The Time Being | Steve Kilbey

http://soundcheck.ocregister.com/2011/02/04/the-church-wows-at-three-album-tour-kickoff/43450/

Once a band is tenacious enough to reach the 30-year mark, its creative output usually slows down significantly. Not the Church. From a steady stream of official albums and solo projects to art and books, members of the influential Australian quartet never stay idle too long.

Last spring, the group’s career milestone was commemorated here by An Intimate Space acoustic tour, with setlists containing a song from every studio release, mainly performed in reverse order. Back Down Under in October, they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame (equivalent to NARAS, which oversees the Grammys).

More recently, longtime fans have been able to revel in Second Motion Records’ back-catalog reissue campaign, starting with the first four albums: Of Skins and Heart (1981), The Blurred Crusade (’82), Séance(’83) and Heyday (’86). All were remastered and now include rare photos and bonus tracks, plus guitarist/singer Marty Willson-Piper’s fascinating liner notes about the church’s history and recording sessions. The Michigan record label also put out Deep in the Shallows, a double-disc singles compilation. Four subsequent studio releases and a limited edition EP box set are expected in the months ahead.

Next week brings White Magic, lead singer/bassist Steve Kilbey’s second collaboration with Martin Kennedy of Aussie electronic group All India Radio, arrives at music retailers.

And this week the church launched its Future Past Perfect tour, a month-long electric counterpart to last year’s stripped-down outing, which kicked off Wednesday night at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. (As a bonus, everyone in attendance received a free updated mini-souvenir program, something you don’t see very often.)

While other groups might opt to perform an entire album or two over a multiple-night stand, the church chose to do three in one, each representing a different decade of its existence. “This is a world premiere,” Kilbey announced before the first hour-long set, covering 2009’s hypnotic Untitled #23. “We’ve never done this and never played some of these songs live before.”

“Or will again,” added a noticeably slimmer and better-groomed Willson-Piper, with a mischievous smile.

“Cobalt Blue” opened the nearly four-hour show on an ethereal note and immediately transfixed the seated audience. Willson-Piper quickly moved from one guitar to another and back again. “Deadman’s Hand” found Kilbey and drummer Tim Powles’ lush voices meshing superbly. “Space Saviour,” a slow chugging rocker, had all the musicians gradually building steam before ending in a noisy barrage.

Both Kilbey and Willson-Piper were in jovial moods. When one fan yelled “you kick ass,” the guitarist responded, “we try to do it more delicately these days.”

Tour multi-instrumentalist Craig Wilson provided airy keyboards for the subtle “On Angel Street,” during which Kilbey was quite animated, venturing to the front of the El Rey stage. Joined by female vocalist Tiare Helberg (a regular contributor on Church-related music) and a roadie on extra bass, the sad song “Anchorage” boasted a captivating, full-bodied sound. Kilbey used lyric sheets and dramatically waved them around while singing.

Following an intermission, the church returned for the second hour-long set, centered on 1992’s Priest=Aura, an esoteric collection that became a band and fan favorite despite modest sales.

This time, the music did all the talking. Audience members that provided polite applause before suddenly cheered loudly after Aura. Fittingly, floating ectoplasm images were projected on the backdrop. Guitarist Peter Koppes’ amazing whammy bar workout amid the triple axe attack on a psychedelic “Ripple” got an equally enthusiastic response (two guys behind me kept yelling “whoa” after every extended guitar solo).

Koppes also shined with some chiming tones and slide work on the poppier “Feel” while Willson-Piper shook his head and had fun while soloing. The cabaret vibe of “Witch Hunt” worked extremely well. A trippy take on “The Disillusionist” saw Kilbey using the lyric sheets again and providing one of the night’s most dramatic deliveries, robustly leading the sea-shanty chorus and ending with a poetic recitation. The crowd gave it a standing ovation.

