North Coast Journal October 18, 2007 : IN REVIEW

October 18, 2007

In Review heading

In Rainbows | Free Stuff | Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

In Rainbows
Radiohead.
Self-released.

By now, everyone knows what happened: Radiohead reemerged from nowhere on Oct. 1, announcing that they planned to release a new studio album in 10 days, and by the way even though they’re one of the biggest rock bands in the world they’d be releasing it themselves on the Internet, oh and also by the way you wouldn’t have to pay for it if you didn’t want to.

All over the world, excited young men with three days of scratchy beard-growth on their faces put down their graphic novels and fired up their blogs; in 24 hours Radiohead had generated a year’s worth of buzz. They’d singlehandedly destroyed the traditional record industry, or at least shown themselves to be bravely forward-thinking. This was the tipping point. Mp3s would be free to graze in the green pastures of our iPods.

Oh yeah: And also, music was involved somehow.

It almost doesn’t matter whether the record is any good — but it is. For the first time in years, the band has made an album that actually feels good to listen to: warm, consoling, maybe even optimistic. The distorted, clomping beat that kicks off “15 Step” is a red herring: This is an album full of — gasp — actual songs, with guitars and singing and everything. On tracks like the hypnotic “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” and the percussive, groovy “Reckoner,” the band flexes its experimental muscle while sticking to the compelling melodies and guitar riffs that made people fall in love with them in the 1990s. Meandering instrumental noodling is out, and scary, computer-processed vocals are kept to a minimum; it’s not just that real guitars and drums are back, it’s that they sound more exquisite than before — everything, if you will, in its right place. Johnny Greenwood in one ear and Ed O’Brien in the other. Colin Greenwood’s bass holding things together, not hiding behind a fuzz box.

And perhaps the most welcome change: the crystalline sound of Thom Yorke’s voice, not to mention the content of his lyrics. Both are more comprehensible than they have been since OK Computer. Yorke’s wordless falsetto croon reaches its apotheosis on longtime fan favorite “Nude,” and the album’s closer, “Videotape,” now rivals “Street Spirit” and “Motion Picture Soundtrack” as Radiohead’s Sincere Emotional Statement About Death.

This, Radiohead’s most accessible, least technology-damaged release in a decade, can only be downloaded from a glowing plastic box in an office in England somewhere, where it is probably raining and miserable — what I’d have called “Radiohead weather” before this record. But you know, the thing is called In Rainbows for a reason.

— Joel Hartse, Shanghai correspondent

Free Stuff: Bargains, Discounts And Other Things of Value in Northern Humboldt County, Calif.
By Fhyre Phoenix. Self-published.

Hell, everybody wants free stuff. And, damn, you see a book called Free Stuff and you’re just absolutely, hyperventilatingly certain that you’re gonna flip that thing open and behold a step-by-step guide to skating by without dropping a penny. Jackpot! With the quarter found on the floor!

But sensitive-man-about-town Fhyre Phoenix has got more depth than that. His self-published manual, an eight-and-a-half-by-eleven office-paper affair in plastic black comb binding, is no crafty directive to leech off society. Quite the opposite: It’s a gentle — fatherly — nudge toward being a better citizen while nurturing yourself with costless or severely discounted treats as you travel that high road.

In other words, Free Stuff isn’t so much about all the free rides, eats, shows, dental care and pens to be scooped up in NoHum (although those are in there) as it is about taking a peek — no, a skull-wide-open gander — into Phoenix’s perpetually pondering brain. And because it is neatly arranged in alphabetical order — the book, not Phoenix’ brain — the overall effect is one of sheer, disconnected ramblings. Delicious. Maddening. Let’s take a look:

Page 19, top of the page: “The Raven Project, 523 T St., Eureka, 443-7099, offers free clothing and shoes for youth ages 10-21 ...” Bottom of the page and most of page 20: “Coffee Cost Comparison.” Phoenix has clearly done his research, because he’s listed the price of a cup o’ 12-oz joe at 21 NoHum bean-friendly establishments, everywhere from Cafe Mokka to Muddy’s to Heuer’s Cafe.

Page 26, near the top: “Dance (also see: Exercise, Yoga). For joy, social connection and good health. Enough said.” He lists a community dance jam with a sliding scale/nobody-turned-away pricing system and the Folklife Society’s gigs, to which you can “gain free entry by volunteering for one hour.”

Page 27 (after the listing for College of the Redwood’s low-cost dental care clinic), under “Department Stores,” is an entry for Mervyn’s 50- to 75-percent discount sales “every Wednesday.” That’s followed by “Depression Stoppers.”

Page 32-33: The Elders of the Hopi Nation Speak. (An uplifting poem.)

