Music Review Archive

Live Show Review: Finally some light shed on the Vultures

Posted on November 24, 2009 | No Comments
With only a handful of veiled performances to their name, Them Crooked Vultures came to Nashville’s War Memorial on Oct. 5 with high yet unanswerable expectations. There was little to...
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Live Music Review: Uncomfortable Dress Doesn’t Rein In Neko Case’s Voice At The Ryman

Posted on July 30, 2009 | No Comments
Ah Neko, you had to point the tightness of your black dress in the early goings of their Ryman concert Saturday. On every subsequent song, you looked uncomfortable as hell and lucky to stay standing without the mic stand's aid.
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Gene Ween Band Trots Out Stellar Rarities

Posted on March 25, 2009 | No Comments

After my last Ween experience, I walked into the Exit/In Tuesday with great trepidation.

Could Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman) playing solo exorcise the demons from that awful show in Columbus five years ago, or would I regret not tackling my laundry instead?

Starting with the country twang of Roger Miller's Kansas City Star, Gene Ween made ample amends for the other show.

With the band on hiatus, Gene Ween assembled band and took a set of seldom-heard Ween tracks on the road. While no one would call it Ween without Gene's partner in crime, Dean Ween, this band performed a different task by weaving B-sides, side project tracks and choices covers into a cohesive whole.

Gene Ween looked overweight but happy and sober, as opposed to the skinny, strung-out image he cut for much of the band's history. He jawed a little with the audience of Ween diehards while wolfing down cigarettes between and during some songs.

Backed by Ween regulars Bassist Dave Dreiwitz, guitarist Scott Metzger and drummer Joe Russo, Gene Ween put on numerous genre exercises, moving from Miller's country onto light psychedelia, Beatles-style pop-rock and electric blues.

The trademark Ween weirdness got its due, although Gene Ween played it straight for much of the set. Any time he seemed too straightforward, he knew to return to an oddball anthem. He could even subvert a classic - delivering the most warped version of Mr. Sandman ever.

Marshalling through a parade of rarities from Ween and its side projects, Gene Ween dragged out a rejected theme for the Seth Green sitcom Greg the Bunny (Unfortunately, Ween's rejected Pizza Hut theme didn't make the cut). With Let's Get Divorced, he spat nasty lyrics over a gurgling, off-kilter tuba that Tom Waits would have approved of.

On the surprisingly poignant So Long, Jerry, Ween eulogizes Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia above a Dead-esque country rock beat. This leftover from 12 Golden Country Greats could have easily fit on that record.

The band calmed the European techno beat of Friends into a somewhat heavy rocker, with the intentionally idiotic lyrics fitting perfectly with the new arrangement.

The Gene Ween Band might just be an excuse to run through some old favorites and choice covers, but on this night, they proved Ween has plenty of gems that deserve a live spotlight.

Plus, I can finally forgive them for stinking it up in Columbus all those years ago.

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The double billing of Denny Diamond and Guilty Pleasures Friday night filled the Cannery Ballroom with sweet sounds of 70s and 80s music. I got there around 9pm and the ballroom was about a third full with the line forming outside. The show was supposed to begin around 9:15 but of course compensating for Nashville time adds 30 minutes.

Denny Diamond came on stage greeted with big applause. He plays in Nashville so often he even has his own band of Nashville musicians. I’d have to come to the conclusion that he comes here for the fun of it as much as for the paycheck. There were several women in the front row wearing homemade Denny Diamond t-shirts. I wish I could have read what they said but Denny seems to get a kick out of them. The set was a good variety of songs including Neil Diamond favorites like “Coming to America” and “Sweet Caroline.”

After the Denny was done and a short gear switch Guilty Pleasures took the stage. Every time they play the audience gets bigger; I remember one of the first times seeing them at the old Slow Bar in East Nashville. The tiny stage in the corner, a crowd packed into the bar and the rough sound of the first time they played songs. So much has changed since then, Slow Bar is gone along with some of the original fans but much good has happened also. Many more people can enjoy the fun we experienced years ago (show almost sold out, Cannery capacity is 1000) and I’m sure the pay is better too. I stated in my preview blog don’t expect a smooth show but I changed my mind. The show was sounded first-class and everything ran smooth with out any delays or songs starting over… like in the old days.

Only a few small complaints I have; first for as big as the Cannery Ballroom it got real smoky in there. Enough to irritate your eyes pretty good, you’ll see in the photos sections how bad it was. Second complaint is as the crowd gets the bigger there’s bound to me more assholes. I happened to run into one at the bar which can ruin the whole night. You really can’t control that as much as the smoke but I wish they could. Finally I don’t know if it was me but the show seemed to run long. Maybe I’m getting old or something.

So if you didn’t see the Denny Diamond/Guilty Pleasures show on Friday you missed out on some fun. Next time you hear about Guilty Pleasures playing come on out, unless you’re an asshole then stay home.

Partial Guilty Pleasures playlist:
- Don't Forget About Me
- Borderline
- Heart and Soul
- I Know What Boys Like
- Love Shack
- Manic Monday
- Let's Dance
- Would I Lie to You
- Bust A Move
- We Got the Beat
- New Sensation
- One Way or Another
- Walkin On Sunshine
- Jump
Show Photo Gallery
Technorati Tags: cannery ballroom, denny diamond, guilty pleasures, mercy lounge, music, nashville
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Denny Diamond vs Guilty Pleasures: The Aftermath

Posted on March 6, 2007 | No Comments

The double billing of Denny Diamond and Guilty Pleasures Friday night filled the Cannery Ballroom with sweet sounds of 70s and 80s music. I got there around 9pm and the ballroom was about a third full with the line forming outside. The show was supposed to begin around 9:15 but of course compensating for Nashville time adds 30 minutes.

Denny Diamond came on stage greeted with big applause. He plays in Nashville so often he even has his own band of Nashville musicians. I’d have to come to the conclusion that he comes here for the fun of it as much as for the paycheck. There were several women in the front row wearing homemade Denny Diamond t-shirts. I wish I could have read what they said but Denny seems to get a kick out of them. The set was a good variety of songs including Neil Diamond favorites like “Coming to America” and “Sweet Caroline.”

After the Denny was done and a short gear switch Guilty Pleasures took the stage. Every time they play the audience gets bigger; I remember one of the first times seeing them at the old Slow Bar in East Nashville. The tiny stage in the corner, a crowd packed into the bar and the rough sound of the first time they played songs. So much has changed since then, Slow Bar is gone along with some of the original fans but much good has happened also. Many more people can enjoy the fun we experienced years ago (show almost sold out, Cannery capacity is 1000) and I’m sure the pay is better too. I stated in my preview blog don’t expect a smooth show but I changed my mind. The show was sounded first-class and everything ran smooth with out any delays or songs starting over… like in the old days.

Only a few small complaints I have; first for as big as the Cannery Ballroom it got real smoky in there. Enough to irritate your eyes pretty good, you’ll see in the photos sections how bad it was. Second complaint is as the crowd gets the bigger there’s bound to me more assholes. I happened to run into one at the bar which can ruin the whole night. You really can’t control that as much as the smoke but I wish they could. Finally I don’t know if it was me but the show seemed to run long. Maybe I’m getting old or something.

So if you didn’t see the Denny Diamond/Guilty Pleasures show on Friday you missed out on some fun. Next time you hear about Guilty Pleasures playing come on out, unless you’re an asshole then stay home.

Partial Guilty Pleasures playlist: