As we mentioned the other day, the highlight of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival was the British band Elbow.  They had us and the entire crowd in the palms of their hands, and great hands they were.  They are a powerful band led by the Bono-charismatic Guy Garvey (though a bit more humble than his Bononess).  Check out the only video (of Grounds for Divorce) we managed to film instead of enjoying the awe (selfish us).  And then check out some great photos of Guy and the band by Amy Halverson, and the swept-away crowd, below.    And finally, at the very bottom is the setlist from their set.

All photos by Amy Halverson

Setlist

1. The Birds
2. The Bones of You
3. Mirrorball
4. Neat Little Rows
5. Grounds for Divorce
6. The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver
7. Lippy Kids
8. Open Arms
9. One Day Like This

Yeah, we’re the late show on this.  But a couple weeks ago we finally finished Keith Richards’ immensely entertaining and illuminating memoir, “Life.”

The following were amongst our favorite passages (emphasis added):

Richards on touring:

“The grind is the traveling, the hotel food, whatever.  It’s a hard drill sometimes. But once I the stage, all of that miraculously goes away. Thee grind is never the stage performance.  I can play the same song again and again, year after year.  When Jumping Jack Flash comes up again it’s never a repetition, always a variation.  Always.  I would never play a song again once I thought it was dead.  We couldn’t just churn it out.  The real release is getting on stage.  Once we’re up there doing it, it’s sheer fun and joy. Some long-distance stamina, of course, is needed. And the only way I can sustain the impetus over the long course we do is by feeding off the energy that we get back from the audience. That’s my fuel.  All I’ve got is this burning energy, especially when I’ve got a guitar in my hands.  I get an incredible raging glee when they get out of their seats. Yeah, come one, let it go.  Give me some energy and I’ll give you back double. It’s almost like some enormous dynamo or generator.  It’s indescribable.  I start to rely on it; I use their energy to keep myself going.  If the place was empty, I wouldn’t be able to do it.  Mick does about ten miles.  I do about five miles with a guitar around my neck, every show.  We couldn’t do that without their energy, we just wouldn’t even dream of it.  And they make us want to give our best. We’ll go for things that we don’t have to.  It happens every night we go on.  One minute we’re just hanging with the guys and oh, what’s the first song?…, and suddenly we’re up there. It’s not that it’s a surprise, because that’s the whole reason to be there. But my whole physical being goes up a couple of notches.  “Ladies and gentlemen, the Rolling Stones.”  I’ve heard that for forty-odd years, but the minute I’m out there and hit that first note, whatever it is, it’s like was driving a Datsun and suddenly it’s a Ferrari.  At that first chord I play, I can hear the way Charlie’s going to hit into it and the way Darryl’s going to play into that.  It’s like sitting on top of a rocket.”

Richards on the negative effects of “improved” recording technology:

“Very soon after Exile, so much technology came in that even the smartest engineer in the world didn’t know what was really going on.  How come I could get a drum sound back in Denmark Street with one microphone, and now with fifteen microphones I get a drum sound that’s like someone shitting on a tin roof? Everybody got carried away with technology and slowly they’re swimming back. In classical music, they’re rerecording everything they rerecorded digitally in the ’80s and ’90s because it just doesn’t come up to scratch.  I always felt that I was actually fighting technology, that it was no help at all.  And that’s why it would take so long to do things.  [Producer] Fraboni has been though all of that, that notion that if you didn’t have fifteen microphones on a drum kit, you didn’t know what you were doing.  Then the bass player would be battened off, so they were all in their little pigeonholes and cubicles.  And you’re playing this enormous room and not using any of it.  This idea of separation is the total antithesis of rock and roll, which is a bunch of guys in a room making a sound and just capturing it.  It’s the sound they make together, not separated.  This mythical bullshit about stereo and high tech and Dolby, it’s just totally against the whole grain of what music should be.

Nobody had the balls to dismantle it.  And I started to think, what was it that turned me on to doing this?  It was these guys that made records in one room with three microphones.  They weren’t recording every little snitch of the drums or bass.  They were recording the room.  You can’t get these indefinable things by stripping it apart.  The enthusiasm, the spirit, the soul, whatever you want to call it, where’s the microphone for that? The records could have been a lot better in the ’80s if we’d cottoned on to that earlier and not been led by the nose of technology.”

