Another Year o' Fong Songs

**WARNING! Cover-free posting!**
Ah, the inevitable year-end post.... Almost. This is simply a year-end recap of happenings in my own little world. I'll jump into favourite covers, albums, films, and those sorts of things soon. In the meantime, feel free to not read this at all, though you might miss out on How I Almost Got the White Stripes to Perform at the Library I Worked At. Intrigued?

One of the things that's fun about keeping this blog is that it doubles as a sort of diary of personally significant events (musically, at least) and I can just skim through the 2007 archives to see what happened without wracking my brain too hard.

• The first post of the 2007 was... um, last year's year-end post.
  
  
• I had a wonderful first-time trip to San Francisco, also finding time to zip down to San Jose to watch the Oilers beat the Sharks (that'd be hockey for the non-hockey inclined).
  
  
• 2007 would turn out to be the year of band reunions with Davie Lee Roth rejoining Van Halen, The Police coming back together, Genesis, and even The Spice Girls getting in on all this reunion action. February saw the return of one of my favourite bands the Squirrel Nut Zippers who had been missing in action since 2001. When I posted about this reunion back on February 2, little did I know that the ultimate band reunion would be announced later in the year...
  
  
• Chinese New Year fell on February 18th and it was MY year, the Year of the Pig. As far as concerts went, 2007 was positively epic. And I had the fantastic opportunity to take a huge trip to China to check out my roots. Yes, it was a very good year and technically I still have a couple months left on the Chinese calendar.
  
  
• Heart-thumping news on March 20 courtesy of the White Stripes. After some hoax tour dates appeared, their official newsletter was sent out with the teaser "The White Stripes have yet to confirm their North American routing as of yet. But we are happy to say that it will include all 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada, as well as the remaining 16 states of the United States the band have yet to play." Good god, a Canadian tour including the territories?!? Would they actually be coming to Edmonton? Is this a horrible joke?
  
  
• For a time, I was addicted to Desktop Tower Defense.
  
  
• March 30: I finally tracked down the official Interstate '76 soundtrack. Score!
  
  
• April 10: Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls confirmed that none other than Mr. Ben Folds would be producing and playing on her solo album, which as of now is still in the works.
  
  
• April 17: Jack White reiterates the plan to cover all Canadian provinces and territories. Speculation rampant and tour dates imminent.
  
  
• April 26: Jack White is a man of his word. Full Canadian tour dates are released including Edmonton. Unlikely stops: Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Iqaluit, Glace Bay.
  
  
• May 4: Star Wars Day. I post some Star Wars covers, my blog is bombarded with hits after an Idolator shout-out, and I'm inexplicably featured on IMDB's Hit List. At the peak, 4052 unique visitors on one day vs. the usual 150. My virtual ego inflates, but then blog traffic returns to normal as I return to my regular posts. Never underestimate the power of the Star Wars fan contingent.
  
  
• Some time in mid-May I joined Facebook. Strangely, it wasn't really a matter of caving in. I was blissfully ignorant of the addictive site until I was trying to view some Danny Michel tour photos that were posted on Facebook. Ironically after I joined, those photos were unavailable.
  
  
• My rock dreams were coming true as I booked myself aboard a Ben Folds cruise for 2008. These dreams would later be dashed as the cruise was unceremoniously cancelled.
  
  
• They came, they played, they conquered. The White Stripes came into Edmonton on June 30th. Even better than the actual show was one of the now-legendary Secret Shows, which took place in a youth centre in the inner city. I was arm's length away from Jack as he played to a packed room of 200-ish salivating fans. I guess enough time has passed for me to tell the full story on how I almost got the White Stripes to play in my library... I was working at the library in the heart of Old Strathcona, a beautiful newly-renovated brick building that was the first public library in Edmonton built in 1913. A friend and former co-worker at the downtown library called me (although he was sworn to secrecy) with crazy news that someone from the White Stripes camp had contacted them about potentially playing their secret show there. And the library declined! What?!? GRRR! I was so excited and disappointed at the same time. I went on the Little Room forums to rant and rave about what a blown opportunity it was. I also posted some photos of the White Stripes shrine I had put up at the library as the display person and not-so-subtlely suggested the gig should happen at our library. Amazingly, I received a private message from someone... After some rapid back-and-forth e-mails with some scouting photos I took, it turned out our room could probably on hold 80 people and they were expecting more like 300. I also found out later the downtown library gig was kiboshed because of fire hazard and security concerns rather than management simply being close-minded. In any event, I got to go to the secret gig after getting the announcement on the forums and rushing to the youth centre. On the way there, that someone gave me a courtesy call to let me know where the gig was at. And that is how The White Stripes almost played at my library. The end.
  
