Das “Unerhört”-Musikfilmfestival gastiert am Wochenende in Hamburg. Von Donnerstagabend bis Sonntag werden Lieblingskinos von Abaton bis Zeise selten gesehene Musikfilme zeigen: Dokus, Spielfilme, Videoclips.

Am Freitagabend um 19 Uhr läuft im Haus 73 in der Schanze “Slide Guitar Ride”, eine Doku über den eher merkwürdigen (siehe oben) Bluesmusiker Bob Log III. Regisseur Bernd Schoch wird anwesend sein. Ich übernehme die Moderation des anschließenden Gesprächs, habe den Film deshalb schon gesehen und darf verraten: Er macht Spaß. Kommen Sie. Wer keine Lust auf Festivalpässe hat, bekommt Einzeltickets an der Abendkasse, glaube ich.

The Leisure Society on The Garden Stage

Well, it has been over a week since I got back from the End of The Road Festival, and the delay in writing is down to a busy schedule and wondering how on earth I could do justice to such an amazing weekend in a blog post (or few). I had such an incredible time I could probably waffle on for weeks, but instead I’ll try and capture my thoughts as efficiently as possible.

In a sentence:
“Had an amazing time at the End of The Road: 3 days, 24 bands, gorgeous setting, fab weather, great food, lots of laughs and very good company. I’ve found my festival!” [as I posted to Facebook immediately on my return]

In a paragraph:

A really welcoming, well organised festival that is clearly run and staffed by people who love music, and very good music at that.  The setting is unique and wonderful and the line-up was really excellent – that 24 band tally could have easily been 30 if it weren’t for scheduling clashes and not being able to be in two places at once. Got to see some bands I love play live for the first time, and discovered many more great bands and artists. Great weather helped, but the atmosphere was lovely and friendly, all facilities and refreshments were far better than expected and it all added up to a wonderful experience I’ll never forget. A cracking choice for my festival debut!

The top ten

So, who were the best? In order to build suspense slightly, I’ll cover my top ten favourites from the weekend in reverse order:

10.  Fleet Foxes (Garden Stage, Saturday 9.30-11.00pm)

They were good, but not as good as expected. Headlining on Saturday night was always going to be difficult for a band with only one album’s worth of material. Long gaps between songs, constant needless retuning of guitars and one awful cover version (‘Go your own way’ by Fleetwood Mac? Why cover a band/song that’s far worse than your own material?) used up the time, but detracted from the spectacle. As did the moronic wailing of a drunken idiot in our vicinity trying to ’sing’ along. Why would someone do that when listening to a band famed for their wonderful harmonising? Because he was an absolute ………  However, it’s hard to think of a better band to listen to in this setting – surrounded by a forest under a clear star-filled sky. Best songs: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, White Winter Hymnal.

9. Neko Case (Garden Stage, Sunday 7.45 -8.45pm)

One of many very nice surprises over the weekend, Miss Case and her band delivered a very lively, varied set with great energy and enthusiasm. Good songs, great co-singer and amusing banter made for a very pleasant warm-up for The Hold Steady immediately afterwards. Best songs: Some People Gotta Lot of Nerve, Middle Cyclone, Don’t Forget Me.

The Acorn: two drummers, fine tunes

8. The Acorn (Garden Stage, Saturday 4.45 -5.45pm)

Another pleasant surprise. We’d decided to stay in the Garden Stage area after The Broken Family Band because it was such a gorgeous sunny afternoon. Had never heard of The Acorn before, but the programme write-up sounded promising, and so it proved. Folk rock with a world music tinge, two drummers and a very smiley and amiable lead singer combined with some chilled out, dreamy songs matched the weather and the mid-afternoon mood perfectly. Best songs: Crooked Legs, Hold Your Breath.

7.  Darren Hayman (Garden Stage, Saturday 1.00 – 1.45pm)

Biggest and best surprise of the weekend. Neither I nor my mate Jon had heard of Darren Hayman, but we were in such a great mood after the wonderful opening set from the Leisure Society that we stayed put on our comfortable chairs and gave him a chance. Very glad we did. Turns out he used to be the singer in Hefner, a semi-popular indie band of the mid to late 90’s and he is still in possession of an ear for a good tune and some of the funniest lyrics I’ve ever heard. He clearly loves this festival, and his enthusiasm, great humour and sunny disposition create a really convivial atmosphere in marked contrast to his arch songs of suburban tedium. Best songs: Pram Town, Rachel and Amy.

