Old Friends

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
The Warfield, San Francisco
July 7 and 8, 2014

Some trivia:  These shows were Umlaut's 20th and 21st times seeing Nick Cave dating back to 1990.  It was also the 12th and 13th times I've seen him at The Warfield.  As I've said several times in this space over the years, Nick Cave is my favorite songwriter... and he's also the only artist whose art has seemed to grow with me over the years and kept me engaged.  Yes, some of his albums have left me less interested than others, but I'm not one of those fans who only listens to his "old" stuff.   I'm a fan of the complete oeuvre of Cave (fancy word... Google it..).

NIGHT ONE:   Prior to the show I met up with a couple of old friends for dinner which was a nice opening act.  Also, while passing the line in front of The Warfield on my way to dinner I ran into 2 other old friends who I had not seen in awhile.  Cave shows bring people out of the woodwork.

Mark Lanegan and his deep I-fell-down-a well-while-lost-in-the-forest voice was the perfect opener for Cave tonight.  Also, his presence was made even more valuable when he sang 'The Weeping Song' with Cave & the Bad Seeds later in the night.. but I'm getting ahead of myself.

One thing I always geek out on when Nick & the Bad Seeds come into town is how the Bad Seeds are configured onstage.  This tour's configuration seemed to have the band members more segregated than in the past but I guess it's to give Nick more room to roam.  As with the performances last year, Nick worked the stage in an aggressive way that I haven't seen since his iconic early-90's shows.  I don't know what's gotten into him but it's pretty amazing.

The old warhorses like 'Tupelo', 'From Her To Eternity', and 'The Mercy Seat' still hold up, but I think my favorite song of the night was the newest song 'Jubilee Street' with its slow build up that smashes against the wall driven by that maniac Warren Ellis on violin.  Does anyone else remember Warren when he first visited San Francisco in 1995 with his band the Dirty Three wearing an AC/DC t-shirt onstage?  It's almost impossible to imagine it's the same person.  The deep cut tonight was the very vintage 'Sad Waters' (!) which hasn't been in a Nick setlist in 11 years.   The 4-song encore was given a special nod when Nick asked a fan down front what they wanted to hear, he listened, notified the band who switched instruments, and they launched into 'Jack The Ripper'.  Nice.

After the show this happened:

The backstage action was very sedate and the only Bad Seed milling around was Jim Sclavunos; I don't think I can name another drummer who is almost 7 feet tall.  Then 24 hours later it was...

NIGHT TWO: Prior to the show I met up with several old friends for dinner which was a nice opening act.  From experience, for some reason the 2nd night is always better when seeing a band on back to back nights and this is especially true with Nick & the Bad Seeds.  Night #2 in San Francisco was even more intense right out of the gate... Although the set tonight was 1 song shorter but who was counting (I was of course.. but anyway..).  There were multiple deep cuts pulled out including 'Do You Love Me' and the extremely vintage 'Watching Alice' (!); both songs evidently have not been played live in 11 years.

Unfortunately almost 2 weeks has passed since these shows and my post show excitement and inspiration has faded with time... so writing this post mortem of these special nights isn't as fiery as I would like.  All I can finish up with is that Nick Cave is literally the only artist and musician who has kept me completely engaged as profoundly as the when I first fell into that dark space of his creativity many years ago.  It's a very rare artist who can perform a song from his first album that was released 30 years ago and have it be as menacing and relevant sounding as it did in the last century, but that's what Nick did with 'From Her To Eternity' both nights.

It's an even rarer artist who can pull the past into the present so easily and then minutes later slam the here and now down with compelling songs released only a year ago.  For those wanting to know the score, Nick & the Bad Seeds played 22 songs from his cavernous catalog over the 2 San Francisco sessions this time around. Seeing Cave is still a reality check for me about what I value about music and the experience of being a Music Geek.  Metal is like having a cold beer.  Cave is like having that cold beer followed by a glass of wine with an amazing meal.  Food analogies!  Discuss amongst yourselves.

If you bought one of every Cave merch item you would have paid around $470; as much as I love Nick his merch has always been boring.  Oh well... as long as his art doesn't suffer.  On the way back to the car both nights, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  A special shout out to The Sheriff, who has been my Cave fanboy compatriot since 2001.  It's trippy how 25 years of following an artist can go by just... like.. that:

1990 - 2013

Arena Rock

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds / Sharon Van Etten
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco
April 9, 2013

Nick Cave playing an ARENA in the Bay Area?!  WTF?!  Granted, Nick has historically played 2 nights in San Francisco on every Bad Seeds tour dating back to, I think, 1998 so the audience is here.  However, entering the 7,000 capacity Civic to see Nick where bands like Tool and Soundgarden usually headline was bizarre.   I was also not looking forward to hearing Cave play in the notorious concrete box that is the Civic; it's usually a place where live sound goes to die.  The thought also entered my mind that this was probably the biggest venue that Nick & the Bad Seeds have ever headlined in America.  

Before the show I had an unexpectedly awesome dinner with some old friends at a nearby eatery where no meat is served.   These are people who I have seen Nick Cave with dating back 20 years.  It was the perfect way to ease into the evening and, to paraphrase a lyric by tonight's headliner, "those sinister dinner deals" are always the most fun.

Sharon Van Etten was a nice surprise as she was really good, with a strong, booming voice that held the attention of the vast space admirably.  I will need to seek out her music and she also gets big bonus points for having a shirt at the merch stand that was a take on the vintage Van Halen logo. 

