anthologysd.com

By T. Loper | Owl and Bear

Philadelphia-born saxophonist and composer Benny Golson will play Anthology tonight.

Golson, who was born in 1929, is known for writing in the bebop/hard bop styles, and he has a long history with jazz. For starters, he went to high school with John Coltrane and other Philly greats. In a 2009 interview with NPR, Golson said of Coltrane, “John and I were like blood brothers … we spent our time in my living room, listening to lots of 78 [rpm] records, trying to figure out what was going on. And we had a beat-up piano in the corner…. We really annoyed the neighbors.”

After college, Golson joined Bull Moose Jackson’s rhythm and blues band, an experience that would shape his writing for the rest of his life. He went on to work with legends like Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey. As a composer, Golson is probably best known for writing “I Remember Clifford,” a eulogy to his friend and former bandmate Clifford Brown, who died in a car crash in 1956. In the 1960s, Golson took a break from jazz and focused on composition, penning the scores for television shows like M*A*S*H and The Six Million Dollar Man.

Golson’s talents have not gone unrecognized: He has received the Jazz Masters Award of the National Endowment for the Arts, he’s been inducted into the International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame, and he even appeared with Tom Hanks (as Hanks’ character’s musical hero) in the film The Terminal.

In 2009, the 80-year-old Golson also released a new album, called New Time, New ‘Tet. For the album, he recreated the setup of his legendary 1960s band — the Jazztet — with new members. The critically acclaimed album debuted at No. 8 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums.

Check him out at Anthology on April 23 at 7:30. It should be worth your while. Get your tickets here.

T. Loper is a writer for the San Diego music blog Owl and Bear.

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Via Sound Diego

The Bill Frisell Trio impressed a crowd of attentive jazz fans at Anthology at a recent show.

The trio, which included longtime collaborator Kenny Wollesen on drums and pianist Jason Moran — a virtuoso in his own right — played songs from throughout Frisell’s catalog, as well as a couple of unexpected Stephen Foster tunes.

After a quick joke about the big screen above the stage (”I’m not used to seeing myself on television”), the trio opened with a slowly building, chaotic intro that began with bird calls and ended with a rearrangement of Foster’s “Hard Times.” The lyrics, though not sung at the show, go like this: “Tis the song, the sigh of the weary/Hard times, hard times, come again no more/Many days you have lingered all around my cabin door/Oh, hard times, come again no more.”

It felt appropriate. With “Hard Times,” Frisell seemed to be asking us to cast off our preoccupations and just listen and enjoy — if only for a couple hours. After that, we could go back to whatever was bothering us. And Frisell didn’t make it very difficult to forget our cares. The trio — with what seemed like very little effort — had no trouble creating something artful and unique that transcended the day-to-day. I can guarantee you that very few audience members were thinking about anything other than the atmosphere and good music playing at Anthology that night.

Frisell himself played without any kind of pretense; he spent almost the whole show smiling, often downright beaming at Moran and Wollesen, and not saying much else except through his careworn Telecaster.

Before the encore, a fan on the balcony yelled, “You guys rock!” Frisell acknowledged the attention while looking distrustfully, again, at the big screen, then launched into another Foster tune, “Beautiful Dreamer.” Judging from the relaxed way people lingered at their tables after the music ended, not too many folks left the show thinking about hard times.

T. Loper is a writer for the San Diego music blog Owl and Bear.

Singer comes out and hits the road

by Morgan M. Hurley, SDGLN Copy Editor

SAN DIEGO — Jennifer Knapp, the Christian folk-rock singer who recently stunned her fans by coming out, has touched down in San Diego.

Her one-night gig at Anthology tonight is the first West Coast stop on her first tour since 2003. She has hit the road to promote her first studio album in 9 years, aptly named, Letting Go.

Knapp was a Gospel Music Association (GMA) “Best New Artist” Dove Award winner in 1999, and two of her first three studio recordings were nominated for Grammys. She sold over a million records and played to sell-out crowds on back-to-back tours. Then she disappeared.

