Cloaca Melodia

The Ritz, New York, NY.... Karl Wallinger is fascinating to watch on stage. He's a left-handed guitarist, but like Hendrix, he plays a right-hand guitar. So all of his chords are backwards. On top of that, he normally strummed with a pick but he used fingers only for solos. Each time he went into a solo, he had an eye-catching way of tossing aside his pick to the stage floor to play with his fingertips.   I was there with my friend Tim, and he bade me goodbye to catch a train back to Jersey during the encore break. Just as he was exiting the building, World Party returned to the stage with Sinead O'Connor in tow to lend her voice to a few numbers. World Party was originally scheduled to open for  her summer 1990 tour (including when I saw her at Jones Beach ), but World Party ended up not being the opening act. Instead, that gig went to Sinead's boyfriend Hugh Harris. (Harris was described in the press as "her new man" or "reported paramour.") It seeme...

The Ritz, New York, NY I was at the concert with my college friend Tim. We were both big Billy Bragg fans, so we really enjoyed the show; particularly so, as this was my first time seeing him live. When he came out by himself and performed "The Milkman of Human Kindness," I was stuck by how much intensity he could deliver, just him and his electric guitar. And when he sang the refrain line -- "I am the milkman of human kindness, I will leave an extra pint!" -- he would kick a leg backwards as he ended it, as if using the motion to put extra force into his singing. Tim was living in Jersey, so he decided to leave during the encore break. However, as soon as he began making his way towards the door, a member of the stage crew started setting up additional microphones. Since the concert had been entirely Billy solo (with occasional 2nd guitar contributed by Billy's friend Wiggy), I quickly realized that Something Was Up. I scanned the crowd of people leaving t...

Lonestar Roadhouse, New York, NY...... I was then working in the mailroom for Blues Traveler's record label, so I got a free ticket to the show. I loved the song "But Anyway" from their then-new debut album, and I was excited to check them out live. Plus, the show (or part of it, at any rate) was going to be broadcast live on NYC's big mainstream rock station, WNEW. I had spent time in high school and during breaks in college listening to live concert broadcasts from WNEW, so I found it very cool to be a part of the in-person audience for one. The performance was everything I had hoped it would be. Ever have that experience in a concert when the music swoops you up and takes you away momentarily and you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach like you're on a roller coaster? I'll never forget one of those moments at this show, during one of the extended jams. Everything just came together perfectly, both musically and the physical intensity of the ampl...