Is there concrete all around or is it in my head?

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I don’t tend to do too many truly "personal" posts on my journal preferring to use it to keep a record of stuff I’ve had printed elsewhere or reviews that I do just for fun. But today was such a terrible day that it needed marking in some way. I haven’t many days recently when my work just got so on top of me that I wanted to run away and be someone else but this was really one of them. I’ve been abused and misused and verbally assaulted. Tomorrow, I have to begin all over again with a day full of appointments and meetings with people I don’t know and at the moment I don’t know where I am going to get the stamina from to do that. For a person who ends up in one way or another having a very public profile, I’m very insecure and when something like this happens I become very shy and introverted and just want to run away. At the moment I feel overloaded and not ready to face anything so I thought I’d post this as a marker in the sand of my life because I don’t want to be here too often.

Threw it All Away

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Leyton Orient 2   Leeds United 2
7th April 2009 @ Brisbane Road, London

Leeds United dominated the first half of both halves of this game so completely but managed to undo their chances of a conclusive win by taking their foot off the pedal the longer both sections of the game went on.

Robert Snodgrass was the star for Leeds and he scored a goal in both halves of the game. The second came from a penalty given when Demetriou handled to keep out a shot from Luciano Becchio.

Becchio, as always, worked tirelessly but there was little contribution from his strike partner, Liam Dickinson (currently on loan from Derby County) who was in the team to cover for the injured Jermaine Beckford. Dickinson seemed over-matched and lightweight against opposition that had little to offer until the closing minutes of the second half. He was eventually replaced by Andy Robinson.

Demetriou’s handball saw him red-carded and this meant that Orient were functioning with 10 men for the last half hour making it even more embarrassing that Leeds did not press home their advantage.

Fabian Delph showed invention and vigour but Howson and Kilkenny, his midfield partners, were very quiet and Leeds missed having Jonathan Douglas in midfield. Douglas has been slotted into the right back role since injury to Frazer Richardson left a vacancy in that role.

Captain Richard Naylor was forceful in defence and well-partnered by Rui Marques who was restored to the team because of injury to Sam Sodje. Marques was firm and showed real class but along with goalkeeper, Casper Ankergren may have been responsible for the first goal Leeds conceded.

Leyton seldom looked like scoring but somehow scrambled a late equaliser and Leeds were left with only themselves to blame. Church’s 85th minute goal sent the Orient fans into surprised ecstasy. They only just out-numbered the visiting fans and it was the home team who had looked like they expected to lose from the beginning – the fans took their lead from the demeanour of the team and were as quiet as a mouse until they crept back in and stole a point against all the odds.
 

And one more……

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I said:

"On the bench? I’d expect to see Nick Swisher (33), Melky Cabrera (53), Ramiro Pena (he’s been using 90, I think)."

They said:

"The Yankees finalized their Opening Day roster on Saturday, selecting infielder Ramiro Pena as the club’s 25th man over former American League Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa."

The aspect of this that did catch me unawares was that the Yankees removed Dan Giese from their forty man roster to make room for Pena. Giese was a vital part of the roster last season and only just missed out on the last pitching slot. I hope he catches on with another Major League outfit before too long. He gaves us some vital innings last year.

Another Yankees prediction comes true……..

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From Major League Baseball.com:

"The Yankees continued to finalize what will be their Opening Day roster on Tuesday, informing right-handed reliever Jonathan Albaladejo that he will be heading north to New York.

The decision means that the Yankees will not have a dedicated long reliever to begin the season. Alfredo Aceves, Dan Giese and Brett Tomko were all sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, along with catcher Kevin Cash. "

Back to Baseball……..

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With the new season almost upon us, it’s time to catch up on what’s been happening in Spring Training and beyond……

The Yankees had the worst news going into Spring Training as the detail broke that Alex Rodriguez had used steroids whilst with his previous club, Texas Rangers. Rodriguez, in a fair world, should be serving a lengthy suspension but because of the time in which this happened no punitive action has been taken.

Fortunately / unfortunately, it was revealed that A-Rod was carrying a hip problem and would need surgery resulting in him being out of the mix for two-three months. This enabled the rest of the team to get on with the matter in hand without the spotlight caused by their team-mate’s behaviour.

Being able to concentrate on baseball served them well and the Yankees have produced the record of all those in the "Grapefruit League" (training teams based in Florida). They’ve won 20, lost 10 and tied 1.

What does this mean for the team we’ll see for the first series of the regular season?

The injured Alex Rodriguez will be replaced by Cody Ransom who has hit .262 in the Spring. Back-up for that position? Well, my money would be on either Ramiro Pena or Angel Berroa. Both were non-roster invitees to training. Berroa has hit well but Pena looks the better in the field.

