Disqus - Latest Comments for alandb

Re: Sierra Hull in Madison Square Park

hadar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:40:56 -0000

I am very glad you weighed in, so please don't ever hesitate! Taking your points in the order you made them:

1) I was being kind about the opening act. I believe what I said, that she is talented in many ways, but it just didn't work for me (and you either).

2) Aside from the one long instrumental song (which perhaps occurred after you left?), it's not typical in Bluegrass for solos to last too long. So, Sierra was playing the mandolin as she normally would. On the one instrumental number, she was highlighted more than the others (quite a bit), but the song was long, and they each took at least 3 solos a piece!).

3) Sierra's voice is usually stronger than it appeared on Saturday. I wouldn't be surprised to find out she had a bit of a cold, or was just run down a bit. So, I'm not actually surprised at your comment. That said, I still liked it. And, I definitely liked the harmonies, so perhaps I'm just more used to their particular blend (after all, I do listen to the CD, so most of the tunes are very familiar to me).

4) Believe it or not, having never come to one of these, our first instinct was to get in the back of the line to wait to be seated. Thankfully, we immediately asked what line it was, and were told it was the line for the Shake Shack. :-) So, no, we didn't wait, nor eat there. Interestingly, while I've heard from quite a number of people that they have the best burgers in town, the guy we sat next to told us he tried it, and wasn't impressed...

Finally, and this is just a general comment, musical tastes run the gamut, so it wouldn't surprise me if we "heard it differently", even if I wasn't able to "explain" the difference from my perspective this time. For example, U2 has to be one of the biggest phenomenons in music history. I don't really know them well. I taped SNL this week to see what the fuss was all about. I couldn't believe my ears. It was pure noise, nothing musical at all. And yes, I _love_ good Rock, so it wasn't Bluegrass snobbery. ;-)

Thanks again Alan, we really did love it, and we have you to thank for us getting to see it!

Re: Sierra Hull in Madison Square Park

alandb — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:07:37 -0000

I also so the show but my experience was a little different. Congratulations on getting a parking space. That, in itself, was a singular achievement. I must have come later than you because I could not find a seat. I sat in the park area just behind. I believe you are very kind in your descriptions. I too did not like the opening act. I am not a person who listens to words much. As a singer, I did not find her very interesting. I was also not impressed with Sierra Hull. I only stayed for about half the show. Maybe my expectations were off. I thought she would play more mandolin. From the little I heard, it is clear she is very talented. The banjo/dobro player got most of the solos. The guitar player is a very good flatpicker. I was somewhat disappointed with the singing. I wasn't crazy about her voice but that is always a subjective matter. I found the harmonies a little peculiar. In typical bluegrass harmony, there is always a high tenor voice. As a female, that is where she sang but there was also a high male voice. I just didn't like the blend. No food issues this time? You didn't stand on line at the Shake Shack for an hour? I almost didn't write this response as I am not sure that you want this blog to countermand anything you are trying to communicate.

Re: Red Molly and The Nields at Joe’s Pub

hadar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:35:52 -0000

Agree on your comment on the version with Susan.

Yes, I saw the Sierra Hull time. She has an opening act, so it would be tight for us (our thing is at 5:30pm in Mountain Lakes, NJ).

That said, we're likely going to go for it, and be very humble in making our excuses for being a little late to that party. ;-)

Thanks again for the heads up on Sierra, we now have something to really look forward to!

Re: Red Molly and The Nields at Joe’s Pub

alandb — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:29:36 -0000

That's definately one of their better songs. I listened to both and the one with Susan Werner, though the sound quality was poor, definately had something with the fourth harmony, almost orchestral.

You're in luck, the schedule for sierra Hull says it is at 3:00 PM.

Re: Red Molly and The Nields at Joe’s Pub

hadar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:58:39 -0000

Wow. We're both crazy about Sierra Hull. We have something in Jersey at night, but if she's playing during the day in NY, then we might just have to come in for that. I'll check it out. Thanks for the info!

Thanks also for the info on Abbie. That's another that I'll check out.

I understand how you feel about Red Molly, but we're currently enthralled by them.

Lois has been sharing the following link widely, with rave reviews:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNqywS4TPw0

Here's another version, with Susan Werner joining them (she wrote the song):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh4xg3nRz8k

Thanks Alan!

Re: Red Molly and The Nields at Joe’s Pub

alandb — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:45:11 -0000

Just a note. Sierra Hull is playing at Madison Square Park on Saturday. It is free. I have seen Red Molly. Their harmonies are very good but they don't excite me. I love Abbie Gardner's dobro playing. She has a monthly dobro pairing at Googie's Lounge.

Re: City Slickers Bluegrass Festival

hadar — Tue, 19 May 2009 07:20:23 -0000

A friend of mine just informed me that Sierra Hull is among the performers at the Lowell Folk Festival the weekend of July 24-26. I won't be able to make it to Boston that weekend, but now you know.

Thanks for the pointers to the Seldom Scene CDs. We bought Scenechronized at the show we were at, so now I know what to add to the collection. :-)

Re: City Slickers Bluegrass Festival

alandb — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:34:12 -0000

Thanks for the infor on Sierra Hull, I might look into her. I don't listen to that much bluegrass these days but I did listen to a lot in the late 70s and early 80s. Since you mentioned the Seldom Scene, their album, "Live at the Cellar Door", is a terrific album that everyone interested in bluegrass should own (along with the first "Old and in the Way" album)

Re: I am not a hardware guy

hadar — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:35:57 -0000

Wow, excellent advice. Thanks Alan.

