Friday November 24, 2006 SGN.org |
 |
Volume 34 Issue 47 |
 |
|
Wednesday, Jan 07, 2009
|
 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||
|
 |
Where It's At |
||
.jpg) |
||
| Cat Power and Memphis Rhythm Band join forces at The Showbox; Dierks Bentley spreads country hotness at Everett Events Center | ||
| by Albert Rodriguez and Jessica Browning -
SGN A&E Writers Cat Power & the Memphis Rhythm Band Tuesday, November 28 - 9pm The Showbox - $27.50 / www.ticketswest.com It seems fitting that in these somewhat gray and maudlin days before the holiday rush begins, a visit from Cat Power & the Memphis Rhythm Band is about to take place. Which isn't to say that the music behind the artist's superb seventh album, The Greatest, is depressing. Wistful, moody, breathtaking, contemplative - these are just a few things that come to mind when reflecting on the fall season and Cat Power as well. Or maybe it's the association with this record and bare trees that sticks, because it came out last winter and seemed to be a soundtrack of sorts to the days slowly slipping deeper into winter. Yet Chan Marshall's, aka Cat Power, Southern warmth breathes life into every song she sings and plays. Whether it's a plaintive track such as "Werewolf" from 2003's You Are Free, or something as layered and sweeping as "Lived In Bars", her voice gets under your skin and her deeply personal confessions become unforgettable. The session players she loves and trusts fill out the bones of these songs gently and deftly. The past year has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Cat Power. Her reputation for being a rare and somewhat fragile star precedes her, so when The Greatest dropped in January 2006 to widespread acclaim, fans were understandably eager to see her live. In February, just before the tour was to start, Matador Records announced the entire itinerary would be cancelled due to unspecified health reasons. Listeners were crushed, but not altogether surprised. What was surprising was an announcement a few months later that some of the dates were suddenly rescheduled for May, with Seattle being one of the privileged cities. The May show was a stunner, with Cat Power & the Memphis Rhythm Band in lush, amazing form. In case you missed it, they now return to Seattle for another rare appearance - once again at The Showbox. With her latest album and tour, Chan Marshall has come into her own. She's a woman of exceptional beauty and talent, and has been able to transcend fleeting pop success in the same way that other women such as PJ Harvey, Kristin Hersh, and Patti Smith have been able to do. She's truly unique and has put out some of the most memorable albums to be released in the quagmire of alt-pop in the 1990's and beyond. - J. Browning Pre-concert CD recommendations: "The Greatest" and "Where is My Love" from The Greatest; "Good Woman" and "He War" from Free. Dierks Bentley w/ Miranda Lambert and Randy Rogers Band Friday, December 1 - 7:30pm Everett Events Center - $27.50 / www.everetteventscenter.com On his last visit to Seattle, Dierks Bentley performed in front of a massive crowd (over 60,000) at Qwest Field on a 90-plus degree summer afternoon. He wore an all-black, all-tight outfit, complete with polished boots, and his shirt was unbuttoned halfway exposing a glistening golden tan underneath. Five feet away from the stage, I could barely contain myself. And neither could the throng of fans treated to prime seats inside "The Sandbox", a VIP area offered to diehards throughout Kenny Chesney's record-breaking tour this year, which became the biggest selling concert event in Seattle history. Since then, Bentley released his third career album entitled Long Trip Alone, his most personal work to date led by the number one single "Every Mile a Memory", and earned well-deserved CMA and ACM Award nominations for Male Vocalist of the Year. Bentley, like Brad Paisley and George Strait, sticks to the real stuff. He hasn't attempted a crossover into pop or made a beeline to adult contemporary radio. He's devoted to making country music, the kind that Willie and Waylon and Merle gave us, honoring its traditional roots but offering new fans of the genre a fresh twist. The twist in Bentley's case is extra honky tonk, as evidenced on his breakthrough smash "What Was I Thinkin'" or on his 2005 chart topper "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do". Aside from award nominations, platinum-selling albums, number one hits, and sold out shows, the coolest thing to happen to Dierks Bentley in the past twelve months, aside from turning thirty-one this past week, is getting married. Yes, he's taken. But we can still drool. At the Everett Events Center on Friday night, Bentley will play songs from all three albums and will have the crowd on its feet from the moment he steps foot on stage. He's known for having a tapped beer keg within skipping distance of the microphone, so expect a group toast at some point in the night. I'm privileged to have passes to meet Bentley after the show, so check back next week for a backstage peek and full review of the performance. Miranda Lambert, a recent CMA Horizon Award nominee, and up and comers the Randy Rogers Band open the show. Bentley is one of the Gay friendliest artists out there and he's a sight to behold in-person, which may draw a suburban Gay cluster of fans to the concert. Otherwise, this could turn out to be a very redneck situation. Driving directions to the venue, thirty minutes from Seattle sans traffic, are posted on the website listed above. Gay cowboys and cowgals, this show is for you! - A. Rodriguez Pre-concert CD recommendation: Long Trip Alone featuring "Every Mile a Memory", "That Don't Make It Easy Loving Me" and the title track. |
||
.jpg) |
||
.jpg) |
||
 |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
International Readers read the SGN in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 post your own information on Seattle Gay Blog |
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2006