Earlier this week I caught Steve Winwood in concert at the Westbury Music Fair, now corporately re-named the North Fork Theater at Westbury. I hadn't planned on attending the show, but a friend offered up a ticket and away I went.
Winwood is one of rock's true journey men, from his breakout single "Gimme Some Lovin'" with the Spencer Davis Group recorded at the age of 16, through the seminal rock band Traffic and what was arguably the first "super group" Blind Faith. Then he experienced a successful solo career with the landmark album "Arc Of A Diver" and later with such radio friendly hits as "Higher Love" and "Back In The Highlife." Known mainly as keyboardist and a great one at that, Winwood is a flat out kick-ass guitarist as well as a fine vocalist. All three aspects of his talent were on display the other night.
He touched on all aspects of his long career with a set that included I'm A Man, Freedom Rider, Glad, Can't Find My Way Back Home, The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys, and Dear Mr. Fantasy as well as the aforementioned Gimme Some Lovin, Higher Love and Back In The Highlife.
Looking spry and loose behind the Hammond B3, Winwood led a band that consisted of a guitarist, sax/flutist (who also played the Hammond) a drummer and a percussionist. With no bass player on stage, Winwood handled that himself via the organ bass pedals. While very capable at this, the addition of a bassist on stage would have added to the sound.
The band itself was certainly talented. The guitarist, who played a weird headless guitar through a Fender Cybertwin sounded very processed and left me cold. Nothing he played really stood out and when Winwood picked up his strat for Dear Mr. Fantasy - the highpoint of the show for me - it was a relief to hear some "regular" sounding guitar. The two percussionists, one behind a kit and the other behind a set of congas, were very good - but I could only think of how much better the rhythm section would have been with an actual bass player. The sax player mimiced the late Chris Wood's honking sax and breathy flute sounds and even played through a wah-wah pedal.
The main problem with the band - and with Winwood himself - is that as talented as they may be, it was inherently boring. I like Traffic alot, but you have to admit that even their most classic tunes can be called exciting. Not that this is a bad thing, but after a couple of hours it tends to wear a bit thin.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Monday, April 25, 2005
Maybe 2 Clowns and the Flying Elvi?
With Liam's first birthday soon approaching, Lizz and I have been knocking ideas about his party back and forth. I questioned the whole idea of making such a big deal about his first birthday. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing milestone and the first of many in his life. But as far as celebrating I really don't think that he is going to get much out of any extra bells and whistles that we can throw up on that day. An extra bottle might make him happy, but that's about it. My thinking was to wait until he can absorb more of the situation, but I can see that my thinking is a bit off. The first birthday is to be celebrated and so we shall celebrate.
This weekend we attended a first birthday party for little Annalise, Lizz's cousin Lisa's third child. Lisa and Eugene are great people, loving parents and generous hosts and their affairs, while they seem to be a bit over the top, are always centered around their family and friends. I was surprised to see that they were hosting this one at home and calling it a "pizza party." Actually it was held in the street in front of their house. And while there was pizza there was also one of those giant bouncy castles. And a tent. And a popcorn machine. And a cotton candy machine. And a face painter. And sand art. And Barney. And goats and ducks. And ponies.
Liam, always interested in new surroundings, was most happy with his bottle.
Now we are not ones to get involved with a "can you top this" sort of thing. We had decided on holding the party at this room for rent at the Northport marina. Nice little room, hopefully some good food and a nice day by the water. Try as I may not to compare, all I can think of is jeez - what are we going to do? Lizz talked about having a face painter. What? No goats? No Ponies? No giant bouncy castle? Granted we won't have as many kids in attendance - and after all, it is all about the kids. Will Liam be upset because there won't be some guy in a smelly, bad fitting suit? Highly doubtful.
This weekend we attended a first birthday party for little Annalise, Lizz's cousin Lisa's third child. Lisa and Eugene are great people, loving parents and generous hosts and their affairs, while they seem to be a bit over the top, are always centered around their family and friends. I was surprised to see that they were hosting this one at home and calling it a "pizza party." Actually it was held in the street in front of their house. And while there was pizza there was also one of those giant bouncy castles. And a tent. And a popcorn machine. And a cotton candy machine. And a face painter. And sand art. And Barney. And goats and ducks. And ponies.
Liam, always interested in new surroundings, was most happy with his bottle.