6.  Dirty Projectors (Garden Stage, Friday 7.45 – 8.45pm)

Immediately preceded by a great Festival moment – sitting down to give our legs a much needed rest, a couple of parrots flew just over our heads as the sun started setting. That moment of tranquility was soon shattered by the experiments in noise being conducted by Dirty Projectors. Three girls, three guys, some occasional screeching vocals, and frenetic guitar sequences produced a barrage of sound that was sometimes challenging but also very fresh and interesting. Their boundless energy and contagious enthusiasm combined with some impressive songs to create a very memorable set which would have been worthy of the headline slot they just missed out on. Best songs: No Intention, Two Doves, Stillness Is The Move, Remade Horizon, Knotty Pine.

The Broken Family Band: It's All Over - literally

5.  The Broken Family Band (Garden Stage, Saturday 3.30 -4.15pm)

In the three months between seeing the ads for the festival line-up and actually attending, I’d discovered the many delights of The Broken Family Band’s back catalogue and was greatly looking forward to seeing them. Even more so as they’d announced a couple of weeks before the End of The Road that they are splitting up in October, so this would possibly be my first and last chance to see them. They didn’t disappoint exactly, and produced a very enjoyable set, but because they didn’t include many of my favourite songs I was left a little underwhelmed, probably hampered by sky-high expectations. There were still some great moments, including great versions of ‘It’s All Over’ and ‘John Belushi’, but the understated set was perhaps  best summed up by the singer’s intro to their last song: “It’s not one of our best songs, but it’s in A”.

4.  The Leisure Society (Garden Stage, Saturday 12.00 – 12.30pm)

I knew very little indeed about this Brighton-based band before they opened Saturday on the Garden Stage, but they provided probably the nicest surprise of the weekend. They were only on stage for half an hour but made a very big impression, their intelligent, beautifully played indie-pop songs providing the perfect backdrop to a sunny Saturday lunchtime. In particular their female flute player and the two guys on violin and cello who’d travelled overnight from France to get here really shone. Another highlight was the very witty banter from the singer/keyboardist, which greatly amused us but seemed to pass over the heads of most of the assembled throng. The songs were more than enough on their own though, and ensured that I downloaded their debut album ‘The Sleeper’ on my return home. It’s since become a firm favourite and I’d love to see them play live again soon now I’m familiar with the songs. Best songs: Matter of Time, A Fighting Chance, The Last of The Melting Snow, Save It For Someone Who Cares.

3.  The Duke & The King (Big Top, Friday 6.00 – 6.45pm)

Friday’s highlight was a fantastic performance from The Duke & The King which really lifted the festival to another level. I’d been enjoying their first album recently and was looking forward to seeing them here, but wasn’t prepared for how good they’d be live.  Simon Felice (from the band the Felice Brothers) made an early bid for front man of the festival with a mesmirising display – shy he ain’t! In fact all four band members gave energetic performances full of soul that transformed many of their songs into really moving, uplifting experiences. They all enjoyed their moment in the limelight too: the female violinist and the bassist taking centre stage for a fantastic rendition of ‘Suzanne’, and the drummer pretty much stealing the show with his spine-tingling vocal contributions. Best songs: If You Ever Get Famous, Suzanne, Union Street.

2.  The Hold Steady (Garden Stage, Sunday 9.30 – 11.00pm)

They’ve been one of my favourite bands for a couple of years now, and this was the first time I was going to see them live. Given the fact that they were virtually closing the festival, in Sunday’s headline slot, I was a bit worried that my expectations would be too great and I’d be disappointed. Not so.

By the time they came on stage I was very excited, and it was just great to be able to hear so many songs I like given a new lease of life by a band on the top of their form. Well, eventually. It took a little while for them to get into their stride and the sound engineers took about 5 songs to get Craig Finn’s microphone right, which is a bit of a disadvantage when you miss all the lyrical nuances because the singer’s not properly in the mix.  They got better and better as the set went on, the whole band growing in confidence and enthusiasm. Franz Nicolay on keyboard was coolness personified – playing incredibly whilst appearing to be making no effort whatsoever, and as Craig Finn careered round the stage, yelling and jumping up and down he carried off a perfect impression of a man who loves his job. A great end to a fantastic weekend.  Best songs: Stuck Between Stations, Chips Ahoy!, Massive Nights, Your Little Hoodrat Friend.