Gradually unraveling songs are common from the church. The nearly 10-minute long “Chaos” — all claustrophobic sounds, sinister guitar effects and white noise — truly lived up to its title. Kilbey clutched his face in mock agony and fans cheered wildly. The set concluded with the instrumental “Film,” evoking a late-’80s Goth-rock mood.

Another half-hour intermission elapsed. Then it was time for what many Church followers had anticipated all night: 1988’s Starfish, the band’s biggest-selling album in America. It remains one of their strongest efforts, though Willson-Piper has gone on record with the opposite opinion; he writes that it engulfs you with “pure simplicity” in the tour program.

Kilbey’s understated vocals were nearly whispered during “Destination,” driven by Koppes’ searing leads and Willson-Piper’s inspired playing. The former used a spacey effect in place of the bagpipes on the signature hit “Under the Milky Way,” as the latter guitarist played a beat-up 12-string. The dreamy track still sounded transcendent and unique.

Seeing American currency displayed on the screen for an eerie “Blood Money” reminded me of its expert use in a Miami Vice episode; here, it sounded particularly sharp. The warm jangle enveloping “Lost” featured a brief lyric snatch from Springsteen’s “Backstreets.” Willson-Piper really proved his mettle amid the lightning-fast arpeggios in “North, South, East and West,” dazzling guitar work on the rocking “Spark” (for which he also ably handled lead vocals), an intense “Reptile” and smooth closer “Hotel Womb.”

All told, this was a brilliant show from the church. Hopefully they’ll film an upcoming tour stop for future DVD release.

– by George A Paul

“The church Wows at Three Album Tour Kickoff” – by George A Paul

http://soundcheck.ocregister.com/2011/02/04/the-church-wows-at-three-album-tour-kickoff/43450/

http://highwiredaze.com/thechurchrev2011

THE CHURCH presents FUTURE PAST PERFECT, The El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, February 2, 2011

When the church decides to go on a tour, they certainly do so with a good deal of ambition and sheer artistry. The Future Past Perfect exhibition was almost too good to be true – 3 classic albums would be performed in their entirety, covering each of the decades of the band’s highly prolific existence. A total of 34 songs would be performed each night, an undertaking most groups would definitely shy away from, but one which the church was able to endeavor with the greatest of ease. Over three hours of music making for one of the most memorable performances by this Australian collective ever! The sold out El Rey patrons were seated, the lights were dimmed, and a night of magic and mysticism would ensue.

The evening started with a live performance of the critically acclaimed Untitled #23 album, their dazzling 2009 effort showing the church at their most progressive. All 10 songs were performed, opening on a harmonious note with the dynamic Cobalt Blue. Their single Pangaea was a high point that was unleashed to utter perfection.  The live rendition of Anchorage was an absolute triumph, featuring sweet female background vocals and spellbinder musical interludes. Those not familiar with the modern daymeanderings of  the church were clearly enchanted by the transfixing sounds emitting from the stage. Untitled #23 is a magical effort on disc, and live it absolutely enfolds the listener into a sonic state of bliss.  Most musicians would be exhausted by the intricacies of conveying such an intensive work and would call it a night. But the church only took 10 minutes, and would return to the stage rejuvenated and ready for more.

It was time go all the way back to 1992 and revisit the haunting Priest=Aura masterwork, and what a gem of a performance it was! An epic 14 songs were sent out to a very appreciative crowd.  Lead vocalist Steve Kilbey had to refer to printed lyrics sheets a few times, but this only added to the wonderful quirkiness of the evening. Some of the most complex, abstract lyrical insights are to be found within this time period, with opening track Aura being an instant example of the marvels that were to follow. The Disillusionistwas an inspired moment, with Kilbey as a possessed beat poet spewing out the most obscure of homilies. And then there was the magnificent Chaos – a magnum opus of a song that transported the entire El Rey Theatre into an even great musical dimension. Another grand work shown tribute, and even greater glories were still was to arrive.

