Stuck In My Head 7.29.2015 - WITCH HUNT

Welcome to the United States, circa 2015.


Witch Hunt (Part III of the Fear Song Series)
by Rush

The night is black
Without a moon
The air is thick and still
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torch lit hill

Features distorted in the flickering light
The faces are twisted and grotesque
Silent and stern in the sweltering night
The mob moves like demons possessed
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right
Confident their ways are best

The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill

They say there are strangers who threaten us
In our immigrants and infidels
They say there is strangeness too dangerous
In our theaters and bookstore shelves
That those who know what's best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves

Quick to judge
Quick to anger
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand...

GOOD PEOPLE and Musical Inspiration

I've played around with music to help me "find" characters in the past, most notably my "Frankenstein Playlist." That exercise was pretty extreme, but it was helpful. I don't usually go that far, but I very often will find myself listening to music, being struck by a lyric, or an emotional response to a tune, that informs the project I'm working on.

My current project is at Redtwist Theatre, GOOD PEOPLE by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Matt Hawkins. We're down to the wire on this one, a few days before tech, and in the middle of those moments when every mistake, no matter how trivial, feels apocalyptic, and the connection to the characters feels more and more like trying to grab and hold running water. Which is pretty much the way everybody feels about every show they work on when you're getting this close to the point of no return.

It's hard to maintain your confidence, essentially, when the rubber hits the road, as they say, but the team is strong and committed. The Redtwist ensemble members, Jacqueline Grandt, KC Karen Hill, Aaron Kirby and Kathleen Ruhl, and the other guest artist in the cast, Kiki Layne, are doing excellent work, well worth of Mr. Lindsay-Abaire's tremendous script. Matt Hawkins is a open, collaborative director, always ready to react and adjust to discoveries on the fly. Assistant Director Scott Wolf, and our Stage Management team, Allison Queen and her assistant, Melissa Nelson, are organized and prepared.

The design team are about to swing into the hard part, as we head to tech weekend. I can't wait to see what Eric Luchen (Set Designer), Kathryn A. Lesko (Lighting Designer), Karli Blalock (Sound Designer), Allison M. Smith (Costume Designer) and Jan Ellen Graves (Prop Designer) have in store. What we've seen so far is terrific.

I'm proud of this show. I'm proud of being in it, and the work I'm doing. I can't wait for people to see it next week.

But, again...the triggers from certain songs. The way that you can hear a tune, maybe even one you know well, and it suddenly reflect something about your character, your show. I had a moment like that just yesterday. I've been listening to a lot of Rush lately, having just seen the R40 Tour last Friday night. I'll probably have another blog, at some point, about seeing one of my favorite bands for what is likely to be the last time, but...Neil Peart's lyrics once again reached out to me.

GOOD PEOPLE deals with class inequality, choice and opportunity. Part of the real fun of this show is how it grapples with many questions that I myself grapple with. I don't think that subsidies are going to be long-term solutions to the inequality in our country, and I do believe that people will have to identify their own opportunities, and act upon them to better themselves. Yet, it's very clear that opportunity is not a universal, and that acting upon those opportunities isn't as easy as it seems for a lot of people. The show asks these questions.

It's also VERY funny, and tells a cracking good story. It's not about preaching, it's about showing us people within these questions, and telling their stories. It's the best kind of storytelling, where the story is first, and it happens to illuminate these issues.

Anyway...long way around to this song:


Half The World

Half the world hates
What half the world does every day
Half the world waits
While half gets on with it anyway

Half the world lives
Half the world makes
Half the world gives
While the other half takes

Half the world is
Half the world was
Half the world thinks
While the other half does

Half the world talks
With half a mind on what they say
Half the world walks
With half a mind to run away

Half the world lies
Half the world learns
Half the world flies
As half the world turns

Half the world cries
Half the world laughs
Half the world tries
To be the other half

Half of us divided
Like a torn-up photograph
Half of us are trying
To reach the other half

Half the world cares
While half the world is wasting the day
Half the world shares
While half the world is stealing away

Stuck in My Head 9.4.2014 - Resist

Resist
by Rush

I can learn to resist
Anything but temptation
I can learn to coexist
With anything but pain

I can learn to compromise
Anything but my desires
I can learn to get along
With all the things I can't explain

I can learn to resist
Anything but frustration
I can learn to persist
With anything but aiming low

I can learn to close my eyes
To anything but injustice
I can learn to get along
With all the things I don't know

You can surrender
Without a prayer
But never really pray
Pray without surrender

You can fight
Without ever winning
But never ever win
Without a fight

I can learn to resist
Anything but temptation
I can learn to coexist
With anything but pain

I can learn to compromise
Anything but my desires
I can learn to get along
With all the things I can't explain

"Haunted" Comes Together and Other Stuff

Hello, peeps!!

