Patty Griffin

[Beachwood Mac]

Originally Posted by carrie721

it was great! i love patty. i've been on the fence about whether i can get to her show on 4/16 but i'm really hoping i can.

Just jump already You know you want to. How far is Columbus from you? She'll be there on the 29th.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by Beachwood Mac

Just jump already You know you want to. How far is Columbus from you? She'll be there on the 29th.

columbus is a little farther from me pittsburgh, actually. i've already got the ticket ... and it's 5th row ... i should just go. my bank account will hate me but oh well the byham is so beautiful ... and patty ... swoon!

[Beachwood Mac]

Here's another taste...there should be no fence sitting after this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVrjQIY8Cv8

[skcin]

Originally Posted by Beachwood Mac

Great performance today on Ellen. You got your wish Paula with No Bad News. I'm thinking after seeing this that Stevie will only sing when she's on Ellen. Not too many guests get two songs. And when they do they rarely, if ever, talk as well.

I know! I was so excited when I watched it this morning. Great, great performance.

[carrie721]

ok, i dunno who'll be interested in reading this since i already told paula about the concert and terry thinks i'm a petulant ethan-basher ( ), but here goes!

patty finally came on stage around 9:15. she sat at the piano and sang a french lullaby that her grandmother used to sing to her, and then sang a new song about wishing on stars. it's funny how completely different this show was from stevie & even LB to a certain extent ... the show wasn't about her, it was about the music. not to disparage either SN or LB, just noting a difference. of course, LB's shows are definitely about the music too - but he still does the GYOW cluster****, etc.

but i digress. i'm terrible at remembering setlists, so here is what someone posted over at the patty board:

J'irai La Voir Un Jour
First Star
Get Yourself Another Fool
Stay on the Ride
Trapeze
Useless Desires
Burgundy Shoes
The Kite Song
As Cold as it Gets
Mary
Be Careful
When it don't come easy
No Bad News
Love Throw a Line
Heavenly Day
I Don't Ever Give Up
Up to the Mountain
Truth #2

Encores:
Sweet Lorraine
Rain
Getting Ready

highlights for me:

-trapeze. swoon. yes, paula, i cried, but only a little. like, a tear. but still. this song kills me. i daydreamed the whole way to pittsburgh that emmylou would be the "special guest" (as touted on the ticket) and that she would come out and sing harmony on trapeze, but of course that didn't happen. the lovely upright bassist did harmonies and the song was fab.

-no bad news. WORD. the studio version is great, but it's better live. everybody was into it.

-heavenly day. a love song about her dog? c'mon. too cute. one of my favorite songs ever.

-up to the mountain. just her on vocals and her band leader on the tele. i swooned repeatedly.

-truth #2. just fan****ingtastic. again, everyone was totally into it. just so good.

-sweet lorraine. triple love this song.

pictures they aren't fantastic, but whatchagonnado:







the moral of the story is ... if you have a chance to see patty, don't pass it up. she's really ****ing great.



one more video coming up later.

[skcin]

Stay on the Ride
Trapeze
Mary
When it don't come easy
No Bad News
I Don't Ever Give Up
Truth #2

Encores:
Sweet Lorraine
Rain

Most excited about these. I love Lorraine, that fiery haired brown eyed schemer. Sounds like a fantastic show, I wish I could have made it.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by skcin

Most excited about these. I love Lorraine, that fiery haired brown eyes schemer. Sounds like a fantastic show, I wish I could have made it.

i know, i wish you coulda been there! next time she tours, we are so. there.

btw, i video'd no bad news and i don't ever give up just for you youtube was being a bitch, tho, so i can't post IDEGU until it cooperates.

[Beachwood Mac]

Originally Posted by carrie721

ok, i dunno who'll be interested in reading this since i already told paula about the concert and terry thinks i'm a petulant ethan-basher ( ), but here goes!

Even I can overlook your faults when it comes to Patty

I can't believe you got Mary, Truth#2, and Rain. I totally agree with Heavenly Day. I've liked it from the beginning but even more so after the show. And, No Bad News is so much better live and it's damn good on the cd. Glad you went! I was worried with the weather you may not go.

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by Beachwood Mac

Even I can overlook your faults when it comes to Patty

I can't believe you got Mary, Truth#2, and Rain. I totally agree with Heavenly Day. I've liked it from the beginning but even more so after the show. And, No Bad News is so much better live and it's damn good on the cd. Glad you went! I was worried with the weather you may not go.

it didn't snow, so i went. it was rainy and the wind was insane, tho - huge gusts absolutely battered the car the whole way. i am so glad i went too! it was such a treat.

[Beachwood Mac]

Originally Posted by carrie721

it didn't snow, so i went. it was rainy and the wind was insane, tho - huge gusts absolutely battered the car the whole way. i am so glad i went too! it was such a treat.

I'm really hoping she hits SoCal again this summer. She's going to be in the Bay Area in July. I think I enjoyed her so much because she was so appreciative of the crowd. And then there's the fact that she's just damn talented!

[danax6]

Dude, she sang Mary? Fukc, I am so in love with that song. I am listening to it right now. I wish Patty would come to Europe, but that's definitely never going to happen.

[Beachwood Mac]

nice article on the MSN home page...

Another Country
The Return of Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin and Mary Chapin Carpenter
By Kurt B. Reighley, Special to MSN Music

If a savvy TV producer has been kicking around the notion of a VH1 "Divas Live"-style tribute to Emmylou Harris, this spring would be an ideal time for it. Harris' influence looms large over countless new releases, from albums by chart-topper Norah Jones to cult favorites Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter and Elizabeth Cook -- all of whom have distinctive voices and original songwriting styles that bear a distinct but original country element. At the front of this pack are three artists returning with some of the boldest statements of their careers: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lucinda Williams and Patty Griffin.

