Extended Play

A major thunderstorm was predicted last Friday, but the nasty weather waited a few hours to materialize as Muse roared into the Southland.

I headed out to Irvine Meadows (AKA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre) and caught Muse headline for the first time. What a difference from their truncated appearance at KROQ Inland Invasion last year. In O.C., the 17-song, 90-minute set was mind-blowing to say the least. It's amazing how much power this British trio has onstage.

This past summer, they were one of the first acts to headline two nights at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium in London (capacity 90,000). So Irvine, at roughly 18,000 people, was intimate by comparison.

Opening to the sound of an orchestral fanfare, Muse kicked things off with "Knights of Cydonia," the first of eight songs from last year's astounding 'Black Holes and Revelations' CD. Five panels behind the band projected mesmerizing images. The lighting was spectacular.

During "Knights," words spelled out the chorus. Singer/guitarist/keyboardist Matt Bellamy, clad entirely in red, was in fine voice throughout. He jumped around, played guitar on his knees for aptly-named "Hysteria." His main instrument lighted up (that was a first; maybe I did see Prince with a similar model), as did the piano.

"Butterflies and Hurricanes" packed quite a wallop. A trumpet player emerged for the Mexican bolero-styled "City of Delusion," while a cover of Anthony Newley's 1966 chestnut "Feeling Good" (heard on Muse's 2001 disc 'Origin of Symmetry') was simply stunning. Bellamy sang part of it into a megaphone.

There was a Pink Floyd (circa 'Dark Side of the Moon') feel to the grandiose "Apocalypse Please." On the glorious ballad, Bellamy coaxed weepy sounds from his guitar that would rivaled Eddie Van Halen. The packed crowd stood, sang loudly and generally went nuts for "Starlight."

Bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dom Howard ably anchored the huge sound, which was crisp in the outdoor venue. Bellamy did some Zeppelin-esque riffs on "Time is Running Out" and gave his falsetto a good workout. White balloons and confetti showered the crowd after "Plug In, Baby."

Come encore time, a taped JFK speech about freedom and independence preceeded the stunning "Take A Bow" and "Stockholme Syndrome."

Posted by George Paul at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to Pollstar, Big & Rich and Marty Stuart are part of the next Stagecoach Festival lineup at Empire Polo Grounds in Indio on May 3.

Carolina Chocolate Drops and Ralph Stanley are listed on May 4.

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I've listened to the new Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band CD "Magic" (due in stores Tuesday) several times now. In many ways, it's more immediate than "The Rising." While that album was good, it took me awhile to truly get into all the songs. Early reports said "Magic" was a return to the loose and fun vibe that ran through "The River," but that isn't always the case. Here are some of my impressions:

“Radio Nowhere” - A driving rocker; fortunately, the dense sound Brendan O'Brien used here isn't characteristic of all the songs

“You'll Be Comin' Down” - Midtempo number; classic '80s Bruce & E Street with a great melody and harmonies. There's a majestic Clarence Clemons solo halfway through

“Livin' in the Future” - Opens with Clemons' sax; a good time, put a smile on your face kind of tune that bears a resemblance to “Glory Days.” Prominent Steven Van Zandt backing vocals, a humorous lyric, organ solo; several Clemons solos and a closing "na na na" refrain makes this a standout

"Your Own Worst Enemy" – Enriched by a string section and a relaxed Bruce vocal; he harmonizes with Nils Lofgren here

"Gypsy Biker" – Upbeat, opens with wicked "Nebraska"-styled harp; two scorching, reverb electric guitar solos and Steven backing vocals

"Girls in Their Summer Clothes" – Warm recollection with a violin opening, relaxed Bruce vocal; “Frankie” and “on the edge of town” in the lyrics; subtle sax work

"I'll Work For Your Love" - “Pour me a drink Teresa” lyric and rollicking piano: sure to put a smile on your face; vaguely recalls “Growin' Up”; pictureque lyrics

"Magic" – Simple guitar work with violin; could almost be an outtake from "Tom Joad"

" Last To Die" - Midtempo number with piano; reminded me of "No Surrunder" at first; has a trademark Bruce lyric: “we took the highway ' til the road went black." Steven on backing vocals

"Long Walk Home" – Shuffle guitar with nice piano work; memorable melody, plus electric guitar and sax solos

"Devil's Arcade" – Opens with a lush bed of violin/keyboards; picturesque lyrics; a slow burner, sweeping orchestartion and crashing drums from Max Weinberg at end.