I'm back with another music project update. I managed to complete recording on "Haunted" Saturday, mixed a bit, then re-recorded the bass part (which I'd screwed up) on Sunday. I also re-did the vocal track on Sunday, and I'm pretty happy with it.

I just need to finish mixing, and master it, and track 6 will be complete. I believe I'm still on track to complete this project for the end of the year. I'm facing down the reality that I probably won't make 12 tracks, but 10 will probably be fine.

I've been listening to the completed work on a pretty regular basis, and, aside from the couple of tracks I really want to re-mix, as I've written about before, I really think, moving forward, I need to pick up the tempo. I'm realizing that the tracks I've finished are generally falling into a 95 to 105 BPM range, and, while I think they work individually, I wonder if it won't feel like a lot of sluggish tracks. I mean, one of my inspirations on this group of songs was Kyuss, and the "stoner metal" genre, but I don't want things to feel like a slog. I'm going to make a concerted effort to drop in some quicker tracks.

Still, that aside, I am feeling good about my work. I think that my drumming is...evolving, but serviceable. I actually get excited about how my next set of tracks will sound, having the benefit of a few months of just messing around with the kit, rather than trying to figure out how to solve the current problem...i.e. how to play under this riff and progression I'm working on RIGHT NOW. Although, that said...I have found that I respond well to diving into the deep end of the pool, and struggling my way out. I actually find it...well I find it deeply frustrating, at times, but then something will click, and I start to put things together. Then, damn it's rewarding.

Usually this comes at the point where I say to myself, "the simplest way to do it would be..." I stop trying to be complicated for the sake of being impressive. I just play, and maybe I can't drum as good as a real drummer, but it's me. I've been re-listening to the completed tracks, taking notes, thinking and considering what can be re-done, made better, and I can't help it. It's so cool to know that I played all of it. Everything I'm listening to is ME. Maybe it's not the greatest song in the world, the greatest singing, the greatest playing, but it's me, top to bottom.

I know how Prince must feel. Without that massive talent, and massive crazy.

In other news, saw Ron Howard's new film, Rush, last night, and really just flat-out adored it. I've always respected Howard's way of adapting his style to each project he shoots. I think it helps him get out of the way of the characters and story. That's an important point with this film.

It's being sold as a sort of adrenalin-rush racing film, and I wouldn't call it that, at all. It's a character study of two men who were locked in a Formula One racing rivalry in the mid-70's. James Hunt (Chis Hemsworth) and Nikki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl - who is, flat-out, Oscar worthy), if the film is to be believed, had a deeply intertwined and compelling relationship. Lauda served as a consultant on the film, yet he is portrayed in a fairly harsh light, so...I feel the ring of at least emotional truth here.

Rush excels showing the contrasting personalities of these two men, Lauda calculating and obsessed with planning, Hunt a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants playboy and risk-taker. Both actors just shine, Hemsworth pays off all the attention from his portrayals of "Marvel's Thor," and is effortlessly charming. He may have already been proclaimed a "movie star," but this film fully shows how big a star he could be. Bruhl, on the other side, is just awesome. Catching a character driven by precision and ego, and putting that into seemingly every choice he makes during the running time. Both are vastly entertaining, and neither is a "villain."

Much like Warrior, a mixed martial arts film I truly wish had reached a wider audience, the racing scenes are used primarily to illuminate the characters. They're exciting and powerful, with a couple of really horrifying crashes, but Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen, The Audience) continually bring the focus back to the characters. Who will win is important not because the story hinges on it, but because the characters have hinged their lives on it. It becomes apparent that, in racing each other, they're really battling with themselves.

There is a bit of a misstep in the coda, where a voice-over basically just spells out a relationship that was completely obvious from the performances and the film, itself. It's unneeded, and the information imparted about the men's later lives would be just as effective in a title card. The brief use of actual footage and pictures of the two men, the sort of thing that just made me livid in What's Love Got to Do With It?, for example, didn't really irk me here. In fact, I was sort of excited to see what Lauda actually looked like.

Bottom line, it's a terrific film that transcends being a "racing movie." I'd call it my favorite film of the year, so far, bearing in mind that Gravity comes out next week. Highly, highly recommended.

