Tag Archives: Travis

The Man Who Was Younger Lazy-Eye

Travis
Webster Hall
September 23rd

Travis is the best.  Me don’t be needing to tell you how one of their concerts would goesz, considering I saw two of the dudes without the other two dudes and it ended up being third greatestest concert I had ever seen.  They have a new album out. It’s Travis-y lite.  Less rocking, but still solid stuff

here’s the…

SetlistMother / Sing / Selfish Jean / Pipe Dreams / Moving / Love Will Come Through / Driftwood / Warning Sign / Re-Offender / Where You Stand / My Eyes / Reminder / Side / Writing To Reach You / Closer / Slide Show / Blue Flashing Light / Turn 

Encore - Good Feeling  / Flowers in the Window (Acoustic) / All I Want To Do Is Rock / Why Does It Always Rain On Me? / Mother (played again for a music video recording) 

anywho, there be two things I really want to make note of…

1) bassist Dougie Payne is married to Kelly Macdonald, who is on Boardwalk Empire.  guess who was at the show supporting Mr Macdonald?  None other than castmates Steve Buscemi and Jack Huston (who makes rubber face man still look pretty).  I’d do all of these people.  so would you

and

2) speaking of Dougie Payne, apparently he’s gone with a more mature hairdo these days, going up with his locks instead of down, and now he looks exactly like a younger, happier version of one of my MOIST flavorite non-speaking 1 second characters to ever appear on The Officethe Michael Scott mnemonically nicknamed ‘Lazy Eye’ fella in the ‘Lecture Circuit‘ episode (couldn’t find the name of the actual actor, so if you are this actor and you are reading this, hello, I love you, now won’t you tell me your name)

dougie payne 2

 lazy eye2

dougie payne

lazy eye 3 

dougie p 

laazy eye office

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If It’s Not Scottish, It’s Crap!

Fran Healy
City Winery
Rocktober 7th

We wined, he shined.  He being Fran Healy of Travis fame, and of being the newly (hopefully only temporary) solo artist behind a mos eggsalad album, which was released this past week.  He played the songs from said album (they sounded juss as good! even if Neko Case was a no show for their duet), tossed in some Travis classics (‘Love Will Come Through’, ‘My Eyes’), and even took requests from the sometimes rowdy, sometimes subdued crowd (we were too far in the back to scream for the ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ cover).  We’ve now seen him and the boys, him and juss Andy, and now juss him alone, and honestly, one doesn’t rule over the other, cause they all rule!  Hell, we’d see him play underwater, in sign language, on Uranus!

Fran will be supporting Brandon Flowers on some solo dates next month!

bonus: peep this hot youtube clip he shared with everyone!

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Join The Fran Club

Travis is one of the most unappreciated bands going, which makes their frontman Fran Healy the most unappreciated frontman going, which means that most people are missing out BIG TIME on a whole lot of fun and lovely music.  Their/your loss!  You can keep yer Thoms & Radioheads and Chrises & Coldplays, cause we’d rather have our Frans & Travises and their awesomenessness!  Heck, seeing Fran and axe-man Andy Dunlop present a stripped down version of classic Travis ditties resulted in the 3rd greatest concert we had ever seen!!  So what would happen if you remove Andy and just let Fran go it alone?  The answer is his first solo joint, Wreckorder, and while it may not be the 3rd greatest album of all time, it’s equally as delicious and head-bobbin as any Travis album!  Out of the 10 cushy songs, 8 are udderly franztastic (much love to and for ‘Buttercups’ & the Neko Case duet on ‘Sing Me To Sleep’), with 2 being less than memorable.  We’re no mathmagician, but 8 outta 10 is purty dangs good, no? And having Paul McCartney play bass on one of yer songs aint bad, right?  Fran, please never stop, even if the world ignores your bestness.  And oh yeah, if yer reading this, get the boys together and put out a covers only album, PLEASE!!!  Hit me baby a million more times!!!

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THIRD GREATESTESTEST CONCERT EVER!!!!

An Evening with Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop from Travis
Joe’s Pub
November 10th

Seriously, this was the third greatestestest concert we I have ever attended. First was Simon & Garf earlier this decade and the second was night 1 of the RnRHoF thingamajig (also including Simon & Garf, obvs). So to be third place behind that very good company not only sez how much I love the Travis, but since you know my tastes to be better than yours thens yous knows that it means a forkin helluva lot in terms of things AND stuff!

