Barenaked Ladies: What a good time

After a scrumptious breakfast with homemade French toast, I spent much of Saturday enjoying the gorgeous weather and doing yard work. Then, we were off to a family member’s graduation party. And we capped the night with a stop to see …

(angel chorus)

Canada's coolest rockers …

No. Not Nickelback. Ugh. Please.

(angel chorus again)

Barenaked Ladies at Summerfest.

I know, I know. I told friends early and often I didn’t think it would be worth the trip to see BNL. They haven’t had a hit on the radio in years. Steven Page’s distinct singing voice and personality left the group earlier this year. The Barenaked Ladies have fallen off the Top 40 radar.

But as the date approached, and the lineup for this year’s Summerfest got bleaker, I warmed up to the idea of seeing BNL doing some good, old-fashioned rock music again. Besides, I also was looking for some redemption from the poor experience Kates and I had seeing Barenaked Ladies in Kansas City during their “Maroon” heyday.

Of that performance, I wrote this in a 2007 post ...

... we got VIP tickets for a Barenaked Ladies concert. The sponsor advertised all the goodies -- great seating, no waiting for beer or bathrooms, yada yada, yada … But it ended up being one of the worst concert experiences of my life. The VIP seating was located behind a chain link fence to the right of the stage and half of the band's instruments and equipment obstructed our view. Sure, there were no lines for beer and bathrooms, but you still had to pay $6 for the beer and we’re still talking port-a-potties ...

After a long, drawn-out goodbye at the graduation party and finally getting Phoebe situated to go home for the night with Grandma and Grandpa, we got to the Summerfest grounds at around 9 Saturday night, about an hour later than I had hoped … We passed through the turnstiles as The Briggs Bluesbusters were pumping out their classic show-finisher, “Like A Rolling Stone;” I had been hoping to arrive early enough to catch a few songs from their set, but it wasn’t to be.

Already, the benches were packed and there wasn’t an open patch anywhere. Orrin and Kelli joined up with us and we settled for a standing spot on one of the front rows of picnic tables. Not ideal, but it would have to do.

(For the uninitiated, the benches are the ideal viewing level for Summerfest shows. The picnic tables set up behind the benches are the next best spot. And if you can’t find room on either of those, you might as well give up trying to see anything and head to the bar post where all you can do is listen to the music.)

The hour between the time we arrived and the time the Barenaked Ladies took the stage seemed like an entire night. A light rain fell as we watched some lightning flash in the distance behind the stage. And, inevitably, we were sharing the picnic table with a couple of inebriated 19-year-old guys who thought it was cool to dress and act like gangstas at a Barenaked Ladies concert.

At exactly 10, the band – now a quartet – arrived on stage. Even after seeing the band once before and following them pretty closely over the years, I had absolutely no idea of what to expect from their show …

Then, they burst into “Get In Line” and I knew immediately we had made the right decision to come …

Sure, the gangstas in front of us never stopped moving and annoyed us throughout the show. Sure, the weather and our viewing spot weren’t ideal. Sure, we could barely make out a lot of the group’s onstage banter over the crowd's talking. Sure, Steven Page was glaringly absent at times …

But the music sounded just as tight and youthful as it always has. Guitarist/keyboardist Kevin Hearn did such a fantastic job filling Page’s void that – unless you’re a follower of them – you’d never notice the difference.

After “Get In Line,” they doled out “Old Apartment” (one of my BNL faves), along with “Maybe Katie” and “Testing 1, 2, 3.”

A little boredom set in about a third of the way through the show as the group introduced some new songs – “How Long,” “Summertime” and “Another Heartbreak,” according to the group’s blog post about the show. And, like I said, it was becoming increasing harder, and frustrating, to decipher their banter in between songs. … Nevertheless, their good-humored improv abilities seemed on par. At one point, lead singer Ed Robertson mused about his urban planning abilities and took credit for building the overpass that infamously runs over the Briggs & Stratton stage to protect us from the rain. Of course, the group went on to play a song about it, too.

Thankfully, they got back to playing the hits.

