{"id":1740,"date":"2010-07-31T19:32:45","date_gmt":"2010-07-31T19:32:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/?p=1740"},"modified":"2010-08-10T23:40:27","modified_gmt":"2010-08-10T23:40:27","slug":"visions-of-joanna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2010-07\/visions-of-joanna\/","title":{"rendered":"Visions of Joanna"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1763\" title=\"Joanna\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Joanna.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Joanna.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Joanna-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Joanna-450x299.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There is no middle-ground when it comes to Joanna Newsom.\u00a0 You either love the music of this 28-year old singer from Nevada City, CA or you hate it.\u00a0 And even if you love it, you wonder how her unique, challenging music will make it in this modern world of three-minute truffles and trifles.\u00a0 Nonetheless you love and respect her teeming talents, and wish her well.\u00a0 Seeing Newsom live not only confirmed her many talents, but made her recordings much more approachable.\u00a0\u00a0 So see her live if you can, and give her multiple listens and chances to win you over.\u00a0 You will be handsomely rewarded.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Newsom came to the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara on Friday night, and played to a rapt crowd, including her family and ours from Nevada City.\u00a0 From the moment Joanna and band took the stage, we were mesmerized by her well-versed vocals, heavenly harp and plucky piano playing.\u00a0\u00a0 And we also enjoyed the supporting ensemble, though with some reservations voiced below.<\/p>\n<p>We have always heard strong Kate Bush and Rickie Lee Jones influences in Newsom&#8217;s vocals, but at the Lobero we heard more of the latter in her slurred effects and jazz-inflected timbres.\u00a0 At other times, however, we heard Joni Mitchell and a bit of kabuki geisha (homage to Mrs. Lefort) to go with her semi-operatic intonations.\u00a0 Regardless, the combination is unique and enthralling to these ears (though we acknowledge that, subjectivity and music tending to pal around, her voice in particular is not for everyone).\u00a0 Mixed with her complex melodies and her literate lyrical tales, the net effect on us at the Lobero was absolute hypnosis.<\/p>\n<p>The evening was primarily devoted to supporting her recent three-disc recording, &#8220;Have One on Me,&#8221; with a few older &#8220;hits&#8221; thrown in for good measure.\u00a0 Newsom opened the set with her strongest suit by playing solo on harp her song <em>&#8217;81 <\/em>(perhaps related to her year of gestation given her &#8217;82 birth, but with multiple lyrical levels per her norm).\u00a0 The combination of her hands-flying, intricate, rhapsodic harp playing and vocal gymnastics never fails to amaze, and left the audience big-eyed and mouth-agape.\u00a0 In a word: stunning.\u00a0 For some stellar lyrical stanzas from <em>&#8217;81<\/em> that we frequently sift, see way below at <strong>*<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The following rendering of <em>&#8217;81 <\/em>on the Jools Holland Show gives a good flavor for her Lobero version:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Joanna Newsom - &#039;81 (Live on Later with Jools Holland)\" width=\"635\" height=\"476\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mb5Jp_duKNM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Following <em>&#8217;81<\/em>, the band joined Newsom in earnest, with Neal Morgan on drums, Andrew Strain on trombone, a pair of violinist\/vocalist females, and guitar-banjo-tambura playing arranger, Ryan Francesconi.\u00a0 With every part and nuance of every song seemingly scripted, it is clear that between Newsom and these musicians (with at least half of them reading from sheet music), the commitment to arrangement and structure is formidable.\u00a0 If there has ever been true chamber folk, this is it.\u00a0\u00a0 The ensemble playing sounded at times like a small orchestra and at others, albeit briefly (when the reins and guard were let down), like a jazz ensemble.\u00a0 And throw in some startling group handclapping that smacked of Brechtian theatre and some kabuki soundings, and you&#8217;ve got yourself a tautly-delivered theatrical performance of serious reckoning.<\/p>\n<p>While we were hypnotized by Newsom and the group, we could have done without Francesconi&#8217;s joyless, bored guise (and his chiding of the crowd to be amazed by Newsom&#8217;s harp-tuning methods&#8211;really, Ryan?? Wow!!).