|
Post by nonrabbit on Oct 16, 2012 8:03:51 GMT
Ian Anderson: Theatrical Music Posted: 10/15/2012 11:08 amwww.huffingtonpost.com/hank-bordowitz/ian-anderson_b_1954784.htmlIan Anderson knows his audience. Near the end of act one of his current "Plays Thick as a Brick 1 & 2" tour, which I saw at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center on October 7, one of the band members starts to do a weather report which somehow morphs into a trope on prostate health and turns into a very strange and funny bit of business. This adds some levity to this remarkable show, which marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the original "Thick as a Brick" and the one-year anniversary of its second coming. While many in the 50+ audience are probably familiar with the song "Thick as a Brick," heard once or twice a week on most classic rock stations -- the only kind many boomers listen to, as old habits die hard -- many may have never checked out the album because there was no song listing. Indeed, the "song" is actually an excerpt of a solid 45-minute piece of music. The "Thick as a Brick" most people know is actually pretty much an overture. The rest of the album uses the hallmarks of the Jethro Tull sound at the time: Anderson's picaresque musing on childhood and the unfairness of the adult world that most children enter, set to music that mixes a rock aesthetic with elements of baroque, jazz, and Celtic folk -- after all, Anderson's main instrument is the flute. It fuses the lyricism of Mozart with the bombast of Wagner and the instrumentation of the Kinks. Little wonder some labeled the album "progressive." Now, to those who care enough to give it any thought, progressive rock is regarded as being a bit soggy in the middle for the most part, trying too hard to show the prowess of the players and the competence of the composer. It often leaves the audience out of the picture. Anderson is far too much of a showman for that, and even at 65 (or so), he is leaping gnomishly about the stage. This is not a rock show, per se, at least not the main event. The playing is so precise and composed that even the videos -- obviously not live feeds -- are synced. It is a marvel of classic rock excess, but even more so of amazingly solid and polished musicianship that "feels" without being sloppy about it. Face it fans, when was the last time you heard a good drum solo -- melodic, terse, tense and dramatic? Or rock musicians trading fours like the jazz guys? Or even theatricality that is not done for the sake of being theatrical, but in service of the music? This show has that. Especially in the first act, the dramatic effect is heightened by Ryan O'Donnell, Anderson's own Mini-me. The gamin-like O'Donnell sounds very similar to Anderson before the latter's voice aged and deepened. Occasionally it is hard to discern which one is singing. But in terms of "Thick as a Brick," their dialogues are impressive. O'Donnell is Anderson's doppelganger and alter ego on stage. But there are other comical and theatrical elements as well.The show starts on that note with a bunch of guys in trench coats cleaning up the state to the sounds of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band on the sound system. One by one, they take off their coats and either get behind or pick up instruments. There are video vignettes that break up the musical tension as well: Anderson meeting the young Gerald Bostock -- the hypothetical author of the lyrics to the original TAAB -- in the facade of a psychiatrist; Anderson in other guise taking us through a tour of a decaying English manor house; the aforementioned prostate sketch. What makes the show special, even unique, is the level of fastidious exactitude, from the lighting (which is extraordinary) to the staging, to the band itself. The musicians are not outdone by the technicians. They make the evening work, impeccably playing the intricate instrumental arrangements and occasionally engaging in taut -- if simple -- choreography. A couple of people seated close to me had seen the show a couple of nights earlier at the Beacon Theater in New York. They said that it was note for note the same show. So when the encore came, the band trotted out "Locomotive Breath" in a very loose, loud, 15-minute, raucous rock and roll rendition, full of improvised solos and off-the-top-of-the-head arrangements. With none of the musical tension that informed the previous two hours, it felt like the band needed it more than the audience. Perhaps they did. Follow Hank Bordowitz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankai I like some of the points he made particularly about Ian's sense of showmanship not letting the music fall into what the norm was for prog ie gaze up in wonder and awe at the light show and the "gods" standing with a guitar - forgetting the audience. I would go as far to say that Hank has hit the nail on the head as to why Tull stood out for me way back in the day. Thanks Hank
|
|
|
Post by maddogfagin on Oct 16, 2012 11:18:47 GMT
Oh 'My God' I am 'Beside myself' 'trembling with excitement' for Thursday night.Less than 81 hours ( but who's counting).
