If I could see all my friends tonight…

(Photo by Alexa Jones)

Ryan Adams has a sold-out show this evening at the State Theater. I was lucky enough to catch him at The Cedar back in June, along with Reveille Editor Andrea Myers… feel free to read about it HERE and HERE…

Interestingly enough, someone he is famously not fond of, Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis, is in town as well. He and his Sound Opinions co-host Greg Kot, music critic for the Chicago Tribune will be at The Local tonight at seven to record their show. The topic of discussion? The Top Five Rock Movie Moments of All Time.

Am I betraying my love of Ryan Adams to go to this? Either way, I have to dig out this nugget again…

Thanks to the fine folks at First Avenue I was lucky enough to attend Paul Westerberg’s performance as part of MGD’s “Craft” series last night. My “official” review will be up on Reveille tomorrow morning along with some ace concert pics, but for now I figured I would tide everyone over with some of the best quotes Paul offered up that night.

“Some bands are able to capture something spontaneous and great on the 27th take, we were never like that. We were usually pooped out by the third take because we gave it all we had the first time around.” - on the Replacements recording habits

“I fill every slot on the chart from completely schizophrenic to perfectly healthy.” - on how his Dr. would diagnose him

“That one physically hurt to perform at first. It was written from a 23 year-old’s point of view though, so it got to the point where I was kind of having to manufacture the angst, so I stopped performing it.” - on the Replacements classic anthem of adolescent angst “Unsatisfied”

“That song was really one of the first cracks in the armor of the group.” - on recording “Within Your Reach” without his Replacements bandmates

“I would sort of divide what we did between the songs that ache and the songs that rock. Sometimes they did both. But the ones that ached mattered a little more to me than say, ‘One Good Dose of Thunder’” - on the songs in the Replacements catalog

“It was more Catcher in the Slump than Catcher in the Rye” - responding to host Warren Zanes comparison between J.D. Salinger’s long period underground and Westerberg’s own retreat from the spotlight between 1999 and 2002

Other interesting tidbits:

Westerberg mentioned a period of divorce where he lived back home with his parents for 6 months and wrote constantly (first I’ve ever heard mention of this, no idea when it was chronologically)

Westerberg claims that the original version of the often maligned 1989 ‘Mats album Don’t Tell A Soul was quite rocking and that producer Matt Wallace’s thing was “to capture it live,” but that “A hotshot mixer came in and made it sound like the radio.”

He praised Ben Folds as a songwriter with “beautiful, clever melodies” while talking about writing using open chords (this is probably the first time I’ve ever heard/read of Westerberg praising a musician his jr. so it stuck out to me)

What did others at the gig make of the performance?

Alright - a bunch of lucky bastards (myself NOT included) got to see Paul Westerberg’s turn at “The Craft” a musician showcase being put on in various locations throughout the US of A in  recent and coming months by Miller Genuine Draft.

This is what I’ve dug up for your reading pleasure…

Jon Behm* and Stacy Schwartz in full effect for Spin.com

Jon Bream* from the Star Tribune covering it for Billboard.com

Chris Riemenschneider over on the Strib’s Pop Life Blog

Coverage on PaulWesterberg.net - can I just note that from the pictures, the joint doesn’t even look like First Avenue?

And last but not least - Ross Raihala from the Pioneer Press!

 (*FYI, Jon Bream and Jon Behm are not the same person and their last names do NOT rhyme.)

A relatively new record label in town, Draw Fire Records, is quickly gaining speed and preparing to release a handful of promising local albums. Led by Aviette frontwoman Holly Munoz and HowWasTheShow.com concert reviewer/all around local music appreciator Dave Rachac, the label started growing when the two partnered together. “Holly started the label in 2006 and then I partnered with her earlier this year,” Rachac says. “So technically, it is not a ‘new’ label, but one that has added several bands in the past two months. And we likely aren’t done yet.”

This fall, the label will release new albums by Stook!, The Glad Version, with releases by Aviette and Sam Keenan to follow.

Check out a few videos from the bands on this label:

Stook, “Deliverance From Your Eyes

Aviette, “Yours & Mine”