Moving In Stereo

Volume 29

by Darren Paltrowitz

Since Moving In Stereo: Volume 28 hit browsers, shelves, and tables around the world, a lot of worthwhile and attention-worthy releases have reached the office CD player, including:

…From The Stage

Fresh off of his stint as a morning talk show host in New York, David Lee Roth returned to the road with a gig at Manhattan’s Nokia Theatre.  Playing in support of “Strummin’ With The Devil,” Roth brought out the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band to perform country-fied re-workings of ”Jump” and “Jamie’s Cryin’.”  Otherwise, Roth’s set was a high-energy classic rock affair with the expected hits being peppered alongside deeper album cuts like “Somebody Call Me A Doctor” and “Beautiful Girls.”  All in all, one of the few nostalgia acts that not only has a little something for everyone, but is altogether worth seeing…Now a self-managed, self-releasing solo artist, Mike Viola closed out another monthly residency at The Living Room with a set highlighting songs from his latest release, “Just Before Dark.”  Also playing selections from the forthcoming Making Up Time -– a full-length album of unreleased Candy Butchers songs recorded between 1994 and 1998 -- Viola brought out a backing band that wowed on tracks like “What I Won’t Give” and “Love’s Long Sleep” in power-trio format.  As a special finale, co-headliner Jim Boggia came on-stage to do harmonies for “That Thing You Do,” the Academy Award-nominated song which Viola co-wrote and sang lead vocals on, yet has rarely acknowledged in the years since.  More residencies are said to be expected from Viola and crew…A few blocks down from The Living Room at Rockwood Music Hall, Arty Shepherd took part in a night-long bill of singer-songwriters.  Playing selections from various eras of his career -- from Errortype: 11 and Instruction to his latest group God Fires Man -- Shepherd’s set also included a tribute to the recent passing of Syd Barrett.   Recording on a God Fires Man album is currently underway, but in the meantime, a free EP from the shoegazer-rock-inspired quartet can be downloaded at http://www.myspace.com/godfiresman...Coming through The Crazy Donkey on Long Island, the Summer Of Ska Tour helped to prove that ska is still alive and playing to capacity crowds.  Headlined by Catch 22 on this particular tour stop, attendees were also treated to appearances by the Voodoo Glow Skulls, Big D & The Kids Table, Westbound Train, and Suburban Legends.  The Orange County-based Legends -- who braved through a robbery and arson of their tour van to continue on with the tour -- aren’t necessarily a ska band, but are -- without exaggeration -- one of the best live acts this writer has ever seen.  If The Suburban Legends are coming through your town, you would be unwise to miss their upbeat brand of “party rock,” unless gloom is more of your thing.

…From The Screen

An infamous media figure hailing from Canada, Nardwuar The Human Serviette is the sort of interviewer that artists have a love and hate relationship with.  His research turns up questions that generally no one has ever asked, which keeps most interview subjects from providing contrived responses.  He also doesn’t let you end the interview until you finish his melody and sing “Doot Doo!”  Appropriately named Doot Doola Doot Doo...Doot Doo!, Nardwuar has released a 2-disc DVD set that includes interviews with everyone from Mikhail Gorbachev and Dan Quayle to Snoop Dogg and Wesley Willis.  Performances by his real-life band The Evaporators are also thrown in on this all-region compatible DVD title…Chronicling the original lineup of the Japanese heavy metal group’s first U.S. tour in 20 years, In America: Live Shocks World Circuit 2006 - Chapter 1 features a full-length set from Loudness from B.B. King’s in Times Square.  While mostly focusing on recent material that remains unreleased in America, Akira Takasaki and company do throw in MTV-spun selections like “Crazy Night,” “Like Hell,” and “Let It Go” for good measure.  Following the 14-song performance, footage from each of the tour’s 14 shows is weaved together into clips that are both entertaining and amusing.  Those looking for more from Loudness should be pleased to know that the band will soon be recording its 25^th Anniversary CD with Eddie Kramer, which is in addition to recent solo releases from Takasaki, vocalist Minoru Niihara, and drummer Munetaka Higuchi…A cult favorite of a sit-com that began on public access television moved to cable then to Fox and has since returned the IFC network, Greg The Bunny is getting more of its deserved due with a 2-disc DVD from Shout! Factory.  Including 14 episodes plus commentaries from the creators, puppeteers and puppets, featurettes, deleted scenes, bloopers, and a photo gallery, The Best Of The Film Parodies is entirely uncensored as its content is from the show’s return to IFC.  A second season of Greg --including a return from Gilbert Gottfried -- has just been filmed, and air-dates for such can checked out at http://www.myspace.com/gtheb.

If you have news to report for the next edition of Moving In Stereo, press releases and all other correspondence should be sent to darren.paltrowitz@gmail.com.