Awesome, right?

Perhaps in an attempt to make the show "bigger" for the arena, the Bad Seeds were joined tonight by a string section and a local children's choir from Berkeley.  They had not performed with the strings and choir on this current leg of the tour, so it was deja vu back to the special Los Angeles show that I saw in February.  The ensemble comfortably filled the big stage and right away the vibe was different than the intimate L.A. show where the Nick and his cast had looked crowded together.   Tonight the cast had room to roam and breath on the big stage and they certainly did... especially Nick.

The set opened with 4 songs off the latest album and the performances were even better than when I had seen them performed a couple of months ago... which is saying a lot because the show in L.A. had been amazing.  The swagger of the Bad Seeds onstage tonight was even more confident after touring for the past couple of months.  I also think that maybe the Berkeley kids choir tonight was better than the one used in Los Angeles.  Sorry, kids.  Also, the sound mix and clarity was, dare I say it, astonishingly good!  Clear and crisp.  Evidently the local promoter operating the Civic made some sonic upgrades to the old concrete box.  Trivia:  Metallica played the song 'Master Of Puppets' for the first time ever at the Civic on New Year's Eve 1985.

Arena Rock Cave

Despite my fears about the show being in an arena, I should never have doubted Nick.  He really stepped things up to project himself in the huge space, which probably shouldn't have been a surprise since he's played big outdoor festivals in Europe for decades.  I don't think I've seen Nick work a stage so hard and be so animated since maybe 1992.  This included going to far stage left during 'Red Right Hand' and leaning into the crowd like he was Iggy Pop... and then balancing on top of the crowd barrier during 'Stagger Lee' and, with audience members helping him keep balance, walking practically the entire length of it like a tight rope walker.  He did the latter while not missing a beat with the lyrics and all of its required uses of "motherfucker".   Very impressive.

However, my favorite moment of the set was one of the best versions of 'From Her To Eternity' that I've ever seen Nick perform (Umlaut has seen every Nick show in San Francisco since 1990 as well as a couple of shows in London in 1999).  Even Nick agreed as he said "That was good!" after the song blazed to a close. The show lasted two hours and 18 songs; I was so enthralled by the performance that I forgot we were in an arena. I should not have doubted Nick & the Bad Seeds.

Number of Voivod and Iron Maiden tees = 1 each... and neither one of them was mine.  If you bought one of every Nick Cave merch item you would have paid around $350.  Nick's merch has always sucked but I was surprised by how much he had this time.  On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.  To give some perspective on how important Nick Cave has been to me, according to the Umlaut Archives these are the bands who I have seen in concert the most in my life so far:

• Metallica - 48 times
• Melvins - 36 times (probably more times as some shows were not documented)
• Acid King - 29 times (probably more times as some shows were not documented)
• Slayer - 24 times (probably more times as some shows were not documented)
• Exodus - 23 times (probably more times as some shows were not documented)
• Neurosis - 20 times (probably more times as some shows were not documented)
• Nick Cave - 17 times

As I said earlier, I don't think I've seen Nick as animated as he was tonight since probably 1992.  For the newbies, this is what Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds were like back in nineteen hundred & ninety two:


Good times a long time ago... When Nick Cave was my main role model and I drank a lot.

From Her To Eternity

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
The Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, California
February 21, 2013

When it comes down to it, Nick Cave is my favorite songwriter; I've fanatically seen every U.S. Tour he's done since 1990.  Nick is also the only music hero who I've followed over the years who I've stayed engaged with whatever he's doing.   Tonight was one of only 4 shows worldwide (Berlin, Paris, London, and Los Angeles) with Nick & the Bad Seeds playing the new album Push The Sky Away in its entirety backed by additional musicians.  On paper it looked weird and pretentious, but in person it was special.   Needless to say, tickets to this intimate show (less than 1,500 capacity) sold out in literally a minute online.   

According to the Umlaut Archives tonight was the 16th time I've seen Cave either with the Bad Seeds, solo, or with Grinderman. Prior to Nick and the Bad Seeds taking the stage they showed a 10 minute film about the making of the new album.  It was just the right length so the people casually drinking didn't get bored and then once it was done it was only a short wait until the performance began.  The show was being streamed live over The Internets so there were 2 large cameras next to the soundboard and another on a boom that swung out over the audience.  Because of this the houselights were kept on for much of the set, which was a bit annoying... but only a bit.

The new album had only been released 3 days before this show, but I had an advance (leaked) copy weeks ago. However, I'd only listened to it once and the thing that stuck in my head was how Nick used "Wikipedia" in the lyrics of one of the new songs.  So, this performance would be my *real* introduction to the new album.. which was kind of awesome. As the new album unfolded onstage I noticed that it wasn't Thomas Wydler on drums which was a bummer.  For the newbies, Thomas has now been in the Bad Seeds the longest since Mick Harvey left several years ago... and evidently he is sitting out this tour due to health issues.

Anyway, the performance of the new album and its 9 songs was enrapturing... and having the element of including a string section, a couple of adult back up singers, and the children's choir from the local Silver Lake Youth Conservatory added to the sparkling performance.  There were a couple of miscues and odd moments but that's to be expected during such a complex ensemble show that was only playing this set 4 times.  Unlike most other shows that I find myself these days (Metal..), tonight was overpoweringly about the music and nothing else.

