Live Music Reviews

Wilco live at The Fillmore Detroit (photoset and review)

Wilco live at The Fillmore Detroit – December 10, 2011
Words by Shan, photos by Ady

Ady behind the lens (photo by Shan)

The first time Ady and I met up to see Wilco live together—for me via Cleveland and, back then Ady traveling from Miami, Florida—was the summer of 2004 at Point State Park for the free show in Pittsburgh, PA. The now well-seasoned line up of Tweedy/Stirratt/Kotche/Sansone/Cline/Jorgensen was just starting off together for the A Ghost is Born tour, and it was then and there after that show that we made a pact to take time out from the crazy world and travel together at least once a year. We’d explore some new destination where later we’d blow off some steam and do a mad dance at a Wilco show, just like we’d done that day. “Two Sisters and a Wilco Show” we said. Our mom was at the show with us.

Seven years have passed since that evening, and we’ve continued to travel together, far and wide and for other music as well. Two Sisters has evolved and expanded, we’ve added photography and artwork, interviews and maintaining this site to our repertoire. It was exciting, then, and felt full-circle that our last show of the year we would celebrate in a big way as Ady was granted an official photo pass from the kind folks from the world of Wilco for this show (this time to support the recently released The Whole Love). Our mom was with us for this show, too.

Glenn Kotche behind his percussion factory

If you’ve found this post, chances are huge that you’re already a Wilco fan yourself. Which therefore also probably means you don’t need convinced of the brilliance of Wilco, both in studio and live. In a nutshell, the band played so tightly and in synch with one another that I kept marveling how, over the years six people seemed to have morphed into a singular musical organism. The stage was filled with its dripping, draping lighted cloth hanging from above and their maze of instruments—guitars, pedals, cords, keyboards everywhere. Glenn Kotche’s percussion set was so elaborate and visually bombastic that it alone looked like a scene straight from a Terry Gilliam movie set.

John Stirratt

Jeff Tweedy was as comedic as ever, though kept it short as they zoomed through 27 songs in a dream set that lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes. As Tweedy pointed out, the audience, which also felt as if it were a single, unified entity in it’s excited state, was the “perfect blend of intoxication and concentration—intoxitration.” He also told us his shirt, which seemed fresh and clean earlier when he’d put it on, after a few hours and now while on stage, had activated. He apologized to those in the front few rows for this. The Fillmore show was everything a Wilco fan could hope for, and the set list will speak a million words.

After the show, we had a pajama party with our Two Sisters cohort Cindy (who had taken us on a tour of Detroit earlier in the day: pastries, crepes and the incredible Diego Rivera mural . . .). We poured a drink, made a toast, looked through Ady’s photos, and in true Two Sista style, baked a spanakopita at 1:30am to celebrate. We’re excited to share our photo set of roughly 100 of the best of the best. Wilco, we love you.

Pat Sansone

Nels Cline

Mikael Jorgensen (and owl)

View the full Wilco live at The Fillmore Detroit set via Flickr.

Review and photo set of opener Nick Lowe can be found here.

PS – We got 32 Nothin’s

Tinariwen at the Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH 11/22/2011

Frequent Two Sisters show going comrade, Renee, was in attendance at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights a few weeks back to witness the stage light up with passion and energy from the incredible northern Malian band, Tinariwen. It’s a show I was very disappointed to have missed (and that I would have attended had I not been out of town on another Two Sisters mission) but thankfully Renee has shared with us with some of her beautiful photographs and her impressions of the show.

Tinariwen, live at the Grog Shop
Photos and review by Renee

Tinariwen swept in to the Grog Shop promoting their fifth album, Tassili. On this leg of the tour Tinariwen had 6 musicians on stage: a percussionist with 2 hand drums, electric bass, 3 guitarists, and a backing vocalist who also provided hand claps and dancing (all musicians contribute to harmonies and call-and-response vocals). The definitive master of Tuareg guitar, Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, did not take the stage until the third song and humbly left the stage when Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni played gorgeous classical guitar, fitted with a pick-up. The classical solos were restfully moving yet equally rhythmic as when the four electrified guitars were surging into the crowd.