\u00a0 And we would have omitted some of Morgan&#8217;s effect-riddled and tightly-scored drumming (come on Neal, let fly occasionally&#8211;we know you&#8217;ve got the chops!).\u00a0 Still Neal&#8217;s drumming, while mannered, was mostly the perfect fit with the chamber-folk-pop motif.\u00a0 Throw in some violin shadings and some perfect and evocative muted-trombone flourishes from the amiable Strain, and you have a great, affecting ensemble sound.\u00a0 There were even some humorous moments which, given her serious material, surprised us&#8211;especially when Joanna tossed off a humorous line about refusing to perform a song requested by\u00a0 a Portugal audience member who kept yelling out a song request and even seemed to tear up in one of his requests:\u00a0 &#8220;We won&#8217;t negotiate with Tear-orists!!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Built into her generous, nearly two-hour set were some of our favorites, including <em>Go Long, Good Intentions Paving Company, Peach, Plum, Pear <\/em>and the encore, <em>Baby Birch<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In <em>Go Long<\/em>, Newsom seems to draw parallels between the Bluebeard fable and her failed relationship with Bill Callahan and also relating to William &#8220;Bonnie Prince Billy&#8221; Oldham, though as usual, all are left to divine their own interpretation of her oft-oblique lyrics.\u00a0\u00a0 Check out a few lyric stanzas from <em>Go Long <\/em>below at <strong>#<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Joanna Newsom&#8211;<em>Go Long<\/em><\/p>\n[audio:https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-05-Go-Long.mp3|titles=2-05 Go Long]\n<p>Another of our faves performed at the Lobero was her <em>Good Intentions Paving Company, <\/em>which is seemingly about life and loves on the road and the effect on relationships, and Joanna returning to California as a changed person.\u00a0\u00a0 Regardless, we commend some stanzas from <em>Good Intentions Paving Company <\/em>below at <strong>^<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Joanna Newsom&#8211;<em>Good Intentions Paving Company<\/em><\/p>\n[audio:https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-04-Good-Intentions-Paving-Company.mp3|titles=1-04 Good Intentions Paving Company]\n<p>And after an audience-captivating, set-ending performance of <em>Peach, Plum, Pear<\/em> and receiving a well-deserved standing ovation, Newsom and band came back for an encore (thankfully, the audience was worthy&#8212;see the parenthetical in the setlist at the end below) of the beautiful <em>Baby Birch<\/em>, which seems to be a tale of motherhood and missing\/lost children<em>. <\/em>We love one of this song&#8217;s stanzas in particular:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When it was dark,<br \/>\nI called and you came.<br \/>\nWhen it was dark, I saw shapes.<br \/>\nWhen I see stars, I feel, in your hand,<br \/>\nand I see stars,<br \/>\nand I reel, again.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Joanna Newsom&#8211;<em>Baby Birch<\/em><\/p>\n[audio:https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-06-Baby-Birch-1.mp3|titles=1-06 Baby Birch 1]\n<p>And here is her beguiling chestnut, <em>Peach, Plum, Pear, <\/em>as performed on this tour:<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tW0pV9FioFA<\/p>\n<p>Did we mention that<strong> Robin Pecknold<\/strong> of the Fleet Foxes opened the show?\u00a0 While we heard some vocal talent in Mr. Pecknold, we continue to believe that neither Pecknold nor the Fleet ones can write a worthwhile melody (save their B-track <em>Mykonos). <\/em>So we give him a big meh.\u00a0\u00a0 Maybe next time with the Foxes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>*Stanzas from <em>&#8217;81<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;<\/em>I found a little plot of land,<br \/>\nin the garden of Eden.<br \/>\nIt was dirt, and dirt is all the same.<br \/>\nI tilled it with my two hands,<br \/>\nand I called it my very own;<br \/>\nthere was no-one to dispute my claim.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The wandering eye that I have caught<br \/>\nis as hot as a wandering sun.<br \/>\nBut I will want for nothing more,<br \/>\nin my garden:<br \/>\nstart again,<br \/>\nin my hardening to every heart but one.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The unending amends you&#8217;ve made<br \/>\nare enough for one life.<br \/>\nBe done.<br \/>\nI believe in innocence, little darlin&#8217;.<br \/>\nStart again.<br \/>\nI believe in everyone.<br \/>\nI believe, regardless.