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2012 14:44:08 GMT
Ian Anderson brings ‘Thick As A Brick’ to life Voice of Jethro Tull to perform at casinosyvnews.com/entertainment/music/ian-anderson-brings-thick-as-a-brick-to-life/article_61d4fa5c-1687-11e2-b89e-0019bb2963f4.htmlJethro Tull’s Ian Anderson will perform the band’s critically acclaimed album “Thick As A Brick” in its entirety, along with a newly released sequel, when his world tour hits the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18. Anderson, who is known as the flute and voice behind legendary band Jethro Tull, is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the “Thick As A Brick” debut with a world tour and the release of “Thick As A Brick 2: Whatever Happened to Gerald Bostock?” In 1972, Anderson wrote the music (and the lyrics, which were credited at the time to a fictitious character, 8-year-old Gerald Bostock) and recorded “Thick As A Brick,” the fifth studio album for Jethro Tull. It consisted of just one 44-minute song, which was split into two parts to accommodate the LP vinyl and cassette-tape formats. The album enjoyed worldwide commercial success and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. This is the first time “Thick As A Brick” has been performed live and in its entirety since 1972, although a few minutes of the material have been a repertoire staple in both Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson solo shows over the years. Anderson, whose other hits with Jethro Tull include “Aqualung,” “Bungle in the Jungle,” and “Locomotive Breath,” takes the original album on tour, coupled with his brand new solo LP, “Thick As A Brick 2,” which focuses on what the fictional “boy genius” author of the original album, Gerald Bostock, might be doing now, 40 years later. Both albums will be performed in their entirety by Anderson and fellow musicians John O’Hara (keyboards,) David Goodier (bass,) Florian Opahle (guitar,) and Scott Hammond (drums,) as well as some guest performers. Tickets, ranging from $45 to $95, are available at the casino’s Club Chumash, www.chumashcasino.com or 1-800-585-3737. No one younger than 18 is admitted. Jeff Moehlis: Ian Anderson Coming to Chumash Casino Resort Jethro Tull frontman will perform Thick as a Brick and its sequel in their entiretywww.noozhawk.com/article/101512_jeff_moehlis_ian_anderson_chumash_casino/In 1972, Jethro Tull released the album Thick as a Brick, which set the epic poem of 8-year-old prodigy Gerald Bostock to some of the best progressive rock music ever written. The album made it to No. 1 on the U.S. music charts, and solidified Jethro Tull’s reign as one of the top rock bands of the era. But until now, we never knew what happened to Bostock. Well, actually, there never was a Gerald Bostock. Thick as a Brick’s lyrics and music were written by Jethro Tull frontman/singer/flautist/acoustic guitarist Ian Anderson. The album was a spoof of the then-trendy concept album genre, and a response to critics’ incorrect labeling of Jethro Tull’s previous album, Aqualung, as a concept album. Ironically, Thick as a Brick turned out to be one of the best concept albums ever recorded. But back to Bostock. Anderson recently decided to explore different possible life trajectories for the fictitious lad, resulting in the album Thick as a Brick 2, which also revisits some musical motifs from the original. While this sort of music doesn’t go to No. 1 anymore, it is still an intriguing and amazing sequel. At 8 p.m. Thursday, Anderson will be performing both Thick as a Brick albums in their entirety at the Chumash Casino Resort. Anderson graciously took the time to answer the following questions by phone during a short rest at his home in England. Click here for the full interview. Jeff Moehlis: How do you find the right balance between “living in the past” and creating new music? Ian Anderson: Well, that’s one of the reasons that I didn’t want to do a sequel to Thick as a Brick at any other time during the past 40 years, because it would have been, for me, too nostalgic, too much living in the past. It was only when the idea occurred to me towards the end of 2010, and then subsequently after Christmas when I had the chance to revisit that notion, that I could really do that in a way that wasn’t just about nostalgia. It was a way of making an album that was for 2012, since we’d never have been able to record it and release it in 2011 — we already had all of our concert tours booked by then. So, you know, it was something that I knew was doable by using the vehicle of the young Gerald Bostock to ruminate on what might have become of him. What various things could have happened. When I first thought of it, I wrote down 15, 20 possible outcomes, scenarios, career choices, whatever you want to call it. And I whittled those down to the necessary five, because I knew that I would allot about 10 minutes to each one of those possible choices, giving me the option of a couple of musical pieces, lyrically and musically, to get us from ‘72 to now, and then examine a little more closely the “now” part of it. So suddenly I was able to do this without it getting wrapped up in nostalgia. I didn’t want to revisit ‘72 in the temporal sense, just in the sense of using the identity of someone to catapult it 40 years into the future. JM: How did your goals change, both musically and professionally, from your first album, This Was, up through the recording of the original Thick as a Brick? IA: Well, that was an exploratory period of time, because when we first began it was, to some extent, jumping on the bandwagon of white man’s blues music. So, we were in the company of several other bands of that era — Fleetwood Mac, Savoy Brown among them. We were people who played at the Marquee Club in London and played some of our own music as well as some of the classic blues repertoire. You know, there was nothing particularly original about it, but it was a good starting point in learning the basics of music through the improvisation within the 12-bar simple harmonic structure of blues. But after a few months of doing that, I started to bring in other elements of music in the songs that I was was writing. And by the end of 1968, I had a bunch of songs that then became the Stand Up album released in the summer of the following year. That was a big step forward from the first album, just as Benefit, I suppose, consolidated the slightly darker, more rock riff side of things. And Aqualung, the more singer-songwriter part of the equation. So by the time we got to Thick as a Brick, I mean, four albums into a career, I had a pretty good idea what I was doing. It just seemed interesting at that time to take a further step into what was then the cliche of progressive rock, because by then progressive rock had become prog rock, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the early Genesis, King Crimson and Yes had a lot to answer for. But we were having a little fun spoofing that kind of genre with Thick as a Brick, and I think the balance of joke and serious music really struck quite well on the Thick as a Brick album. JM: Where are you speaking to me from? IA: The southwest of England, where I’m back home for six nights before heading off to start up again in San Diego. — Noozhawk contributing writer Jeff Moehlis is a professor of mechanical engineering at UCSB. Upcoming show recommendations, advice from musicians, interviews and more are available on his Web site, music-illuminati.com.
|
|
|
Post by salamander on Oct 16, 2012 17:28:00 GMT
I am countng down to Thursday, as well
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Oct 16, 2012 17:42:49 GMT
57 hours...some of them will go fast...a nice drive thru central california and an afternoon and early evening with friends...
