127 -- Crystal Bowersox -- Thursday, March 7, 2013 -- The Hamilton -- DC

Crystal Bowersox was American Idol’s most unjust runner-up.  That is not to hold anything against Lee DeWyze -- okay, maybe you could hold a lot of things against Lee DeWyze, “‘Beautiful’ Day” foremost among them.  The reality was, though, even in a stronger season, Crystal Bowersox would have probably deserved to win that as well.

In concert last month, four years after her Idol season aired, Crystal proved that the same still held true.  Her vocals were, bar none, the best of any artist I had ever heard sing live.  They made up for the fact that she sang virtually no Idol songs at the concert, they made up for the fact that she sang ten tracks from an album that would not be released for twenty days (?!), and they made you hold out hope that the next show you saw, it could be an all-time great.  The tenderness in “Shine,” the finesse in “Crazy,” and the transformation in “Holy Toledo” made you believe. 

  

Next concert, with a little more crowd interaction and a lot more knowable songs, Crystal will put it over the top.  If she sings anything like she did on “Hallelujah” and “Bobby McGee” this time, it will be, as Simon Cowell said in his final Idol critique, ‘outstanding.’

Grade: A-

Endnote: I told Crystal Bowersox after the show that I had been so over “Hallelujah.”  She said, “Um, is that supposed to be a compliment?”  I explained that I had been so over “Hallelujah” – that her vocal made me plea for more and more verses, that I discovered new things about a song I thought was long past any sense of discovery.  That part she recognized as a compliment. ;)   

 

126 -- Elliott Yamin -- Tuesday, February 26, 2013 -- The Hamilton -- DC

Elliott Yamin, American Idol’s most endearing underdog, did not disappoint in concert.  His Usher-y R+B is not the type of music I’d generally listen to, and his interaction was limited by the lifeless audience, but Elliott’s energy and ability ultimately won out.  A few highlights:

--- Comes out in a white shirt, tie, and scruffy as all get out.  It works for him.

--- No one in the audience seemed to know “Gather Round,” the irresistibly catchy track on his new album.  I immediately whooped and pointed at him, showing him that at least I knew it!  I feel like he saw me, but who knows…  

--- “Train Wreck” and “Free” were super smooth.  Hard not to be a fan of those.  “Wait for You” and “One Word” were a bit syrupy.  Shatika Mays probably would have liked them; I did not.  

--- “Virginia” / “Downtown on the Boulevard” proved how important it is to share stories with the crowd.  He talked all about how he was a local boy from the 804 and how a middle school friend he ‘used to ball with’ was at the show tonight, and it totally enhanced the songs.  Combine that with his humming between songs, his familiar goat chuckle, and his shout out “to all the moms everywhere,” you couldn’t help but love him.  The mom reference made you connect immediately back to Elliott’s mom and the parade in Richmond, the most moving hometown visit in Idol history.

--- The final song did not need a story or any sort of introduction.  It was better than anything Danny Gokey, Casey James, or Jasmine Trias ever sang, and it was better than Elliott’s own version on the show.  All the other members of the band left the stage, and it was just Elliott, the microphone, and Donnie Hathaway.  It was…“A Song for You.”  

Grade: B+            

Endnote: Meeting him after the show was awesome.  He seemed to genuinely appreciate how I’d used his song in class and used him as an example of a three-dimensional character.  Evan Rochkind certainly has a cool cousin. 


 

125 -- Mumford and Sons -- Wednesday, February 13, 2013 -- Patriot Center -- Fairfax, VA

The most famous music discovery quote of all time belongs to critic Jon Landau: “I just saw the future of rock and roll, and its name was Bruce Springsteen.”  My updated version of that quote would be: “I just saw the future of rock and roll concerts, and its name was Mumford and Sons.”  Not since my first Bruce show have I experienced something that rousing, that unified, that warm. 

As at a Bruce show, everyone in the audience seemed not merely excited, but moved.  A lot of great live bands generate excitement: Smashing Pumpkins / Rise Against / Alkaline Trio do it by being dark and aggressive, Wilco / Guster / Ben Folds do it with wit and charm, and Foo Fighters / Green Day / Girl Talk do it by launching everything possible at the audience.  Four-minute guitar riffs, four-tier t-shirt cannons, four-hundred multi-color balloons: anything to amp up the energy.

What Mumford was able to do beyond these bands was to forge a deeper connection.  The lyrics and the delivery had soul.  You believed and everyone around you seemed to believe that no matter how bad your day at work or home had been, you could find hope in them.  Their music would not betray, dismay, or enslave you; it would set you free.

