Land of Talk in Salt Lake

The third week of Salt Lake City's Twilight Concert Series was the finest treat of the series, bringing together Canadian rockers Land of Talk and M. Ward, who I'll write about a bit later. For now, lets focus on Land of Talk, whose hour long set was the finest opening set of any act I've seen at the TCS. The performance was primarily tracks from their 2008 album Some are Lakes - a really nice disc that I hadn't heard going into the show, but purchased at the end of the night.

The thing that most impressed me with LoT's performance was just how well this trio can play. They're great musicians and their studio releases don't show just how good they actually are. The band was tight and together, but loose enough to allow for some really nice improv moments that made me smile. The band also exchanged smiles as each person would insert their own spontaneous contribution to the songs. Their straight forward, perhaps simple style, punctuated and accented by improvisation proved that a little does go a long ways.

Elizabeth also managed a good balance between jamming and talking. She was out to have a good time and chat it up, commenting on how awesome it is for Salt Lake to have a free festival like the TCS (which we in this artistic black hole are ever aware of and grateful for), but she also knew that the best of times comes from kickin out the jams. And jam they did, giving the strongest opening performance that I've seen at the TCS. (For me, the next closest performance was The Fiery Furnaces's wild frenzy of an opener for Yo La Tengo in 2007.) The band also didn't seem to mind the weird beach balls, and blow-up tropical island animals & trees flying around, sometimes ending up on stage. I guess they were just glad they weren't beer bottles and the like flying at them. It was just a good time all around.

So, Land of Talk, thanks for coming and putting on a great show.

People As Places

"We're the people that we wanted to know,

And we're the places that we wanted to go."

You can't actually see Bryce Canyon, but we're there.
I see it in Kylie and Tiffany.

The Black Keys Play SLC

The Black Keys rocked Salt Lake City's Gallivan Center last Thursday for week two of the ever-improving Twilight Concert Series. Their performance shattered any expectations I had, taking concert energy to new heights. I think it fair to say that the energy, intensity and power displayed by The Black Keys is almost the strongest the Gallivan Center has seen, second only to Yo La Tengo, who performed at the TCS two years ago. Some may disagree with me on that point, but to be second to Yo La Tengo is really saying something, since those indie rockers have their own very respectable, groundshaking live reputation.

The Salt Lake Tribune review sums up the evening quite well. Though it must be noted that it was during 'Stack Shot Billy' - not 'Slapshot' - that guitarist Dan Auerbach stopped playing when he noticed two young kids in the crowd who needed out of the wild masses. Patrick brought the beat down to just a low, pulsing kick pedal as they waited for the kids to be helped out. Patrick gradually added some variation to the pedal pulse, starting a light drum jam that encouraged Dan to contribute a softer guitar solo as both watched and waited to be sure the kids were alright before moving into the next verse of 'Stack Shot Billy'. It was a nice moment where the band was conscious of their audience, both to be sure they were safe and entertained.

It was an incredible evening where much fun was had. I'd even suggest that, for a few people at least, life will never be the same.

Werner's Picks

If you were ever wondering what German language books or authors are good entry-level picks for second language German speakers, then check out these recommendations from Werner, the long-winded, all-knowing, street-wise bookseller outside the Humboldt University on Unter den Linden in Berlin.

Werner's Picks:

Berlin Alexanderplatz - Alfred Doeblin
Die Verwandlung - Franz Kafka
Die traurigen Geranien und andere Geschichten aus dem Nachlass - Wolfgang Borchert

Borchert and Kafka were Werner's first recommendations, claiming that the language is easy enough to understand (though the meaning might be a bit more elusive). Doeblin will be more of a challenge, but is important enough that people should still read it. He even offered to do readings with me to help me learn the language that much quicker. Yes, Werner is the man. Late-night readings of Berlin Alexanderplatz sound cool enough, but unfortunately my Berlin schedule didn't allow for it.

And apparently we beginners should shy away from Thomas Mann (a whole lot of words and so little said) and Gunter Grass (don't get Werner started on Grass). I'll keep it in mind.

Thank you, Werner!