A Ryan Adams treat

Was over at the Cardinal Cave earlier (which kind of isn't really a cave or blog anymore) and I discovered that Ryan has done new versions of a couple of tracks from Cardinalogy - Fix it and Magick. You can listen below - they're quite different and little more funky, but they definitely grow on you.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals at the Opera House

Well Ryan Adams and the Cardinals hit Wellington this week and rocked out at the Opera House last night.

Over at the Cardinal Cave Blog you can see pics of the band hanging out in "Chillington" and there is video below of Ryan at the Waitangi Park skate bowl. By his own (somewhat melodramatic) account this is Adams' last tour due to his hearing and subsequent balance issues, so I was totally amped for the gig. (Although the infamous blog post has disappeared so maybe this isnt the end?)

They opened with an awesome version of Let it Ride and played some great tracks including Cold Roses, Fix It, Mockingbird Sing and Born into a Light. Adams was also in fine form with some crazy ass banter like having a discussion with gutarist Neal Casal on why he doesnt agree with Come Pick Me Up anymore, but plays it because everyone loves it, and talking about how awesome Laser Tag at the place down Courtenay Place - "That's your funhouse dot net!" A friend of mine was also lucky enough to meet him after the show, and by all accounts he's a really easy going cool guy - "clearly kicking the speedball-a-day habit is treating him well."

On the downside, he didn't play any of the tracks I was dying to hear - there was no La Cienega, Magnolia Mountain, Sweet Illusion, The End, If I'm a Stranger, Cherry Lane, 29 or Blue Sky Blues. I could have also done without Magick, but hey he did play Wonderwall - which I'm sure on some level was a nod to me and their version of Easy Plateau was much better than the album version. As you can probably imagine from the set list below, for me the highlights were definitely Let it Ride and Cold Roses.

Full set list:
Let it Ride, Two, I See Monsters, When the Stars Go Blue, Crossed Out Name, Cold Roses, Grand Island, Fix It, Everybody Knows, Come Pick Me Up, Wonderwall, Oh My Sweet Carolina, Freeway to the Canyon, Oh My God Whatever Etc, Rescue Blues, Mockingbird Sing, Born Into A Light, Easy Plateau, Encore: Goodnight Rose, Magick.

Also I should make mention of the really really odd opening act - it was two young Maori dudes singing what was basically a kiwiana mega mix - Pokarekareana. Tutira mai nga iwi, and so on. It kind of felt like the Cardinals had found them busking down Courtenay Place and invited them to play... very weird.


"...so fast" RA-SK8 Wellington from Wilson Wolf on Vimeo.

Cardinalogy

I picked up Cardinalogy over the weekend, Ryan Adams' follow up to last year's Easy Tiger. This time around the tracks a little snappier with most clocking in around the 2-3 minute mark, but unfortunately they have carried over that easy or dare I say it - 'nice' feel of Easy Tiger.

There are some high points though - I've found myself singing Go Easy and Fix It at work and he almost goes a little Ben Harper and the Blind Boys with track 6 - Let Us Down Easy.

it's a good solid album along the Gold and Easy Tiger lines, but like those albums, it never reaches the heights and innovation of the Cold Roses/Jacksonville City Nights/29 era.

Below is Ryan and the Cardinal's performing my favourite track - Fix It on Letterman.

Going Gig Crazy

Well Feb and March are now shaping up as exciting months with a stack of international acts actually coming to New Zealand!

We have the Top Gear Live Show in Auckland - with the full cast of Jeremy Clarkson, Hampster, Captain slow, and the Stig as well as an array of super cars and football-playing-Suzuki-swifts. On top of that The Who are playing the North Shore with Counting Crows, Neil Young and the Arctics are headlining the Big Day Out and just announced yesterday - Ryan Adams is coming to Wellington... EEEEEEEEE!

Here he is performing Magnolia Mountain from Cold Roses in Sydney a few years back


Rounding out the beginning of 2009, rumour has it that the Ringleader of the Tormentors himself, Morrissey is heading down our way... again EEEEEEEE!


Which reminds me of a funny conversation I had about Morrissey a year or so back - I was asked "is he still alive??" I was like no he's still touring to which they said "Oh well he's all shit then - moans on about it, but never actually tops himself." LOL classic.

Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

Turns out that sometimes drugs are a really, really good idea.

Ive spent the morning listening to Ryan Adams' new album Easy Tiger. After two listens Im thinking its more like his Gold/Love is Hell works - very very good, but also maybe a little bit safe?

I was a big fan of his 2006 series of three albums in one year. In fact I would go as far as to say Jacksonville City Nights is probably my favourite album by him, but it was also the most difficult to get my head around. It is way more country than it is rock n roll, and till then my country roots has mostly consisted of the Byrds.

After listening to Jacksonville a lot recently I guess I was hoping for something along those lines again - that pushed the comfort boundaries a little. Im not sure that Easy Tiger does that.

Don't get me wrong I think its a very good album, and there are some stand out tracks - Halloweenhead, with his call for a "guitar solo" is fantastic. And there are moments that remind you of parts of 29 and the guitar work in Tears of Gold does draw on Jacksonville, but for me it mostly harks back to his earlier works.

This is probably an album that could have slotted in between Cold Roses and Love is Hell. Which is where the drugs come in. It turns out he was off is nut during the 2006 series - for all intents and purposes it sounds like he wasnt far from being a junky.

But this raises the question - do people make better music when they're out of their minds?

Top 10-athon continues

We seem to be in the midst of a top 10-athon. The latest challenge laid down by "Cosby" (its the nickname he gave himself... I know) is the Great Ryan Adams Top 10. This was the hardest so far, not entirely sure why but it was.

Counting down the top 10 as follows

10. Somehow, Someday
9. When the Stars Go Blue
8. Afraid Not Scared
7. A Kiss Before I Go
6. Sweet Illusion
5. Wonderwall (he won a Grammy for this performance, so it counts)
4. The End
3. 29
2. La Cienega Just Smiled
1. Blue Sky Blues

Song of the week

Time for something a little lighter...

Ive just been re-listening to Ryan Adams' latest album 29. I bought it months ago, and gave it a bit of a go back then - but didnt really rate it. On second listen its grown on me.

So my song of the week - Blue Sky Blues - absolutely stunning, it almost matches La Cienega Just Smiled from Gold.

Now I would link to his website - but what a load of old bollocks that is, yes it looks cool - but just try to navigate it! Go on then Google it!