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It turns out that another person named Liz Phair taught the cooking class in Santa Cruz. Courtesy of Jon Burk, here was the e-mail he received from Jody Lombardo at Fresh Prep Kitchens: From: Jody Lombardo
Hello Jon, Thanks for sending your delightful e-mail. Isn't it strange that we have
If you are ever in our area-look us up! Take care, Jody Lombardo
[Thanks to the Jon Burk from the Support System mailing list for the details.] |
Kid-Chef Class
Here's a yummy event for kids who want to learn how to cook as well as make their own holiday gifts.
In next Wednesday's FreshPrep class, kids 8 and up will learn how to bake and hand-decorate cookies as well as decorate mini-gingerbread houses.
What fun!
But you have to call and register to take part.
The class starts at 2 p.m. and costs $45.
In addition to delicious treats to take home, kids will get a full set of recipes.
Call instructors Liz Phair or Jody Lombardo at Fresh Prep Kitchens 429-1390 to register.
Is this our Liz Phair? From From Fresh Prep Kitchens:
Event: Kid-Chef Class: Holiday Cookies, 2PM Yummy!
Event Date : 12/20/2006
This will be a great class for kids to learn how to bake and hand-deocrate Holiday cookies. They can even give them as gifts!
Hand Decorated Holiday Cookie Assortment
Mini Decoreated "Gingerbread" Houses
Children will be sent home with their cookie assortment and houses and the full set of recipes.
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Cost: $45
Ages 8+
Instructor: Liz Phair and Jody Lombardo
To Register: Call 831-429-1390
[Thanks to the Santa Cruz Sentinel and Fresh Prep Kitchens for the details.]
"Minnie Driver showed off another aspect of her creative nature at the chilly Oxfam benefit Nov. 29 at Esquire 30 House. She sang 'Everything I've Got in My Pocket' and 'Sorry Baby' from her album coming out next year. She also sang several duets with rocker Liz Phair to the crowd, including Sex and the City's Kristin Davis, Mark Ruffalo, Colin Firth and Kirsten Dunst, and Felicity Huffman..."
[Thanks to the Los Angeles Times for the details.]
[Thanks to PopSugar / WireImage for the pictures.]
You can view screenshots from the aforementioned celebrity playlist here and here.
[Thanks to trampolinefromspace / CharliesGirl from the Liz Phair Forum for the link.]
Postseason Pitch Selection
Everyone from the league to broadcasters wants a say in who sings the national anthem
By RUSSELL ADAMS
WITH A POSTSEASON that has three teams from the top two media markets -- practically guaranteeing a big TV audience -- Major League Baseball and its broadcasters couldn't be happier. But it's making Marla Miller's life a lot more complicated.
Ms. Miller is the league's executive in charge of picking the people who will sing the national anthem and "God Bless America" during World Series games. The national anthem is woven into the fabric of America's pastime -- but deciding who's going to hit the high notes on baseball's biggest stage is knottier than ever.
The Star Spangled Banner is becoming the center of a clash between differing agendas in baseball. The league, which is trying to attract the younger fans that have fled the game for basketball and football, wants to connote hipness with its singer selections. Broadcasters, meanwhile, are eager to cross-promote their own actors and recording artists, which is why Fox has lobbied for "American Idol" participants in the past. And then there are the teams, which seek out local talent with deep ties to their franchises.
If that weren't enough, there's one more problem: A number of otherwise attractive candidates won't go near one of these patriotic hymns for fear of falling flat on their vocal chords. Two stars who fall into that camp: Billy Corgan, of Smashing Pumpkins, and Jon Bon Jovi. (Mr. Bon Jovi has said only a New York Giants Super Bowl appearance would get him to sing the anthem.)
"There are a lot of well-known artists who are intimidated by it," says Ms. Miller, baseball's senior vice president for special events. Ultimately, Ms. Miller and her staff make their decisions based on input from more than 15 parties, including talent agencies like William Morris and Creative Artists Agency, and record labels such as Warner Bros. The league, which declined to say which musicians are in play this year, says it considers things like proven ability to sing the songs and hometown appeal.
[...]
Frederic Traube, who runs Pro Sports Music Marketing and works on behalf of artists and record labels, is one of the 15 parties that the league consults before making its final musical selections for the World Series. He was the person responsible for bringing the song "Who Let the Dogs Out" to sports stadiums and arenas around the country, and has helped book at least two World Series performers in each of the past three years, including Shelby Lynne in 2003, [Gretchen] Wilson in 2004 and Liz Phair last year.
[Thanks to Russell Adams / Wall Street Journal for the article.]
[Thanks to Smith College for the press release.]
