The new album, So Runs The World Away, isn’t coming out until May 4, but you can download the first single, Change Of Time, by submitting your e-mail address at his website.
With the release of So Runs The World Away, his last album, 2007’s The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter, effectively becomes “old Josh Ritter,” so, to fill out this post, here are some performances from that album.
Right Moves
I hadn’t noticed until this clip – and that included when I saw Ritter this summer – that his drummer, Liam Hurley, sings along with Josh, even though he’s not miked. Maybe it’s the part of me that grew up watching Liberty DeVitto do that with Billy Joel, but I’ve got a soft spot for drummers who do that. Pete Thomas is another one, but I’d love him anyway because he’s Keith Moon crossed with Ringo.
To The Dogs Or Whoever
“I never saw a guy help a drummer before.”
Speaking of which, has anybody ever noticed that Josh’s bass player, Zack Hickman, looks a lot like Dr. Clayton Forrester?
As promised, Episode 6 of the Popdose Podcast is now up. We set new highs in low comedy by celebrating Black History Month. But since Jason, Jeff and I are the three whitest guys around, we invited the only black member of the Popdose staff, Mike Heyliger, to join us.
Give it a listen.
And yes, that is McD as Peter Lawford and Wing as Sammy.
I was sad to see the news this morning that Franz Nicolay has left The Hold Steady. He didn’t give any reason other than saying “Five years seemed like a nice round number” in the announcement on his website. There are no references to “creative differences” or “mutual consent,” so it leads me to believe that he simply wanted to move on to other things. It makes sense in a way. He put out a solo album last year and has other projects as a writer and producer that, I guess, could interfere with the band’s future plans.
Franz was the secret weapon of The Hold Steady. he was a distinctive presence up front with his cap and handlebar mustache. More importantly, his keyboards put a cinematic sweep behind Craig Finn’s characters and helped give shape to the music. I look at his work on Stevie Nix as the turning point in the band’s history. You can’t get to Stuck Between Stations, Chill-Out Tent, or Magazines without the moments in Stevie Nix when the song breaks down and Finn sings over Nicolay’s piano. The second breakdown features one of my favorite lyrics by Finn.
She got screwed up by religion
She got screwed by soccer players
She got high for the first time in the camps down by the banks of the Mississippi River
Lord, to be seventeen forever
The scene can’t truly by unified without you, Franz, but I’m sure that every Hold Steady fan wishes you luck in everything you do.
I remember back in 2005, when former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was proposing the nuclear option, which would have eliminated the filibuster, to push through President Bush’s judicial appointees. Those of us on the left were genuinely outraged by this, which would have given the Republicans absolute power, not just on judges, but on all legislation. If not for the Gang Of 14, comprised of seven senators from each side, the nuclear option would have passed through the Senate via procedure, thus ending a practice that’s been in use for over 160 years.
So that’s why I’ve been annoyed that, over the past few months, I’ve been hearing a lot of talk on the left about the need to end the filibuster. It’s proof that people on all sides of the political spectrum have short memories. I haven’t blogged about politics lately due to my desire to remain positive (see my previous post), but recently, two good friends have expressed that it’s time for this policy to end. That one of those people was Brian Noe, who usually tempers his fierce liberalism with a pragmatist’s moderation (except when provoked) and an understanding of history was particularly surprising.
Despite my frustration with how the health care reform debate is going, especially after last night, I can’t agree with my friends. True, it’s clear that the Republicans will do whatever it takes to stand in the way of the President’s agenda, but the Democrats also need to finally grow a spine. Thinking about this while doing the dishes tonight, I may have finally hit on the reason why this has been the case for as long as I can remember. The Democrats believe in government but are uncomfortable with the idea of power. On the other hand, the Republicans are the exact opposite; they crave power but don’t believe in government. This is why they are so effective at voting in lock-step and can get away with loyalty oathspurity tests for potential candidates that offers no solutions to fix our country’s problems.
For the Democrats to blame the impending demise of health care reform, or any other significant future legislation, on last night’s electoral defeat is wrong. It will have come from an inability to wield power when they had it. And to suggest that the solution to the problem is to give them more power is flat-out wrong.
The best way for the Democrats to do this is to force the Republicans into actually filibustering instead of just the procedural ones that are allowed now. If Joe Lieberman wants to be an obstructionist tool, let him stand on the floor of the Senate and talk non-stop. Strom Thurmond may have been one of the most despicable people in the history of the Senate, but you have to give him credit for going 24 hours straight in support of his segregationist convictions.
Let’s not forget that ending the filibuster will also play directly into the teabaggers. Do you really think that, in covering this story, the Fox News crowd will bring up the debate over the nuclear option? Of course not. Instead, we’re going to be subjected to the meme that President Obama is taking over the country and wielding absolute power, and that’s going to rile up the base even more. The Democrats, per history, already stand to lose much of its majority in November, and need to find a way to change the dialogue. Changing the rules of the Senate is not the answer.