  
• While on my weeklong White Stripes Maritimes Extravaganza, I was contacted by some guy named Kurtis who was planning to start up his own cover blog... A couple months later, Covering the Mouse debuted featuring all Disney covers, all the time. And the world rejoiced.
  
  
• I went to the Calgary Folk Festival and had a heck of a great time. Squirrel Nut Zippers reunited, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings... it was fun. It occurs to me that I never wrote my Calgary Folk Fest Part II post, which has been condemned to draft hell. So I never told the story of how I weaseled my way into the volunteer's after party to watch the Squirrel Nut Zippers for one last time and danced the night away. Maybe someday I'll finish up some long lost posts.
  
  
• August 28: I stayed up and watched the lunar eclipse like an idiot.
  
  
• September 12: My head exploded as Led Zeppelin officially announces their one-off reunion show. In spite of great lengths to procure tickets, it just didn't work out.
  
  
• Boyhowdy joins the cover blog fray with Cover Lay Down, devoted to folk covers.
  
  
• As I'm off galavanting in China, Kurtis takes over Fong Songs temporarily.
  
  
• While wandering the streets of Macau, I see a sign. Literally a sign for "Fong Song". I wonder if there's a real Coverville out there somewhere.
  
  
• And lastly, I moved to Vancouver.

My Year in Concerts (click links to revisit old concert posts):
2007/01/14 The Tragically Hip Rexall Place, Edmonton, AB
2007/01/23 Video Games Live Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton, AB
2007/02/06 The Arrogant Worms Winspear Centre, Edmonton, AB
2007/02/25 Wolfmother Edmonton Event Centre, Edmonton, AB
2007/05/17 Danny Michel Convocation Hall, Edmonton, AB
2007/05/23 The Killers with Hot Hot Heat Rexall Place, Edmonton, AB
2007/06/23 Red Shag Carpet with Kyle Riabko Freemason's Hall, Edmonton, AB
2007/06/24 Roger Waters Rexall Place, Edmonton, AB
2007/06/30 The White Stripes with Dan Sartain Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton, AB
2007/07/10 The White Stripes with Dan Sartain Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, NB
2007/07/11 The White Stripes with Dan Sartain Charlottetown Civic Centre, Charlottetown, PEI
2007/07/13 The White Stripes with Dan Sartain Cunard Centre, Halifax, NS
2007/07/14 The White Stripes with Dan Sartain and Ashley MacIsaac The Savoy Theatre, Glace Bay, NS
2007/07/18 Jon Levine Band Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto, ON
2007/07/25 Weird Al Yankovic Capital Ex, Edmonton, AB
2007/07/27 - 07/29 Calgary Folk Festival (Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Polyjesters, Eleni Mandell, Watermelon Slim, Hawsley Workman, Sarah Slean, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Don McLean, and many more!) Prince's Island Park, Calgary, AB
2007/09/01 Andrew Bird with Dosh Richard on Richard's, Vancouver, BC
2007/09/02 Gogol Bordello with DJ Scratchy Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
2007/12/09 Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings with Megatron Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC

Clearly this was an outstanding year for concert-going. The White Stripes Maritimes Extravaganza was logistically improbable but in the "so crazy it just might work" way and with the ultimate pay-off. The 10th Anniversary show in Glace Bay was the most unreal concert experience I've ever partaken in and unlikely to ever be topped. I tear up just thinking about it... so great in so many ways. Roger Waters put on a spectacular show and in a non-White Stripes year it would contend for best concert of the year. They had a giant high definition screen as a backdrop that is by far the clearest I've ever seen. Giant inflatable graffiti pig too. Shine On You Crazy Diamond was near-euphoric performed live. That concert now has the distinction of the most expensive concert ticket I've ever paid for at $167 and I somehow convinced two of my friends to come too. Tickets for the three of us nearly matched the cost of all of our White Stripes Maritimes shows put together. After years of waiting, I finally saw the Squirrel Nut Zippers live and they did not disappoint. Concert-wise, there's nothing really on the radar yet for 2008. High on my list of must-see someday are The Polyphonic Spree, Harvey Danger, and if we're really lucky maybe Zooey Deschanel will go on tour with M. Ward in '08.