Yesterday also marked a release long hoped for by Rush (the band, I'm talking about now) fans.  A remixed/remastered version of their 2002 album, Vapor Trails, that marked the groups return after a long hiatus, due to personal tragedies for drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The album has always been considered a victim of the "loudness war," where tracks were compressed heavily, so that the overall volume could be increased. Mainly because it allows tracks to sound louder on iPods and other portable devices. This results in distortion and lack of dynamic range.


...Another thing to lay at the feet of the "digital revolution."


Anyway, both the band, and fans, have long been critical of the original production, credited to Rush and Paul Northfeld, for the muddy quality and distortion. This has been a controversial issue for the Rush community for many years, the album is loved for being the signal that the band would not break up after Peart's difficulties, as well as being the first Rush album since 1975's Caress of Steel to not feature any keyboard or synthesizer parts. Yet also viewed as flawed because of the production.

For myself, I actually love the album as it was. I'm not militant about it, but I did. Yes, it felt muddy and raw, but the lyrical content, touching on Peart's pain as it does, did as well. It felt set apart from that rest of the catalog, and that felt right because of all that had happened. It sounded, to me, like a Rush that was healing, but still felt raw and wounded.

...and I REALLY like the songs.

I'm also very pro allowing artists to revisit their works. I support it, as long as the original is available to me, and I do still have my original Vapor Trails. This is why I don't get in a twist about the Star Wars Special Editions.

I've listened to the remix a few times. It's good. I like it. It sounds a lot more like the rest of the Rush catalog, and I admit there are sonic elements I've never heard before. In particular, a guitar solo on Ceiling Unlimited was either inaudible before, or the sonic qualities popped so much better that it felt like a new element. However, I just can't call the album a "revelation," as some have. It sounds like Vapor Trails, the songs are still great, and they're played extremely well. There's some new bells and whistles, but the heart of the thing is the same.

Which, honestly, strikes me as a good thing.

Stuck In My Head: Mission

Mission
by Rush

Hold your fire,
Keep it burning bright
Hold the flame 'til the dream ignites
A spirit with a vision is a dream
With a mission

I hear their passionate music
Read the words that touch my heart
I gaze at their feverish pictures
The secrets that set them apart

When I feel the powerful visions
Their fire has made alive
I wish I had that instinct
I wish I had that drive

Spirits fly on dangerous missions
Imaginations on fire
Focused high on soaring ambitions
Consumed in a single desire

In the grip of a nameless possession
A slave to the drive of obsession
A spirit with a vision is a dream
With a mission.

I watch their images flicker
Bringing light to a lifeless screen
I walk through their beautiful buildings
And I wish I had their dreams
But dreams don't need to have motion
To keep their spark alive
Obsession has to have action
Pride turns on the drive

It's cold comfort
To the ones without it
To know how they struggled
How they suffered about it
If their lives were exotic and strange
They would likely have gladly exchanged them
For something a little more plain
Maybe something a little more sane

We each pay a fabulous price
For our visions of paradise
But a spirit with a vision is a dream
With a mission.

I Am So Happy To Post These Videos

Rush is in the Hall of Fame.

About goddman time.

Stuck in My Head: The Pass

Events moved this here song to the forefront of my thoughts.


The Pass
by Rush

Proud swagger out of the schoolyard
Waiting for the world's applause
Rebel without a conscience
Martyr without a cause  

Static on your frequency
Electrical storm in your veins
Raging at unreachable glory
Straining at invisible chains  

And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Can't face life on a razor's edge
Nothing's what you thought it would be  

All of us get lost in the darkness
Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
All of us do time in the gutter
Dreamers turn to look at the stars
Turn around and turn around and turn around
Turn around and walk the razor's edge
Don't turn your back
And slam the door on me  

It's not as if this barricade
Blocks the only road
It's not as if you're all alone
In wanting to explode  

Someone set a bad example
Made surrender seem all right
The act of a noble warrior
Who lost the will to fight  

And now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Done with life on a razor's edge
Nothing's what you thought it would be  

No hero in your tragedy
No daring in your escape
No salutes for your surrender
Nothing noble in your fate
Christ, what have you done?

Rush at The United Center 9.15.2012

Rush is the only band I know that takes an intermission, but as my friend Doug M. said on Saturday night, when a band plays with such precision and skill, you can give them fifteen minutes.

Rush has nothing to prove to anyone, ever again. The band is still going strong after thirty-eight years, since their first album in 1974 (longer if you go from their formation), has only had 5 members (one for only one performance), and has had an unchanging lineup since drummer Neil Peart joined bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson in the band (also in 1974). There is a consistency of skill, direction and vision in this band that few artists can match. Which isn't to say stagnant, far from it.

Three things were surprising on Saturday night.