1.  Joe Gideon & The Shark (Big Top, Sunday 3.00 – 3.45pm)

And the best performance of the weekend? An absolute belter, quite out of the blue, from this London-based brother and sister duo who have more than a whiff of The White Stripes about them. Except they have better songs. I’d checked them out on Spotify a week before the festival and was impressed enough to suggest to Jon that we should make sure we saw them. So glad I did! After a slightly unsure start, playing two of their weakest songs, Jon showed signs of wanting to do a runner, as we had on a couple of occasions already on Sunday. Thankfully we stayed put and were rewarded as from somewhere, something quite magical started to happen.  The Shark, on drums and sampler keyboards, started playing out of her skin and was mesmirising to watch. Her confidence seemed to rub off on her sibling, who discovered an unforeseen swagger and started wielding his guitar like a weapon.

A four song sequence at the end of the set was worth the admission price for the weekend alone: After the amusing and raucous ‘Hide And Seek’, came the wonderful ‘Kathy Ray’ gently unfolding the tale of a backing singer reliving past glories. By this stage there was a real emotional bond between band and audience and the next song took everything to another level. ‘Anything You Love That Much … You Will See Again’ is a really beautiful, moving yet uplifting song that just came to life in the Big Top here in a way you couldn’t replicate on record. Hit by wave after wave of raw emotion, I suddenly understood why bands play live. It was a spine-tingling, jaw-dropping moment, and the best song of the festival for me. I couldn’t believe they didn’t finish there, with the entire tent in their palms. As it was, the bold move of playing ‘Civilisation’ as their closing song paid off and left me buzzing and breathless. What a show!

Best of the rest

Suspense is not as important with these, so I’ll keep to numerical order:

11.  She Keeps Bees (The Local, Sunday)

An American boy/girl duo sounding a bit like Mazzy Star and The White Stripes – deserved a better stage and time slot than very last band on in the claustrophobic Local marquee.

12. Explosions in the Sky (Garden Stage, Friday)

Huge sweeping instrumental tracks with orchestral scope produced by three guitarists and a drummer. Headlined on Friday and were best enjoyed with your eyes closed so you couldn’t see their onstage gurning and hystrionics.

13.  Vetiver (Big Top, Friday)

Would have been great on the Garden Stage on Saturday instead of Alela Diane, but performed well enough in the Big Top without wowing anyone. Felt they were playing within themselves and could have been even better if they’d been a bit less laid back. One or two really good songs though. The only set I actually had a lie down for … it seemed oddly appropriate.

14.  Stars of Sunday League (Tipi Tent, Sunday)

Missed the start of this short but sweet set, and caught most of it from the back of the tiny Tipi Tent, but was worth the squeeze. Well written,  beautifully sung indie folk songs from a young bearded gentleman with a lovely Dundee accent and a young lady on a violin. One to watch out for.

15.  Bob Log III (Garden Stage, Sunday)

A man alone on the centre of the huge Garden Stage, dressed in a tight-fitting gold lame suit with flared trousers, and a motorcycle helmet with a microphone inside it, shrieking along to his incredibly fast slide guitar antics. Produced the best ending to any set, walking down into the audience playing guitar and then walking back up, across the stage and off, still playing with his back to the audience. In his own little world, and maybe it’s for the best.

16.  Alela Diane (Garden Stage, Saturday)

The ‘future star of Americana’ according to critics. ‘Sweet but dull’ according to me. Maybe it was because I was flagging after so many hours standing up and feeling hungry, but this set of pleasant-ish folk songs kind of floated over me without leaving any real impression. I can’t remember how any of them went, but I do recall with fondness the over-enthusiastic bassist called on for one or two songs towards the end and behaving like a hyper-active bearded toddler.

17.  Loney, Dear (Garden Stage, Friday)

First act we saw: Swedish bloke, bit mad, gibbering on with frankly baffling banter in between a couple of rather good electronic pop songs. Not very polished, but reasonably pleasant.

18.  Charlie Parr (Big Top, Friday)

Kind of a cross between Badly Drawn Boy and Giant Haystacks, he played the blues a lot, lot better than he looked. Came alive whilst playing his guitar, but lacking in stage presence. Bumped into him a couple of times that evening and he seemed quite a surly fellow with little patience for fellow artists. Looked a bit too much like an axe murderer to discuss those foibles with him though.