Now we are not ones to get involved with a "can you top this" sort of thing. We had decided on holding the party at this room for rent at the Northport marina. Nice little room, hopefully some good food and a nice day by the water. Try as I may not to compare, all I can think of is jeez - what are we going to do? Lizz talked about having a face painter. What? No goats? No Ponies? No giant bouncy castle? Granted we won't have as many kids in attendance - and after all, it is all about the kids. Will Liam be upset because there won't be some guy in a smelly, bad fitting suit? Highly doubtful.
Friday, April 22, 2005
A Few Words About The Yankees - Update
Ok, so I was wrong. The Sox won the whole thing. As the t-shirts around the Stadium point out "even Idiots get lucky every once and while."
And now the new season is underway and the boys seem to be getting on track - finally. I don't know what's up with Randy Johnson - and don't get me started about Kevin Brown. Still the last few games feel good, the staff is settling down and the bats are getting lively.
Across town the Mets are having fun. Which wouldn't be a bad thing except for all the Met fans.
It's a long season, kids.
And now the new season is underway and the boys seem to be getting on track - finally. I don't know what's up with Randy Johnson - and don't get me started about Kevin Brown. Still the last few games feel good, the staff is settling down and the bats are getting lively.
Across town the Mets are having fun. Which wouldn't be a bad thing except for all the Met fans.
It's a long season, kids.
Bruce Springsteen - Solo In Asbury Park
Last night I saw the first of two rehearsal shows that Bruce Springsteen is performing at Convention Hall in aspire Park. My sister Luann scored these tickets on-line after being shut out of the tour's closest stop in New Jersey at the Meadowlands Theater. She is going to see him in Virginia being the non-stop mega-fan that she is.
I had my concerns about seeing Bruce solo. I have seen him perform hundreds of times over the past few decades and every show has been a memorable experience with two exceptions - his stop at the Nassau Coliseum with the "traitor" band during the E-Streeter's hiatus and the solo set at the Beacon during the "Ghost of Tom Joad" tour.
For that solo tour, there seemed to be this self-imposed seriousness throughout the entire evening. Bruce was heavy into that open-tuning twelve-string sound and stuck to guitar all night. He also seemed to be put off by the idiots in the crowd that evening who insisted on clapping along and shouting out songs during the performances, despite repeated requests by Springsteen to give it a rest. He also stuck to guitar that evening even though his solo piano performances had been highlights at E-Street shows throughout the years. He featured the Joad album but even the other material he played was re-arranged to match the somber mood of that record, making some of his darker songs down right depressing.
Last night was a whole different affair.
First of all, Bruce has come a long way as an acoustic player. He played the twelve-string on a few songs last night, but there wasn't a slide in sight. His finger picking is great and his sense of dynamics - always a strong point - was used to great success. He also played piano on a number of tunes, bringing in a different dynamic to break up the night.
The new songs also show growth - from an already excellent songwriter. Like Dylan, his ultra-wordy lyric days may be behind him, but there is a new strength in his simplicity that instantly takes hold of the listener and strokes gives you a true sense of place and character. He took the time to discuss most of the new songs, which was a great insight into the lyrics. A lot of the songs on the "Devils and Dust" album are based around the relationship between mother and son, including "Jesus Was An Only Son" and "Black Cowboys." There was a very moving tune called "Matamoras Banks" which details the story of a border crossing gone bad. The song actually unfolds backwards with the first verse finding the singer drowned at the bottom of a river he attempted to cross, the second verse making the decision to jump in and the first detailing the trek across the desert towards a hopefully better life.
He played plenty of songs from throughout his career. A couple of tunes from "The Rising" where given slightly different arrangements for the solo performance - the title track and "Lonesome Day." While it was good to hear them, I missed the emotional impact of the full band versions mostly on these two songs. However, an energetic version of "Further On Down The Road" rocked as hard as the full band's recording. Solo versions of "For You," "Highway Patrolman," and "My Home Town" were spot on. The highlights for me were a totally reworked version of "The Promised Land" on which he played flamenco-style percussion on his trademark black Takamine and a straight ahead "Lost In The Flood" on the piano. "This Hard Land" and a great version of "Tougher Than The Rest" also stood out.
The crowd was great. I don't know if it had to do with the nature of tickets - you were only able to purchase a pair for each show - but they were respectful all night long. Maybe it had to do with Bruce's introduction where he emphatically stated "Turn your cell phones off" and told audience members to "feel free and beat the crap out of anyone making too much noise." Fortunately for all involved, I don't believe that anyone in the audience came to blows.