While the performance of the new album was very special, it was the second part of the night that acted like a reset to my burned out head.   Umlaut is a jaded mofo... but when Nick uttered the line "I wanna tell you about a girl..." and they launched into 'From Her To Eternity' the people around me were figuratively splattered by my skull and brains symbolically exploding.  Dude!  It's the song that originally got me into Nick way back in the late-80's and he hasn't performed the song in ages.  Wow. "She lives in Room 29..."

Over the next hour the night was filled with a run through of mostly classic older songs like 'Jack The Ripper', 'Red Right Hand', and the always infectious 'Deanna'.  It made me smile to see Nick working the edge of the stage as he turned up his old timey preacher-like mode to engage the crowd.  The only time my cranky old Nick Cave fan came to the surface was when the kids sang back up on 'The Ship Song'.  I didn't like it.  Sorry, kids.  The night closed with another epic version of 'The Mercy Seat' and then 'Stagger Lee' slammed down the night perfectly.  Name another song that has as many uses of "motherfucker" in it. None.  Hopefully the young children of the Silver Lake Youth Conservatory were well on their way home so their virginal ears weren't assaulted by all of the "mofos" that Nick uttered... although maybe hearing them might have done them some good.

After following Nick for so long it's been disconcerting to me that the Bad Seeds have gone through so many changes in recent years after so many years of being Nick's constant gang.  I still miss the Mick / Keef-like vibe that he and Blixa had onstage together and it's still kind of unnerving not to have Mick Harvey standing at stage right.  However, having original Bad Seed member Barry Adamson on keyboards and percussion was an awesome addition... as was having Ed Kuepper of The Saints on guitar at stage right.. which was a nice nod to Nick's Australian roots.  That was then and this is now.. and it's still great.

If you bought one of every Nick merch item you would have paid ZERO because he didn't have any for sale.  He's a true artist.  On the way back to the hotel, some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag.  As I've grown burned out on much of what you would call "Metal" these days, it was awesome to have my constant old musical hero Nick Cave reminding me that I can still care about music.

Nick Cave loved me in 1992..

"I ain't down here for your love or money... I'm down here for your soul."

Just What I Needed

Grinderman
The Warfield, San Francisco
November 29, 2010


On another November 29th MANY years ago, Umlaut was at this show:

Trivia: It was Metallica's first headlining show in San Francisco and Exodus with a baby-faced Kirk Hammett opened the night. Fast forward to the 21st Century and I found myself seeing Nick Cave grace The Warfield's stage for the 9th time; previously I'd seen Nick at The Warfield in 1990, 1992, 1998 (2 nights), 2002, 2003, 2008 (2 nights). So, yeah, I have ALOT of Music Geek history with Nick.

Three years ago Grinderman played a mere FOUR shows in North America and TWO of them were CLUB shows in San Francisco. It was AMAZING.... Click HERE to read Umlaut's reaction to those pair of special nights. To be honest, I haven't really gotten into the new Grinderman album compared to how enamored I was with the first album 3 years ago. However, I was more than ready to witness the new songs live since that's where Nick is best... and I was hoping the new songs would win me over onstage.

The band swaggered out from the darkness of stage left and launched into the new opener 'Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man'... and Cave immediately charged to the lip of the stage and I knew right away it was going to be a great night. According to the Umlaut Archives this was my 18th (!) time seeing Nick live. It was like seeing an old friend again.

Photo courtesy of Photo Ray

Nick was in full blown swagger and he was on a par with some of the best performances that I've seen in years past. I was glad to see that he has shaved off the 70's porn star moustache of 3 years ago and he worked the stage in that bad ass way that only he can. Part Preacher... Part Rock Star... All Bad Ass Motherfucker. It's funny to think of Grinderman as Nick's "side project" when the rest of the band are in his band the Bad Seeds. It's not much different seeing Jim Sclavunos on drums and Martin Casey on bass... but Warren Ellis is a whole new demon in Grinderman than he is with the Bad Seeds and his own band the Dirty Three. Remember when Warren was sort of that dorky Australian guy who told funny stories onstage with Dirty Three while wearing an AC/DC shirt?? Me too... In recent years I've been both fascinated and a bit concerned by Warren's transformation from the dorky intellectual of Dirty Three into the bearded, multi-instrumentalist mad scientist that he is with Grinderman and the Bad Seeds.

The 90 minute set was fairly balanced between songs from the first Grinderman album and new songs. The band were ferocious... They were inspiring... They were badass. Grinderman were exactly the band I needed to see at this point in my year. The new song 'Palaces of Montezuma' was like a Bob Dylan anthem that I've been wanting to hear again for the first time; I found myself completely caught up in the song... which was cool because I'd ignored it when listening to the new album. On the flipside 'What I Know' is one of the worst songs Nick has ever done IMO; it just seems too forced trying to be lyrically clever. However, even Nick's "bad" songs are better than most others' "good" songs... but I still liked the songs from the first album more tonight. Those first Grinderman songs have that extra bit of badass that puts them over the top... 'No Pussy Blues'... 'Get It On'... 'Honey Bee'. Nick dedicated 'Honey Bee' to someone name Tara Jane who he's dedicated songs to at shows in the past. What a lucky girl, right?