19.  Beth Jeans Houghton (The Local, Friday)

Could have, and should have been really rather brilliant. She’s quirky with a cute Northern accent and a set of self-written whimsical songs but her late night set in the Local was a right shambles. She took ages setting up and the sound engineers let her down badly: a catalogue of technical errors undermining a collection of interesting and sometimes beautiful songs. That, and the fact she was wearing a peacock on her head atop a huge blonde frizzy wig that kept getting in her way. When we saw her briefly again on Saturday in the Big Top she’d ditched the peacock but was wearing hotpants and looking frankly ridiculous. She doesn’t need such gimicks, the songs are enough. If she ditches the fancy dress, she might be huge one day.

20.  Herman Dune (Big Top, Friday)

Quite confused to discover later that these guys were French – seemed like a straightforward American alt-country band to me, even down to the accents. Fairly impressive, especially the drummer, though we didn’t stay too long so we could catch the above-mentioned Miss Beth Jeans Peacock. Stayed longer than Charlie Parr though, who stood in front of me for one song, grunted, and walked straight out.

The dregs

21.  The Low Anthem  (Garden Stage, Saturday)

A huge disappointment. Thought they’d be great having heard their latest album but it was a case of wrong band, wrong stage, wrong songs. Started off with three really quiet ones that bored us into submission and sent us in the direction of lunch.

T-Model Ford: What song is this again?

22.  T-Model Ford  (Big Top, Sunday)

Lovely old poppet, 80 plus years old. He can’t remember how old he is. Or the lyrics to any of his songs apparently. Helped onstage by his drummer/roadie/nurse, he looked at home playing his blues guitar, grinned happily throughout, but seemed to be playing exactly the same song eight times over. We left out of a mixture of boredom and embarrassment.

23.  Treecreeper  (Tipi Tent, Sunday)

Only decided to watch this lot because we had found a space in the Tipi Tent and didn’t feel like moving. That soon changed when this very poor pub band started playing. Worthy, hard-working but very dull. I lasted a song and a half.

24.  Brakes  (Big Top, Sunday)

But compared with this bunch of reprobates, Treecreeper were U2 or Coldplay (worthy, hard-working, very dull..!). Brakes were highly praised in the programme and had appeared here every year so we were quite expectant. Oh dear. Obnoxious bald singer suffering from short man syndrome did a couple of similarly short, shouty horrible songs, and we were almost running out of the Big Top to escape. Absolute rubbish and the only totally unlistenable band of the weekend.

The ones that got away

These are the ones that I wanted to see but missed, either due to scheduling clashes, or other unforeseen circumstances:

Mumford & Sons (Garden Stage, Friday)

We arrived too late to see them kick off the festival, which was a shame.

Shearwater (Garden Stage, Friday)

We had to miss them in order to get some food – having since checked out their most recent album on Spotify, I regret that decision.

First Aid Kit (Tipi Tent, Saturday)

We tried and failed to get to in the Tipi Tent to see these Swedish sibling songstresses which was a disappointment at the time, but even more so having checked out their most recent album and their fantastic version of Tiger Mountain Peasant Song by the Fleet Foxes. Should have barged our way in!

Efterklang (Big Top, Saturday)

Clashed with the Fleet Foxes. Jury’s out on whether we made the right decision, pending a Spotify investigation.

Blitzen Trapper (Tipi Tent, Saturday)

Clashed with tea time on Saturday – very good write up in the programme but will have to investigate further.

Photograph courtesy of Matthew Pitchford.

Have you ever seen a one man band? Have you ever seen a one man band wearing a pair of Chelsea boots? Have you ever seen a one man band wearing a pair of Chelsea boots and an electric blue human cannon ball jump suit that is adorned with red jewels down the sides?

 - Read more -

Still I caaaaaan’t leeeeet gooooo. It’s unnatural. You belong to me. I belong to youuuuuuuu.

So the summer is finally coming to an end. It’s been a great one. I’ve had the pleasure of going to three festivals since August, in three different countries, finishing up in Dorset last weekend at End of the Road. Highlights were Dirty Projectors, Blitzen Trapper, Neko Case, Motel Motel and Efterklang, but I saw so many great bands it’s tough not to name them all. End of the Road in general is a dream festival in terms of size, setting and atmosphere and definitely wins best festival of the summer from me (best line-up still has to go to La Route du Rock though, I still can’t quite believe that happened.) In short, if you take any interest in the line-up next year, go!

Some of my favourite photos from the festival after the jump (full album here.)

Are you tired of Daft Punk’s sterile, European take on the helmet aesthetic?

Are you tired of stirring your liquor with a swizzle stick?

Are you tired of girls with dirty nipples?

