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No snappy title.
I have a million and a half things to write before Brooke and I head to Boston to see Brian Wilson on Friday. It's my third time. I feel like a member of some weird cult. On BW's website, he's encouraging attendees to wear loose-fitting robes and Nike sneakers. Wonder if they serve Kool-Aid at the Orpheum?
Anyway, here's a funny thing I stole from Pitchfork:
That's everyone's pal Borat hangin' with Mastodon.
While we're on the subject of hairy prog-metal, check out this live clip of Mastodon's tune "Capillarian Quest." The middle section shreds like a hundred biomechanical blizzard beasts.
Seriously, I would probably poop my pants if I tried to play that song. Jesus.
ben
Posted by: ben | Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 03:22 PM
casey, you should hang around boston on saturday and sunday too.
the brainwashed Brainwaves festival is going on.
im playing on saturday solo and with keith fullerton whitman (hes playing solo too).
plus tons of other great folks.
http://brainwashed.com/10/schedule.html
let me know if you are coming by.
greg
Posted by: greg | Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 09:41 PM
I was supposed to go to that anyway, but I forgot, 'cause it's hard to plan for things so far in advance. It was last spring when the idea of attending the fest first came up. I thought, "well, it's so far away, I'll worry about it later." Whoops.
Unfortunately, (well, not really) we have a new kitten, and didn't plan on a babysitter.
There's the possibility of staying with friend(s) Friday night, but I doubt we can make a full weekend out of it.
Plus, I have a million writing and recording chores to attend to.
Man, I feel like an idiot, though, 'cause I love the whole damn Brainwashed hive. I need a planner. Wait, I have one. I just forget to fill it. Or check it.
Posted by: casey | Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 11:42 PM
Mastodon's lead guitarist's beard could kick the ass of lesser beards.
Posted by: jay | Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at 11:57 PM
is Brian Wilson really worth seeing? He is one of my favorite musicians of all time- so I was all excited last year when he was going to perform on TV before one of the NASCAR smash-em-ups...it was horrible! man, I almost cried...
ps. Gregs beard would devour the Mastodon guys beard!
Posted by: the le duo | Thursday, November 16, 2006 at 06:16 AM
I know what you mean about Brian on TV; I think he gets pretty uncomfortable. Live, he's been great the times I've seen him. Being the obsessive fan that I am, I also have three or four recent concert DVDs, which support my real-life observations.
I've likened Brian to an old record with really deep grooves. He often seems totally spaced and more than a little uncomfortable. But when the the needle hits the right spot, he's totally in the zone. Sometimes he even seems to be having fun.
The first show I saw was either 2002 or 2003. It was the Pet Sounds tour. To my amazement, he played at least 5 or 6 songs from SMiLE in the opening set. The audience was as shocked as I — there hadn't been any talk of those tunes being performed. We also heard some left-field stuff like "Busy Doin' Nothin'," which is a personal favorite. I'm just waiting for him to bust out "Johnny Carson."
The second time I saw him, it was on the official SMiLE tour. That part of the show was nice, but the first set included a lot of "oldies." I prefer the original Beach Boys on the early material.
Singing-wise, he is getting better every year. I'm shocked at some of the notes he can hit completely unassisted. The last line of "Caroline, No" is a good example.
It's an incredible band, too. To hear them play "Cabin Essence" and "Surf's Up" is truly moving.
The Brainwashed Fest looks great, but I don't think we can make it. Too bad — I'd love to see Z'ev, irr.app.(ext)., The Caretaker (didn't know he even played live) and Thighpaulsandra, in particular.
Greg wins the beard battle, I think. But we'd all lose in a polyrhythmic fretboard fight.
Posted by: casey | Thursday, November 16, 2006 at 10:02 AM
ive seen BW on the pet sounds and SMiLE tours as well. and its a real treat.
amazing that he is even back out on stage and on tour playing this music. its kinda bittersweet.
at the pet sounds show, he sounded rough. and all of his lines were doubled by someone else.
at the smile show, he was singing the leads mostly solo. seemed more comfortable and having more fun. both times, the band was really great. faithfully reproducing these big nuanced arrangements for some tough music.
i think well worth hearing live if you are big beach boys / BW fan.
Posted by: greg | Thursday, November 16, 2006 at 04:35 PM