Happy New Year: Have One
The year’s winding down fast…only five hours left in this revolution as of post time. Hidden Track has only been fully operational for two and half months, but it sure feels like it’s been at least 12 to 14 weeks. And whether you like us or you’re indifferent towards our existence, we plan to bring […]
Some Saturday Afternoon Peaches
After reading the setlists from the last few nights of Trey Anastasio’s December run, a guy I know has taken to calling this the Please Love Me Again Tour. Alumni Blues and Sex Machine in Boston, The Landlady and Peaches en Regalia in Albany — what’s in store for Atlantic City this weekend? A Lushington […]
Five Years of Ambiguity: The Duo Celebrates
The Benevento/Russo Duo celebrated five great years on Wednesday night, throwing a late entry into the ring for Show of the Year. This was a case of two pros coming back to the ol’ playground and fuckin’ around for awhile, showcasing the greatness that’s propelled them to bigger things. Our friend Neddy‘s The Duo’s biggest fan out there — literally, he even got a sweet shout-out from Marco — and he was kind enough to reflect on the night, and the history.
Is five years a long time? When I think back on what my life was like half a decade ago, it feels like a geological epoch. I’m sure the same can be said for Joe Russo and Marco Benevento, who have gone from a pair of who-dats playing for free every week in a quonset hut of a venue to becoming a critical darling of the scene….not to mention play-acting as the latter half of Phish this summer, amongst other adventures and misadventures.
So, yeah, five years seems like a good time to pause and reflect. It’s also a good excuse to get shitty drunk in the dank underbelly of the Knitting Factory. And so it was: a 5th anniversary Duo party, not even in the Tap Bar, but all the way down in the 88-person capacity Old Office.
I got there a bit early, not sure what kind of zoo the crowd would be. As it turns out, the audience size was utterly manageable, and there was an incredibly friendly vibe from front to back. Unfortunately, the show started pretty late, all things considered, and standing around in a bar for two hours with a friendly crowd meant many, many, many whiskeys before the first notes were played. It’s probably fitting that much of the crowd was deep in party mode all night long…
Friday’s Leftovers
Yet another three-day weekend is upon us, and I’m about to jet to Chicago for the Umphrey’s McGee New Year’s Run at the Aragon. Have a terrific NYE, folks, and expect even more from Hidden Track in 2007. It’s so on. Bob Weir is making the rounds, this time sitting down with Jambands.com’s Taylor Hill […]
Ratdog & Buddy Guy To Headline 2007 Gathering of the Vibes
Terrapin Presents’ annual "Gathering of the Vibes" returns to its roots in Connecticut in 2007 for the first time in six years. The four-day festival will take place at the newly renovated Seaside Park in Bridgeport August 9-12. So far, the line-up includes Bob Weir & Ratdog, Los Lobos, Buddy Guy, Deep Banana Blackout, Assembly […]
The Dear Hunter : Act I: The Lake South The River North
The album is filled with intricacies and complex instrument expressions that are there for the sake of the story. It’s art with a purpose, like Pete’s Townshend’s Tommy.
NYE Bettor’s Guide
Some friends and I were camped out in the Old Office of the Knitting Factory last night, waiting for The Duo to take the stage for its 88-person fifth anniversary show. The recently departed James Brown serenaded the room through the speakers, and we began to discuss the potential frequency of JB covers we’ll hear […]
Signed Meet The Beatles Record Sells for $115,000
An album cover signed by all four Beatles as a gift for George Harrison’s sister has sold at auction for more than $115,000. The sale, to an unidentified buyer, was believed to set a record price for a signed Beatles album purchased at a public sale, said Mark Zakarin, president of the online auction company […]
The Punk and the Godfather: What James Brown Meant to Me
James Brown was a giant, and in my opinion one of the four of five pillars of modern sound. One cannot imagine contemporary popular music without the influence of the Hardest Working Man in Show Business.
Pepper: No Shame
Pepper’s fourth studio album No Shame (Lava/Atlantic Records), produced by Nick Hexum of 311, Tony Kanal of No Doubt, and Paul Leary of The Butthole Surfers, set the Hawaiian trio into weaving island moods with So Cal surf rock ringlets complemented by reggae beats, alternative rock fuses, and ska accents.