I've been going to way too many Metal shows recently and feeling burned out and jaded about most Metal bands. Thankfully, leave it to my hero Nick Cave to revive my faith in music and the live music experience. Nick is the only musician who I've followed blindly over the years since I first discovered him back in 1989. I still buy all of his releases and see him live even when I haven't liked what he's created... but in the end Nick has always won me over. As I said earlier, it was like seeing an old friend again.

To bring this November 29th full circle with my past, evidently Kirk Hammett was in the house tonight as well. Metal Militia! As a friend later observed, I was doing the same thing tonight as I was doing exactly 28 years (!) ago: Seeing a concert. Hope I die before I get old.

If you bought one of every Grinderman merch item you would have paid around $250. For such an artistic and intellectual guy, Nick has always had THE WORST tour shirt designs; this tour was no exception. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Man, I'm ready to ditch alot of the Metal bands that I've been listening to and going to see lately. They just bore the shit out of me... We'll see how this plays out.

Click HERE to see Photo Ray's shots from the night!

Shivers: R.I.P. Rowland S. Howard

It's such a cliché, but it's disturbing how often it's true: You don't appreciate an artist or person until they're gone... Rowland S. Howard passed away today. Click HERE for Howard's obituary in Australia.

Umlaut generally only exposes my Metal side in this space, but I actually listen to a variety of music... and Nick Cave has been my favorite songwriter since the late-80's. Rowland Howard was a founding member and guitarist of The Birthday Party with Cave, but their history extends back to an earlier version of that band called The Boys Next Door who released an album (Door, Door) in 1979 that featured the haunting Goth love anthem 'Shivers'. Yes, the Goth posing by Cave in the following video is cheesy here in the 21st Century... BUT Rowland Howard wrote the song's lyrics when he was 16-years old and they're still riveting to me.



"I've been contemplating suicide, but it really doesn't suit my style. So I think I'll just act bored instead.. to contain the blood I would have shed."

Again, those lyrics were written by Rowland Howard when he was 16-years old... Think of that as the camera focuses on Howard at the 1:59 minute mark.

Then there was The Birthday Party... a band that I won't spend time pontificating about here... because if you don't know them already you're kinda not a full-fledged member of the Umlaut Nation. Sorry... just being honest.



Rowland Howard is so fucking badass in that performance.. cigarette perched on lower lip as he stabs out chords on his Fender Jaguar as bassist Tracy Pew (who passed away in 1986) shoves his head inside the bass drum. Bands these days don't even fucking know...

For awhile in the late-80's and into the 90's the satellite bands around Cave that involved his past and present band members and collaborators were just as compelling as he was; they were like a gang of musicians and artists that seemed to bind Australia and Germany together... and Howard's work with These Immortal Souls, Crime and the City Solution, and his solo releases were perfect counterparts to Cave & the Bad Seeds. Howard also sang backup vocals on the song 'Do You Love Me?" on Cave's seminal 1994 album Let Love In.

As I said at the start of this rant, it's a cliché how you tend to appreciate an artist or person more when they're gone. Umlaut's head has been so METAL for the past year or so that I ignored other parts of my record collection... and Howard's passing makes me feel guilty about that. I know it's too late, but I'm pulling all of my Boys Next Door, Birthday Party, These Immortal Souls, Crime and the City Solution, and Roland S. Howard CDs and records out and listening to them again... for the first time.

Anyway, age may only be a number but it's tough getting older and seeing your old heroes moving on like this. This year began with the passing of the great Ron Asheton and now it's ending with Rowland Howard... as well as Vic Chesnutt last week... and I know it's too late but I just picked up the new albums by both Howard (released in October) and Chesnutt (released in September).

R.I.P. Rowland S. Howard..

Reading Is Fundamental

Longtime readers of this space know that Nick Cave has been my favorite songwriter for, like, a million years. It's been 20 years (!) since his first novel And The Ass Saw The Angel... but his second novel The Death Of Bunny Munro will finally hit shelves in September!


Click HERE to pre-order it. Umlaut friend in the publishing industry Mr. Sanchez reports that there will also be an audio book (read by Cave!) and a Limited Edition version of the book as well.

Irvine Welsh says: "Put Cormac McCarthy, Franz Kafka and Benny Hill together in a Brighton seaside guesthouse and they might just come up with The Death of Bunny Munro. As it stands though, this novel emerges emphatically as the work of one of the great cross-genre storytellers of our age; a compulsive read possessing all Nick Cave's trademark horror and humanity, often thinly disguised in a galloping, playful romp."

Cave > Carcass > Cave

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / Red Sparowes
The Warfield, San Francisco
September 19, 2008

Awhile back, Umlaut had a mini-obsession with Red Sparowes, so it was cool they were given the opening slot on 3 of Cave & The Bad Seeds' California shows... and I was surprised how well they were received by the partisan Cave crowd. Nice.

As we waited for Cave to arrive onstage, Umlaut passed the time recreating the Kennedy Assasination with himself as Lee Harvey Oswald in "The Book Depository" (the Lower Loge section of the balcony) and Umlaut friend Raymond as Kennedy in "The Limo" (the photo pit). The role of Oswald's Carcano rifle was played by my cell phone... I guess you had to have been there AND been as nerdy as us..

I believe this year marks the 20th Anniversary of when I started being fanatical about Nick Cave's songwriting... and I like the new album more than anything he's done in recent years... so I can't believe I'm saying this:

For the first time EVER, I was NOT impressed by Cave's performance.