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Oct 16, 2012 19:07:53 GMT
I am countng down to Thursday, as well I'm counting down and wishing I was there too... with you all
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2012 21:29:23 GMT
Ian Anderson: Chance Interventions By Sander Roscoe Wolff | Tuesday, 16 October 2012 www.lbpost.com/life/2000001179-tues-10-16-12-ian-anderson-chance-interventionsIt is nearly impossible to tease out the influence that Ian Anderson has had on Western culture. As front man and principal songwriter for the legendary band Jethro Tull, his clever lyrics, percussive flute playing, rich voice and distinctive visage fused folk and rock into an engaging sound that was instantly popular and remains immediately identifiable even 40 years later. Early this year, Anderson released Thick As A Brick 2, a follow-up to the similarly titled album that was released in 1972. Shortly after the album hit the shelves, he launched a tour where he has been performing the entirety of both albums in concert halls around the world. The U.S. leg hits the Long Beach Terrace Theater on Saturday, October 20th. I had a chance to speak with him just before the tour started. Although Anderson toured in support of the original release, back in 1972, he decided to remove it from the touring repertoire shortly thereafter. "I decided that I really didn’t want to go back and do all the figures in Brick ever again because, in some countries, it was a bit of a rough ride. It being acoustic, it quite depended on an audience's sensitivity to listen to it, and not shout out and whistle and hoot and holler. Unfortunately, that did happen in some places, so it became very frustrating. "These days, I don’t anticipate that problem, partly because people have largely learned to be better behaved and to treat musical concerts as what they obviously are. They’re not sports events, and not a heavy-metal thrash. It’s a musical concert. I think people understand that. "One of the reasons I do a lot of shows as Ian Anderson rather than simply calling it Jethro Tull is because it does tend to keep the riff-raff at home. And that’s understandable, I suppose, because for some of the beer drinking buddies, what they know of Jethro Tull is probably from the few tracks they've heard on classic rock radio alongside Lynyrd Skynyrd or Deep Purple. So they probably have this idea that we’re simply a rock band, and that’s the nature of the whole show. "But, of course, we are not. We are a very eclectic group with a lot of acoustic music in our repertoire from over the years. It’s easier for me when the handful of beer drinking buddies decide to stay home, or go watch a basketball match, or whatever they do. They've come out in the last ten years only once, that I can remember, in the USA, when I’ve been doing Ian Anderson shows. "If I’m going to play the Beacon Theatre and hear a pin drop, I’ve confidence in saying the culture has changed, become more educated, and above all, more respectful. Not just to the artist, but respectful to the other members of the audience. They understand it’s really not nice to interrupt other people’s enjoyment. And I have really felt a major change in all of that. "When I use my name, I guess the beer drinking buddies don’t know who I am, so maybe that’s what keeps them away. But I know who they are. Not only do I have their cell phone numbers and their addresses, I know where their mother lives." With a melody here and a word or phrase there, Anderson has cleverly woven small references to his past big hits into TAAB2. "For some great composers, as well as movie directors and novel writers and play writers, it’s one of the tools of your trade - to occasionally make these little cross-references with other work. It is fun to do, but I think it’s artistically satisfying, I hope, for the audience, as well. They get that little link, that little point of reference. If you do it in a subtle way, some people get it and some people don’t. "For instance, in the lyrics I mention the word locomotive. I mention the words ‘a passion play.’ There are a few more subtle references. There’s a line of Aqualung that crops up in a piece of music, which is in 6/4 time and not in a way that most people would recognize the riff. But it’s in there. Beethoven did it a lot in his symphonies; lots of little throw-backs and references to earlier work, and I really like that." Anderson does not see TAAB2 as a sequel to the original album of the same name. Instead, he used Gerald Bostock, a character developed for the fictional back-story of the original, as a tool to explore various aspects of modern culture and society. "I’m using the convenient idea that together we explore what happens to Gerald Bostock, the eight year old boy that grew up, in a way that is a metaphor for all of our lives. We face all these little points, decision making and reacting to chance intervention. Things could turn out very differently according to our reaction to those things, and our ability to make good choices, good decisions. "I’m one of those people who, I suppose, made largely the right choices. I can think of only one thing that was a pretty dumb move. I honestly feel I didn't make a lot of bad choices. Other people, on the other hand, are maybe not so fortunate, and look back and say, 'My God, I really messed up my life by doing that particular thing.' And I can think of a couple of people who, I’m very sure, would feel that way. I know because I was Best Man at both of their weddings. [laughs]" Anderson is known as a concerned and active environmentalist, due in part to his purchasing undeveloped lands and keeping them