romantik!

i'd been looking forward to last night's element of crime concert since i first heard about the 2010 tour. it was my 4th - the venue once again gasometer, which is far from perfect, but unfortunately vienna doesn't seem to have any decent venues of that size. anyway: the band was great - as usual, i should add. i'm tempted to say that this was actually the best EOC concert i've been to. the musicians are all very, very good, i'm smitten with sven regener's trumpet(-playing). they've been playing together for ages, which could lead to boredom, i suppose, but boring is not a word that comes to mind when i think of last night's performance.

it was so very cool that they played really old songs, even some of the very early days EOC songs in english, in addition to many songs from the latest album. i was particularly pleased that they played "am ende denk ich immer nur an dich", which is my favourite song on their latest album - such delightful lyrics; "jetzt musst du springen", which is an old fave of mine; "schwere see".

EOC are not a band for those who are looking for something new on every album, let alone in every song. sven regener (songwriter, poet, writer, mastermind) himself says that he's been writing the same few songs over and over again since the early 90s. but then they never sound exactly the same, there are no identical twins. there's always a twist somewhere (both in music and lyrics), a fabulous new phrase or pun, an image that is striking in its simplicity and/or its "i've-never-looked-at-this-in-quite-the-same-way" originality (for want of a better word). regener is a keen observer of the everyday, and - in my opinion - the most poetic german songwriter. there are quite a few lines in his lyrics that have made me think "i wish *i* had thought of that!", which is a great compliment.

of course, being a poet myself, i have a weakness for wordplay, for unexpected word choices in strange places that can open up whole new worlds. and something i loved about last night was the fact that there were visible and audible reactions to certain images regener painted with words: a smile, a laugh, a snicker, a "ha!", or clapping - occasionally i could tell that the person had probably never heard that song before, or never paid attention to that particular part. it's fantastic to be among people who appreciate that. it's a sign that poetry IS appreciated, enjoyed.


thanks, sven regener, thanks element of crime, for a lovely evening: "vielndank!"

review & set list in german @ fm4: Agentenfunkchansons und Zahlen


song of the day: am ende denk ich immer nur an dich by element of crime.

tower of song

i know it has been ages, but life seems to get in the way sometimes ... still - even if it has been a while, i do want to say a few things about the leonard cohen concert on 24 september, and i do want to say more than just "wow".

like one of my friends said, it is quite impossible to count highlights at a leonard cohen concert - the whole event IS a highlight. and the whole event lasted about three hours. the concert began with dance me to the end of love, and right from the start it was one great song after another. it was almost as if he had seen my secret wish list and granted me more than just one of them. here's the set list:

First set
1. Dance me to the end of love
2. The Future
3. Ain't no cure for love
4. Bird on the wire
5. Everybody knows
6. In my secret life
7. Who by fire
8. Hey, that's no way to say good bye
9. Anthem

Second set
10. Tower of song
11. Suzanne
12. Gypsy wife
13. Boogie Street
14. Hallelujah
15. Democracy
16. I'm your man
17. Take this waltz

Encores
18. So long, Marianne
19. First we take Manhattan

20. Sisters of mercy
21. If it be your will
22. Closing time

23. I tried to leave you
24. Whither thou goest

of course, take this waltz is special for us here, because of the references to vienna. hallelujah is - and most likely will always be - one of my favourite songs of all time. i was particularly happy to hear who by fire and sisters of mercy as well as tower of song. one of *the* goosebump moments was when cohen quoted the first few lines of if it be your will before the webb sisters took over: wonderful, almost haunting version of a terrific song, and it really became clear that the song is indeed a prayer. (follow this link for a video of the song recorded at the toronto concert)

cohen's musicians and background singers were incredible - as if they had become musicians for these moments on stage with cohen. the three ladies supported cohen beautifully, their voices a perfect match for his. what really impressed me was cohen's obvious respect for his musicians and singers, and i don't think it was just show. i am sure a man like him understands the importance of a good band. and there was also respect for the audience. after all - without fans, where would artists be?

