12.31.2006
LARVIK 12/26 Of course, I expected the waters to part for the Disciplines' first show. But...they did, in a way. But I wanted it to go so well that...well...no matter what happened...I was going to be disappointed in the end. Plus, it was hours of gnarly travel to get to Larvik, the day after Christmas; the usual 45 minute shuttle ride to CDG; long lines; an hour flight to Amsterdam; 3 hours layover; an hour and a half flight to Torp, and an hour-plus drive to Larvik. Because of my early departure, I slept on both flights, and when I woke up as we began our descent into TRF, I could see with the impressionable eyes of the just awakened the perfect streak of fire that was the sun setting between two black borders. The cold air was startling in its clarity, and the terrain of Sandefjord, the small city adjacent to TRF, was exaggerated and incredibly detailed despite the darkness descending on it. The event we played at is an annual post-Christmas party that commandeers a small hotel and fills it with bands, DJs, and revelers. The tastemakers who run the thing make sure it's stimulating for the mind (although the DJ, late in the set, did resort to playing fucking Blue Monday...) by booking indie bands of a credible nature. The place fills up with about 500 people, and you can imagine...it takes on a highly jocular air. The more I think about the Disciplines' show, the better I feel about it. It's patently ridiculous, on one hand, to have me as a front man, but, you know...I just don't care. If I refrained from ridiculous behaviour...well, let's just say, I'd probably still be living at home. As it was our first show almost no one knew our songs, and it took a bit to break the ice, but, by the end of our set (curiously, the ice-breaker was the song I do unaccompanied on the piano) people were putting their puffy, drunken Norwegian hands together for more. Which we did not have--we have written 10 songs ready for public consumption so far, and our set included all of them. So, the encore was an extremely ragged version of the Posies' "Flavor of the Month" (which Briskeby had covered live) and pretty epic version of "The Lovers Hymn". I played Bjorn's surprisingly delicate SG for these two songs...and of course with my ham handed technique I banged it out of tune every other bar. People loved it. After the show I was telling Lise "Karl" Karlsnes, Briskeby's singer, how much respect I had for the lead singers of this world. It took *all* my strength to hold the attention of the crowd with only occasional opportunities to lean on my keyboard for a prop. What to do with the hands? the mic stand? Of course, I have learned a lot about the art of lead singer-ing from Michael, having watched about 200 REM gigs from a rather privileged position. But I'm no Michael, and I'm no "Karl". It took me most of the show to devise a way to be Me. It's liberating, tho--I can just push out the vocals with no distractions, and that feels fantastic. I can't worry about the authenticity of me accepting the job--otherwise for sure I would eliminate myself from the running. BTW, the Disciplines' album will be recorded in 2007, we plan to start work in February in Oslo. It wasn't long after our set that I was falling asleep, literally, backstage. I had hardly touched any wine, or any other intoxicant, so this was just due to the hard travel in part, and in greater part the exertion required to make that show go. I was not in a party mood, and after struggling to keep my eyes open, I went to bed, cursing the DJ for "Blue Monday"...I probably really fell asleep at about 3.30. The party itself went until 9! I woke up at 11.30, feeling much better about the show and feeling great about my decision to make an early night of it--it sucks to come home to Paris burnt out and hungover, etc. The hotel was still serving breakfast and just starting to clean the main areas of the party, so they could care less about the rooms. Meaning, that I could take may time. I got dressed, and checked email in the lobby, and Claus eventually came by to pick me up and take me to TRF. We felt good about the night, and he confirmed that he received plenty of kudos as the evening went on into morning . There was an ongoing Expedia-SNAFU that left the legitimacy of my return ticket in doubt in the eyes of KLM, but it was worked out and I was able to board my buisness-class flight to Amsterdam. I landed in Paris at about 10pm, and came home for a late night dinner at home before midnight. Aden devoured, barely unwrapped, the chocolates I brought from TRF's gift shop. I had a wallet bulging with Euros and NOK from the show. I went to bed feeling...like I wanted to do another gig...right away. But that's it for 2006. Show stats coming soon! As for the recent news--RIP Godfather of Soul; the last surviving member of the Warren Commission takes the real story to his grave; Saddam quickly dispatched; people finding that in the face of islamic extremists that they feebly endorse another illegal incursion (Ethiopia into Somalia)...yikes. There was an interesting story in the IHT this weekend about the Paris bureau librarian, an American named Daniel Reasor, who was found dead in his home in St. Denis, one of Paris' most dangerous suburbs. No cause of death was mentioned. He was 58. If anyone knows more, please email me at ken@kenstringfellow.com Plans tonight? I might be at La Fleche D'Or for the live band karaoke...you never know. Typically, my enthusiasm for NYE is pretty low. So we might spend the evening with a bottle of Domaine Weinbach "W" pinot noir. But...in 2007 a bunch of bottles in my wine collection can be officially thought of as mature...including the 2002 Torbreck Run Rig Shiraz, Robert Parker gives it a 99. So...tomorrow that big tree gets the axe. Whatever you do tonight, stay safe and...uh...watch out for huge, glittering descending orbs...especially if they vaporize the downtown of your city... Love KS Paris
