Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Arriving at San Diego’s Balboa Park a couple of hours early, my wife and I thought we’d take our our six-year-old daughter and her two cousins to a few museums before the Drive Like Jehu reunion show started. No such luck because they were all closed. It worked out, though, because we heard the sound check begin and booked over to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion to catch it. There were perhaps two or three dozen friends, fans, and nerds present and I was stoked to be one of them.
Just got back from the Walt Disney Hall. Wow. While most artists consider releasing new music on vinyl to be O.G., Beck schooled everyone by releasing his last batch of songs in sheet music form. Intended to be interpreted by any musician at any skill level, the Disney performance is only one of a handful of official performances. Most songs were played by the L.A. Philharmonic (conducted by his dad, David Campbell) with vocals from the likes of Jack Black, Jarvis Cocker, Jenny Lewis, and Childish Gambino. John C. Riley, Becky Stark, and Tom Brosseau played as a trio. Interspersed between the songs were brief readings on music from the likes of Jonathan Gold, Allison Anders, Tig Notaro, and Randall Poster. Wow. But ultimately, the point was not to show off big-time names in L.A.’s most elite venue but to communicate that music is meant to be performed, interpreted, and enjoyed by anyone. Only the humble genius of Beck pull it off.
Just got back from the Walt Disney Hall. Wow. While most artists consider releasing new music on vinyl to be O.G., Beck schooled everyone by releasing his last batch of songs in sheet music form. Intended to be interpreted by any musician at any skill level, the Disney performance is only one of a handful of official performances. Most songs were played by the L.A. Philharmonic (conducted by his dad, David Campbell) with vocals from the likes of Jack Black, Jarvis Cocker, Jenny Lewis, and Childish Gambino. John C. Riley, Becky Stark, and Tom Brosseau played as a trio. Interspersed between the songs were brief readings on music from the likes of Jonathan Gold, Allison Anders, Tig Notaro, and Randall Poster. Wow. But ultimately, the point was not to show off big-time names in L.A.’s most elite venue but to communicate that music is meant to be performed, interpreted, and enjoyed by anyone. Only the humble genius of Beck pull it off.