Archive: 2011

The summer festival field may become even more crowded this June with a proposed three-day event at Bader Field in Atlantic City. AC mayor Lorenzo Langford spoke about the festival earlier this month at a luncheon and according to an Atlantic City Weekly report, mentioned that a big-time promoter is putting said festival together. To […]

Yesterday, we shared the disturbing tale of Ween’s tour opener in Vancouver, which quickly turned into a trainwreck of epic proportions due to Gene Ween’s visibly unhinged condition. The band’s tour rolled on to Seattle last night and HT’s Andy Kahn reports that Gener was upright the entire night, sounded great for the most part […]

I feel like one of the last remaining Americans whose phone isn’t “smart,” but there haven’t been many apps that make me jealous of those who have embraced iPhones…until today. A new app called Jammit allows musicians to isolate tracks from an extensive library of artists’ original master recordings, so you can either hear exactly […]

Here’s what Three Grown Men are thinking about the possibility of the H.O.R.D.E. tour making a comeback next year…

Conor Kelley

The recent speculation about the H.O.R.D.E. Festival making a resurgence in 2012 has jamband fans buzzing, from the dreadlocked to the collar-popped. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the tour’s first all-star lineup, which ripped listeners away from the Grateful Dead’s concert-opoly and fragmented the scene into dozens of successful nationally touring acts. The “jamband” world officially had a seat at the head table. Being present for the birth of any musical movement is an exciting spectacle I’m sure, though I’ve never had the perfect right time, right place, right hair, right clothes combination to witness it. It’s a rock and roll rarity when the crowd organizes itself and rallies around a group of like-minded and talented bands, but these are the moments that change popular music forever.

[Pass Scan via H.O.R.D.E. page on Bluestraveler.net]

The interesting thing about the first few H.O.R.D.E tours is that the players involved in the original 1992 and 1993 lineups went on to become, by and large, the most commercially successful jam acts of all time. The tour had nothing but pure intentions and backed up the old-world touring band credo: talent + exposure = success.

Bringing H.O.R.D.E back after a 13 year lapse is an interesting move, but will H.O.R.D.E. 2.0 be anything like the original? My hope for the festival is that John Popper returns as organizer, takes the reins and creates something truly special again. He should find a short list of dead-serious bands who just need that extra push from a 600-capacity club into an amphitheater in order to gain a following. That would be the only way to pay homage to what H.O.R.D.E. started in 1992.

READ ON for more from 3GM on the possible return of H.O.R.D.E….

After spending three years at the kitschy Kutsher’s Country Club in the Catskills region of New York, organizers behind the highly successful All Tomorrow’s Parties have announced a change for this year, deciding to move their hipster friendly festival to the site of another once thriving summer destination – Asbury Park, NJ. The event is […]

For a number of years now, I honestly feel the single, best kept secret in our scene has been the music of a single man: Brock Butler. Best known for his guitar playing and frontman persona of the Athens-based quartet Perpetual Groove, Butler has also thrived in an unconventional way in the solo spotlight.

[Photo by Jeremy Gordon]

Admittedly a friend since about ’03, Butler and I instantly formed a brotherhood of sorts, even joking at times that eventually we would start our own band simply titled, “BBBBBBBBBBBB…” (like the sound you make when you run your finger across your vibrating lips). Clever, I know, especially considering I can barely play a spoon. But, with Brock leading the way, I’d doubt anyone else would even notice. I’ve not only been lucky enough to call him a friend, but also stood by and been amazed by his lyrics, music and overall presence on more than a number of occasions. We’ve slept on each others couches and I have interviewed him in a number of formal settings, focusing mostly on PGroove. But today, as I said, I am going to let you in on the other half of his existence, which is simply a boy and his guitar.

Growing up in Virigina and studying in Savannah, Georgia, Butler and company finally settled down in their current home of Athens, a well-known breeding ground for artists as diverse as R.E.M. and Widespread Panic. And while Butler’s greatest notoriety is gained from his mammoth sounds with PGroove, he is simply a man who is seemingly in no rush and always tries to get lost in the “slow groove.” His solo shows won’t usually garner any huge touring notice, for he is much better known for sunrise sets on Jam Cruise, an impromptu late night hotel room session, or simply in any place where the mood strikes him. Drawing from a catalog of classic covers, heartfelt originals, delicate loops and gentle humor, I’m confident to say that Butler is a well guarded secret that once you hear, won’t be easy to get out of your head.

READ ON for more from Brian on Brock Butler…

In conjunction with yesterday’s release of Gutter Rainbows, his fifth full-length solo effort, Talib Kweli also put out an official video for the single, Cold Rain. Gutter Rainbows is chock full of familiar Brooklyn musicians, as Nigel Hall, Eric Krasno, Adam Deitch and many more lend their talents to the record. The video seems to […]

Duane Allman may be remembered as a member of Derek and the Dominos thanks to Sky Dog’s contributions to Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, but he only played two live shows with the band. One of those gigs – December 1st, 1970 at Curtis Hixon Hall in Tampa – was recorded for posterity and […]

Robert Plant performing at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC on January 18th, 2011.

Jason Moran & Bandwagon/Ten (Blue Note): Pianist Jason Moran and his Bandwagon trio are busy from the very outset of this CD and that’s a reflection of the ambitious career upon which this release is based. The threesome have culled its selections from various larger projects, including multi-media presentations, commissioned works and educational initiatives and […]