Flaming Lips concert pick of week

THE FLAMING LIPS AT THE FOX THEATER, POMONA, TUESDAY, AUG. 18

When it comes to trippy sonic excursions, The Flaming Lips have the market cornered. Hatched out of Oklahoma City in 1983, singer Wayne Coyne, bassist Michael Ivins and various bandmates put out several indie albums rife with acid rock, noisy jams and psychedelic insanity.

After hooking up with a major label, The Lips notched their first top 10 alternative/minor pop radio hit in 1994 (“She Don’t Use Jelly”). Then came symphonic gem The Soft Bulletin. Masterful 2002 disc Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots went gold and netted a Grammy (2006’s acclaimed At War with the Mystics won two more).

Earlier this year, atmospheric Yoshimi tune “Do You Realize?” was deemed official rock song of Oklahoma. Keeping with the parameter expanding nature of their music, the band has also done high profile parking lot and boom box sound experiments and a concert tour where fans listened on headphones via Sony Walkmen.

You just never know what to expect from these guys’ shows. Past live jaunts have seen Coyne roll over the crowd in a big plastic bubble (Sugarland recently co-opted this move), utilize bizarre hand puppets and odd projection techniques as people frolic onstage in animal costumes.

Recently, The Flaming Lips put out a digital EP previewing the forthcoming double album Embryonic, due in October. Fellow Sooner State natives Stardeath and White Dwarfs, featuring Coyne’s nephew Dennis on vocals, have collaborated with The Lips on a cool new cover of Madonna’s “Borderline.”

The Flaming Lips, Ghostland Observatory, Stardeath and White Dwarfs at the Fox Theater, 301 S. Garey Ave., Pomona, www.ticketmaster.com, www.flaminglips.com. Tuesday, Aug. 18, doors open at 7PM, $40.

(This Calendar pick originally appeared in Inland Empire Weekly)

Joe Henry album review

Joe Henry
Blood From Stars
(Anti-)
B+

Joe Henry is hard to pin down. Starting in the late ‘80s, his early albums were steeped in alt-country and acoustic folk. After working with celebrated producer/artists T-Bone Burnett and Daniel Lanois, Henry’s music veered in a more atmospheric direction. He became a sonic architect, deftly using samples and loops, touching upon blues, funk and jazz rock and luring horn legends like Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman into his studio. 1996’s stark Trampoline featured Helmet guitarist Page Hamilton, while 2001’s Scar, included the tango “Stop,” which sister-in-law Madonna refashioned into her hit “Don’t Tell Me.”

In the interim, Henry segued into an acclaimed production career (Solomon Burke) and his tunes were sought by daring film directors. The cinema is often intertwined with Henry’s creative process. He builds albums in terms of themes, character and scope. Past efforts like 1999’s stellar Fuse have had a “calm before the storm” quality. That definitely holds true on Henry’s majestic 11th studio release Blood From Stars.

It opens with a stately piano instrumental performed by Jason Moran and is followed by the Dixieland jazz of “The Man I Keep Hid.” Here, Henry sings highly personal, yet witty lyrics (“somebody used my mouth and laughed out loud”) and lets teenage son Levon take the reigns on saxophone. Marc Ribot provides beautiful Spanish guitar on “This is My Favorite Cage,” while haunting highlight “Death to the Storm” is propelled by a gospel chorus courtesy of Chocolate Genius (Bruce Springsteen’s “Seeger Sessions”).

Elsewhere, a New Orleans vibe takes over “Bellwether,” the jazzy reverb rock on “Suit on a Frame” recalls Radiohead’s experimentalism and the plaintive closer “Coda” finds Henry turning in more dramatic vocals than usual. Truly evocative, this is tailor-made for the NPR and coffeehouse set.

Brendan Benson album review

Brendan Benson
My Old, Familiar Friend
(ATO)
A

Before becoming a quarter of successful alt-rock group The Raconteurs with Jack White & Co. (where he co-wrote all the songs), Brendan Benson spent a decade toiling in a solo career that was critically acclaimed, but only moderately successful. No wonder he once said in a Raconteurs interview: “I got sick of myself; this is the band I always wanted.”

Now that White has jumped to another side project (The Dead Weather), it’s finally time for the world to discover what a supreme talent Benson is alone. Produced by Gil Norton (Foo Fighters, Pixies), fourth effort My Old, Familiar Friend finds the singer/guitarist engaging in his trademark power pop, in addition to psychedelia, New Wave and Motown strains to excellent effect.

Everything kicks off with “A Whole Lot Better,” a frenetic tune about indecisiveness in a relationship that combines a prog rock synth line, handclaps and organ with a melody that recalls early Elvis Costello & the Attractions. The same vibe encompasses “Misery” and “Poised and Ready.”