They country-fied my other favorite BNL song, “One Week” – complete with a “Dueling Banjos” riff in the middle and a fun play on the “Chinese chicken” lyric that made it sound like a broken record …



The band was noticeably ditching the Steven Page-led songs until Ed Robertson mused to the crowd, “You know how you get a new car and people say, ‘Hey, you got a new car!’ but it’s not really new. Or when you get a new bike, but it’s not really a new bike. Well, we’re going to play a new song for you that’s not really new, but it’s new to me!” He said the last part with this wide-eyed exuberance and I immediately started thinking “Oooh, a cover song!?” … Instead, the band broke into “Too Little Too Late” – a song that had been sung by Page, and I quickly understood Robertson’s logic. Again, the song sounded too good to care about the difference; it was just as fun to sing along as it’s always been.

They followed with Kates’s favorite “Falling for the First Time” and the popular “Pinch Me.” … Here’s some good video from the performances via YouTube, including Robertson’s how-to-invade-Canada lead-in to “Falling” …





The guys ended the first part of their set with the crowd favorite and a great sing-along, “If I Had $1,000,000.” For the song, Hearn once again stepped up to the mic to fill Page’s shoes and do the song’s signature banter with Robertson. They also pleasured the Milwaukee crowd by inserting the lyric “I would buy you a Harley.”

For the encore, the band topped off the show with a couple more songs and ended the night with a refreshing rendition of “What a Good Boy,” another song Robertson noted was “new,” but not really new.

I hadn’t realized “Brian Wilson,” arguably BNL’s most popular song, hadn’t made an appearance in the show until a couple of the kids standing near us shouted out the title during the encore …

But it didn’t matter to me. It was a good show.

Here's a good pre-show story from the Journal-Sentinel: Barenaked Ladies snack on kids' music

And here's a good post-show interview with local radio DJ Van McNeil ...

Summer means fun

It’s that time of year again, folks.

What did I call it last year? Oh yes, “The Good Times Tour.”

It’s that glorious 10-day span of every summer where the weather is perfect — not to hot, not too cold (I say that as we reached a record-high 91 degrees yesterday and we're experiencing another scorcher today). The colors in our yard are bursting. I celebrate a birthday. We gather with friends and family for Fourth of July festivities. And of course — cue the angel chorus — there's Summerfest.

The Big Gig begins tomorrow, baby. My tickets and enough parking passes — so that this year I don’t have to endure any boisterous, drunken, post-concert shuttle rides with the teenie-bopper/frat boy crowd — are in hand.

But then again, I’m feeling the least excited about this year’s Summerfest that I’ve felt in my entire Summerfest-going history.

Maybe it’s me getting older, becoming a father, having more responsibilities at home and not feeling as connected with the said teenie-bopper/frat boy crowd as I once used to. Maybe it’s the stress and crazy hours of my work-life these days. Maybe it’s just that the whole shine of Summerfest isn’t what it used to be for me ...

I really hope, though, that my lacking excitement has to do with this year’s less-than-stellar lineup ...

There’s only a couple bands I’d go to see — hands-down, no re-thinking needed — Guster and Shiny Toy Guns, who happen to be playing on the same night.

Now, I’ve been wanting/trying to see Shiny Toy Guns for two or three years, but every time they’ve come around they’re playing at the same time as another band I’m more interested in seeing, or their show is canceled ...

But Guster, over the last few years, has become one of my favorite bands in the world. I’ve seen them three times (2 1/2 times if you consider the night I decided to bug out because I wasn’t having any fun) and they remain super entertaining in my eyes. I also adore their music, packed with their sunbathed harmonies, singable melodies and Brian Rosenworcel’s percussion-playing.

Thus, Guster gets the nod over Shiny Toy Guns ... Sounds stupid, I know. Why go for a band I’ve seen multiple times when I could see a band I’ve been wanting to see for years? I guess it’s the comfort of being pretty sure I’m going to enjoy Guster, I'm pretty sure I'll get my money's worth, and Guster, over the last few years, has become one of my favorite bands in the world.

Few others on this year’s Summerfest lineup caught my eyes ...

... Barenaked Ladies ... But they haven’t had a hit in years. And with Steven Page departed, there appears to be a huge hole in their lineup ...

... Sister Hazel or Blues Traveler ... If this was 2000, I’d be all over it. But I’ve seen both a couple times and don’t have an urge to see them any time soon.

... Erin McCarley / Brett Dennen / Mat Kearney ... An intriguing list of up-and-comers playing back-to-back-to-back. But I've seen Brett and Mat, and the combo isn't enough to give up a couple extra hours of sleep and still get up by 4 the next morning.

