Grousing The Aisles: Then, I’m Out

Listening to some old Leo Kottke bootlegs makes me think how unique a guitar player he’s always been. I remember when people first saw Keller Williams and came to me telling me they were blown away, I sent them away with a few Leo albums. It wasn’t until Mike Gordon professed his man-love for Leo that the jamworld finally took note of what Leo has done throughout his long, illustrious career. Trust me, it doesn’t begin and end at Clone, folks.

This week we feature a sicky sicky Leo show from The Bottom Line in 1992. Kottke rips through a set of his signature songs and a ridiculous one-man-gang cover of The Byrds’ Eight Miles High. If you only check out one song, take a listen to Rings. The song’s Stir It Up-like groove combined with some sweet finger-picking and Leo’s dry voice sounds sublime. It isn’t often Leo soundboards come down the pike, so pick this one up while you can.

Cracker 03/03/07 DAUD (FLAC, MP3, STREAM):

David Lowery and Johnny Hickman founded Cracker in 1990, and over the years the group released the brilliant albums Kerosene Hat and O’ Cracker Where Art Thou? Now the band is getting back to its roots, stripping extraneous musicians as Johnny and David perform as an acoustic duo (although Hickman often picks up his electric). Lowery and Hickman hit upon every Cracker album and even throw in a few tracks from Lowery’s original band, Camper Van Beethoven, on this crispy recording from the duo’s recent gig at the Rex Theater in Pittsburgh.

I love the juxtaposition of Lowery’s edgy voice and Hickman’s beautiful harmonies, both vocally and on their guitars. In this case, less is more — the barebones set-up allows the beauty of the songs to shine through. Highlights include a tasty Euro Trash Girl and the epic encore of One Fine Day, Low, and Take The Skinheads Bowling. Also of note is the Hackensaw Boys appearance on Might Makes Right, O Death, Friends, and Teen Angst. The first time I listened to the rockin’ Kerosene Hat I never would have expected these songs would sound so righteous in an acoustic setting.

Addison Groove Project 03/02/07 DAUD (FLAC, MP3, STREAM):

This past weekend, Addison Groove Project’s 10-year career came to a close with a series of gigs in cities where the band had attracted a large following. One of the first shows to go up on the Live Music Archive is this gig from Revolution Hall in Troy, New York. Rob Clarke’s crispy recording shows all of the incredible dynamics between these guys that have grown up and gone through so many ups and downs together.

AGP has always done a fantastic job covering other artists, and this show can’t be accused of having a lack of covers. Their take on The Police’s The Bed’s Too Big Without You is spot-on, including quite the Sting impersonation by Brendan McGinn. Other phenomenial covers include Stevie Wonder’s I Wish, the Edgar Winter Group’s Frankenstein, and a quick run through Led Zep’s The Ocean.

But the covers are only part of the AGP story. The band had a large repertoire and dug deep for versions of their signature tunes such as Gepetto, Ganymede, and Droogs. AGP was (ouch, it’s tough to write about this band in the past tense) one helluva party band and the crowd sounds extremely entertained throughout the gig. Hopefully Skinjer, which features all of AGP minus McGinn, will carry the torch moving forward.

So…what have you been listening to this week? Anything for us?