Richards on Tom Waits:

“Tom Waits was an early collaborator…He’s a one-off lovely guy and one the most original writers.”

Tom Waits on the first time he met and played with Richards:

“We were doing Rain Dogs….  He played on three songs on that record:  “Union Square,” we sang on “Blind Love” together, and on “Big Black Mariah” he played a great rhythm part.  It really lifted the record up for me. I didn’t care how it sold at all.  As far as I was concerned it had already sold.”

Tom Waits on the Wingless Angels recording (recorded in part outside live in Jamaica):

“One of my favorite things that he did is Wingless Angels.  That completely slayed me.  Because the first thing you hear is the crickets, and you realize you’re outside.  And his contribution to capturing the sounds on that record just feels a lot like Keith.  Maybe more like Keith than I had contact with when we got together.  He’s like a common laborer in a lot of ways.  He’s like a swabby.  Like a sailor.  I found some things they say about music that seemed to apply to Keith. You know, in the old days they said that the sound of the guitar could cure gout and epilepsy, sciatica and migraines. I think that nowadays there seems to be a deficit of wonder.  And Keith seems to still wonder about this stuff.  He will stop and hold his guitar up and just stare at it for a while.  Just be rather mystified by it.  Like all the great things in the world, women and religion and the sky … you wonder about it, and you don’t stop wondering about it.“

Recent formidable visitors to Santa Barbara, Joy Formidable, brought the joy to the David Letterman Show last night and whipped out a winning Whirring. Check it out courtesy of the Audio Perv.

And Jane’s Addiction played The Jimmy Kimmel Show last night.  JA will soon release its new album, “The Great Escape Artist,” and they performed new song Irresistible Force on Kimmel. It takes flight at the chorus.  Check it below, and after check the chestnut, Stop, off of 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFRTS2y9iMg&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qg6iyuESf7Q

And finally, Lykke Li played on Carson Daly (via the El Rey Theater) on Tuesday, doing her great song, Rich Kids’ Blues. Check it out again courtesy of the Audio Perv.

Prior to last Tuesday, when it came to Jessica Lea Mayfield, we had only heard one or two songs off of  her twangier first album, “With Blasphemy So Heartfelt.”  And then we stumbled upon her pop-perfect 2011 album, “Tell Me,“ with its more varied sounds.  And since last week it’s been hard to listen to anything else.  Produced by Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys), “Tell Me” has vaulted into our Best of 2011 list and shows no signs of being removed.  It’s a stunner from stem to stern.  Mayfield molds great melodies and pens penetrating lyrics, and then delivers them with laconic vocals that remind us of Lucinda Williams coupled with Neko Case.  The 22-year old Mayfield has been performing live since she was eight years old, and you gather that when you catch her slight swagger live.  She’s earned it.

Speaking of her performing live, we had the good fortune to catch her simmering set at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass this past Sunday.  Mayfield’s languorous vocals played perfectly against her tasteful backing band, which included kinetic referee-guitarist Richie Kirkpatrick, drummer Scott Hartlaub and brother David Mayfield on bass.

For a good flavor for Jessica check her out below at Hardly Strictly performing two songs off the new album, and then “For Today” off of her first album.  Our apologies for the sound on Blue Skies Again–we’ll get that figured out one of these years.  And after, check out some other great videos of Mayfield in action.

First up is her moving new song, Sometimes at Night, with its rock-bottom tones and tales.  Unfortunately, we missed capturing the opening stanza, which includes one of our favorite sordid lines: “I broke the little cabana boy’s heart, to let you fondle me in the dark; one of those city outdoor motels, in your bed swore I never would tell.”  You can catch the entire song in the penultimate video way below.

Next up after the darkness of Sometimes at Night is the sunny uplift of her powerful pop song, Blue Skies Again.  If there were any rhyme or reason remaining for radio, Blue Skies Again would be a No. 1 hit across this land.  We love the following stanzas in particular:

“This heart of mine
Is ready for the spring
Open up my window
Winter bird, take wing

Suddenly I can see blue skies again
Beauty says nothing less than our hearts will mend
I promise you… they do”

And check out her performance of the older kiss-off song, For Today, from her first album, including these great lines:

“I could care less about you
Care less about you
And I love the sound of you walking away
And I can see clearer and I’m getting closer
To finding out just who I am without you in the way
So hold me
But only for today”

Moving on, check out Mayfield and Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers singing Is This Love? off her first album.

