As a special early Christmas gift (although he'd never call it
that!) Morrissey will be gracing Royal Oak Music Theatre with his presence and
unflappable voice this Sunday. While he doesn't have a new album out - he may
not even have a label, Morrissey will be pulling from his huge catalog of songs
and even pulling a few surprises . I've heard rumors (even seen video)of him
playing his breathtaking "I Know It's Over" from his days fronting
the Smiths on this tour.
Morrissey is often recognized as the most important British
musician of his generation. The New York Times recently stated, ”Morrissey
isn’t just any singer: he has become one of the defining rock stars of the past
few decades by virtue of his grand voice, his grander songs, and his charming
habit of playing with melodrama”.His influence is felt worldwide through the
countless artists that cite him as their primary inspiration.
.
If you show up early, you'll catch the thrilling and emotional
Kristeen Young, who was actually interviewed here on MCB a few years ago when
she did a small show at the Modern Exchange. YOUNG will play material from her
most recent seven-song EP, V THE VOLCANIC (released in April), on which she
worked again with legendary producer Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex,
Morrissey), who contributed bass and guitar and also produced her 2009 album
Music for Strippers, Hookers and the Odd On-Looker. This time, Young drew upon
the cinema, writing originals inspired by supporting characters—some of them
quite unexpected: Violet Bick in Frank Capra’s 1946 favorite It’s A Wonderful
Life (“V The Volcanic”), the Angry Apple Tree of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz (“I’ll
Get You Back”), Lucy Westenra in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 take on Bram
Stoker’s Dracula (“Why Can’t It Be Me?”), Old Lodge Skins in 1970’s Little Big
Man (“Now I’m Invisible”), the android Pris from 1982’s Blade Runner (“The
Devil Made Me”), Sarah Jane Johnson in Douglas Sirk’s 1959 melodrama Imitation
of Life (“Imitation of Life”) and Cleopatra in he 1963 Elizabeth Taylor/Richard
Burton adaptation of Cleopatra (“Fantastic Failure”)…the exception to the
supporting character rule
.Kristeen has
been personally invited by Morrissey to open for him, most recently this past
summer for his shows in the U.K. The video for “Fantastic Failure” was shot
amid the landmarks of her hometown St. Louis and directed by LA video director
Seaton Lin.
