SFPopfest Comes to the Hotel Utah

This Saturday afternoon, two of my favorite pop groups, The Orange Peels and the Corner Laughers will descend on the Hotel Utah as part of the four day, SFPopfest 2010. Joining them will be New York's Dream Diary and Sweeden's Leaving Mornington Crescent. The Peels songwriting tandem of Allen Clapp and Jill Pries remain intact, however the ever evolving line-up moves the ridiculously versatile John Moremen from behind the drum kit and back to his first love, lead guitar. Taking over the drum chores is the very capable Gabriel Coan. This could be one of the best Peels line-ups yet. The Corner Laughers are another product of the fabled "Mystery Lawn Studios" in Sunnyvale. The sweet vocals of singer Karla Kane and the rock solid bass of Khoi Huynh have produced some of best pop tunes I've heard in some time. Alongside the rhythm guitar of Angela Stiletto and the "Bonham-like" drumming of Charlie Crabtree, the Laughers blew my mind with their incredibly poignant hit, "Stonewords". Don't take my word for it, a synopsis of all four bands from the SFPopfest website follows.

THE ORANGE PEELS (Bay Area)
"I have always had a special liking for The Orange Peels and I believe that after checking out their new record 2020 you will quickly become a fan too. It has been four years since the band released their last record but 2020 shows that they have not lost one step as their blended style of Brit rock and California power pop is in complete full form. As the title suggests, 2020 deals with perceptions. Being released on the precipice of a new decade, the album is as much about looking back on 10 years gone awry as it is about looking forward to the promises of the future. The Orange Peels do this with quick sharp guitars, soaring melodies and strong rhythms that drive each track and will keep your feet tapping all the way through." http://www.theorangepeels.com/

THE CORNER LAUGHERS (Bay Area)
"Anyone in need of a catchy indie-pop sugar rush frothing with humorous, whip-smart lyrics could do a lot worse than check out the Corner Laughers. Ultraviolet Garden finds the Bay Area quartet, while not exactly wigging out like rock gods, picking up the pace and adding deft power-pop touches to its mixture of ukulele-led sunshine folk-pop and girl-group harmonies and handclaps from its 2006 debut Tomb of the Leopards. Helped out by the Orange Peel’s Allen Clapp in the producer’s chair and Charlie Crabtree, permanent “bad-ass” drummer since 2007, Karla Kane (lead singer/ukulele), Angela Silletto (guitar/backing vocals), and multi-instrumentalist Khoi Huynh regale us with melodic story-songs of fickle lovers (“For the Sake of the Cat”, “Dark Horse”), ghostly catacombs (“Dead Sicilians”), the extinction of an unconfirmed species of giant bird (“Thunderbird”), and an epic lullaby about earth’s total destruction (“Space Echo”). With these 13 cuts jauntily breezing by in an economical 39 minutes, Ultraviolet Garden feels like a place that Camera Obscura, They Might Be Giants, and Kirsty McColl might have strolled through at some stage. It’s simply wonderful. http://www.cornerlaughers.com/

DREAM DIARY (New York City)
"I first heard Dream Diary this past Fall and loved the two Brighter-esque songs they had up on MySpace at that time. Fast forward to now — those still seem to be the only songs they've got in circulation and I still haven't caught wind of any planned releases. As the previous Brighter name-drop may have suggested, the Brooklyn group play twinklingly classic indiepop from the heart! I feel like they should have had something released on Holiday Records by now — seems like the perfect home for them!" http://www.skatterbrain.org/

LEAVING MORNINGTON CRESCENT (Sweden)
"Elisabeth & Stefan form the duo Leaving Mornington Crescent from Malmö, Sweden. I’m pretty sure that’s them kissing in the photo above. They have a 3″ split cd available on Cloudberry. Their new record is on the Peruvian indie pop label Susy Records. It’s once again a 3″ cdr but this time there are 6 new songs. Buy it now from Susy – it’s a limited edition consisting of 100 numbered copies. From the sound of “Seventeen” the band ventured into new territory. Unlike the sunny 60’s inspired indie pop of “April Song” from the Cloudberry split cd, “Seventeen” is a rather heavy, shoegaze number with buzzing and churning guitars and a solid backbeat. Still the vocals retain the cheeriness of “April Song” with a chorus of “I’m seventeen on the inside, the only difference is…”.." http://www.swedesplease.net/

“SFPopfest”
w/ The Orange Peels, The Corner Laughers, Dream Diary and Leaving Mornington Crescent
Saturday, May 29, 2:30 p.m.
$6 advance/door
All Ages
Tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=1711105&pl=utah

The 2007 Bath International Music Festival

Today, I'll be attending the 2007 edition of England's famed Bath International Music Festival. In addition to being one of England's most beautiful and architectural cities, Bath attracts some of the greatest musicians from around the globe; Mavis Staples & Jazz Jamaica, the electronica of Arthurs & Bown, and People Like Us; the folk stylings of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill; and the genre crossing Iain Ballamy & Stian Carstensen.

