Elvis Costello to Fans – Don’t buy
Elvis Costello - Click for more images
Elvis Costello has been pretty vocal about the issues on Wall Street since the recession started and is continuing his message by telling his fans not to purchase his new limited edition box set “The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook,” due to the exorbitant price tag of $225.
Costello wrote in his blog post;
“We at www.elviscostello.com find ourselves unable to recommend “The Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook” as the price appears to be either a misprint or a satire.”
Costello didn’t stop there and surprised everyone by recommending a collection by Louis Armstrong.
“All our attempts to have this number revised have been fruitless so we are taking the following unusual step.
If you want to buy something special for your loved one at this time of seasonal giving, we suggest, “Ambassador Of Jazz” – a cute little imitation suitcase containing ten re-mastered albums by one of the most beautiful and loving revolutionaries who ever lived – Louis Armstrong.
The box should be available for under one hundred and fifty American dollars and includes a number of other tricks and treats.
Frankly the music is vastly superior.”
Costello goes on to explain that the items in the package will be available separately and at a more affordable price at the beginning of the year.
Hats off to Costello!
Randy Miramontez - Downtown Sacramento - Bay Area ConcertsKVIE PBS Teams Up with Blame Sally
LR - Pam Delgado, Monica Pasqual, Jeri Jones, and Renee Harcourt
So I was approached by Todd Wagner from Ninth Street Opus to help publicize an upcoming event over at Public Television’s KVIE in Sacramento. You see Ninth Street Opus represents a San Francisco all-female group, Blame Sally, who’s scheduled to perform at the KVIE TV station on Saturday, December 3rd.
KVIE and Blame Sally are working together to create a pledge program to help raise money for Public Television on a national level. KVIE will be filming Blame Sally during their performance and using the footage to produce a PBS Special, which will ultimately be used in their pledge drives across the country.
I don’t think I need to go on about the value of Public Television and what it means for the community as a whole, but I do want to make sure that everyone understands who Blame Sally is and why they were chosen to perform at KVIE.
PBS wants to use Blame Sally as a role model for women everywhere. They are an example of healthy, authentic women, proud of their age and defying the odds by forming a successful rock band in their 40’s and 50’s. What they have accomplished is an inspiration to women across America.
Blame Sally is a little bit of country, a little bit of rock, a little bit of folk, and a whole lot of heart. They have been compared to the Indigo Girls, Dixie Chicks, and even Radiohead, but forget about all that, because one day some all-female band is going to come along and they will be compared to Blame Sally.
The band is made up of four young women – alright – Let’s say four not-so-young women. They bring a lifetime of love, happiness, disappointment, trials and tribulations and really just a whole lot of life to the table. It shows in their music, especially in their latest album A Speeding Ticket and a Valentine.
A few tracks that really stood out for me on their new album – “Living Without You,” a hard-rocking song about a woman uncertain whether to be devastated or exhilarated by a relationships end. “Countdown,” with its driving beat and then “Big Big Bed,” which you gotta love simply because of the washboard paying in the background.
So who are these women of wisdom and why do they work together so well?
Pam Delgado (percussion and vocals) – Wishes she still owned the family car from when she was just a kid. It was a Lavender Pontiac Bonneville complete with a Clamshell from Sears.
Renee Harcourt (guitar, bass and vocals) – She’s really the talented one out of the four, but don’t tell the others that. She can juggle, ride a unicycle and whistle loudly with or without fingers, but not all at the same time and hopefully not onstage.
Jeri Jones (guitar, bass and vocals) – I tried to call Jeri but never did get through. All I heard on the other end of the phone was “who the *&$@%# is calling me before I’ve had my morning coffee!” I did hear she’s prone to pre-coffee accidents. Luckily all their performances are late in the day.
Monica Pasqual (piano, accordion and vocals) – She’s started a billion songs and never finished them. Something about being superstitious when it comes to songwriting. She has to have at least two good verses and chorus before she can walk away, otherwise it’s a lost cause. All the other songs she’s completed? One word – perfection.
Together these women make up Blame Sally. Granted an odd bunch and not a Sally in the lot, but it doesn’t matter as long as they keep pumping out some really awesome tunes.
Get out there and show your support for Public Television and Blame Sally.
Where:
KVIE TV Station
2030 W. El Camino Ave Sacramento, CA 95833
When:
Saturday, December 3
7:00-8:30 pm …. AND…. 9:00-10:30 pm
Cost:
Regular Admission: Per Show: $25 / Both Shows: $45 150 seats available
VIP Seating: Per Show: $100. Only 50 VIP seats available!
You can get more information here.
Randy Miramontez - Downtown Sacramento - Bay Area ConcertsTrans-Siberian Orchestra
Click for more images
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra mesmerized the audience Saturday afternoon at Power Balance Pavilion in the first of two Christmas shows.
For those of you who may not be familiar with TSO, they are a progressive rock band that incorporates classical, orchestral, symphonic and progressive elements into hard rock and heavy metal. They are famous for their series of rock operas and storytelling.
This was a high-energy show with a combination of lasers, lights, pyrotechnics and video screens all synchronized to TSO’s music.
Dressed in black, the orchestra made their way on stage while chimes were playing. As they were assembling onstage, there were clips of Martin Luther King Jr. from the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, as well as John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and others, with each round of new faces drawing applause and cheers. Once onstage they started playing “Who I Am,” with video screens and lights blazing in perfect unison.
The talented storyteller Phillip Brandon started weaving a tale of an angel coming down to Earth on Christmas Eve. Brandon’s phenomenal voice, reminiscent of the famous James Earl Jones, drew the crowd into the tale as a hush came over the audience. After the introduction, the orchestra started playing “An Angel Came Down,” complete with lights and lasers.
As the orchestra began “First Snow,” it actually started to snow in the arena. OK, not really snow, but the pretend kind of snow. You know the
Click for more images
one with tiny bubbles raining down? Couple that with all the video screens filled with snow added to the sensation of real snow. It was quite breathtaking, leaving the audience in complete awe as they listened to an extremely talented line-up of musicians.
One of their screens and lighting units that made a Y shape stretching out above the audience was actually a catwalk. As the show progressed the unit started to descend on top of the audience, leaving people wondering if they should get out of the way. As it slowly made its way down, members of the band ran up it. The catwalk started to rise with band members running towards the back portion of the catwalk providing everyone in the “cheap” seats a prime view of the performance. It was quite impressive.
A new comer to TSO, violinist Asha Mevlana was off the charts rocking it with her purple high tech violin. As she ended a solo routine you could hear the crowd gasp in unison as she grabbed her bow and snapped it in half over her knee, ending the song. This was so much more dramatic than smashing a guitar to smithereens, since it was completely unexpected.
As they wrapped up the story, the orchestra treated the audience to a number of different songs including a mix from one of their albums “Christmas Canon Rock,” at which point they brought out founder, composer, and producer Paul O’Neill.
This was my first exposure to TSO and I have to say they left me wanting more, even after a 2 ½ hour performance.
Armed with an arsenal of talented musicians, singers, and special effects, TSO delivers a high energy, phantasmic kaleidoscope of fun. Oh – and some really good music too.
Randy Miramontez - Downtown Sacramento - Bay Area Concerts