Now, I know most other people who were at this show loved the performance... but to this Cave Geek he just seemed *off*... like he wasn't really in synch with the band and was working really hard to keep it together during practically every song. Also, it's interesting in both a good and bad way how the Bad Seeds are the Grinderseeds onstage, with the members who are in Grinderman with Nick segregated on stage left and the others on stage right; remember when the Bad Seeds were like a gang onstage? Me too.

Also, the fact that Nick now ties himself to the keyboard and guitar ala Grinderman has changed the whole dynamic of the Bad Seeds onstage... Especially since they're touring without James Johnston and, let's be honest, Nick doesn't really "play" guitar. He's like a little kid with his Telecaster onstage, hitting chords and doing leg kicks... which looks cool... but the music suffers IMO. The Bad Seeds need a "pro" guitarist up there.. and I say that 'cause I care..

Timo agreed with me about the performance... and I was so distraught about it afterwards that I actually told The Sheriff via text message that it was my least favorite Cave performance EVER.. Wow, right?

If you bought one of every Cave merch item you would have paid $165. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. We bailed before the encores and jetted the 1 mile to Van Ness Avenue in order to catch some of:

Carcass
The Grand Ballroom, San Francisco
September 19, 2008

Parking karma was in full effect as Timo found parking only a block from the venue.

We rushed into the venue and my glasses immediately fogged up as we were hit by the wall of heat from the crowd and the lack of ventilation. METAL. A minute later, Carcass slammed into their final song ('Heartwork'). METAL. Timo and I had at least caught a full song by the legends. In hindsight, given my disappointment with Cave, I should have chosen Metal over Cave on this night... but then again the conditions inside The Grand would not have been not fun at all.

If you bought one of every Carcass merch item you would have paid $260. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. Timo and I retired to Sparkey's for our semi-ritualistic post-gig meal; I had the Umlaut Special of course (2 egg breakfast and a beer). Yes, I know Sparkey's is what you do when you're 20-something, but it's better than the Gangsta Denny's in Japantown... Plus, I almost laughed out loud watching the young gay man in a nearby booth sitting with his eyes closed as if in a dream and singing along to the Abba and Wham! songs playing on the jukebox.. You go, girl!

24 hours later it was:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / Red Sparowes
The Warfield, San Francisco
September 20, 2008

Prior to the show the Umlaut Nation convened at The Irish Bank for a pre-show dinner... and just after we ordered our drinks I realized I'd left the Cave tickets AT HOME... A ROOKIE MISTAKE of the highest order.. Wow.. How embarrassing.

So, while everyone graciously hung out, I had to run back to Casa de Umlaut.. which took around 50 minutes. THANKS to Skychick, Lori, Timo, Teri, and Chris for not hitting me with a chair upon my return.. Thank Dog I found out about my gaffe early enough so I got back in time for everyone to eat, drink, and socialize... and the waitress got caught up in the drama as well, so she was tipped generously of course... AND we made it to The Warfield just as Red Sparowes were starting their set.. So, No harm > No foul, right?

Tonight's show was MUCH better than the previous night! I also wasn't as bothered by Nick being tethered to the keyboard and guitar, maybe because I was expecting it now... and when he was sans instruments he worked the stage better than he has in years, going to the lip of the stage as often as possible, etc.

Oddly, I liked the new songs more than the old classics.. Highlights: 'We Call Upon The Author', 'Midnight Man', 'Today's Lesson', and 'More News From Nowhere'... The new stuff has a groove that doesn't exist in most of Nick's older material, dyaknowwhatimean?

So, remember when I said earlier how I was REALLY bummed after the Friday show... How *off* Cave seemed to be with the Bad Seeds and how he seemed to be working hard just to keep it together? Well, several other longtime fans agreed with me... and after this show I learned that evidently there had been sound problems onstage during Friday's show and additional equipment had been brought in for the 2nd night to remedy it.. SEE! I WASN'T CRAZY!

Trivia: Nick's show were the first concerts at The Warfield since its recent renovation and sound system upgrade.

Oh yeah, hasn't Warren Ellis' transformation in recent years into the Mad Scientist / Mountain Man been trippy as all hell? Remember when Dirty Three first visited America in 1995 and he was simply the low key guy with the violin wearing an AC/DC shirt and jeans? Me too... Now he resembles a homeless mad scientist onstage behind his bank of effects, Fender Mandocasters, and (thankfully) his violin. Shine on, you crazy diamond!

Scorecard: According to the Umlaut Archives, this was my 14th time seeing Nick Cave (including solo and Grinderman) and my 63rd visit to The Warfield dating back to the early-80's. Yes, I keep score... it's on an Excel spreadsheet... I think it's about 90% accurate documenting every concert I've attended since losing my gig cherry in 1978. The Geeks shall inherit The Earth.

Members of Neurosis who stopped to talk to me = 1 (Dave Ed). On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags. It tripped me out that it had been a bit over TEN YEARS (!) to the day since this Cave experience (Highkat!):


I still miss Blixa in the lineup.. There.. I said it.

Reality Check

"Wolves have carried your babies away, your kids drip from their teeth..."

It's been a brutal week at the 'ol salt mine... Thankfully my longtime heroes Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds reminded me what I love about music.. In a word: EVERYTHING... Well, everything except the bullshit business side.

'Midnight Man' (live)

"I'll raise up my dorsal fin and I'll glide up and down the water..."