12.24.2006
WATCH ‘AN TOUR’ WITH THE POSIES, Dec. 27 AT 9PM ON TMF, BELGIAN MUSIC TV OLSO 12/21 At the last minute, I was informed that I would be the support act for Jim Protector, rather than the closer—this made more sense, as it let the dynamics build, and I was only going to play half an hour, anyway, and I got paid the same either way! So I was happy with the arrangement. A few people, assuming I was headlining, arrived too late tho…sorry folks! The Mono Café is a pretty small place, but it’s a great hangout. Right as you come in the front door, the stage is jammed into a corner on your left; you go straight thru an archway and you’re in a chamber that has the bar running the length of one side; you go straight thru another archway and you’re in a room with tables and chairs, with the short side of the bar still accessible; turn left and you’re in a tiny courtyard in the center of the building—this is the smoking area, and where most people hang out these days. So until the place gets really jammed, it’s pretty easy to find a seat it you don’t smoke! As most people are by the bar, stage, or outside. Tho it was early by Mono standards when I went on at 10.15, the place was very busy, and word had gotten around enough that I was playing that there was a very decent crowd (paying about 12 euros, no less) filling up the front room and the bar area and the smoking zone completely. In fact, it was a buoyant enough evening that I thought it was a Friday night—and in fact, it was Thursday. I even mentioned during the show what a great audience they were, that usually a Friday crowd is harder to play to solo as they’re more into partying than listening. But whatever day of the week, this crowd was incredibly respectful and quiet, and appreciative—Oslo always seems to give me respect, for which I am very grateful. I played for about half an hour, and with the month of December at hand (in fact, it was the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year) I was able to pull out “Christmas” by Florence Dore, as covered by the Posies some years ago (and Boston pop genii Fuzzy before that). Up next were Jim Protector, whose album I played on when I was in their hometown of Trondheim, last year with the Posies, and subsequently ended up mixing in two parts this year, in Oslo and Seattle. They have a unique blend of noise, disco, emo, and…lots of stuff. Ambitious, totally unique…the record is very cool (and no one has yet come forward to release it…check out some songs on their myspace site, accessible in my Top Friends). I joined them at the end of their set for two songs, on Casio and backing vocals. Both songs entailed very long jams, which were wobbling on the edge of collapse but never actually veered off the course completely. Good stuff! And they even slipped me some extra NOK at the end of the night. Gents! The rest of the week had been spent in rehearsal with the Disciplines—plus a little shopping (for Christmas and for some new shoes), a radio interview on Norway’s biggest station, and meetings of a business nature—music and otherwise. We worked up 4 new songs and got our live set together for our debut next week (tickets are selling fast), at Trudvang Castle in Larvik on the 26th. On Saturday morning I had to leave Claus’ house at about 9, he being kind enough to take me to the train station (Oslo airport is very far from the city center and costs almost 100 Euros to get to by cab—the train leaves from the heart of downtown and costs less than 20 euros—and it takes about 20 minutes; the car takes 45). At 9am it’s just sunrise at that time of year in Norway, and the sky was ablaze in liquid gold and fanciful pink. My flight to CDG was packed, and I slept in my window seat just to avoid claustrophobia (does that word have origins in being afraid of being stuck in the chimney?). I had a great reunion with my family, and that’s what this time of year offers, at its best—the pause in work to facilitate traveling back to where you come from or wherever the people you don’t get to see often might be*. So, on that note, I hope you who are reading this, no matter what your culture or religion (you know my feelings on the subject), are able to take a pause in the struggle to thrive and survive, and to take stock and inventory of those things that are truly of value—friends, family and the opportunity to be a part of this world; and if you are prevented from doing the above...I hope you are either wise or forgiving. *I don't think being generous to those in need should be a once-a-year special event, hence the omission from the list of the season's qualities Love KS Paris
12.17.2006
