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Phoenix as night falls from my parents backyard

On a very short hike around the neighborhood

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I was in Phoenix for Christmas with the fam and Jeff Tweedy happened to be playing a one-off solo show at the Orpheum Theatre downtown. It also happened to be my Mom’s birthday and I managed to get tickets for everyone as a nice family outing. A writer for the Phoenix New Times went as far as to call it the best show of 2009 in Phoenix, and while I might not be that bold, I will say it was a fantastic performance and probably in my top three for the year.

Inside the Orpheum just before showtime

The show was certainly intimate – Tweedy’s sister, who lives in the Phoenix area, was in attendance (along with a lengthy guest list of friends) and he dedicated a song to her early in the show. He also performed “You and I” for his wife who was in the crowd along with their two sons.

Jeff Tweedy talks to the crowd just before the encore.

Tweedy played a slew of great songs over the course of roughly two hours dating as far back as the Uncle Tupelo days. Just a few of the memorable tunes that come to mind include “Please Tell My Brother,” “In a Future Age”, “How to Fight Loneliness”, “The Ruling Class” (which – given the season – he felt compelled to state was not blasphemous), “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”, “Muzzle of Bees”, “Hummingbird”, “Heavy Metal Drummer” with the crowd chiming in, and a fantastic version of “Acuff/Rose” during a portion of the encore where he chose to eschew the house PA and simply play at the edge of stage.

Hearing Tweedy sans Wilco has given me a renewed respect for his craftsmanship as a songwriter. I certainly agree with New Times writer that this show was better than any Wilco show of recent memory.

On Sunday I took some UI kids to see Avatar 3D at the Webster Theatre in Lincoln Park. Surprisingly, Vontrell slept through the first half and Isaiah feigned boredom until about halfway through the two and a half hour movie. Fortunately the key battle scene had everyone awake at the end.

Intrigued by the nap time during what to me was a captivating picture (not to mention the most expensive film ever made) I asked them what other movies they looked forward to seeing and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel was the unanimous choice (not kidding).

For me, the Avatar story line played a bit too close to Dances with Wolves (apparently South Park spoofed this but I came to this conclusion on my own), yet I cannot deny the incredible use of 3D and special effects. I don’t recall the last movie I saw in 3D but it’s safe to say it’s been five years at least. The technology has really come a LONG way and getting rid of the blue and red glasses was just the beginning. At one point I caught Isaiah trying to swat away bugs on the screen and I admit I jumped once or twice myself. Suffice it to say, the effects of Avatar puts films like the recent Star Wars series to shame.

Andrew Bird returned to Chicago to perform a sold out series of shows (four in total) at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago. The collection of performances, coined by Bird as the “Gezelligheid” shows in reference to a Dutch term meaning essentially “coziness”, were played without a traditional PA system. Instead the sound came from four “horn speakers” placed strategically on the stage. Needless to say, from the fifth row where I was seated the sound was fantastic.

Full view of the stage prior to performance

Bird played a fair number of material from the instrumental album Useless Creatures which he released in early 2009 in connection with Noble Beast, as well as some more familiar material spanning all the way back to his early stuff with Bowl of Fire. Included in the hour and a half set were “Master Sigh” (my favorite song from Useless Creatures), “You Woke Me Up!” & “The Barn Tapes” (both instrumentals from the aforementioned disc), “Scythian Empires”, “Natural Disaster”, “Fitz and the Dizzyspells”, “Headsoak”, the Handsome Family’s “Giant of Illinois, and Bob Dylan’s “Oh Sister”.

I wish I had better photos of the actual performance but photography was verboten, not to mention once he went on stage the lighting was quite dim and made sneaking a worthwhile photo nearly impossible without being obnoxious.

The best I could get. Blurry but you get the idea.

Another year of music has come and gone and thus I compose my list of the top ten albums of 2009. Sadly, after sifting through my iTunes by year and seeing that I had 94 albums for 2009, only one really stuck out as a gem. And with that statement, the list begins…

1. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest [Warp]

This album has both immediately captivating material like “Two Weeks” and songs that grow over time such as “While You Wait for the Others.” Between the Daniel Rossen/Department of Eagles release in late 2008 and the rumored “disconnect” between Rossen and fellow bandmate Ed Drost, I was surprised to see a new Grizzly Bear album released in May of 2009. The quality of recording is astonishing, and as my friend Sonia mentioned, to truly enjoy the album, put it on loud with some really nice speakers.

Top songs: “Two Weeks”, “Southern Point”, “All We Ask”

2. Vetiver – Tight Knit [Sub Pop]

Sub Pop made a really wise decision in bringing Andy Cabic and Vetiver onto their label. I had a chance to see them at the Chopin Theatre here in Chicago in May and much of the material they played came from Tight Knit. The performance only confirmed my respect for the band and their latest album. After a great album of covers (Thing of the Past) last year, it was nice to hear some Andy Cabic originals.