<br \/>\nI believe in everyone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>#Stanzas from <\/strong><em><strong>Go Long<\/strong>:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Last night, again,<br \/>\nyou were in my dream.<br \/>\nSeveral expendable limbs were at stake<br \/>\nyou were a prince, spinning rims,<br \/>\nall sentiments indian-given<br \/>\nand half-baked.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We both want the very same thing.<br \/>\nWe are praying<br \/>\nI am the one to save you<br \/>\nBut you don&#8217;t even own<br \/>\nyour own violence<br \/>\nRun away from home-<br \/>\nyour beard is still blue<br \/>\nwith the loneliness of you mighty men,<br \/>\nwith your jaws, and fists, and guitars<br \/>\nand pens, and your sugarlip,<br \/>\nbut I&#8217;ve never been to the firepits with you mighty men<\/p>\n<p>Who made you this way?<br \/>\nWho made you this way?<br \/>\nWho is going to bear your beautiful children?<br \/>\nDo you think you can just stop,<br \/>\nwhen you&#8217;re ready for a change?<br \/>\nWho will take care of you<br \/>\nwhen you&#8217;re old and dying?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I will give you a call, for one last hurrah.<br \/>\nIf this tale is tall, forgive my scrambling.<br \/>\nBut you keep palming along the wall,<br \/>\nmoving at a blind crawl,<br \/>\nbut always rambling.<\/p>\n<p>Wolf-spider, crouch in your funnel nest.<br \/>\nIf I knew you, once,<br \/>\nnow I know you less.<br \/>\nIn the sinking sand,<br \/>\nwhere we&#8217;ve come to rest,<br \/>\nhave I had a hand in your loneliness?<\/p>\n<p>When you leave me alone<br \/>\nin this old palace of yours,<br \/>\nit starts to get to me. I take to walking.<br \/>\nWhat a woman does is open doors.<br \/>\nAnd it is not a question of locking<br \/>\nor unlocking.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And finally,<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;With the loneliness<br \/>\nof you mighty men,<br \/>\nwith your mighty kiss<br \/>\nthat might never end,<br \/>\nwhile, so far away,<br \/>\nin the seat of the West,<br \/>\nburns the fount<br \/>\nof the heat<br \/>\nof that loneliness.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a man<br \/>\nwho only will speak in code,<br \/>\nbacking slowly, slowly down the road.<br \/>\nMay he master everything<br \/>\nthat such men may know<br \/>\nabout loving, and then letting go.\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>^Stanzas from <\/strong><em><strong>Good Intentions Paving Company<\/strong>:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And it&#8217;s my heart, not me, who cannot drive,<br \/>\nat which conclusion you arrived,<br \/>\nwatching me sit here, bolt upright and cry<br \/>\nfor no good reason at the Eastering sky.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And the tilt of this strange nation,<br \/>\nand the will to remain for the duration<br \/>\n(Waving the flag,<br \/>\nfeeling it drag).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It had a nice a ring to it<br \/>\nWhen the ole opry house rang,<\/p>\n<p>so, with a solemn <em>auld lang<br \/>\nsyne<\/em>, sealed, delivered, I sang.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And I do hate to fold,<br \/>\nright here at the top of my game,<br \/>\nwhen I&#8217;ve been trying with my whole heart and soul<br \/>\nTo stay right here, in the right lane.<\/p>\n<p>But it can make you feel over and old<br \/>\n(Lord, you know it&#8217;s a shame),<br \/>\nwhen I only want for you to pull over and hold me<br \/>\n&#8216;Til I can&#8217;t remember my own name.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And finally, below is the setlist from the Lobero Theater show June 30, 2010:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-1743\" title=\"JN Set\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JN-Set-469x650.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"469\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JN-Set-469x650.jpg 469w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JN-Set-108x150.jpg 108w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JN-Set-289x400.jpg 289w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JN-Set.jpg 1394w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is no middle-ground when it comes to Joanna Newsom.\u00a0 You either love the music of this 28-year old singer from Nevada City, CA or you hate it.\u00a0 And even if you love it, you wonder how her unique, challenging music will make it in this modern world of three-minute truffles and trifles.\u00a0 Nonetheless you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}