It was a planned disappearance.

Midway through her The Way I Am tour, Knapp said she knew she was burnt out and had to stop the roller coaster. Unfortunately, it was almost 18 months from that moment of revelation until she was able to finish her commitments on the road. The roller coaster was steadily barreling upward, but she put on the brakes and let it slide back down and settle for a while.

Seven years, in fact. Rumors swirled. Her label kept her fans’ interest alive by releasing three consecutive compilations, but she was completely out of the picture for those seven years.

Knapp, now 36, had taken a leave of absence from her celebrity and more importantly, from her music - the touring, the playing and the writing - and got back to the basics - in the outback of Australia.

According to her website, “she was happy to let go of all the success she had, to live a very different kind of life traveling to the most remote corners of Australia, looking to reclaim a part of herself she felt she lost in all the excitement of her accomplishments.”

A self-imposed exile, of sorts. She became a normal person - one without music - and in doing so, found herself and her music, once again.

When she left, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever come back, but come back she did.

Slowly but surely she began picking up her guitar. Those around her liked what they heard; Knapp liked what she felt.

Then this past September, she returned to the U.S. and officially returned to music. In December, it was announced that she was part of the new Lillith Fair lineup, and in January, a few new songs became available for download on her website.

Then, with her new record in the bag and her tour dates firming up, she began making her pre-tour press rounds. It quickly became clear to those interviewing her that she had found out something else while in exile - she was gay. Knapp spoke openly and honestly about the fact that she was in a relationship with a woman and not about to hide it, even to the Christian press. She had, in effect, let go.

In an extensive interview published this month by Christianity Today, she mused, “The Bible has literally saved my life. I find myself between a rock and a hard place — between the conservative evangelical who uses what most people refer to as the ‘clobber verses’ to refer to this loving relationship as an abomination, while they’re eating shellfish and wearing clothes of five different fabrics, and various other Scriptures we could argue about.”

Knapp doesn’t mince any words on her April 16th blog entry, either. “I share my life with a woman. I have approached this relationship with gratitude, joy and humility. I am honored to have the support of my loving family, a caring partner, friends and people of faith who have accepted me as I come, while encouraged me to be who I am meant to be.”

One can’t help but notice the potential irony embedded in the names of her last two studio albums - The Way That I Am and Letting Go - and their similarity to Melissa Etheridge’s Yes I Am and the timing of her coming out. Pure coincidence, we’re sure, but ironic, just the same.

Half of Letting Go was written down under and her intention was to open herself up to new fans while still holding true to her beliefs. When it was time to hit the recording studio - it was with all new musicians - offering the freshness she needed to accomplish her new goals.

Again, from her website, “I am so happy to throw off any cloak that has been put upon me that would make any music lover hesitate to listen to my music. I am so excited to bring all different types of people to my party. I’ve written [the new album] for them.”

San Diegans should be happy she is taking her cloak off here. She is evidently enjoying San Diego ahead of her gig, as she sent the following tweet on Tuesday, “Getting new ink www.propogandatatoo.com in SD, Ca. Super Cool! Thad did the work. Thanks, mate! 1st guy!”

Anthology is the perfect place for her to start her tour. It has just the right amount of acoustics and intimacy needed for her to get back in touch with her old fans and to woo her new audience.

Maybe she’ll even show off her new ink.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the Pawnshop Kings start at 7:30. Tickets range from $7 to $30 with varying levels of comfort, seating options and viewing angles.

There is a $15 food and beverage minimum for most seats. If you get there late and happen to get stuck with a General Admission or 3/4 view, all is not lost; you can still listen live and watch her image on one of Anthology’s many big screen TVs situated throughout the venue.

Anthology is located at 1337 India St, San Diego, CA 92101. For more information, call (619) 595-0300.

Morgan M. Hurley is the Copy Editor for SDGLN. She can be reached at (877) 727-5446, x710 or via e-mail at morgan@sdgln.com.

