Janis Joplin Talks Rejection With Voice Writer Howard Smith in Last Interview Ever

Thanks to the Village Voice for posting this. 

And on the topic of the late Ms. Joplin, I recently saw D.A. Pennebaker's "Monterey Pop Festival" documentary, which I highly recommend to everyone.  Janis' performance of "Ball and Chain" is without a doubt one of the highlights of the film.  (Be sure and watch until the end of the clip when you can see Mama Cass in total awe of the performance.) 

Dawn Landes

In many ways, artists like Dawn Landes are the reason why I wanted to start this blog.  Spanning genres from French (á la Françoise Hardy) and American folk, to indie singer-songwriter driven rock, the diversity of her growing discography displays a talent that demands attention.

Her musical career took root in New York City, where she first moved to study at NYU, and later dropped out to start working in recording studios (working with the likes of Phillip Glass, among others).  In the meanwhile, she also began to write and record her own music.  Her first record came out in 2005 and she has been making them ever since.  

Dawn has just finished working on a record with Doveman (Thomas Bartlett) that will be coming out in early 2014.  Three preview tracks are available for streaming online here.

I recently sat down with Dawn before her show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, where she was both opening for and singing with the Brooklyn-based folk band Hem.  Since she has been working with Bartlett, our conversation began by discussing the recent Kate McGarrigle tribute album that he has been part of.  We went on to discuss her role as a female music engineer, her views on creativity and technology, and what her top five "Girls on Your Turntable" playlist is.

Read full interview below.

Neko Case @ First City Festival, Monterey, CA

 



Debuting songs from her upcoming release, "The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You" (out September 3rd), alongside selections from past albums, Neko Case played to a full crowd of fans Sunday evening at the inaugural First City Festival.

  

Particular highlights from the night included "This Tornado Loves You" and "That Teenage Feeling", as well as her covers of the Shangri-Las "Train from Kansas City" and Lisa Marr's "In California".  Overall, the hour plus set demonstrated Ms. Case's wide-ranging talent, showcasing her ability to be both vulnerable and emotion and strong and aggressive with her vocal delivery. 

 

The event, which took place at the history Monterey Fairgrounds (home to the long running Monterey Jazz Festival taking place next month), brought a mix of up-and-coming bands such as the Los Angeles-based Electric Guest alongside indie legends Modest Mouse. 

 

The Best of Marian McPartland on YouTube

I've spent the better part of the day listening to old episodes of NPR's Piano Jazz. I highly recommend tracking down the Willie Nelson episode, which is such a fun and unexpected pairing of legends. And if you are in the mood for some great bass, check out the Ron Carter and Esperenza Spaulding shows. You can't go wrong. Here are some clips of various interviews and performances with Marian throughout the years.

Remembering Marian McPartland, 1918-2013

I woke up to the news this morning that Marian McPartland had passed away at her home in Long Island, New York.  She was 95.  Marian was no doubt one of my biggest music inspirations, and I will always remember with the highest regard the first time I heard her show, and then, many years later, the first (and only) time I was fortunate enough to see her play.

Although I am a huge fan today, I did not grow up listening to jazz, and much of my exposure to the genre did not come until my late teens when I began to explore music beyond the rock and folk I grew up with.  Around this same time, during my first summer home from being away at college, I heard Marian’s Piano Jazz, and through the show I was educated and introduced to many new artists.  With her comforting British accent, Marian talked to her guests like they were old friends catching up on lost conversation.  And in large part, these were in fact long-time friends of hers.  The guests and her swapped stories about shows played at The Hickory House, where Marian enjoyed a long standing residency from 1952 to 1960, and gave us listeners a taste of what it was like to live and play in an era where thriving jazz clubs scattered the streets of New York City.  This intimacy set Piano Jazz apart from any other show I’d heard before.  It was like listening to my grandmother telling stories from her youth, if my grandmother grew up alongside the likes of Dizzy, Mingus, and Monk, instead of on a Midwest farm.  I fell in love with it all.  “Shall we play that one together?” she would say to her guest.  And so began the music that was beloved by her many listeners and fans for decades on end. 