The first being that for the first time in recent memory, there are significant changes to the setlist from night to night. On the past few tours, it was almost a given that the setlist that came out on the internet the night of the first show is, more or less, the exact setlist you'd see when the band reached your town. I see this as neither good nor bad, it's simply how Rush operates (operated?). With the extensive lighting and video effects that are part and parcel of their stage show, planning and synchronization are important. Much like a play performed by talented actors, the script doesn't change, but the commitment and the energy of each night would differ.

Second, I was surprised to see the band mine so much of the "synthesizer era" that encompassed most of the 80's. The first set relied heavily on this period, with synth-heavy numbers like Territories, The Big Money, and Grand Designs. While admittedly, not my "favorite" era of the band (I do love all facets of their career), it was very cool to see this period represented so strongly. Doug was in heaven, this being is favorite era of the band.

Third, for the first time, ever, Rush had additional musicians, in the fore of a string section, mainly for material from their latest (and excellent) album, Clockwork Angels, which comprised most of the second set. Being a fan of the new record, I was excited that they did nine of the albums twelve tracks. In order, as befits a concept album. I could see a few people getting the "thousand-yard stare" that sometimes accompanies new material at a "classic rock" show. Screw 'em. The band sounded terrific, the fans know this stuff, and it's at the same level of quality as every album they put out is....High.

Other changes were evident. Instead of one long drum solo, Peart took three shorter ones, incorporated into the numbers being played. It was interesting to see, instead of moving through various styles in a ten to fifteen minute solos, to attack one style aggressively, then slide back into the song. I am a fan of Peart's drum solos (and I don't, traditionally, like drum solos), but I thought this was a very, very cool variation on what the "expected" Rush show tropes are.

All-in-all, a great night. The band gave us our money's worth, and more. As long as they stay on the road, I will be making the time to see this band of consummate professionals play like few others can.

Set One
1. Subdivisions
2. The Big Money
3. Force Ten
4. Grand Designs
5. The Body Electric

6. Territories
7. The Analog Kid
8. Bravado
9. Where's My Thing? (with Drum Solo)
10. Far Cry

Set Two (with string section)
11. Caravan
12. Clockwork Angels
13. The Anarchist
14. Carnies
15. The Wreckers
16. Headlong Flight (with Drum Solo)
17. Halo Effect
18. Seven Cities of Gold
19. The Garden
20. Manhattan Project
21. Drum Solo (The Percussor)
22. Red Sector A
23. YYZ
24. The Spirit of Radio (no strings)

Encore:
25. Tom Sawyer
26. 2112 Part I: Overture
27. 2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx
28. 2112 Part VII: Grand Finale

The Frankenstein Playlist: Track Seven

The Playlist So Far:

• 1- The Creature Lives by Mastodon
• 2- My Father's House by Bruce Springsteen
• 3- Cold Water by Tom Waits
• 4- The Apparition by Iron Maiden
• 5- Rusty Cage by Johnny Cash 
• 6- Ride the Lightning by Metallica

 

 It's perhaps the single image most associated with the Creature. Chased by villagers waving torches and pitchforks. Tortured and pursued for the crime of being different, for being ugly. We have all felt judged and condemned for simply who we are, and the Creature gives allegorical life to those thoughts. Shunned by family, friendless, loveless, and on the run from those who act without thought or compassion. It's powerful stuff.



Witch Hunt
by Rush


The night is black
Without a moon
The air is thick and still
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torch lit hill

Features distorted in the flickering light
The faces are twisted and grotesque
Silent and stern in the sweltering night
The mob moves like demons possessed
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right
Confident their ways are best

The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill

They say there are strangers who threaten us
In our immigrants and infidels
They say there is strangeness too dangerous
In our theaters and bookstore shelves
That those who know what's best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves

Quick to judge
Quick to anger
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand...

CLOCKWORK ANGELS

So here it is, the first new Rush album in five years, and their first concept album, ever. It's true! Rush has never released a full album with a unifying concept. Their conceptual projects previously would, at most, consist of one side of an album, as with the classic 2112. I have to admit I was thrilled to hear that the boys had decided to undertake a more long-form project again.

We got a taste of what might be in store quite early, with the release of the first two tracks of this record, Caravan and BU2B as a "single" in 2010, to promote the "Time Machine" tour. I loved those tracks, they we heavy and classic, as well as giving an intriguing glimpse of the themes that would ultimately drive the Clockwork Angels storyline.