... Train ... Kates and I thought about hitting them up again. But neither of us wanted to run the risk of devaluing their show a couple year ago — which we still regard as one of the best we’ve ever seen.

And the Marcus Lineup ... Last year’s lineup was stacked with greats; this year, eh. Bon Jovi — though I wouldn’t mind seeing him once — seems to come every year. Counting Crows, I’ve seen them. The Fray, seen them twice, not a fan. Bob Dylan — can’t stand his singing — with Willie Nelson, not interested. Stevie Wonder, saw him last year and I'm afraid of trying to top that. No Doubt, glad their reunited but they’ve never sounded good to me live, plus it's the same night as Guster. And Kiss, thanks but not a bit interested.

Ah, who am I kidding? I’m going to Summerfest and I'll have a ton of fun hearing music and taking in the scenery. Just like I do every summer ...

"Snack time" is a good time

So our friend Raechel presented us a few weeks ago with the Barenaked Ladies’ new album -- “Snack time” …

I’ve been listening to it repeatedly, and the most important thing I can say is this: Whether you’re a BNL fan, or a parent of young children -- get it!

Leave it to BNL to pull off an album that not only feels great on the adult ears, but an album that’s loaded with whimsical, kid-friendly sounds and lyrics.

The songs are filled with the signature BNL rock sound and sunny Beach Boy-like harmonies -- and the quirky dialogue a la “If I Had A Million Dollars.” And yet, a ton of the songs also are ready-made for a “Sesame Street” sing-along.

Only a rock band like BNL could sing about everyday things like erasers and allergies and lament the struggles of hand-me-downs (“My Big Sister”) and not being able to talk to your dog …

The album starts with the grouchy "7-8-9" (as in seven ate nine) and keeps on, drawing on flavors of rock, ’80s synth pop, a little bluegrass (“I Can Sing”) and a samba sound in one of my favorites on the album, “Polywog in a Bog.” … “Raisins” is a great, singable tune with a whistling chorus … The relaxing “Louis Lou” and the somber/so relatable “Bad Day” are other strong faves … “Humungous Tree” sounds like a new-agey Burt Bacharach tune.

The real gem on the album, though, is the Canadian Snacktime Trilogy -- a trio of sweet songs that starts with the title track. The first half of the song keys on a celebration of snack time and a cheeky spoken lyric -- “Talkin' ‘bout snack time.” Then, as the song winds down, a series of people are heard calling in their favorite snacks -- including a darling little boy who says his favorite snack is craaaaaaackers! We hear from callers who like lobster, salt and a vinegar chips, Japanese rice cakes and microwaved chocolate donuts. We hear from a robot and even Gordon Lightfoot -- to which my initial reaction was: Was that really Gordon Lightfoot!?

Part II of the trilogy is “Popcorn” -- a song on which just one word makes up almost all of the song. And still the guys succeed at conjuring a excitement of cooking popcorn, and it totally rocks … Then the trilogy concludes with the soothing/cooling “Vegetable Town.”

The album wouldn’t be complete, of course, without some good BNL humor. That can be found on second-to-last track, “Crazy ABC’s,” which features Ed Robertson teaching the alphabet with a collection of non-traditional words would challenge a decent Scrabble player (B is for bdellium, C is for czar, E for Euphrates, G for Gnarly, M for mnemonic … and you get the idea) … The humor really kicks in with fellow BNL member Steven Page’s retorts …

Ed: L is for llama
Steven: What's so strange about llama?
Ed: Llama, it starts with two L's
Steven: What's the second one for?
Ed: No idea.
Steven: I know, loser.

I need to say no more. “Snack time” is worth eating up.

* * *

A couple other albums of note I’ve recently acquired …

Scarlett Johansson’s “Anywhere I Lay My Head” … I have to say I knew almost nothing about this album other than the fact Scarlett was putting it out. I honestly didn’t know what to expect … But a couple minutes into the first track and the heavy brass, I had to double-check the CD cover to make sure I was listening to Scarlett Johansson – the actress. It’s not the poppy, summer-lovin’ style of music we’ve become accustomed to from the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton… Not even close.