All in all a great night. Next week - the man himself, Bob Dylan.
I had my concerns about seeing Bruce solo. I have seen him perform hundreds of times over the past few decades and every show has been a memorable experience with two exceptions - his stop at the Nassau Coliseum with the "traitor" band during the E-Streeter's hiatus and the solo set at the Beacon during the "Ghost of Tom Joad" tour.
For that solo tour, there seemed to be this self-imposed seriousness throughout the entire evening. Bruce was heavy into that open-tuning twelve-string sound and stuck to guitar all night. He also seemed to be put off by the idiots in the crowd that evening who insisted on clapping along and shouting out songs during the performances, despite repeated requests by Springsteen to give it a rest. He also stuck to guitar that evening even though his solo piano performances had been highlights at E-Street shows throughout the years. He featured the Joad album but even the other material he played was re-arranged to match the somber mood of that record, making some of his darker songs down right depressing.
Last night was a whole different affair.
First of all, Bruce has come a long way as an acoustic player. He played the twelve-string on a few songs last night, but there wasn't a slide in sight. His finger picking is great and his sense of dynamics - always a strong point - was used to great success. He also played piano on a number of tunes, bringing in a different dynamic to break up the night.
The new songs also show growth - from an already excellent songwriter. Like Dylan, his ultra-wordy lyric days may be behind him, but there is a new strength in his simplicity that instantly takes hold of the listener and strokes gives you a true sense of place and character. He took the time to discuss most of the new songs, which was a great insight into the lyrics. A lot of the songs on the "Devils and Dust" album are based around the relationship between mother and son, including "Jesus Was An Only Son" and "Black Cowboys." There was a very moving tune called "Matamoras Banks" which details the story of a border crossing gone bad. The song actually unfolds backwards with the first verse finding the singer drowned at the bottom of a river he attempted to cross, the second verse making the decision to jump in and the first detailing the trek across the desert towards a hopefully better life.
He played plenty of songs from throughout his career. A couple of tunes from "The Rising" where given slightly different arrangements for the solo performance - the title track and "Lonesome Day." While it was good to hear them, I missed the emotional impact of the full band versions mostly on these two songs. However, an energetic version of "Further On Down The Road" rocked as hard as the full band's recording. Solo versions of "For You," "Highway Patrolman," and "My Home Town" were spot on. The highlights for me were a totally reworked version of "The Promised Land" on which he played flamenco-style percussion on his trademark black Takamine and a straight ahead "Lost In The Flood" on the piano. "This Hard Land" and a great version of "Tougher Than The Rest" also stood out.
The crowd was great. I don't know if it had to do with the nature of tickets - you were only able to purchase a pair for each show - but they were respectful all night long. Maybe it had to do with Bruce's introduction where he emphatically stated "Turn your cell phones off" and told audience members to "feel free and beat the crap out of anyone making too much noise." Fortunately for all involved, I don't believe that anyone in the audience came to blows.
All in all a great night. Next week - the man himself, Bob Dylan.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Just a few words about the Yankees
First of all - and this is most definitely not sour grapes - the wildcard sucks. Why would we want to reward anyone for coming in second? It's almost un-American. I guess it's here to stay, but they could have easily added another division and had winners play winners, not also-rans. But anyway ...
We were beaten, badly. It was somewhat of a miracle that we even got that far with the miserable excuse of a pitching staff we put on the field this year. Boston's staff - with the exception of Pedro - was awesome.
Now Boston fans have to decide if this was the "greatest collapse" or the "greatest comeback" in baseball history. Either way they are getting way ahead of themselves. Because St. Louis is going to kick their butts (i am calling it in 5) and when the dust settles on the 2004 baseball season, the Yankees will still have won the division, the Cards will have won the series and the Red Sox will be the holders of a meaningless ALCS championship, tainted by the inclusion of the wildcard.
And to all you idiotic Met fans who somehow manage to feel that the Yankee loss makes their pathetic existence any better - get lost and get a life.
We were beaten, badly. It was somewhat of a miracle that we even got that far with the miserable excuse of a pitching staff we put on the field this year. Boston's staff - with the exception of Pedro - was awesome.
Now Boston fans have to decide if this was the "greatest collapse" or the "greatest comeback" in baseball history. Either way they are getting way ahead of themselves. Because St. Louis is going to kick their butts (i am calling it in 5) and when the dust settles on the 2004 baseball season, the Yankees will still have won the division, the Cards will have won the series and the Red Sox will be the holders of a meaningless ALCS championship, tainted by the inclusion of the wildcard.