Now, I have to admit, I was a little surprised that the album doesn't play more unified. It would be very easy to listen to Clockwork Angels and  just think it was another Rush album, a collection of songs, blissfully unaware of the underlying storyline. Some may be disappointed by that, but, ultimately, I find it a strength. It allows you to sink into each track, and the elements each conveys of the overall storyline.

The storyline itself is nothing overtly complicated. Typical hero's journey stuff. A farm boy moves out into a steampunk world, controlled by a figure called the watchmaker. He works with a traveling carnival and faces insidious pirates, etc, etc. It's rich, compelling stuff if you wish to dig into the album, and not just enjoy the songs as excellent rock music. If you really want to get into it, the novelization, by Kevin J. Anderson, will be available in September (just in time for the tour!).

I have to admit, while some fans are calling Clockwork Angels Rush's best work since their 70's/80's heyday, I'm not completely on board with that. For my money, they've never made a bad album. I could pick my favorite Rush record (Permanent Waves. No, wait! Signals.), but I couldn't pick their best record. I simply think these guys have somehow stayed true to themselves for all these years and continued to write and record songs that always sound fresh, alive, and exactly how Rush should sound in that moment. It's an impressive feat.

There are lots of killer tracks here, but the run from Track 5 to Track 9 is truly amazing. All five of those numbers, Carnies, Halo Effect, Seven Cities of Gold, The Wreckers and Headlong Flight, are classic Rush, heavy, technical and ultra-melodic and catchy. The whole album is great really, but that stretch, in particular, just kicks my ass.

The playing, as to be expected, is impeccable. Bassist/Vocalist Geddy Lee's voice can't quite get to the sort of upper-register notes that used to be commonplace for him, but the guy's sixty. He deserves the right to not destroy his throat, when a lower note works just as well. Plus, I can't hit those note, so what can I say? Guitarist Alex Lifeson is truly on fire on several tracks, with the opening riff of Carnies being particularly awesome. Drummer/Lyricist Neil Peart...well, he's the greatest living rock drummer.

What's interesting is the urgency that seems imbedded into the whole affair. It makes me wonder if there isn't some sense, in fact I know there is, the band has made it clear in interviews, that they can't keep going forever. Peart has said that the band's planned 2 years from now, in terms of activities, and then...we'll see.

I hope they keep going forever, because no other band in the world has proved to be so consistently connected to both themselves and their audience. The time will come when they have to hang up the instruments, as it does for everyone. On that day, the world will be a poorer place.

The Lure of Live Albums

I had a conversation a while back, almost a year ago, I guess, where I was discussing music with a friend. I said that I really loved live albums, and often prefer them to studio records. The response was interesting, that how she preferred studio recordings because they we exactly the way the artist wanted the songs to sound.

Which, I suppose, is true. However, my response to that is, basically, a live recording is how the songs really sound. In the best cases and examples, it's the band, as it exists on stage, playing full-out and without any chance to go back and fix anything. Even if there's a bunch of hired-hand backup musicians, it's still what the "band" can generate right in front of you. I find that vastly more enthralling.

Yeah, sometimes a "live" album is full of overdubs, re-recorded vocals, and other studio trickery. Kiss' Alive! and Alive! II being two rumored examples of "live" albums that took almost more studio work than the original studio albums. Ace Frehley all but admits this outright in his autobiography.

You can contrast that with Metallica's LIVE SHIT: Binge and Purge box set, which was actually 3 full shows, two on video, one on audio. I'm always impressed when on one of the video shows, Kirk Hammet's guitar solo goes pretty blatantly out of key. Impressed because they left it there, because that's how the show went down. It would've been so easy to fix it, especially at that moment, right after the Black Album release, when they were as popular as they would ever be. I admire that.

Even beyond the idea that a live version is the song in it's most natural form, I also find, more often than not, that live versions are far more energized and exciting. The Who, for example, I will take a live version of pretty much any song in their catalog over the studio version. Even something like "Squeeze Box," which sounds almost nothing like the studio version (no accordion on stage), but just screams with energy. I'll admit that part of the factor with The Who is that some of their studio stuff just sounds awful. My copy of Tommy (admittedly an older master) is embarrassing in how poor the sound quality is. I don't think anybody ever really captured the best of The Who, as musicians, in a studio.

Now, of course, it can backfire, too. I've commented before that Led Zeppelin, when they let their impromptu jams get out of control, could be stultifying. How the west Was Won is OK, but The Song Remains the Same is a nightmare. Neither of them even brushes at the greatness of the studio albums.

Now, in these last two cases, I'll admit, I never actually saw them live, but I'm talking about live albums and recordings. I'm sure, if I was in an arena with Led Zeppelin, I'd be much more open to the musical digressions. Alas, I never had that chance, and I do regret it. Same with The Who prior to Keith Moon's death.

