PICK THREE - GUEST BLOGGER ED WARD
Ed Ward is the “rock and roll historian” for Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR. He has written about music since 1965, although he appears to be semi-retired at this point. He lives in Berlin, but, he hopes, not for very much longer.
One time I saw the Queen (of England) when I was with Ed (in Berlin). She waved to us and everything.
And without further ado, please enjoy Ed Ward’s guest bloggy post…
Man, do I feel old and out of it just looking through that list! What three bands am I looking forward to? Hell, what three have I ever heard of?
Well, R.E.M.. I’ve heard of them. I saw them open for some Austin band on their first cross-country tour. I can’t remember which Austin band that was, but I picture them in some dark saloon somewhere these days muttering “R.E.M.? Hell, R.E.M. opened for us!” My Morning Jacket, I’ve heard of them, too. Linda dragged me to some club in Berlin and I thought they were pretty good. Will they be as good as that now that they’re stars? I might try to find out if I can get in or brave the crowds. Their lead singer was great in his scene in I’m Not There, I know that.
And there are other bands I’ve heard of and wouldn’t cross the street to see. So much retreading going on these days, so much stuff that rates a 5 on a scale of 10, I’d rather stay home and read a book. Naturally, I’m not going to name any names, because I just know they’re your favorite bands, all of them.
So my three?
North Mississippi All Stars: I saw the Dickinson boys when they had their grunge/punk band. Was it DDT? DNA? Whatever, it wasn’t all that good, but it was the only way I could hang out with their dad that evening, so I went to some shack in Memphis and saw them. What they’ve evolved into is pretty wonderful, I think. Love to see them live, so I’m going to try.
Charanga Cakewalk: I know, it’s only one guy, but the last record he put out I thought was a great fusion of electronic stuff and Tex-Mex. I want to see if he – and the guests he’s almost certainly going to rope in – can come anywhere close on stage.
17 Hippies: And I gotta see 17 Hippies because they’re my neighbors and I’ve known Christopher and Kiki for 14 years and remember when they first started and did their “Far Eastern Tour,” where they were, according to the postcard I got, going to play something like 15 places in Asia in two days. When I caught them playing Hong Kong and Bangkok 20 minutes apart, I smelled a rat. But it was true: all those 15 places were restaurants in Berlin where Christopher had mapped out a route so that they could play for ten minutes in front of the restaurant, then get to the next one in time. They haven’t gotten any less creative since then, either. I saw them at the end of last year and they were astonishing. Plus, I’m still hoping to sell a story on them, if there’s still any print media left. Hell, or even a website that pays real money.
But…will I actually do this? I still have my SXSW rules: nothing after 11pm, because jet-lag is still a fact of life, and my ears are tired from the din they’re subjected to all day. I actually listen to music, not use it as ambient background noise, and so when it’s playing, no matter how bad it is, I listen, at least for a while. And if I can’t turn it off, I leave. Walking down 6th Street during SXSW wears my ears out.
My other rule is always try to have a happy discovery. These can’t be planned, they just happen. I’d really like to hear something that’s not rehashing whatever’s hip at the moment. The odder the better.
Oh, another rule; avoid crowds whenever possible. They’re just unpleasant, and you can’t really attend to the music. I know the musicians like playing to huge numbers of people, but I don’t like being one of that number. Hell, I skipped Woodstock, too.
Wait, another rule: see as much of the Ponderosa Stomp as possible. Those people won’t be around forever, and most of ‘em still have it and deliver it like crazy. I can’t make the Stomp itself until I win the lottery and can fly to the States whenever I want, so this has to do.
And another rule, which I don’t set. Every band I wind up wanting to see will be playing in the same time slot. Happens every year. I only want to see three bands on a given night, and they inevitably are all on at 10pm. And don’t say “Go to the day parties.” I actually enjoy the panels. Weird, huh?
I’ll almost certainly wind up blogging the whole Austin trip on my own blog. I did last year. It starts here and goes on a bit afterwards. Then comes the post about the magic restaurant. But that was afterwards.
Anyway, see you there.
Thanks for reading, as always! I don’t know how Ed avoids crowds at SXSW. I’ll have to ask him for some tips on that. He actually helped me sell merch at that My Morning Jacket show in Berlin. Good times. I’m watching the Red Carpet Academy Awards coverage on E! Who will win Best Picture? Is it okay if I admit that I want Hal Holbrook to win? Email your Oscar picks to musicblog@sxsw.com. Hey look, it’s P. Diddy! I mean Sean Combs! Gute nacht, lp
Original post by LP
Posted: February 24th, 2008 under Linda Park, Pick 3, Music Festival, Latest News.
Comments: none
John Pantle is a real Renaissance man. A Senior Agent at the United Talent Agency, Mr. Pantle is also the trombonist for Maldita Vecindad, singer for Nuckle Brothers, and a former concert promoter, band manager and private event organizer.