undeveloped, but he's dismissive of accolades he's received. "If I really wanted to help the environment, I would just stay at home. I would just Skype people and never go anywhere near them, because when I jump on an airplane, my carbon footprint is not a pretty sight. "One of my flutes just traveled 100 million kilometers in orbit for 5 months on the International Space Station, and I know how much it costs in rocket fuel to get it up there. I’m very selfish. It was a rather arrogant thing to do. I can only say that, maybe, the upside of it is the size of the flute, and its presence in the world - and out of it. Maybe it will encourage some young people to take up that instrument, or any other instrument. There are some positive spin-offs from sending it spinning around the earth, but I’m not sure that they quite compensate for the extra tons of rocket fuel to take half a kilo up into space and bring it back again." This rather bizarre turn of events began when a radio personality in Houston discovered that Colonel Catherine Coleman, preparing for her third trip to space, played the flute, and was willing to take Anderson's up with her. "I thought, 'Well, that’s a nice idea.' Colonel Coleman is also a fan of the Chieftains, so she took Matt Molloy’s Irish flute into space, as well. I’m not saying she smuggled them onto a cargo rocket, but I’m not entirely sure it was official cargo, if you know what I mean. "We played on the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first manned space flight, the 50th anniversary being last year in March. I was playing in Russia, not far away from where they built the rockets. I played live on stage and a video screen came down half way through the show and onto the video screen, beamed from the space station, came Catherine Coleman, upside-down, weightless, touching my flute. We played a little duet. She made a little speech in Russian and everyone loved it, and then we all went home. Except, she didn't. She had another three months to spend up there before she could go home." The new album was released as a standard CD, and in a Special Edition package that also includes a DVD with a surround sound mix and many short video segments. In one of them, Anderson mentions some of the possible 'lives' he didn't include for Gerald Bostock, including his becoming an astronaut. "The reason I didn't explore that is primarily because, by then, I already had some first-hand experience of astronauts. If I’d have been writing, I’d have been drawing upon the knowledge of one or two people, and I don’t work that way. I don’t like to betray the confidence of a relationship to make entertainment. It’s something that, from an ethical standpoint, I will not do. So, if I do ever write about people, it’s in a very carefully – not disguised – but it’s just pretty vague and pretty general. "I would hate anyone to say, 'Ah, that song is about so-and-so.' Or, 'That song is about me,' because that’s just something I’ve always stayed away from. And I always will. I mean, if I write a song about being an astronaut everybody’d going to say, 'Oh, you’ve written that song about Catherine Coleman or Paolo Nespoli,' one of the other two astronauts I’ve become friendly with over the last year or two. "Also, it would be hard for me to not use what I know about them, to not draw upon some personality character. A couple of times, particularly with Catherine Coleman, I’ve spoken to her, and Paolo Nespoli, the Italian astronaut, who told me some of their fears, some of their frustrations, some of their sadness’s, things that---it would be really wrong of me to betray them in a song. But it’s such good material that it would be hard to write anything and not to use the stuff that I know. But I just can’t do that. It would be wrong to do that." One of the songs on the album connects directly to a rather grim reality. "Wootton Bassett is a town in the southwest of England, near a military airfield, through which passed the cortege of coffins and police and various military services in the repatriation of dead soldiers, most recently from Afghanistan. It became quite a public symbol of respect and sorrow for fallen soldiers, male and female, in a way that’s captured the nation’s heart. "This little market town, and its inhabitants, suddenly became the focus of seeing the reality of the effects of mainly roadside bombs. In some cases it was the actual munitions experts who were sent to defuse bombs who lost their lives. "They decided, a few months ago, to close down that military airfield so now the dead soldiers come to a different part of the country, to a different airfield, and they don’t actually have to go through a small town at all on their way to disperse the coffins to the families of the deceased. "Wootton Bassett just remains a little bit of British history. It’s now called Royal Wootton Bassett, I suppose, in memory of the fact that the town people, the inhabitants and visitors, paid such huge emotional support to the families and friends of the deceased; the fallen, as they are often referred to. "But it’s kind of poignant for me to include that song because, if you remember, in 1972 [the U.S. Government was] just beginning to draw a line under the Vietnam War. American troops were sent to, essentially, evacuate. And here we are, forty years down the line, and looking at the very same scenario in Afghanistan with little more chance of success than was the outcome in Vietnam, because once the Americans were out of there, the North Vietnamese swooped on down and took everything over, and it’s now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Sadly, the Taliban is waiting