Looking forward to the new music... I'd still love a vinyl release of her last Capitol album, "Somebody's Miracle" -- has there been any mention of that?
context: hard for anyone to sustain a musical career for coming on 30 years. Harder when you appear with a record as sui generis as "Guyville". Even harder when you begin as a sort of quasi-indie: the majority go commercial and get blasted (as she did), or disappear. And in the course of 30 years, the genre you work in of basic R+R with some interesting chordal inversions, is displaced as the most popular genre by country and hip hop etc. Even if she would release another mind-blower like Guyville, I doubt it would get the attention it deserved. She's seems pragmatic about all that and I think she's doing ok, considering.
The 2010 FunStyle album was on some minor label that only has 19 releases on discogs. The Matrix stuff was forced on her in 2003, with the alternate being "frozen out" by her label for 5 years. Then she's seriously recorded probably 100+ songs since 2005 that nobody has heard.
Just announced, the new album is called "Soberish" and is a late summer release. Tour dates coming: DATE CITY VENUE Fri, May 1, 2020 Orlando, FL The Beacham Sat, May 2, 2020 Jacksonville, FL Intuition Ale Works Mon, May 4, 2020 Charleston, SC Charleston Music Hall Tue, May 5, 2020 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre Wed, May 6, 2020 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl Nashville Fri, May 8, 2020 Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall Sat, May 9, 2020 St. Paul, MN Palace Theatre Sun, May 10, 2020 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom Tue, May 12, 2020 Pittsburgh, PA Rex Theater Wed, May 13, 2020 Washington DC Lincoln Theatre Sat, May 16, 2020 North Adams, MA MASS MoCA Sun, May 17, 2020 New York, NY Webster Hall
Her recent book was really well written but also so completely not what i wanted it to be and i assume others too. she's trying for great memoir greatness so it's all about growing up and college, as if there's nothing particularly unique about her music career. i wanted a memoir of writing recording and dealing with the fallout of exile on guyville. seems obvious to me that was what the audience wanted. she's so quick to pander in her recording career, wonder why she didn't pander at all with her book?
The 2018 EIG box has very lengthy liner notes, including a boring essay from Phair. Likely the logic, though I'm not defending it. Edit: Liz also made a 90 minute film about EIG released on dvd in 2008. That was somehow easy for me to forget.
I suppose she is considering Fu$% and Run is my favorite 90's song and I can't think of anything else she did that would come close.
Yes, indeed it reads like literary short fiction except the incidents, we presume, all actually happened. It is on the one hand a triumph for art that books like this get published, but for sure---this is not the book the vast majority of people buying "Liz Phair's memoir" wanted, as even the few times it even MATTERED that she was a professional musician (the ones set in NY during blackout and blizzard) it's just a sort of side issue, not that relevant---just sets up the reason she was in the situations. (Same for the Ryan Adams chapter---reason she knows him is music, but it's more generically about crummy man/woman stuff.) I guess the "screwing up Winter Wonderland" was the closest to "something actually about being a musician/performer." But if, for example, you wanted her thoughts about her rise and fall from indie grace, thoughts on that early scene, thoughts on Capitol or Matrix, how people reacted to the work they hated---none of any of that. It's still a good book! I also wish she leaned a little more on the implicit near bornagain level Christianity in the chapter about affair ruining her marriage.
I thought it was remarkably candid. But I had the sense she was trying to present herself as more naive than she is (or thinks she is, or think we think she is...)
Just an FYI for anyone who might be interested - I admit I haven't kept up with her in recent years but loved and saw her "back in the day", and was prepared to travel to see the tour last year before everything went sideways. I imagine this is worth a punt but am curious what others think? Liz Phair
I paid for a Courtney Barnett livestream concert in December, and it was a really good show. Liz has never been the most amazing live performer, but seeing her in an intimate setting without an audience might be a good thing for her. Plus, I've been waiting so long for some new Liz that I just might do this. Thanks!
Watch Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson Become Puppets in Liz Phair's New "Hey Lou" Video A couple news outlets had these Phair dates listed: 06/25 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena 06/27 Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place 06/28 Calgary, AB - Saddledome 06/30 Saskatoon, SK - SaskTel Center 07/02 Winnipeg, MB - Bell MTS Place 07/03 Minneapolis, MN - Xcel Center 07/05 London, ON - Budweiser Garden 07/07 Montreal, QC - Bell Centre 07/10 Toronto, ON - Bud Stage 07/11 Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Bluesfest If/when they are even allowed to happen they must be some kind of Alanis/Garnage/Phair combination. Phair has never played prairie Canada and I think Garbage is 20 years since playing the same provinces. No info on these dates beyond that Phair press release.
I'll buy the album when it comes out, I'm just not going to watch every live stream and quirky video. No.
Just looked at the thread for the first time. I expected to read about some sad turns in her life. Instead it is a complaint about the direction her music took. Yawn.a And now I just realized the thread is going on 8 years old, yawn, yawn, yawn on me