 

That might sound like hippie hogwash, but for many of the 10,000 people at the Patriot Center that night, it seemed to be true.  Hark Tagunicar certainly felt it, former student Christian Keppler who I ran into afterwards felt it, and apparently Meg Mascelli, Kyle West, Kristin West, the Curry family, the Langemeier family, and the Jack family did the next night.

As far as my reaction to specific parts of the show, see the live blog below.  I apologize in advance for all the exclamation points; I hate when those are overused.  None of them are put on, though – they’re all what I genuinely felt at the time.  Plus, at a certain point, if you have to apologize for the number of exclamation points, that’s a good problem to have…

Grade: A+

[For the hardcore fans] THE LIVE BLOG:

--- Whoa, “Babel” has no vocal falloff live.  It sounds just like it does on CD / at Frost.  

--- “Little Lion Man”!  The mini disco lights, the full crowd unity, the meaningful f bombs…all awesome.  It’s Bruce with a banjo!!!

--- “We came to party; it seems like you did too.”  Yup.

--- “Thanks for coming; we've actually been waiting all day for this.”  A day?  I’ve been waiting two years.

--- Hark: “They're really starting out strong.”  Preach it, Filipino Man!

--- Even “Winter Winds,” my least favorite Mumford song, is enjoyable.  A solid change of pace.

--- I don't like “Below My Feet” either, and it's awesome.  There’s an extended acoustic intro, added vulnerability, and the backup singer in the upper deck next to me is a goddess!  The goddess part might sound over the top, but after countless upper deck concerts surrounded by mutes or drunks, this girl is amazing.  [I later told the girl, a music major, how much her singing added to the experience.  She said she was flattered.]   

--- “White Blank Page.”  “A swelling rrrrrage......I will love you with my whole heart, my whole heart, my heararararart.”   The entire arena has joined in!!!

--- “It’s good to be back in the South.”  Um, Fairfax is south of England, so I guess he is correct…

--- “I Will Wait”!!  Watching the music video in class this year at the end of the Anne Frank / Holocaust unit meant so much.  And it’s better live.  That's what's called a crescendo, folks.

--- “Lover of the Light.”  Really enjoy that there aren’t cheesy background gimmicks – just music and lights.  Yelling the title is so happy. 

--- “Thistles and Weeds” – what a clever transition to darkness!!!  Black elixxxxxxxir flowing through the whole thing.  High point of the show so far. 

--- Hehe, clever shout out: “If you missed Haim [the opening band], it's a mistake you'll probably never live down because they're the best band in the world.  To be fair, that may be hyperbole because Ben Howard [the second opener] is better.”

--- “Ghosts That We Knew.”  Wheeeeeeeeeee.  [Don’t even know what that means, but apparently I was excited.]

--- Aww, without any prompting Hark says the [somewhat obscure] “Holland Road” sounds familiar.  The fact that he played the rhythm of the song on his scarf was equally endearing.

--- “You guys up for a dance?” Sure, I am so ready to see how this grace thing works.  “Rollllll Away Your Stone."

--- I completely lost track of time! How is it almost over?!

--- “You're one of the best audiences we've ever played to.” Well, Southern audiences are known to be good...

--- “We love this place, whatever we are.” Lol, at least they’re owning their ignorance.

--- Who leaves the show early?!  [The morons came back once they heard “Reminder” and "The Cave" start to play.]

--- The final great thing about this show?  It was not perfect.  They played a couple lackluster songs (“For Those Below,” “Sister,” “Take a Load Off, Annie / The Weight”) and left out some great ones as well (“Awake My Soul,” “Broken Crown,” their cover of Bruce's "Atlantic City," “I Gave You All,” “SIGH NO MORE”).  In my mind, though, this adds to the experience: it gives me something to look forward to the next show.  Because there will be a second show – and a third – and many more in the future… 

124 -- Fun. -- Thursday, January 31, 2013 -- DAR Constitution Hall -- DC

Fun. put on a very enjoyable concert that fit its name.  Being backlogged with concert reviews is much less enjoyable, so here are quick bullet points from the show…

--- They start with “Out on the Town”!  Beginning with a bonus track – interesting.  How is this not a single?  I’m glad it isn’t though, ‘cause it makes me feel special knowing / liking it haha.

--- So early for “Some Nights”?!  Should've ended with it, but still amazing.

 --- The train-animation-filled “All the Pretty Girls” is a bit lame.  As are “At Least I’m Not as I Used to Be” and the Tetris-filled “All Alone.”

--- Surprisingly excited for the mid-tempo “Why Am I The One.”  A recommendation eventually got me into the song and the intro reminds me of Weezer – can’t figure which Weezer song?