one thing i noticed was that some of his songs, while they were great when he wrote them years ago, seem somehow more meaningful now. it's as if a younger cohen had written them for the older cohen he is now, as if he'd grown into them. i also think that a little ironic smile on the side doesn't hurt them either, and that is something that comes with age, i assume. a bit of distance.

my favourite quote of the evening: cohen was saying that he had not been on stage in about 15 years and joked "back then, i was just a kid with a crazy dream". but of course, he also showed us the secret, the key to everything that life is about, and it can be found in his tower of song; it is not what he is saying, it is what the background voices repeat, time and time again. doo-dum-dum-dum de-doo-dum-dum.

i did take photos, but the light was not very good, and i was too far away from the stage. still - here are a couple:


my brother martin and me before the concert



the venue: wiener konzerthaus



leonard cohen & band



mr leonard cohen



mr cohen kneeling


song of the day: if it be your will by leonard cohen / the webb sisters.

powderfinger & other things

and there i was thinking that august would be relatively quiet. well. turns out i was wrong. georg, our project co-ordinator, has been on holidas these three weeks, and i had to take on some of his responsibilities, which kept me particularly busy the last three days. lots of administration stuff. not really very exciting.

ka and i still haven't got the electronic version of the book we are translating, which is NOT good, because we want to use a CAT tool (computer aided translation). september will be crazy busy.

i also taught two english classes this week, one called "laughter is the best medicine", the other about new zealand. the students seemed to enjoy it, and that's good. :)


last thursday i was at a nice little gig by steve gander & the dangers of ...at shakti here in vienna. it was a fun night with good music and a lot of laughter. i took photos but have not edited them yet. too much other stuff to do.


on sunday i went to the lovely days festival in wiesen (burgenland) for the first time, thanks to a friend of mine. it was the perfect day for it - sunny and warm, but not unbearably hot, no rain. we missed most of hans theessink's performance, which was a shame, but we didn't think they would actually start that early. i was rather disappointed by adam green's performance. i'd seen him three times before, and the other concerts were most definitely better, the first one i saw the best of all. or maybe it just didn't work as well in that setting. wishbone ash and the waterboys were okay, but if i'd had any say in it, i would have put hans theessink on just before the main act, neil young.

and neil young was fantastic. it was the first time for me, and i was - and am - impressed. the man can play! and it is always a joy to watch musicians who are obviously having fun. he sang older and newer stuff, even heart of gold, my my hey hey, helpless and a favourite of mine, powderfinger. if you have a chance to see him, do.














song of the day: powderfinger by neil young.

more fun! more noise! more kaizers! [edited]

the title of this blog post refers to a blog entry of september 2005 and my first encounter with the marvellous kaizers orchestra - arguably the best live band on the planet. having missed their last concert in vienna, because it was sold out before i realised they'd be playing here, i'd been looking forward to yesterday's concert since i reserved the ticket way back in december. having preached the greatness of the six norwegians, i did not have to go alone: sabine and valerio, both kaizers newbies, came along to arena. just like on the 28 september 2005, i was feeling under the weather - i have had a nasty cold for the past few days. but. miss a kaizers concert? nah. no way. so what if my voice was all but gone around 4 this afternoon. (as long as it's back by thursday, everything's fine. *g*) so what if i went to bed at 01.30, because i was too hyper to sleep. kaizers rock. quite literally, too.

janove aka "the jackal", charismatic frontman and responsible for most of the band's songs, has grown his hair and certainly hasn't lost any of his scandinavian sex-god-liness (see blog post of 09/2005). helge "the omen" kaizer deserves his own fan club for his unique, almost bizarre appearance (tailored suit, moustache, and gas mask) and inimitable way of playing the pump organ (sometimes he reminds me of a half-asleep, moody rowlf - yes, the one from the muppets show). drummer rune "mink" kaizer is a beast; in the best possible sense. øyvind "thunder" kaizer loves his bass, and it loves him back. and the guitarists geir "hellraizer" kaizer and terje "killmaster" kaizer, well, let's just say their nicknames aren't a coincidence. and those guys know how to rock. oh yes. in addition to more traditional instruments, oil barrels and hubcaps cannot be missing on a KO stage - it does get noisy. and that is a good thing. the guys give everything they have - but they get a lot back from their fans.