Benson gets a little darker on the paranoia song “Eyes on the Horizon” (key line: “I’m convinced underneath that black hair/there’s a listening device planted there”), propelled by an Eric Clapton melody (think “I Can’t Stand It”) before swelling into a sugary McCartney-esque chorus. Orchestral strings are at the fore during “Garbage Day,” where Benson has second thoughts about consoling a friend. Among the other standouts: the jaunty “Don’t Wanna Talk” and dense hard rocker “Borrow.”

Michael Jackson tour rehearsal footage

Now that Sony Music and concert promoter AEG Live have come to an agreement about editing all that Michael Jackson rehearsal footage at Staples Center prior to his death, I'd say they better get cracking.

If they wait until late fall for a theatrical release and live album (when competition is fierce), the interest is sure to have diminished heavily. Then again, demand for all things Jackson will probably remain high for a long time. We'll see.

Director John Hughes' impact on '80s music

When I heard that John Hughes had died yesterday, I immediately flashed back to high school. The soundtracks to several of the director/producer/screenwriter's films were an integral part of my teenage years.

In addition to having a knack for capturing what it was really like growing up (some of us totally identified with Jon Cryer's Duckie character in "Pretty in Pink") in the '80s, Hughes and his music supervisors also had a keen ear for what was then considered hip music to help move the stories along. It was something his peers in the movie industry often lacked.

Many musicians can thank him for propelling their careers.

Who can forget Simple Minds' chart topping "Don't You (Forget About Me)," from "The Breakfast Club"? Or Oingo Boingo's popular title track to "Weird Science"? I always dug the tunes from "Some Kind of Wonderful," with Flesh For Lulu's alt-rock hit "I Go Crazy," plus tracks by the JAMC and Buzzcock Pete Shelley.

Then there was the best of them all: "Pretty in Pink."

I remember seeing the movie at a neighborhood cinema one weekend, walking home and thinking about OMD's yearning "If You Leave" and the scene it played in. The Psych Furs' title track briefly put them on the mainstream pop music map. Add New Order's "Shellshock" and incidental music, the Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" and Echo & the Bunnymen's "Bring on the Dancing Horses" and you had a true classic.

Many of the so-called Brat Packers and other young actors in Hughes' 1980s films are still active in the movie/TV/theater world today: Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer, Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck and Anthony Michael Hall, to name a few.

What are your favorite songs from Hughes' movies?

Steve Miller Band concert review

Photo by Kelly Swift/For the Orange County Register
A version of my review originally appeared in the Register

Steve Miller Band
Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa
Aug. 1

Steve Miller Band fans got a lesson in music history at a packed Pacific Amphitheatre on Saturday night. And that’s a good thing.

Tunes by bluesmen - both obscure (Jesse Hill, K.C. Douglas) and not so obscure (Robert Johnson, Jimmie Vaughn) - were spotlighted, alongside seminal soul and rock ‘n’ roll artists (Sam Cooke, Otis Redding Bo Diddley). The wide-ranging Costa Mesa show also included plenty of Miller’s classic rock radio staples and pop chart hits from the 1970s.

Few people are better versed in those genres than Miller. The master guitarist was taught by instrument innovator Les Paul and cut his creative teeth in Chicago blues nightclubs at the height of Beatlemania. Upon relocating to San Francisco during the hippie era, Miller launched a professional recording career that mixed psychedelic and bluesy elements to minor acclaim.

Half a dozen albums later, he finally hit pay dirt with a string of platinum-sellers (The Joker, Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams). Adapting to Eighties synth-pop, the musician scored his final No. 1 single and top 10 album with Abracadabra. Over the past decade, Miller, 65, has toured regularly. Last year, he recorded a long-awaited new studio album (due out sometime in the near future) and put out a worthwhile concert DVD+CD, Live in Chicago.

The 95-minute, 24-song set kicked off with “Swingtown” as the crowd sang the opening “whoa” line. Miller and his tight six member group (these guys can and often did stop on a dime) immediately locked into a shuffle groove. Marijuana smoke suddenly filled the air.

Backing singer and newest band recruit Sonny Charles, 68, the former front man for R&B group Checkmates, Ltd. (best known for the hits “Black Pearl” and “Put it in a Magazine”) added old school dance moves to the proceedings. The audience got quite a kick out of his antics throughout the evening. At times, it was difficult to choose between watching Miller’s amazing fleet fingers on the fretboard or Charles’ soft shoe routine.

Miller and longtime harmonica player/vocalist Norton Buffalo (who looked like he just arrived from Haight Ashbury) engaged in a sizzling duel on “The Stake” where group harmonies were in full effect. Spacey sounds from keyboardist Joseph Wooten set up the epic length “Fly Like an Eagle.” Everyone got to jam here: Miller did some gorgeous arpeggios and Wooten’s dexterity was mind-blowing.