Starfish from 1988 was a gigantic breakthrough for the church on many different levels. Their most successful effort,  the album spawned a monster hit single with Under The Milky Way that is still heard on radio airwaves all across the world. 10 tracks in all, very much revered by their fans and played to absolute perfection in the final segment of the night. Destination was a pulsating commencement after a break, followed by the sweeping familiarity of Under The Milky Way, which had everyone in the audience singing along. Marty Willson-Piper took on the vocals in the rockingSpark while Peter Koppes delivered a wistful lead for the marvelous A New Season. Kilbey stated there was no encore planned, but Hotel Womb made for an emotional yet cosmic way to end the perfect performance.

the church remains a tight and magnetic union, featuring Steve Kilbey on lead vocals and bass, Marty Willson-Piper on guitar and vocals, Peter Koppes on guitar and vocals, and Tim Powles on drums. Also assisting as a special guest performer was Craig Wilson, whose wide repertoire included keyboards, guitars, mandolin, and backing vocals.

An informative program was distributed – a definitive keepsake for all attendees of the Future Past Perfect shows. The year may just be starting, but there is little doubt that many a music aficionado have already seen what will be the very best single concert by any band in the year 2011.

(click on the link to see gig photos)

episode 23 : the mortal portal

yeah the flesh

yeah the decay

yeah the cash oh yeah the cash is flowing n drying up

yeah the jostle the jostle for position

the position to strike first

quiet day in hollywood

an interview on the phone

what am i the wise old man of fucking rock…?

what do i know….i’m in the church and we meander carefully along

l.a. big deal

the moon big deal

the entire universe big deal

i am strangely detached i am at some hazy distance from it all

i dont care i only care about the words i must sing

the notes i must play

because when the bass goes wrong things sound really sick

so i have 3 ways to go wrong

1the bass

2the singing

3both at same time

i gotta remember all those words in anchorage n disillusionist

at the moment i in hotel waiting to go

always waiting around my lord aint it the way

down to sound check and all its racket n mayhem

i hate soundchecks i loathe em

what do i know but they kill my damaged ears

anyway tonite the 1st show

have no comment

but definitely at this stage a wing n a prayer jobby i’d have to say

i’m sure the church can pull it off …so to speak..

but i wouldnt be shocked if they didnt either

notice how i talk about us as they

freud could have a field day

anyway folks stick around these catacombs because no doubt i’ll be back later

with all the up to date stuff on what happened when the church played l.a.

hey one hell of a warm up gig, guys….or what……??!!

One of the biggest worldwide hits for Australian outfit the church was the jangling early ’80s confection “The Unguarded Moment.”

But for rapier-witted bandleader Steve Kilbey, there’s no such thing — even when his group was recently inducted into its homeland’s ARIA Hall of Fame, he was ready with an impromptu acceptance speech, a rambling 10-minute snark-a-thon wherein he wryly noted how he had been kicked off all the best labels and dropped by all the finest ­publishers in the land.

He ended the rant by thanking God for blessing him with so much talent, spurring the affair’s hostess to say, “Give that man a show!”

Kilbey came off good-natured and self-deprecating. And at 56, the Bondi Beach-based singer — who brings the church to  The City on Friday to perform three classic albums, back to back, “Untitled #23,” “Priest = Aura” and the 1988 breakthrough “Starfish” — also looked tan and trim, thanks to his daily workout regimen of yoga and swimming.

“It was a good night, and I was lucky that I thought of that speech on the spur of the moment,” he says of the prestigious ceremony. “And yeah, there was a bit of bitterness in there, but that’s only par for the course — if you hang around long enough, you’re going to see a lot of ups and downs.”

The honoree wasn’t always so Zen-like. Career regrets?

“I’ve got a million,” Kilbey says. “I was cruel, I was nasty, I was horrible, I was selfish, I didn’t listen. I was weak, I used people, I let people use me — I mean, everything you can imagine. I made all the mistakes.”

For example, he recalls an incident wherein he argued with a Melody Maker magazine journalist throughout a daylong interview. Eagerly, he awaited the cover story’s printing, which would vindicate him. ­Surprise!

