Tom Waits for No Man

Here’s a review of Waits’ Paramount Theatre show from the Willamette Week Online:

Tom Waits, Paramount Theater, Seattle, Wash., Oct. 18

Though Seattle’s clouds needed no encouragement, Tom Waits began his only American concert this year exhorting “Make it Rain” from his brand-new album, Real Gone. The ensuing set was heavy on new material, which it appeared Waits was still studying. Several songs showed gaps where the singer groped for a line, or raced the music to fit a lyric in after recalling it a beat late. Even his Bone Machine classic “Earth Died Screaming” saw Waits blow the chorus, confusing guitarist Marc Ribot, who was gamely attempting to sing along. Of course, Waits’ idiosyncratic delivery and elastic soundscapes can sustain that kind of awkward abuse and still come across, as it did to this sold-out, pumped-up crowd, which included pilgrims from across the country. A standing ovation greeted the Iraq War-evoking “Day After Tomorrow,” and bizarre instrumental effects from Ribot, bassist Larry Taylor, and percussionist Brain accompanied Mule Variations’ paranoid monologue “What’s He Building in There?” Overall, the show was much more a bare-bones band set than the theatrical approach of Waits’ performances in recent years. An upright piano wheeled out for a final, two-song encore was the perfect finish to an imperfect, yet stupendous, performance.

I’m sure this one has been around, but I just found this great quote from Mr. Waits in an article about Ray Charles. It is certainly a great eulogy to a great artist:

“Your collection could be completely filled with nothing but Ray Charles music and you’d have a fairly complete picture of American music.”

Marc Ribot, the multi-talented guitar player who appears on Real Gone as well as Mule Variations, Rain Dogs and others, has written a rather scathing letter to the Editor of the Seattle Weekly in response to their review of Real Gone by Rod Smith. He specifically attacks the snobbery of the critics assumptions of exactly where “rock” begins and other music ends.

Read the whole thing here (it’s the fourth letter).

General Articles:

The Times: Well Worth the Waits

Album Reviews:

Stereohead: Pirate Farmer Hobo Carnie Funk

Stephanie on the Raindogs Mailing List found this little article about the upcoming Red Hook music festival which “is trying to secure include The Cure, Bjork, post-mod noisemakers Sonic Youth and The Pixies, Norah Jones, No Doubt, dreadlock’d funk-star legends Burning Spear and Toots & the Maytals, third-generation punksters The Strokes and The White Stripes, Neil Young, Coldplay, and the gravel- throated Tom Waits.” Sounds like a great line up to me.
Full Story

Update: Stuart on the Raindogs Mailing List who has good connections says this is a yearly attempt. They try to get him and he refuses. So, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

According to Tom’s label, Anti-, Mr. Waits will be appearing on Channel 4’s UK Hall of Fame on Novemeber 14th. Full Press Release

Well, so far this year, Tom’s shows have been too far away from my home in Oklahoma for me to attend. But I wanted to comment on the Norah Jones concert I attended last night to say that her version of “The Long Walk Home” is fantastic. It is a truely worthy cover.

Concert Reviews:
Globe and Mail: Riveting Waits Creates Instant Music Lore Thanks to the Englishman mentioned in the article for sending me this one.
Straight.com

Album Reviews:

Aversion.com
Sydney Morning Herald
The Nation: Guided by Voices
Hour.ca

TreoTV is showing an old Waits apperence on the David Letterman show on November 5th. Full Listing

Here’s a review of Real Gone from The Daily Yomiuri: Full Story

General Articles:

Here’s an odd little piece in which Mr. Waits expresses that he was afraid of working with Keith Richards.
ContactMusic.com: Waits Feared Working with Richards.

Concert Reviews:

Seattle Times: True Original Remains Haunting, Hypnotic as Ever

Album Reviews:

City Pages
The Buffalo Beast

1. Make It Rain
2. Don’t Go Into That Barn
3. Temptation
4. Baby Gonna Leave Me
5. Hoist That Rag
6. Sins Of My Father
7. Earth Died Screaming
8. Table Top Joe
9. November
10. The Part You Throw Away
11. Dead and Lovely
12. Kommienezuspadt
13. Metropolitan Glide
14. Murder in the Red Barn
15. Day After Tomorrow
16. Shake It

Encore One:

1. Top of the Hill
2. What’s He Building in There?

Encore Two:

1. Hang Down your Head
2. House Where Nobody Lives

Thanks to The Eyeball Kid and John G., John J., John F., Dan and Erynn.

Here’s a review of last night’s show in Seattle from the Seattle Post Intelligencer: “New songs show off Waits at his growly best”

Jen on the Raindogs List sent me this picture of Waits outside of the Letterman Performance that I thought I would share with you: