CMJ Madness in NYC: Where I'll Be

Yes, indeed. It's that time of year again. Not just Halloween (my favorite holiday), but also CMJ, when music biz types are out in force, partying with their fave bands. It's going to be a crazy week for this here TixGirl. How bout you? TixGirl's CMJ Calendar (so far)... 10/31: Flavorpill's 6th Anniversary Halloween Party Where: At a super-secret location Featuring: Spankrock, CSS, Jennifer Cardini, Bassnectar, MC Kila Kella (and a surprise set by Louie Vega). Costume: I'll be the gal in the Venetian Carnivale Costume. In other words, I'll look like a cross between Snow White's Wicked Stepmother and a serving wench from the Renaissance... in a mask. 11/1: Zombie Prom by +1, I HEARTCOMIX, Viva La Rock and URB Magazine Where: BED Featuring: Lupe Fiasco, Monsters are Waiting, Matt and Kim, and Fields and DJs Franki Chan, The Bangers and Campfire Jay. Costume: The theme is a prom, so I'm thinking ballgown. Or maybe a haunted ballgown? Um, er, well, maybe I'll just recycle my prior outfit, ditch the mask, add a red apple, and actually go as Snow White's Wicked Stepmother. 11/2: The Party That Started A Revolution / Marie Antoinette by Filter Magazine Where: Hiro Lounge, at the Maritime Hotel Featuring: Bow Wow Wow, Windsor for the Derby, Ra Ra Riot & DJs. Costume: Thankfully, Halloween will have worn off by Thursday, so no costumes required. 11/3: The Decemberists Where: Hammerstein Featuring: Alasdair Roberts Costume: I'll be dressed as a photographer in the photo pit.

WIN TICKETS: Death Cab for Cutie Tour

A heads-up to Death Cab fans across the country: You have a chance to win tickets to see them at any one of their upcoming tour dates! Here are the details, straight from the email sent to the fan club mailing list: Starting next Thursday, November 2nd, Barsuk Records will give away a pair of tickets to one lucky winner for each Death Cab show, starting with the first Boston show. Many of the shows are sold out, so this could be your last chance to see the band on this tour! Hurry and enter NOW here to win tickets, as the deadline for each giveaway is set a few days prior to the show date. Winners will be randomly chosen and no purchase is necessary to win. Wish me luck -- I've entered for the 11/9 date at MSG. And here's to good luck for you, too!  Once again, the entry link is: http://www.barsuk.com/bands/deathcabforcutie/giveaway

THE VIEW FROM MY SEAT: Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Town Hall, NY, 10/13/06

When Jenny Lewis takes the stage, it's a sight to behold. Her fans are numerous and adoring. They greet her with whoops and hollers befitting a true indie queen. However, tonight is an unusual story. It's a far cry from the standing room only Irving Plaza show I'd seen in March, packed to the gills with hipsters screaming as the darling of alt-country took the stage, grinning from ear to ear. This evening is a far more sedate affair.



Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins enter in floor-length satin evening gowns, instantly identifying this as a formal, sit-down show. Perhaps it's out of respect for the venue, Town Hall being a true old grand dame of a theater. In fact, I'm reminded of Ryman Auditorium, and the show that proceeds feels like a performance one might see at that original Grand Ol' Opry theater. It's far more respectful and reverential than the foot-stompin', hip-shakin' show we got in March at Irving's more traditional barroom-esque concert venue. While the audience cheers and applauds, it isn't quite the wild glee and abandon we all feel in our bellies. It's as if we, en masse, expect a hall monitor or snooty aunt to come and scold us if we dare get out of our seats and hoot and holler, like one might normally be compelled to do at a Jenny Lewis show.

While the visual is certainly befitting of the hallowed hall, it is also a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more formal atmosphere makes for a more staid crowd. Which means Jenny and Co. have an uphill climb in front of them. Without waves of energy from the crowd to buoy them, they are forced to fill the hall with energy all on their own. And that, my friends, can be an exhausting prospect for any performer. The band handles it with grace and aplomb, though I will say that Jenny's ear-to-ear grin is conspicuously missing. She seems to be sweating it out for the applause, rather than lapping up waves of adoration. Which is fine. It simply goes to show her professionalism and that of her cohorts.



The crowd doesn't really loosen up until roughly five songs into their set, when Jenny and the twins are recalled to the stage after a short break by their guitarist, who gives them a "Live, from Vegas, it's Jenny Lewis…" type intro. Their entrance is all 1960s Vegas glitz and glitter, outfitted in the mini-est of mini-dresses, spangled in sequins and shimmering paillettes, and shod in shit-kicker cowboy boots. With her Julie Christie-gone-red hairstyle, she is a bombshell from another era, and the whole place finally feels like we've let our hair down.

Atmospherics and environment aside, this is a helluva strong performance from a trio of admirable pipes and a collection of accomplished musicians. The touring band (Farmer Dave on lap steel, Michael Runion on bass, Jenny's boyfriend Jonathan Rice on guitar, and Rilo Kiley's Jason Boesel on drums) have a bit of the feel of hired guns, rather than being an integral part of Jenny's music making. But this is, after all, a solo project for the Rilo Kiley frontwoman. So we need not expect a one-of-the-band feel from her on this outing.