Rush is a band I love, and, for such a detail-oriented, technical group,  it's kind of amazing how much more often I'll reach for one of their live albums (and there are several), rather than a studio disk. Now, here's a group where there is tons of on-stage augmentation, samples and other pre-recorded bits. Of course, they're all triggered by one of the three guys on stage. It's kind of amazing to watch Lee, Lifeson and Peart not only play their instruments with such technical perfection, but also trigger all this other stuff at the right moments. There's also a goofy sense of humor and playfulness that isn't always as readily apparent on their studio tracks.

On the flip side of the power trio coin is King's X, who really only have one "real" live album out, Live in London. Whereas Rush wields much technology to hit the nuances of their material, King's X is three guys, and...well, that's pretty much it. It's a master course in forming your sound around what you can do with what you have. Bassist Dug Pinnick often wields a 12-string bass, and his tone, in general, fill in a lot of sonic room. One of my absolute favorite live acts, and, when you see them, it's almost always up close and personal.

Of course, for me, Springsteen is the quintessential "you HAVE to see him live" artist. I, personally, have over forty-eight hours of Springsteen music on my Zune. Most of that is live recordings, and most of those are bootlegs. I'm happy to say I own recordings of every Springsteen concert I've seen.

Obsessive? Sure.

However, I can tell you that every, single show I've seen has unique moments. Unlike, say, Rush, where every show of a tour is, essentially, the same, The Boss' show are constantly in motion and evolving. The set lists, while adhering to a structure, are always changing. I don't know how many other acts I could see two nights in a row, and feel it's worth it. I tried two Rush shows 3 days apart, and I have to admit, I got a little bored the second night. I mean no disrespect to the boys in that, but to point out (and I'd bet they'd agree) they craft a great show that they can repeat for every audience. So, it's not "organic," but it is awesome.

There are relatively few Springsteen live albums, I can recommend  Live: '75-'85, Live in New York City, and Live in Dublin. For a neophyte, I'd recommend the New York City disk. It's from the E-Street Band reunion tour, and the show is on fire. The first is a box set, and is rather sprawling, and the Dublin show is from the Seeger Sessions Band era (which is AWESOME, but not "classic" Bruce).

Ultimately, I do love live albums. They may not be as "perfect" as the studio recordings, but I think they more than make up for it in energy and direct performance. There's something magical about a really good live album.

The Specter of the Receding Hairline

Always asserts itself after a haircut.

Always.

Now, I am not vapid enough to think this is some sort of disaster. No, not completely. It will be if I ever get to that "island of hair floating in the middle of my forehead" stage. THAT would be too much. Far, far too much. Me, I'm aiming for the "gliding in gracefully" method of Bruce Willis.

Still, it is an adjustment. I've always harbored the idea of growing my hair long again. The slight, but insistent, retreat of my follicles makes that problematic, at best, and totally ill-advised at worst. All the advice says to go shorter when dealing with this issue. It's advice I think I'm going to have to heed.

At least I know other people have dealt with it....And Neil Peart still has his hair...



I Think I'm Going Bald
by Rush

I looked in the mirror today
My eyes just didn't seem so bright
I've lost a few more hairs
I think I'm going bald

I think I'm going bald

Seems like only yesterday
We would sit and talk of dreams all night
Dreams of youth
And simple truths
Now we're so involved
So involved with life

Walk down vanity fair
Memory lane everywhere
Wall Street shuffles there
Dressed in flowing hair

Once we loved the flowers
Now we ask the price of the land
Once we would take water
But now it must be wine
Now we've been
And now we've seen
What price peace of mind

Take a piece of my mind

My life is slipping away
I'm aging every day
But even when I'm grey
I'll still be grey my way

"In a World Where I Feel So Small, I Can't Stop Thinking Big"

I feel small.

I feel insignifigant.

I feel lost. I feel alone. I feel betrayed. I feel redundant. I feel like an asshole. I feel selfish. I feel passed-over. I feel like a failure. I feel it slipping out of my control. I feel every mistake I've ever made. I feel the ground giving way under my feet. I feel strong. I feel weak. I feel brave. I feel frightened.

Sometimes, I am certain I feel too much. Sometimes I feel like there's so many conflicting things in my heart and in my head that I may go crazy. I'm sure lots of people feel that. We are all creatures of feeling.

But, sometimes, I wish I could stop. Sometimes I wish I could embrace my inner Vulcan, put aside all of these stupid emotions, these useless fears, and just push through with logic and rational thought.