Well, if you answered yes to any of these questions, or if you’ve been drinking heavily, may I humbly suggest you spend your Tuesday night at the Bob Log III show at the Talking Head?  The nipples are only gonna get dirtier, but at least they’ll be in someone else’s scotch.

Bob Log III, one-man boom band, has forged a reputation as the world’s foremost delta blues punk sleazeball, a reputation he has earned by combining his keen slide guitar skills and ambidextrous feet with an uncanny ability to get women to put their shit on his leg.

Did I say one-man band?  That’s not necessarily true.  He sometimes has a backup band consisting of two women and four clapping tits.

It would be easy to dismiss Mr. Log as a gimmick, but his unique sound is just as much a product of a talent honed touring with legendary bluesman R.L. Burnside as it is his home-made kickdrums and telephone/microphone vocal distorter.  Granted, he has about as much in common with Mojo Nixon as with Mississippi Fred McDowell, but it’s in finding the common ground that makes him so unique.  That, and the chesticular rhythm section.

Tom Waits likened Log’s music to”[gluing] macaroni on to a piece of cardboard and [painting] it gold.”  Coming from anyone else, that would probably sound like an insult, but somehow I think Waits meant it in awe.

Decide for yourself Tuesday night at the Talking Head.  Just make sure to wash your boob first.

I was sent this extraordinary video by an old friend.

I don’t know what it is, or who it is.

But I think it’s the future…

I’m incredibly pleased to announce that this year’s End of the Road Festival programme will be produced by Fleeing from Pigeons – that being myself and the rest of the team behind Bearded magazine.

The festival will take place at the idyllic Larmer Tree Gardens on 11-13 September – and as the festival sold out last year and hasn’t increased its 5,000 capacity, I’d encourage you to get your ticket now.

The line-up so far confirmed is: The Acorn, Alela Diane, Archie Bronson Outfit, Bob Log III, The Boy Least Likely To, The Broken Family Band, Charlie Parr, Dan Sartain, Dent May, The Dodos, Efterklang, Explosions In The Sky, Fleet Foxes, Howlin Rain, J Tillman, Joe Gideon and the Shark, Lay Low, The Lost Brothers, The Low Anthem, Magnolia Electric Co., Motel Motel, Mumford and Sons, The Mummers, Ohbijou, Okkervil River, Papercuts, Peter Broderick, Sam Baker, Sparrow and The Workshop, Steve Earle, The Tallest Man On Earth, This Frontier Needs Heroes, William Elliot Whitmore, Whispertown 2000

So, the question is…

What can I expect from the programme?

And the answer is…

Lots of Bearded-esque goodness

Essentially the programme will be different to Bearded but will follow a few of the fundamental principles – recycled, high quality paper stock (exactly the same as Bearded), intelligent design, great writing, non-pretentious articles and quality artists. Of course the quality artists is out of our hands, but judging by the line-up, and what the End of the Road and The Local teams put on year after year, you can be guaranteed to be reading about excellent artists. It also comes in 7″ record sleeve size (albeit an 84 page 7″ record sleeve!).

On a personal note, I’m incredibly excited about this. End of the Road is one of the best festivals around, it’s certainly been my favourite festival over the past few years and after all the support festival organisers Sofia and Simon have shown to Bearded over the years, it fills me with joy to repay the favour. The fact that they share exactly the same ethos as me when it comes to independent music makes it a mouth-watering prospect to be able to finally work with them.

So get your credit card out and buy your tickets, priced just £115, from their website (there’s NO booking fee either).

PLAN A: Bob Log III, Willem Maker @ Bar Pink. From the backwoods of Alabama emerges Willem Maker, a reclusive songwriter who’s supposedly spent the last 10 years recording demos and practicing in relative obscurity, and his blues-based recordings are authentic enough to merit the backing of Fat Possum Records. That’s gotta count for something.BACKUP PLAN: El Monte Slim, Heavy Glow, The Old In Out @ Beauty Bar.

Yay, a blast from the past! Bob Log III on Fox Rox!:

Quick Picks:

“Commune” with The Burning of Rome @ Soda Bar

A Scribe Amidst the Lions, Red Ivy Suspect, Someday Assassin @ The Casbah

Company of Thieves, Wendy Darling, Stripes & Lines @ Belly Up

Dreamtiger, Eric Brendo, Eclipse 79 @ Ruby Room

Joe Wood & The Lonely Ones @ Hensley’s Flying Elephant

Saba, Silverleaf, The Notice @ U-31

“Cultura” with Simple Citizens @ The Office

Ian McLagan and Jerry Fuentes @ Anthology

This episode I start my adventure with the online Americana Music Magazine ‘Americana Roots‘. I have another local musician, Greg Kettinger, joining me and he brought some interesting music with him.

