Vienna Teng and the Animators at the Independent
Sun, Aug. 28th, 2005 12:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterHaven't written much in the past few days because I've been busy reorganizing all my music. Wah. So much effort going into cataloguing it all, thanks to my laptop finally dying.
Yesterday I got to see Viennta Teng in concert for the first time! It was quite nifty! A band called the Animators actually opened the act, and then they played a song or two with her. I actually rather liked a few of their songs and may hunt them down online, especially "Simple," which goes into the category of sweet and, well, simple love songs that I enjoy. I don't much go for love songs that promise you the world, or the moon, or some other random stuff, since it seems very impractical, and really, what are you going to do with all that anyway? Plus, what happens when all the excessive romanticism wears away? I'm quite fond of love songs that are more about the everyday, that are about growing old together and having an actual relationship instead of infatuation. Anyhow, I've still got "Simple" stuck in my head. The other songs were pretty catchy, including one on Wal-Mart that amused me. Also, the lead singer played the accordion, which was very cool. I've never seen one in a rock band!
Then Vienna Teng came on and started with some interesting fusion/reggae something mixes of her songs. The fusion/reggae bits were a bit odd (I think it was "The Tower," but I'm not sure). And she played "Harbor"! It was very interesting, because at first she started out very slowly and very softly, which isn't at all how I think of the song, but suddenly, the Animators and the rock bit kicked in at the chorus, and it just had such energy! And it was so awesome being able to see her at the keyboards, especially for "Harbor," because I absolutely love the piano solo/chord-y bits during it. The keyboard was unfortunately electric, but ah well. It was really neat because she was standing and playing, and she'd be sort of dancing around as well. I guess I never thought about dancing or swaying at a keyboard, but it makes sense now that I've seen it!Also, they had a line that went something like "I'm in the carpool lane on the highway to hell," which amused me. (oops, I meant to put that sentence in the previous paragraph!)
There were also quite a bit of the slower and more mellow songs, including "Momentum" and "My Medea." There wasn't that much talk about the songs themselves, though she did mention "My Medea" was a song about child abuse. I don't know why I never thought about it that way; I always sort of thought of it as a companion to "Shasta," as they're both about motherhood, in their own ways. I suppose I must have always associated "My Medea" with abortion because of that. Huh.
I felt really bad because I was very sleepy and my feet hurt from standing the entire time, but the set of very slow and melancholy songs started to get to me after a while. In other words, I had to fight off the urge to nod off a bit. Not that she wasn't interesting! The music was just very slow and sway-ey. I got to hear some songs that I haven't heard before, which was also cool! One was about a mid-life crisis, the other was "Blue Moon Caravan," which was very depressing. There were others as well, but I'm not remembering the names very well at all. And there was one at the very end called "Whatever You Say" (or something to that effect), which is a nose thumbing song to the corporate world. And while I very much like my very corporate, cubicle-bound job right now, I cheered just for the principle of the matter. Plus, it was a happy, bouncy song, if you can call taking revenge against your company happy. My other favorite thumbing nose at corporate world song is Grey Eye Glance's "Halfway Back," which was my job hunting anthem last year, and still makes me feel good, even though I like my job and don't really wish to thumb my nose at it. Anyway, I hope it comes out on CD soon, or something. Or that there even is a new CD.
I wish now that I took more chances to see groups and musicians playing live. I've very much been missing going to live performances of dancing and more classical music, because I used to go to those back at home and at college, but I never really went to pop or rock (etc.) concerts. Previously, I've never really known a group or a musician so well that I had the desire to see them live. I went to a few in college, just to say I went, but it was sort of boring because I only knew a song or two. I did, however, get to see Flogging Molly live, which was absolutely awesome (fiddle!!! They had a fiddle!!!!).
There really is a completely different energy with live music, with having the audience there. I'm sure I'm just stating the obvious, but it was so cool actually being able to see Vienna Teng's expressions when she was singing, as well as all the energy she put into the piano playing. And it was just quite fun seeing what songs would get played and how they would shift ever so slightly. I need to do this more often! I did enjoy the plugged version, with the electronic keyboard and the drums and everything, but I also want to see her with the piano and cello sometime, just to see how that is. Also, I want to see her at the piano.
