Advance discs of the audio portion of the DVDs that will be A Day For Grace. Discs courtesy Doug Vincent.
People are depending on MY ears. While flattering, all eyes are focusing on what I hear… I never felt I had discerning taste, but many are relying on my ears to tell them what Johnny Outsider thinks of their hard work. I have always been on the outside of the mainstream, ahead of the curve in some instances, left out in others. But I can let people know what the 411 is when it comes to music, as well as some other cultural aspects of life in “Troubled America”.
As faithful readers know, I jumped from the Rundgren camp to the Tanin camp. It’s been a blast and I have been exposed to more worthy, interesting music in this camp, mostly with Sam Llanas’ solo efforts. Something I might not have heard of is Doug Vincent’s “A Day For Grace”. Click around my WordPress page here to find the full-out review of the actual show. What we are reviewing here is the audio only advance copy sent to me from the Tanin camp. Tanin himself conveys confidence that not only is this a worthy piece as it sits, it is being submitted to the Grammys for Spoken Word Award consideration.
Let me get this right, they are submitting this for a Grammy for Spoken Word and they want to know what I think of it? No pressure…
Well, I am boastfully prepared to pick this puppy apart. Let’s do a quick checklist to make sure we are ready for this journey (in effect) once again. I shall climb into my critical cockpit: Remote control for the DVD/CD player, CHECK. Remote control for the Harmon Kardon 7.1 Surround System, CHECK. Note pad, CHECK. Five sharpened pencils, CHECK. Two audio only CDs that will go on to be the audio track to the forthcoming DVD, for which Sam Llanas is being interviewed at about the very same time that this review is coming to life, CHECK.
Harkening back to actually seeing this performance, and having been given the script to A) follow along as a guide for the CDs, and B) to assist in formatting my own script for my forthcoming show. The main performer in A Day For Grace, Mr. Doug Vincent, is enthusiastic about my show, perhaps more so than anyone else, including me. But I know what the content of these CDs has in store for me, one more thing I need in my critical cockpit before I fire this massive monster up: Full box of Kleenex, CHECK!
Ignition, tower clearance, let’s take this baby for it’s maiden flight…
Doug Vincent (foreground right) relaying his lifetime of angst with Sam Llanas (background left) underscoring the action. Photo by Matthew Staver
An additional note of timeline-reference, this is being composed shortly after the announcement of the suicide of the Mindy McCready. Extra poignancy.
Keep in mind, I am not going to get into the actual dialog, content, script, blocking, etc. with this review. I will only be delving into the audio quality, the quality of the content, does it fly devoid of visuals, and most importantly, will this piece put across the emotions, will it move me like the in-person performance moved me… Speaking of how the performance moved me, I may want to make sure I have a small supply of anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, mood altering and elevating pills, CHECK.
As I mentioned before, I listen to EVERYTHING I review on a Harmon Kardon AVR 335, 7.1 surround system. This is not intentional bragging, it is there to let you Google it and see the system I am using to monitor this performance. So you know the wattage of the system, and you can reference that I set the amp to a specific volume for every disc I review. This lets me reference the mastering level, mixer level settings, and deficiencies in musicianship come right through on this system. My environment is quiet, remember, I do these things during the overnight so there are fewer kids yammering around the neighborhood and fewer vehicles, fewer phone calls, etc. So at points, if I closed my eyes, Llanas was to the left of me, Vincent to the right. They weren’t panned that way, but my recollection of the show has led to some subconscious projection.
Another aspect that made it, for me, highly interesting, was that I was able to procure that copy of the script to the show. In theater like this, there is an ebb and flow to the script that allows for the liberal interpretation of the dialog. No, Vincent didn’t follow the script verbatim, but it got the point across.
Additionally, this was the final show of the run. At a very eloquent venue. So perhaps Vincent pumped up the dramatics for this performance, knowing the cameras were on him, knowing it was a high-profile gig, it definitely comes through in the audio.
The face matches the emotion, you can see the passion! Photo by Matthew Staver
Llanas’ performance? Well, from what I can make of it, that never waivers. He always emits passion, he always brings it.
How does one describe this performance??? You can go and reference my earlier review of the Stage Left show, I delve into those finer points of the script there. There are (again) so many sub-story lines, Vincent’s father, his mother, his sister’s relationship, his dog, his upbringing in three stages, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, his charges at the handicamp, and the many trials he puts his wife through, some of which I did not detail. No spoilers…
I have been approached to tender my critical ear to the sound quality this time, more over the content. Which refers me back to the environment, the equipment, etc.
The discs contain three voices, the intro by an anonymous announcer, Vincent’s spoken word, and Llanas’ vocals.
Throughout the both discs, I detected three points of break-up in the audio, all were at severe, dynamic peaks that could have been generated from the on-state microphone that they used. Those small, ear-hung pencil-thin condenser mics that are virtually invisible to those beyond the fourth row in the audience. I have witnessed those breaking up at lecture-type events, so to handle the emotions of Vincent and the passion of Llanas, they are not exactly equipped to handle powerhouses like these two.
Note to self, use a hand-held mic for your own show…
Now to the topic at hand: Do these discs transmit the emotion, the feeling, the pathos, the sadness of the situation that is Vincent’s life, which, (by his own admission) is riddled with warts?
As the headline of the post should suggest, it is an incredible facsimile. Eyes closed, eyes open, these discs are tearjerkers. The emotions are right there, the comedy is still viable, there are sections that just make you belly laugh, but when those portions of pathos show their ugly head, the Kleenex box is half empty by the time the discs are over.
You sit on the edge of your seat at the birthing scene, you laugh at Dr. Self-Confidence, I myself, revisted my hate/hate relationship with my mother when Nurse Shitbird came on the scene to birth-block the Vincent’s from entering their magical baby land.
As Michael Stipe said on “Losing My Religion”, I’ve said too much.
If you have access to these discs, of if the producers/backers of the show are thinking about releasing them to the public as spoken word discs, I half endorse them. I think they would make tremendous audio only, almost book-on-tape sort of thing. But I would be afraid of people driving their cars off of bridges at the more sad parts. Or drifting off into the oncoming lane laughing at the teeth-slurping antics of dad, or the comical self-affirming denial of mom, or the choir-filled adulation of Johnny Bench.
Vincent face down in a faux wedding cake, all for the amusement of his lovely bride. Photo courtesy Jessica Belf Vincent
Yes, THAT Johnny Bench…
Do these discs stand on their own as viable product? Yes! There are pregnant pauses, but they are for dramatic effect. Think of it as time to dab your eyes with those Kleenexes. This isn’t the type of thing you want to pop into the player at your next party, but it has worth, it has value. If, for nothing else, to educate and inform future generations. “Yes, this is how we grew up, what we grew up with, what the times were like way back then, learn from our mistakes.”
I know I will feverishly be waiting for the DVDs.
Tags: Doug Vincent, Gary Tanin, Jessica Belf Vincent, Johnny Bench, Matthew Staver, Michael Stipe, Mindy McCready, Sam Llanas, Todd Rundgren
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