“They didn’t put us on their cover — or in the magazine — at all,” Kilbey says. “I’d blown a front-page story, blew it into nothing.”

These days, Kilbey is more grounded. “We’re just a little obscure band, and it’s only about the music now for us,” he says. “All that other stuff has disappeared.”

To that end, the church is celebrating its 30th anniversary with the current Future Past Perfect tour, featuring a grand finale in April at the Sydney Opera House; a new two-disc singles anthology, “Deep In the Shallows”; and remastered reissues of its early catalog.

In concert, Kilbey says, “I don’t mind doing the old stuff — I kind of enjoy it.”

Everything, that is, except “The Unguarded Moment.” “I don’t know why, but I never really liked that song. I didn’t even like it when I wrote it!”

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/entertainment/music/2011/02/church-s-steve-kilbey-has-few-regrets#ixzz1CsEVOV00

Q&A: Peter Koppes of The Church

the-church-reinvents-its-past-with-a-three-album-live-set

http://www.soundspike.com/features/tour/1494-the_church_tour_q_a_peter_koppes_of.html

Story by Phil Gallo

SoundSpike Editor at Large

Published February 1, 2011 07:02 AM

Still buzzing from their induction into the Australian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the positive reception to their new release, “Untitled #23,” the Church have begun work on their 24th album, writing songs that pick up where the last one left off.

“We started rehearsals [for Australia and U.S. tours] and then we started to write,” said guitarist Peter Koppes, who noted the new songs are in the vein of the current album, released in the fall of 2009. “‘Untitled #23’ was a stylistic leap, a sign of maturity. I like to think of it as a jazz album. It definitely has jazz influences as I’ve been studying jazz theory and trying to weave in rules to abide by. I’m talking the Burt Bacharach jazz style, a vocal jazz style, rather than instrumental. I’d say ‘Untitled #23’ is unprecedented in our history.”

the church one of those bands that has kicked around for 30 years and is known to casual listeners for a single song, “Under the Milky Way,” has found several ways to integrate their catalog in new settings. They have done recent acoustic tours of the U.S. and Down Under, and in April they will perform with a symphony orchestral. Beginning Feb. 2, they will tour the United States and perform three albums, “Untitled #23,” 1988’s “Starfish” and 1992’s “Priest=Aura,” from start to finish. Concurrently, Second Motion Records is rereleasing the church’s early albums.

Koppes, who started working with Church frontman-bassist Steve Kilbey when they were teenagers, discussed the upcoming Future Past Perfect tour and the hurdles that go with a project like this.

SoundSpike: As you prepare for this, are you finding that the material feels different? I would imagine “Under the Milky Way” has had a prominent place in the Church’s sets for two decades and now its lodged in about two-thirds of the way through the evening. At least you have a great song, “Hotel Womb,” to close the shows.

Peter Koppes: We’ve never done this before. We were reticent at first because we had followed the model the Beatles created with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the idea that you could record some songs and never be expected to perform them live. After “Sgt. Pepper” came out, albums outsold singles and that’s a platform we have clung to. Having to perform an entire album — it’s exciting. The Cure had the album “Trilogy” where they performed three of their albums (“Pornography,” “Disintegration” and “Bloodflowers”), and we thought it was an interesting approach. Instead of the same old concert dynamic, it’s more like an orchestral presentation. You get more of a structure from start to finish rather than an attempt to knock people’s socks off. I’m looking forward to it and I don’t want to do an encore. Try to break that cliche.

“Untitled #23” is a much airier and mellow album than “Starfish.” Why combine these two and, of all the band’s other albums, why “Priest+Aura”?

The obvious things is the nostalgia, though we’re told that sometimes people don’t want their memories spoiled. We had a bigger audience when we did “Starfish,” and a lot of those people don’t know that we’re still making records and perhaps they’ll enjoy “Untitled #23.” It’s possible that this music, different as it is from “Starfish,” might suit them. Once we knew we would do the two albums we thought, “Why not do a third, have no support act and make a full night of it?” “Priest=Aura” was the obvious choice from an artistic point of view. We thought about “Blurred Crusade,” “Heyday” — maybe next tour — but “Priest=Aura” was a big turning point in terms of style for the band.