OK, thank you for indulging me. Next time: top stuff of 2007.

Unfinished Business

OK, before I go, there's some last-minute things I have to talk about... because my brain's so frazzled right now, I'll just update this post as things come to mind instead of making a new post every time I remember something. First up, SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS.

Simply put, they put on an amazingly live show. Sharon Jones is like James Brown reincarnated into a little "110 pounds of soul excitement". I definitely short-changed them when I neglected to post my Calgary Folk Fest Part II. They played Sunday at the festival and blew everyone away. Anyway, I just got word their 3rd album 100 Days, 100 Nights came out today. This album and their first two releases are available from the sweet digital music store AmieStreet.com. Amie Street is like iTunes or eMusic, but they've got this kinda pay-by-popularity system in place where all songs start at $0.01 and increase in price as more people buy them with a cap at $0.99. In fact, I just bought the entire new album for $3.08!!! Now that's a deal, in fact a steal, no matter how you look at it. You may recognize the horns of her backing band The Dap-Kings on Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson's latest CDs. Sharon Jones herself was tapped to play juke joint singer Lila in the upcoming Denzel Washington film The Great Debaters, due in December. She'll be singing a cover of Lucille Bogan's That's What My Baby Likes plus a few other songs on the soundtrack.

I already bought my tickets last month for her December show in Vancouver. Less than $20! I've seen no-name bar bands for the same price. If she's coming through town, definitely go out of your way to see them. I sure don't dance, but I was dancing at folk fest. Go and buy the new album over here ($4.18 and rising!). I'm not ashamed to hawk this band like a madman.

Preview the album here:



Here she is at the Calgary Folk Fest getting down with fellow soul singer Bettye LaVette... I'll post some of her earlier cover songs later if I have time.

[**UPDATE: 12:24AM, Oct. 3, 2007]
Here's a couple Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings covers, one of which I've posted before but it's sweet so it's back.

What Have You Done For Me Lately? [originally by Janet Jackson]
This Land is Your Land [originally by Woody Guthrie]
Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) [originally by Mickey Newbury]

[**UPDATE: 12:59AM, Oct. 3, 2007]
I'd like to direct your attention to Stereogum's free cover tribute to REM's Automatic for the People. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but it's great that Stereogum is continuing this tribute series that started with a 10-year tribute to OK Computer. Interesting trivia that I learned earlier this year: did you know Zeppelin's John Paul Jones did string arrangements on Automatic for the People? That includes Drive (a personal fav) and Everybody Hurts.
Paul Anka - Everybody Hurts [originally by REM]

[**UPDATE: 5:17AM, Oct. 3, 2007]
Typical. Before a big trip I always stay up all night doing nothing in particular. In completely unrelated to covers news, I just read there'll a new Wallace & Gromit short film by next Christmas. Brilliant, Gromit, brilliant! Read the exciting news here.

Alright, that's it folks. I better get packing. See you in November!

Calgary Folk Fest: Part I

Just so you know, this is going to be an extremely over-the-top long post, mainly for my own personal records than anyone else's reading pleasure. Brevity be damned. After an event such as the Calgary Folk fest, there's a window of opportunity to create a relevant posting... and that window has long since passed. Even the Edmonton Folk Fest has come and gone, but I guess one of the beauties of the personal blog is that there's no deadline or rules about that. So there.

It's been about a week 3 weeks (stupid procrastination...) since I hopped on a southbound bus to Calgary to partake in a full weekend of musical excess. I've been to Calgary several times before, but usually just passing through on my way to the mountains or visiting friends. This was the first time I had really come as a tourist and it dawned on me that I was completely unfamiliar with the Calgary's downtown.