I saw Marian play at Yoshi’s, a jazz club in Oakland, California, in 2007.  It was shortly after she turned 89, but you would not have a sense of her age by the way she played.  Though she used a walker to help her get around onstage, she led her trio through two solid sets of her own compositions and jazz standards.  She didn’t miss a beat.  I was obviously thrilled to be seeing one of my heroes, and throughout the night, kept thinking to myself, “Damn, if we could all be so lucky—to not only be alive and in good health at 89, but to be leading a band of men half her age with such strength and grace.”  What a gal, that Marian McPartland. 

In recent years (through the help of her grandchildren), Marian maintained an active presence on Facebook.  She posted many pictures and videos of her peers, and fortunate for us, used it as a way to communicate with her fans.  I shared this blog with her, particularly the posts in which she was highlighted in the entries about women and jazz music.  I am happy to say that she read them, and replied to me that she enjoyed them.  I am grateful for her many years as a dedicated host, and for all of the knowledge of jazz she imparted on me and other listeners.  And thankfully, in the digital age we live in, there are hours upon hours of archived shows available for us to listen to.  She may be gone, but her music lives on.

First City Festival coming to Monterey, CA August 24-25

It's summer time, which means it's time to start planning which music festivals to attend in the coming months.   I am excited to check out the inaugural weekend for the First City Festival, taking place at the Monterey County Fair and Event Center on Saturday, August 24th and Sunday, August 25th.  I am particularly looking forward to seeing Neko Case, who will be on tour promoting her highly anticipated new album coming out later in the year.

Other performances will include Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, MGMT, Neko Case, Beach House, the west coast debut of Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks (featuring Dave Portner of Animal Collective), and more.

First City Festival is named after Monterey's claim as the official "first capital" of California. The festival promises a sophisticated musical line-up of 30+ bands in a relaxed and beautiful coastal setting.  The festival grounds will showcase three live music performance stages plus a Vaudeville variety stage. A full carnival with rides and games will be available to guests.

Tickets are on sale via FirstCityFestival.com. Single tickets are now available for $85 per day.  Two Day GA and VIP passes start at $149.50.  All tickets are “all in” with no additional fees, and a “layaway” option is available. The festival is all ages and will run from 1pm until 11pm each day. 

Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle

This week I have been playing "Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle" as often as possible. The album, which was recently released on Nonesuch Records, is a collection of recordings from a series of tribute concert led by Kate's children Rufus and Martha Wainwright, and organized by Joe Boyd (who produced the album, as well as many of The McGarrigle's early recordings).

"(Talk to Me of) Mendocino" is easily one of the highlights for me, and truly demonstrates what a brilliant songwriter the late Ms. McGarrigle was. Simple melodies, sparse piano accompaniment, yet has the ability to convey a very specific sense of time, place, and emotion. A task that is not easily accomplished in song, but is a hallmark of much of her work ("Saratoga Summer Song" is another example of this, a song which Teddy Thompson perfectly delivers on the album).





The album is not only a wonderful introduction to Ms. McGarrigle, but also brings light to many artists who you may not of heard before. While the likes of Emmylou Harris and Norah Jones need no introduction, Krystle Warren is an artist I discovered through these concerts. When I attended a screening of Lian Lunson's documentary film "Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You: A Concert for Kate McGarrigle" at the San Francisco International Film Festival, it was Ms. Warren that left the crowd in complete silence.  Everyone was floored by what she brought to the concert.  Her performance of "I Don't Know" brings a new touch of gospel-influenced soul to a body of work that has foremost been in the hands of folksingers.  Tribute concerts often run the risk of simply mimicking the artists being recognized.  While this demonstrates the influence the honoree has had on other musicians, it does nothing to contribute or add to the greater good of the original song.  This is not the case with Ms. Warren, as she takes complete ownership of "I Don't Know" and makes it her own.


 

Proceeds from the album will be donated to the Kate McGarrigle Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money in the fight against sarcoma and also to preserving her legacy through the arts