A solo acoustic guitar segment saw Miller play the pleasant “Seasons” (from 1969’s Brave New World). Then he dedicated a tender take on Cooke’s “You Send Me” to Debbie Shuck, executive director of the Fender Center and Museum in Corona and a group of young students in attendance. Miller has played benefits at the facility and donated memorabilia. Onstage, he talked up their music education program and exhibits (check out www.fendermuseum.com for more info).

From there, standouts included the folksy Dobro-fueled hoedown, “Dance Dance Dance” a steamrolling take on Johnson’s “Crossroads” (a set list addition; Miller thanked fans for indulging him) and sturdy rock songs familiar to those of us weaned on KLOS/95.5 FM: “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “The Joker” and “Jet Airliner.”

All told, Miller put on a laid back, memorable performance and showed no signs of slowing down 40+ years on.

Huey Lewis & the News concert review

Photo by Armando Brown/For the Orange County Register
A version of my review ran in the Register

Huey Lewis and the News
Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa
July 30

“I’m taking what they’re giving ‘cause I’m workin’ for a livin’”

The lyrics to that song, which closed Huey Lewis and the News’ fun and highly enjoyable 85-minute set at the Pacific Amphitheatre on Thursday night, best encapsulates their rise to fame.

When the Bay Area group began attracting national attention with second album Picture This in 1982, it was hardly an overnight success story. Various members had paid their dues for a decade, slogging away in bars here and abroad, making independent releases that went nowhere and serving as sidemen (a couple guys helped record Elvis Costello’s acclaimed debut).

Once their videos started airing on MTV, the story suddenly changed. Lead singer Lewis, then in his early 30s, wrote songs about being a reluctant romantic and the girls swooned. Others appealed to the working class at large. The singer came across as an Average Joe – someone guys wouldn’t mind hanging with to shoot some pool or down a couple brews. There was no rock star attitude, unlike so many British new wave exports topping the charts at the time.

The music, often rooted in classic rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues of the Fifties and Sixties, also separated Huey Lewis and the News from the pack.Sports, released in 1983, was a blockbuster, spawned five top 20 singles and eventually sold 10 million copies.

In Costa Mesa, a familiar heartbeat sound signaled the nine musicians’ arrival on stage. Lewis played a harmonica intro and they launched into “The Heart of Rock & Roll,” the first of five tunes culled from Sports. Despite a three-man horn section (Johnny Colla, among four original Newsmen, did double duty on sax and electric guitar), the sound never got too loud.

Lewis and Colla engaged in some fine tandem harp and sax work on “I Want a New Drug.” Then a nasty fight erupted between a man and woman near the left orchestra section (and we were only 15 minutes into the show). It took quite awhile for the handful of Pac Amp security people to figure out what was going on. By the time the band transitioned into the jazzy “Small World,” police officers finally arrived and escorted half a dozen louts out of the row (some were later allowed back inside).

Last time I saw the band was a 2000 gig at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula. Lewis’ voice struggled with a few big hits then. He is even more taxed by selections like “If This Is It” and “The Power of Love” these days (how Lewis survived a stint as lawyer Billy Flynn in the Broadway musical “Chicago” a few years back is beyond me). Still, the soaring brass notes and doo wop-styled backing vocals carried Lewis every time.

“We haven’t been in O.C. for awhile. We didn’t get the (government) bailout, so we’re back on the road,” quipped Lewis, before dedicating a compelling “Walking on a Thin Line” to all veterans. Sans horns, it was lean and mean. Later, Lewis jumped around the stage during the whimsical “Hip to Be Square.”

Known for their a cappella vocals segments in concert - back in the day, they would often sing the National Anthem at big baseball games - the band wowed the audience with finger snapping renditions of Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions’ “It’s All Right” and Chubby Checker & Dee Dee Sharp’s “Slow Twistin’”. Despite Lewis’ disclaimer that the latter one was only worked up last week and “hasn’t gone well, frankly,” it came across fine with unobtrusive bass, sax and drum machine. Definitely a high point.

One humorous moment came during the group’s soulful Stax-style hit cover of “It’s Alright” by J.J. Jackson (these ‘60s titles sure can get confusing). When Lewis’ short xylophone solo arrived, a young sexy girl came out holding the instrument for him and she was rewarded with a kiss.

While there was a generous dose of fan faves, there were some surprising set omissions (“Trouble in Paradise,” all but one of five top 10 hits from 1986 triple platinum seller Fore, more recent Adult Contemporary radio charters, the cool title track to last year’s Seth Rogan and James Franco comedy “Pineapple Express.”). I would’ve traded the so-so new songs (“Saturday Night,” “Feel It”) for any of the above.

By the home stretch, Huey Lewis and the News seemed to be hitting their stride, especially on punchy “Back in Time” - a second “Back to the Future” soundtrack number where Lewis did playful synchronized moves with the horn section. And the slower, reworked Hammond organ-led “Do You Believe in Love” was wonderful as usual. The bluesy “Workin’ for a Livin’,” with Lewis displaying his chops on the mouth harp capped the proceedings off before 10 p.m.