it's quite fascinating, really: a band sings in norwegian, and maybe a handful of the 1100 people in the audience understand more than a few bits and pieces of the lyrics, but from the moment they appear on stage, janove has everyone wrapped around his little finger. for the band it must be quite amazing to have an austrian audience take over and sing a chorus in norwegian at the top of their lungs (sving din hammer / til din papa drar deg inn / trekk et rom nummer / men ikkje bland din med min - maestro)!

kaizers played songs off their new album as well as many of their classics - maestro, blitzregn baby, kontroll på kontinentet, mann mot mann, delikatessen, ompa til du dør, dieter meyers inst., bøn fra helvete ... but of course KO is not a band to just play their songs, they celebrate their music - and so do their fans. and janove is not one to keep quiet between songs: he talks and asks questions and jokes and fools around. it's pure joy to watch a band have so much fun at work. this is what their fans love them for. and i cannot for the life of me imagine any fan actually going off them again.

the great news is that they announced another appearance in vienna in october or november. and guess who's going?

valerio and sabine totally loved it, too. :)
v was the man with the camera, i hope to have a couple of photos to share some time soon.

i just had to watch the kaizers live dvd today, plus all the bonus material. they're a lovely bunch of guys. may they be around for a long, long time.

and here's some kaizers for you. enjoy.



editing in for a p.s.: geoff berner was the support act - worth checking out. gypsy folksy klezmer punk sort of music from vancouver, canada. ;)

editing in once more: i've sneaked into valerio's facebook photo album and nicked a couple of pictures (which i am sure is perfectly okay if i tell you that they are NOT MINE, they are VALERIO's, and he is not only nice and talented, he also has the most beautiful hair!):









song of the day: maestro by kaizers orchestra.

rufus rules!

tonight he does. just got back from listening to / watching rufus wainwright who played a very, very good solo concert at one of vienna's better, more intimate venues - in leather trousers (though this time the tyrolean hat was missing)!

the guy is an absolute cutie, incredibly talented, and truly funny. he told little anecdotes and stories in between songs, being chatty and laughing at himself. very endearing.

the songs were a mix of old and new, extra points for playing leonard cohen's hallelujah, vibrate, and cigarettes and chocolate milk - and also for the schubert song he played as a second encore. he was about to play greek song at one point (which i love), but then broke off and said he felt like playing something else. and why not. *s*

here's one of his new songs, going to a town; i have to post the lyrics, they're worth reading.

I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm going to a place that has already been disgraced
I'm gonna see some folks who have already been let down.
I'm so tired of America

I'm gonna make it up for all of the Sunday Times
I'm gonna make it up for all of the nursery rhymes
They never really seem to want to tell the truth
I'm so tired of you America

Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead America
I got a life to lead

Tell me do you really think you go to hell for having loved?
Tell me and not for thinking every thing that you've done is good
(I really need to know)
After soaking the body of Jesus Christ in blood

I'm so tired of America
(I really need to know)

I may just never see you again or might as well
You took advantage of a world that loved you well
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm so tired of you America

Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead America
I got a life to lead
I got a soul to feed
I got a dream to heed
And that's all I need

Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down

Rufus Wainwright



song of the day: going to a town by rufus wainwright.