Apparently, Steven, Max and Nils Lofgren came in to do their studio parts on weekends. This time around, there's a noticeable lack of distinctive rhythms on Max's part.

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On sale now

Jill Scott, Oct. 16-18, House of Blues Hollywood
The Pack, Oct. 21, Glass House
Cheap Trick, Dec. 29, Galaxy Theatre

10 a.m. today
Silversun Pickups, Oct. 20, The Wiltern
Sia, Oct. 24, El Rey Theatre

Noon today
Band of Horses, Nov. 26, Glass House

10 a.m. Saturday
Down, Nov. 23, Santa Monica Civic
Shelby Lynne, Oct. 30, Ivar Theater
Band of Horses, Nov. 24, Avalon Hollywood
VHS or Beta, Dec. 2, El Rey Theatre

Noon Saturday
The Temptations, Four Tops, March 13, Grove of Anaheim

Available through Ticketmaster; dates and on sale times are subject to change.

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A couple weeks ago, I saw Jon Peter Lewis do an in-store appearance at Borders Books in Riverside. The acoustic 40-minute set spotlighted tunes from his latest CD "Stories From Hollywood" on Cockaroo Entertainment Records.

The singer/guitarist, a top 10 finalist on the third season of "American Idol," told a story about how Jennifer Hudson helped to inspire a tune, while others all seemed to be about former girlfriends. Before doing one that might be unsuitable for young ears, he polled the younger members of the crowd to see how old they were.

Ranging from alternative rock to pop to soul, "Hollywood" is one of the stronger efforts to emerge from a male AI castoff. Lewis co-wrote four of the songs. Highlights include "Gypsy Queen," lighthearted singalong "Rodeo,"
"Boy Next Door" and "Amanda Grace."

Catch Lewis in the Redlands Civic Light Opera production of "Godspell" at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Call (909) 335-1151 or go to redlandsciviclightopera.com for more information.

myspace.com/jonpeterlewis, jonpeterlewis.com

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Q: Was working on film music ever one of your ambitions?

A: Absolutely. I’ve always hoped my music could find its way into film one way or another...Then all the sudden, I get this whole project. I was thinking maybe it’d be fun to have one song on a soundtrack.

Q: You totally had to change your creative mindset in doing the soundtrack, right?

A: It wasn't about me. I’ve made solo albums expressing myself. Here, you’re part of a big team and it’s all about expressing the story and finding out what the director is looking for and wants - his aesthetic interests.

Q: Turning to “Phantom Punch,” you indulged your rock music side through much of it. Are you happy with how it turned out?

A: I’m really thrilled with the outcome...We’ve been touring since it came out. It’s been a hectic contrast being going out, playing shows with the band and then going back to New York to work on this soundtrack, which is very much the opposite. I’m really happy I made the racket (on 'Phantom').

Q: Was the aggressive sound on that CD a result of touring with Elvis Costello?

A: I got very energized when I saw him and the band and we toured together a couple years ago. At that point, I was solo. It really made me want to go back to playing with my band…it was a reaction to all the extensive arrangements on 'Faces Down' and 'Two Way Monologue.' Now that I’ve done that, I may want to go back to go back in the studio and experiment with bigger arrangements.

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Here is my interview with Sondre Lerche, who appears on Sunday at Street Scene in Chula Vista. He also opens for Air on Friday at the Greek Theatre and Monday at the Grove of Anaheim.

When most musicians record songs for a soundtrack album, they perform to the best of their ability.
Imagine Sondre Lerche and his band’s surprise when “Dan in Real Life” director Peter Hedges said everyone should play sloppier.

“He wanted a handmade feeling for the soundtrack,” said singer/guitarist Lerche, in a phone interview from Long Island, N.Y. “I actually (did some) stuff myself because I’m a horrible piano player. Finally the universe found a use for me. I got my big break.”

In reality, good fortune shined on Lerche the moment Hedges called out of the blue and eventually offered a job to oversee the entire project.

Let’s just say the Norwegian was a bit surprised.