About: Breakfast With The Arts: 2006/09/03 - Music Stars #3
Today it's a two-hour all-star jam as we feature unique performances recorded exclusively for our program. Running the gamut from rock to pop to country to soul and hip-hop, performances include Jon Anderson, Neko Case>, Rosanne Cash, Natasha Bedingfield, Trey Anastasio, Hanna-McEuen, The Five Browns, Raul Midon, UB40, Martina McBride, Si Se, Corinne Bailey Rae, Bonnie Raitt, John Hiatt, Clint Black, Katie Melua, Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris, Liz Phair, Chris Botti, and Don McLean. Karina Huber hosts. CC [TVPG]
The program airs on the A&E Network on Sunday, September 3rd, 2006 at 8AM ET/7AM CT.
It's been an especially slow Liz news period...
[Thanks to Elizabeth Goodman / Rolling Stone for the list and XRay from the Liz Phair Forum for the link.]
Jancee Dunn 
but enough about me... |
07-26-06: MORE JANCEE DUNN ON LIZ PHAIR
From Newsday, July 23, 2006: "When Liz Phair was on the cover [of Rolling Stone], I went to her house, I met her pet rat, we had dinner together and I really did think we were going to be friends," she says. "I was a naïve kid. I never heard from her again, and it taught me the lesson - they're not your friends. I learned to detach." You can read more stories like that in Jancee Dunn's new book, but enough about me.... [Thanks to Jennie Yabroff / Newsday and Jancee Dunn for the tip.] |
Green Day's American Idiot was on their previous Best Concept Albums list, so it was included in the above list.
[Thanks to Rolling Stone for the list and XRay from the Liz Phair Forum for the link.]
From the Chicago Tribune:
Phair's act: Fair to middling
Lack of quality, unevenness leave fans with a sour taste
By Althea Legaspi
Special to the Tribune
Published July 10, 2006
For the final Saturday of Taste of Chicago, it was a fitting choice to have Liz Phair headline the Petrillo band shell, for she was the toast of Chicago during the early stages of her career.
Still, homecomings can be strange affairs, especially when one's glory days seem in the distant past -- a fact that quickly presented itself during Phair's show. H er set mixed songs from each of her five albums. Her best material, comprising her first two albums juxtaposed with her latter work, only emphasized that her decision to purposely and unapologetically aim for the pop charts may have been good for sales, but she suffered in quality.
Phair, who was raised in Winnetka but now resides on the West Coast, has proven herself a gifted songwriter. Her 1993 debut, Exile in Guyville, was a breakthrough in its time. Lyrically clever and deliciously profane, with a lo-fi production suited to her vocals, Exile remains a landmark album, despite sounding firmly planted in another era.
Phair's performance of songs such as the blushingly real "Glory" and "Divorce Song", which so poignantly captures the emotional conflict of a marriage falling apart, shamed the lyrics from her eponymous album made a decade later.
Songs such as her first bona fide top 40 hit "Why Can't I" and "Rock Me", with uninspired lines like "Yeah rock me all night" and "I'm starting to think that young guys rule" are downright trite for someone who has done so much better, especially when heard next to a true gem such as "Fuck and Run".
Material from 2005's Somebody's Miracle sounded dully adult contemporary ("Lazy Dreamer" and the ballad "Everything to Me") and and lifeless.
Her voice has always been thin and reedy. Within the big, glossy framework of her recent music, Phair's singing was simply lost in the mix.
She was flat throughout her performance, and her varying pitch was particularly painful on "What Makes You Happy".
Despite such uneven fare, she and her backing band traversed the material with a command Phair has not often exhibited live, and their collective talents instrumentally somewhat kept the evening from being a complete wash.
While Phair has not always been an easy performer to watch, having suffered stage fright in the past, it was clear this night that she has gained quite a bit of confidence. Light banter and a playful attitude pervaded her show, and she genuinely seemed to enjoy her return to Chicago, as did some of her fans.
But like many homecomings, it rarely lived up to how it once was, back in the day.
Also from the Chicago Tribune:
PERSONALS: WHO'S WHO & WHAT'S UP
The Personals page was compiled by Cristi Kempf from Tribune news services and staff reports.
Published July 10, 2006
- Liz Phair, performing at the Taste of Chicago on Saturday, came out dressed to kill in a sexy dress and strappy high heels. But not long into the performance, the heels were kicked to the curb. The Winnetka native, in addition to complaining about the discomfort of high heels, told the Petrillo crowd she's been staying with Mom and Dad while in town. See Tempo for a review of Phair's Taste performance.
