Phish: A Most Un-sexual Experience

A bit of an interesting read:

Phish: A Most Un-sexual Experience

Stew, Spike, and Strange

Even though I unfortunately missed Passing Strange on Broadway, I made a point of grabbing tickets (four; me, Laura, Emme, and her friend Jake) for a showing of the Spike Lee documentary at the IFC Theater. Thank god that I did, and not just because the showings had sold out (the line was huge!). I found Spike's capturing of Passing Strange to be incredibly successful, mixing intimate shots of the sweat dripping off the performers faces with views from the back of the stage, with Stew (writer, lead) silhouetted against the background of the last performance's audience. The success of musical must have been sharpened through Spike's lens of intimacy, as the mix of story, lyrics, melody, emotion, and weight of the last performance all heightened my own emotions last Saturday. I hadn't felt like that at a movie in I don't know how long. Thanks for that . . .

Discussion on the Civic Arena

I wanted to share a discussion I have just started with a good friend and Pittsburgher. It brings up interesting topics such as urban renewal, preservation, urban responsibility, and learning from history.

I'd like to know what you two think should be done . . .

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/arena0812.aspx

Just curious.

Phil,

My old firm had put together a full master plan that would fit into the space vacated by the Arena and its parking lot. As I think is clearly stated by Sala Udin, quoted in the piece, there is a perfect opportunity to re-stitch the Hill District back into the City of Pittsburgh. I am sure you don't need to be told of the history of the Hill, but it was like Harlem. Vibrant, full of jazz and life and food. Name a jazz artist and he or she probably played in the Hill. But as times progressed, it was viewed as "blighted" and provided ample space for the Arena. And by strangling it from the rest of the City, it really did die (two other examples are East Liberty's "outdoor mall" and the Allegheny Center on the North Side). I think that any opportunity to try and fix this massive Wrong should be thoroughly investigated.

Sure the Arena had some engineering behind it -- but oh well. It is now outdated and I think we would really struggle to find a viable reuse for the building as well as for the surrounding land. I do not think the trade off would be worth it, to be honest.

Unpublished Umphrey's Review

Here is a review that I wrote for Umphrey's last DVD release, Soundstage Presents. The review was left unpublished, so I thought it was time to share it with the world. I hope you enjoy.

Soundstage Presents: Umphrey's McGee - Live (2009)
E1 Entertainment U.S.

From 1974 through 1985, Chicago's public television station WTTW offered a live music program that featured artists such as Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, the Doobie Brothers, and Harry Chapin. Soundstage was reintroduced sixteen years later and added the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Wilco, Sonic Youth, and Alison Krauss, among others, to their illustrative list. And in August of 2007, Chicago's own Umphrey's McGee entered the WTTW studios to record a set of their own.

Since the recording, Umphrey's has entered the studio, recorded, and released an ambitious studio album (Mantis). With a band such as Umphrey's, who can switch genres as quickly as with the next verse, one might think that a DVD from 22 months earlier might come across as an archival release, a snap shot of where they were instead of a current representation. Rather, the Soundstage DVD successfully offers a glimpse into Umphrey's current musical focus, especially when compared to their previous two full-length DVD releases. Live From the Lake Coast was recorded in 2002 and showed a youthful albeit exuberant band (with original drummer Mike Mirro rather than current drummer Kris Myers); Wrapped Around Chicago, filmed in December 2004, had a focus on the energetic "circus" that is a New Year's run in their hometown. Soundstage, filmed in High-Definition and mixed in Surround Sound, shows a mature and confident band, communicating on stage and succeeding where they take chances. The numerous angles and patient editing allows for the viewer to observe in detail the music as it is created.

While the original PBS airing of the Soundstage performance was edited down to an hour, the DVD is over two hours long and is the complete performance, in order (except for the absences of The Triple Wide and a few false starts to the song Words). The highlight of the DVD is the pairing of Out of Order and Great American. Out of Order represents the progressive side to Umphrey's, as they seamlessly blend disparate sections into a fully realized composition. The Great American, on the other hand, is an open and patient version that highlights the band's ability to play simply beautiful music. Halfway through the song, guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger switch from acoustic guitars to electric to provide some color without losing the overall feel. One other standout is an experimental version of Walletsworth, a song that is usually quite pedestrian. This version opens itself up with some frenetic interplay between keyboardist Joel Cummins and Cinninger, showing a disregard for any thoughts of playing it safe for public television.

It should be mentioned that the title of this series is fitting, as it does appear the band is indeed playing on a rather large soundstage, rather than a theater or club. And while the numerous video screens and digital curtains that are suspended in front of a glowing backdrop provide a visual interest behind the band, the overall setting does come across as a bit sterile.

As a glimpse into efforts that are more recent, Umphrey's has included two bonus tracks on the DVD taken from their December 30, 2008 performance at The Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. The first track is the live debut of Made to Measure, a song on their Mantis release. This version features jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman, who has played with the band on a number of occasions since 2004. The second song is the aptly named unreleased instrumental Wizard Burial Ground -- think progressive metal with a nod to the 80s.

On first glance, one might question Umphrey's McGee's most recent DVD release. The majority of one set, originally played and recorded for broadcast on PBS, from a large soundstage outside of Chicago. But Soundstage Presents: Umphrey's McGee presents the band focused and experimenting, in command of the stage and music, in crystal clear sound and video.

Here is a glimpse into the performance, a snippet from Ocean Billy.

Been Too Long

I am sorry for the delay in writing, all my loyal readers. Ahem. It isn't as if there is nothing to write about, because there is actually a ton. A trip north out of the City to visit the Storm King Art Center, followed by another Wilco show; a trip home to Pittsburgh for about six days visiting with my family and a number of old friends (which included mortgage burning, s'mores, drive ins); a trip to Central Park to attempt a few selections from Mark Bittman's 101 Simple Salads for the Summer Season; a few trips into my old office to help out with marketing and graphics. What else . . .

But I guess, for now, I will quickly share that I had a dream about Lance Armstrong last night. I guess it was brought on by reading his Tweets since the Tour de France, replying to a few of them, and not hearing back, lol. It seemed as though we were just hanging out, chilling. This was over the course of a long period of time, it seemed. And at one point, we were talking about some town or village somewhere. Lance was actually using hand gestures to describe the way the streets intersected -- kind of cool, actually. But for some odd reason, we were standing in a small bedroom where my sister was sleeping and I remember her briefly waking, prompting us to take our conversation outside.

Fun.