Eclectic artist to play at Anthology on Wednesday

Morgan M. Hurley, SDGLN Copyeditor

Singer, songwriter, bassist and recording artist Meshell Ngedeocello flies into San Diego this week, to promote her latest release, Devil’s Halo. Ndedeocello will be performing an intimate show at Anthology, located in Little Italy, on Wednesday.

The petite, tattooed, bisexual musician with closely cropped hair, thinks media attention focused on her sexuality is boring. She may be right. It certainly isn’t the most interesting thing about her, by a long shot.

She first got interested in performing at 15, when Prince blew her mind with his over the top style and presence. She counts Prince and also Sting, as two of her earliest bass influences and you can still pick those influences out in her music today.

Her categorization on iTunes™ under “R&B/Soul” is rather a misnomer; the fact of the matter is, you never really know what you’re gonna get with Ndegeocello.

“It is really disturbing when the color of your skin affects what genre of music you should be playing,” she said recently.

The most unfortunate aspect of that miscategorization, is that a lot of people will miss out on what a truly amazing, edgy, eclectic and talented musician she really is. Her influences and appreciation for music genres vary far and wide, which could also describe her own musical journey. She seems to pull ingredients from all those genres together, throw them into a blender with a few ideas of her own, and produce a frappe that is all of them, yet none of them. She is not afraid to take chances, and it shows.

Ndegeocello is not hung up on who gets her music, either. “You either get it or you don’t,” she has said. You won’t know if you get it or not unless you give it a listen - and everyone should - because she just might surprise you.

Devil’s Halo, her eighth studio album, is much less personal and less autobiographical than her previous works. She tends to write songs that offer a look into her soul. This time, she steps out of herself and becomes the looker, instead of the one being looked at, and has written songs looking into the souls of others.

Almost every track on Devil’s Halo tells a story that could have easily played out on the rough and tumble streets of a town she’s spent a day walking through, or in a bar that she’s sipped a scotch in from that corner seat. It’s definitive storytelling, combined with tragic lyrics, steady back-beats and the most luxuriously melodic tracks you may ever hear, laid right on top.

She has never cared for her own voice, but that is not easily understood. On tracks such as Tie One On, White Girl, Blood on the Curb, Crying in Your Beer and the title track, she seems to settle in somewhere between Sade and Joan Armatrading, lending it a familiarity that is at the same time, clearly and uniquely hers.

SDGLN got the chance to ask her a few questions recently, in advance of her arrival. Here’s what transpired:

SDGLN Your privacy is obviously important to you. Why was the fact that you identify as bisexual something you decided to let be known?

Meshell Ndegeocello (MN) Someone asked the question and I told the truth. I was naïve not to know it would be a big part of my marketing but I didn’t. I don’t regret it but it has been defining in a way that’s confining.

SDGLN “Ndegeocello” means “free as a bird.” What language is it derived from and how did you come to choose it as your surname?

MN Swahili. Seemed like what I was trying to achieve, feel, be.

SDGLN You’ve said that you are a “bass player above all else,” and you have played your bass alongside the greatest of the great, but you are also a songwriter with 8 albums of songs and a dozen more you wrote for movie soundtracks. What truly fulfills you the most – writing, singing or playing - and why?

MN I like recording. I love making the music, hearing the parts, putting them together, exploring the sounds, and making new sonic environments. I love to play. Singing is definitely not my favorite.

SDGLN You were one of the first artists that Madonna “chose” for Maverick Records. I have to ask..is she really involved in the whole process, and how was it to work with her?

MN That was 20 years ago. I’m sure Madonna is entirely different than she was then, as I am. She was involved in signing me, but not in the records I made with Maverick.

SDGLN You toured with the first Lillith Fair, did you enjoy it and would you do it again?

MN I loved it. Really nice people and really good food. I’d consider it again but it would probably depend on the line up. I don’t know who the Lilith artists might be nowadays or if I’d fit the bill.

SDGLN What is the difference (production-wise) with how you made your current album, “Devil’s Halo” with Mercer Street and say, “Peace Beyond Passion,” with Maverick?