Finally, here is an unlikely report from Sara, who was interpreting at the show:
So Friday night I was suppose to interpret for Macy Gray but it got cancelled so fast forward to Saturday night. World Party, Fountains of Wayne and Liz Phair. World Party I didn't know but they were fantatic. Just some old brits but really really super and maybe some of you know them but I didn't but they were great! Fountains of Wayne was sooooo incredibly tough to work with because we couldn't hear a damned thing nor could we understand what they were saying, but Joe (who was my partner that night) did a great job of dealing with the unknown! Thank goodness their "one hit wonder" "Stacy's Mom" was played and so Joe was able to showcase his interpreting talents! Lastly, Liz Phair. Ok, we were down in the greenroom and I was freaking out about being on stage and being ready BEFORE she got up there, I didn't wanna have to rush or anything. So I left the greenroom and Joe hung out. Ten minutes later he comes up all smug and says, "Yeah, I met Liz." Apparently my husband really WILL walk up to anyone and just start talking, but thank goodness he did because we got the set list which was very very helpful. Well, if any of you know Phair has kinda whimped out and gone a little more mainstream than she used to be. So a lot of her old stuff is hard and edgy and raw. And completely incomprehendible while she's practically eating the microphone but an enjoyable show nonetheless. While Joe was chatting her up she asked him to teach her the sign for 'fuck' - so she ran around stage signing fuck. One of her songs is called "Fuck and Run" so you can imagine that the audience all started signing 'fuck' together too - really it was quite magical. (smirking if you couldn't tell).
[Thanks to Alice D'Amore for the Glory video footage; Althea Legaspi / Cristi Kempf / Chicago Tribune for the articles; Liz J from the Support System mailing list for the links; and Sara the interpreter for her unique perspective of the Taste of Chicago show.]
"Never Said" (8-second clip)
[Thanks to snosons for the videos and to Liz J for pointing me to the videos.]
You can see more of Alice's pictures of Liz at blog alice.
Note to JeremyEngle: can you identify Liz's guitars from these pictures?
[Thanks to Alice D'Amore for the pictures.]
ABC 7's 10 p.m. news had a bit on Liz at the Taste of Chicago last night at the end of their newscast. They showed her singing (a song off the ST, can't remember which one) for a few seconds while there was a voiceover basically saying she was a "local girl made good". They mentioned before she started her musical career, she sold charcoal drawings in Wicker Park, which I thought was a nice/fairly obscure detail to throw in -- somone did research!
I didn't see any video footage at the WLS-TV Channel 7 website. Anyone happen to tape this?
[Thanks to Liz J from the Support System mailing list for the info.]
It was great to see Liz last night in Chicago!
I was on the fence about going -- even after many cold beers in the sun on my roof deck I could not convince my friend to go with me to the Taste. It was already 6:30 and the WXRT show in Grant Park started at 5:00. I wasn't sure if Liz was headlining. So I had conceding that I just wasn't going and then started this whole discussion about Liz after which he pushed me out the door and into a cab. It was so surreal - I got the pre-show jitters in the taxi and then started to get super psyched as I was walking through Grant Park toward the stage. I got in to the pavillion (which was impossible at India Arie last week) and took a seat on the far right about 4th row.
Liz looked amazing and was wearing this backless layered green dress. I was happy to see Dino there, and her guitar player Joe is awesome as well. Sven Martin was on keys, and I can't remember the name of the drummer. Her vocals were solid for everything except "Uncle Alvarez" during which she forgot the words! They tried to play it off but it ended up staying kinda weak throughout. Highlights were "Friend of Mine", the rockin jam at the end of "Divorce Song" when Liz and Dino and Joe jumped and danced around while all three guitar jammed, and "Son of a Preacher Man" was so great - I loved watching Liz sing it loud and strong...
Here's the setlist:
The pavillion really emptied out at some point. I saw plenty of people there also by themselves but didn't really meet anybody. There was this sweet looking dark-haired guy sitting right in front of me that left during "Favorite Underwear" which I totally wanted to do - I can't believe she played that crappy song, I would so much rather have heard "Giving It All to You" or "Got My Own Thing" of the newest songs. Looks like "Everything to Me" was the only song off the last album, which I dug much more than the self-titled ep.
Banter included a shout-out to her friend Amy in the audience, and she said "Amy crafted the setlist so if you don't like it, she's right there, go after her." Then when she rushed into the encore, bumping Sven off the keys for "Chopsticks", she said she is moving back to Chicago and is going to stay with her parents for a few months so to expect to be seeing a lot of her this fall. "You're never too old to mooch off your parents." So I wonder if she is moving out of Malibu or just coming back for a little while?
Her set was almost exactly an hour and I was back with my friends in no time - I am so glad I got myself there because it was great to see Liz.
More details (and possibly pictures?) as they come in...
[Thanks to Katie Brown from the Support System mailing list for the info.]
Liz played a really loose and relaxed set and it was great.
The set list was as follows :
I am doing this from memory so the order is off. I have the first two and the last three in the correct order, but everything in between is off. Sorry.