Music in the episode:  (soon available on AmericanaRoots.com)

- Old Time Ticking Away by Marah (from Angels Of Destruction) – www.Marah-USA.com

- Put Your Teeth Up On The Window Sill by Southern Culture On The Skids (from Ditch Diggin’) – www.SCOTS.com

- Garden River by Elliott Brood (from Mountain Meadows) – www.ElliottBrood.ca

- Don’t Think Twice by Mike Ness (from Cheating At Solitaire) – www.MikeNess.com

- Wag Your Tail Like A Dog In Back Of A Truck by Bob Log III (from Log Bomb) – www.BobLog111.com

- Black By Okkervil River (from Black Sheep Boy) – www.OkkervilRiver.com

- New Years by The John Henrys (from Sweet As The Grain) – www.TheJohnHenrys.com

- If This Night by Vic Ruggiero (from Something In My Blindspot) – www.VicRuggiero.com

This episode is sponsored by Emusic.com. Click on the link on the right side of my page, and sign up for a free 7 day trial and 25 free songs.If you cancel before the 7 day trial is over, nothing will be charged to your card, and you can keep the 25 songs for free. That’s a $25 dollar value right there. Emusic.com

E-Mail: Von@AmericanaRoots.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/arockmix

The myth of one-man blues band Bob Log III has finally got more interesting than the music. He’s the jumpsuit wearing ladies man from Arizona who conceals his face with a painted silver motorcycle helmet, and it’s been said he’s actually Tom Waits, a Stroke or (dead) comedian Andy Kaufman. More likely he’s the former frontman of blues rock duo Doo Rag, Bob Log. Still, it’s a back-story that makes Seasick Steve’s seem conventional.

Waits called Log “the loudest, strangest stuff” he’d ever heard, but on My Shit Is Perfect Log isn’t loud enough. Sometimes the production’s so lo-fi it’s like he’s playing an elastic band round a shoebox rather than slide guitar, other times it’s akin to the Dust Brothers’ fuzzy patchwork on Odelay by Beck, but with fewer pieces. The repetitive blues riffs on ‘Mr Sis Boom Bah’, ‘Bumper Car’ and ‘Bucktooth Potato’ eventually become indistinguishable.

When he gets funky on both parts of ‘Goddam Sounds Good’ or shreds over a clapped-out drum machine like on ‘Shinkansen Teh!’, Log is as entertaining as the rumour that he’s got monkey paws not hands. But mostly he’s using tricks that can’t be sustained over one album, let alone four.

Out: 4 May, Label: Birdman

UPDATE: This review and others by City journalism students doing the pop music specialism can be read here.

hey kiddies

todays show was mental! Bob Log III spoke through a helmet (I actually saw his face). We heard poetry in its original Dorset dialect from Professor Top Burton. Spoke to Hip Hop outfit 2 cats 1 Hat. Found out that French choir boys Lo Cor de la Plana dream of shaving police officers.  Ben Revi also told us about the FREE gigs at the Format festival (and also about the cheap drinks).  Phew, no wonder I was losing my mind, but Producer Dan kept me mildly sane.

Dappled Cities – Fire Fire Fire

Bob Log III -

Mirah – The Garden

2 Cats 1 Hat – Cos I’m  A Sorcerer

Lo Cor de la Plana – Condes

Darren Hanlon – Punks Not Dead

Greg Sheehan – Laura

Lucky Fonz III – Romance

Ben Kweller – SAWDUST mAN

Little Red – Waiting

Lamplight – Ship in a Bottle

Rachel Unthank and the Winterset – Lull I

Lykke Li – Little Bit

xoxoxoxox Cass.

Friday was easily the shittiest day weather-wise of Sydney’s summer so far. I braved torrential downpour (it always seems to rain heavier in the city than the burbs) to throw back a few beers with Sabs. I then dashed off by bus to Annandale to meet Lionel, a new friend from a certain online forum who loves the same music I do, and as Sabs put it, someone I “can be geeky with”. Lionel is a live sound tech so he gets to see bands for a living. I also realised that Lionel has a bit of a man-crush on Rick Froberg which I found endearing. We both commiserated on the reactions from other people at our futile attempts to explain or get turned on to the music we listen to. After all, we were at a Bob Log III show, and you can guarantee you will get raised eyebrows telling people what Mr Log is all about if they’ve never heard of him (or Hasil Adkins for that matter). Which is part of the fun.