Friday July 27th
I arrived in town about an hour before the festival gates opened and armed with a crumpled up google map, I oriented myself within the downtown core and checked myself into the hostel. Luckily the festival site and hostel were within semi-reasonable walking distance or if I wanted to save some time, I could always jump on the free C-Train. Even if I didn't know where I was headed, it was hard not to notice the disproportionate number of pedestrians and cyclists with knapsacks and festival/beach chairs heading north. And I followed, eventually crossing a foot bridge to Prince's Island Park, an idyllic festival site if ever there was one. The river was full of ducks and Canada geese, kids were joyfully feeding them, the dog walkers were out in force, and some people were even frolicking in the water. Ah, summer.

Last year I got a full weekend pass to the Edmonton Folk Fest for the first time, so I was well-acquainted with how this would work. Thursday and Friday only feature main stage performers in the evening while the weekend would present simultaneous performances at 6 side stages during the day before everyone settles in for the evening main stage shows. Once you exchange your ticket for a wristband, you grab a program and head to the main stage to stake out a spot. There are devoted hardcore "tarpies" that camp out the night before and make a mad rush to the front of the main stage to get prime spots. Since I was ambling along at my own pace, the stage area was already packed with thousands of people and tarps by the time I arrived. To help the people furthest from the stage, there are two giant screens to sides as well. On each side of the stage there were designated dance/standing areas, which is where I was headed. If you were staked out in the middle section, you were expected to sit and not block people's views. I was able to plop down my blanket near the right dance area with a bunch of other folkies blatantly ignoring the "dance only" signs. This dance area was decidedly less rowdy than the left side dance area since it was slightly further away from the performers. Actually, this was the ideal situation and I ended up heading there for the next couple days. I was able to read or just chill out during acts I wasn't particularly interested in, then jump up and move in close for the ones I wanted to see.

The weather was beautiful (though perhaps a little TOO hot) and remained so for the whole weekend. I've sat through rain-soaked folk fest performances before, so this was a welcome change. The first few acts on Friday were Jim Byrnes, The Crooked Jades, and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, though I have to admit I was only haphazardly listening and just biding my time until the Squirrel Nut Zippers were to take to the stage. In the meantime, I perused through the program to roughly plan my attack for the weekend and wandered through the festival to acquaint myself with all the necessary landmarks: food, bathrooms, merch tent, side stages. And then out came the Squirrel Nut Zippers and I was on my feet.


Man, it sure was a thrill though quite surreal to finally hear them live after so many years of listening to them on CDs. For a little bit of historical perspective, check out this recent article on the band's reunion. They're playing what should be an awesome show this week at the World Cafe in Philadelphia with The Old Ceremony and the Firecracker Jazz Band (another great band with a few SNZ members). If my sketchy short-term memory is correct, they kicked off their set with the blazing Bedlam Ballroom, the title track of their last album released in 1999. Other songs played include (in no particular order) Club Limbo, Fat Cat Keeps Getting Fatter, Danny Diamond, Good Enough for Granddad, Wash Jones, Put a Lid on It, Prince Nez, Low Down Man, La Grippe, and Bad Businessman, before ending on their hit Hell. It's a great feeling to recognize every song being played and the Squirrel Nut Zippers are one of the few bands that fall into that category for me (others being Ben Folds, The White Stripes, and Led Zeppelin). The main stage show was a nice treat, but probably not the ideal venue for them. I knew the real magic would come during the more intimate sessions on the side stages the next day...


While I was part of a handful (or less) that came specifically to see Squirrel Nut Zippers, Hawksley Workman who came up next is a regular on the festival circuit and has a devoted following, in particular a section of screaming teenage girls. You wouldn't expect to see screaming teenage girls at a folk festival, but I guess it's a healthier alternative to the pop pablum on the radio. The few times I've seen him perform live, it's hard to ignore his instant charisma on stage and theatrical sensibilities (he has a tendency to warble in spastic falsetto). One of his more interesting tics, at least from the perspective of a cover lover, is to segue mid-song into a classic rock cover. At last year's Edmonton Folk Fest, in the middle of Jealous of Your Cigarette he pulled into Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall pt. II (see my youtube video here). This time during the same song, his pianist Mr. Lonely started pounding the distinctive organ break of The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again before the whole band ripped into it to delight of the audience's collective inner rock star. Traces of Supertramp's The Logical Song also cropped up in another tune.

