Steven Wilson reignited my dormant passion for prog-rock last night. Largely because the debut albums by the Ramones and the Clash pulverized my teenage predilection for the likes of Kansas, Rush and Genesis decades ago, I attended the show as a curious skeptic.
Wilson, the most significant prog-rock artist of the last 25 years, succeeded in reviving my interest in ponderous bombast.
Wilson and his band- guitarist Dave Kilminster, keyboardist Adam Holzman (son of Jac Holzman!), bassist Nick Beggs (of Kajagoogoo!) and drummer Craig Blundell- were abetted by impeccable quadrophonic sound (ambient sounds emanated from speakers in the back of the venue) and stunning images on a screen behind the stage.
Renditions of new songs including the soul-crushing ”Routine”, the enchanting ”Perfect Life” and the sensual ”Hand Cannot Erase” were wondrous. Aside from a preponderance of flashy guitar solos and the aberrant behavior of addled concertgoers seated near me, the two-set show was perfect. Now, where did I put my copy of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway?
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I reviewed Blue Öyster Cult’s concert at the VooDoo.
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Election coverage preempted live on-air audio, but I here’s the text component of my weekly KCUR segment. I featured Calvin Arsenia.
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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.
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Leonard Cohen’s fabled appearance at the Midland theater was my second favorite show of 2009. Cohen died last week.
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Leon Russell’s music was a prominent part of my life in my teens and again in recent years. My dad got hip to Russell through his collaborations with Willie Nelson in the 1970s. He and I bonded over our mutual appreciation of those jams. I went decades without thinking much about Russell until Frank Hicks of Knuckleheads began regularly booking the legend in recent years. I reviewed a couple of those shows for The Kansas City Star. I also admired his 2014 album Life Journey at There Stands the Glass. Russell died yesterday.
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Noël Akchoté and Mary Halvorson’s duet album is RIYL: Joe Pass, skronk, Fred Frith.
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I don’t know if Alicia Keys and her cohorts tried too hard or didn’t try hard enough while creating Here, but the well-intentioned project doesn’t work. Songs like ”Blended Family” resemble public service announcements.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