Grind Her Man

The newbies can click HERE for Umlaut's earlier Music Geek rant in anticipation of these shows and click HERE for Umlaut's Fanboy rant about Nick Cave. Despite the anti-scalping measures put into place, tickets were still going for up to $150 each on Craigslist for these sold out shows.

Grinderman
Great American Music Hall, San Franfuckincisco
July 26, 2007


Of course, an event of this magnitude brought the Umlaut Nation out in force.. Night #1: A shout out to Timo, Dema, Todd, Ted, The Sheriff, Raymond, Bob, Ref and I also ran into someone who I hadn't seen in years (Hey Kathy H.). Rock Star sightings: Henry Rollins, the singer from AFI, the singer from Death Angel.

The anticipated Will Call-only ticket clusterfuck didn't happen; kudos to the club's staff. I must say that it was a good looking, intelligent, and well-groomed audience in the GAMH. This was the type of show where people weren't looking around at "who" was there; all eyes were focused on the stage in anticipation of the band. It's the way a gig should be: About the MUSIC.

I dare you to find better song lyrics this year than Grinderman's 'Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars)':

"Mad mullahs and dirty bombs,
Alert the Coastal Command,
Ack Ack positions everyone,
She's my honey bee... and here she comes.."

Just when I had gotten jaded about following Nick Cave, he creates something that blows my mind all over again. Grinderman are like The Birthday Party revisited and seeing Cave front a band armed with a guitar was... an epiphany. It was weird seeing Cave tuning a guitar onstage in between songs like a common musician, dyaknowwhatimean? It was infectious seeing Cave obviously having fun and laughing onstage; the dude has lived a life and he's still here.. Thank Dog.

The entire Grinderman album was played, albeit not in order.. which was cool. As expected, the songs were even more mind melting and incredible in person. Every song was, like, woah.. Warren Ellis and his latest Mountain Man look is kind of frightening... and I gained a completely new appreciation for the rhythm section of Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos watching them play in Grinderman's stripped down lineup compared to the Bad Seeds. I've always thought that if I could be in any band it would be the Bad Seeds (either them or Iron Maiden).

The encores consisted of low-fi versions of Bad Seeds songs... Fucking... Epic... 'Red Right Hand', 'Deanna', 'The Weeping Song' (with surprise guest Blixa Bargeld providing his trademark vocals), 'The Ship Song', and 'Jack The Ripper'. 'The Ship Song' took on an Alt-Country feel with Cave on Stratocaster and the version was a revelation to me. WOW... For the Music Geeks: I'm pretty sure it's been 4 years since Blixa and Nick last shared the stage. Cool. Very cool.

Bad day at work beer count = 1. If you bought one of every Grinderman merch item you would have paid nothing, 'cause they weren't selling anything. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.

Grinderman
Slim's, San Franfuckincisco
July 27, 2007


Of course, an event of this magnitude brought the Umlaut Nation out in force.. Night #2: A shout out to Timo, R.J, The Sheriff, Ted, Ray, Teri, Joey, Brian, Ruth, Raymond and I also saw people who I hadn't seen in years (Hey Frank and Andrea).

The anticipated Will Call-only ticket clusterfuck didn't happen; kudos to the Slim's staff. Once again, every song from the Grinderman album were played to mindblowing effect... However, most of the crowd tonight didn't seem to have even heard the Grinderman album... Aside from the fans down front, the response from the rest of the house was rather lackluster most of the time.. Posers in the house.. Although, maybe it was because Slim's was its usual sweatbox self... Either way, WEIRD because I thought the band performed better (if that was possible) than the previous night.. AND this was probably the final time the United States will ever see Grinderman perform.. A 4-show U.S. Tour and 2 of the shows were in San Franfuckincisco?? I still can't believe it.


Once again the encores were fucking epic low-fi versions of Bad Seeds songs... 'Henry Lee', 'Red Right Hand', 'Lucy' (!), 'The Weeping Song' (sans Blixa this time), 'The Ship Song', and 'Tupelo' (!!)... After a break when some of the crowd headed for the exit, the band returned for a rollicking version of 'Deanna' featuring Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra onstage providing backup singing. WOW.. Cool. Very cool.

As I've whined in this space previously, Umlaut's 2007 has been dominated by some profound jaggedness... Bad things have happened. Stupid things have happened. Things have happened.. and just when I thought things were smoothing out I was blindsided by the type of week that just transpired. There's no need to go into details, but sometimes a paycheck can take a pound of your flesh and suck some of your soul.

During the encores, Cave responded to an audience member's request by saying "We can't leave San Francisco without playing 'Tupelo'??.... Actually, we'd have to leave San Francisco if we played 'Tupelo'..".. and then the band launched into what might have been the most profound version of the song I've ever heard. All of the jaggedness from the past 48 hours was crystallized in the lyrics and the fury of the song; the healing power of music tried to work its magic on me. I'm not sure if it worked, but it helped. "The Beast it cometh, Tupelo bound..."

On the other hand, this show also featured the magic of the Rock Godz as we were able to help a new friend who we'd met in front of the Great American the previous night get into sold out Slim's (Hey John). Long story short, his tale involved having missed every opportunity he's had to see Nick Cave dating back to 1994, him leaving L.A. on Interstate 5 earlier in the day to finally see Cave, him having a tire blow out on I-5, him arriving in S.F. late and missing the Great American show, and then our chance meeting on the sidewalk. The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways. Dude, stay in touch!