“I’ve never been involved in writing music for a film before...it’s a daring move on his part. Also, it’s very un-typical of Hollywood to hire some unknown to score. I was so flattered. That gave me a certain amount of confidence I needed going into the production.”

The romantic comedy “Dan in Real Life” stars Steve Carell, Dane Cook and Juliette Binoche.
It will be released by Touchstone Pictures on Oct. 26. Hedges - who also helmed the Katie Holmes vehicle “Pieces of April” – is best known as the acclaimed screenwriter for “About a Boy” and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” (which he authored).

Hedges invited Lerche to join him on everything leading up to the actual shooting of the film.
“I thought it was such a great opportunity. Anytime I had the chance, I’d come to auditions. When they found the house (to use on the set), I came over and spent the night with the crew.”

Lerche, 25, debuted with “Faces Down” in 2002. An enticing slice of ‘60s bossa nova and Burt Bacharach/Hal David-styled pop, the disc led to a Best New Artist Grammy back home and a spot on Rolling Stone’s coveted year-end top 50.

Then Lerche released an EP featuring a cover of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” and toured with Elvis Costello & the Imposters. Folk, chamber pop and jazz sounds dominated the artist’s next two efforts, “Two Way Monologue” and “Duper Sessions.”

Earlier this year, Lerche released “Phantom Punch.” Produced by Tony Hoffer (Air, Beck), it adopted a more rock-oriented approach. That experience came in handy since Hedges had Lerche work with the “Dan in Real Life” actors on their singing.

“My fondest memories? Teaching Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney to sing Dylan’s ‘Forever Young,’ when I barely knew the song myself and helping my hero Steve Carell with Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door” in one of the key scenes of the film,” Lerche recounted on his blog.

For the Southern California appearances, Lerche said “it’s just going to be me and the electric guitar. I’ll mix it up as much as I can. We’ve toured the world with the ‘Phantom Punch’ album and the band. It’ll be refreshing to go out solo again like I did in the past.”

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OK, I was wrong.

Word came in today that Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will play the L.A. Sports Arena on Oct. 29.

The old venue is home to many past Springsteen tours, including the Tunnel of Love Express where I caught 'em for the first time in '88.

Tickets go on sale next Saturday, Sept. 29, at 10 a.m. Prices are still TBA.

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The following is an extension of my interview with VHS or Beta frontman Craig Pfunder. The band plays The Glass House on Sunday.

Q: A few years have past since “Night on Fire” came out. Everything changes so fast in the music industry these days. Did you wonder whether fans would remember you?

A: No one wants to stay away that long, but we had some situations stacked on us that we had to deal with - one of those being figuring out how to write as a three-piece. We took that time to make the moves we wanted without sacrificing what we felt was real and honest. It was better we waited than to force out another record when we weren’t really sure of the feet we were walking on yet. We felt kind of newborn and clumsy. I felt like the wait was necessary for us. I think the maturation of the sound in the band is evident. Hopefully people will feel like the wait was worth it.

Q: Were you in a darker frame of mind when you wrote “Burn It All Down” and “Take It or Leave It” off the new album?

A: This was my first time writing songs that offered more things that weren’t just pop elements. Even though the record is really poppy, there’s some lyrical content that isn’t as happy. (For “Burn”), we tried not to completely take on a political ideal, but I think we made some statements without coming off too much like Fugazi. “Take it or Leave It” was written about a friend of mine that’s no longer here.

Q: Turning to a bit of history, what was the music scene like in Louisville when you started?

A: The music scene has always been there. The artists who have been prosperous remain so. There are only a couple new bands that are even trying - probably more than I even know, even though I try to go to as many shows as I can. It’s a place you can always expect to get good things out of and it’s proven itself over a long period of time.

Q: Since the band dabbled in French electronica at one point: what do you think of the Daft Punk resurgence?

A: I’ve been a believer of that whole movement. The more people that can listen and appreciate it (the better). “Homework” sold a ton of records. They’ve been big around the world. It’s neat to see that happen in America.

* * *
Is anyone as enamored with the band's latest effort "Bring on the Comets" as I am?

Posted by George Paul at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are excerpts from my interview with Lifehouse drummer Rick Woolstenhulme. The band performs Saturday at the L.A. County Fair.