And then check out Mayfield’s solo acoustic performance of the great Run Myself Into the Ground off of the new album.

And then check out two phenomenal HD videos of Jessica and band on KEXP performing Kiss Me Again and Sometimes at Night (including that great cabana-boy opening stanza we missed in our video above). So very good.  Filmed at Lance Armstrong’s Mellow Johnny Bike Shop in Austin during this year’s SXSW.

And finally, watch Jessica’s network TV debut earlier this year on The Letterman Show, rocking Our Hearts Are Wrong with band and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.

Radiohead members, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, appeared on the Jimmy Fallon Show Monday night to perform a touching, loopy Give Up the Ghost off of “The King of Lambs.” Now “retired” Michael Stipe of R.E.M. (R.I.P.) makes a brief appearance too. Courtesy of the Audio Perv.

And lovely Feist (backed by a powerful 11-piece band, including a horn quintet and the all-female trio Mountain Man on backup vocals) appeared on The Letterman Show to sing How Come You Never Go There off of her strong new album, “Metals.” Check it out below courtesy of the Audio Perv.

And finally check out critically-acclaimed Laura Marling performing her songs The Muse and Sophia on Carson Daly.  One minute she sounds like updated Bonnie Raitt, the next Joni Mitchell.  And with a Brit-twang no less.

The Muse

Sophia

Day 3 of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival (with Fillmore extension) ranks at the very top of our all-time great days of live music.  The music began with the mesmerizing Jessica Lea Mayfield at 11am and extended to the last encore (at 12:30am) of Gillian Welch’s perfect birthday concert at the Fillmore.

Jessica Mayfield had a field-day earlier this year when she released her Dan Auerbach-produced album, “Tell Me.” The album is filled with great songs and her vocally laconic (in a good way) delivery, and more of the same was in evidence during her opening set on Sunday.  Her cohorts bring fire and flair to Mayfield’s seductive vocals and mien.  Following Ms. Mayfield’s well-received set, we took in Buddy Miller’s popular set.  Buddy’s obviously a very talented singer and guitarist, though he’s not our particular cup of tea (too much dead-center talent and technique, without flaws or flare-ups, which makes us cranky and causes us (perhaps unfairly) to lump Miller in with the likes of  Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas, both of whom y’all can have).  Make no mistake, though, his adoring fans were enthusiastic and entertained, and he brought out Patty Griffin, Robert Plant and Emmylou Harris to add coloratura to the proceedings.  After Buddy, we caught portions of the sets of soulful Dr. John, Bucked-up Brokedown in Bakersfield, and solo, but raging, Bob Mould.  All were good, but then the day really took off like a rocket.

Devotchka’s enormously entertaining gypsy-klezmer-rock pastiche had the massive crowd at the Star Stage enthralled and dancing.  What’s great about this band is that they grip your head and heart with their songs at the same time you’re feet are involuntarily jamming.

And then came our long-awaited first-glimpse of great Brit band, Elbow.  Guy Garvey and crew took the stage and within moments it was game-over for the best-set-of-HSB competition (due respect to the brilliant Bright Eyes).  Elbow is simply one of the best live bands on the planet, along with having composed some of the best songs and records of this era (if you don’t know and love their epic album, “The Seldom Seen Kid,” we encourage you to add it to your collection, along with their new album, “build a rocket boys!“).  Guy Garvey is a lovely human being who imparts well the uplift and emotion embedded in the band’s songs, and it is a sweet sight to see in person.  The band is also filled with perfect players, and included two female violinist-singers that added great sonorities.  We’ve written plenty about Elbow, but what will now stick with us forever are the sights and sounds of the huge crowd singing along with Garvey:  “Throw those curtains wide!  One day like this a year will see me right, for life.” Indeed.  As usual with Elbow live, the crowd left ecstatic, and plenty of tear-streaked faces were seen during and after their set.  Driven to tears–by joy.