My personal favorites however, will be the jazz duo of drummer Bill Bruford and pianist Michiel Borstlap. After a high profile and illustrious career as the rock drummer of his generation (with Yes, Genesis and King Crimson), Bruford carved out an equally successful name as a jazz drummer through his jazz-rock ensemble Earthworks. Borstlap is a brilliant pianist, capable of creating solos of dazzling complexity, but also able to employ space and subtlety. Together they adopt a witty, conversational style: the table talk may turn as much to Liszt Scherzos as to jazz standards and free spirited improvisation.

I saw Bruford's first duo with the Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz in 1982, at New York City's now defunct Bottom Line, and later in 1983, at D.C.'s now defunct Bayou. Bruford and Moraz had released two albums, the acoustic "Music for Piano and Drums", and the electronic "Flags". Consequently, these recordings and others have been reissued on Bruford's new record labels: Summerfold and Winterfold. Now, on a beautifully played CD, "Every Step A Dance, Every Word A Song", and a DVD titled "In Concert In Holland", Bruford teamed up with Dutch keyboard master Michiel Borstlap, in duets culled from their 2003-2004 European tour. Although the duo's efforts are rooted in jazz, there are hints of the progressive-rock/New Age flavor of "Flags", where Borstlap employs synthesizer for choruses and textures, and Bruford's well known polyrhythmic beats and syncopations that propel this beautiful musical journey.

The "Left of the Dial" reviewer Glenn Astarita, notes that "Borstlap primarily uses a grand piano as his instrument of choice via a potpourri of swing vamps, and sublime moments, while Bruford's shading exercises, add color and additional warmth. Highlights include segments where the duo expands themes and unexpectedly switch gears as they often instill a polytonal outlook during jazz standards such as Monk's "Bemsha Swing," for example.

The piece titled "Swansong," is a compelling opus that defines the artists' overriding sense of musical intimacy coupled with power and tenacity. Here, Borstlap executes slashing crescendos amid Art Tatum-like chord voicings, as the unit melds quaint balladry with bluesy passages. The fun factor continues with Bruford's drumming onslaught, which serves as a prelude of sorts, to Borstlap's shrewd use of a synth chorale voicing to finalize the piece. Simply stated, it's about synergy and singular techniques rooted with elements of joy and precision.

Bruford met Dutch pianist Michiel Borstlap in 2002, and they began playing duo shows that were less about the confines of structure and more about what Bruford terms "performance-based" music, music of the moment where spontaneity and interaction were the predominant factors.

Canadian Music reviewer John Kelman wrote that "while Bruford and Borstlap are still more concerned with form than, say, Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi-whose recent album with Paul Motian, Doorways , is another beast entirely-the reciprocation between the two jumps out from the first notes of the more structured "The 16 Kingdoms of the 5 Barbarians." Bruford's liner notes allude to the fact that the performance space impacts the nature of the musical dialogue-smaller rooms having "the intimacy of a dinner table conversation between old friends," while larger venues "naturally become a bit more muscular and assertive."

Still, on more introspective pieces including the title track, the anthem-like "Inhaling Shade," and an abstract, yet faithful reading of Monk's "Round Midnight," Bruford may gently assert the forward motion, but he's also become a masterful colourist. And while Borstlap's supplementing of his piano with electronic keyboards sometimes gives the duo a broader complexion, the subtleties of their exchange are never overshadowed by sheer demonstrativeness.

Every Step a Dance, Every Word a Song may not be as great a step forward for Borstlap, already a well-established European jazz figure, but it represents one more advance in the pursuit of a more instinctive and natural approach for Bruford, an artist who has, for all intents and purposes, left his rock roots completely behind him.

Next week I'll be in Paris, reporting on the French Open, and Roger Federer's quest for the only Grand Slam tennis title that has eluded him. Standing in his way will be the current champion and arch rival, Rafael Nadal...