Instead it has a cool indie vibe. I like the sultry, jazz zinger sound on the second track … though you have to be in a matching mood to listen and fully enjoy it, I think. So goes much of the album …

Some of the songs are ready made for Grey’s Anatomy (“Fannin Street,” “Song for Jo”), while “I Wish I was in New Orleans” is sort of a relaxing, twinkling tune … But a much-needed upbeat song doesn’t come until the ninth track, “I Don’t Want to Grow Up.”

It’s a worthy effort, but it’s not something I’m going to pop in again and again. I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Death Cab For Cutie’s “Narrow Stairs” … I know there are some fanatical Death Cab fans out there. I am not one of them, but they do intrigue me. So let it be known that “Narrow Stairs” was a much-welcomed addition to my library (thanks again, Raechel).

It too has been getting a lot of play from me lately, and it has me making a lot of comparisons to The Shins “Wincing the Night Away” album and -- believe it or not -- “Smile”-era Brian Wilson. My favorite song on the album, “You Can Do Better Than Me,” totally gets me thinking it could easily fit somewhere on “Pet Sounds.”

From top to bottom, “Bixby Canyon Bridge,” “No Sunlight,” and “Cath …” to “Your New Twin-Sized Bed” -- the album is chock full of great, great songs. Then, to cap it, they read aloud every single word of the album credits -- genius.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Checking out some music

...So I've never been big on libraries. In fact, I'm not a big book reader. Magazines and newspapers -- I'm all over 'em. Not books, novels.

Then Kates -- who looooooooooves libraries and books -- mentioned to me how much I might enjoy checking out some music from our neighborhood library ...

I took her up on it and got myself a library card, and checked out a handful of CDs several weeks ago, although initially the selection wasn't as wide and up-to-date as I had hoped ...

Nonetheless, craving for some new stuff, or at least some things I hadn't yet heard, I went back the other night amid some other errands. ... Perhaps all the good stuff was checked out last time I went, 'cause on this night, once I got started I couldn't be stopped!!! ... and before I knew it, I had an arm full and had to stop ... our library won't let you check out for than 10 CDs at a time ...

... I came away with...

... Paula Cole: This Fire ... I got it on a cassette tape in high school and remember loving it, although I haven't listened to it in awhile. I thought it might be fun to pop it into a CD player and revisit it ...

... Ace of Base: The Bridge ... same circumstance as Paula Cole ... that and 'Lucky Love' is one of my all-time favorites ...

... Barenaked Lades: Maroon ... great rock album!!

... The Beautiful South: Painting it Red ... Thanks to a cohort, I got hooked on Beautiful South in college, and dubbed a couple of their other albums on to a tape. Their lyrics are pretty smart and humorous, and their pop folk sound is os so fun to listen to. I popped this one in last night and it was just as good as I had hoped ...

... Clay Aiken: Measure of a Man ... yeah, yeah, yeah. Say what you want. But I liked 'Invisible' when it was on the radio and I'm curious what the rest of the album sounds like ...

... The Cardigans: First Band on the Moon ... I've always liked 'Lovefool' and I've always wondered what the rest of their stuff sounds like. Now I'll find out ...

... Shawn Colvin: Whole New You ...have looooooooooved Shawn Colvin for as long as I can remember. Kates and I had a friend sing one of her songs at our wedding, and I count seeing her last summer as one my dreams come true.

... Paul McCartney: Chaos & Creation in the Backyard ... I previewed this one at a Border's store when it came out last year and wasn't blown away, but I'd like to spend a little more time with it ...

... David Bowie: the Best of Bowie ... I've never considered myself a Bowie fan, other than 'Changes,' but when I popped this one in the other night, I was surprised at how many of his songs I knew and like ...

...Dido: Life For Rent ... I purposely saved this one for last. Among the CDs I checked out, this was probably one of the ones I thought I'd be least interested in. Yeah, I like what I've heard from Dido before, but I just wasn't overly excited about listening to this CD ...think again!! I'm listening to it again now for like the third, maybe the fourth time, and can't get enough of it!! Perhaps it's the fact I've been in such an exhausted, stressed-out state-of-mind this week, and I'm find these meoldies and music soooooo soothing, the lyrics soooo comforting and compelling (particularly the fourth track, 'Mary’s in India'...). But then again, I'm pretty sure I'd love it no matter what state of mind I'm in. It's an amazing album ...