We sat there for a bit, blown away by Elbow’s too-short, but perfect set, until we realized that there were great sounds emanating from the Towers of Gold Stage next door and recalled that Gomez had kick-started their set.  So we scrambled over to check the band out despite being completely sated and wrung-out from Elbow’s set, and skeptical of the need for any more British band performances.  Wrong!! We were quickly drawn in to the beguiling sounds of Gomez.  The band killed with its live rocking delivery on all fronts, and had the crowd rocking and reverent.  They are consummate singers and players (Ben Ottewell wailed on guitar throughout, and occasionally one-upped sound-alike Eddie Vedder vocally; but all the Gomez lads were phenomenal–and so very nice to boot!).  And ultimately Gomez exhorted the crowd into a dancing ecstasy.  At the end, we all were happily Gomezed.  Don’t ever rule out the British bands–they know best how to festival.

After a short dinner break, we reconvened with our consort for the special Gillian Welch concert at the Fillmore.  Sunday was Gillian’s birthday, and word was passed around in the audience before Gillian and David came out that a special Happy Birthday singalong was in the works.  As the duo came out, the Fillmore-crowd surprised Gillian and Rawlings with a boisterous belting of Happy Birthday. Gillian and David were clearly unsuspecting and beamed back the adoration of the crowd.  It was one of those many only-in-San-Francisco-at-the-Fillmore moments that litter the history books.   And that set the tone for the love-fest that ensued.  We’ve never heard the duo in better form, and Rawlings proved yet again why he is the most soulful and best guitar player on the planet.  Welch and Rawlings played nearly their entire new (phenomenal) record, The Harrow & the Harvest, and nearly all of their fans’ older favorites during the nearly three-hour set.  In addition, they brought out Bright Eyes’ Nathaniel Walcott (to add great muted-trumpet), Robyn Hitchock, and Buddy Miller, amongst others.  It was a cornucopia of riches which capped off one of the great musical days of our lives.

Check out some photos from the day below.  We’ll add some more and great video later.

Jessica Lea Mayfield

Buddy Miller (with accordionist Rico Bell, Patty Griffin, Robert Plant and Emmylou Harris)

Devotchka (with Amanda Palmer)

Elbow

Gomez

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings (the only shot we got off before security flashlighted us)

We’ve been mired at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the last two days.  And oh what a sweet mire.  Check out some photos from Days 1 and 2 below.

On Friday we caught all of the Conor Oberst-curated acts at the Rooster Stage, including Jonathan Wilson, Simon Joyner, Woods (featuring Jeremy Earl’s high, soulful voice that gave off some Shins shadings), Kurt Vile and the Violators (killing again with their circa-Exiles Stones motif), and the always-rousing Felice Brothers (their nicely-evolutionary recent album, Celebration Florida, has been prominent on our playlists recently).  Then M. Ward came out and played the rocking warden role, driving the inmates mad.  After Ward set the bar way high, Bright Eyes (accompanied by M. Ward, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings and most of the days’ participants) capped off the day with an over-the-top, revelatory set that tore the stars out of the night sky.  The Eyes had it, and the ayes had it as consensus-best set of the first two days of HSB.  Bright Eyes’ set again begged the question:  where were you Central Coast when Bright Eyes killed at the SB Bowl recently to a 2/3-filled venue? They may never come around again, but if they do, don’t mess up and miss it, ye of little faith (those in Morocco excused).

On Saturday we negotiated the massive crowds to catch the sweet subtlety of Cass McCombs, the great Robyn Hitchcock (accompanied by Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and Abigail Washburn), Hugh (“House”) Laurie, and Otis Clay.  And then Broken Social Scene (including Stars’ Amy Millan on vocals) slayed on their second-to-last set before a long hiatus, and left all sated with their strong group effect and Kevin Drew’s vaunted vocals and crowd-play.  The Punch Brothers then punched out the last set, and we were off for Hotei’s noodles and hamachi.  Another great day in San Francisco.

Check out some photos below.  We’ll post more on the above, along with some great videos, soon-come.

Day 1

Wood’s Jeremy Earl (with proper backdrop for this band)

Kurt Vile (in stylin’ striped-sweater and with the Violators).

The Felice Brothers

M. Ward

Day 2

Cass McCombs

Robyn Hitchcock and David Rawlings

David Rawlings and Gillian Welch

Broken Social Scene’s Andrew Whiteman

Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew

Broken Social Scene

The Rooster Stage crowd on Friday

One of our favorite performers, Feist, will release her new album, “Metals,” next Tuesday (October 4th) on Cherrytree/Interscope.  To stream the album just enter your e-mail address and you’ll receive a link to a site where you can stream Metals in full.  Great stuff.