Since sampling was used so heavily in the studio, did playing live pose any problems?
So if anything’s spontaneous, I would say it was some of the live performances.” We did the same thing for the second record, and for the third one we really tried to get a live band. But people were like, ‘oh, it’s really lo-fi’ but we thought it sounded really slick! So we never knew we were doing anything lo-fi. I guess the first one was made with lunch money basically, on less expensive equipment, and we thought it sounded really slick. “I don’t think we were even conscious of anything changing. What do you think led to the more polished sound of “Natural Ingredients”? Your first EP, “In Search Of Manny,” seemed to have a more raw, sometimes spontaneous sound to it. That’s between eight and ten songs, a 45 minute set.” We do certain songs that people have to hear, definitely the singles from both records, we have three records, but… certain things we just have to include, like ‘Naked Eye,’ obviously, and ‘City Song’ from the first record, ‘Why Do I Lie?’ from this one. Since you have a lot of material, how will you determine which songs to perform? The number of artists performing means that everyone gets relatively short sets.
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We’re doing this and hopefully we’ll do another one, a full tour in the future.” We did something else and we weren’t sure if we made the right choice, but…. Tickets and more information here.An interview with Luscious Jackson vocalist and bassist Jill Cunniff (conducted 12/97)
WXPN Welcomes Luscious Jackson to Union Transfer on Saturday, November 23rd. On Magic Hour, its first album in fourteen years, the group gives instructions in fun, love, loyalty and self-appreciation with ten songs that go down as easy as drummer Kate Schellenbach’s backbeats.
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Luscious Jackson, the Manhattan-born, now bicoastal band of rhythm gluttons whose hits (remember “Naked Eye”?) were among the most pleasurable alternative rock produced in the ’90s, demonstrates exactly how to do that. It’s one thing, a necessary thing, to get on the dance floor but it’s also supremely beneficial to carry that funky sway onto the streets and into daily routine. The best dance music is the kind that reminds you to move through life with your body rocking. Listen to the full album here.Īnn Powers, writing about the album for NPR Music says: Photo by Doug Seymour Luscious Jackson are back in action and rocking the beats! They are releasing their first new album in 14 years, Magic Hour, on November 5th. Let’s hope Luscious Jackson continue to bring music to our ears, since Magic Hour and this concert prove they have a lot left to give us musically and aerobically. At no point was this more evident than when they invited a few male fans to dance on stage as they performed one of their best new tracks, “#1 Bum.” “City Song” and a mostly female on-stage dance party followed, bringing their opening set to a close.Īnd as the crowd chanted for Jill Cunniff to join her bandmates for the encore, which brought three more treats (including a welcome performance of 1993’s “Satellite”), the bond between band and audience was solidified as one that hasn’t lost any bounce in the aughts. With backing keys, guitar and percussion, as well as a DJ providing interstitial sounds, Luscious Jackson showed off how their new parts enhance the quality of the past. (They didn’t play anything from their kiddie-rock album Baby DJ, released earlier this month, despite the presence of children in the crowd.) Cunniff with her bass, Glaser with her guitar, and Schellenbach with her drums brought forth their unique rock concoction with such ease and grace that 20-year-old songs like “Daughters of the Kaos” have retained their electric eclecticism. (And it doesn’t hurt that the band’s namesake is a ’60s- and ’70s-era 76ers player.)įor 19 songs and nearly 90 minutes, they certainly looked like they were at home as they played tracks from almost all of their releases, from 1993’s debut EP In Search of Manny to 2013’s Magic Hour. Philadelphia may have seemed an odd place for the New York-based band to relaunch, but Cunniff noted early on that Philly was chosen because it rocks and the city’s fans are so great. Though they may be older and leaner as they return with three original members - Jill Cunniff, Gabby Glaser and Kate Schellenbach (Vivian Trimble hasn’t returned) - they have not lost sense of how to energize a crowd to dance and sing along. The 1990s were alive and well at Union Transfer, with Luscious Jackson pumping out their dance and hip-hop-infused alterna-rock in their first concert in 14 years. And, no, I am not talking about our timelord from across the pond. On Saturday night, time machines were proven to exist. Luscious Jackson | Photo by Chris SIkich |