Like Harris, these women are innovators who refuse to be strictly defined by any one genre. And yet, by virtue of their achievements as composers, recording artists, or both, all three command the respect of Music City. They also offer a powerful antidote to a popular culture fixated on youth and obvious sexuality. But to suggest that they all sound alike (or that they all sound like Emmylou Harris) would be a disservice to all three (or, indeed, all four). Each stands alone as a vital artist; their uniqueness within the loose boundaries of "country" is what ties them together.

Of the trio, Carpenter is best known in mainstream country circles, thanks to big hits such as "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" and "Down at the Twist and Shout," as well as her cover of Williams' "Passionate Kisses." However, Carpenter got her start in folk music, and politics remain central to her identity. She has performed with Harris at concerts for Campaign for a Landmine-Free World, as well as for troops overseas and at benefits supporting cancer and AIDS research.

Pointed opinions about current events figure prominently on "The Calling," Carpenter's ninth album. The confrontational "On With the Song" roars with surprisingly ferocious guitars, and its lyric praises individuals that stand their ground, while eviscerating President Bush with nervy wit. The piano-based "Houston" addresses the plight of Hurricane Katrina refugees. Her often prickly sentiments come wrapped in rousing choruses.

As its title implies, "The Calling" also addresses issues of faith, but with an open mind; Buddha, Allah and God share equal weight in the chorus of the robust "Why Shouldn't We." The higher power she addresses in her deep, resonant voice on the title track might just as easily be an aesthetic as a specific religious belief. Even when her focus turns to more personal fare, as on the darker "Leaving Song," there is a pervasive sense that Carpenter is very much in the world, not just moving through it.

Carpenter is a versatile singer; on "Twilight," she applies three or four different vocal colors to just that simple two-syllable word. But when it comes to distinctive singing, Lucinda Williams has her beat. On her latest release, "West," Williams joins forces with innovative producer Hal Willner, a partnership ideal for those pipes. Just as he did with Marianne Faithfull on her album "Strange Weather," Willner crafts atmospheric arrangements -- including, once again, contributions from avant-garde guitarist Bill Frisell -- that put Williams' evocative, gravelly voice front and center.

Like Faithfull's 1987 landmark, "West" rings with songs of a life hard lived. In the interim before making the record, Williams endured both the death of her mother and what she has described as "a very tumultuous relationship that ended badly." The former loss factors into "Mama You Sweet," with its almost chant-like simplicity, and the philosophical "Fancy Funeral," which counters images of floral tributes and gleaming hearses by tabulating their expense, could pass for a Great Depression-era classic.

Yet it is romantic love -- gone wrong, right or just away -- that forms the core of "West." On the vulnerable "Everything Has Changed" and "Learning How to Live," the spent-sounding Williams reminds listeners that the most touching sentiments are often articulated by voices hardly considered conventionally pretty (witness Bob Dylan or the Carter Family).

The album opener "Are You Alright?" suggests that, in the midst of her rough patch, she wrote the words she wished others around her would say. This record demands almost as much from the listener as it gives back in return. But for all its strengths, "West" is less than perfect. A preponderance of achingly slow tempos makes the album feel even longer than its 68 minutes, and the unvarnished sentiments of angry rocker "Come On" don't measure up to the rest of the lyrics.

Patty Griffin could easily live off songwriting paychecks alone; her originals have been cut by the Dixie Chicks, Reba McEntire and, yes, Emmylou Harris. Fortunately, Griffin is more ambitious than that. She has talent to burn as both a vocalist and songwriter, but her career has often lacked of a clear direction. On her fifth full-length release, "Children Running Through," she has no such problems. She tears up the blazing kiss-off ditty "Getting Ready," then spins into the gauzy, impressionist vignette "Burgundy Shoes" without pausing to catch a breath.

Griffin embraces a wide range of styles, from the jazzy opener, "You'll Remember," and the gospel blues of "Up to the Mountain" (which R&B great Solomon Burke recently covered on his country album, "Nashville"), to the stark, minor key cipher "Someone Else's Tomorrow." "Children Running Through" is such a consistently engaging affair, it seems risky to isolate a single song for praise, but "Trapeze," with its tale of circus performer suspended -- in midair as in life -- stands out in Griffin's already formidable catalog. And who is that singing in the background, enriching Griffin's warm vocals? Why, Emmylou Harris, of course. It's not the sound of one artist passing the torch to another, but of two equals warmed by tending the same flame and sharing the glow.

[skcin]

For those of you who don't watch American Idol, Kelly Clarkson performed on their big "Idol Gives Back" charity show this past Wednesday. She sang "Up To the Mountain" accompanied by Jeff Beck on guitar and hit it out of the park. It was fantastic. My only complaint is that they didn't announce that it was written by Patty - just gave the title.

I haven't looked for audio/video yet, but here's a pic:
http://www.americanidol.com/photos/view/?set=169&seq=35

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by skcin

For those of you who don't watch American Idol, Kelly Clarkson performed on their big "Idol Gives Back" charity show this past Wednesday. She sang "Up To the Mountain" accompanied by Jeff Beck on guitar and hit it out of the park. It was fantastic. My only complaint is that they didn't announce that it was written by Patty - just gave the title.

i am so mad i missed it. i should check youtube.

[carrie721]

found it!



thanks for the heads up, paula. i thought it was pretty good ... kinda overdid it towards the end, but i still liked it. better than solomon burke's version.