The opening act this evening was Abbe May, is also performing tonight a one-person show - and with a killer bluesy wail that soars over her drum machine and electric guitar, she filled the dancefloor quite quickly. Reminiscent of Mr Airplane Man, she threw in a couple of Howlin’ Wolf standards which she cranked out with a heart of darkness. Hearing a woman sing Howlin’ Wolf is undeniably sexy and the crowd knew it too. I would definitely check her out again.

The wait for Bob Log III to take his perch on stage seemed endless. It’s not like an ensemble was about to play. Then two men appeared at the side of the stage with a inflatable raft. Bob Log enters, wearing a black suit with white shirt, looking oddly sophisticated. The crowd go wild. After the first song he starts ripping of the black suit to reveal a shiny gold PVC suit, all Eviel Knievel / Elvis gone blues-punk, and the crowd is whooping and hollering. Out comes the inflatable raft, he jumps on it and surfs through the crowd and back to the stage. The gimmickry is obvious but it works for us. He demands a scotch and a beer. One nutter who I will call Fred Durst (because of the shitty nu-metal beard he wore) runs to the bar and returns to the front of stage and hands him the beer. Because Mr Log’s identity can never be known, he stands up and turns around to lift his helmet high enough to chug it so no-one can see his face. Mr Log operates thus: sat on a stool, his helmet contains a telephone handset through which he shouts, and his right foot stomps on a tiny bass drum and his left foot operates a hi-hat with a tambourine on it. He clocks up some serious BPM this way - some of his song tempos enter drum n bass territory with all hands and feet flying, all the while a slide guitar lays over the whole thing creating a mad racket.

Holding out a glass of whiskey to the crowd, Bob Log demands time for ‘boob scotch’, whereby a willing female participant from the audience must flop one of her sisters out and dip it into the glass. Everyone was expecting this as it’s Log’s schtick, but furtive glances were being cast around until a relatively reserved looking blonde boldly volunteered. Mr Log was pleased, telling us he’s rather glad it was a female breast and not a penis: “It’s kind of hard to tell, I can’t see shit through this helmet!” We all LOL’d. The whiskey glass is being passed around for people to drink from. Log then invites two other women from the audience to sit on each of his knees while he plays – if you can imagine how fucking funny this looked that would help because my photos of this moment weren’t quite up to par. A blonde and a brunette are bouncing around and giggling as bass drum and cymbals crash around them, and Mr Log shows he has considerable strength in his quads.

Fred Durst has meanwhile become really punishing to everyone at the front, holding a full beer high above his head while he dances and making everyone wear it (glad none got on me) and thankfully it was near the end of the set so his fun would have to be curtailed. We make a beeline for the exit and notice the water gushing out of the awnings outside the pub and thinking it was raining cats and dogs, when it only turned out to be the awnings leaking like crazy. The Annandale Hotel needs new awnings.

Bob Log III is an American lo-fi, Slide Guitar, One Man Band. During performances, Log wears a blue full-body suit and a bubble-mask motorcycle helmet wired with a telephone microphone which allows him to devote his hands and feet to guitar and drums. Bob Log’s version of quick Delta blues closely resembles the sound that Bob Log and Thermos pioneered in the duo, Doo Rag. The major differences are: greater emphasis on guitar showmanship, and drumming -one man band style-with his feet.

More info at: www.myspace.com/boblog111 or www.boblog111.com

Guimarães e Torres Novas recebem evento com direcção artística de Paulo Furtado (The Legendary Tiger Man).

 O Centro Cultural Vila Flor, em Guimarães, e o Teatro Virgínia, em Torres Novas, recebem entre 5 e 13 de Dezembro o primeiro festival em solo nacional totalmente dedicado aos one man band.

O evento conta com a produção artística de Paulo Furtado, vocalista dos Wraygunn e ele próprio um one man band sob a personagem de The Legendary Tiger Man. Para além do músico português, o festival conta ainda com a participação de outros «solitários» artistas como o norte-americano Bob Log III, o britânico Son of Dave (Crash Test Dummies), e Becky Lee & Drunk Foot, uma norte-americana radicada na Suiça que irá participar no próximo projecto de Paulo Furtado, «Femina».

“No imaginário colectivo, “one man band” é um signo dicotómico: representa o músico nómada que percorre as ruas carregado de instrumentos e artefactos mecânicos que manuseia com a perícia de quem aspira a ser “profissional”; mas representa também a liberdade, independência e versatilidade a que aspiram os artistas que são “profissionais”.

