8 Concerts That Will Help You Identify With Me Musically.

Thus far I have posted about Ultimate, film, politics, games, cereal, and a bit about my personal life in an effort to internally and externally promote and extend thoughts and opinions. You can expect to read a lot more of my thoughts concerning both Ultimate and film, and some more political debates will surely arise... But there are some areas that I haven't gone into, or haven't gone into as much as I'd like, including my personal life, fine art & design, and music.

So in the hopes of giving a more well-rounded impression of myself... MUSIC!

The music that people listen to can sometimes be a strong attractive/repellent force as well as a foundational element in forming or formed relationships. Here are some concerts that stand out in my mind as either having some personal/relationship type significance and/or musical/taste type significance in my short and limited history of concert-going.
*I should stress here that I DO NOT go to a lot of shows, although that being said, I go to as many as I really want to... The concert experience, which for some people is an almost necessary element to their appreciation of a band, has both its ups and down for me. As you will read below, the concerts that I've enjoyed the most have elevated my and expanded my musical consciousness, but for me, blasting a new CD alone in my van can be just as profound. (I really have a thing for highly produced and edited sound that my stereo can, and most shows can't deliver; CDs are cheaper than most shows; and I don't become the jaded-stoic-guy-in-the-back-of-the-club-who-is-glaring-at-all-of-the-kids-that are-ruining-his-experience-guy when I'm in my van. Then again, it is the memories of these shows that are driving this post... i.e.- the following isn't a list of top Alone in my Van CD Sessions... but that could be a good list too...

Anyways...

Chronologically,
1. Frank Black - Cedarfest (Minneapolis, MN) - August 20, 1996
I was a music snob in junior high. I would not listen to the hits stations, I scoffed at the general public's tastes. This was all largely due to my friendship with next door neighbor Andy Clayton, and his seemingly tireless interest, strong opinions and endless knowledge of everything to do with music. (About Andy: Andy has an older brother (knowledge/interest source?). Currently Andy is one of the founders of the band The Dad In Common.) At that age I was very receptive to the counter-culture attitude, and as it turns out, the music. It was with Andy that I went to Cedarfest to see Frank Black, and because of my considerable lack of knowledge in Music History I became probably one of the only Black fans to not know anything about a little band called The Pixies. But I have always been good at knowing pretty quickly when I like music that I hear, and I really liked what I heard that day. Other memorable moments: making protest signs and booing the Honeydogs as they played on the stage that Black was to perform on next; skanking (ska dancing) at one of the smaller side stages.

2. The Aquabats - The Quest (Minneapolis, MN) - Highschool.
Quirky/comedic, high-tempo, funky combat Ska. The show was theatrical, the music was all about energy, and that's what I wanted. I was pretty much straight edge at this point (what I did know of the movement, I agreed with, although I never identified myself as such), but this music and these concerts would give off a contact energy high. Ska was a gateway to Punk, which was a gateway to some of the bands I listen to today. (Bad Religion, Fugazi, even System of a Down, and occasionally *groups like* Mudvayne. Don't see a connection? Well, too bad. I do.)

3. Atmosphere, with Heiruspecs, Mr. Dibbs, and Borhter Ali - UW-Stout (Menomonie, WI) - Early college. Were all of these acts really there that night? How lucky were were to have driven there, without tickets, to wait around hoping either to find a scalper or that they would open up another block to sell at the door (which they did end up doing)?! I owe a lot to Atmosphere. I can't remember what got me listening to rap and hip-hop (Who turned me on to Digable Planets?), but it was Atmosphere and groups like them that kept me listening. In high school and into college I worked with a guy named Mike Gordon who went to Stout and we often talked about who we were listening to in the underground hip-hop scene. We met up at this show with some of my other friends from Eau Claire for what was many of our first live tastes of Rhymesayers Entertainment (a Minneapolis based label). This show was also my introduction to Heiruspecs, who ended up coming to Eau Claire a number of times afterwards (which was always a refreshing show to attend in a smallish Wisconsin city).

4. Wilco, The Bad Plus and Fog - ROCK THE GARDEN (Minneapolis) - June 13, 2003 Wilco was great, the venue was awesome, they had a corn dog vendor, and Tim and I saw a strange mingling of people from our past at this show. Also, this was the first time, and the only time since, that I got to see The Bad Plus. Also also, Dave King, The Bad Plus' percussionist, is one of my favorite musicians of all time. (You can also, as I have, see Dave King play in any of the following bands: Happy Apple, Halloween Alaska, Love Cars...) Also also also, see #8.

5. A Tribe Called Quest - Carleton College (Northfield, MN) - During college. Getting to see a hip-hop icon at an outdoor, festival-type show on a beautiful summer day in southern Minnesota - and for FREE! - unbelievable. The crowd was loud and excited, and ATCQ only got us going more. Thank you students of Carleton for paying your hefty tuition so this concert could happen, but not paying enough that there could be adequate security to check everyone's student IDs.

6. Sage Francis - House of Rock (Eau Claire, WI) - September 8, 2004 Again, pretty incredible that this concert happened in the Midwest outside of the Twin Cities, Madison or Chicago... A slam poet/rapper from New York shows up in Eau Claire, fills a club to over-capacity and nearly blows the roof off the place. My senior year college roommate Mario opened my eyes (at least wider) to Slam Poetry (he competed locally), and although I had heard some recordings of artists like Sage Francis and Saul Williams previous to that year, I'd never been to a 'Slam', or really listened with any frequency to these urban poets working so wizardly their wordly wars. My exposure to this art form couldn't have come at a better time. I was primed to see this Slam hero.

7. Beck - Roy Wilkens Auditorium (St. Paul, MN) - September 19, 2005 A dream come true, really. Beck was on my list of bands that I actually did feel the NEED to see at some point in my life. Beck did not disappoint, but I'd love to see him in a slightly more intimate setting. (Not really possible? Although outdoors may seem more intimate with the same number of people... see Special Topics below *sour grapes*.) In fact, I think that this was my first stadium-sized show, and I'm not very excited to attend another one (it would have to be a band of Beck-epic proportions).

8. Happy Apple - My Wedding - August 25, 2006. Months and months before my wedding I was doing the band booking thing. Änna and I wanted a small jazz group to play and I didn't really know where to start looking. I looked into the guys that play at The Artists' Quarter (we were familiar with them from the Tuesday Night Jazz that they put on) and ended up finding a contact of a contact of a contact to play at our wedding. During that time I had also sent out an "It never hurts to ask" sort of email to Happy Apple. This is a group I've seen a number of times around the Twin Cities and Eau Claire - a group that has national recognition - a group whose members have been described as saviors of jazz... and a couple weeks before the wedding I get an email from Dave King apologizing for not getting to us sooner, etc, and that they would do the job if still available. I was floored! First if all to just be getting an email from Dave King (I'm a dork) and second of all that Happy Apple might play at our wedding! I did have the moral dilemma of canceling on the other group without much notice... but I got over that pretty quick, canceled, and shore up things with Mr. King the next day. And Happy Apple played at our wedding. The End.

Special Topics:
1. The only concert to-date that I wish I could have/would have been at...
Neil Young and Beck (and others) at Horde Fest. But alas, I was destined to be aboard a sailboat in the middle of Lake Superior on that day... And it's not that I wanted to back out of the 2 week sailing excursion when I heard of this festival, but damn, it doesn't get much better (and I was way more crazy about those two back then, before my mind was polluted by all of this hip hop jibber jab...

2. Bands that I would go to see with you right now if you invited me:
Blackalicious, Aesop Rock, Snow Patrol, The Streets, The Gorillas, Bad Religion...