WATCH "AN TOUR" WITH THE POSIES ON TMF MUSIC TELEVISION IN BELGIUM 9PM ON DECEMBER 27 LICHTENBERG 12/10 the day couldn't have started any better--we were up fairly early and on the road to Keysersberg, about 45 minutes drive from Strasbourg. We had a morning appointment at Domaine Weinbach, one of France's most celebrated wineries, and perhaps the most lauded producer in Alsace. The Domaine consists of many acres of vines, planted on flat ground around the main buildings of the estate (that are both where the wine is produced and stored, and the residence of the Faller family that owns the Domaine), and on the surrounding hills. You can investigate further at www.domaineweinbach.com. Their most coveted wines are sweet, late-harvest Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris wines that have been affected by the botrytis fungus--they also make a number of other wines as well. I didn't know they made a pinot noir as well, and having tasted their "W" pinot noir (they also make another pinot noir that they call "Reserve", but the "W" is a bit more expensive and less is produced) I pronounced it excellent. We were received by Catherine Faller, who runs the estate with her sister, Laurence, who is the oenologist, and their mother, Collette. We tasted about ten different wines, all wonderful, and a couple of them I would say were exceptional. They manage to keep quality very high, even on their higher-production wines. I couldn't bear to spit. Yum. Well, I hate to say it was all downhill from there, but I will say my senses were overwhelmed by the flavors of the morning, and I suppose it was a bit hard for me to keep my energy up, but I think the second SuperDog show was quite good, but I couldn't help but compare it disfavorably to the previous night, as far as my parts were concerned. But, also, the previous night was such a fly-by-the-seat-of-khakis kind of event, and on night #2 I somewhat *knew* what I was doing, so it was less experimental for me. It was possibly better from a technical point of view but I thought the spirit of the first night was a bit more...spirited! Haha. But, the attendees seemed to be really into night #2. Proving, once again, my opinion doesn't matter. After the show we headed back to Strasbourg, and Kenny, Yves, Julia and I polished off some eau de vie a fan had given me (uh...thanks. Ouch). And called it a night. Yves had to be on the radio at 6 the next morning--my sympathies!--and then head to the castle to deal with the gear. Julia walked us to the train station, which, in anticipation of the TGV's extension to Strasbourg (riddle me this: If they can't get the TGV to Strasbourg because they have to build a special set of rails for it...how do they get them out of there? Because they *make* the damn things in Strasbourg!) a big mess. But the TNV (train de normal vitesse) ride, 4 hours long, to Paris was pleasant enough. That night Kenny & I went to see Mono, the epic-instrumental music makers from Japan. The rest of the week was mellow, with Kenny & I doing a bit of wine shopping, family dinners at home, and on the eve of our departure, I stopped into a local recording studio to quickly record a version of the Yes-tnut "Time And A Word" so my covers EP is complete--I am handing the masters to the label tomorrow. On Saturday morning, Kenny & I went to CDG; his flight to Seattle (via JFK) left in the morning, and my flight to Oslo a little later. Just as Kenny made it up the front of the line to check in, there was a kind of bomb scare--the police found an abandoned piece of luggage, and cleared everyone away (I was in a cafe adjacent to the check in desk, and luckily had just finished my cafe and croissant--but unfortunatley had also paid, too--I could have walked away after that, easily!). But the interruption was brief, and he got on his flight just fine. I got on mine, and off I went to Oslo. LARVIK 12/16 I had a long day of travel that day. We left the flat at about 7.45, 12 hours later, after getting Kenny on his flight, getting on mine, a layover in Stockholm, another short flight, a train ride into Oslo, and the drive to Larvik...I was still traveling. But the arrival was sweet. I was at a party for the 60th birthday of Claus' (Disciplines' drummer) dad, and the 50th birthday of his cousin. It was held in a lovely old manor home in Larvik (Larvik is a little down the road from Torp airport, well-known to Ryannair travelers). There were 80 guests; friends and family, mostly older folks but a few of Claus' friends too. There was a buffet, and endless bottles of wine. A sadcore duo, Bellman, played; and I did a few songs, too--I thought it might be a difficult enterprise, to play my music to a gaggle of inebriated 60-year-olds, but in fact they were a fantastic audience--I was as amazed as anyone that they were able to quiet down, and that they enjoyed my little set. I finished it by moving everyone over to the bar, where there was a Steinway, and did "Something Stupid", dedicated to Claus' parents, and then "Here's To The Future". After that, I managed to get the old and young folks grooving to my Itunes! Awesome! We rounded out the night drinking some wine at the home of one of the Bellman guys, and then crashed at Bjorn from the Disciplines' mom's place. Hey, I just remembered, that I did "Joe Dallesandro" with Lise and Bjorn...funny! Today, we rose not too early, took a lovely breakfast chez maman e Bjorn, and drove back up to Oslo on a brilliant clear Sunday afternoon, and spent 6 hours working on new Disciplines material. That's our mandate for the week... Love KS Oslo NORWAY
12.09.2006