I’ve tried to keep things positive here recently. It has nothing to do with a more positive outlook on life or New Year’s resolutions or other silly concepts. It’s just that, since I turned 40, I’m inching closer and closer to Cranky Old Man territory, and I don’t want to turn this blog into one gigantic shout of “GET OFF MY LAWN!” However, once in a while, I’m repeatedly subjected to something so offensive that I have to respond.
I’m talking about beer commercials.
Now, I’m not a beer drinker. My taste buds never took to it the way they did to the hard stuff. But when I was growing up, their commercials told us that if we used their product, we’d suddenly be cool and sexy women would want to party with us. We all remember Spuds Mackenzie and the Swedish Bikini Team, right? They were stupid and unrealistic, but at least they were fun to watch and we still remember them 20 years later. Then in 2003, Miller got in trouble for their “Catfight” ad and it was all over.
It’s now gotten so bad that, throughout the football season, we’ve been subjected to this:
“I’ve got discriminating tastes.” Yeah, right. It’s really difficult to see what’s attractive about her. But I’m sure the two of you stay up late discussing philosophy. And yet, he casts her aside in favor of his beer.
There’s a similar one from Budweiser where the guy is talking in aesthetic terms to a beautiful woman while staring at a bottle in the fridge, and she asks if he’s talking about her or the beer. Thankfully, I couldn’t find the video for it.
But this one is particularly egregious.
The first 100 times I saw it (it’s shown during every freaking NFL commercial break), I was mad at the guy for pissing off such a seemingly sweet girl. But the other day I realized that she’s to blame for putting him in a position to choose (in the other commercials, the men did it voluntarily). The couple in this ad deserve each other, and I hope they live a long, shallow life together. As long as they don’t reproduce.
The concept of advertising is to convince the public that a product will turn you into the person you want to be. But does any guy really strive to be as bland as these emasculated losers? Instead of saying that it will help you get laid, beer commercials now suggest that their product is better than sex with ridiculously cute girls. And if you’re at the point in your life where that’s the case, you may have a bigger problem than trying to win her back.
First off, welcome to everybody who finds this blog as a result of the mention in today’s Express Night Out. No, I’m not happy about being included in the same post that featured a big, smiling picture of Pat Robertson, but that’s still a good slam on him.
By the way, what kind of world do we live in where Teddy Pendergrass spends over 25 years in a wheelchair and dies of colon cancer, but Robertson is allowed to live a presumably happy and healthy life?
And for the longtime readers who don’t subscribe to the Popdose feed, Episode 5 of our podcast is now up. It’s not as offensive as some of the other shows we’ve done (we’re saving that for the next one), but there’s still enough of the irreverent silliness that you’ve come to expect from us. And while there, you can read my latest Infinite Play, which talks about Richard Thompson’s From Galway To Graceland in honor of Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday last week.
I heard the news just before going to bed last night and I’ve been listening to The Essential Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes all morning in his memory. He really was as complete a soul singer as the 70s produced. He could be as gritty as Al Green, as powerful as Levi Stubbs, as smooth as Isaac Hayes, or as seductive as Barry White (and without the nasty side effect of imagining Barry White having sex). It helped that he had all that great Gamble & Huff material to work with, too. Those funky grooves with lush, swirling strings are irresistible.
But still, when I think of Teddy Pendergrass, I always remember the episode of Homicide: Life On The Street, where Meldrick (Clark Johnson) fought with his wife over whether or not he should get rid of his black velvet painting of Pendergrass.
And there’s also this brilliant piece of sacrilege…
In his new column at Las Vegas Weekly, my friend Steve Friess describes the experience he had at the new Garth Brooks show at Wynn Las Vegas. I’m not a fan of Garth Brooks’ music, but I’ve always respected him as a performer. He always seemed to be one of those guys who really understood his audience and delivered the goods every night, and I was wondering how his return to the stage, with just him and an acoustic, would turn out. So I was really glad to see this quote from Steve:
Most of the media had gone to see Garth in mid-December in his first Saturday, but I was ill. Lucky me, because whatever they all saw, I doubt it compares to what I got.
Over the years I’ve often been asked to define a great concert, and I don’t think there’s one thing. It all depends on the type of show you’re seeing. I don’t expect a U2 stadium concert to have the intimacy and feel of a singer/songwriter in a small club, like I recently had with Haley Bonar and Martin Zellar at Schubas. But neither of those two can unite 70,000 people like Bono. Bruce Springsteen and The Hold Steady are opposite ends of the same philosophy. Bruce works a hockey arena like he was still playing in the bars, and Craig Finn treats a tiny stage as if it were an arena.
But what Steve wrote is about as good a definition of a great concert as I’ve ever heard. When you walk out of the venue and think, “I got the best show on the tour.” Even if it turns out that the setlist wasn’t too different from the one they’re playing every night, you feel that you got something special.
