words & photos by Tim Griffin

Morrissey @ Bass Concert Hall

After a bumpy start (visa issues caused the the 11/10 Chicago show to be postponed), Morrissey began his North American tour in San Antonio, TX on Monday, and played the Bass Concert Hall in Austin the following night, last night, 11/15. He performed a mix of songs from The Smiths, as well as many from his solo career, to a full house at the Austin show. You can take a peak at the full setlist at the bottom of this post.

Kristeen Young, who has made amends with Morrissey since their previous tour which didn't go so well, opened the show with a short set.

Morrissey (with a bandaged right index finger due to his unfortunate encounter with a dog) opened with The Smiths' "I Want the One I Can't Have", setting the tone for the night. 26 years have passed since since its original release (1985), but it didn't show as Moz flexed his vocal prowess and delivered flawlessly.

His band (the bass drum was labeled 'ART HOUNDS') all wore matching Money t-shirts, and is the same lineup we've seen on previous tours: Boz Boorer, Solomon Walker, Matt Walker, Jesse Tobias, and Gustavo Manzur. Both Tobias and Manzur are from Austin.

Highlights included the between-song banter, as well as the alternative lyrics for Meat Is Murder: "Kill. Eat. Murder." After "I Know It's Over", a short break brought Morrissey back on stage with the band (and a changed shirt) for the finale, "Still Ill". The shirt was then thrown into the crowd, devoured, and never seen again.

Here are some Morrissey quotes from the show:

"I heard somebody laughing. It was me."
"To look at me you wouldn't really think it, but I'm much younger than that. You wouldn't really think it but action is my middle name."
"You may be very surprised to hear I have long horns of my own."
"I am one for whom there is no name."
"Do you have any comments? Well wait til you're asked!"
"Are you ready for a new president? Are you? I think most people in the hall are not ready for a new president. This is because the options are so bloody awful. Maybe the age of the president its dead."
"For God's sake whatever happens: Keep Austin Weird."

Continue reading "Morrissey now on tour, played Austin's Bass Concert Hall (pics, setlist & updated dates)"

photos by Lori Baily, words by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Alejandro Escovedo - Silver Cloud (MP3)

Alejandro Escovedo & Tony Visconti @ Bowery Electric

Alejandro Escovedo played two NYC-area shows this past week. The gigs followed his appearance on David Letterman Wednesday night (video below), and both featured their own special guests.

At the Wednesday night (7/21) Bowery Electric show, the guests were appropriate considering the venue: the East Village bar attracted a host of neighborhood regulars - some better prepared than others (crib sheets littered the stage). The on-stage friends included Ivan Julian (of Richard Hell & the Voidoids), Garland Jeffreys, "Handsome" Dick Manitoba, Bowery Electric owner Jesse Malin, Amy Cook, Kristeen Young, Tony Visconti (who also turned up at Alejandro's City Winery shows), James Mastro, Nicholas Tremulis and Fiona McBain. Alejandro Escovedo's new record, Street Songs of Love, stood up through the diverse interpretations: from Kristeen Young's octave-jumping belting to Ivan Julian's snarling drawl. Though the show's tightest moment caught Alejandro locked in with his band, the Sensitive Boys, like on the show-opening "Always A Friend," from his previous album, Real Animal. For the encore, a swamped stage worked through the Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden" and Mott the Hopple's "All the Young Dudes."

After the set, the band and friends hung around upstairs to catch themselves on Letterman. Our photographer Lori Baily hung around too, and her pictures from the entire show are below.

Two nights later (7/23), Alejandro invited a different guest up on stage for his show at New Jersey's Stone Pony. Bruce Springsteen joined for their Street Songs duet ("Faith"), an Alejandro song covered by the Boss in the past ("Always A Friend") and (like at Bowery Electric) "Beast of Burden."

Check out "Silver Cloud" from the new album, posted above. Videos from NJ & Letterman, and more pictures from NYC, below...

Continue reading "Alejandro Escovedo & special guests played Bowery Electric, Stone Pony (w/ the Boss) & Letterman (pics & video) "

DOWNLOAD: Vetiver - Luna Sea (MP3)

random photo of Andy of Vetiver & Michael Lachowski of Pylon (VIA)

(As just posted) Kristeen Young dropped off the Morrissey tour. Her voice is shot.

UPDATE: Minutes after I posted that Vetiver ARE opening for Morrissey, Vetiver sent out a second message. Now they are NOT opening for Morrissey....

Subject: ok...now this is just plainly ridiculous

hey everybody....

ok, so....basically we just got a call a half hour ago to find out that we in fact ARE NOT now opening for Morrissey after all. as it turns out, friends of his, a NYC band called "Girlfriend In A Coma" are now opening up the shows, and
Morrissey has apparently apologized and told us that he is "very, very sorry",
that he likes Vetiver very much, but that "it just doesn't make sense".

you're telling me!

so anyway, no hard feelings, we're all actually very excited to head home and get some rest, and i'm sure all of this will be for the best.

tour w/ Morrissey? we Never Had No One Ever!

love to you all,

Vetiver

Continue reading "Vetiver NOT opening for Morrissey + Boxton tix for $20"