But it's never that easy, is it? Fulfillment is never just about us, what we can make happen, but also about what trust others put into us. What trust others are willing to place on us, what faith they have in our abilities. Sometimes, I hear the voice in my head that sees all too clearly that precious few people are really willing to bank on me. That, often correctly, reminds me that trust is a foolish endeavor. That being selfish is the only way to ever possibly move yourself forward.

That, my friends, makes me sad. It makes me sad, searching for an environment where one will be challenged, supported and nurtured, then, time and again, feeling themselves left behind, and left out. Life confirms, over and over again, that to trust is foolish, teamwork is a dead end.

I find myself, in times like these, turning to music more and more often.



Caravan
by Rush

In a world lit only by fire

Long train of flares under piercing stars

I stand watching the steamliners roll by

The caravan thunders onward

To the distant dream of the city

The caravan carries me onward

On my way at last

On my way at last

I can’t stop thinking big

I can’t stop thinking big

On a road lit only by fire

Going where I want, instead of where I should

I peer out at the passing shadows

Carried through the night into the city

Where a young man has a chance of making good

A chance to break from the past

The caravan thunders onward

Stars winking through the canvas hood

On my way at last

In a world where I feel so small

I can’t stop thinking big

Rush's TIME MACHINE: LIVE IN CLEVELAND 2011

I saw this in a theater last Wednesday night, and now the CD and DVD versions are available, as well as a Blu-Ray, which is currently exclusive at Best Buy (Though, oddly, the Blu-Ray, alone, is not available on their site). They also have a special edition Blu-Ray that includes a "Rash" T-shirt, similar to what Geddy Lee wears during the show.

It's a great show. I reviewed it when I saw it last July, and my opinion has not changed. Rush is a consistent band, their setlists rarely change during a tour, so the show you get in this set is pretty much exactly what you saw if you went. With an annoying exception, but I'll get to that.

The production here is exactly the way I like to see concerts filmed. The audience is as much a part of the show as the band. Lots of crowd shots, and that helps make the "live show" energy palpable. It's just cool (to me) to see a row of guys air-drumming a Neil Peart fill in unison. The band's fans LOVE them, and love to watch them execute their parts perfectly.

There is a certain element of "been there, done that" here. Rush has put out 5 live albums in the last 13 years, essentially one album for each tour. For hardcore fans, like myself, that's kinda awesome, you get a quality record of the show you saw. Rush, I have to say, is not a band that requires bootlegging of every show you've seen. I caught the Snakes and Arrows tour two times in 5 days, and the shows were identical (save one song). They were great, and I was happy to be there, but...it's not like Springsteen, where I want a record of every show I was personally at, because it's always different.

It's cool to see Marathon in the setlist, and Presto's appearance reminded me how much I love that album,  but playing the Moving Pictures album in it's entirety also just replays songs they always play anyway, Tom Sawyer and Limelight have been on all five of those live albums. That's not a criticism, because I'm a fan, and I love having a record of the tours, but...I think I'd have loved the in-process Clockwork Angels album more.

The fact is, it's a live album, and it's aimed at fans, anyway. In that sense, it's exactly what it's supposed to be...

That said.

Where is the I Still Love You, Man video that closed the show? That was a highlight of the whole evening for me. You couldn't have included it as a bonus feature? I can't embed the video here, so follow that link, it's great.

It's a beautiful film, and well worth your time, if you're a fan. It was also incredible on the big screen.

Setlist:
Video Intro (The Real History of Rush Part 2: "Don't Be Rash")
The Spirit of Radio
Time Stand Still
Presto
Stick It Out
Workin' Them Angels
Leave That Thing Alone!
Faithless
BU2B
Freewill
Marathon
Subdivisions
(-Intermission-)  
Video Intro (The Real History of Rush Part 17: "...And Rock and Roll is My Name")
Tom Sawyer
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Limelight
The Camera Eye
Witch Hunt
Vital Signs
Caravan
Drum Solo (Love For Sale)
Closer to the Heart (with new 12-string acoustic intro)
2112 (Overture/Temples of Syrinx)
Far Cry
Encore:
La Villa Strangiato (with polka intro)
Working Man (reggae intro)
Video Outro (Meanwhile..Back in 1974)/Credits

Six Words: Alex. Lifeson. In. A. Fat. Suit.

I'm telling you, I want a Hard Days Night style movie starring Rush.

OK, What is the Deal?

Why is it that the official Rush store and bestbuy.com have the Blu-Ray of Rush's Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland on sale on November 8th, and Amazon shows it not shipping until December 20th?