Re: I am not a hardware guy

alandb — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:30:43 -0000

For future repairs, I have one word for you. YOUTUBE. It is amazing why people would want to make videos of how to do things, but they do. I replaced the broken display of my son's Ipod by looking at videos on Youtube.

Re: Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby at Wolftrap

hadar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:24:58 -0000

Thanks again Alan!

Re: Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby at Wolftrap

alandb — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:10:12 -0000

Another heads up. Kathy Mattea was on Mountain Stage this week. She plays on the last half hour. She sang many songs from her coal album.

Re: Acoustic Alchemy at Towne Crier Cafe

hadar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:53:13 -0000

Hey Alan. Thanks for both pointers above. Yesterday was one of the rarest of days when I didn't turn on my laptop at all. I was driving to VA and spending the day with friends (I'll be writing about it later today).

I appreciate your keeping me up on this kind of stuff, and will check out the performances on the web sites! :-)

Re: Acoustic Alchemy at Towne Crier Cafe

alandb — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:07:00 -0000

It is now Sunday morning. Angel Band is playing live on WFUV. If you miss it, in a few days it will be available on their website (WFUV.org). If I haven't said it before, WFUV (90.7) is a terrific station. They also stream off the website.

Re: Acoustic Alchemy at Towne Crier Cafe

alandb — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:58:08 -0000

I thought you might want to know that the Wailin Jennys played on Prairie Home Companion Saturday night. In NYC, you can catch it Sunday morning on WNYC-AM at 11:00 AM. Otherwise, you can listen to it on the Prairie Home Companion website in a few days.

Re: Boys Night Out

hadar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:14:34 -0000

To avoid having to treat, I'll say a few more words about the food. ;-)

First, I did say that my Sirloin steak was perfect, so that was the "main" review. I had a Caesar Salad to begin. As I described it to my wife afterwards, it was both fantastic and enormous. I was the last one to finish eating their appetizer, but I loved every bite.

For sides, we had asparagus (I only had one spear, and it was very good), mushrooms (for some reason, I didn't grab any, though I like mushrooms a lot) and hash-brown potatoes (which I had a few bites of, and they were excellent as well).

I passed on dessert, though the ones that showed up for the rest of them looked great, in particular, the Strawberrys Romanoff. I had a cappuccino, which was very good. Of course, we had dessert wine as well (after all of the Bordeaux's that we had with the meal itself).

All-in-all, a fantastic meal (not cheap, by any standard). The only (potential) downside of Sparks (which wasn't a problem for us!), is that it's not a place for "intimate conversation". If you need to have a quiet business discussion, or you're on a first date, this might not be the place for you.

Re: Boys Night Out

alandb — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:04:45 -0000

Since you typically review things, I was waiting for a review of the food with all the usual details. I guess I will just have to go myself or maybe you might treat after being treated.

Re: Bob Herbert Nails Reverend Wright

hadar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:19:26 -0000

Thanks Alan. I didn't catch the entire Moyers interview, but what I did see disappointed me in that Moyers basically allowed Reverend Wright to have an informercial without being challenged whatsoever. Not exactly journalism at its finest. Of course, I didn't see the entire show, so I could be wrong.

That said, even in his gentleness on Moyers' show, he completely exposed his new strategy. Specifically, he snidely called Obama a "politician", and said that he's doing what politicians do. Clearly, that wasn't said with any kind of respect. Worse, given Wright's extremely open contempt for everything associated with "government", it's worse than derision, but rather an out-and-out put down of Obama.

You are correct that it only got worse in his next few performances.

Well, at least Obama hit back hard today. I think he never needs to address it again, though he will certainly continue to be attacked by his detractors and opponents for his long association with this most curious man...

Re: Bob Herbert Nails Reverend Wright

alandb — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:06:29 -0000

Sad to say, I believe you are correct. I specifically watched Wright on Bill Moyers and thought him to be a very bright, learned intelligent man. Then I heard about his other actions over the weekend and could only surmise that Wright is striking back at either Obama, the media or both. Clearly Wright feels he has been harmed by all the attention he has received. He is also politically savvy enough to know that his actions will negatively affect Obama.

Re: Jerry Douglas at BB King

hadar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:28:17 -0000

I noticed that there are a bunch of great acts expected to be at Grey Fox. Unfortunately, I don't think we can make it there this year. :-(

Re: Jerry Douglas at BB King

alandb — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:21:03 -0000

I lived in Park Slope for almost ten years after graduating from Pratt Institute. I now live on the Upper West Side.

After I wrote that and put it on my calendar, I realized he will also be at the Grey Fox Festival up in the Berkshires.

Re: Jerry Douglas at BB King

hadar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:16:06 -0000

Hi again Alan (I just replied to your other comment on the Alison Krauss thread). I grew up very close to Prospect Park, and a homecoming to see Jerry Douglas there would be tons of fun. Thanks for the heads up!

Re: Jerry Douglas at BB King

alandb — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:48:53 -0000

Jerry Douglas will be playing in Prospect Park, Brooklyn on July 17, 2008. I assume it is a free concert.