in the wings, in the hills and valleys, just ready to ride back into Kabul and business as usual. We’re looking at a bit of a sad repeat of the same example of the futility of war. "If I was President Bush back then, if I was Tony Blair back then, what would I have done? I’m not sure. I think we probably would’ve said, 'Let’s give it a go. Let’s see if we can succeed where the Russians failed. Let’s give it a try, see if we can democratize and bring respect and dignity to the women and the professionals of Afghanistan, and try and change the outcome of that fearful, tribal, feudal, male dominated society.' It’s almost certain that it is not going to work out. It’s a sad reflection on the futility of war. Some wars achieve results. Some, unfortunately, don’t." Anderson confessed that he enjoys his visits to the United States. "My wife always comes with me to America, and we drive rather than fly, when possible. One of the things that I’ve actually really come to love about American tourism is getting in the car with my wife every morning, sometimes horribly early, and seeing the big picture of America, from the freeways and the country roads, wherever I happen to be. "I don’t drive, I’m a passenger, and I just watch, I watch life going along the roadsides and the towns and the shopping malls. It’s something I’ve found quite a passion for, and I remember one of the first pieces of music as a teenager that I ever learned to play was basically copying a piece by the Rolling Stones on their first album called Route 66. Route 66 was a symbol for something that was very much Americana. I didn't quite understand it back then, but I understand it now in a lot more detail because I know a lot more about Route 66, where it is and how it developed and so on. That, for me, is a big part of America. "For years and years I traveled around and never got that simple connection between the people that I see when I’m standing on a stage or inside of a hotel or the backstage of a theatre. Suddenly, being out there, I no longer take it for granted. Every moment is precious, even on the freeways, particularly on the East Coast. That rivals the best fun faire rides of the world, scaring the $h1t out of you, barreling down there with a big truck on either side of you. It’s one of the reasons I choose not to drive." To find out about new releases, reissues, and concerts, visit J-Tull.com. Thanks to Lee Adams for her skillful transcription services.
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Oct 17, 2012 10:11:27 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 15:29:57 GMT
Oh 'My God' I am 'Beside myself' 'trembling with excitement' for Thursday night.Less than 81 hours ( but who's counting). Hey man, what's the plan... Your honesty in posts is always refreshing. It's getting closer my friend. Oh 'My God' closer! God bless. Always the best to the best of the Tull fans. ENJOY! And the sand-castle virtues are all swept away
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Oct 17, 2012 15:45:52 GMT
We will be gang of about 10: me, a friend from Las Vegas, a friend from SF driving seperate and continuing on to visit family in LA, his wife, Bluehare and unspeciified companion(s), Salamander and her husband,...all meeting for dinner at the venue before the show and, maybe, storming the management office to promise we'll gamble all night if the don't enforce any performance curfews.
I vividly remember how it felt, as a teenager hanging around the places Tull was booked to play, the afternoon of the gig...and just seeing the equipment boxes stencilled TULL.....Who knew i would still be able to experience that feeling 40 years later ?
|
|
|
Post by bunkerfan on Oct 17, 2012 16:26:02 GMT
We will be gang of about 10: me, a friend from Las Vegas, a friend from SF driving seperate and continuing on to visit family in LA, his wife, Bluehare and unspeciified companion(s), Salamander and her husband,...all meeting for dinner at the venue before the show and, maybe, storming the management office to promise we'll gamble all night if the don't enforce any performance curfews. I vividly remember how it felt, as a teenager hanging around the places Tull was booked to play, the afternoon of the gig...and just seeing the equipment boxes stencilled TULL.....Who knew i would still be able to experience that feeling 40 years later ? Apart from the equipment boxes stencilled TULL I hope you have the same excitement that you had 40 years ago. I'm really jealous and wish I was there. April 17th. at Newcastle City Hall seems an age away. Have a great concert Berni. Cheers John
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 17:10:31 GMT
We will be gang of about 10: me, a friend from Las Vegas, a friend from SF driving seperate and continuing on to visit family in LA, his wife, Bluehare and unspeciified companion(s), Salamander and her husband,...all meeting for dinner at the venue before the show and, maybe, storming the management office to promise we'll gamble all night if the don't enforce any performance curfews. I vividly remember how it felt, as a teenager hanging around the places Tull was booked to play, the afternoon of the gig...and just seeing the equipment boxes stencilled TULL.....Who knew i would still be able to experience that feeling 40 years later ? To think that Tull left such a lasting impression on the young. ;D cheers/cheers The master playwright urges you to play right/play wrong;will you make your exit stage left /stage right? Well, you might decide while there's still time.[/i] And remember Strike up the orchestra. Take your cues on the up-beat/Beat down Anyone who says he doesn't like the sound.