--- DAR is the perfect venue for them -- big instrumentals, vocals spot on anyway.

--- "Heyyy-o, dayyy-o, daylight’s comin’ and me want to go home" – heh, same call-and-response used by Green Day live. 

--- “It Gets Better” is way stronger in concert.  The bouncy rhythm, the neon lights, and frontman Nate Ruess’ admission that he no longer smells like cigarettes all get big applause.

--- “Barlights”!  Didn't recognize the arresting acoustic intro, but that made it an even stronger song.  “You know I I I I feel alive.”

--- “Carrrry On”! So tender – and it swells.  Best improvement of the night. I could listen to that ten times on a loop – should be longer.

--- Heh, this little kid flips out at a song entitled “What The F.”  The song gets more interesting by the gentle / strange ending, but it’s still no “Blankest Year.”

--- Whoa, “We Are Young” gets a slower remix – and a hundred burning flames.

--- The lesser known "It's All Alright" is a solid followup.  “If you don't know the words to this one, you'll learn real quick.”  They literally walk off to the audience slow singing the chorus -- nicely done.

--- HA, their ‘quiet’ encore re-entrance, “One Foot,” is blaring.

--- Their last song, “Stars,” features the line “miss you so much” -- clever.  It also features Kanye-level autotune.

--- Overall, it was a satisfying show.  I’m sure the next concert will be equally…fun.  (Gah, writing that last line was painful.  Hope at least Mr. Mingo enjoyed it…)

Grade: B+

123 – Rock and Cole -- Thursday, November 29, 2012 -- Frost Middle School -- Fairfax, VA

Note: In a few weeks, my students will read this entry as part of a music analysis lesson. That is why some of their achievements appear in it. ;)

There are many perks to being a teacher: working with hilarious students/colleagues, creating meaningful lessons, seeing students improve, etc.

One specific perk I get every November is participating in Rock and Cole. In the Rock and Cole project, students create their own mixed CD, matching five characters from the novel Touching Spirit Bear to five songs. (The project gets its name from Spirit Bear’s central character, Cole Matthews.) In the days leading up to the in-class concert, students scour book passages and song lyrics to find things that connect. On concert day, each student analyzes another student’s CD, trying to match the characters, songs, traits, and quotes. It’s also a pretty entertaining day, considering the desks are filled with 30-plus CD players, boom boxes, and headphones, and several students rock out as they work.

The best part for me is that I get to listen to all the CDs. New discoveries this year were Macklemore’s “Wings,” Imagine Dragons’ “It’s Time,” Owl City’s “When Will I See You Again,” Mumford and Sons’ “I Will Wait,” Psy’s “Gangham Style,” Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” and Disney’s “Colors of the Wind.” (Ok, so the last three weren’t ‘new discoveries.’ I had, sadly, heard those three 300 times before.)

 
Student award winners for this year included:
 
-- Star Performers LH, ZC, JP, JN, AA, AB, TD, NF, PL, NC, JN, TC, JO, PL, ML, AZ, JD, ZB, EL, CK, GR, and CMCMCM.   These students proved they did not need a band or stage to perform. They could rock out in a DESK!
-- Star Vocalists AW, NF, BB, HB, SM, CS, JL, JA, JC, CK, AR, and EL.  These students totally understood how to speak with headphones on.  They always spoke AT AN APPROPRIATE VOLUME…

-- Star Reviewers GP, EM, AW, SN, AB, PA, TD, CH, CL, CM, JN, AS, BT, TC, CL, DN, JN, JP, BS, NT, CZ, ML, ES, AR, MW, MR, and ZB. These students reviewed their CDs with the precision of professional rock critics. Wonder if Rolling Stone magazine is in any of their futures…

-- Rock Survivors JT, SA, KS, HB, AK, TC, YK, RH, AC, NA, AR, and CK, making it all the way through their CDs, despite multiple CD / headphone debacles.
-- Rock Comics CJ, CK, and ML. These students should be recognized for filling the concert with funny moments. CJ got amusingly angry at how many songs matched Spirit Bear’s main character. All of them asked the same basic question, “I get that Cole is a round, dynamic, three-dimensional character, but does EVERY song have to fit him?”  Speaking of Cole, a student named Cole [CK] provided much amusement when he FLIPPED OUT as he listened to the song ML included, Tiny Tim’s “Living in the Sunlight, Loving in the Moonlight.”  Cole’s pain was 6^th period’s gain, as they watched him twist in his chair, pound on his desk, and shriek “make it stop” in almost as high a pitch as Tiny Tim himself.  All periods got to share in the amusing misery a day or so later, as they heard parts of that song and other ridiculous songs: Spongebob’s “F.U.N. Song,” “I’m a Little Teapot,” Frank Sinatra’s “Happy Birthday,” and “I’m a Gummy Bear.”