Hawksley Workman - When These Mountains Were the Seashore

The night ended with Neko Case and, I have to admit, I just can't get into her solo music. Outside of her role in the New Pornographers, it's just not my thing so I ended up leaving early to get a good night's sleep. On a sidenote, The New Pornographers new album Challengers comes out tomorrow. Accompanying the release was a really cool Buy Early, Get Now campaign, where you could (and I did) pre-order the album a couple months ago and get a slew of bonus goodies. You could have listened to the whole album stream right away, which I didn't really take advantage of. Some B-sides were made available. But the ultimate fan gift (more and more bands should really be doing this) is 3 bonus discs of material: an disc of b-sides/demos, a disc of videos/multimedia, and a "Live from the Future" concert disc. Some assembly required... that is, you download it and burn it yourself, ha ha. And this whole package cost only slightly more than a regular CD. Sucks for me, their upcoming Canadian tour just does not jive with my schedule. Anyway, back to Folk fest:

Saturday July 28th
I awoke to another beautiful day and set off for the festival grounds. First up in the day's schedule at 10:30am was the session with the Squirrel Nut Zippers that I had been looking forward to. Concert organizers randomly throw artists together under a common "theme" that sometimes even the artists themselves are baffled by. But this is where some of the best moments of the festival are derived from because you never quite know what to expect. I arrived somewhat early and snagged a front row seat easily.

SNZ's Katharine Whalen preps for the Tin Pan Alley session

SNZ's Henry Westmoreland "tunes" his tuba.

A crowded stage for the Alley of Tins and Pans session.

The session was titled "Alley of Tins and Pans" with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mary Flower, Eleni Mandell, and the Polyjesters. I didn't know the other groups, but I was soon to become fans of all of them. Jason Valleau of The Polyjesters acted as emcee and introduced the session and participating artists. They would all be playing the music of Tin Pan Alley (very roughly speaking, late 19th and early 20th century jazz/blues/ragtime music originating in New York). Based on past sessions I've seen, they usually take one of two forms depending on the artists' inclinations. Each band will play one of their own song then pass the baton to the next group. Or a more freeform (and exciting) set where everyone collaborates on each other's songs in essentially a big jam session. And this is how the first session went with the groups taking turns choosing the tune, but everyone playing. The Polyjesters kicked it off with a fast-paced folk-jazz number called Cakewalk and that set the tone for the next hour and a bit: fast, fun, and improvisational. At any one time there were 10 - 16 musicians on stage, which was chaotic yet exhilirating as they traded off solos and jammed on each other songs. Often the group leading would shout out a chord and everyone would join in. It was awesome. The Polyjesters, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Mary Flower looked comfortable improvising on the spot. But even Eleni Mandell would dance on the spot or chime in with some harmonies on familiar songs. And sometimes, like the rest of us, she would just stand there admiring the incredible display of musicianship.

Squirrel Nut Zippers - You're Driving Me Crazy [originally by Walter Donaldson]
The Polyjesters - Be What It May

Eleni Mandell caught in a rainbow.

The Polyjesters' Jason Valleau makes his own trumpet sounds between SNZ's Je Widenhouse (left) and Jimbo Mathus.

SNZ's Stu Cole and Jimbo Mathus.

Jimbo tries to cool down Jason's frenetic bass-slappin' fingers.

I can't remember 90% of what was played but it was great. A particular highlight was when the Polyjesters started playing After You've Gone, which is a favourite of mine. SNZ Katharine Whalen performed a superb version (my personal fav) of this song on her solo Jazz Squad album. You could see her kind of perk up when they started playing it and she joined in the vocals.

Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad - After You've Gone [originally recorded by Marion Harris]
The Polyjesters - After You've Gone [originally recorded by Marion Harris]

After the session, I lurked around and got some autographs from some of the Zippers: Je Widenhouse, Stu Cole, Chris Phillips, Katharine Whalen, and Will Dawson. I missed co-founding SNZ member Jimbo Mathus and hoped to catch him later. The band was also gathered for some official folk fest shots and I snapped what amount to stalker photos from the sidelines. And wearing one of my SNZ shirts, I wasn't exactly inconspicuous.