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Oct 17, 2012 20:17:43 GMT
If I win the lottery tonight .........tickets all round...plane and concert
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Oct 17, 2012 22:30:19 GMT
Located a $31.00 motel room ( yeah...I really live it up) for tonite, halfway to the gig...only problem: I need to exit on 'John Street' in Salinas and turn left on 'Work' street to get to the place...hmmmm Work and John...work and john....how will I ever remember those street names? 'A' question for Tull fans
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 23:33:02 GMT
Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson to answer, ‘Whatever Happened to Gerald Bostock?’ Music » 1972 concept album “Thick as a Brick,” 2012 follow-up to be performed at Abravanel.By david burger| The Salt Lake Tribune www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/55086413-223/anderson-bostock-brick-thick.html.cspWhen the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey was at the height of its climaxing success, Ian Anderson picked up a copy. He only made it through half of the first page before tossing it aside. In a phone interview, the Jethro Tull frontman called the best-selling novel "dreary" and "repetitive." Anderson knows a good story when he sees one. He’s a master storyteller himself, and he and his band will perform one of his greatest stories at Abravanel Hall on Monday: the twilight and dawn of the life of one Gerald Bostock. Anderson and his band will present the entirety of 1972’s "Thick as a Brick," and then the entirety of "Thick as a Brick II," Anderson’s 2012 follow-up, subtitled "Whatever Happened to Gerald Bostock?" Bostock was a fictional 8-year-old featured in that 1972 album, one of Jethro Tull’s most popular albums. "Thick as a Brick" paradoxically celebrated and parodied the idea of a concept album, which was en vogue in 1972 with albums by the likes of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Some critics even called Jethro Tull’s prior album "Aqualung" a concept album, which Anderson disputes. Ironically, "Thick as a Brick" is now regarded one of the greatest concept albums of the rock era, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts when it was released. Fans were drawn in by its time-signature changes, tempo shifts, unique compositional methods and, above all, Bostock. For decades, Anderson resisted record label reps and friends’ overtures that he should revisit the story of Bostock, whose epic poem (written by Anderson) about the trials and tribulations of a young boy inspired "Thick as a Brick." "I don’t like going back to the nostalgic time of 1972," Anderson said. But what eventually persuaded the famous flutist to return to the topic was that he found himself wrestling with a way to talk about the world and realized the character of Bostock might be an appropriate vessel to do it. Bostock, Anderson said, was a "metaphor for all of us" as we are deciding to take one or another path. He believes the story has relevance for people at both ends of the age spectrum. But Anderson didn’t want to create just one path for Bostock. Instead, he considered 20 possibilities, narrowing the choices to five potential scenarios. In "Thick as a Brick II," he envisions Bostock becoming an avaricious investment banker, a homeless man, a soldier in the Middle East, a self-righteous evangelist and an ordinary man who runs a corner store and is married and childless. As he writes in the album’s coda, "What-ifs, Maybes and Might-have-beens": We all must wonder, now and then, If things had turned out — well — just plain different. Chance path taken, page unturned or brief encounter, blossomed, splintered. Might I have been the man of courage, brave upon life’s battlefield? Captain Commerce, high-flown banker, hedonistic, down-at-heel? A Puritan of moral fiber, voice raised in praise magnificent? Or rested in assured repose, knowing my lot in quiet content? As he hopes concertgoers will realize, the life —or lives — of Gerald Bostock serve as parables that allow us to examine our own lives — much more than E.L. James could hope to. At a glance Ian Anderson’s ‘Thick as a Brick’ 1 & 2 Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson will play in a theatrical setting with his band and additional guests. When » Monday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m. Where » Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City Tickets » $36-$56 at ArtTix.org
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2012 23:43:30 GMT
Ian Anderson / Jethro Tull – Living in the Past and the Digital FutureBRAD AUERBACH Oct 17th, 2012 www.entertainmenttoday.net/music/mreview/15310/2012/10/ian-anderson-jethro-tull-living-in-the-past-and-the-digital-future/Jethro Tull is one of the poster child bands for 1970s progressive rock. Although leader Ian Anderson took his share of slings and arrows over the years, his concert grosses probably assuaged any wounds to his psyche. In fact, Led Zeppelin had the same critic/ fan bifurcation, and these two bands comprised my first four concerts. I spoke with Anderson while he was on a brief hiatus from his current tour. Comfortably ensconced in his home office, he was tidying up business before returning to the US for the second batch of live dates. He had some words about Mick Jagger, as well as Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa. Invariably, we started with Anderson’s prodigious touring record. Q: What are some of the differences in touring now and then? A: For many bands back then, it was seen as a necessary evil to promote album sales, and not at all profitable. For the Rolling Stones, with their hotels and entourage, they pretty much spent all they earned. In Tull we were more economical. Nowadays, touring is the opposite. Records are released to serve the fan base and to create promotional opportunities; most bands only gain income from touring, as digital sales revenue are tiny compared to records. Touring is easier now than back then, what with better production, better sound systems. It is easier to do the job now: book the flights, print the boarding passes