Since I love music so much, I wanted to start a new thing here called Music Monday. Eventually I want to post every week, but as I start, it may be less frequent. Each post will be dedicated to something that I find interesting, newsworthy, exciting, or just feel that I should pass along to those who may be reading the blog. So without further ado, here is the first edition of Music Monday. Enjoy.
Ryan Adams plays a surprise set opening for Emmylou at the El Rey Theater in LA last Thursday.
Now let me tell you why I think this is HUGE!
My love for Ryan Adams has a strange beginning. I first purchased one of his albums as a present for someone that I ended up keeping. I, to this day, have no clue what told me to buy her that CD or to keep it for that matter, since I really did not know much about him back then anyway. To make the story even better...the album, it was Rock N Roll. The album was recorded in two weeks when his label would not release 'Love Is Hell'. It has a completely different sound than you would expect from Adams, but it locked me in as a fan nonetheless. The album caught a lot of bad reviews, but it still holds a special place in my heart because it is what hooked me.
I went to Lollapolooza in 2006 and winded up catching all of Ryan Adams' set and all the quirkiness, weirdness, and sometimes craziness that is Ryan Adams (re: egg police). Since I only knew 'Rock N Roll' and a couple of other songs, the set was very different from what I was expecting....but very different turned out to be a very, very good thing. I immediately fel in love with the album 'Cold Roses' after that. That next spring I ended up seeing him in a rather bizzare set as part of a radio appreciation concert in Louisville. We sat through three other acts and when it came time for his set...the lights were never brought up from the dimly lit house lights that allow you to move about during shows. He didn't talk in between songs, heck he didn't even introduce himself and the Cards until a few songs into the set. He seemed to be wearing a shower cap and since he was recovering from a broken arm, he just sat on a stool the entire set as he sang. They played 'Easy Tiger' in its entirety (probably in album order too) and that was the set. No goodbye, no thank you, and certainly no encores, but you know what? Musically, the show was still stellar and left me wanting another chance to see him with the Cardinals.
As luck would have it for me, I got to see him and the Cards at the Murat the following fall in what would be what I consider the best concert I have ever been to so far in life replacing the Flaming Lips from Lolla. That show on October 24 was nothing short of perfect. They came out a bit late due to misunderstanding about time zones and then played nearly 3 hours with two amazing sets. His banter between songs was every bit as good as the songs they performed. As much as I love music, I am sometimes the type to get bored at shows if they run too long...this was definitely not the case during this concert. I would have stayed for 3 more hours if he would have played that long. I made the trip back to Bloomington from Indianapolis that night buzzing about what I had just experienced. I highly recommend streaming and/or downloading the show from archives.
I have seen him one other time since then in the same venue with the Cards in 2008. He battled with some tech issues and took a set break after only a handfull of songs. Once they returned, they played about 20 more songs. This show was good too, but RA will have a tough time outdoing himself.
Live shows aside, the release of Cold Roses, Jacksonsville City Nights, Easy Tiger, and Cardinology had me believing that he could do no wrong. He just kept getting better and better. This all came to a halt with the release of his heavy metal album that was followed by III/IV, an album of lackluster material recorded during the 'Easy Tiger' sessions.
The surprise performance give me hope that the next studio album will be more along the lines of the progression that I mentioned earlier from Cold Roses to Cardinology...and I'm hoping for a new album in the near future with a supporting tour that swings through the midwest so I get a chance to see him again live.
I went to Lollapolooza in 2006 and winded up catching all of Ryan Adams' set and all the quirkiness, weirdness, and sometimes craziness that is Ryan Adams (re: egg police). Since I only knew 'Rock N Roll' and a couple of other songs, the set was very different from what I was expecting....but very different turned out to be a very, very good thing. I immediately fel in love with the album 'Cold Roses' after that. That next spring I ended up seeing him in a rather bizzare set as part of a radio appreciation concert in Louisville. We sat through three other acts and when it came time for his set...the lights were never brought up from the dimly lit house lights that allow you to move about during shows. He didn't talk in between songs, heck he didn't even introduce himself and the Cards until a few songs into the set. He seemed to be wearing a shower cap and since he was recovering from a broken arm, he just sat on a stool the entire set as he sang. They played 'Easy Tiger' in its entirety (probably in album order too) and that was the set. No goodbye, no thank you, and certainly no encores, but you know what? Musically, the show was still stellar and left me wanting another chance to see him with the Cardinals.
As luck would have it for me, I got to see him and the Cards at the Murat the following fall in what would be what I consider the best concert I have ever been to so far in life replacing the Flaming Lips from Lolla. That show on October 24 was nothing short of perfect. They came out a bit late due to misunderstanding about time zones and then played nearly 3 hours with two amazing sets. His banter between songs was every bit as good as the songs they performed. As much as I love music, I am sometimes the type to get bored at shows if they run too long...this was definitely not the case during this concert. I would have stayed for 3 more hours if he would have played that long. I made the trip back to Bloomington from Indianapolis that night buzzing about what I had just experienced. I highly recommend streaming and/or downloading the show from archives.
I have seen him one other time since then in the same venue with the Cards in 2008. He battled with some tech issues and took a set break after only a handfull of songs. Once they returned, they played about 20 more songs. This show was good too, but RA will have a tough time outdoing himself.
Live shows aside, the release of Cold Roses, Jacksonsville City Nights, Easy Tiger, and Cardinology had me believing that he could do no wrong. He just kept getting better and better. This all came to a halt with the release of his heavy metal album that was followed by III/IV, an album of lackluster material recorded during the 'Easy Tiger' sessions.
The surprise performance give me hope that the next studio album will be more along the lines of the progression that I mentioned earlier from Cold Roses to Cardinology...and I'm hoping for a new album in the near future with a supporting tour that swings through the midwest so I get a chance to see him again live.
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| photo credit to my sister on this one |
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