Last year’s bright hopes, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes were both re-assigned to minor league camp some time ago. Hughes had a good Spring and is unfortunate. Kennedy will probably hawk his attitude in another town if he wants to get back to the Majors.

Suprise of the Spring was Japanese left-hander, Kei Igawa who pitched extremely well giving up only 1 run in his appearances as a reliever. He didn’t make the cut but could also find a job elsewhere.

Brett Gardner beat out Melky Cabrera for the centrefielder’s job. I’m sad about this one but I suspect that Melky’s cards have been marked against him since he was re-assigned to Scranton during August last year.

Last major issue to be decided? Who will pitch in long-relief? Alfredo Aceves, Dan Giese and non-roster man Bret Tomko have all been used in that role but it seems that Girardi might not go with any of them. The money is on Jonathan Albaladejo getting the last spot on the roster. He won’t be used for as many innings so this will put extra weight on the starters.

So who will we see?

1B – Mark Teixeira. (25). New signing who has had a quiet Spring.
2B – Robinson Cano (24). Needs to improve on last year.
3B – Cody Ransom (12). Will be over-matched and is a streaky hitter. But he has none of the hoop-la surrounding A-Rod.
SS – Derek Jeter (2). Has had negative press for his fielding performance but I don’t see that he’s as bad as they say.
LF – Johnny Damon (18). Another quiet Spring but he should be ready on the day.
CF – Brett Gardner (11). I’d have preferred to see Melky but I wish him well.
RF – Xavier Nady (22). Beat out Nick Swisher in what was really a no-contest.
C – Jorge Posada (20) / Jose Molina (26). Could still be either of them on opening day. Posada hasn’t seen much time behind the plate in the Spring
DH – Hideki Matsui (55). Coming off surgery. Swisher is waiting in the wings.

Starting Pitchers:

CC Sabathia (52)
AJ Burnett (34)
Chien Ming-Wang (40)
Andy Pettitte (46)
Joba Chamberlain (62)

All of the starters have come through a relatively successful Spring and the rotation is as expected.

Relief Pitchers:

Jonathan Albaladejo (63)
Brian Bruney (38)
Phil Coke (48)
Damaso Marte (43)
Edwar Ramirez (36)
Jose Veras (41)
Mariano Rivera (42)

On the bench? I’d expect to see Nick Swisher (33), Melky Cabrera (53), Ramiro Pena (he’s been using 90, I think).

Prediction? If they can avoid being daunted by the A-Rod circus when he returns, I expect them to win the American League East.

New Albums on the Horizon (and an old title just to spice the pot)

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Two of the artists I respect most have new albums coming in the next few weeks.

First up is Bob Dylan whose new album is due on cd and vinyl on the 28th of April. I think the artwork is dreadful but I’m sure the musical content will be better. It’s called "Together Through Life"

Next is John Foxx who, as I’ve mentioned before, has been working with Robin Guthrie. Their album will also be on cd and vinyl and will appear the first week in May. It’s called "Mirrorball".

On a more personal note, I’ve been working on remastering the sound on three albums for a band from the 70s and 80s called Sad Cafe. I now have a provisional release date for the first of these. The album also called Sad Cafe will be on Renaissance Records in the States on the 21st of April.

I mentioned John Foxx. Another album he has been busy on dropped through my letterbox this morning. This time he’s worked with Steve D’Agostino and Steve Jansen (ex-Japan). I’ve not shown the artwork for this one before so here goes:

Mr Foxx is frighteningly prolific.

What other discs would I recommend at the moment?

Walter Becker – Circus Money (not just because I was involved in the release of this one)
Alice Cooper – Along Came A Spider (oh, another one I was involved in)
Mostly Autumn – Glass Shadows
Bob Dylan – Tell Tale Signs
Revue Noir (Debut EP – featuring Sam Rosenthal from black tape for a blue girl)
Sam Yahel Trio – In the Blink of An Eye
Rubicks – In Miniature
Frankie Valli – Romancing the Sixties (one for the nostalgists – but very good!)
Marie-Juliette Beer – The Garden
Barclay James Harvest – Revolution Days (just happens to feature Ian Wilson and Mike Byron-Hehir from Sad Cafe, did I mention I’ve been remastering for them)
Bob James – Urban Flamingo
Saviour Machine – Legend 1
Son Volt – On Chant and Strum
Danilo Perez – Panama Suite
Richie Furay Band – Alive (Catch my interview with him on Cross Rhythms on the web and in Natural Progressions Magazine in the world of print)

Enough for now………….