-- All students, for making this Rock and Cole one of the best in six years.   Admittedly, the 4^th period power outage was infuriating: there had not been a power outage since I arrived at Frost, and this is the time it decided to happen?!  4^th dealt with it admirably, though, seeing the gallows humor in it, making the best of a bad situation.   More students also submitted full folders than ever before, and all students were able to find classmates’ Favorite Word on their folders, which has not been true in previous years. In the end, SS and RT still said it best: “Couldn’t we listen and learn from music every day?”  If only…

Grade: A-
 

122 -- Of Monsters and Men -- Thursday, October 11, 2012 -- 9:30 Club -- DC

I was going to do a one-paragraph summary of the OMAM show, but a lot of readers know the full album, so I’ll provide the full notes.  This should also allow the people who went to the concert to connect with specific moments.  If you’d prefer to just listen to some OMAM, click on the videos at the bottom. :)  

--- I’m immediately struck by the different looks: Icelandic librarian, Icelandic witch, LL Bean model, Spiky Haired Guy from My Apartment Complex, and Sam from Lord of the Rings.

--- "Dirty Paws” sounds exactly like it does on the album – no loss in quality live.  The audience is surprisingly subdued at this point.

--- "From Finner” has a nice drum change a minute in -- the drummer's actually singing – in an Icelandic accent! Getting the audience to sway their hands is a good idea.  

--- Getting them to clap their hands during "Slow and Steady" is also smart – it’d be rather dull without it.  First trumpet of the night!  

--- HA, they’re dividing the audience into karaoke groups during “Mountain Sound.”  Downstairs follow the witch; upstairs follows Samwise Gamgee.  “Hold your horses...sleep until the sun goes down” – such uptempo excitement!

--- The acoustic opening to “Your Bones” is solid; as is the humor in the next introduction: “This song is about friendship.  So make sure to hug your partner, friend, sibling, or… yourself.”  (That other bone-related song was a cover of "Skeleton" by Yeah Yeah Yeah.  Mike Erickson would approve.)

                                         

--- “Do you want to hear a love song?!” induces numerous squeals.  The actual song, “Love Love Love,” induces very little because yawns do not make a lot of noise.  Cool keyboard plink in the last five seconds doesn't make up for the rest of the song.

--- “King and Lionheart” is so much better.  Clapping and ennnergy.

--- “Lakehouse” has an opening that’s both moody and happy.  Awww, a woman in the audience is strumming along.  “Where we are, where we are” – smooooth reverb.  Whoa, suddenly it’s all hyper – and the audience is getting involved.  This time the audience participation is not a gimmick; it’s gravy.  And now they’re now throwing in random blues riffs.  This is epic – best of the night so far.

--- “LITTLE TALKS”! With extended trumpet solo!!

--- After the encore: "We are doing two more songs.  This is the reason we’re back."  Heh.

--- "Sloom" has such distinctive inflections: “Love me, mottther, father, sister……as well.”

--- “Yellow Light”’s title and haunting vocal opening remind me of the green light in The Great Gatsby.  Not as memorable as Death Cab’s “Transatlanticism,” another moody closer, but points for a bold ending.

Grade: B+

121 -- Passion Pit -- Tuesday, October 16, 2012 -- 9:30 Club -- DC

Passion Pit was a lot of fun.  Considering I found out about the band from former students who also fit that description, I should not have been been surprised.  The high points of the night were “Take A Walk,” “Carried Away,” “Eyes as Candles,” and “Let Our Love Grow Tall.”  Oh, and I should not leave out “Little Secrets,” which literally says the word “higher” 45 times over the course of the song.  In between those sugar rushes you had polite indie pop crowd surfs, confetti falling from the ceiling, and a song with “sleepy” in the title which was anything but. 

Being fair, I’ll admit there were some lackluster tracks (“I’ve Got Your Number,” “The Reeling”), and Michael Angelakos’ often incomprehensible falsetto made it hard to find deep meaning in the lyrics.  (“Hiding in piles of princely orange peels” – huh?)  Overall, though, to paraphrase the band, I’d say that’s alright; that’s alright, I’m happy. ;)  

Grade: B+

Endnotes: (1) I listened to the third presidential debate on my iPhone going to and from the show.  Only in DC…  (2)  Somehow the band did not play “Make Light,” the addictive first track on their first album.  Something to look forward to next time!