Page 42, top of the page: Food Stamps. Middle of page: Free Tibet.

Page 43: Fun: “Never underestimate the value of fun, intense fun and laughter.”

And so on. Phoenix covers everything: fuel efficiency (“Take un-needed stuff out of your car and truck!”; exercising in your car (“grip the steering wheel at the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock...”); St. Joseph Community Resource Center’s free postal and message services; free mechanical chair massages at Living Styles Furniture Gallery (they’re gonna love that); legal assistance; nuclear weapons (that is, peace groups); free emergency access to police (9-1-1); free monthly potlucks (“call Wendy”); tax help; tea (“Both Moonrise Herbs ... and Humboldt Herbals ... offer one, small, free cup of hot herbal tea to customers”); Loleta cheese (free nibbles!); used mattresses; medical travel grants, and on and on.

Two of my favorite entries, back to back, are on page 73: “Pens: Free pens are available at the front counter of many local businesses...” and “Persons of Integrity.”

You’ll have to get the book to read what that means. Ah, but here’s a catch. Phoenix’s book is an admitted compilation of free and not-so-free stuff, of good deals and free advice. But one can’t help but wonder about the price of the book itself. It’s going for 12 bucks (check local bookstores; flag down Phoenix). What’s a poor gal to do?

Well, me, I liberated mine from a colleague’s mother, who bought it full-price and read it cover to cover in one night. It was worth the price.

— Heidi Walters

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.
Golden Gate Park, S.F.
Oct. 5-7

T-Bone Burnett

For the past six years investment banker Warren Hellman has bankrolled an impressive free music festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Held the first weekend in October, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass features a multi-generational array of roots-oriented acts, from traditional bluegrass to country-inflected punk, and this year was no exception.

The weekend started with a Friday afternoon concert, where guest stars would appear. I arrived just in time for a solo acoustic set from Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy. Tweedy reached deep into his catalog, performing tunes from his old band Uncle Tupelo, his side project Loose Fur and stripped-down versions of Wilco tunes. Tweedy is the only rock star I know who could cheekily admonish a crowd about proper sentence construction, in this case bemoaning the overuse of the phrase “I loves me some...” He easily kept the teeming crowd rapt with just a guitar, and obviously was having a good time.

Saturday we got to the park in time to catch the Knitters, which is basically punk band X in country/folk mode. It’s always great to hear the way Exene and John Doe’s voices blend, especially on funny tunes like their kiss-off to SoCal beach culture, “Skin Deep Town.” They were followed by John Prine, whose wry Vietnam-era song “You’re Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore” unfortunately seems to be back in style.

Because of the oppressive crowds I gave both Gillian Welch and Steve Earle a miss. Instead, I checked out Los Lobos, who these days seem to be auditioning to be the new Grateful Dead. (They did two Dead tunes in their set, and favored a similar chugging boogie for much of it.) John Doe sat in with the band for a great cover of Merle Haggard’s “Silver Wings,” though, and he was joined by Dave Alvin and Joe Ely trading verses on an apocalyptic version of “Highway 61 Revisited.”

Sunday was thankfully much less crowded, and the Sadies were a great way to get the sunny day going. A Canadian band led by the Good brothers, Dallas and Travis, The Sadies can play many styles — garage rock, country, psychedelia and Byrdsian pop are all in their musical arsenal. They’re also well known as a backup band for other artists, so it was little surprise that alt-country powerhouse Neko Case showed up to join them on a spirited version of The Band’s “Evangeline.”

After a set by the Heartless Bastards, who recalled a country-tinged PJ Harvey, grizzled lefty punk veterans The Mekons took the stage. The eight members of the band gathered in a seated circle (even punk rockers get old and tired) and played a mix of brand new tunes and oldies — Sally Timms’ spooky vocals on “Ghosts of American Astonauts” were a highlight, as was her ironic dedication of “I Love a Millionaire” to festival founder Hellman. Part of the charm of a Mekons show is their jokey abusive banter, and they didn’t disappoint in that regard either. As the Blue Angels soared over the crowd, lyrics about “jet fighters rehearsing for Armageddon” seemed all too relevant, and Jon Langford joked they showed up two songs too early. Langford even got up out of his chair to attempt some drunken Tom Jones-style pelvic thrusts and Riverdance jigs, goading the early afternoon crowd. The Mekons pull off thoughful tunes and crowd pleasers, no easy feat.

Exhausted, we left Golden Gate Park early, tired but happy. The festival was fun, but this year its almost at the point where it’s a victim of it’s own popularity. Too many people can sometimes spoil the fun.

— Jay Herzog, frequent Journal contributor

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