. Way better than any as yet unreleased wet sock ballad by Pirner. Did you hear that “life is a rushing river” sentimental bullshit he dedicated to Karl? Why didn’t he dedicate “Endless Farewell” like he should have? I thought that moment bordered on exploitive promotion. Why didn’t Walsh bring that up? He must not have been rooting for them to fail like I was.

In fact, why don’t you go back to the “Jayhawks forum” and use that as a topic, solace. You’ll be the coolest guy on there.

lmao, i can’t tell if you’re actually being serious or not now

anywho, it’s obvious we come from 2 different generations musically, so it’s pointless to debate too much further.

can i ask what your favorite record of 2005 is? i’m just curious

I can’t tell anymore either.

Why, how old are you? Dan B. and Henry both think you’re 22.

My favorite record of 2005? Use Your Illusion II. Just kidding. Probably Get Behind Me Satan. Or Don’t Believe The Truth. One or the other. What about you?

27 actually, if i was 22 i don’t think i would have seen Motley Crue on the Dr. Feelgood tour

and i actually was going to guess the new White Stripes…
not the biggest fan of it myself, but love De Stijl to death

was never an Oasis fan myself unfortunately

myself?

probably Andrew Bird’s latest, Doves – Some Cities, My Morning Jacket – Z, or Sufjan Stevens – Illinois

That is unfortunate.

I’m 29. So we’re the same generation. I had Appetite on tape though. We must be in different socio-economic brackets. Did you grow up in Southwest or Edina or something? Sufjan Stevens — I mean, please.

i grew up in Eastern Montana, moved here in ‘99

and i realize not everyone is big on Sufjan, that’s fine. i didn’t really love him until Seven Swans, and then this new one. his show at First Ave was a bit of a let down compared to the 400 Bar one last year, i will definitely admit.

Who the hell is steve marsh?

I’m gonna sweet home alabama his pretentious pimply ass.

G’head and google me, southernman. You’ll see that it will be a lot easier to “sweet home” me if you have help.

And why am I pretentious? I’m not the one who loves sufjan. I like oasis. In 1995, that was as close as you could get to lynyrd.

Why don’t we all quit this string and talk about tapes n tapes before I have to slap somebody.

haha, i’m pretentious cuz i like Sufjan Stevens? awesome.
what if i said i liked him because he’s ‘Christian’ music? (not really)

i hate Pitchfork Media w/ a passion fwiw

my taste rarely aligns w/ theirs, Sufjan is one of the few exceptions

I’m 38, so I’m a grizzled veteran and I’m gonna go down Memory Lane here for a while, so ’scuse me while I indulge myself. My first 4 concerts were Rush, Devo, the B52’s & Pat Benatar. I love the ‘Mats & Husker, but i never saw either of ‘em in their Entry heyday. I used to see the Suburbs on a regular basis in ‘84, and a St. Paul punk trio called Boy Elroy, too. The first local bands I used to go see a lot were Babes In Toyland (they always put on amazing shows) & Run Westy Run. I never got into Soul Asylum, but I’ve got nothin’ against ‘em and think they’re nice guys. My 6 degrees of Tommy Stinson separation story is that I went out with a gal who used to hang out w/ him as a teenager & give him haircuts. I think Tommy S. is about the coolest rock star ever, btw.

My favorite album of ‘05 is Hold Steady “Separation Sunday.”

My 3 favorite songs right now, though, are the Bangles’ cover of “Hazy Shade of Winter,” a Lyrics Born track called “Do That There,” and an old Jim Ford song done Muscle Shoals-style called “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me Till the Cows Come Home.”

wish i would have gotten to see Run Westy Run

I can’t count the number of Run Westy Run shows saw. They did rock live.

As a former CCClub regular and I’m old (37) we nearly got my friend Bill to Kick Tommy Stinson’s ass one night just for the hell of it. I was also at the CC Club the night before Bob Stinson died. He was sitting in a booth on the little stagey area under the Elvis Bust all by himself looking like hell drinking a beer. The CCClub was the place for a while. Often saw the SA guys there. No one ever star gawked thou. People just hung out and drank cheap beer and smoked cartons of Smokes.

Uh, pretty fierce.

http://www.aabookfestival.org/HTML/Marsh.htm

Wasn’t Karl a bartender at the CC off and on?

Hey, bud, that’s pretty funny. But, as you know from your search, there are lots of Steve Marshes in the world. So you should try refining your search. Try “Steve Marsh” and “awesome.” That should work.

i had a blast! the new new songs sounded really great! the band was as tight as one would be after only a few rehearsals. i noticed Tommy watching Murphy’s hand to figure what notes to hit on the bottom. and it worked good enough for rock and roll. you can imagine a rhythm section between Tommy and Michael Bland being pretty fierce. it definately kept Dan and Dave on their toes. i am looking forward to seeing this lineup again. hopefully they will know more songs by then, particularily older ones from “The Horse they Rode in On”, there were none from it and it’s always been my fave. “Cartoon” and “Summer of Drugs” were awesome crowd sing-alongs, the latter being when i though this band really hit a stride about quarter into the show..