Spain Again!
Just returned from a four-day hang in Vitoria, Spain. I was there working with Josh Rouse. We had a fun time and played at the Akenza rock festival.This was a cool festival, with a lot of good acts. I saw very inspiring sets from both Ryan Adams and The MC5. Ryan Adams is a very gifted songwriter and singer and the silly things he seems to say in the press should not diminish this fact whatsoever. Anyone who publicly proclaims him to be untalented or otherwise is jealous. The MC5 are a ferocious septet(?) featuring Wayne Kramer’s unbelievable guitar playing, and a ferocious drummer who knows how to pace himself perfectly. There were also some underwhelming sets from some “rock” bands that I was so dis-interested in I didn’t even go to the trouble of finding out their names. Let me say for the record that “Rock” as a genre is very difficult to pull off, because there has to be something to it other that blisteringly loud guitars, and some childish cursing. One band started off their set with the question; “Are you ready to motherfucking rock, you motherfuckers?” Then came the utterely boring tuneless music of whomever they were. I suspected it, but now I know it for sure: Rock is dead. Long live Swing! example : Baby Love by the Supremes.
This is not to say there are not good “rock” bands out there, but it is definately a dying art, best left to AC/DC and The Who.
Anyhow, here are a few pictures.