Yesterday I got to see Viennta Teng in concert for the first time! It was quite nifty! A band called the Animators actually opened the act, and then they played a song or two with her. I actually rather liked a few of their songs and may hunt them down online, especially "Simple," which goes into the category of sweet and, well, simple love songs that I enjoy. I don't much go for love songs that promise you the world, or the moon, or some other random stuff, since it seems very impractical, and really, what are you going to do with all that anyway? Plus, what happens when all the excessive romanticism wears away? I'm quite fond of love songs that are more about the everyday, that are about growing old together and having an actual relationship instead of infatuation. Anyhow, I've still got "Simple" stuck in my head. The other songs were pretty catchy, including one on Wal-Mart that amused me. Also, the lead singer played the accordion, which was very cool. I've never seen one in a rock band!
Then Vienna Teng came on and started with some interesting fusion/reggae something mixes of her songs. The fusion/reggae bits were a bit odd (I think it was "The Tower," but I'm not sure). And she played "Harbor"! It was very interesting, because at first she started out very slowly and very softly, which isn't at all how I think of the song, but suddenly, the Animators and the rock bit kicked in at the chorus, and it just had such energy! And it was so awesome being able to see her at the keyboards, especially for "Harbor," because I absolutely love the piano solo/chord-y bits during it. The keyboard was unfortunately electric, but ah well. It was really neat because she was standing and playing, and she'd be sort of dancing around as well. I guess I never thought about dancing or swaying at a keyboard, but it makes sense now that I've seen it!
There were also quite a bit of the slower and more mellow songs, including "Momentum" and "My Medea." There wasn't that much talk about the songs themselves, though she did mention "My Medea" was a song about child abuse. I don't know why I never thought about it that way; I always sort of thought of it as a companion to "Shasta," as they're both about motherhood, in their own ways. I suppose I must have always associated "My Medea" with abortion because of that. Huh.
I felt really bad because I was very sleepy and my feet hurt from standing the entire time, but the set of very slow and melancholy songs started to get to me after a while. In other words, I had to fight off the urge to nod off a bit. Not that she wasn't interesting! The music was just very slow and sway-ey. I got to hear some songs that I haven't heard before, which was also cool! One was about a mid-life crisis, the other was "Blue Moon Caravan," which was very depressing. There were others as well, but I'm not remembering the names very well at all. And there was one at the very end called "Whatever You Say" (or something to that effect), which is a nose thumbing song to the corporate world. And while I very much like my very corporate, cubicle-bound job right now, I cheered just for the principle of the matter. Plus, it was a happy, bouncy song, if you can call taking revenge against your company happy. My other favorite thumbing nose at corporate world song is Grey Eye Glance's "Halfway Back," which was my job hunting anthem last year, and still makes me feel good, even though I like my job and don't really wish to thumb my nose at it. Anyway, I hope it comes out on CD soon, or something. Or that there even is a new CD.
I wish now that I took more chances to see groups and musicians playing live. I've very much been missing going to live performances of dancing and more classical music, because I used to go to those back at home and at college, but I never really went to pop or rock (etc.) concerts. Previously, I've never really known a group or a musician so well that I had the desire to see them live. I went to a few in college, just to say I went, but it was sort of boring because I only knew a song or two. I did, however, get to see Flogging Molly live, which was absolutely awesome (fiddle!!! They had a fiddle!!!!).
There really is a completely different energy with live music, with having the audience there. I'm sure I'm just stating the obvious, but it was so cool actually being able to see Vienna Teng's expressions when she was singing, as well as all the energy she put into the piano playing. And it was just quite fun seeing what songs would get played and how they would shift ever so slightly. I need to do this more often! I did enjoy the plugged version, with the electronic keyboard and the drums and everything, but I also want to see her with the piano and cello sometime, just to see how that is. Also, I want to see her at the piano.
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