While I love the fact that Crowded House reformed and enjoyed the debut of CH 2.0 quite a bit, I'm glad to see that Neil Finn will continue exploring things outside the sphere of the band. He only managed two albums in the decade the band was away, but they're full of great songs, so knowing that he'll still touch on that material and pursue his own music apart from the band is good news.

Even better news: Finn has gathered a passel of friends for another Seven Worlds Collide album. The first, issued in 2002, found his touring band augmented by the likes of Johnny Marr, Eddie Vedder and Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway, performing Crowded House, Split Enz, Finn solo and cover songs. The set was issued on CD and DVD, and capped a flurry of activity that began with the dissolution Crowded House.

Since, Finn recorded just one other solo album, One Nil (One All stateside) before reuniting Crowded House. Now that the band's tour for that reunion album, Time on Earth, is over (and before touring for the imminent follow up can commence), Finn will revisit the Seven Worlds Collide idea. Back are the Radiohead boys, Marr and Finn's onetime bandmates Lisa Germano and Sebastian Steinberg. They'll be joined by most of Wilco -- Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche and Pat Sansone -- KT Tunstall, Don McGlashan, Bic Runga and Finn's son, Liam.

While the first version was the document of a live show, apparently this one will be a studio project, recorded at his own Roundhead Studios in Auckland, New Zealand. For those in New Zealand, however, there is good news: Three shows that his web site calls "a series of intimate and informal live performances at a nearby club venue." These will be held Jan. 5-7.

For the rest of us, we must wait for the yet-to-be-determined release date for the album.

Labels: Crowded House, music

After my disastrous first experience seeing Crowded House at the execrable House of Blues in Chicago (a pox on Dan Ackroyd's "House"), I am happy to report that I finally had the chance to see and hear the band, and the result was fantastic. It's clear I'm a fan, being willing to follow-up a four-hour drive to see the band with a subsequent five-hour drive to try again, so this is obviously to be taken with a grain of salt. But, the band is as good as it has ever been (my only previous evidence being live recordings) and can still put on one of the better shows in the business.

They began with a song I had assumed they would have stricken from the set list, "Mean to Me," with its lyric, "Now her parents are divorced, and her friend's committed suicide..." given the 2005 suicide of original drummer Paul Hester. That was one of the few surprises of the night, as they essentially turned in a set made up of hits, fan favorites and most of the best from the band's reunion disc, Time on Earth. I could quibble about the set list, particularly with the fact that they skipped two of the best new songs -- "She Called Up" (the current single, no less) and "Even a Child" in favor of esoteric tracks like "Transit Lounge" -- and only played one song from sophomore album Temple of Low Men ("When You Come"), but all in all it was a solid, well-played set.

New drummer Matt Sharrod was dazzling, ably filling Hester's chair when it came to playing. Hester was always the band jester, however, so while Neil Finn and bassist Nick Seymour still were able to joke around and draw laughs from the crowd, things were a bit more serious than they've been in the past.

Friends and I were conversing before the show about the lack of harmony singing from current bands, saying that many a decent song would be elevated with this extra effort. As if seeking to prove the point, Crowded House made full use of backing harmonies; at times all five musicians on stage (the four Crowdies and Neil's son, Liam, who opened and then backed the band on acoustic guitar) sang, creating lush, rich harmonies that made these songs soar.

All in all, it was worth the travel and fatigue. Anyone with a chance to catch the band on this reunion tour would be wise to do so. They don't make 'em like this much any more.

Labels: Crowded House, live shows, music

The webcast shot during the Crowded House show I "saw" at the House of Blues in Chicago two weeks ago is now up. It seems MSN is to blame for my crappy experience. From the look of things, I missed a hell of a show. They got some great footage, and I'll admit that the cameras they had all over the place certainly helped to capture the show, but as I fairly exhaustively covered in my post on the show, they also completely blocked the view of a couple hundred fans.

In the meantime, I decided to bite the bullet and trek off for another go at seeing the band in person. They're conveniently playing Minneapolis next weekend, so I'm going to head up and try my luck. This one is at a theater, so I'm hoping my ability to see and hear won't be an issue. I just couldn't allow that awful House of Blues experience to stand as my only Crowded House live show.

Labels: Crowded House, music

Things continue to ramp up in the Crowded House camp, with a live webcast scheduled for this Saturday at 5 p.m. CDT. Longtime Neil Finn fans should be intimately familiar with the webcast concept, as he has originated a handful from his home basement studio in promoting various projects over the past few years.

This time, the reformed band does so as it gears up for its forthcoming studio album, Time on Earth (a disc produced by Steve Lillywhite that was at one time slated as Finn's third solo album) and their performances at Coachella and beyond.

The show will be held at the band's rehearsal studio in Bath in the UK, and will feature new drummer Matt Sherrod, late of Beck's backing band. It can be accessed through the band's new web site, www.crowdedhouseofficial.com. Fans can ask questions before and during the performance via e-mail, some of which will be answered during the performance.

Labels: Crowded House, music

More details emerged from the Crowded House camp today about the band's reformation, including word that the band's new drummer is Matt Sherrod. That will likely leave most fans scratching their heads and asking, "Who?" and a look online for more information does little to answer the question. Allmusic.com lists a handful of credits for Sherrod, mostly as the drummer on early to mid-90s R'n'B records. A statement from the band, however, reveals that Sherrod has played in Beck's backing band, so he obviously will be able to keep up with the antics of Crowded House.

The band's page on the Frenz web site has this statement from Neil Finn about Sherrod: "It's a go with Matt Sherrod for the drumming chair. A big thank you to all who put their hand up, and sorry we didn't get to play with everyone but time and geography were against us. Look out for more dates announced soon and we are about to do some serious rehearsing so we can be very good."

A short missive from the band's UK label, Parlophone, to announce the first show by this lineup was fairly sketchy, going so far as to refer to multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart as "Matt." The band, which has been rehearsing in London, will perform at the Thekla Social club in Bristol on March 19, the only performance before the band plays the Coachella Festival in California in April.

Unlike the flurry of activity surrounding the Police reunion, this one is being greeted a bit more demurely, at least here in the U.S. While I'd love to see Crowded House experience unlimited success, I'm OK with being one of the few and proud, because it means I won't need to compete in online presales for $250 tickets when they tour here. Need proof? The band will be squeezed between shows by Five O'Clock Heroes and Thirteen Senses at the Thekla Social. Speaking of "Who?"...

Labels: Crowded House, music

While we await official word of a Police reunion, another favorite band seems poised to reunite. Word out of Australia is that Crowded House will reform and perform at the Coachella Valley Music Festival in April. Initially, that was where the Police were to resurface, with reports that the password for ticket presales was a not-too-coy "Roxanne." Now the rumors indicate that the Police will make their bow at the Grammys on Feb. 11 (with strong rumors that the band's festival of choice is now Bonnaroo), leaving Coachella as the reunion headquarters for other groups. In addition to Crowded House, Rage Against the Machine, the Jesus & Mary Chain and the Happy Mondays all plan to reform for the festival, and there may be more.

As for Crowded House, the timing makes sense. The 10th anniversary edition of its farewell concert, Farewell to the World, was released this winter on DVD and CD, meaning interest in the band is as high as it has been in, well, a decade. Neil Finn has a new solo album due in March that features bass playing by Crowded House's Nick Seymour. The bittersweetness of all of this is that drummer Paul Hester cannot rejoin his mates, having commited suicide two years ago. According to Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper, Finn and Seymour are auditioning drummers. No word on whether latter-day keyboardist Mark Hart will be a part of the reunited group.

Labels: Crowded House, music, the Police