BlueSkyCampfires

Grace Woodroofe - March 25, 2012

Grace Woodroofe. March 25, 2012.

Black Cat. Washington, DC.

Grace Woodroofe is on the road in support of her debut album, Always Want, and luckily for BlueSkyCampfires, the road went through DC.  Sunday night’s show at Black Cat was already her last east coast gig before a month long stint in sunny California.  Grace first turned our heads and ears while opening for Ben Harper back in the fall and we’ve been fans and admirers of the Perth-born Australian ever since.

Some artists, although good musicians, aren’t good performers.  Getting on stage and performing in front of a live audience isn’t the same as when you play Stairway To Heaven in your basement.  It takes a lot to get up there and deliver, and to be able to deliver, and Grace Woodroofe has it.

Playing with Woodroofe are three guys that have become a familiar sight on her US tours; Kyle Crusham on lead guitar, Daniel Marcellus on drums, and Aaron Herbster knocking it down on bass.  When everyone is on stage together the result is Rock & Roll.  You might hear people say Grace’s voice sounds bluesy or jazzy, husky and raspy, or this or that, and I might even agree, but when she is on stage and plugged in, she is ready to rock.

The set opened with Transformer and quickly went into Oh My God.  Oh My God has been one of my favorites since the first time I heard it, and Grace delivered once again.  When she got to I’ve Handled Myself Wrong you thought you were going to be able to catch your breath, which was good, but then she played H. and she took it away, again.

Nocturnal kicked off the back half of the set and Grace’s voice carried us through Always Want.  The dynamics from one song to another, the lyrics, the music, her voice; I think it’s fair to say we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg as to what this young lady can do, and I’m already digging it now.  There is something about Grace singing the chorus to Bear, ‘now I’m gonna have to hunt and kill you’, that a) you completely believe, and b) is actually quite endearing.

It was only 40 minutes into the show when Grace slowed things down and turned to the crowd, ‘we only have one song left’, she said with a smile.  She took a second to catch her breath, thanked the crowd for coming out, and then they were right back at it closing the set with Iggy Pop’s I Wanna Be Your Dog.  The full room cheered over the feedback of Crusham’s guitar until Grace came back out for an encore.  ’I wasn’t prepared for this’, she said while strapping on her guitar, ‘I’m gonna do a really cool cover song’.  Next thing you know Grace is serenading us with Smokey Robinson’s 1965 hit, Ooo Baby Baby.

It won’t be very long till we’ll be standing in a crowd of thousands at a Grace Woodroofe show saying, ‘remember when we saw Grace play the Black Cat in front of a hundred people and rock the place.’  BlueSkyCampfires had a chance to speak to Grace after the show and I’ll just say she is every bit as sweet and genuine in person as you might have assumed she would be on stage, and even though she’ll prove you wrong under the lights, she’ll make you a believer.  

• Grace Woodroofe - H.

• Grace and most of the band. Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

• After all it’s just a stage. Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

• Grace Woodroofe. Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

For more concert photos and videos visit BlueSkyCampfires on Flickr and YouTube.

Rufus Wainwright - March 21, 2012

Rufus Wainwright. March 21, 2012.

Jefferson Theater. Charlottesville, Virginia.

If I believed in coincidences I would have been surprised that BlueSkyCampfires’ very next show after Elton John was Rufus Wainwright.  After all, it was Sir Elton John who referred to Rufus as ‘the greatest living singer-songwriter in the world’.  To put it lightly, Rufus Wainwright is an entertainer.

With no opening act and no back-up band, Rufus took the stage, greeted the crowd, and sat down at the piano ready to go.  But something wasn’t right, and like only Rufus can, he politely asked for Warren the roadie to come out and move the mic from the right side of the piano to the left side noting that, ‘these people paid to see my handsome face and the mic is in the way’. 

Rufus introduced several new tracks from his forthcoming album, Out of the Game, set to be released at the end of April.  Songs included the title track Out of the Game, Jericho, Rashida, Montauk, and Respectable Dive.  ’This might sound different than the album’, he would warn us.  Singing, ‘one day you will come to Montauk, and see your dad wearing a kimono, and see your other dad pruning roses, hope you won’t turn around and go’, Rufus dedicated Montauk to he and his husband’s daughter.

