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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2003)
1 REVIEWS W ant Rufus Wamuright • Dreamuxrrks Records | f you D i p % haven’t i taken a chance on Rufus Wainwright m fi- > yet, I’d say this would he a gixxJ time to get busy. To facili tate your duty, here’s the skinny: He’s music royalty (the spawn of folk heroes Loudon Wainwright HI and Kate McGarrigle), he’s a singer/song- writer/pianist, and he’s openly gay— better yet, openly fruity. Want, which goes on sale Sept. 23, is his third album, following a self- titled 1998 release and 2001’s Poses. (The dehut was filled with smoky torch songs; the follow-up threw some catchy pop hixiks into the cauldron.) These 12 ditties came to Wainwright in “a two-month hurst of creativity,” according to press materials. So fruitful was his prolificacy, fans will he treated to a second volume of Want sometime next year. Dripping with bizarre imagery and blunt confessions, Wainwright’s moody lyrics draw from a PBS-m eets-M TV mind capable of making cultural references that are equal parts highbrow ( Poses contains a sting inspired by the cult documentary Grey Gardens) and low brow (the title track on Want manages to name-drop John Lithgow). His words draw instant attention from the opening line: “Men reading fashion magazines...straight men," he observes. “Oh what a world we live in.” What follows is a symphonic carnival of extremes, complete with touching ballads, bouncy Gershwin-esque orchestrations and even a tuba solo. This easily could have led to the type of big-budget bombast that distances the listener from the artist, but, thankfully, the end result here is a more intimate peek at this guy’s unique personality. (As “Vicious World” fades out, Wainwright is caught on mike cute ly squealing, “Super!") Some local color enters into the picture on the sedate “11:11.” I’m.dying to know the story behind these lines: “Woke up this morn ing at 11:11 /Wasn’t in Portland and 1 wasn’t in heaven/Could have been either by the way I was feeling.” — Jim Radas ta : J ¿0 . ? i ê • Jr \lw W E veryone D eserves M usic Michael Franti and Spearhead • A RTISTdirect B y staying human, civil rights activist Michael Franti and his band Spearhead drop another well-crafted and delightfully uplifting C D on the masses of thinking, feeling music lovers. Everyone Deserves Music is a cornucopia of styles, enlightened lyrics and beautiful melodies by one o f the world’s most respected and prolific musician/activists, whose songs address topics including A ID S and gay rights. For this one, the San Francisco-based hip- hoppers build upon a number of musical styles that bubble over and become infectious. The : reggae flavor of “Pray for Grace," one of my personal favorites, gets you in the rruxxl to dance and rejoice in the face of despair. The classic-rock feel of “We Don’t Stop” and “Dive Why Did You G o Away" add a funkier texture. Then there’s the title track. It blossoms with forgiveness, love, truth and empowerment and musically combines soul, rock, funk, folk and bits of classical to great effect. And, of course, there’s what I like to call the Peace Movement’s Anthem, “Bomb the World." Sounds like an oxymoron, but listen to the lyrics: “You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can’t bomb the world to peace.” This is a soundtrack for the voiceless. It deserves a listen for protesters and nonprotest- ers alike— for those overwhelmed with a lack of hope and despair, for those who feel empowered or underpowered. G o ahead and pick it up. You deserve music. — Andumy Davis W E LLS FARGO presents THE NEXT STAGE. WINNINGSTAD THEATRE PQRTUN 0 CENTER STAGE THEATER L I V E ' WORLD PREMIERE! INE MESS 503-274-6588 \ www.Pcs.anG T he G rotto Kristin Hersh • 4AD n “Sno Cat,” the first track of Kristin Hersh’s sixth solo recording, quiet is king. A finger- picked acoustic guitar, Hersh’s familiar weathered voice. Giant Sand’s Howie Gelb adds a subtle bit of piano. The recording is so organic you can hear Hersh tapping the Ixxly of her guitar during the song’s fadeout. Her recording approach and dark lyrical honesty recall N Y C singer/songwriter Nina Nastasia’s 2003 release, Run to Ruin, but Nastasia owes a debt to Hersh. Because before the listening public had Nina Nasta sia, or C at Power, Hersh carved a place for dark and brave female singer/songwriters. But her ghostly acoustic presence isn’t the whole story. In the mid-1980s, an indie-rock band fronted by two women put on live sets like lightning supernovas. Making hallucinogenic pop music for an audience used to seeing XY chromosomes front and center, Throwing Muses featured Hersh’s shriek front and cen ter. Signed to the high-profile altema-labcl 4A D , the Muses blazed a (sometimes psychot ic) trail, clearing the way for Liz Phair and PJ Harvey to howl. After releasing a handful o f solid records, half-sister Tanya Donnelly left the band to start Belly, and Hersh started having kids. In the midst o f transitional weirdness, Hersh became a solo artist, exploring qui eter spaces. In T he G rotto, lyrics fall into place, with slight and oblique repetition. T h e picture forms, a winter moment, an escape from her lover: “I thank gixl you’re comatose/as I pull back the bed clothes." Angry and diffi cult moments o f marital anti-bliss, of life- snuffing inertia. T he original lineup of Throwing Muses hit the road last year for a final hurrah, and Hersh promises her new project, 50’ Wave, will tour soon. “Harder, faster, more intense," she promises on TTirowmgMusic.com. Nothing could sound more different from The Grotto. W hat to do with the flip-flop of Kristin Hersh’s sonic fancies? Pick your poison. Either way you’ll be witnessing the continuing evolu tion of an honest artist. — Con Taratoot JF1 c d » 11 slljSp O ■ 1» « • V t V ’^ T I P] B u ■ A i v i r ft* » . i « « T * « J»«ï • v m v l M v .R A ,WA iV.Vi — mm :<■ ::::: 86888S8SiSSffiSiiii«SS6 S 88 &3t &&& % 1 S EP TEM B ER 30th IS GAY & LESBIAN AUDIENCE NIGHT! J o i n u s a f t e r t h e s h o w t o r h o r s d o e u v r e s a n d a c h a n c e to win fre e tickets f r o m o u r hostess, the fa b u lo u s P O IS O N WATERS T h a n k s to o u r G ay a n d L e s b i a n A u d i e n c e N ig h t S p o n s o r . . . ju s tr r n i The Backers \
