February 2, 2007

Now this was funny

We have been on a music kick lately. I mean music concert dvd kick. Bought the Bruce Springsteen "Live in Barcelona," which we can't stop watching, Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," Steve Earle's "Transcendental Blues," and have rented a few along the way. Last night we watched U2's Rattle and Hum, which was far better than I remembered. Some really amazing versions of "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Where the Streets have no Name," and "With or Without You."

The funny part? I never noticed this before, but the interviewer who asks the band what they have been up to since making "Joshua Tree" sounds just like me. I never noticed that before. Heard it on the cd last week and was confirmed watching the dvd. SOF agrees. Could be my vocal double. Now only if that was someone singing....

*****

We both appreciate good guitar playing, of course, though when I play, we are reminded how much better they sound. But watching some of these groups we have been reminded how much we like good drummers. We are reminded also how much they are like the offensive lineman of music. You don't want to notice them, because that usually means that they are messing up, or, in the case of the rock bands of my youth, off on some stupid drum solo (how lame was that?). But, just like the offensive lineman, an attentive fan understands how good they are.

Watching Bruce, we both loved Max Weinberg's drum work. Larry Mullen is a great drummer for U2 as well. In person, we have witnessed some amazing drum work. Glenn Kotche, for Wilco, is always worth watching. I don't think I have ever seen a drummer sweat as much as he does (with the possible exception of Philip Peeples of the Old 97's).

I think Hector Munoz (Alejandro Escovedo) is a spectacular drummer. Always making the band better and never calling attention to himself. Last time we saw him, Alejandro was pushing Hector's side band, called "Jalapenos." Except Alejandro kept calling it "THE Jalapenos" and watching his good friend Hector shake his head behind him was one of my favorite moments of the show.

Anyway.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Max is awesome www.foryoubruce.com

Bootleg Blogger said...

Streak- One concern I have is that you could tell the guys sounded like you. Do you listen to your voice recorded frequently?:-)

Regarding drummers- I'll second your comments, particularly on Larry Mullen. I admire pros that continue to get better and better. Regarding Max- I remember the first time I saw him on Conan- It was definitely one of those What the F.... moments. As someone who has trouble singing and strumming at the same time I'm always amazed when someone can be doing something different with both hands and feet. Listen to Mullen on Achtung Baby.

In the end, though, it all comes back around to the guitar........ Later-BB

Streak said...

BB, not even sure how I know that. I have heard myself recorded a few times. Most recently, SOF and I did a couple of spots for our local NPR station.

But it wasn't just me, btw. SOF thought the same thing. It was freaky.

And I agree. Love the guitar. I just appreciate the good drummer more now than I did before. That all came into focus when I hung out with my nephews and talked music. They loved the raging guitar solo and the drum solo, and I remembered when I did too. But no more. Those solos must fit in the context of the song.

Anyway. Babbling. Need more coffee.