The setlist showcased Rufus’ entire discography.  Some of the highlights included Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk from Poses, Art Teacher and This Love Affair from Want Two, and Martha and Zebulon from All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu.  Early in the show he forgot the words to Want and had to ask the crowd for the lyric, which ironically was ‘simple’, ahahaa.  He nailed it the next time through and the crowd cheered with approval.  Taking a break from the piano Rufus played a few songs on guitar at the front of the stage, most notably California.

Prefaced with a great story about playing the song for the Queen of England and his ill-advised conversation with her about her late cousin, the goose bumps were in full effect for Rufus’ Leonard Cohen cover, Hallelujah.  For an encore Rufus paid homage to his late mother, Kate McGarrigle, with a beautiful rendition of one of her compositions, Walking Song.  His humorous stories and anecdotes add such a unique dynamic to his live shows.  Hearing the stories behind the songs brought them into an entirely new light, even the songs I had never heard before.

• Piano in the spotlight. Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

Elton John - March 17, 2012

Elton John. March 17, 2012. St. Patrick’s Day.

Richmond Coliseum. Richmond, Virginia.

Actually, that’s Sir Elton John.  The man played for 3 straight hours, only pausing to bow and wave because the crowd was cheering louder than he could play.  The energy started high and never wavered with enthusiastic fans dancing in the aisles and at one point even on stage.  Elton was on from the first note and that endearing smile never left his face the entire show.

This was BlueSkyCampfires’ first Elton John experience, and while ticket prices were steep and the Richmond Coliseum is hardly the ideal setting for any concert, I must say that Elton rocked the place.  Only a week before turning 65, Elton & friends roared through all the classics, highlighting the performer’s prolific 40-plus year career.  The Elton John Band today consists of original band member Nigel Olsson on drums, longtime band member Davey Johnstone on guitar, Rose Stone from Sly & the Family Stone among the backup vocalists, and many more notable and talented musicians.

Unlike most other bands, my favorite Elton John tunes tend to be the more famous, commercially successful songs, so the Greatest Hits Tour was the perfect show for me.  He played everything; Bennie and the Jets, Madman Across the Water, Tiny Dancer (video below), Candle in the Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Rocket Man, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Crocodile Rock, and Your Song to name just a few.  Nobody left disappointed, except maybe for the guy next to me that really wanted to hear Circle of Life, ahahaa.

The place erupted within the first three notes of every song and you could hear people all around you singing along, especially on Tiny Dancer.  We’ve all been to the shows where people hold up their lighters during their favorite ballad but those days are over.  Instead there were thousands of cell phones waving in the air during Candle in the Wind, which was actually pretty cool looking if you turned back toward the rest of the arena.  Goodbye Yellow Brick Road brought back memories of listening to Elton on vinyl in my parent’s basement. 

I thought the crowd was beginning to slow down until he closed the set with Crocodile Rock and everybody was back on their feet dancing and singing again.  Afterwards he climbed on top of his piano and waved to the crowd, graciously thanking them for their continued support.  In turn, the crowd showed their love and appreciation with yet another standing ovation.  Elton spent several minutes signing autographs for fans in the front row before sitting down for the encore and his 30th song of the night, Your Song.

• Elton John - Tiny Dancer.

The Lion King - February 23, 2012

The Lion King. February, 23, 2012.

Landmark Theater. Richmond, VA.

The Landmark Theater played host to Disney’s The Lion King for three and a half weeks as part of the ‘Broadway In Richmond’ series, and at least for the night of Thursday, February 23, 2012, the award-winning best musical lived up to the hype.  I can only imagine the amount of coordination involved in the production; costumes, choreography, the set, props, lighting, the musical ensemble.  Its been over 10 years since I’ve seen the movie and I was as dazzled and amazed as anyone.

Fans of all ages looked on as Mufasa, Simba, and the entire population of Pride Rock took over the stage.  Kids were reacting to every scene, and the entire crowd cheered after every musical performance.  The costumes and set design were phenomenal.  There were your typical masks and animal prints but there were also more elaborate costumes that allowed for and created the animal’s natural movements.  The gazelles leaped, the birds flew, and Pumbaa’s nose even sniffed, ahahaa.

The performances sold the show.  Rafiki played by Buyi Zama, Zazu played by Mark David Kaplan, Young Simba played by Zavion J. Hill and Adante Power, Scar played by J. Anthony Crane, and Timon played by Nick Cordileone are a few that stood out.  The entire show from curtain to curtain was unbelievable.  Hats off to the entire cast and crew, and to Richmond for pulling in such a good act.  This was the first theatrical Broadway performance we’ve covered under the BlueSkyCampfires umbrella, but it won’t be our last.  Hakuna Matata.

Jeff Mangum - January 30, 2012

Jeff Mangum. January 30, 2012.

Memorial Hall. Chapel Hill, NC.

BlueSkyCampfires was back on the road Monday night for our third and final installment of Jeff Mangum’s magical twenty-twelve tour. For years it was unthinkable, unfathomable, a hope, a prayer, a dream. Well let me tell you it’s happening. I was there, I heard it, I saw it. Jeff Mangum bears his soul performing all the greatest songs from the Neutral Milk Hotel catalog, solo, on acoustic. He gets better with every song and every show, in different venues in front of different faces, honing a performance for the ages.

He opened with Two-Headed Boy, Part 2, Holland, 1945, and Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone. He played Engine, Little Birds, and all 3 parts of The King of Carrot Flowers straight through. Then came Ghost (audio below), Naomi which went straight into April 8, Oh Comely, and then Two-Headed Boy straight into The Fool. In the encore he played Song Against Sex (audio below) and In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. Unbelievable. Mangum was in full stride from beginning to end.

One of the highlights of each show have been the unique arrangements created by friends and former bandmates joining Mangum on stage for select songs. Tonight’s show brought back Neutral Milk Hotel’s Scott Spillane and fellow musicians Andrew Rieger and Laura Carter. Outside of another rousing rendition of The Fool, which featured two more mystery guests and a second trumpet for good measure, the group’s most chilling contribution came from their droning horns on April 8. The song climaxes with the horns blazing and Jeff strumming away on guitar and emptying his lungs on some of the most haunting notes he hit all night.

Before Jeff’s set they brought out his guitars, one by one, and circled them around his chair. The buzz in the crowd grew steadily between the the third and fourth guitars and erupted when Mangum followed close behind the fourth ready to play. This is the epitome of BlueSkyCampfires. The intimate, unplugged performance. The artist and the song, stripped down and exposed, direct and real.

At Jeff’s request there was no photography or video recording, so the only couple shots I have of the stage are after Jeff walked off or outside the venue. I’m satisfied with the image of the guitars around his chair, my memory and imagination can fill in the rest, not to mention the audio recording of the entire show. Mangum had commented on previous nights that he didn’t mind audio recording, so this time around we decided to give it a try. We’ve posted a few of our favorites for your listening pleasure. Thank you Jeff.

• Jeff Mangum - Song Against Sex.

• Jeff Mangum - Ghost.

For more audio from this show visit BlueSkyCampfires on YouTube.

Jeff Mangum - January 28, 2012

Jeff Mangum. January 28, 2012.

Lincoln Theatre. Washington, DC.

Jeff Mangum played another sold out show Saturday night in Washington, DC. Expectations were high and expectations were once again surpassed. The setlist showcased much of the same Neutral Milk Hotel tracks from a couple nights ago, but this time he was even better.

Although he chooses his moments, Mangum seems to enjoy interacting with the crowd. He brought it upon himself when fans started yelling out comments and questions like, ‘take it off’, ‘where the hell have you been the last decade?’, and ‘when is the next album?’. But Jeff took all the hard-hitting questions in stride replying, ‘you don’t want to see that’, ‘I’ve just been enjoying my life’, and ‘I don’t know, we’ll see’, respectively, all with a smile on his face.

The back half of the set really stood out tonight. The energy was high coming off The King of Carrot Flowers and Mangum rolled right into Ghost, Naomi, Oh Comely and Two Headed Boy. Joining Mangum on stage for a few songs was former Neutral Milk Hotel bandmate and now The Music Tapes frontman, Julian Koster. Koster and his band all accompanied Jeff on The Fool to close out the set. As they left the stage the crowd stood cheering, hooping and hollering, flooding the aisles down toward the stage. Mangum came back out for a one song encore and rocked In The Aeroplane Over The Sea with Julian on the saw.

