(CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PLAYLIST AT YOUTUBE)
It's a pretty good night of music. Robert opens with some solo stuff, including powerful renditions of (May You Never Be the) Child of a Realist and I'll Be Your Mirror (Poem). Kim Alexander comes up for a duo-set. Kim and Robert are joined by Bonnie St. Onge for an Emmylou Harris song. Then, we get to the RED BEETS & HORSERADISH material and a second set of "standards."
This playlist documents the night.
(CLICK HERE TO READ THE REVIEW AT THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE)
WHY PATTI SMITH MATTERS
Caryn Rose
Universtiy of Texas Press, 2022
WHY PATTI SMITH MATTERS, the book is called. Matters to whom? Matters why? Matters for what?
Caryn Rose comes closest to answering these questions in her Epilogue:
“Patti Smith taught us how to kick the doors in, and she continues to teach us how to live with integrity, to keep our name clean, to take chances, to keep the memories of our loved ones alive, to continue after…
Read more(CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REVIEW AT MUSIC CROWNS DOT ORG
Okay. I don't know if such a person as Mia DeSine actually exists. Does Mia have pronouns? I browsed the internet for somebody named Mia DeSine, but I didn't find anyone. I can't tell if this is a "real" review or something whipped together by the publicist. Either way, here is what the review says:
Crafting a song from scratch is already a difficult, daunting task. Organizing your thoughts enough to write out lyrics that explain what’s in your head is…
Read more(CLICK HERE TO GO TO CASHBOX MAGAZINE)
Did you ever see one of those New Wave films in which you're not simply watching a story but a story about telling a story. The filmmakers make sure to remind you that you are watching a movie. It isn't real. They want you to maintain your critical perspective while also appreciating the story. Something about DEMYTHOLOGIZING.
Anyhow, here's a bit of demythologizing about The Little Wretches. I/we hired a publicist a couple of years ago, and he's kept me busy with…
Read moreRoger Waters
PPG Arena, Pittsburgh, 7/6/22
F##k Sloganeering.
F##k taking potshots at easy targets.
F##k railing against mind-control tactics by employing those same tactics.
F##k the use of the word f##k as though it adds weight to the slogan.
F##k people conditioned to applaud when their beloved performer invokes the word, F##k.
Is it time for the two-minute hate yet?
All in all….
He performed “in the round” with a massive projection screen through the middle of the stage. The filmwork and…
Read moreTHIS LINK TAKES YOU TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
The Little Wretches's showcase of songs from RED BEETS & HORSERADISH at McKeesport Little Theater was streamed on Facebook, and so was The Little Wretches (East)' show in Philadelphia back in April.
I've taken those streams, broken them into individual songs, and I'll be posting those songs on YouTube, one song per day for as long as it takes.
Yesterday, for example, I posted I'LL BE YOUR MIRROR (Poem) from the Philly show.
Today, I posted (May You Never Be the)…
Read moreRobert's appearance on COOL EXPLORATIONS on YouTube
Robert's appearance on COOL EXPLORATIONS on Anchor
I am personally a person of faith, but the music of The Little Wretches is not about evangelizing or converting anybody to anything. I try to write songs about people and life. People are religious and turn to religion to get through life. We try to speak with authenticity, precision and elegance about people. And if, as people of faith believe, man is made in the image of God, we need do no more. As they…
Read moreclick here to listen to the Robert's appearance on the Cancer U. Thrivers podcast
Thank you to Andrea Wilson-Woods for inviting me to speak about an experience that profoundly affected who I am but is not something I’ve had the chance to talk about. What makes people uneasy? Talking about cancer.
Scott Mervis of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE interviews Robert about RED BEETS & HORSERADISH
Even back when he was playing the Electric Banana in the height of the Pittsburgh punk and post-punk era, for Robert Wagner, it was all about the songwriting.
The No Shelter and The Little Wretches frontman had songs to rock the house, but, taking his cues from Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and the like, he also had stories to tell. And they weren’t glamorous. They were stories of working people toiling in difficult…
Read moreEzra Daye reached out, asked for our music, put it on the MetaPop platform, and asked me to share it.
It has been shared!
Thank you, Ezra Daye!