Bad day at work beer count = 3. Grinderman shirts = 1 (mine). People who asked where I got it = 4. As with the previous night, if you bought one of every Grinderman merch item you would have gone home with a full wallet 'cause there was none. On the way back to the car, some pimply-faced teenagers called us fags.

Losing myself in the Grinderman / Nick Cave live experience made me forget life's day-to-day bullshit and made me happy to be alive. What do I love about music? To begin with: everything... These were my 22nd and 23rd gigs so far this year; I'm more a Music Junkie than a Music Geek... Twisted and evil.

"He'll rekindle all those dreams it took you a lifetime to destroy..."

Click HERE to see Janey Moffat's great Grinderman - Slim's Flickr set!

This Week In Music Geek

It's gonna be quite a week here in San Francisco, with the mighty Grinderman playing two WAY sold out shows here! In what might have been the coolest 5 minutes of television ever (at least here in the 21st Century), Grinderman made their U.S. television debut on the Late Show with David Letterman last night.


They performed a ripping version 'Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars)' with Warren Ellis on guitar sporting his 21st Century mountain man look! After the song crashed to its conclusion I could hear the studio audience collectively say to themselves "What the fuck was that??" even as they politely clapped.

Although Letterman lost his edge years ago, I gotta give him credit for still booking some great musical acts. For the Music Geeks: Nick Cave made his U.S. television debut on Letterman back in 1998.

It's a good week for Umlaut to be alive (knock on wood)! See y'all at the shows... and in another Music Geek moment:

(From the Mark D. Archives)

A 1978 promotional jigsaw puzzle for UFO's Obsession album! How cool is that?? Discuss amongst yourselves.. and THANKS to Mark D. for sharing from his Music Geek Vault.

No Pussy Blues

Umlaut's e-mails, cell phone messages, and conversations with many Music Geek friends for the past 2 weeks has been dominated by this subject: Just when we all thought he had finally given up on touring the States, my songwriting hero Nick Cave and his magnificent side project Grinderman are actually doing a brief U.S. Tour in July... and 1/2 of the shows are in San Franfuckingcisco!! The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways.

• 07-24 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (supporting White Stripes)
• 07-25 Chicago, IL – Metro
• 07-26 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
• 07-27 San Francisco, CA – Slim's

These are Cave's first Stateside shows of any kind in 4 years... and he's never played venues this small in San Francisco. Due to the significance of these gigs, the GAMH / Slim's posted the following statement:

The electrifying and much-ballyhooed Grinderman, the new quartet comprising Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey and Jim Sclavunos, has unexpectedly announced 2 SF appearances! (ALSO AT GAMH ON THUR. JULY 26.) These dates are guaranteed to be unforgettable brushes with the primal forces of rock as steered by one of the most iconic figures working in music today. The odds against Grinderman appearing on these shores in 2007 were very long indeed and no guess can be offered as to when another opportunity may present itself.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING TICKETING INFO... TICKETS ARE ON SALE SAT. JUNE 16 AT 10AM. THEY ARE ONLY BEING SOLD ONLINE THROUGH TICKETS.COM & WWWW.VIRTUOUS.COM

1) There is a two-ticket limit. 2) No hard tickets will be issued at the time of sale. 3) All ticket purchasers will have to present photo ID and the credit card used for purchase at will-call on the night of the show. 4) All purchasers must enter the venue immediately upon receipt of their tickets from the will-call window.

These policies have been put in place to restrict both scalper access and motivation so that we get the most tickets into actual fans’ hands at the reasonable price set. We hope that everyone will forgive the minor inconveniences associated with them in light of the greater good.

As expected, the show at the historic Great American sold out in less than a day. I'll see y'all at both shows! Who's buying me a drink? Discuss amongst yourselves.

I can't think of a better antithesis to the 40th Anniversary of The Summer of Love than Grinderman in San Francisco!! Fuck... that... Hippie Shit!

A Few Things

Umlaut isn't a "gamer", but I was told about this character from the new Guitar Hero II game:


Some of you know why this is so hilarious...

Nick Cave's new side project Grinderman is, like, a 21st Century version of The Birthday Party!!

'No Pussy Blues' - Grinderman

Music Geek Note: You better grab Grinderman's debut 7" single ('Get It On') ASAP! Dude, it's a one-sided limited edition of 1,000 (numbered!) featuring cover art by Cave and a unique vinyl etching by him on the B-Side. It was released on January 8th and it's already going for up to $40 on the secondary market.

Finally, does anybody remember laughter:


412 Broadway, San Francisco

Note: I did NOT take this photo, but I wish I had.. I stole it off the Information Superhighway.

The Road To God Knows Heather

Most of Umlaut's friends know that I'm a longtime Nick Cave fan. Cave's 1989 tour documentary The Road To God Knows Where has FINALLY been released on DVD. It's coupled with the great 1992 Live At The Paradiso, which is also getting its digital debut. Fookin' gleat stuff, dontchaknow!

The Road To God Knows Where is a classic "life on the road" Rock documentary... It captures the day-to-day monotony of the seemingly glamorous Lock 'N Loll Lifestyle. However, what makes The Road To God Knows Where special for Umlaut is the footage shot at The Oasis in San Jose, California on February 27, 1989. WHY? Because the artwork of Umlaut friend Heather was caught on film:


Some of Heather's paintings were hanging in the club and they appear during the classic 'Another Day, Another PA' scene (as it's called on the DVD) of the film. Basically, Cave and crew find the San Jose PA substandard and Cave utters the line "It's too small...". An argument ensues between Cave and his tour manager and the club's sound guy during which the sound guy says the classic line "A system like this works for the Flock Of Seagulls.."