If it's an exclusive, that makes sense, but nobody's announced that there is an exclusive. Amazon has the DVD and CD versions out on the 8th.

God knows, I MUST have this the day it comes out!!!

Stuck in My Head 9.14.2011

We Hold On
by Rush

How many times
Do we tire of all the little battles
Threaten to call it quits
Tempted to cut and run
How many times
Do we weather out the stormy evenings
Long to slam the front door
Drive away into the setting sun

Keep going on till dawn
How many times must another line be drawn
We could be down and gone
But we hold on

How many times
Do we chaff against the repetition
Straining against the faith
Measured out in coffee breaks
How many times
Do we swallow our ambition
Long to give up the same old way
Find another road to take

Keep holding on so long
Cause theres a chance that we might not be so wrong
We could be down and gone
But we hold on

How many times
Do we wonder if it's even worth it
Theres got to be some other way
Way to get me through the day

Keep going on till dawn
How many times must another line be drawn
We could be down and gone
But we hold on

Stuck in My Head 9.1.2011

Somewhat cliche, with me going back into performance for the weekend tonight

Limelight
By Rush

Living on a lighted stage
Approaches the unreal
For those who think and feel
In touch with some reality
Beyond the gilded cage.

Cast in this unlikely role,
Ill-equipped to act,
With insufficient tact,
One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact.

Living in the Limelight,
The universal dream
For those who wish to seem.
Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation,
Get on with the fascination,
The real relation,
The underlying theme.

Living in a fisheye lens,
Caught in the camera eye.
I have no heart to lie,
I can't pretend a stranger
Is a long-awaited friend.

All the world's indeed a stage,
And we are merely players,
Performers and portrayers,
Each another's audience
Outside the gilded cage.

Credit Cards Are Evil

No, I'm not badly in debt.

In fact, to most people, I'm completely out of debt. I have a little bit on my Guitar Center account, still under a no interest for 12 months plan. I have two other cards with less than that on them. Problem is, I've been trying to pay them off for about 2 months.

Stupid thing is, I keep using them. I have a couple of pre-orders from Amazon set for the next couple of months, and a list of things I'd like to buy...guitar TAB books, movies, etc. My no interest plan is up in December, so I need to get cracking on that too.

The point, I guess, is that, even when you have your cards relatively under control, the start to take over your life. I have become almost obsessed with trying to avoid paying interest. Which, y'know, is a good thing, but I also shouldn't get so damn uptight about a $2 interest charge on a couple of hundred dollars, right? It's silly, and it's relatively ridiculous to get obsessive about it, right?

Like everyone else, in college I let it get REALLY out of hand, and through the efforts and guidance of my lovely bride, I was released from that debt burden. Now, I just get completely freaked about it. I have two cards, and my Guitar Center account, and I wonder all the time if that's too much.

But really...here I am, relatively stable, with a total debt that's not even $1000. What the hell am I worried about?

Oh, hell...really I'm just writing this to try to give myself permission to buy that Rush TAB book, and the new Neil Peart book.  The items sitting in my amazon shopping cart...STARING at me.

And, really...if I have to talk myself into it...It's not something to do.

Yet.

Plus, y'know...I have to put away cash for SDCC nest year.

Responsibility sucks.

Stuck In My Head 8.15.2011

Dreamline 

By Rush

He's got a road map of Jupiter
A radar fix on the stars
All along the highway
She's got a liquid-crystal compass
A picture book of the rivers
Under the Sahara

They travel in the time of the prophets
On a desert highway straight to the heart of the sun
Like lovers and heroes, and the restless part of everyone
We're only at home when we're on the run
On the run

He's got a star map of Hollywood
A list of cheap motels
All along the freeway
She's got a sister out in Vegas
The promise of a decent job
Far away from her hometown

They travel on the road to redemption
A highway out of yesterday -- that tomorrow will bring
Like lovers and heroes, birds in the last days of spring
We're only at home when we're on the wing
On the wing

When we are young
Wandering the face of the Earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we're only immortal
For a limited time

Time is a gypsy caravan
Steals away in the night
To leave you stranded in Dreamland
Distance is a long-range filter
Memory a flickering light
Left behind in the heartland

We travel in the dark of the new moon
A starry highway traced on the map of the sky
Like lovers and heroes, lonely as the eagle's cry
We're only at home when we're on the fly
On the fly

When we are young
Wandering the face of the Earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we're only immortal
For a limited time

We travel on the road to adventure
On a desert highway straight to the heart of the sun
Like lovers and hereos, and the restless part of everyone
We're only at home when we're on the run
On the run...