at home, we are ready to go, it is much slicker in the new millennium. As to our music, we started as a little old blues band, with a focus on Black American RnB, but from 1969 with a new guitarist and our more original work, we entered a more eclectic world. We spread into genres like classical, jazz and world music. Over the years our tours fell into two categories: the generic Jethro Tull shows, with 20 songs and a well known set list. The other category is more project related, such as my solo work, orchestral shows, Christmas shows. We need to spell out the difference of these two types of tour, so that folks know what to expect. Jagger can’t do anything else than what he does. That is the delight of me being me. Jagger is so wrapped up in those songs, he never tries anything else, and the Stones are stuck in that thing they created. I am more fortunate, making a habit of varied forms of music. Q: With all that touring history, do you have one memorable tour? A: My first full orchestral tour, in Europe. I had never done it before, and it was a musical and financial challenge, touring 35 people. Also, I did an exotic acoustic tour in Ephesus, Turkey, in the venue where St. Paul preached. Elton John and Sting later toured, but the authorities have since banned shows there due to the delicate nature of the place. Q: Did American music mean much to you as you were starting out? A: My interest was limited to jazz and blues. I really had no interest in Jerry Lee Lewis or Elvis Presley. Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa were the only American musicians who had an impact on me, they were both truly American and startingly unique. I don’t really like listening to pop and rock music, I always prefer folk and classical. I always kept my head down, do my own stuff. I did not want to be part of a club or something I was supposed to join. Time ran out, before I could ask him about the current influence of Gentle Giant, his opening act when I first saw Jethro Tull. The former included Derek Shulman, who recently encouraged Anderson to revisit 1972’s Thick as a Brick. Anderson has done so, providing answers on what has become of Gerald Bostock. TAAB2 (the title a nod to how snippets of the original were referenced in the band’s setlist) will be released domestically at the end of October. It explores many of Anderson’s favorite themes, including issues of decisions made and consequences explored. The album leans more acoustic than its predecessor, with plenty of unique time signatures (further cementing his affinity for Messrs. Zappa and Beefheart). And because time ran out, I was not able to ask if he plans to run the albums in sequence or reverse order when he resumes touring. A quick internet search would provide the answer, but I prefer the old school element of surprise in this case. October 2012 Tour Dates: 17 San Diego, CA Balboa Theatre 18 Santa Ynez, CA Chumash Casino ]19 Rancho Mirage, CA Agua Caliente Casino 20 Long Beach, CA Terrance Theater Long Beach Performing Arts Center Seeking confession or inspiration? The current band, undoubtedly NOT woodshedding the blues A less hirsute head in the famous St Cleve newspaper
|
|
|
Post by maddogfagin on Oct 18, 2012 8:32:50 GMT
We will be gang of about 10: me, a friend from Las Vegas, a friend from SF driving seperate and continuing on to visit family in LA, his wife, Bluehare and unspeciified companion(s), Salamander and her husband,...all meeting for dinner at the venue before the show and, maybe, storming the management office to promise we'll gamble all night if the don't enforce any performance curfews. I vividly remember how it felt, as a teenager hanging around the places Tull was booked to play, the afternoon of the gig...and just seeing the equipment boxes stencilled TULL.....Who knew i would still be able to experience that feeling 40 years later ? Have a great concert Bernie. Say Hi to Bluehare and Salamander.
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Oct 18, 2012 22:40:44 GMT
what a bizarre place...casino in the middle of nowhere catering to senior citizens and cash toting developmentally disableds....sold out minus 20 or 30 single balcony seats..total capacity just under 2000. no sign of tull staff nor fans 4.5 hours pre-gig. will meet friend in 30 minutes....ugh...slot machine sounds and thick smoke in wifi area.' review tomorrow!!
|
|
|
Post by maddogfagin on Oct 19, 2012 7:41:51 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2012 16:26:19 GMT
Weekend is chalk full of fun - By Tim Grobaty, Columnist www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_21805831/weekend-is-chalk-full-funFRIDAY PLAYLIST: Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, sans Tull, will be performing his classic 1972 LP "Thick as a Brick," which we bought as an 8-track that year and played ceaselessly (it is, after all, a pretty ceaseless piece), in the lovely Terrace Theater at 8 p.m. Saturday. He'll also perform the less well-known follow-up, "Thick as a Brick 2." Tickets are $45 to $85. For your iPodertaninment, here are some of our faves performed by Jethro Tull and others: 1. "Aqualung," Jethro Tull 2. "A New Day Yesterday," Joe Bonamassa 3. "My God," Jethro Tull 4. "Locomotive Breath," Cowboy & Indian 5. "Thick as a Brick," Jethro Tull 6. "Living in the Past," the Connells 7. "Too Old to Rock and Roll, Too Young to Die," Jethro Tull 8. "Life's a Long Song," Fairport Convention 9. "Bourée," Jethro Tull 10. "Cross-eyed Mary," Iron Maiden
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Oct 20, 2012 6:29:17 GMT
preface: Ian is Tull...Tull is Ian...this tour is called 'Jethro Tull's an Anderson', Tull currently is a band with two drummers and two lead guitarists on the roster as well as an additional vocalist/stage presence' Is that out of the way?
yesterday, blessed with a casino that reportedly* first reneged on their original agreement to allow the full show and instead requested the 99 minute one-set version but then, for some unexplained reason, un -reneged and allowed the full, two-set show....
I saw the best Jethro Tull concert I have seen since February 6th, 1975. ( I'm tired....'nuff for now...)