For those who care, Cave's setlist in San Jose that night was:

• From Her To Eternity
• Long Time Man
• Your Funeral, My Trial
• Deanna
• I'm Gonna Kill That Woman
• Jack's Shadow
• Mercy
• The Mercy Seat
• Knocking On Joe
• City Of Refuge
• The Singer
• By The Time I Get To Phoenix
• Saint Huck
• New Morning

Fast forward to 1992.....


For better or worse, the above Cave show (on the same tour as the Live At Paradiso show) was reviewed in Issue 6 of Umlaut:

"Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Warfield, S.F. - Aug. 9, 1992

Why go to another concert??? None. None more intense. The Bass Ale and Genuine Draft was warm and flat. On the way back to the car some pimply-faced Peter Murphy fans called us fags. I told them P.M. couldn't carry Cave's jock. Blixa was suave as fuck and didn't sweat."

About a month after that Cave show I was involved in a serious car accident. Near death sorta stuff... I came THAT close to never knowing The Internet... and you were THAT close to never reading this blog... but since that accident I've seen another 7 or 8 Cave shows. Yep.. I'm one lucky mofo any way you look at it.

"I ain't down here for your money, I'm down here for your soul.."

The Price Of Being A Geek

According to Douglas Adams the answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42. Along those lines, I think I've discovered the price of being a Geek. That price would be $24.98 (list price).



Nick Cave just released a 3CD collection of 56 previously "hard to find" songs from b-sides, movie soundtracks, etc. etc.... These are 56 songs that I spent 17 years hunting and collecting. Close to half of that searching was done in the pre-Internet days of trolling record shops and the pages of Goldmine magazine. Now any "fan" can simply waltz into their local Best Buy and get all of these songs without breaking a sweat. They'll even get the song that was previously only available on an ultra rare 1992 French promo CD.. A CD I spent a couple of months hunting down in the Dark Ages before the Internet using something called "pen and paper". Fuck me.


The damn French promo...

The Geeks shall inherit the Earth, but Peggy Lee nailed it when she crooned "And when it was all over I said to myself, "Is that all there is to a fire?"

I briefly wondered what it would be like if I were a lobotomized Billy Joel fan... Then I remembered that I have a 1st pressing copy of the 1982 Tuff Monks 7".. A one-off single Cave recorded with members of the Go-Betweens when he was still fronting The Birthday Party... and I felt better.

Geek out.

Random Rock Star Moment #13: Nick Cave

Nick Cave @ Rough Trade Records
San Francisco - August 8, 1992
(Pic by Kathleen Gonzalez)

While Umlaut tends to have a decidedly RAWK tone, close friends know that Nick Cave has been my favorite songwriter for many years. I've been past the point of obsession over his music several times since 1988. This fixation spiked in 1999 when I jetted to London to see him give a lecture and perform solo at the Royal Festival Hall (home of the London Symphony).

I also spent months hunting down a French promo CD with an alternate version of a song Cave did for a movie soundtrack. The song is available no where else (Note for the geeks: The song is 'What Can I Give You'.. An early version of 'Far Away, So Close'..). Drool... Yes, I am a junkie... but at least I don't have to bleach my rig before sharing it with you. I can just burn you a copy, man. I'd like to note that my hunt was done pre-Internet (take THAT Ebay muthafuckers!).

Geeks shall inherit the Earth.

Anyway, when Cave & the Bad Seeds came through town in 1992 they did an autograph session at the now defunct Rough Trade Records on Haight Street. I brought my hardcover copy of Cave's novel And The Ass Saw The Angel for him to sign. Since all of the Bad Seeds were in attendance I had them sign the book as well. When it was my turn to "meet" Cave he had just lit a cigarette (see above pic - the shoulder on the right is Umlaut's..). He was also drinking from a bottle of Southern Comfort. I asked if he could sign "To Brian". Cave took a drag from the cigarette, took a Sharpie, and inscribed my book. I'd like to note that he was a bit fucked up.


Another Cave encounter happened in 1998 at the Warfield Theater. Backstage after the show were 3/4 of Metallica. It was one of those moments where my past collided with my present. James Hetfield was aloof and threw a gratuitous "Hey, man..." my way. In contrast, Kirk Hammett greeted me as an old friend. At one point in our conversation it was revealed that Metallica were going to cover Cave's 'Loverman' on their upcoming Garage Inc. album. Twas a rather profound moment for me to be perfectly honest. Once again my life was The Ouroboros... I know what you're saying to yourself: "WHATEVER"... But I'd like to note that I was completely gobsmacked.

The classic moment came when Cave walked past Kirk and I. Kirk (aka A Guitar God) went to shake Cave's hand.. and Cave brushed past him without even acknowledging the Mega Rock Star! Perhaps Cave didn't recognize Kirk, but I'd like to think that he did. Another Mega Rock Star might have been offended by this slight and perhaps thrown an ego tantrum. However, Kirk simply looked at his hand and then at his wife and they both started laughing. I'd like to note that some Rock Stars aren't assholes.

"I ain't down here for your love or money.. I'm down here for your soul."