Because Tinariwen’s members are nomadic Berbers from North and West Africa, the verbal communication with the audience was minimal. Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni did call out “Ça Va?” and “It’s OK?” a few times, but Tinariwen does not rely on dialogue to communicate with their audiences. I stood (not still) directly in front of a founding member of the band, Alhassane Ag Touhami, who was not playing guitar that night, but was a key for physically engaging the audience. He was in constant movement, clapping, arms open, reaching out to the audience and coaxing the audience to reach back to him, and his scarf could not hide the smile on his face. Most of the band members were fairly stoic, but that could be a misperception created by being unable to read their faces. Ibrahim Ag Alhabib was calm, if not solemn, but his presence does seem to dissolve some when he pours his spirit into the desert blues. I have read many quotes by him stating that no matter what stage he is on, his mind is always in the dessert and with the Tamasheq people. Towards the end of the show, he called a translator to the stage to tell the crowd, “These songs flow free from my heart, even though my tongue is sharp.”

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All photos by Renee for Sisters Dissonance

Used Wigs Radio – Podcast 90

I finally had the pleasure of attending a live podcast recording of Used Wigs – a pop culture, comedy trio that podcasts once a month in Philly at L’etage. In addition to the laugh therapy I received from the Used Wigs crew and guest comedian Nikki Walter, I also got CHEESE! Good cheese, thanks to Madame Fromage, Philly Cheese Expert. Enjoy these photos from my night out, and take a listen to the podcast here.If you haven’t had a chance, I suggest you listen to Podcast 90 for some giggles, and some good cheese advice.

View the full Used Wigs – Podcast 90 photo set via Flickr.

Daytrotter’s Barnstormer 5: Akron, Ohio

It’s locusts’ last stand!
Foggy field explodes with song
from pine-board boombox

So the good fellas at Daytrotter rolled into sunny, hazy Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Akron yesterday and proceeded to roll out five bands—Wildlife and Doug Paisley (both of Toronto), Princeton (Los Angeles), White Rabbits (Brooklyn via Missouri) and Hacienda (San Antonio), all distinct in their own sound, all equally impressive—that made for a killer 4+ hour show. They knocked the socks off the crickets and the locusts, and the human audience, too. Sean Moeller and co. hosted Barnstormer 5 in the beautiful centurian barn at the Conrad Botzum Farmstead, and it was smooth sailing, great sound and great people all night long. If you are anywhere near where the ‘Storm is headed (three dates left, tonight in Dexter, MI then on to Monticello, IL and Maquoketa, IA before it’s over), don’t walk, run! And make sure it’s toward it that you are running.

Hacienda at Barnstormer 5, Akron, Ohio

Click here to view Daytrotter: Barnstormer5 Akron, OH photo set on Flickr.

~ Review in Haiku by Shan

Tim Kasher live at Johnny Brenda’s: photos, haiku review and a short interview

divorce was beauty
under spinning disco lights
all drunk together

peter pan on stage
rocking so hard glasses smashed
such a good birthday

Tim Kasher (Cursive) has been on the road touring his recent solo release ‘Bigamy: More Songs From the Monogamy Sessions’ EP and Ady caught him, along with openers Aficionado and Laura Stevenson and the Cans, at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia last night. Of course her camera was by her side, but she was also able to talk to him after the show for a quicker than lightning interview. Here’s how the conversation went.

Ady: Your show tonight was amazing. Do all your shows go this smooth?
Tim Kasher: No, not all of them, but tonight was pretty good.

Ady: When do you think you will be back in Philly again?
Tim Kasher: Maybe in March.

Ady: So can I ask you one final question and call this an interview?
Tim Kasher:Yeah!

Ady: Ok. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
[no hesitation on Tim’s end, and he stretches his arms out wide]
Tim Kasher: You know how some people want to be all stretchy?

Ady: Oh, so you want super stretch powers!
Tim Kasher: No. I want to fly.

Ady: Can I quote that?
Tim Kasher: Absolutely.