And to all you idiotic Met fans who somehow manage to feel that the Yankee loss makes their pathetic existence any better - get lost and get a life.
Monday, September 20, 2004
Liam Francis Prisco
It all happened on July 16, 2004.
That was the day that Liam came into our world and just like everybody had been telling me for the last nine months or so, everything in my world was about to change.
We had visited the doctor the day before and when Lizz came out of the examination room she calmly stated, "we're going to the hospital." As in, right now. Her blood pressure had been a little high, so the doctor determined it was go time. She was going to be admitted and labor would be induced. We were giddy as we drove home to get her bag and then back into town to the hospital. Lizz was ready, and I was as ready as I would ever be.
We didn't take any Lamaze classes, didn't watch any videos. We sat through a little lecture at the hospital, but it wasn't very detailed. So basically I had no real idea of what was to come. I figured I would be surrounded by people who knew what they were doing, did this every day and would tell me what I should and shouldn't do.
We got to Huntington Hospital and Lizz checked in. They have these very nice birthing suites - private rooms with all the pleasures of home - plus a bed that converts into a delivery table. I sat around for a while and somebody eventually told me to go home. My plan was working.
They induced Lizz the next morning and by the time I arrived she was already in major discomfort. Various doctors and nurses popped into the room, taking blood and generally doing what they do. Eventually the pain became too much for Lizz and the epidoral was scheduled. That brought Lizz to a happy place, but Liam was not being cooperative. After a few pushing attempts, the doctor explained to us that the baby was experience some stress, and although she said we could still deliver if she didn't like what she saw she would recommend a c-section. That being said, if we wanted we could just go to a c-section rather than wait out hours of pushing and pain. She said that she would leave the room and give us time to discuss it but before she even turned around Lizz said, "Let's do it!"
From that minute it was go time. The teams were assembled. The doctor and anethesiologist took us step by step through the procedure. Lizz was wheeled into the surgery room and I got into my one-size-fits-all hospital outfit. 45 minutes from the time Lizz gave the OK, Liam Francis came into our lives.
Its now been three months since that day and every day has been enhanced by this little guy. We have been lucky - he is a happy, healthy baby. Sleeps through the night now. Lots of smiles and we are getting into some real interaction, making it very hard to leave him in the morning. Like everyone says, it changes everything.
Saturday, August 07, 2004
They Grow Up So Fast!
Can you believe it?
Liam Francis has been with us for three weeks now and it has been three weeks of totally amazing joy. Needless to say, things went as good as possible for mother and child. We were blessed with a beautiful baby boy who seems to have come with a wonderful frame of mind. So far, only a bit of fuss when he's hungry - with is pretty much all the time - but a bottle and he is good to go. I know nobody is reading this but I just felt bad that I almost immediately abandoned yet another blog and I want to keep this up to date. I will detail all of the details in the next post. Now, I must get a bottle to the boy!
Liam Francis has been with us for three weeks now and it has been three weeks of totally amazing joy. Needless to say, things went as good as possible for mother and child. We were blessed with a beautiful baby boy who seems to have come with a wonderful frame of mind. So far, only a bit of fuss when he's hungry - with is pretty much all the time - but a bottle and he is good to go. I know nobody is reading this but I just felt bad that I almost immediately abandoned yet another blog and I want to keep this up to date. I will detail all of the details in the next post. Now, I must get a bottle to the boy!
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
A Son
Here we are, three days past the due date. I am anxiously, nervously waiting for the arrival of my son. My son! I was not sure that I would ever use those words in that combination, but he is coming, and coming very soon. Still unamed with Kal Ellis as the forerunner. Last night I tried out Wilem Francis, but that received a less than overwhelming response.
I was surprised as can be when Lizz accepted Clark Kent's Kryptonian name as a possiblity. And then when she came up with Ellis as a middle name, completing the Kal-El combo, I was besides myself. She had no idea about the House of El and even after I explained to her she didn't recoil in horror. So perhaps we will welcome Kal Ellis Prisco into the world in a day or two.
I was surprised as can be when Lizz accepted Clark Kent's Kryptonian name as a possiblity. And then when she came up with Ellis as a middle name, completing the Kal-El combo, I was besides myself. She had no idea about the House of El and even after I explained to her she didn't recoil in horror. So perhaps we will welcome Kal Ellis Prisco into the world in a day or two.
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