Ray LaMontagne, November 3 2008, FLAC and mp3

Ray LaMontagne
Paramount Theatre
Oakland, California
November 3, 2008

source: SP-CMC-20>SP-SPSB-9>Edirol R-09
location: 2nd row, center.
conversion: R09>Audacity>CD Wave>FLAC Frontend
taper: T&Jam

Hear samples in my recap post here.

Disc 1

1. -crowd noise-
2. You Are The Best Thing
3. Hold You In My Arms
4. Let It Be Me
5. -crowd noise- “Obama rules!”
6. I Still Care For You
7. –crowd noise-
8. Empty
9. Henry Almost Killed Me
10. –crowd noise- banter “Nice to see you…” introduce band…
11. Narrow Escape
12. Meg White

Disc 2

1. Burn
2. Winter Birds
3. crowd noise/banter… “Tomorrow’s the big day…”
4. Hey Me, Hey Mama
5. You Can Bring Me Flowers
6. Shelter
7. Trouble
8. –crowd noise, calling for encore-
9. Three More Days
10. Jolene
11. –crowd noise, calling for second encore-
12. Gossip in the Grain

Download FLAC files here.
Download mp3 files here.
(Mp3 tracks listed as 1-24, instead of two discs)

Ray LaMontagne Live, 11-03-2008, recap w/audio

The clouds crack and growl
Like some great cat on the prowl…

-Winter Birds

On a rainy November 3rd, I went to see Ray LaMontagne at Oakland’s beautiful Paramount Theatre. The night was full of anticipation and excitement both because of the historic election that was coming the next day, and because we were about to hear Ray sing. At quiet moments between songs, people in the crowd yelled out refereneces to Obama like “Change is coming!” and the song request “Jolene!” in about equal parts. It was a happy night.

The theater was beautiful. It was a beautiful show. We had beautiful seats. Ray was beautiful.

I don’t know what else to say, except that “Gossip in the Grain” is a great album, and if you get the chance to see Ray live I really hope you do. He casts a spell and you just fall in…

Here’s the set list with some samples of my recording of the show:

1. You Are the Best Thing
2. Hold You In My Arms
3. Let It Be Me

4. I Still Care For You
5. Empty
6. Henry Almost Killed Me

7. Narrow Escape

8. Meg White
9. Burn

10. Winter Birds

11. Hey Me, Hey Mama
12. You Can Bring Me Flowers

13. Shelter
14. Trouble

-encore-
15. Three More Days
16. Jolene
-second encore-
17. Gossip In The Grain

Downloads to follow in a few days…(except for the two dudes in the second row who talked through ‘Empty.’ No downloads for you!)

Oh, and I’ll just come right out and say I’d love some comments on this one…either on this recording, or on the album “Gossip in the Grain” or on Ray or whatever…Please share your thoughts!

ETA: download of this show HERE.

Emergency Ray For Troubled Times…

Go ahead and listen one more time if needed.

And Gossip In The Grain comes out on Tuesday.

Ray LaMontagne’s New Album September 9

News from Ray LaMontagne:

RAY LAMONTAGNE TO RELEASE THIRD ALBUM,
‘GOSSIP IN THE GRAIN’ ON SEPTEMBER 9TH

Lauded singer/songwriter, Ray LaMontagne is set to release his much-anticipated third album, Gossip In The Grain, on September 9th on RCA Records. Recorded with returning producer, Ethan Johns in Box, England, and touching upon a range of styles and musical settings- spanning pastoral folk, railroad blues, front porch country, and plangent balladry – Gossip In The Grain proves to be his most creative and emotionally expansive collection to date.

Whereas LaMontagne’s two previous albums, ‘Trouble’ and ‘Till The Sun Turns Black’, were largely solo affairs, with Johns serving as multi-tasking instrumentalist, Gossip In The Grain sees him joined by members of his touring band, bassist Jennifer Condos and guitarist Eric Heywood (with Johns largely handling drum duties). Along with his band members, LaMontagne is also joined on two tracks – “A Falling Through” and “I Still Care For You” – by singer/songwriter Leona Naess.

As LaMontagne explains “It was time to open up a little bit more, not be quite so reserved in my choice of songs that I wanted to record. I’m really very critical of myself and it’s sort of a process of opening up. I felt like I was in the right space to show that side of myself.” Recently called by Vanity Fair “a fresh reminder that the genuine artist is not yet an extinct species,” Gossip In The Grain reconfirms Ray LaMontagne as an artist and a craftsman without limits, a songwriter who is able to work his melodic gifts and distinctive lyricism through any of the myriad musical traditions that catches his fancy.

Tracklisting:
1. Let It Be Me
2. Hey Me, Hey Mama
3. Sarah
4. I Still Care For You
5. Winter Birds
6. Meg White
7. Achin’ All The Time
8. Henry Nearly Killed Me (It’s A Shame)
9. A Falling Through
10. Gossip In The Grain

I’m counting the days!

ETA: Here is a video of Let It Be Me:

 

 

My top 10 “most played”

I’m always surprised that I’m surprised by what I find on my iTunes ’most played’ list. 

You would think I would know what I listen to most.  If I had to guess I would say that John Butler Trio songs would make up the majority of my top 10.  But with all my excessive JBT listening of the last few months, not a single one of their songs have cracked my top 10!  Wow.  And where is Jamie Lidell??  Down at like number 20.  I’m shocked he is so far down- shocked I say!  Mavis Staples takes up number 11 to 14…  yeah, that seems about right.  And were is Lyle Lovett? No place to be seen!  Has the world gone wonky?!

Anyway, here are my top 10 most played:

 #1  Hello Hello, Ray LaMontagne (warning: this track is a little loud…turn down your speakers)

#2 Lonely Avenue, Ray Charles

#3 Did Ye Get Healed? Van Morrison, A Night In San Francisco

#4  Ain’t Nobody Worryin’, Anthony Hamilton

#5  I Want To Know, Ray Charles

#6  untitled? (I Won’t Be Around?) Ray LaMontagne

#7  Hello Lonely, Taylor Hicks  (most of this list is his fault!)

#8  Down In Mississippi, Mavis Staples

#9  How Come, Ray LaMontagne

#10 Jolene, Ray LaMontagne

Ahh…I do love all these songs more than I can say.  And over a few years, these are the ones it seems I keep going back to.   But I wouldn’t have guessed most of them to be that high on the list.  And I would have thought “How Come” would be there, but I would have thought that it would have been number one.  I’m pretty surprised that “Hello Hello” is my most listened to song.

What’s on your most played list?  Any surprises?