Scarlett Johansson gave AOL Music a live performance in support of her album of Tom Waits covers. I gave a less-than-complementary review of the album a few weeks ago, but I have to admit that this performance somehow adds a little life to the song. Where the album version plodded, this one benefits from a looser rhythm section - ScarJo still clunks along, but Waits’ melody is enough to keep it afloat.
Tom Waits Finally Announces 2008 Tour Dates [Glitter and Doom]
Details have finally emerged about Tom Waits 2008 tour (we first posted about this more than two months ago). The 13-show “Glitter and Doom” tour will kick off in Phoenix on June 17.
It’s a sad day here at Stranger Dance headquarters (for some of us at least), as Waits revealed that he won’t be coming anywhere near San Francisco, sticking mostly to the South and Southwest.
Waits’ announcement came in the form of a mock press conference on his official site.
Waits presented the acronym “PEHDTSCKJMBA” as the “guiding word” for this summer’s tour. Taking the first initial from each tour city, Waits explained that the “pretty profound” acronym stands for “People Envy Happiness, Dogs Though, Sense Courage Knowing Jubilation Means Better Assets.”
In addition to the American dates, he also announced a Europe leg. While no hard dates were given, he did mention that details we be announced later about their “route from Spain to Dublin.” (Update: Hot Press announced that Waits is to play two outdoor shows in Dublin on July 30 & 31.)
As Waits ended the mock conference, it was revealed to viewers that he had been talking to an empty room, with questions coming from a record player on the side of the stage. (more…)
Scarlett Johansson - Anywhere I Lay My Head [Album Review]
I’ve been holding off on posting anything about this, but I buckled. Scarlett Johansson released her debut vanity album last week. The album is a collection of Tom Waits covers with one original thrown in.
Can’t she just be happy being hot and a pretty good actress? Did she really need to go out and piss all over my favorite musician’s back catalog? Apparently, she thought she did. She somehow dragged two of my other favorite musicians down with her - the album is produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, and features David Bowie (?!?), as well as members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration.
Sitek’s production work was a large part of what made TotR’s Return to Cookie Mountain one of the best albums of this decade, but it sounds out of place and overdone in this setting. Scarlett’s husky voice is swathed in reverb and buried in the mix — probably to be more forgiving to her sub-par voice.
Below is a video for “Falling Down” and an MP3 of her slaughtering one of my favorite songs from Tom’s weird phase (ok, his weirder phase) — a song I want played at my funeral.
Video:
Scarlett Johansson - Falling Down [f. David Bowie]
MP3s:
Scarlett Johansson - Anywhere I Lay My HeadTom Waits - Anywhere I Lay My Head
Tom Waits Beatboxes on New Atmosphere LP
In an interview with TwinCities.com, Minneapolis-based underground hip-hop outfit Atmosphere talks about it’s new album When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, due out April 22. During the interview, Slug reveals that Tom Waits beatboxes on the song “The Waitress”:
“I’m friends with his son. We’ve known each other for quite a while now, going on five or six years. And I finally asked him, I think literally, ‘Have I known you long enough now to ask if I can get in touch with your dad? Or is that offensive?’ So, I sent him the song and asked if he’d sing the chorus. He sent it back and totally avoided the chorus, but instead beatboxed on it. And it sounds good. It worked. We kept it subtle. I didn’t want to be exploitive. I wanted to make sure it made sense musically, and I think ultimately it really did.”
Atmosphere’s been one of my favorite indie hip-hop groups for years, and I’ve made no secrets how big a fan I am of Mr. Waits’ music, so I’m obviously very eager to hear the fruits of this collaboration. (Check out the Waits MP3 below for a sample of his beatboxin’ skills.)
MP3:
Atmosphere - 66th Street Tom Waits - BonusSource:
The Band: Atmosphere [TwinCities.com]Tom Waits Announces Summer 2008 Tour!!!
I apologize for the !s, but this is big news. The 2008 Summer concert lineup was already off to a good start, but it just got a whole lot better.
Tom Waits’ publicist just announced a Summer tour across the US and Europe. Details are shaky and no dates or venues have been announced. We’ll update as news becomes available. [Update: 2008 Tour Dates Announced]
Fans know that seeing Waits live is something between witnessing Halley’s comet and a blue moon. I was lucky to catch a short set at this year’s Bridge School benefit, but I’d be a lot happier to see a full show in a better venue (especially without obnoxious John Mayer fans complaining throughout).
[Video after the jump.] (more…)
The Wire: Way Down in the Hole
HBO’s “The Wire” started it’s fifth and final season earlier this month, meaning that my next 12-13 Sunday nights are accounted for.
The show is easily my all-time favorite. The Wire is a groundbreaking examination of all the institutions that contribute to drugs and urban crime. The creator, David Simon, resists all of the Law and Order/CSI crime clichés and instead turns in something far more powerful, by looking deep into the “why” and not just the “what”.
Plus, it’s based in my hometown, and the theme song is by Tom Waits, one of my all-time favorite musicians. Simon leans more of the song’s feeling (dark subject manner and driving rhythm) without relying on the song’s meaning — a theme throughout all of the series’ musical choices. (more…)