Joe’s Pub is a teeny tiny place and the key is to make a dinner reservation cause them tables one gets to sits at be the best seats in the house, also they be the only seats. Couldn’t get a ressie. Nonetheless, me and tall cousin D-money rolled up near the crowded back bar area, and 10 minutes before showtime a waitress came by and asked if anyone wanted a dinner table for 2 and quicker than you can say yourpenisismallerthanmine we hopped on that opportunity like I hop on free fried chicken. Turned out to be the call of the century (thus far). We were seated DIRECTLY below Travis main man Fran Healy, as he and axe-man Andy Dunlop chronologically weaved their way thru their stellar back catalog

Cousin D was loving it like mad, but I was totally losing my shit, in the bestetsesttsest way possible. So much emotion flung from my body and soul that it was clear to the performers and audience alike that I am totally their 6th biggest fan in the entires worlds. I received numerous smiles and even a high five (instigated by me) from Fran. Apparently this didn’t sit well with everyone, as about an hour into the show a waiter approached me and whispered in my ear that some of the other paying patrons were wondering if I could tone down my ‘theatrics’. Are you fluffernuttering kidddddding me???? Is this a concert or a soundless book reading? I tried to behave myself a little butter after that point, but I had 5 Maker’s on the rocks in my body and all I wanted to do is rock (that’s a Travis song for those of you not in the know). Plus, this was effin (half of) Travis and I was never gonna be closer to them than I was at this moment and probably never would again. Damn you bone-melters!!!

After the show, Fran & Andy stuck around, sold merch, signed autographs and even talked graciously with their fans. I gave them more props than I have pubes. I left, head spinning, but still aglow from the greatness I had juss witnessed. Musta been some night cause when I awoke this AM, my bathroom sink was filled with my puke and I had no recollection as to when I ‘put’ it there. Praise jeebus!!!

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Sacrificial Lambient

Travis
Webster Hall
April 25th

Yes, we are one of those very few who are still keeping the Travis flame alive. Yes, that same Travis band you gave up on ages ago cause they didn’t turn out to be huge as Coldplay even though they should have been and also cause they’re munch better than Coldplay and Coldplay knows it. Travis has consistently been releasing quality music ever since their second album, The Man Who, dropped in ’99, and they is alsos perhaps one of the finest cover bands going, tackling such ditties along the way as ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’, ‘Here Comes The Son’ & ‘I Kissed The Girl’. Their original songs are stadium anthems, yet they never get to play them in stadiums… well, at least in American they don’t get to. Over the years wees taking them for granted and for granite. Every time they set their tour dates we semi-reluctantly get tickets, but after seeing them we’re always glowing with mad love for the Scottish foursome like it was the very first time (the last first time was last year’s Irving Platz show). This past Saturday’s show, in support of their new disc Ode To J Smith, was no different, and the only new revelation we have to report is how much lead singer Fran Healey looks like a cooler version of Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul

Thighs Wide Fact: our term ‘Peace The Fork Out’ is an homage to a Travis song with a similar name. the first time we used it was back in the ’04

Moby
Issue Project Room
April 24th

Like with Travis, we haven’t given up on Moby either, even though the last time we saw him perform live was back in the ’05. This show was billed as his first ever ‘seated electronic/ambient show’, yet we didn’t get there early enuff to snag a seat, so for moist of the time we stood uncomfortably as Moby twiddled knobs and played on his iMac, while random fartsy artsy images were projected all around. It was strange and weird and odd and sometimes boring, kinda like watching any piece of video art found at the Whitney’s Biennial, but lessthenone it was well interesting and well worth the $15 paid for this special benefit show for the Issue Project Room. He played some stuff we knew, like ‘God Moving Over the Face of the Waters’, which is one of the mos beautiful pieces of music we’ve ever heard, even if it was used in the final scene of the not so beautiful Michael Mann flick Heat, and a bunch of other stuff we weren’t so familiar with. The crowd didn’t know what to do, but sit and watch baldy twiddle dem knobs. It was only until he closed his set with the Twin Peaks infused ‘Go’ that them peeps stood up and clapped like mad. We love clapping and think people don’t do enuff of it at concerts, and we’re not talking about applause when the song is over, but clapping while the song is goings on, like keeping the beat and the like. Whatevsers, that’s a bigger issue that we’ll tackle some other time, like when we’re kings of the world and leon. We’re lookin fwd to his next album (hispecially since his last one Last Night was so fantaboulous, and yet no one cared) and a return to real touring with a band and shiz

other notes of news: before Moby we dined at Buttermilk Channel. while their fried chicken and waffles were more faancy than they were hammazin’, we totally dug their homemade pickles, sweet potato & goat cheese croquettes and maple & bacon roasted almonds (we heard they prevent the swine flu!)

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