Farmer Dave, whose lap steel work is smokin', seems to have his own fan club in the audience. Unfortunately, he is also a little too high in the mix, nigh on threatening to drown out the all-important vocals. But the band's real standout is Jason Boesel on drums. Closing out their set with a dramatic performance of my personal favorite, "Born Secular," gives Boesel the opportunity to show his stuff. After singing the sweet gospel strains, Jenny and the twins exit the stage, followed at intervals by Jonathan on guitar, moments later by Farmer Dave, and finally by bassist Michael Runion, leaving only Boesel still playing on stage. He wows us with mad flourishes and crashing crescendos while maintaining the underlying beat like an unerring metronome. As he rises from his kit, the clamor of the audience rises to a roar.

The Watson Twins' voices are soft, supple, and lacking in overstated presence, which makes them an ideal complement to Jenny's personality-packed vocals. Chandra and Leigh's synchronized movements are understated, which saves them from being too trite. It's a nod to the traditional back-up singers of the past, which serves to acknowledge and underscore their role as icing on the Jenny-flavored cake. Together, their harmonies are beautifully balanced, as evidenced by the a cappella show opener, "Run Devil Run." Watch and believe:


Run Devil Run - The Big Guns

Saving the best for last, the real story here is Jenny Lewis herself. Possessed of a clear-as-a-bell voice comfortable in nearly any register, she navigates a multitude of musical styles with ease. Live, her vocals are consistentlyimpressive. Hitting every note square on the head, she conveys every emotion with an undeniably feminine flair.

Her songwriting is accomplished and impressive, while remaining entirely accessible to those who have no desire to look deeper than hooks and catchy refrains. It's no wonder that for the album's only cover, she chose a Traveling Wilburys song. It's that vagabond, campfire-side storytelling style that inhabits many of the songs in her repertoire. By turns honky-tonk road music and gone-to-church Sunday gospel, she can be bawdy or sweet, depending on the story she's telling. And in her more revelatory confessional moments, she holds the listener rapt, digesting every word, as in the album's centerpiece and encore staple, "Rabbit Fur Coat."

Jenny Lewis is that rare combination of spitfire spunk and thoughtful intelligence, who makes the listener want to sing along and actually pay attention to the lyrics, as well. Even more unusual is her ability to take indie hipsters and make them consider listening to country music. And that is exactly why her performance at Town Hall tonight proves, yet again, that she deserves the mantle of Alt-Country Indie Queen that she wears so beautifully.

Good Gossip: Gwen Stefani's New Album & New Tour

 << Gwen Stefani

Live Daily and Billboard both dropped a bomb for Gwen Stefani & No Doubt fans earlier this week. They reported that La Blonde Bombshell will be releasing a new album on Dec. 5, titled "The Sweet Escape." Yes, that's her second solo album. And yes, she'll be following that release with a tour, kicking off in April. Keep an eye on my blog, or sign up for the alert, and you'll get a heads-up when tix are about to go on sale.

File Under: This Is Scary

Check out what Billboard had to say in their article, "Diddy Scores First No. 1 Album In Nine Years":

"Diddy scores his first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 since 1997 this week with "Press Play." ..."Press Play" sold 170,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the lowest first-week sum of Diddy's solo career."

That means it only takes selling 170K copies to hit #1 these days. Back in '97 it took Diddy selling 561K to hit #1. Now he hits #1 again with his lowest sales out of the gate ever? That, my friend, is a scary commentary on the state of record sales today.

No wonder artists are turning to touring as their most profitable opportunity. They get a higher percentage of the revenue on both ticket sales and merch sold at the booths than they ever would on record sales. AND they often get guarantees up front from promoters.

While I mourn the state of the record industry, I'm not the least bit sad about the touring industry kicking its @$$. I wholeheartedly believe that an artist proves their worth when they're performing in front of a live audience, without the safety net of countless producers with pitch-shifters and Pro Tools to clean up what they don't want us to hear.

In the Meantime: Great Scissor Sisters Live Video

Greetings, music fans. I, TixGirl, do solemnly apologize for being so remiss in my duties of posting the cool pics, vids and such from all the shows I've been seeing lately. Alas, I've been out of commish with the flu. Really and truly -- I had to miss two shows, and everything!  (I know, you can just hear the violins playing.) That said, I'll be spending the next couple weeks catching up on my blogging duties. 

In the meantime,  here's some great video of the Scissor Sisters show we caught last Saturday night, from Jonathan over at AChimericalPlan.com.

Yo, check it: Take Your Mama

BREAKING NEWS & CORRECTION: Justin Timberlake Dates On Sale Today

Greetings, JT fans. I've led you astray, and for that I hang my head in shame. In yesterday's post, I mentioned that, "Onsale dates haven't yet been announced, so keep holding your breath until his fan club releases the info." But that is no longer the case!

The first five of JT's dates are on sale starting today!
San Diego
Washington, DC
Miami
Sunrise, FL
Atlanta

Additional tour dates will continue to roll out every weekend until all 34 cities are on sale. Tickets usually go on sale on Saturdays at 10am. However, some artists have been known to put new cities on sale anywhere from Thursday thru Monday. So, if you're a rabid fan who's dedicated to getting good seats, I recommend that you start checking for your city starting on Thursdays.

And here's a quick link for tickets:

http://www.aoltickets.com/incoming.adp?pid=444&lid=789&query=timberlake

Meanwhile, the best ways to score the closest seats at face value (rather than obscene brokerage prices), is to get tix thru a presale. The most reliable sources of presales? The fan club. So here's some info about JT's fan club, courtesy of his MySpace blog post:

The official Justin Timberlake fan club has launched. It's the place to get Justin exclusives like special access to presale tickets, your very own Justin Timberlake email address, insider reports, road updates, and more. JOIN NOW!

Happy hunting!

And for those of you who are sick of me posting about JT, don't worry. This will be my last JT post for a good long while. What more is there to say, anyway?