Anyway it was a great set, and I am hoping against hope that we get to see more of Liz in the immediate future. It would be a shame if lackluster album sales were the reason Liz wasn't going to be playing live so much. She is great live. I think we get the best of Liz in a live setting.
And she was looking great, as usual.
She was there with a full band.
Her band featured two new members, at least for this show. There was a new drummer, replacing Dino's brother. And there was a guy on keys who was so new that even Liz didn't remember his last name.
More details as they come in...
[Thanks to rt6970 from the Liz Phair Forum for the info.]
|
Jancee Dunn
but enough about me... |
07-02-06: JANCEE DUNN ON LIZ PHAIR
From The Daily Telegraph: [Jancee] Dunn's first cover interview for the magazine [Rolling Stone] in 1994 was with Liz Phair, the indie rock star, who was making waves in the American music industry at the time. "That was a very decadent time," she says. "We ended up smoking a lot of pot, and she said: 'Let's get really baked and go look at fish,' so we went to an aquarium absolutely out of our minds." After looking at the fish neither of them could form proper sentences so they had to postpone the interview. You can read more stories like that in Jancee Dunn's new book, but enough about me.... [Thanks to Killian Fox / The Observer and Jancee Dunn for the tip.] |
26th Annual Taste of Chicago |
07-02-06: LIZ'S TASTE OF CHICAGO APPEARANCE DRAWS NEARER
Yes, it's been a slow Liz news cycle. However, her upcoming appearance at the 26th Annual Taste of Chicago is around the corner. Here are a collection of articles from the Chicago area publications: From the Chicago Tribune: Good taste in music
By Louis R. Carlozo
Liz Phair (5 p.m. July 8): It's a wonder that Liz Phair is returning to Chicago to play a large outdoor concert, given that her early career was marked by rare live appearances. Back then, her voice was the creation of studio gimmickry. Can Liz pull it off this time? Either way, it should be interesting, even if her recent output can't hold a candle to her Exile in Guyville days. (With Fountains of Wayne and World Party). From the Chicago Sun-Times: Davis, Phair top Taste's musical fare By Jim DeRogatis
5 p.m. July 8: There was a time when the idea of Winnetka native Liz Phair performing in Grant Park would have meant something, but that was long before indie-rock's former bad girl left her self-imposed exile in Guyville for the sun and fun of Hollywood in an effort to reinvent herself as Sheryl Crow lite. Preceding La Liz onstage: the gently Beatlesesque jangle of Fountains of Wayne and the recently reactivated World Party, which is, disappointingly, really just main man Karl Wallinger performing in stripped-down fashion without the orchestral pop charms of his old band during its late '80s heyday. From the Chicagoist: Taste Time By Erin Shea
If you're already at the Taste on certain days, there are other shows that would be worth a listen. WGCI sponsors the O-Jays and india.arie at separate 5:30 p.m. shows tonight and Wednesday the 5th. The acoustics of Petrillo will probably wreak havoc with their guitars-and-bars sound but Fountains of Wayne play on July 8th at 5 p.m. (Liz Phair is playing too but if you’ve managed to remain a fan for this long, we recommend skipping the tossed-off performances she gives in outdoor venues like this). [Thanks to the Chicago Tribune / Louis R. Carlozo, the Chicago Sun-Times / Jim DeRogatis, and the Chicagoist / Erin Shea for the articles.] |
Saturday Night (June 10th):
Liz Phair and Elvira at a private party in the hills. Didn't recognize either of them until they were pointed out. Would bang Elvira just to say I banged Elvira.
You know it's a slow news cycle in the world of Liz Phair when I have to report something like that...
[Thanks to Defamer for the tip.]
Liz Phair is a hot female guitarist |
06-03-06: LIZ IS ONE HOT FEMALE GUITARIST
Being that it has been a slow news cycle in Liz Phair land, I figured this item merits a mention. Liz has been given the honor as one of "The Top 12 Hottest Female Guitarists Ever" by outsideleft. Liz was ranked Number Two. Here is the entire list:
[Thanks to Theresa Duncan for the link and Liz Phair for being a "hot female guitarist".] |
Liz Phair makes a guest appearance on The WB's Pepper Dennis |
06-02-06: LIZ ON TV
Liz Phair "performed" "Count On My Love" in her guest appearance on the WB program Pepper Dennis. If you missed it, The WB will be reairing the episode this Sunday, June 4th (check your local TV listings for airtimes in your area). Fearless Freaks, a documentary on the Flaming Lips featuring Liz, will be shown Wednesday, 6/7, 10 PM ET on the Sundance Channel. It will reair several times during the month of June. Also on the Sundance Channel, Liz will be appearing on the Drug Years documentary. She is featured in Parts 2, 3 and 4. For airtimes, visit http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/phair_liz/motv.jhtml. [Thanks to XRay from the Liz Phair Forum for the info.] |