Then the house lights came on. The house music came on. Some people turned toward the exits and some people probably even left the building, but most of us stood in our spots still cheering for more. Maybe it was 30 seconds, maybe it was 5 minutes, but he came back out for one more song and we all went nuts. Mangum was sounding better and better as the night went on. He closed with Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone and walked back off the stage. It was another amazing show.

The opening act, The Music Tapes, once again dazzled the crowd with their enchanting sounds and stories. Julian Koster leads the parade of the 7’ metronome, the rotating monkey-armed organ player, tales of his traveling Romanian circus family and their never-duplicated trick of pulling entire European cities out of their mouths, and of course the singing television. You have to see it to believe it.

I will go see Jeff Mangum play unplugged Neutral Milk Hotel songs for as long as he’ll play them, its fantastic, but I can’t help to think how fantastic it will be when he starts writing more music again. Having said that, Mangum’s reemergence on the music scene is already legendary and BlueSkyCampfires is just thankful to be here as it happens.

Jeff Mangum - January 25, 2012

Jeff Mangum. January 25, 2012.

Irvine Auditorium. Philadelphia, PA.

Two words; amazing and amazing. Jeff Mangum is definitely back. I rubbed my eyes, twice, and I wasn’t dreaming. There sat Mangum once again at the front of the stage with four acoustic guitars circled around him. He picked one up and started to play, diving straight into all the Neutral Milk Hotel classics.

After the first few songs he invited everyone to come a little closer and motioned toward the area below the stage and in the aisles, then he said if you sing along at home then you can sing along here, so everyone did. No pun intended, but it really felt like you were sitting around a campfire with the guy. Later in the set he told the people in the front they could stand up if they wanted to, so they did, then the whole auditorium did.

I don’t know which moment was my favorite. Mangum was joined on stage several times by former Neutral Milk Hotel bandmate, Julian Koster. Koster first came out to play the saw on Engine, then returned with his band, The Music Tapes, for a set closing rendition of The Fool. As Mangum strummed through the end of Two Headed Boy I think everyone was anticipating the inevitable transition into The Fool. Sure enough, Koster and company had come in through the back of the auditorium armed with a small accordion, a drum, and a trumpet, and played their way down to the stage. It was beautiful. Julian came back out a third time during the encore set to help finish off the night with the crowd favorite, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.

Other memorable highlights included the transition between Gardenhead and Leave Me Alone, the crowd singing along on The King of Carrot Flowers and to the solo on Ghost, and Oh Comely. At one point Mangum commented how cool it was to have thrown out all these messages in a bottle so long ago, and then for everyone to have gotten them and to show up to hear him play and want to sing along. You could feel his appreciation for the audience, and I know the audience appreciated being able to see Jeff play his music.

BlueSkyCampfires is kicking off the new year with two more Jeff Mangum shows and couldn’t be more excited about it. Hearing all our favorite Neutral Milk Hotel songs on acoustic is really a dream come true. Mangum’s voice is as convincing today, if not more so, than 15 years ago. Next stop, DC.

Jerry Seinfeld - December 15, 2011

Jerry Seinfeld. December 15, 2011.

Landmark Theater. Richmond, VA.

Jerry Seinfeld is hilarious. His delivery is unmatched. My face actually hurts from laughing so hard for so long. Jerry worked the stage from side to side, emphasizing critical points with his excitable high shrilling voice. If you were already a Seinfeld fan, this was the night for you. It didn’t matter what he was saying, I was laughing, ahahaa. For over 20 years BlueSkyCampfires has been watching Seinfeld on television, from Thursday nights on NBC, to countless hours of reruns on Fox and TBS, to season-by-season DVD box sets and now, finally, live from the Landmark Theater balcony.

Seinfeld doesn’t tell traditional jokes, he makes observations. His stand-up routine, much like the show, is about nothing. It’s Jerry’s perspective on the world around him and anything is fair game; the city of Richmond’s fine architecture, ‘having’ coffee, the naming of the *69 call-back feature, the thin line between possessions and garbage, the separate tubs in the Cialis commercial, you name it. He points out the obvious, the ironic, and the pitiful about ourselves and the world around us and we can’t stop laughing about it.

