The Wisdom of the Illiterati


	bumbering along Bumbershoot was something of a bust for Jaq and I this year--we were busy finishing up our move to a new place, which meant a lot of hauling of stuff up and down stairs and cleaning, leaving us almost incapable of movement, much less shoving our way through crowds of people younger and more energetic than ourselves. But Bumbershoot seemed to be a bust in general this year: not a great lineup, worse art than last year, and worse food, too (at least from some--Ziegler's Brathaus? Never again). At the same time it felt more crowded than ever before, with longer lines, and ever more draconian security for the stadium shows. We didn't even go on Sunday, only showed to see the Old 97s on Monday, and caught only five acts altogether: the 97s, Neko Case, Lucinda Williams, Estelle (the first four songs--she really needs to learn to stop talking so much between numbers), and Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby. Williams was probably the best that we saw, with the Old 97s a close second. Her new stuff sounds rawer than anything she's done in years, and her cover of AC/DC (which is reportedly on the new album), suggests that she's more interested in rocking out than anything else right now. I still have problems with Neko Case. It goes without saying that her voice is gorgeous, but I wish she didn't feel the need to make every song such a statement, or to be so tasteful and stately about everything (if Emmylou Harris is the Joan Baez of alt-country, Case is Judy Collins). I only liked a couple of songs off of Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and the new stuff she did on Saturday sounds like more of the same. It would do her a world of good to loosen up and raunch it up a bit, the way Lucinda has. Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric have the opposite problem. Eric's willful incompetence schtick isn't quite as forgivable in his mid-fifties as it was 30 years ago, and Rigby is one of those rare singer-songwriters who pens real pop music, which is one of the reasons I love her so much, but it's also why she really needs a band to get her songs across. Other than Eric's old standby rabble rousers, they sounded best when they varied the instrumentation, adding keyboards and even some laptop percussion. I also have to admit I worry about what this partnership, personal and professional, is going to do to Rigby's songwriting. The new songs they played were funny and even witty on occasion, but they were good jokes, nothing more (not that that's a small thing). As great as Little Fugitive was, there were signs that Rigby had tapped out her inspiration. Perhaps teaming with Eric is just the blast of loose punk air she needs to revive herself, and who knows what her grace and wit might add to his music. Right now I'm more than willing to give them a chance, but I'm also wary. \| [Archives] Search entries:		top ten 1966 top ten OTHER OCCASIONAL RAMBLINGS Hail Blogoslavia! ~~100~~ 45 or so things about JSM The Saga of the Lone Biscuit OTHER BLOGS Blogroll Me

bumbering along

Bumbershoot was something of a bust for Jaq and I this year--we were busy finishing up our move to a new place, which meant a lot of hauling of stuff up and down stairs and cleaning, leaving us almost incapable of movement, much less shoving our way through crowds of people younger and more energetic than ourselves. But Bumbershoot seemed to be a bust in general this year: not a great lineup, worse art than last year, and worse food, too (at least from some--Ziegler's Brathaus? Never again). At the same time it felt more crowded than ever before, with longer lines, and ever more draconian security for the stadium shows.

We didn't even go on Sunday, only showed to see the Old 97s on Monday, and caught only five acts altogether: the 97s, Neko Case, Lucinda Williams, Estelle (the first four songs--she really needs to learn to stop talking so much between numbers), and Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby.

Williams was probably the best that we saw, with the Old 97s a close second. Her new stuff sounds rawer than anything she's done in years, and her cover of AC/DC (which is reportedly on the new album), suggests that she's more interested in rocking out than anything else right now. I still have problems with Neko Case. It goes without saying that her voice is gorgeous, but I wish she didn't feel the need to make every song such a statement, or to be so tasteful and stately about everything (if Emmylou Harris is the Joan Baez of alt-country, Case is Judy Collins). I only liked a couple of songs off of Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and the new stuff she did on Saturday sounds like more of the same. It would do her a world of good to loosen up and raunch it up a bit, the way Lucinda has.

Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric have the opposite problem. Eric's willful incompetence schtick isn't quite as forgivable in his mid-fifties as it was 30 years ago, and Rigby is one of those rare singer-songwriters who pens real pop music, which is one of the reasons I love her so much, but it's also why she really needs a band to get her songs across. Other than Eric's old standby rabble rousers, they sounded best when they varied the instrumentation, adding keyboards and even some laptop percussion. I also have to admit I worry about what this partnership, personal and professional, is going to do to Rigby's songwriting. The new songs they played were funny and even witty on occasion, but they were good jokes, nothing more (not that that's a small thing). As great as Little Fugitive was, there were signs that Rigby had tapped out her inspiration. Perhaps teaming with Eric is just the blast of loose punk air she needs to revive herself, and who knows what her grace and wit might add to his music. Right now I'm more than willing to give them a chance, but I'm also wary.