Do festival «One Man Band» fará também parte um projecto especial, uma colaboração entre Slimmy e DJ Ride.

O cartaz completo do festival:

Centro Cultural Vila Flor (Guimarães)

5 de Dezembro: The Legendary Tiger Man; Becky Lee & Drunk Foot
6 de Dezembro: Bob Log III; DJ Session – Sean Riley
12 de Dezembro: Son of Dave; DJ Session – A Boy Named Sue
13 de Dezembro: Slimmy + DJ Ride; DJ Session – Da Flux

Teatro Virgínia (Torres Novas)

Teatro Virgínia

5 de Dezembro: Bob Log III; DJ Session – Sean Riley
6 de Dezembro: Becky Lee & Drunk Foot; DJ Session – Da Flux
12 de Dezembro: Slimmy + DJ Ride; DJ Session – DJ Ride
13 de Dezembro: Son of Dave; DJ Session – A Boy Named Sue

Guimarães, Centro Cultural Vila Flor – Avenida D. Afonso Henriques, 701
Torres Novas, Teatro Virgínia – Largo São José Lopes dos Santos

De 05-12-2008 a 13-12-2008
Sexta e sábado às 23h00
PREÇO – 5€ (dia). Passe Festival: 15€.

Centro Cultural Vila Flor

Teatro Virgina

From the Fat Possum artist page for Bob Log III:

When Bob Log III was a child, he lost his left hand in a boating accident. It was soon replaced with a monkey paw, and a new guitar style was born.

“It’s my own personal style, see,” Log says, “the paw moves much quicker than a normal hand, so my real hand has to flop around a lot to compensate.”

And what about the helmet?

“What helmet?” he asks, his voice muffled by a helmet.

There is nothing normal about Bob Log III’s appearance.  He really does wear a motorcycle helmet all the time to disguise his identity, and uses a converted telephone receiver as a microphone.  It’s glued into the smoked glass face shield.  He wears Elvis style jumpsuits open to the waist and large black boots.

These eccentricities pale in comparison to his music though.

His song titles appear to have been created by a hormonal fourteen year old… who has been huffing glue for the past two years.  “Land Of A Thousand Swirling Asses”, “Big Ass Hard On”, and “Ass Computer” are just a few of the romantic ditties he has composed.

He’s a one man band.  Drummer, slide guitarist, and singer all combined.  And if that’s not enough for you, he’ll pull this out:

So yes, Bob Log III might be a little strange.  But then he’ll drop something like this:

And you’ll realize that he’s actually an incredibly talented musician.  Despite wanting to put his boob in someone’s drink.  Here’s a video of “Log Bomb”:

And finally, the one that will Make You Say Wow:

The first run of acts for the Byron Bay Bluesfest 2009 Blues & Roots Festival has been announced.

Leading the pack is Ben Harper and Michael Franti and Spearhead (surprise, surprise). These guys must surely be honorary Australians by now.

Of the other acts, the most notable inclusions in the humble opinion of Doubtful Sounds is Drive By Truckers, Tinariwen, Seasick Steve and Lucinda Williams.  There are many Lucinda fans that were gutted when she cancelled her tour a few years back due to the death of her mother.  Fingers crossed we get sideshows for these and other acts in Sydney and other parts of Australia and New Zealand.

The full line up announced so far is:

Ben Harper and Relentless7, John Butler Trio, Missy Higgins, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Lucinda Williams, Zappa Plays Zappa, Angelique Kidjo, Tinariwen, Eric Bibb, Seasick Steve, Tony Joe White, Ruthie Foster, Blind Boys Of Alabama, Drive-By Truckers, Toni Childs, Ayo, Luka Bloom, Alpha Blondy, The Easy Allstars, Special Beat, Watermelon Slim & The Workers, The Easy All Stars, Special Beat, Augie March, Alabama, Blue King Brown, Saltwater Band, Sonny Landreth, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Hot Club of Cowtown, Eugene Hideaway Bridges, The Bamboos, Watussi, Lowrider, Nu Yorican Nights, Benny Gallagher, Bob Log III., Lowrider, Nu Yorican Nights.

The 20th anniversary of the festival takes place on the 9-13th April 2009 at Belongil Fields and full info on tickets, camping etc can be found at www.bluesfest.com.au

Drive By Truckers:

Ah, the guitar will play for anyone. Blues never had it this bad.