I went to see another session called Six String Nation where various artists including Hawksley Workman tried their hand playing a hand-crafted guitar with bits and pieces of Canadian history attached (i.e. wood from the Bluenose, a piece of Pierre Trudeau's canoe, a piece of Maurice Richard's Stanley Cup ring, etc...). I got there a bit late and had a seat at the back where I basically passed out in the shade for the entire session. The rest of the afternoon I spent wandering between sessions and poking my head into the merch tents. A caught a bit of Chirgilchin, a group of Tuvan throat singers. Tuvan throat singing is a remarkable feat where the singer can actually produce multiple pitches simultaneously. I was drawn to that session after having my interest piqued a couple years ago by a covers album by Albert Kuvezin & Yat-Kha. With covers of Zeppelin, Joy Division, and Santana among others, Yat-Kha is clearly not your average Tuvan throat band.

Albert Kuvezin and Yat-Kha - When the Levee Breaks [originally by Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe; reworked by Led Zeppelin]

I also saw Final Fantasy at a couple sessions. Final Fantasy is one of those artists I've heard of a lot, but never heard. So I have to say I was pretty astonished to find out that the "band" is in fact only one guy and a violin, Owen Pallett.



I'm sure this comparison has been made, but my first impression was that he's like a Canadian version of Andrew Bird. Using looping pedals, he conjured a string quartet out of nowhere and the audience was mesmerized, myself included. I was also surprised to learn he co-wrote the string arrangements for The Arcade Fire's first two albums. And here I thought Final Fantasy was just another random indie band making the hype rounds. I really should check out his album, He Poos Clouds, which I have to admit I've unconsciously avoided listening to because of its dubious title and vaguely disturbing cover art.

Jimbo drops by another session to take a peek.

The last session of the afternoon that I went to was Blues With a Feeling which featured the blues stylings of Chris Smither, Jim Byrnes, Mary Flower, Watermelon Slim, and Jimbo Mathus. During the hiatus from Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jimbo indulged in his blues influences, putting out a few blues albums with his Knockdown Society and playing with the North Mississippi Allstars. He was also invited to join Buddy Guy's band in the studio for two albums and on tour. SNZ's drummer Chris Phillips and bass player Stu Cole also joined Jimbo on stage. Like the Tin Pan Alley session earlier in the day, this blues session naturally lent itself to improvisation and group jamming with all the participating artists. Watermelon Slim proved to be a blues force to reckon with on slide guitar and harmonica. Much more on him later... After the show, I found Jimbo Mathus and got his autograph to finish off my Squirrel Nut Zippers CD. He told me that the Zippers would be playing a show that night at 11:30pm at the Westin hotel. Bonus!! This weekend was the first and likely last time I'll ever see them, so to find out about that extra show was a major boon.



Watermelon Slim is feeling the blues.

Watermelon Slim is a must-see show... as Jim Byrnes can attest.

The mainstage shows on Saturday were not anyone I particularly wanted to see. I actually left the festival site to track down some sort of photo place where I could unload my digital camera on a CD. It was practically full since my main camera was busted and I was forced to use an old camera with a 256MB card, which I definitely needed to empty before tackling the Squirrel Nut Zippers show later that night. Back at the festival, I did see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones who totally brought the crowd to their feet. That's the first time I've seen anyone play two saxophones simultaneously, harmonizing with himself. Bela Fleck's "drummer" was also a sight to see: an imposing dread-locked guy called Futureman who played some sort of home-made guitar thing, which produced all of the percussive sounds. While the band was technically impressive and the audience just ate it up, I was honestly rather unenthused with the whole bit since it seemed like endless solos for an hour or more. Then again, it could just be me because I've read people raving about the performance for days after. Great Big Sea ended the night. They were energetic, but becoming so commonplace at folk fests it's a bit of a joke. For the second night in a row, I left early during the headlining act... but this time I was headed to another show.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Oh! Darling [originally by the Beatles]
Great Big Sea - It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) [originally by REM]

OK, this is getting ridiculously long, so I'll leave that night's show and Sunday for Part II.

Calgary Folk Fest, wow.