"Sleeping is giving in / no matter what the time is"

what an excellent concert! the arcade fire really are a brilliant live band, and i am glad i decided to treat myself to a concert ticket the moment i heard they'd be playing in vienna.

the funeral was such a great album, and neon bible is at least as good - so there was not a song over the course of nearly two hours that was only so-so, and that the audience did not love. i have been to quite a few concerts over the last years, and viennese crowds can be a bit lame sometimes, or hard to get going. that certainly was not a problem tonight.

the band members really put their heart and soul into their music. that might be most obvious in lead singer/songwriter win and multi-instrumentalist/singer régine (who sings and plays and dances with an intensity that makes everything seem to be a matter of life and death), but i am sure it is equally true for the rest of the band.

i haven't found the set list yet, but i'll edit this post when i have it. the only song that i waited for in vain, was crown of love. maybe next time.




a p.s. - two things i always marvel at when i go to concerts:

a) if people want to discuss their lives, and bitch about everyone they ever knew, why don't they stay at home and put the cd on instead of babbling throughout a concert?

b) man has flown to the moon. man has invented the internet. man has conquered illnesses. but nobody seems to have been able to figure out a functioning system for cloakrooms. anyone up for the challenge?


song of the day: rebellion (lies) by the arcade fire.

a piano's homecoming

tori amos has once again found her way to vienna, and brought "her" home - her piano, that is. no matter how many times i see her with that bösendorfer of hers, i am fascinated by the relatioinship the two of them seem to have. tori does not just play piano with her hands, she plays piano with her entire body. and it is pretty obvious she does not think of the instrument as an inanimate object.

it was my first concert in the new concert hall added to vienna's stadthalle, a venue i don't like all that much for concerts; but this new part is much better. it's got a nicer atmosphere, and the sound is definitely better.

before tori came on stage, seth lakeman played a few songs - my friend babs and i both enjoyed those, and were quite impressed with his playing the violin AND singing. check seth out on myspace.

here's tori's setlist, courtesy of undented.com:

Act I – Santa

* Body & Soul
* My Posse Can Do
* Programmable Soda
* Secret Spell
* Dragon
* You Can Bring Your Dog

Interlude

* Professional Widow

Act II – Tori

* Big Wheel
* Caught A Lite Sneeze
* Liquid Diamonds
* Cornflake Girl
* Doughnut Song
* Glory Of The 80s

Solo

* Improv
* Upside Down
* Mother

Band Returns

* Father’s Son
* God
* Code Red

First Encore

* Precious Things
* Pancake

Second Encore

* Bouncing Off Clouds
* Hey Jupiter

i did expect there to be some of her "noisier" songs, after listening to her new album, american doll posse, quite a few times, although i was not at all sure which she would choose. it was a pleasant surprise to have her play something off her older albums as well, and perhaps not the obvious choices; it was quite a good mix. she gets an extra point for playing god, which is such a fantastic song

God sometimes you just don't come through
God sometimes you just don't come through
Do you need a woman to look after you
God sometimes you just don't come through

and hey jupiter, one of her songs i could never get tired of hearing.

thought I knew myself so well
all the dolls I had
took my leather off the shelf
your apocalypse was fab
for a girl who couldn't choose between
the shower or the bath

i loved big wheel, it is quite a sexy, sassy, powerful song, i find, especially the way she plays it (see above re entire body).

So baby maybe I'll let your
Big wheel turn my fantasy
Don't you throw your shade on me
I've been drinking down your pain
I'm gonna turn that whiskey into rain
Wash it away
Wash it away
Wash you away boy

it was also lovely to hear programmable soda, caught a lite sneeze, cornflake girl (which, of course, was the song that made me fall in love with her music many years ago), and upside down.

she was not very chatty yesterday, only said it was lovely to be back in vienna, and that it had been a while (too true), and it was like coming home. i've seen her very talkative and rather quiet before, you never know what you'll get. *s*

of course, while the musicians she works with are great, and the music is wonderful, i still love her best when it's just her and the "böse".


i did take some pics / videos with my new phone, but am not sure how they turned out. i tried to buy a pc cable yesterday, but gave up after four places told me that no, they did not have that at the moment, but to try next week. sigh. i'll try and find some pics online though.

meanwhile, here is a video, enjoy. (love tarantino's intro! *g*)

song of the day - pretty obvious now, is it not: big wheel by tori amos.