“Priest=Aura” was also the first time every member of the band received songwriting credits on all the songs. Up to then Steve Kilbey was credited with most of them. Was that a paperwork issue or did the band change the way you wrote?

Before “Heyday,” there was only enough income to support Steve. It was very expensive to make a record. From the start, though, we all contributed to the songs, brought very competent musicianship and we wrote together. We deserved to share [in the songwriting income].

But you left the band after “Priest=Aura,” only to return a few years later. What happened?

There was a lot of friction in the band — personality conflicts with different parts of the band and management — and I didn’t want to be a part of that. Not to take away from the band’s music, but I was making a lot of contributions [and not getting paid sufficiently]. I had a lot to do with the arrangements and mixing the album with Bob Clearmountain — that’s the sort of confidence the band had in me. Some of the personality irritants were enough to [drive me out]. I thought we had a great album in “Priest=Aura,” but I had my own band (the Well) so I was quite happy musically. I’m really passive and did not want to confront anyone. If I asked managers about the business I’d get knocked for it. When I left, no one asked me why , which tells you something about [the lack of confrontation].

In the United States, at least, the Church became known once you signed with Arista Records, which was doing really well with Whitney Houston and Taylor Dayne at the time. Everything else you have done has been on an independent label. What was the thinking at the time you went with a major?

Arista had confidence in us to sign us. You cannot just equate [Arista chief] Clive Davis with pop. As the head of Columbia he supported Bob Dylan and kept him signed when he wasn’t selling any albums, and when we came to Arista they had signed Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Patti Smith. There was a keen artistic approach there. It was a very supportive label.

Back in the late 1980s, fans in the States were just learning who the Church were, and suddenly all of you had solo albums coming out at the same time. That seemed crazy.

Steve had his second solo album and Marty [Wilson-Piper] had “Art Attack,” and Rykodisc came to me so I put together a collection of demos that were released as “Manchild & Myth.” Mine got reviewed in Billboard, which shocked them a bit.

Was there a sense that you had solo ideas that would not work within the Church?

We’ve always done things outside the church. Do you know about the Reformation? Steve and I created some music [in 1996/97] that had a different style, it had the Reformation style. There are so many [side stories] to the church that someone should write them all down someday.

But while you have continued to do solo records over the last dozen years or so and played in a psychedelic-era covers band, the church has remained steady.

I won’t leave. I’ll get kicked out next time. Everybody in the band knows how creatively strong we are together and we still have fights over the albums, but we know we have to make concessions.

Does that effect the band when you tour?

We’re all older. We’re not going out to the carpark to do cocaine at the end of the night. Young people might. But why re-create the past? It’s quite exciting to look at [playing three albums straight through] as a new form rather than an attempt to capture the mood of our younger days. We’ll see if it holds up — without the stage diving or head banging. I think it will hold its own on an artistic level.

trick or trick

white walls glimpse of barbed wireless control

in the night i march under palms

white cars go by in black night

in the darkness a gun or a bottle or a pipe

3 old wise men bicker over star in a doorway to a youth club

drive from one place to another

i talk talk talk i ride i ride i ride

my lunch arrives a salad sandwich

my dinner arrives a vegie burger too big to pick up

i play my bass sometimes guitar sometimes nothing

i just sing sing sing

well i get pretty tired

its sounding good someone says

my head is somewhere is else

my somewhere collides head on

my other voice sings some words

my other me drops to one knee and strums a chord

my oh my the notes and words all sloshing round in my head

imagine learning all the words to 3 albums

its a big ask

all that bass wow im exhausted as i lie back on this lounge

in our luxury deluxe luxurious rehearsal stage in l.a. baby

my head is fullo jet lag

my head so heavy i loll to one side

eat too much food feel all sleepy

but i type to you in my break

ok thats it for now

sk