 

A Heavy-Handed and Stormy Tempest

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Thursday Night, 12 March 2009
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
RSC Courtyard Theatre, Stratford

Another night with the RSC and another lesson in handling Shakespeare when the director wants to “discover” a flavour of a modern theme in the midst of the script. Janice Honeyman believes that The Tempest will speak powerfully to the world of European Colonialism and African slavery. I believe that her direction and the text’s natural moral direction are at odds with each other and that her insistence on making this idea central to the production may have swamped the play just as badly as Alonso’s ship is swamped by Prospero’s magic.

Continue reading →

I don’t like the scenery, I don’t like the set…….

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I’m not exactly known for regular attendance at the cinema and I don’t watch a lot of films.

But when I do I tend to gravitate towards older titles – today’s cinema seems to have very little to offer.

I spent some time this last week with two older films both of which I would recommend – one of which I picked up when it was recommended on my Friend’s Page.

Jean Cocteau’s Orphee and A Matter of Life and Death which stars David Niven and Kim Hunter were the two. Of these, I think Orphee has the edge but I’d recommend you give both some of your time

…… Mostly Average

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It wasn’t just the promise of tickets waiting for me on the door that drew me back for a second night with Mostly Autumn. I’d enjoyed the first night and I was interested to see how the previous night’s shenanigans would effect the prospect of recording a live album at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire (a venue I don’t like but, hey, I live just round the corner). Would Heather’s "scratchiness" (her term) floor the attempt at making a live album? Would the live album be released with a fill-in vocalist or be aborted all-together? Hey, it’s a hard rock soap……… The answers as always fell somewhere in between the obvious guesses.

Tonight, the band have more than adequate space to flex their musical and physical muscles. Unlike in Mancester, they’re not all stood on top of one another, eight musicians on a stage built for three. The audience can actually see Iain Jennings. Not least because he’s lost the top keyboard of the three on his tower. Anne-Marie Helder can get out from behind her keys when she is playing the flute and Andy Smith can wander the stage at will which makes him look just a little more Spinal Tap than he did last night…..

The setlist is the same as last night on the whole with those songs that were dropped because of Heather’s health mostly restored to the line-up. Eye contact between Josh and her is restored and there is even signs of some humour between the pair. Inbetween song comments are kept to a minimum in the spirit of the intention to capture this for a live recording without too many fake fades being required. The band members still have an irritating habit of leaving the stage when the songs do not require them to be there which looks unprofessional but that is their choice, I guess. All is well, the mix is better than the night before and except for one peculiar moment when Ms. Findlay seems to be asking the sound engineer to take her down in the mix (down???) there is none of the problems from the previous night which could have been interpreted as being a little prima-donna-ish……

And then Heather introduces "Above the Blue" from the new album "Glass Shadows". Now this isn’t my favourite song from that set. To these ears, it all sounds a little too much like the Carpenters. But Heather obviously believes in it. She has dedicated it to her baby and her partner and for her it is obvious that this is one of the key moments of the night. Perhaps it all meant a little too much. The band all left the stage except Anne-Marie who plays delicate and sensitive keys and for the first two verses all is well. But Heather has decided that a snare-drum has been left taut and is causing an intrusive echo or click and all of a sudden the song is off and needs to be begun again. There is some yelling and some semi-humorous comments aimed at the drummer who showed no signs of taking it all personally (I think most would have done). The audience are very much on the band’s side and take it in good spirits and the song is started all over again – for the good of the live recording. There is one moment when the security guard at the front of the stage allows his walkie-talkie to go off mid-song second time around and just for a second I think we’re going to have the same problem again but Heather digs down deep and completes her song. Strange.

The rest of the show goes off mostly without incident. The band are tight, energetic and enthusiastic and, most importantly, unphased by what has gone before. Anne-Marie Helder, still battling with her sounds been way too low in the mix, has real talent and charisma. Olivia Sparnenn takes her moment in the spotlight (smaller tonight) with aplomb. And Bryan Josh masters it all, level-headed, thoughtful, talented.

The first encore, Tearing at the Faerytale, which was missing last night is restored and goes very well indeed. The band are all set for "Carpe Diem" from "Storms Over Still Water" which had been a major highlight the night before when Heather shows Bryan "thumbs down" and the song has to be skipped and the bemused band move on to the final encore. The final encore is a cover of Genesis’ "Turn it on Again". The night before with Olivia having to handle lead at short notice and the band overwhelmed by complex timing, they had murdered this. Tonight, with Heather on vocals but the band still a little at sea, it is a little better. It is fun but not the big finish its meant to be.

So over two nights, Mostly Autumn showed themselves capable of scaling "Half the Mountain" but health (and personnel?) issues kept them from any kind of peak. Whether this is a temporary blip or sees the band heading for winter, only time will tell……..  

