Posts Tagged 2019
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January 20, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 184
Purple Mountains, Purple Mountains (2019) It feels a little odd to have this on vinyl – but it was a must. At one point this was very nearly my album of the year; certainly one of my most played in 2019. But then what happened happened. And that meant that I stopped playing it – […]Archive
January 9, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Dolly Parton – Here I Am: Film
Dolly Parton: Here I Am Director: Francis Whately Man Alive Productions / BBC / Netflix Dolly Parton is hosting a victory lap for herself. She’s always been a great and tireless self-promoter that understood the power of your personality as your brand long before ‘storytelling’ became a buzzword – but right now she’s leading a […]Archive
December 31, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
RNZ Feature: Dave Dobbyn’s Classic Trilogy of Albums
I’m usually on RNZ once a month to have a chat about some new albums and I also do a bunch of Music Features. And last Christmas season I was invited onto one of the holiday shows to talk about Damon Albarn and play some of his music. When I was asked to come up with something for this season […]Archive
December 28, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
DJ Setlist: San Fran, Summer Sounds on the Balcony, Saturday, December 28, 2019
I was back at the San Fran for my annual summer BBQ/balcony session – a chance to fill the crates with all sorts and see what happens. Start slow and drifty, maybe get a dancefloor, maybe play some emo-singers and power-ballads, 80s cheese and 90s hip-hop sleaze…anything goes. So here’s what went:Archive
December 18, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Gigs I Saw in 2019
I probably saw fewer gigs – and reviewed fewer gigs – in 2019 than any other year. That’s kinda nice. I also paid for a few shows too; more than other years. That’s also nice – liberating…although I’m so conditioned to writing a review to process the show that I still turn out the reviews […]Archive
December 16, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Poetry at The Fringe – Sunday, 15 December, 2019
For the final session of Poetry at the Fringe for 2019 it was all open-mic, no special guests – no music, no theme – it was all about the regular attendees, with, as always, a few first-timers or long-time watchers, first-time readers. It was a fantastic line-up. Maybe the best open-mic run of the year. […]Archive
December 15, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Steely Dan: La La Land – The 1974 Los Angeles Broadcast
Steely Dan La La Land – The 1974 Los Angeles Broadcast Shockwaves Steely Dan, in 1974. This is a legendary radio broadcast of a live show from near the end of the life of the original band, Steely Dan. After that touring was off the table and the band’s line-up changed from song to song […]Archive
December 13, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
The Albums I Loved The Most in 2019
Here below – in chronological order only (because it’s never a competition) is a list of the albums I loved the most in 2019; the caveat being that these are albums I wrote about – and so the chronological bit refers to the order I reviewed them in. Also there’s always one or two of […]Archive
December 10, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Harry Nilsson: Losst And Founnd
Harry Nilsson Losst And Founnd Omnivore Recordings Well, it’s here now – you can hear it – the final (posthumous) Harry Nilsson album. The record Harry was working on in the mid-90s. He laid down the vocal cuts on what was to be his comeback album. He hadn’t recorded a record since the late-1970s; the […]Archive
December 10, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Gerald Cleaver and Violet Hour: Live at Firehouse 12
Gerald Cleaver and Violet Hour Live at Firehouse 12 Sunnyside Drummer/composer Gerald Cleaver is on fire here leading his band Violet Hour through some post-bop future-classics. Ben Waltzer (piano) is an early delight on the opener, Pilgrim’s Progress, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt has a chance to rip here too. And Chris Lightcap (double bass) is urgent […]Archive
December 5, 2019 by Simon Sweetman