* source of this info must remain anonymous.
|
|
|
Post by maddogfagin on Oct 20, 2012 7:57:27 GMT
preface: Ian is Tull...Tull is Ian...this tour is called 'Jethro Tull's an Anderson', Tull currently is a band with two drummers and two lead guitarists on the roster as well as an additional vocalist/stage presence' Is that out of the way? yesterday, blessed with a casino that reportedly* first reneged on their original agreement to allow the full show and instead requested the 99 minute one-set version but then, for some unexplained reason, un -reneged and allowed the full, two-set show.... I saw the best Jethro Tull concert I have seen since February 6th, 1975. ( I'm tired....'nuff for now...) * source of this info must remain anonymous. Look forward to reading more when you've had some sleep.
|
|
|
Post by maddogfagin on Oct 20, 2012 8:30:28 GMT
Weekend is chalk full of fun - By Tim Grobaty, Columnist www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_21805831/weekend-is-chalk-full-funFRIDAY PLAYLIST: Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, sans Tull, will be performing his classic 1972 LP "Thick as a Brick," which we bought as an 8-track that year and played ceaselessly (it is, after all, a pretty ceaseless piece), in the lovely Terrace Theater at 8 p.m. Saturday. He'll also perform the less well-known follow-up, "Thick as a Brick 2." Tickets are $45 to $85. For your iPodertaninment, here are some of our faves performed by Jethro Tull and others: 1. "Aqualung," Jethro Tull 2. "A New Day Yesterday," Joe Bonamassa 3. "My God," Jethro Tull 4. "Locomotive Breath," Cowboy & Indian 5. "Thick as a Brick," Jethro Tull 6. "Living in the Past," the Connells 7. "Too Old to Rock and Roll, Too Young to Die," Jethro Tull 8. "Life's a Long Song," Fairport Convention 9. "Bourée," Jethro Tull 10. "Cross-eyed Mary," Iron Maiden What, no Minstrel in the Gallery by Robert Berry
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Oct 20, 2012 9:05:43 GMT
preface: Ian is Tull...Tull is Ian...this tour is called 'Jethro Tull's an Anderson', Tull currently is a band with two drummers and two lead guitarists on the roster as well as an additional vocalist/stage presence' Is that out of the way? yesterday, blessed with a casino that reportedly* first reneged on their original agreement to allow the full show and instead requested the 99 minute one-set version but then, for some unexplained reason, un -reneged and allowed the full, two-set show.... I saw the best Jethro Tull concert I have seen since February 6th, 1975. ( I'm tired....'nuff for now...) * source of this info must remain anonymous. Look forward to hearing ....everything ;D
|
|
|
Post by bunkerfan on Oct 20, 2012 9:08:22 GMT
preface: Ian is Tull...Tull is Ian...this tour is called 'Jethro Tull's an Anderson', Tull currently is a band with two drummers and two lead guitarists on the roster as well as an additional vocalist/stage presence' Is that out of the way? yesterday, blessed with a casino that reportedly* first reneged on their original agreement to allow the full show and instead requested the 99 minute one-set version but then, for some unexplained reason, un -reneged and allowed the full, two-set show.... I saw the best Jethro Tull concert I have seen since February 6th, 1975. ( I'm tired....'nuff for now...) * source of this info must remain anonymous. Wake up Bernie we need your review NOW!
|
|
|
Post by bunkerfan on Oct 20, 2012 14:22:03 GMT
"Ian Anderson played at the Chumash Casino last night. His group played the entire "Thick as a Brick" album and "Locomotive Breath" as an encore. An old rocker that just gets better with age!"
|
|
tullist
Master Craftsman
Posts: 478
|
Post by tullist on Oct 20, 2012 15:52:54 GMT
Probably should wait til I've had my coffee but so true does that ring Bernie, re Ian is Tull, that I must respond. A unnappealing but very true assessment that I have stood by for some time, but very much illucidated by the pre Brick assault by much of the fan base on things down to Ian's very character, financial concerns, etc, ad fricking nauseum. And usually from those with noses stuck very securely in whatever their notions are of Ian's or Tull's "prog" years, a music often rife with boredom and musical "skills" usually badly aced by your average jazz or classical musician. And don't get me started on 'neo prog, do the first of these f**ks have a notion of a good song to go along with their wizardry? Thinking even of Porcupine Tree. Obviously not to be confused with whether one was fond of this or that or all prior associates, even in the cases of notably gifted operators such as Martin Barre or Barrie Barlow, but ain't jack happenin without the Anderson boy. I mean not even an itty bitty bit. I will always go with what that writer, I think Coleman may be his last name, that was quoted on the 25 year set I think who said of IA, "Here beats the heart of a lion."
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2012 16:14:16 GMT
Wait, I'm confused here. Ian Anderson is God, Martin Barre is Tull, right? And found in that God, that's you, me & Martin? Right?
;D I like the bible where everything said by Jesus is in red.
|
|
|
Post by steelmonkey on Oct 20, 2012 16:51:01 GMT
wait...I thought Eric Clapton was God...God is in the details....and someone shot the sherrif and let the dogs out.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2012 16:59:28 GMT
wait...I thought Eric Clapton was God...God is in the details....and someone shot the sherrif and let the dogs out. Old news for such a young guy. <laugh stifled
|
|