Nadia Costa was one of the two artists that performed at the Sala Zitarrosa when I presented my newest book, “Ayer La Lluvia” [Yesterday The Rain].
The book is made up of short stories and a novella that deal with different types of love. So, her music was a perfect match for such a title – all of her compositions are nothing but studies on the vagaries of love and affection.
She opened up the show that night and had her live debut as a solo artist on the prized Sala Zitarrosa, a venue reserved for the highest-ranking of performers only.
This is an excerpt from her live performance. The song is titled “Extrañándote” [Missing You], and it’s one of the compositions of hers that cut the deepest. For me, it works in parallel with “Lejos De Ti” [Far Away From You], a scorching ballad that is highly-likely to be her next single.
The clip was shot by Habemus, a new audiovisual team. The music itself was recorded live by producer/composer Nelson “Cable” Silvera, and our great friend Joaquín Vinci lent us a hand, and gave the sound a little more sheen overall.
Footage from what must have been one of the coolest New Year Eve parties in the history of reverberation has begun surfacing on YouTube. It took place at Mala Restaurant in Wailea (Maui), and it featured the combined talents of Alice Cooper, Steven Tyler and “Weird Al” Yankovic.
This is one clip from the show, with the trio covering The Beatles’ perennial “Come Together”. The quality isn’t optimal, but only a sissy would complain. Be thankful you get the chance to see performers of this caliber on a stage together, in any way or the other.
A moving clip of Dan Fogelberg performing his signature “Same Old Lang Syne” live on Soundstage in 2003 to start making Christmas a little more special. Enjoy!
One of the sweetest songs from “Historias de Invierno” gets a guitar-and-voice treatment for this live performance. I actually like this version of “Si Me Pierdo” [If I Get Lost] better than the one on the original album – the brittleness that lies at its core has a much better chance to come through.
This video was recorded live at El Tartamudo, a well-known Uruguayan venue favored by independent and emerging artists. It was recorded and edited by Cecilia Dulce.
"A Treasure" Is Neil Young's Latest Album. It Covers His American Tours of 84/85.
Canadian legend Neil Young is releasing a live album on the 14th of June that chronicles his US tours of 1984 and 1985. Named “A Treasure”, this album is going to feature six previously-unreleased songs, making for a total of 12 tracks of the master singer/songwriter at the top of his game.
This is the first video to have been distributed to promote the album. The song is “Amber Jean”, and it was performed live on Nashville television on September 24, 1984.
Born In Chicago, Andrew Bird Is An Multi Instrumentalist Who Is Better-Known For His Skills When Playing The Violin
For those of you who are not acquainted with him, this is a video of multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird doing what he does best. He doesn’t run out of steam for the entire duration of this composition (20 solid minutes).
Just for the record, I discovered Andrew when listening to My Morning Jacket’s “Z”. He handled strings and woodwinds there, and gave everything a true air of magnificence.
Having once founded and captained a band named The Bowl Of Fire, Andrew is currently a solo artist.
A Live Session With Maroon 5 Will Be Streamed On March 22. The Band Will Have 24 Hours To Come Up With A Song, With The Help Of Its Fans.
On March 22, Coca Cola will make the dream of many a fan of Maroon 5 come true. A live studio session will be held on that day, and fans will be able to contribute lyrics, riffs and melodies for the band’s next single.
And the fans who take part of this session will be able not only to send their ideas in, but also to ask direct questions to the band.
This session is going to last 24 hours, and Coca Cola is promoting it on its Facebook page (it currently has more than 20 million fans).
Although I find Maroon 5 unbearable, I thought this was worth sharing with you if only because it is one of the coolest social media strategies yet applied to the music industry. Let’s just see if more sessions are announced, and who are involved…
With Performances Culled From Four Different Live Shows, “The Blues To The Bush” Chronicled What Were To Be Some Of John Entwistle’s Final Major Shows With The Who.
Released by the now defunct MusicMaker.com in 1999, “The Blues To The Bush” was a live double album that documented four of the band’s final major shows with John Entwistle. The first two took place at the House Of Blues in Chicago on the 12th and 13th of November, and the other two found the ‘Oo back at home, rocking the Empire Theatre in Shepherd’s Bush during Christmas. The surviving trio (with Pete playing electric guitar from start to finish for the first time since 1982) was augmented by long-serving keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick and no other than Zak Starkey on drums. Zak was actually encouraged to play the instrument as a child by Keith Moon (whom he referred to as “Uncle Keith”), and “The Blues To The Bush” was the first official product in which he could be heard drumming with the band.
The idea was that people could buy the full set or one CD or the other only, and also rearrange the tracks as they saw fit.
The tracklist itself was a predictable selection of straightahead classics along with some curveballs like “After The Fire” and “Getting In Tune” thrown in with a lot of gusto. I must admit I bought the album on their strength alone, and because there was nothing I wanted more than listening to a live version of “You Better You Bet” (I am yet to get my hands on a copy of “Join Together”).
As it turned out, the live “You Better You Bet” was the absolute highlight of an otherwise spotty set.
The two main problems are that: A) The bass is undermixed all the way through, and (I feel awful for saying it, but the truth is the truth) B) Roger’s voice sounds shot on most numbers. Compare the version of “I’m A Boy” featured on this set with the one found on “Live At Leeds”, for example. He only sounds like himself on “You Better You Bet”, and when they unleash warhorses like “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Baba O’ Riley” (in which Zak’s performance is second to none) and “My Generation”.
Also, the fact that customers could actually choose which songs to buy (and set down their very own running orders) leads to all tracks fading in and out. That invariably lessens the continuity of the whole album.
At any rate, “The Blues To The Bush” features an extended solo by John Entwistle on the always-astonishing “5.15”. That sets the bar somehow higher – certainly, high-enough for fans of the band to want to have the album.
Obviously, with MusicMaker.com long dead and gone, getting an original copy is harder than not laughing at Liam Gallagher’s recent comments that Beady Eyes is way better than Oasis in its prime. Yet, copies are found on eBay and related marketplaces every now and then. I have seen the amount they retail for, and I frankly wouldn’t pay that much. I got my copy right when the album was issued, and even then I was reluctant to “call it a bargain… the best I ever had”. And not even the fact that “The Blues To The Bush” has become one of the band’s final documents with John Entwistle changes that, I am afraid.