GAINFULLY DEPLOYED I am probably too tired to be writing...yes...this will be short. I spent the first half of the week in the small town of Epinal, in Lorraine, eastern France, working with the excellent band Jul' in their studio. I played guitar, keyboards and sang on three songs. They were excellent hosts--making dinner each night, and letting me drink their best and oldest wine; and they were great hosts to my son as well. The second half of the week we spent in Alsace. I am here performing with the band SuperDog, playing a variety of keyboards in a pair of small concerts that are being recorded for a release later (see below). They have also been excellent hosts--and as we have spent 2 days rehearsing at the venue, a castle in the village of Lichtenberg, where the singer of SupeDog (Yves) comes from, we have had the pleasure of taking our meals at Yves' parents' place--they were happy to make a variety of Alsatian specialties for us--choucroute, pork ribs, backehof--OK, I have no idea how to spell it, but you don't have to spell it correctly to enjoy it--plus we have of course been sipping wonderful vins d'Alsace. LICHTENBERG 12/9 The Chateau Lichtenberg was thrown up on top of a little mountain in the 13th century. Made out of red sandstone, it has largely fallen into ruin, but what remains is quite pictureseque--a rambling assortment of buildings of various funtions, overseen by the obligatory tower. A modern structure juts out of one side--s small theatre for about 100 persons. And this is where we played tonight. SuperDog, local boys made good, have just released an album, but decided to do an adaptation of their songs in an unplugged-style format, and add me to the mix as well. So, the guitarists play acoustic guitars, the bass player plays electric bass, the drummer plays a little quieter, and I play organ, piano, electric piano, and pump organ. We spent two days rehearsing and then played, already feeling as comfortable as old shoes, to an assembly of SD's friends, fans and family. Your correspondent did really well, and indeed I found that I was comfortable enough after our rehearsals that during the show I could take some chances and let my fingers fly with pretty good result. Many thanks to SuperDog's crew, and to Yves' very kind family. There are still tickets available for the show Sunday (10th), tonight. call Yves at +33 (0)9696808 if you are near enough and you want to go. The show tonight is at 1800h. Love KS Strasbourg FRANCE
12.03.2006
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED, LIKE SLEEVE OF WIZARD Quiet week. Writing. Resting. Home. Listening to: "Bachelor's Guide to the Galaxy"—kitschy jams from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, on Rhino Rec. Starling Electric "Clouded Staircase" (thanks Jon and Remi)—amazing midwestern psych jams Plastiq Phantom s/t release by Seattle electronischer whiz kid on Imputor Rec. Edwin Starr—STOP THE WAR---NOW!! Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds live in Linz Austria Oct. ’86 (thanks Peter!) Lemontaor “At the Presence of Great Beauty”—check out ‘Guardian Maria’ which features Jon Auer on vocals, quite a good song that. (Universal Music Finland) Os Mutantes “Technicolor” considered their worst album by some, it was an English language redo of several of their songs from other albums. So the production is less far out than their Portuguese language albums, and in some cases, the translation reveals some rather mundane lyrics. But still…they have great songs. Hot Hot Heat “Elevator” this is great from start to finish. I can’t say the lyrics are always super deep but there is not one minute of this album where the energy drops. The Microphones “Mount Eerie” one of the most ominous, epic beginnings to any record I can think of…distant echoes build up to a kind of tribal drum and tambourine beat..all this takes about 10 minutes, and then a beautiful song emerges, and then another…fascinating groups of voices or horns or gawd knows what come in and out…it’s a really beautiful album. I am very curious what the creator of this music, Phil, does when he plays live. This is on K records. Marvin Gaye “I Want You” his paean to his 17-year-old bride to be…yow. I actually got more into the bonus disc of instrumental jams, a capella vocal tracks and works-in-progress. And watching: Bill Hicks “Sane Man” –“you smoke a pack a day, you little girl? I go thru two LIGHTERS a day” Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra—my son, Kenny, visiting from the US, and I went to see them perform last night at the Cite de la Musique. Both far out and familiar…echoes of Stan Kenton, Gil Evans (with whom she worked in the 80s) but also Mingus, Gustav Holst…and many unclassifiable sounds come out. And, I saw the new James Bond film, which certainly does the franchise justice; and I saw ‘Borat’, which is certainly consistent with the body of work that Sacha Baron Cohen has put in the world. I can’t believe he didn’t have the balls to film his establishment shots in Kazakhstan tho. The beginning/end of the film was shot in a village in Romania. Love KS Paris
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The latest release by Ken Stringfellow is a split EP with Spain's Muy Fellini, featuring never-heard-before music incl. Ken's take on Bob Dylan, released by
King of Patio records
in Spain on Oct 8, 2009.
Order it directly from Muy Fellini here www.myspace.com/muyfellini
10" VINYL ONLY!!!
older news :
8/3/2003
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