Anne-Marie Helder

Iain Jennings

Bryan Josh

Andy Smith and Heather Findlay

Goodnight and Thank you


(Combined) Set list for the last two nights

Fading Colours
Caught In A Fold
Flowers For Guns
Unoriginal Sin
Simple Ways
Evergreen
Winter Mountain
Dark Before The Dawn
Answer The Question
Last Bright Light
<<Above The Blue >> second night
Half The Mountain
Close My Eyes
Broken Glass
Never The Rainbow
Pocket Watch
Spirit II
Heroes Never Die

 

<<Tearing at the faerytale>> Second Night

<< Carpe Diem>> first night
Turn It On Again

Moderately Autumn………

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Friday night found me in Manchester, considering another writing gig and checking out the possible subjects – Mostly Autumn. I understood Saturday night’s show in London was to be recorded for a live album and I wanted to catch this band when they weren’t just so – and it proved to be a good decision.
Mostly Autumn. They are the band who really define what it means to be "indie" and internet-driven. "Indie" not in the sense of any contrived musical style – I’m never sure what that label means in that sense. It seems its possible to be "indie" and the slaves of one of the corporate giants although the equally unpleasant term "britpop" seems to be back to the forefront at the moment. And internet driven not in the sense of Lily Allen who had a large budget to ensure she was discovered on "MySpace" and not in the sense of Sandi Thom whose discovery seems to have lasted for approximately one song but in the sense of a band who have independently launched a succession of reasonably successful albums via that medium and who have created a niche audience for themselves who are clearly with them for the longhaul.

Mostly Autumn. Darlings of the prog rock scene who, thankfully, aren’t really prog rock. Mostly Autumn who gather fans who’d rather watch Pink Floyd but have found the Floyd are Mostly not around anymore. Mostly Autumn – who seem to have passed their peak without ever charting an album – can they ever be more than a second division band?

Friday night at the Manchester University Academy. Eight musicians on the smallest stage of three. All busy tonight. Mostly Autumn are (having gone through a number of personnel changes which perhaps hints at their problems) :

Bryan Josh. band leader. lead and rhythm guitar. vocals. old-style rocker and the one they audience feel is their friend.
Heather Findlay. vocals. guitar. whistle. tambourine. Dresses like Stevie Nicks, looks like Christine McVie.
Anne-Marie Helder. Keyboards. flute. harmony vocals. Her sound is too low in the mix.
Olivia Sparnenn. Vocals. Youngest member who finds herself with extra duties tonight.
Iain Jennings. Keyboards. Didn’t play on the most recent album but is back in the touring band.
Andy Smith. Bassist. Looks like and dresses like Bill Nighy when he was a strange fruit.
Liam Davidson. Acoustic guitar, 2nd lead and rhythm guitar. Another returnee to the fold.
Henry Bourne. Drummer. Solid.

The show, on Friday, got off to a solid enough start with "Fading Colours" but it soon becomes evident that all is not well. There is a sharp exchange of words between Heather Findlay and Bryan Josh and then an announcement that Olivia Sparnenn will stand in for Findlay for the bulk of the rest of the show. Now, Olivia is a strong vocalist (some would say stronger than Heather – check out her own band, Breathing Space) but it is Heather that the audience have come to see and this should have been sorted prior to the show with the show perhaps cancelled until all were well. But this show has been rearranged once already and there is a consideration about that live album show tomorrow night (and the income that will generate) and it seems that Heather has unilaterally decided that her voice must be rested. Certainly there is no eye contact between her and Josh for the rest of the night and it seems that there is a tension amongst the camp.

Internal issues aside, this is a tight show and the fill-in vocalist is more than up for it. Highlights? "Unoriginal Sin", "Evergreen", "Broken Glass", "Carpe Diem", the vocal version of "Spirits of Autumn Past", and a number of others. There are one or two moments when the band get bogged down in their own boogie and you’re caused to think that this is what it might have been like if Saxon had hired Stevie Nicks as their vocalist but they transcend that most of the time.

Josh is not quite the vocalist he is in the studio (where his sound reminds me of the late-Genesis and sometime-Stiltskin vocalist Ray Wilson) but is guitar work is interchangeably forceful and dynamic then thoughtful and provocative. Smith, Davidson and Bourne are a solid backline and rhythm section. Helder is a real talent and Sparnenn handles the change-overs like a pro and excels herself.

All-in-all, a difficult night but a good night. It remains to be seen whether the band can overcome those tensions and these setbacks.

Bryan Josh

Heather Findlay

Olivia Sparnenn