It was a hot, sun-soaked weekend in Calgary for their folk festival. And damn, what a weekend. The music was great and non-stop for the 2.5 days I was in attendance. I came to see the Squirrel Nut Zippers (who did not disappoint in the least) and heard a bunch of new artists (not necessarily new, but new to me) that were fantastic. Polyjesters, Eleni Mandell, Mary Flower, Watermelon Slim (unbelievable!), Final Fantasy, William Elliott Whitmore, the hummers... plus some familiar faces: Hawksley Workman, Sarah Slean, Great Big Sea, Chumbawamba, Geoff Berner (who I didn't even see, there was so much going on), Don MacLean, not to mention Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, who I was looking forward to beforehand, but had no idea how explosive their performance would be. I don't dance, but I was a dancin' fool.

Photos, music, and words to come at a later unspecified time...

It's Squirrel Nut Zippers time!

I'm headin' down south to Calgary today for a Squirrel Nut Zippers weekend. Celebration! Rejoice! It's the Calgary Folk Fest, folks. And while there are some other exciting artists like Hawksley Workman, Neko Case, Sharon & The Dap-Kings, Don McLean, Rufus Wainwright (oops, already missed him)... it's the ol' Squirrel Nut Zippers that has me stoked. They're playing the main stage tonight and here's some of the weekend side-stage sessions I'm looking forward to :

Saturday, 10:30am - 11:40am Alley of Tins and Pans
Polyjesters
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Eleni Mandell
Mary Flower

Saturday, 11:50am - 12:55pm Six String Nation
Steve Dawson
Paul Rigby
Jon Rauhouse
Hawksley Workman
Lubo Alexandrov

Saturday, 2:00pm - 3:05pm Up Next...
Ridley Bent
Final Fantasy
Jon-Rae & The River
Jeremy Fisher

Saturday, 3:20pm - 4:05pm In Concert
Geoff Berner

Saturday, 4:15pm - 5:30pm Blues with a Feelin'
Chris Smither
Jim Byrnes
Mary Flower
Watermelon Slim & the Workers
Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers)

Sunday, 11:55am - 1:00pm Keys to the Kingdom
Sarah Slean
Henry Butler
Anne Loree
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

Sunday, 4:20pm - 5:30pm Out of the Frying Pan...
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Watermelon Slim
PF Sloan
John Boutte & Henry Butler

I've posted it before, but here it is again: the first Squirrel Nut Zippers song I ever heard, which is also cosmically appropriate since the new Simpsons movie comes out today too.

Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hell [Springfield Mix]

See you next Wednesday!

Yeah, Yeah, Oh Yeah

...What Condition My Condition Was In.

Written by singer/songwriter Mickey Newbury and first recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1967, Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) became a top 10 Billboard hit for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. You may remember this song from a particularly memorable dream sequence from the Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski. This has been covered a fair number of times, but the interesting thing is that they're all good covers.

Supergrass - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
I'm a big fan of Supergrass and looking forward to a new album sometime this year. I Should Coco is practically a greatest hits album and Road to Rouen was a nice comeback. They don't do a lot of covers, but the few they do are choice cuts.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
Here's a great funk/soul rendition. If you're a fan of Mark Ronson's Version album (which I am), the Dap-Kings are responsible for the funky horn sections. You've probably all heard the cover of Radiohead's Just, so you know what I'm talking about. I recently got tickets to the Calgary Folk Festival next month and I'm really excited to see this group take to the mainstage. The real coup for me (and the main reason why I'm shelling out and traveling 3 hours south) is a rare Canadian date of the recently reunited Squirrel Nut Zippers. They're hitting the mainstage on a Friday night just before Hawksley Workman and Neko Case. Even more exciting is the prospect of the weekend "sessions", where the different artists team-up on side stages for unexpected musical collaborations and jamming. I just checked out the Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings album Naturally last week and finding out they'll be at the folk fest too is a major bonus. Sadly, the line-up for the Edmonton Folk Fest is a bit unspectacular IMHO, especially after seeing Rodrigo y Gabriela last year (who incidentally never did return to Edmonton with their supposed Canadian tour).

Nick Cave & Die Haut - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

Jeff Walker Und Die Fluffers - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
With a metal twist...

Tinsley Ellis - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
A bluesy version. This works well... a very versatile song!

Coming up later this week, Pink Floyd covers! ...As I check out Roger Waters performing Dark Side of the Moon this Sunday. Holy crap, then it's the White Stripes the next Friday! And the week after, 4 more White Stripes shows in the Maritimes. VERY EXCITING next few weeks!!!