MN This record was played and recorded as a live band. We all played together, rather than parts recorded individually. I also produced this record with Chris Bruce, our guitar player, and it was generally a more intimate production. It was one of the most satisfying record making experiences I’ve had.

SDGLN In 2002, you participated in a benefit for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) at Carnegie Hall. Is Carnegie Hall everything that its cracked up to be?

MN Definitely. I’ve played there since then, too and remembered how intimidating it is to look up at those steep balconies. It’s incredible sounding. The acoustics are singular.

SDGLN What musicians inspire you? What inspires you in life?

MN My band inspires me. Chris Bruce makes me work harder. Mark Kelley, our bass player, makes me humble. Deantoni, who plays drums, just blows my mind. Right now, David Bowie and Stevie Wonder are topping the list but I listen to a lot of music, cycle through inspirations on a regular basis. There’s something to find everywhere. In life - my family. My imagination. I live in the country now, so I’ve got the natural world to dazzle me too.

SDGLN You once were a judge for the Independent Music Awards. What advice do you have for up-and-coming independent musicians?

MN Dig deep to determine if you want to play to make music or for fame and fortune. It’s not the same road.

Ndegeocello presents “The Best of Bitter” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Anthology, 1337 India St. in Little Italy. Call (619) 595-0300

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Via SDGLN

It started with a spark of an idea from a twenty-something named Philip Gilpin, who quit his corporate job and banked it all on changing the world.

Please click here if you have trouble watching the video below.

Music Legends Storm San Diego

Multi-Grammy winner Tom Scott and the critically acclaimed vocalist Paulette McWilliams get musical in the NBC 7/39 studios before their show at Anthology on Friday night.

Click here if you can’t watch the video above.

Don’t miss Tom Scott and Paulette McWilliams performing tonight at Anthology!

I love Anthology! I’ve played jazz clubs all over the world, really - London, Asia, everywhere - and I think this is the nicest one I’ve ever played in! - Steve Tyrell

CLICK HERE to watch the video.

Don’t miss Steve Tyrell performing two nights at Anthology!

Friday, April 3, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $42. buy tickets
Saturday, April 4, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $42. buy tickets
Saturday, April 4, 9:30 p.m. Tickets: $36. buy tickets

Weep for joy
Branford Marsalis’ march to immortality a mix of emotions
By George Varga
March 26, 2009

Since becoming an internationally acclaimed young lion of jazz in the 1980s, Branford Marsalis has worked tirelessly to master his instrument. Today, the multiple Grammy Award-winning saxophonist wants to master the music itself.

“One of the things I noticed as I hit my 30s is that, too often, we don’t differentiate between musicians and instrumentalists,” he said.

“And I’ve noticed that, too often, superior technique and virtuosity is misconstrued as musicianship, which it isn’t. It’s just superb technique. Because I spent so much time trying to achieve it, and failing, I’ve started to understand the power of sound and how you can use sound to create emotion. That’s the greatest challenge – and asset – an instrumental musician can have.”

Marsalis performs here with his quartet Tuesday and Wednesday at downtown’s all-ages Anthology, where he’ll be making his first San Diego appearance since 1999…..

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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When: Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.

Where: Anthology, 1337 India St., downtown

Tickets: $29 and $35

Phone: (619) 595-0300

Online: anthologysd.com

The Dave Mason concert was awesome! Those guys can still ROCK! The venue was fabulous with great acoustics. Even though we were sitting on the upper level, the video monitors brought the concert right to us. We got there early enough to grab two comfy chairs…we did rearrange the furniture a little so we could sit next to each other instead of having a table between us.