He was on stage for over an hour but it felt like 5 minutes. With a broadway-inspired entrance he returned to the stage for a brief encore which turned into more of a Q & A from the crowd. Jerry recalled the fun he had writing Seinfeld episodes with Larry David and looking into Wayne Knight’s ‘little black beady eyes of pure evil’ and subsequently delivering the unwelcoming greeting of ‘Hello Newman’.

When we walked out onto the street after the show the Landmark Theater marquee was already updated with South Pacific dates. And just like that, Jerry was gone.

Beirut - December 14, 2011

Beirut. December 14, 2011.

930 Club. Washington, DC.

Once again Beirut delivered the classic Beirut sound that fans just can’t get enough of. Having seen them for the first time less than 2 months ago, I couldn’t wait for the next opportunity to arise, and certainly didn’t think it would be so soon. BlueSkyCampfires was lucky to be in attendance on the second night of two sold out shows at DC’s 930 Club.  

For as well produced as the studio albums are it’s hard to believe they could sound even better live, but they do. The unique instrumentation is complimented with how well the band plays together. With frontman Zach Condon leading the way, the collective sounds of horns, ukulele, accordion, bass, drums, piano, lead and back-up vocals,… it all comes together in perfect unison.

The show started with a lively rendition of Scenic World and never looked back. Elephant Gun, Postcards From Italy (video below), A Sunday Smile, it just kept getting better and better. The crowd was energetic, singing and clapping in rhythm, and of course going wild during the horn interludes (or maybe that was just me). The setlist comprised a healthy balance from all of Beirut’s albums. There wasn’t even a chance to catch your breath until Condon sat down at the piano near the end of the set for Goshen, a track off the newest album, The Rip Tide. 

Leaving the stage for only a minute the band came back for a memorable 4-song encore. The live performance of My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille surpassed the album version and really came to life on the stage. They followed that up with the harmonious sounds of The Gulag Orkestar and closed the night with the Kocani Orkestar cover, Siki Siki Baba.

Beirut is officially on the ‘must-see’ list for anyone who claims to enjoy live music. If the horn solos don’t do something for your soul, something is wrong. Condon and his bandmates transport you to another time and place, and the trip is well worth the price of the ticket.

• Beirut - Postcards From Italy.

• Zach on trumpet. Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

• Zach on ukulele. Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

• Beirut in concert. Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

For more concert videos and photos visit BlueSkyCampfires on Flickr and YouTube.

Kris Bowmaster - December 2, 2011

Kris Bowmaster. December 2, 2011.

Random Row Books. Charlottesville, VA.

Artist Kris Bowmaster introduced his latest collection of paintings, Heartbreak, Friday night at a transformed Random Row Books in Charlottesville. Art lovers of all ages strolled through the gallery taking in the sights and sounds of Bowmaster’s unique approach to art, music, and life.

With some pieces stretching longer than six feet wide, it felt like you could literally step inside the frame and enter another world. On his invitation Bowmaster describes the show as a “distinct collection of paintings created from one winter to another that both reveal and attempt to heal the state of heartbreak.” In what has become Bowmaster’s modus operandi, every painting conveys a sense of color, movement, and feeling that most artists can only dream of. 

Following a close friend’s unplugged musical dedication, Bowmaster took a minute to address the growing crowd; “To have you all come here and look at my paintings, to give me a hug and show me that you care, I can barely take it in… I thank God for that mechanism in us that can make us care so much, about people, about ourselves. And when it changes and we didn’t want it to change, what happens to us, it’s a miracle and so beautiful, and this is what happened to me”, as he motions towards his paintings on the walls.

Soon the gallery lights gave way to the after party. The dance floor opened up and DJ Bow was spinning vinyl with everyone twirling, dancing and bobbing their heads. The proper end to a gallery opening turned celebration. 

Kris’ art is on full display all month on the walls of Random Row Books and Bowmaster’s Studio-Art-Gallery.

• Kris Bowmaster: Artist. DJ. Genius? Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

• Taking it in. Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

• Up close and personal. Photo by BluePearlJoy.

• Seeing for yourself. Photo by BluePearlJoy.

• Viewing a masterpiece. Photo by BlueSkyCampfires.

For more Kris Bowmaster gallery photos visit BlueSkyCampfires on Flickr.