Crooked Fingers return to Portland's Doug Fir tonight with openers Port O'Brien and Sarah Jaffe. Eric Bachmann's now Denver-based act released Forfeit/Fortune last month marking his fifth full-length under the name but first without a label. He's taking the truly independent route, in other words, even going so far as to handpick a few indie record stores as the sole proprieters of the physical product save himself. He's no Radiohead, but it seems being Archers of Loaf's frontman still carries enough clout to go label-less nearly a decade since their demise. The new collection is a typically dense one from Crooked Fingers, with Gypsy rhythms and Americana dust-ups in the mix alongside new wave synths and Neko Case. DeVotchKa's Tom Hagerman lends his considerable skills to the outstanding "Let's Not Pretend (To Be New Men)," while Elin Palmer takes the lead vocal for "Luisa's Bones."
MP3: Crooked Fingers, from Forfeit/Fortune- "Phony Revolutions"
As for the rest of the week, the highlight might just be two performances in the region from the Old Crow Medicine Show. The Nashville-based band has always made the kind of music one might expect from a lineup featuring members with names like Critter and Ketch, albeit through a 21st-century filter. Their latest, Tennessee Pusher, is also their first in a while not produced by David Rawlings (he of the duo generally known as "Gillian Welch"), and there are some definite differences this time out with Don Was working the knobs. A decidedly darker, more somber tone pervades most of the new songs, with subject matter determining the direction on songs like "Methamphetamine," and "Motel in Memphis," the latter of which concerns the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Old Crow Medicine Show plays Tuesday at Eugene's McDonald Theater and Wednesday at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland.
On the local front, three of the first of many local CD release shows to take place before the end of the month include performances this week from Stephanie Schneiderman (Thursday, Doug Fir), The Dead Beetles (Thursday, Fez Ballroom), and Grey Anne (Friday, The Artistery). Anne Adams, the musician behind the last of that trio, releases her first album under her new name after formerly performing and recording as/with Per Se. Facts n Figurines is the new album out on Greyday Records, and it's been a while coming with some of the songs originally seeing the light of day as long as four years back. Still, her debut has been anticipated, and based on what we've heard so far, it doesn't disappoint. Songs like "Flapjack Devilfish" and "Adelaide" are undeniably charming and inventive efforts, fed by Adams' idiosyncracies without being overcome by them.
MP3s: Grey Anne, from facts n figurines- "Flapjack Devilfish Rides Again" and "Adelaide"
Also performing this week: The Broken West and The Heartless Bastards (Monday, Doug Fir); The Little Ones and What Made Milwaukee Famous (Tuesday, Doug Fir); The Breeders (Wednesday, Wonder Ballroom); David Dondero (Thursday, The Space in Salem); Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power (Thursday, Sam Bond's Garage in Eugene and Saturday, Doug Fir); Medeski Martin & Wood (Friday, Aladdin Theater); and the Hotel Cafe Tour featuring Rachael Yamagata, Thao Nguyen, and Meiko, among others (Friday, Doug Fir).
More to come here throughout the week, including some exciting changes. Questions? Comments? Requests? Let's hear 'em...
November 9, 2008 at 3:14pm by inmemoryofjohnpeel
Tight show as usual JP. I'm calling out to all your listeners though to nominate a song that's a 'great' that has yet to be played on your show. Maybe you could make a feature of this - a 'spot'. But webmaster (?) there's no 'search what's been played' feature yet (not hard - I know the s/w you are using has a search module).
Anyhow, my vote, "My Curse" - Afghan Whigs.
November 9, 2008 at 3:31pm by Jeremy Petersen
Hey, I like the idea....it's not really that different than requesting a song you want to hear, though, is it?
There are web changes coming, but I don't know if a search function will be included or not. If nothing else, bendlistener (I think) came up with this a while back:
You could try this in Google and see if you like it:
site:opbmusic.org "[song name or artist name]"
Otherwise, your Afghan Whigs request is noted.....
November 9, 2008 at 3:45pm by inmemoryofjohnpeel
The difference is requests tend towards the LCD effect, and towards 'of-type' requests. The criteria that you've never played it limits both these over time.
Heh - I just used bendlistener's search method - site:opbmusic.org "complicated game" and it just came up with my two requests, so I reckon it works, clunky though.
The Afghan Whigs should be a good crossover for us, on Gentlemen they reached heights that are rarely surpassed, yet they, like you seem to, dig motown and have another album that's new wave/motown (astronaut?) which falls flat for me.
November 9, 2008 at 3:52pm by Jeremy Petersen
Gentlemen was outstanding....I even knew that as a teenager and I bought it (I can say to my credit). Lots of good tracks on that one, it'd be fun to play something. And yes, I can hear the Motown tinge in places.
That search function is a bit clunky, you're right....and I'm not sure it catches every single instance, either. But it's something. Again, thanks for the idea....we just might steal it.
November 10, 2008 at 12:10pm by Vanessa Rigosi
The place to be Friday night is Doug Fir - cannot WAIT to see Meiko!! http://www.myspace.com/meiko
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