October 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Osvaldo Golijo’s Ainadamar by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of October

1. Caroline Shaw- Leonardo da Vinci: Original Score
The ideal contemporary classical primer.

2. JD Allen- The Dark, the Light, the Grey and the Colorful
Merciless spiritual jazz.

3. The Necks- Bleed
Minimalist slow-core.

4. Anja Lechner- Bach Abel Hume
Solo cello.

5. Blackstarkids- Heaven on Urf
The conclusion of an ambitious concept album.

6. Anna Butterss- Mighty Vertebrate
Slinky post-jazz.

7. Drug Church- Prude
Mouthy hardcore.

8. Tord Gustavsen Trio- Seeing
My review.

9. Samara Joy- Portrait
Enchanted swing.

10. Marie Krüttli Trio- Scoria
My review.

Top Ten Songs of October

1. Tyler, The Creator- "Noid"
Distrust.

2. 070 Shake- "Winter Baby/New Jersey Blues"
Remembering the Ronettes.

3. Mike- "Pieces of a Dream"
Foggy.

4. Danny Brown- "Cheaters"
No rules.

5. Leikeli47- "450"
Mask off.

6. Shredders- “Shred Dogs 4 Lyfe”
Doomtree.

7. Maren Morris- “People Still Show Up”
Knock knock.

8. Sofía Valdés- "Already Yours"
Possessed.

9. Major Lazer and Vybz Kartel- "Nobody Move"
Frozen.

10. Geordie Greep- "Blues"
Art-rock absurdity.

Top Ten Performances of October

1. Dwight Frizzell’s Heliophonie at Charlotte Street Foundation
My review.

2. Drug Church at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

3. Rick Bartlett at Ricky B’s (Louisville)
My Instagram clip.

4. The Psychedelic Furs, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Frankie Rose at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Chelsea Guo, Joseph Parrish and Francesco Barfoed at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

6. Wayne Graham at Zanzabar (Louisville)
My Instagram clip.

7. Gil Shaham with the Kansas City Symphony at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Jackie Myers, Rich Wheeler and Jeff Harshbarger at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snaphot.

9. Nola Richardson’s masterclass at Atonement Lutheran Church.
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Gerald Trimble & Jambaroque, Bayati Ensemble and Soundz of Africa at Unity on the Plaza
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Album Review: Morgan Wallen- One Thing at a Time

Car trips and country music are synonymous to me.  Country has been an integral component of almost every extended drive I’ve taken.  My old man, a genuine king of the road, would blast Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and George Jones songs on the radio when I was a toddler.

A looped stream of Morgan Wallen’s new 36-track album One Thing at a Time provided the soundtrack for my drive from Kentucky to Kansas this week.  At nearly two hours, it’s ideal for the long haul.

The metropolitan sprawl of St. Louis excepted, the majority of my drive passed through the idyllic back-country Wallen croons about.  A significant portion of his new batch of songs address substance abuse and loss, subjects necessitating unrestrained singalongs.

Even the songs referencing Waylon Jennings, The Marshall Tucker Band, Gary Stewart and Keith Whitley possess the slick sheen of radio rock acts like Shinedown.  The bright production cuts through the loud hum of the road.  I’m almost looking forward to the grueling drive to Denver this summer.

Fuel

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Hunter S. Thompson is alleged to have said that “music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel.”  My current base of operations in Louisville, Kentucky, is 15 blocks from Thompson’s childhood home.  The sabbatical hasn’t been infused with an excess of “fuel.”  I’ve taken in only six performances in the last ten days.  But before any more of the month slips away, I should link to the 10 Kansas City concerts you don't want to miss this March feature I created for KCUR.  Cheers from Derby City.

Concert Review: Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros at Louisville Palace

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I listened to Ace for the first time last month.  Hearing the 50th anniversary deluxe edition of Bob Weir’s 1972 solo album was a revelation.  I hadn’t known that the recorded versions of sturdy classics like “Mexicali Blues,” “One More Saturday Night” and “Playing in the Band” first appeared on Ace.

The live version of the album featuring Weir’s current Wolf Bros band included in the reissue is so good that it inspired this skeptic to buy a ticket to catch Weir’s show at Louisville Palace on Saturday, February 25.  It was a sound decision.

Unlike the Grateful Dead and Ratdog concerts I (reluctantly) attended in the previous millennium, the performance attended by a near-capacity audience of about 2,500 was inspired.  The ten-piece ensemble sounded like a rugged garage-rock band that managed to grow old gracefully without losing its endearingly rough edges.

The show opened with my favorite Dead song “Bertha” and closed with the apropos “One More Saturday Night.”  If only the alleged fans had been as sophisticated as the musicians.  The incessant blathering of a third of the audience marred the otherwise miraculous evening.