Top songs: “Everyday”, “Through the Front Door”, “More of This”

3. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [V2]

Ok, this could qualify as a guilty pleasure. This is “pop”, a term that generally makes me cringe–but then again–they’re from France. Not unlike how Jens Lekman would be unlistenable if he was American, it is his “Swedishness” allows me to overlook/tolerate some of the cheese.

Top Songs: “Lasso”, “Girlfriend”, “Armistice”

4. The xx – xx [Young Turks]

Yeah, they’re only 20 years old and one member has already decided to pack it in but the understated tone of this album shows undeniable potential. The vocal pairing and low key lyrics are catchy and the album has a unique late night mood that grows on you. I missed them at the Bottom Lounge a few weeks back but will definitely catch them at Lincoln Hall in April.

Top songs: “VCR”, “Heart Skipped a Beat”, “Basic Space”

5. Fanfarlo – Reservoir [self released]

Unfortunately this album didn’t out perform the slew of singles and EPs that Fanfarlo had released prior but still, for a year like 2009 this definitely on the list. Saw them at Schubas a couple months back and I get the impression that they’re a band that’s gonna be prolific in years to come. The fact that they released this album themselves shows that with some backing they’ll only get better

Top Songs: “I’m a Pilot”, “Finish Line”, “Luna”

6. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca [Domino]

This album would probably be higher had I made this list a few months back but surprisingly, some of my favorite tracks actually started to lose their hard fought appeal. Why? Hard to say but if I had to make an argument I’d say their song structures can become grating. This is definitely not material for everyone. That being said, the beginning of a song like “Temecula Sunrise” is worth also the subsequent exploration.

Top songs: “Temecula Sunrise”, “Cannibal Resource”, “Two Doves”

7. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below [Rough Trade]

Some of the songs are a raucous party, others are beautifully structured acoustic material with Alex Ebert’s voice as the showcase. Both are great.

Top songs: “Brother”, “Home”, “40 Day Dream”

8. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone [ANTI]

Her most consistent album to date. If you’ve longed to hear Neko make full use of her unmistakeable voice on some really strong chorus compositions, this is the album for you.

Top songs: “This Tornado Loves You”, “Middle Cyclone”, “I’m an Animal”

9. Loudon Wainwright III – High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project [2nd Story Sound]

I love Loudon. This album spans two discs and contains 30 songs and had it been pared down to 10 to 12 of the best I might have named it album of the year. That being said, High Wide and Lonesome was nominated for a Grammy (”Best Traditional Folk Album”) and I got the man to sign a copy for me after his show last month.

Top songs: “High Wide & Handsome”, “Didn’t He Ramble”, “If I Lose”

10. Deer Tick – Born on Flag Day [Partisan Records]

Deer Tick had managed to elude me up until this release. John McCauley’s distinctly gruff vocal and alt country sound of the band was a pleasant surprise from what I was expecting. I guess with all these “deer” bands (”Deerhunter”, “Deer Tick”, “Deerhoof”) it’s just been too hard to keep track.

Top sons: “Houston, TX”, “Hell on Earth”, “Stung”

Honorable Mentions

Dodos – Time to Die [Frenchkiss Records]
Wheat – White Ink, Black Ink [The Rebel Group]
Devendra Banhart – What Will We Be [Reprise Records]
Dawes – North Hills [ATO Records]
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion [Domino]

I made it out for the second year in a row to check out the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival at the Congress Theater here in Chicago. I was on the fence after finding out tickets were $40 a pop after fees but thankfully I managed to score tickets for $15. The big draw for me was Philly-based Dr. Dog who closed out the festival after Bela Fleck and the Flecktones played a two+ hour performance.

I’d actually seen Bela years ago — dare I say over a decade ago — in Missoula and was looking forward to catching up on his material but, alas, he chose to play primarily Christmas songs which I found relatively unbearable. Oh well, I guess you win a Grammy or nine (who knew?) and a musician can’t help but  float off into schmaltz.

Bela Fleck during a solo acoustic moment

Futureman's silhouette.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on stage playing Christmas music.

Bela Fleck

After the Christmas onslaught there was a quick break between headliners during which Van Ghost played on the balcony which is a weird spot to watch a band perform from. That being said, it makes creative use of a rather limited venue.

Van Ghost performs on the balcony between headliners.

Dr. Dog was the highlight of the small portion of the festival I caught. They had some technical difficulties to start the set and I had forgotten how terrible the sound is at the Congress but that didn’t hinder their performance entirely. There were a few new songs I didn’t recognize but they also busted out a number of great tunes from their two most well known albums, We All Belong (2007) and Fate (2008). Some memorable tracks included “The Breeze”, “My Old Ways”, “The Old Days” and “Alaska.”

Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog. A strange looking guitar with a Telecaster painting on the body of a Gibson.

Dr. Dog from afar. This is where the sound was really terrible, ironically next to the sound booth.

I snuck into the press section to snap some photos up close. Toby Leamen on the bass.

Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog.

I was on a trek through the city today with the Neoteric gang and along the way I snapped some pics of the Chicago skyline on a cloudless Fall day. This photo of the Marina Towers on our way back to the office was one of my favorites.