We enjoyed reminiscing while Dave played the timeless oldies. The crowd really got into the performance, dancing in the aisle. I am still singing “We Just Disagree”!! Thanks so much! - Donna and Dan

Matt Wertz of Nashville, Tennessee via Liberty, Missouri performs Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at Anthology, accompanied by tour mates ‘The Alternate Routes’ of Connecticut. Both bands have traveled cross -country by car, performing shows, often nightly. Wertz got the crowd going with his recently released LP ‘Under the Summer Sun’ (currently available in stores, on amazon.com, or on iTunes) The 26 year old musician also took a few moments out of his set to discuss his recent trip to Africa and his consequential involvement of the Mocha Club, a philanthropic effort urging everyone to put aside $7 a month and allocating the money to different relief efforts throughout the continent. Wertz is one of many recent younger acts to take the Anthology stage in the venue’s effort to support up and coming musicians. For more information on Matt Wertz, The Alternate Routes or the Mocha Club, see below links:

mattwertz.com

thealternateroutes.com

mochaclub.org

CLICK HERE to view the full photo gallery.

The photographer, Paul Parks, writes:

These guys really caught me off guard. Subdudes are a darn good band ! I like to think of their music as Bruce Springsteen stirred up with a heavy dose of Cajun music While watching Subdudes performance at Anthology, I thought if Bruce Springsteen were to see and hear these guys, he would no doubt bring them on tour as an opener. Watch for them to come back to town……their show was a sell out.

“Tony Award winner Duncan Sheik has announced the tour dates to coincide with the release of his latest CD Whisper House (Victor Records/Sony BMG) on January 27. He will be joined on the tour by Spring Awakening star Lauren Pritchard.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Duncan Sheik’s Whisper House Tour makes a stop at Anthology, San Diego, on February 18.

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What: Duncan Sheik

When: Wednesday, Feb 18, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Anthology, 1337 India St., Little Italy

Tickets: $27. buy tickets

Duo features vocals of Jon Foreman, Switchfoot frontman and bluegrass stylings of Sean Watkins, Nickel Creek guitarist

SAN DIEGO, CALIF., Dec. 12 – Fiction Family, a collaboration between Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman and Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins, will share their indie rock and acoustic sound with listeners during an intimate, one-of-a-kind live music experience at Anthology on Fri., Feb. 6.

Technically, Foreman and Watkins met 12 years ago, in the parking lot of the Off Shore Surf Shop in Carlsbad—both had emerged from the water, and a mutual friend introduced the two. But it wasn’t until much later, backstage at San Diego’s Street Scene music festival, where Switchfoot and Nickel Creek were performing one after the other, that the two hit it off and decided to record a song together.

What began as a pet project turned into something more once the two began playing together: an album whose organic, spontaneous genesis can be felt in its authentic, free-form songs. The resulting self-titled album will be released this month.

Fiction Family released their first single “When She’s Near” for free download on their website.

Website: www.fictionfamily.com.

Show details:

Fiction Family will perform on Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at the Anthology Box Office, by calling 619.595.0300 and at www.AnthologySD.com.

Anthology is located at 1337 India Street (between A and Ash Streets).

Recent note since release:

“The album has been well-received amongst many review publications Relevant Magazine calls the project “wildly inventive and spontaneous… the work stands in victorious defiance against a crumbling conventional music industry.” JFH praises the diversity of the record, saying “each song is meticulously crafted, and strikingly different from the eleven other songs on the record.”Stereo Soundwaves likened Foreman’s and Watkins’ efforts to what “put The Beatles and The Eagles on the map.” The album reached as high as No. 5 on iTunes’ top overall albums on its first day of release.” - Wikipedia -

Click here to check out Cheryl Spelts‘ great photos of Ryan Star live at Anthology - Dec 10, 2008.

Cheryl Spelts writes on her blog:

Last night I got to attend Sophie @ 103.7’s Green Christmas - an acoustic event in San Diego, benefiting the San Diego Oceans Foundation. Ryan Star played a VIP event before the main concert, and as far as I’m concerned, it was the highlight of the night! …. The headliner was Alanis Morissette, and Buckcherry, O.A.R., Justin Nozuka, and SafetySuit were also on the bill - so it was a great show! And it took place at my new favorite venue, Anthology on India Street, downtown. They have the best sound system I’ve ever experienced. I was there for soundcheck and the sound of one guitar being tuned, was so magnificent, if was heartbreaking. Even in the bathrooms the sound quality is that good.